1. Barriers to early infant diagnosis of HIV in the Wa Municipality and Lawra District of Upper West Region, Ghana
- Author
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Ernest Kenu, Adolphina Addo-Lartey, Margaret Lartey, Kofi Mensah Nyarko, Charles L Noora, Robert D Nuoh, Priscillia Nortey, and Culbert Nuolabong
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ,HIV Infections ,medicine.disease_cause ,Ghana ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,early infant diagnosis ,Formal education ,medicine ,Humans ,Laboratory methods ,Traditional medicine ,business.industry ,Public health ,Infant, Newborn ,Case-control study ,HIV ,Infant ,Deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase ,Mean age ,Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical ,Early Diagnosis ,Case-Control Studies ,Original Article ,Female ,business ,DNA-PCR ,Barriers ,Demography - Abstract
Objective: We identified socio-demographic, health system and psycho-social barriers to Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) of HIV in the Upper West Region of Ghana.Design: An unmatched case control study of 96 cases and 96 controls was conducted in the ART centers in Lawra district and Wa Municipality between December 2014 and April 2015.Setting: A public health facilityParticipants: We defined a case as an HIV positive mother with an exposed infant who received EID service between January 2011 and December 2014. A control was defined as HIV Positive Mother with an exposed infant who did not receive EID services between January 2011 and December 2014.Main outcome: EID by dry blood spot Deoxyribonucleic acid Polymerase chain reaction.Results: A total of 192 mother-infant pairs were assessed. The mean age of infants at testing for cases was 17.3±14.9 weeks. Mother-to-child-transmission-rate was 2.3%. Factors associated with EID testing included: mother being formallyemployed (cOR=2.0: 95%CI:1.1-3.8), maternal formal education (cOR=2.0, 95%CI: 1.1-3.6) and maternal independent source of income (cOR 2.2, 95%CI 1.2-4.1). After adjusting for confounders, maternal independent incomebsource was associated with EID testing (aOR 2.2, 95%CI 1.2-4.1). Median turn-around time of EID result was 11 weeks (IQR 4-27weeks).Conclusion: Women need to be empowered to gain an independent source of income. This can help maximize the benefits of e-MTCT and increase EID in the Upper West Region of Ghana.Keywords: Barriers; HIV; early infant diagnosis; DNA-PCR; GhanaFunding: This work was funded by the authors
- Published
- 2020
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