Factors associated with the final HIV status among infants born to HIV postive women in Uganda

Abstract

This was a retrospective cohort study which investigated factors associated with the final HIV status among infants born to HIV positive women at Regional Referral Hospitals (RRH) in Uganda. The assessment was made by socio-demographic characteristics, maternal clinical and infant clinical factors using data collected by the United States Agency for International Development’s Strengthening Uganda Systems to Treat AIDS Nationally (SUSTAIN) implemented by University Research Co. LLC (URC). The study considered 1,482 exposed infants identified at eleven RRHs from January to December 2013. The analysis was done using frequency distributions and logistic regression. In the results, approximately nine-in-every hundred exposed infants (8.7%) had a positive final HIV status. More than 10KM distance of hospital from infant’s home (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.4, 10.4), delivered from home (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.4, 11.0), Complementary Feeding (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI: 1.3, 13.0), failure to receive ARV prophylaxis at birth (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.0, 6.8), received 2nd DBS test after 6 months of age (AOR= 0.06, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.17) were significantly associated with the final status among infants born to HIV positive women. In light of the findings, there is need to strengthen measures to address barriers against infants receiving ARV prophylaxis at birth and selection of infant feeding status. This could be through increasing competences of health care providers based at all levels of the health structure and, health providers should work together to ensure that all HIV positive women are availed ANC services and skilled delivery. Expansion of availability of the ARV prophylaxis at all health levels is key so that the HIV positive mother and her infant are provided with ARV prophylaxis at birth. Also, addressing women's perceptions and misconceptions on a large scale through mass media and extensively strengthen nutritional counselling and health education programs.