HIV Screening of Parturient in Delivery Room of the Kindia Regional Hospital, Guinea

Abstract

Introduction: One of the government's priorities in the fight against HIV in Guinea is the prevention of vertical transmission. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HIV in the delivery room and to identify the reasons why parturients were not screened. Material and Methods: The maternity ward of the Kindia regional hospital was used as the study setting. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study lasting three months. TDR Duo performed HIV screening, which was confirmed by Bioline. Data were collected in ODK V1.30.1, sent to KoBoToolbox, and analysed using SPSS version 21. Results: During the study period, 832 parturients were admitted, 179 (21.51%) of whom did not know their HIV status. After being offered the screening test, 96.65% accepted it. The result came back positive at 2.89%. The age group most represented was 15-24 year olds (49.16%). The dominant marital status was married (84.91%) and the majority were not in education (58.10%).  Obstetrically, the number of prenatal consultations ranged from 1-3 in 84.36% of cases and was ≥ 4 in 11.73%. Seven parturients had not undergone ANC. The main reasons for not knowing their serostatus were that the test had not been carried out (39.7%) and that healthcare workers had not suggested screening (31.8%). Conclusion: Suppose the reasons identified for non-testing are considered, and the health authorities at all levels are strongly involved. In that case, this gap will undoubtedly be closed to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV in Guinea.