The Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection among Pregnant Women in Labour with Unknown Status and those with Negative status early in the Index Pregnancy in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria.

Rapid HIV test in labour provide an opportunity for the identification of HIV positive pregnant women who should benefit from interventions to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. Between November 2013 and June 2014 we conducted rapid HIV testing of pregnant women in labour at the National Hospital Abuja to determine the HIV seroconversion rate in pregnancy and the prevalence of HIV in pregnant women in labour with previously unknown status. HIV testing and counseling (HTC) was acceptable to 224 (99.6%) of the pregnant women who met the study criteria. The mean 'turnaround' time for test result was 288 minutes and 16.2 minutes for tests performed in the hospital laboratory and those performed at the point‐of‐care (labour ward) respectively. HIV seroconversion was detected in 2(1.2%) of the 165 parturients with initial HIV negative result early in the index pregnancy. HIV infection was detected in four (2.7%) of the 59 parturients with unknown HIV status. Secondary school level education was significantly associated with HIV seroconversion in pregnancy P<0.001. HTC in labour using rapid testing strategy is feasible and acceptable in our setting. The introduction of HCT will lead to the diagnosis of HIV positive women in labour, appropriate interventions and prevention of MTCT of HIV. (Afr J Reprod Health 2015; 19[3]: 137-143). Keywords: Human Immunodeficiency Virus, mother‐to‐child transmission, rapid HIV testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, seroconversion, HIV prevalence Les analyses rapides pour détecter le VIH pendant le travail fournit une opportunité pour l'identification des femmes enceintes séropositives qui devraient bénéficier des interventions visant à réduire le risque de transmission du VIH de la mère à l'enfant (TME). Entre novembre 2013 et juin 2014, nous avons mené un dépistage rapide du VIH auprès des femmes enceintes en travail à l'Hôpital National d'Abuja pour déterminer le taux de séroconversion du VIH pendant la grossesse et la prévalence du VIH chez les femmes enceintes dans le travail avec l’état de santé jusque-là inconnue. Le Dépistage et les Conseils à propos du VIH (DCV) étaient acceptables à 224 femmes enceintes (99,6%) qui répondaient aux critères de l'étude. Le temps moyen de «redressement» pour le résultat de l’analyse était de 288 minutes et 16,2 minutes pour les analyses effectuées dans le laboratoire de l'hôpital et celles effectuées au point des soins (salle d’accouchement) respectivement. La séroconversion du VIH a été détectée chez 2 (1,2%) des 165 parturientes initiales qui avaient des résultats négatifs du VIH au début de la grossesse index. Infection par le VIH a été détectée dans quatre (2,7%) des 59 parturientes dont l’état d santé par rapport au VIH était inconnu. La scolarité de niveau secondaire était significativement associée à la séroconversion du VIH pendant la grossesse P <0,001. Le DCV pendant le travail en utilisant la stratégie de dépistage rapide est possible et acceptable dans notre milieu. L'introduction du DCV mènera au diagnostic des femmes séropositives dans le travail, aux interventions appropriées et à la prévention de la TME du VIH. ((Afr J Reprod Health 2015; 19[3]: 137-143). Mots-clés: Virus de l'immunodéficience humaine, transmission de la mère à l’enfant, dépistage rapide du VIH, prévention de la transmission de la mère à l'enfant, séroconversion, prévalence du VIH

Prevalence and risk factors of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care at a tertiary hospital in Abuja, Nigeria

Context: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) co-infection in pregnant women has increased potential for Mother-to-Child Transmission risks of both viruses. The reports on the prevalence and risk factors for HIV and HCV co-infection in pregnancy are limited in Nigeria. Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence and potential risk factors for HIV and HCV infection among pregnant women in Abuja. Study Design: A cross-sectional seroprevalence study carried out on pregnant women attending antenatal clinic of a tertiary hospital in Abuja from July 1st to October 31st 2016. Patients were recruited consecutively and counselled for HIV and HCV. Structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data, and information on potential risk factors for HIV and HCV infections. Blood samples were collected for HIV and HCV screening using rapid test kits following the national testing algorithm. Data generated were analyzed with statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: 252 pregnant women participated in this study. The mean age of the study population was 31.7 ± 4.9 years. The prevalence of HIV and HCV was 12.3% and 1.2% respectively. The prevalence of HIV/HCV co-infection was 0.8%. The prevalence of HCV among HIV positive cohorts was 6.5%. HIV infection was significantly associated with history of blood transfusion (P = 0.047), presence of tattoo/scarification marks (P = 0.009) and multiple sexual partners (P < 0.0001). HCV infections was not significantly associated with any of the risk factors studied. Conclusion: HIV prevalence is high among the pregnant women. HCV co-infection is common in women who are HIV infected. HIV infection unlike HCV was significantly associated with history of blood transfusion, presence of tattoo/scarification marks and multiple sexual partners

Operationalizing the recommendations from Nigeria 2021 Food Systems Dialogues: a position of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria

Food systems contribute to major global challenges including persistent poverty, competition over environmental resources, climate change and escalating hunger and malnutrition. The United Nations Food Systems Summit was convened to support governments to identify and implement actions that will transform national food systems toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In Nigeria, more than 40 Dialogues involving over 4,000 multisectoral participants including academia, policymakers, the private sector, Non-Governmental agencies and the Nigerian Government were convened by the Nigerian government and other actors. A total of 79 recommendations from these dialogues were consolidated into six clusters to transform Nigeria's food system including; 1) Invest in food security and nutrition knowledge dissemination, skills development, and information management systems; 2) Build sustainable, responsive, and inclusive agricultural input supply and food production systems; 3) Develop value chains and market systems; 4) Increase demand for, and consumption of, adequate, nutritious, and healthy foods; 5) Promote peace-building initiatives, early warning systems, food marketing and regulation standards, and an enabling environment; and 6) Link research, innovation, and extension for a sustainable food system. The Nutrition Society of Nigeria explored the strategy to operationalize the 79 recommendations through a panel discussion and public lecture/engagement and her position includes the need for a national food systems dashboard and command centre; state governments support for food commodities of comparative advantage; filling critical gaps in building capacity for regulatory monitoring; improving on the existing national food-based dietary guidelines; integrating nutrition education into all efforts to transform food systems; active involvement of young people; leveraging the potential business/investment opportunities across the 79 recommendations to generate income while solving food systems challenges; re-positioning the academic/ research community in Nigeria to explore funding opportunities for food systems-related research and build consensus with other stakeholders to define priority research questions across the entire food system. The NSN is committed to supporting skills building around forming partnerships/collaborations, advocacy, and convening consultations to bring stakeholders together