18-month occurrence of severe events among early diagnosed HIV-infected children before antiretroviral therapy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire: A cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To assess the 18-month field effectiveness on severe events of a pediatric package combining early HIV-diagnosis and targeted cotrimoxazole prophylaxis in HIV-infected children from age six-week before the antiretroviral era, in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from two consecutive prevention of HIV mother-to-child transmission programs were compared: the ANRS 1201/1202 Ditrame-Plus cohort (2001–2005) and the pooled data of the ANRS 049a Ditrame randomized trial and its following open-labeled cohort (1995–2000), used as a reference group. HIV-infected pregnant women ≥ 32–36 weeks of gestation were offered a short-course peri-partum antiretroviral prophylaxis (ZDV in Ditrame, and ZDV ± 3TC+single-dose (sd) NVP in Ditrame-Plus). Neonatal prophylaxis was provided in Ditrame-Plus only: 7-day ZDV and sdNVP 48–72 h after birth. A 6-week pediatric HIV-RNA diagnosis was provided on-line in the Ditrame-Plus while it was only oriented on clinical symptoms in Ditrame. Six-week HIV-infected children received a daily cotrimoxazole prophylaxis in Ditrame-Plus while no prophylaxis was provided in Ditrame. The determinants of severe events (death or hospitalization > 1 day) were assessed in a Cox regression model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Between 1995 and 2003, 98 out of the 1121 live-births were diagnosed as HIV-infected in peri-partum: 45 from Ditrame-Plus and 53 from Ditrame. The 18-month Kaplan-Meier cumulative probability of presenting a severe event was 66% in Ditrame-Plus (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 50%–81%) and 77% in Ditrame (95%CI: 65%–89%), Log Rank test: p = 0.47. After adjustment on maternal WHO clinical stage, maternal death, 6-week pediatric viral load, birth-weight, and breastfeeding exposure, the 18-month risk of severe event was lower in Ditrame-Plus than in Ditrame (adjusted Hazard Ratio (aHR): 0.55, 95%CI: 0.3–1.1), although the difference was not statistically significant; p = 0.07). Maternal death was the only variable determinant of the occurrence of severe events in children (aHR: 3.73; CI: 2.2–11.2; p = 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Early cotrimoxazole from 6 weeks of age in HIV-infected infants seemed to reduce probability of severe events but the study lacked statistical power to prove this. Even with systematic cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, infant morbidity and mortality remained high pointing towards a need for early pediatric HIV-diagnosis and antiretroviral treatment in Africa.</p

Field acceptability and effectiveness of the routine utilization of zidovudine to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 in West Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the field acceptability and effectiveness of the routine utilization of zidovudine in reducing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV in breastfed children after a randomized clinical trial demonstrated its efficacy in Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. METHODS: Pregnant women aged 18 years or older, who had confirmed HIV-1 infection, haemoglobinemia greater than 7 g/dl were enrolled in an open label cohort at 36-38 weeks' gestation to receive an oral short course of zidovudine. Paediatric HIV infection was defined as a positive HIV-1 polymerase chain reaction, or if aged 15 months or older, a positive HIV serology. RESULTS: The acceptability of HIV pretest counselling was significantly higher in the cohort (90.3%) than in the trial (83.7%) (P < 0.001), but the return rate for HIV test results and for inclusion was low. A similar proportion of women accepted starting zidovudine in the cohort, 30.4% compared with 27.3% in the trial (P = 0.13). The proportions of women who took more than 80% of the expected zidovudine regimen were 81.8% before labour, 86.7% during labour, and 88.1% during the postpartum period, compared with those observed during the trial, 78.1, 81.1, and 85%, respectively. The MTCT probability at age 15 months was 19.6% in the cohort (n = 185) versus 21.2% in the trial (P = 0.52). CONCLUSION: The major drawback with the implementation of a short zidovudine regimen to reduce MTCT is HIV counselling and testing procedures. For women who consent, zidovudine is well accepted and efficacious under routine circumstances

Guidelines for the Management of HIV Infection in Pregnant Women and the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV

The prevalence of HIV infection amongst women giving birth in England and Wales has increased every year since 1990. Results from the Unlinked Anonymous Surveys of infection in pregnancy, show that in 2003, the prevalence reached one in 180 (0.56%) in inner London, one in 271 in outer London (0.37%) and one in 1,282 (0.08%) in the rest of England [1]. The majority of these women are from sub-Saharan Africa. The Department of Health policy of recommending an HIV test to every pregnant woman [2] has resulted in an increase in the proportion of these women who are aware of their diagnosis prior to delivery (more than 80% in London in 2001) and a decrease in the absolute number of infants infected in the UK [3]