DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i10.024

Pages: 3920-3924

More than 90% of HIV infections in children under the age of 15 years are due to mother to child transmission. Strategies targeting pregnant women help to reduce HIV in children. Hence the present study is taken up to evaluate the utilization of PPTCT services at Government General Hospital, Kakinada and to study the HIV status of children of enrolled sero-positive mothers. All HIV positive antenatal women attending ART centre were enrolled in the study and their details were noted. They were started on Triple regimen ART (Tenofovir+ Lamividine +Efavirenz) the mode of delivery was noted and the feeding option adopted by the mothers was recorded. All the babies were started on Nevirapine (2ml/kg) for 6 weeks and the compliance was noted. DRIED BLOOD SPOT (DBS) test was done for all babies in the study at 6 weeks of age. Drydot blood test was repeated at 6, 12 and 18 months of age. If they are positive for DBS TEST, confirmation was done with WHOLE BLOOD SPECIMEN (WBS) test. 265 HIV positive pregnant women were enrolled in the study. Of them 143 were registered cases at Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department and 122 were referred from various Peripheral Health Centers.49.43% 0f enrolled women had their 1st antenatal visit in 1st trimester. 52.07% sreened for HIV in 2nd trimester. ART started in 34.33% in 3rd trimester .18% of the antenatal women know their HIV status before pregnancy.14% of the antenatal women and were screened at labour room. The mean time interval between 1st antenatal visit and HIV screening is 1.68 months in private sector, 1.5 months in the government peripheral sector ( PHC s, CHC s ) and 0.79 months in the tertiary health care centers. There is delay in ART INITIATION even after HIV screening which is 1.85 months in private sector, 1.59 months in government peripheral sector and 0.89 months in the ART CENTRE attached tertiary health care centers. 90% mothers opted for breast feeding. The mother to child transmission rate was 0.07 %. It is