HIV infection among Quebec women giving birth to live infants [see comments]

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1991. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

HIV infection among Quebec women giving birth to live infants [see comments]

Can Med Assoc J. 1990 Nov 1;143(9):885-93. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/91028999
Hankins CA; Laberge C; Lapointe N; Lai Tung MT; Racine L; O'Shaughnessy M; Centre d'etudes sur le SIDA, Departement de sante; communautaire, hopital general de Montreal.

Abstract: This is the first anonymous unlinked seroprevalence study in Canada to use serum samples from newborns to determine the seroprevalence rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among childbearing women. Of the 68,808 samples tested 42 were confirmed as positive, for an overall crude seroprevalence rate of 6.1 per 10,000 live births (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.4 to 8.3), or 1 woman in 1638. Women who lived on Montreal island had an overall rate of 17.9 per 10,000 live births (95% CI 12.2 to 25.4), or 1 woman in 559. We observed a significant association between revenue index and seroprevalence; the rates were as high as 46.4 per 10,000 live births (95% CI 18.7 to 95.3), or 1 woman in 216, for Montreal island postal code areas with revenue indexes 20% or more below the provincial median. Extrapolation of the data suggested that 56 women with HIV infection gave birth to a live infant during 1989 in Quebec. Even though attempts to generalize the data from childbearing women to women of childbearing age have an inherent conservative bias, the results of our study suggest that 988 women (95% CI 713 to 1336) aged 15 to 44 years in Quebec had HIV infection in 1989. The actual number is likely substantially higher. The need for well-designed, creative interventions to prevent further HIV transmission to women is evident. Planning for the provision of medical and psychosocial services sensitive to specific needs of women who are already infected should start immediately.

Keywords: Adolescence Adult Confidence Intervals Female Fetal Blood/IMMUNOLOGY Human HIV Antibodies/ANALYSIS HIV Infections/BLOOD/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/TRANSMISSION *HIV Seroprevalence Infant, Newborn Quebec/EPIDEMIOLOGY Random Allocation Residence Characteristics Socioeconomic Factors Support, Non-U.S. Gov't JOURNAL ARTICLE
Comment in: Can Med Assoc J 1991 Feb 1;144(3):277, 280
910228
M9120646

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