Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with HIV Infection among Pregnant Women in Odisha State, India

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze trends in HIV prevalence and risk factors associated with HIV infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Odisha State, India.
 Methods: Data were from the HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) among pregnant women, a descriptive cross-sectional study using consecutive sampling method and conducted in India. Data and samples were collected from pregnant women attending select antenatal clinics that act as designated sentinel sites in Odisha State, India, during the three months surveillance period and in three surveillance years: 2013, 2015, and 2017. All eligible pregnant women aged between 15 and 49 years, attending the sentinel sites for the first time during the surveillance period, were included. Information on their socio-demographic characteristics and blood samples were also collected.
 Results: In total, 38,384 eligible pregnant women were included in the survey. Of these, 107 women were HIV positive, with an overall prevalence of 0.28%. HIV prevalence indicated a stabilizing trend between 2013 and 2017. However, pregnant women whose spouses were non-agricultural laborers, truck drivers, or migrants were significantly at higher risk of being infected. Likewise, HIV prevalence significantly increased over the years among pregnant women whose spouses were in the service sector (government or private). District-wise fluctuations in HIV prevalence was observed, with the district of Cuttack recording the highest prevalence among the districts.
 Conclusion and Global Health Implications: Women who are spouses of non-agricultural laborers, truck drivers or migrants need focused interventions, such as creating awareness on HIV and its prevention. Migration, due to poverty and its impact on sexually transmitted diseases among migrants from low and middle-income countries, have been documented globally. Single male migrant specific interventions are recommended to halt the disease progression among pregnant women and general population in Odisha, India.
 Key words: • HIV sentinel surveillance • Pregnant women • HIV prevalence • Socio-demographic factor • Odisha • India
 
 Copyright © 2020 Santhakumar et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which permits unre-stricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in this journal, is properly cited.

The impact of migration-related characteristics on the risk of TORCH infections among women of childbearing age: a population-based study in southern China

“…Reports of the presence of TOX, CMV, and RV in semen, saliva, and cervical secretions and several lines of epidemiological evidence have suggested that sexual activity facilitates the transmission of the above pathogens [ 42 – 44 ]. Besides, women whose spouses were migrants were significantly at higher risk of being infected with sexually transmitted diseases [ 17 , 18 , 45 ]. Thus, it is reasonable that among migrant women, the infection of TOX, CMV, and RV may also be affected by their spouse’s migrant status, which suggested that interventions targeted at the spouse of childbearing aged women are also an essential part of managing TORCH infections.…”

“…Secondly, the risks associated with the mobility of the spouse indirectly affected a women’s health status. It has been observed that women had a higher risk of HIV infection [ 16 , 17 ] and the symptoms of STIs [ 18 ] when their spouses had a history of migration. However, as for migrant women, the impact of the spouse’s migrant status on the infection risk has not been precisely and quantitatively assessed.…”

Health issues of the indigenous communities with special reference to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Odisha: a review

“…HIV/AIDS is emerging as a high risk for those tribal groups who are facing displacement problems for employment opportunities [146][147]. A study from Odisha reveals that prevalence of HIV/AIDS was higher among those participants whose spouses were non-agricultural labourers, such as truck drivers or migrants [148]. A number of studies have found that tuberculosis control programs for scheduled tribes require special attention due to difficult terrain and limited drug supplies in many aboriginal areas [149][150][151][152].…”

The impact of migration-related characteristics on the risk of TORCH infections among women of childbearing age: A population-based study in southern China

“…Reports of the presence of TOX, CMV, and RV in semen, saliva, and cervical secretions and several lines of epidemiological evidence have suggested that sexual activity facilitates the transmission of the above pathogens [38][39][40]. Besides, women whose spouses were migrants were signi cantly at higher risk of being infected with sexually transmitted diseases [17,18,41]. Thus, it is plausible that among migrant women, the infection of TOX, CMV, and RV may also be affected by their spouse's migrant status, which suggested that interventions targeted at the spouse of childbearing aged women are also an essential part of managing TORCH infections.…”

“…Secondly, the risks associated with the mobility of the spouse indirectly affected a women's health status. It has been observed that women had a higher risk of human immunode ciency virus (HIV) infection [16,17] and the symptoms of STIs [18] when their spouses had a history of migration. However, as for migrant women, the impact of the spouse's migrant status on the infection risk has not been precisely and quantitatively assessed.…”