Predictors of postpartum HIV care engagement for women enrolled in prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs in Tanzania.

ABSTRACT: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) is a foundational component of a comprehensive HIV treatment program. In addition to preventing vertical transmission to children, PMTCT is an important catch-point for universal test-and-treat strategies that can reduce community viral load and slow the epidemic. However, systematic reviews suggest that care engagement in PMTCT programs is sub-optimal. This study enrolled a cohort of 200 women initiating PMTCT in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, and followed them to assess HIV care engagement and associated factors. Six months after delivery, 42/200 (21%) of participants were identified as having poor care engagement, defined as HIV RNA >200 copies/mL or, if viral load was unavailable, being lost-to-follow-up in the clinical records or self-

SUBMITTER: Watt MH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6443456 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature