Rate of vertical transmission of HIV high in Black South Africans
AIDS weekly plus 1996: 17-18
1996
PMID: 12291511 Document Number: 298985
Although comparable with rates in other African countries, the "vertical transmission rate of HIV-1 for the Black population in Durban [South Africa] is high." The data was reported by Dr. Hoosen Coovadia and colleagues at the University of Natal Medical School in Durban. Coovadia followed HIV-1 positive women who gave birth at the King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban to estimate the rate of vertical transmission and the influence of various maternal risk factors on transmission rates. In the study cohort, which included 229 women and 181 infants, Coovadia observed a transmission rate of 34%, comparable with the estimated 20-45% reported in other regions of Africa. Women who had cesarean section deliveries were less likely to transmit HIV-1 to their infant. Although this association was previously reported by the European Collaborative study, Coovadia pointed out that it has not been reported in an African cohort before. While cesarean section delivery was protective against transmission, lower maternal hemoglobin levels were associated with an increased risk of transmission in this cohort. Coovadia added that "clearance of maternal antibodies is virtually achieved by 12 months of age and that this age could be used as a cutoff for the diagnosis of vertical infection in areas relying on antibody tests."