Attitudes to prenatal testing and notification for HIV infection in Nairobi, Kenya
Marjan, R.S.; Ruminjo, J.K.
East African Medical Journal 73(10): 665-669
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0012-835X PMID: 8997847 Document Number: 465012
A survey of 400 women attending a high-risk antenatal clinic at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, revealed high levels of willingness both to submit to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serodiagnosis and to authorize partner notification of a positive result. 210 women (52.5%) believed, incorrectly, that HIV screening was performed routinely at the clinic. 393 respondents (98.3%) supported voluntary or universal HIV testing of pregnant women. While 54% of these women wanted to give their consent for the test to be performed, another 44.8% did not consider permission necessary. 94.5% of respondents wanted to be notified of their test result and 97.5% indicated they would authorize the clinician to notify others of the result. The frequency distribution of categories of people women would allow to be informed of their serostatus were: spouse/sexual partner, 95.0%; health worker, 86.3%; religious leaders, 45.3%; employer, 22.8%; and insurance company, 20.0%. All respondents stated they would want to avoid pregnancy if their HIV test was positive; 57.3% would seek sexual sterilization in this case. If already pregnant at the time of learning of a positive HIV test result, 63.7% would terminate the pregnancy. Although these findings may, in part, reflect the high educational status of respondents (i.e., 70.3% had secondary and postsecondary education), they are indicative of a strong concern for limiting sexual and perinatal transmission of HIV. The introduction of voluntary prenatal HIV testing, combined with competent pre- and post-test counseling, is recommended to give seropositive women the opportunity to make informed childbearing and contraceptive decisions.