Trend of HIV Seropositivity among Children at Teaching Tertiary Care Hospital in North India
Ritu Aggarwal *
Department of Microbiology, Pt. B.D. Sharma Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, India.
Priyanka Yadav
Department of Microbiology, Pt. B.D. Sharma Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, India.
Uma Chaudhary
Department of Microbiology, Pt. B.D. Sharma Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, India.
Vipul Kumar
Department of Chest and TB, Pt. B.D. Sharma Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: The aim of this study is to ascertain the burden and trend of HIV sero-positivity among children attending ICTC in a teaching tertiary care hospital.
Study Design: Retrospective study.
Methodology: HIV seropositivity among children of age group 18 months- 14 years was determined by serological tests for HIV antibodies among children enrolled in ICTC of a teaching tertiary care hospital from Jan 2011 - Dec 2013 as per NACO guidelines.
Result: Of 2529 children tested for HIV infection, 10.4% were found to be seropositive. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) fall in the seropositivity was observed over the three years study period. In all the three years male children were more seropositive than female children (1.78:1). Most of the children were serodiagnosed late in our study, with mean age of 5.30 years / 63.64 months.
Conclusion: Our study reports a declining trend of sero-positivity (from 13.1% to 9.8%) among children attending ICTC. But the prevalence is still high (>9%) which calls for re-intensified efforts on health education and risk control programme.
Keywords: HIV, AIDS, NACO, children, paediatric, ICTC, sex ratio, seropositivity