Abstract
Objective: To determine the prevalence of HIV-1 infection in childbearing women in Nova Scotia. Design: An anonymous, unlinked seroprevalence study using 'leftover' cord bloods. The study was done in 2 stages: I-Halifax Co. women delivering between February 1, 1992 and December 31, 1993; II - non-Halifax Co. women delivering between November 15, 1993 and December 15, 1994. Results: Of 9115 deliveries during stage I and 5515 during stage II, specimens were tested from 8864 (97.2%) and 5219 (95%) respectively. Halifax Co. women were older, more often married and more often reported a STD than the non-Halifax Co. participants with 20% under age 20 reporting a history of STD. There was one EIA and WB positive result among Halifax Co. women (seroprevalence 1/10,000; 95% CI 0.03-6.29) and one EIA positive, WB indeterminant result among non-Halifax Co. women (seroprevalence 0/10,000; 95% CI 0-5.7). Conclusion: There is a low prevalence of HIV infection among Nova Scotia childbearing women. However, a substantial number, especially those < age 20, reported a history of STD.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 27-31 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Canadian Journal of Public Health |
| Volume | 88 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1997 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by grant 6603-1351-AIDS from the National Health Research and Development Program (Stage I) and contract # H 4078-3-C210/01-SS (Stage II), Health Canada. Presented in part at the 4th Annual Conference on HIV/AIDS of the Canadian Association for HIV Research, Toronto, June 1–3, 1994.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
