Acceptability of integrating HIV early infant diagnosis (EID) into under-five outreach immunization clinics in Lilongwe rural areas in Malawi
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Date
2020-03-01
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Abstract
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disease progresses quickly in children. Without
treatment, 50% of the children living with HIV die before 2 years of age. Hence, HIV exposed infants are recommended to have an Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) at 4-6 weeks of age. This is so that infected children are identified and started on treatment timely. However, it has been observed that 29% of HIV exposed infants receive EID test late in Malawi. Hence, there is need to identify better strategies to increase EID testing rates at 6 weeks. This study aimed at assessing acceptability of integrating EID into under-five
outreach immunization clinics in Lilongwe rural areas among mothers of under-five children. This was an observational, analytical, cross sectional study. It used quantitative study methods to answer the researched question. A questionnaire was used to collect data from study participants. The data was analyzed using Stata version 14.
We enrolled 100 mothers in the study regardless of their HIV status. Almost all of them
(99%) indicated that the integration of EID in immunization clinics is important. The majority of them (96%) also indicated that they would accept their infants to have an HIV EID test at outreach immunization clinics. Availability of HIV test providers was reported to be the number one facilitator of the integration and it was seconded by the availability of infrastructures at the immunization clinics. The study also found out that unavailability of HIV testing providers have the greatest potential of hindering the integration of HIV EID in immunization clinics seconded by unavailability of shelter at the outreach immunization clinics. Integration of HIV early infant diagnosis into under-five outreach immunization
clinics of Lilongwe rural areas is acceptable among mothers of under-five children. The
integration can aid in increasing EID test rates of HIV exposed infants at 6 weeks of age.