Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS during Pregnancy and Delivery and Associated Factors in the Region of Couffo in Benin

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the mother-to-child HIV Prevention Program, in Benin in 2016 reported a national rate of 6.7%. The Region of Couffo, within 12 Regions (departments) in the country, had the highest rate of transmission, which was 16.1%. The study aimed to determine transmission rate during pregnancy and delivery as well as the factors associated with it. This is a retrospective and analytical study based on a sample of seventy (70) babies born to HIV-infected mothers in 2016 in Couffo. Key findings showed, there is a perinatal transmission of five percent (5%) and the factors associated with this transmission are: delay in carrying out first antenatal visits at the health facility, low frequency of visits performed versus number requested and appropriate time, poor health condition of mothers during pregnancy, absence or late start of antiretroviral care and treatment during pregnancy, irregular intake of intermittent presumptive treatment at sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine to prevent malaria, a short antiretroviral therapy (less than three months) for mothers before delivery and the default in cleaning mother’s genital tract with betadine after the woman’s water broke.