Low rate of early vertical transmission of HIV supports the feasibility of effective implementation of the national PMTCT guidelines in routine practice of referral hospitals in Cameroon

ABSTRACTBackground: Vertical (VT) transmission of HIV remains a public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa.Objective: To investigate the VT rate and factors associated with transmission in routine practice in three referral hospitals in Cameroon.Methods: All HIV-infected mothers who delivered in maternity wards or sought paediatric services during the first postnatal week from November 2007 to October 2010 were invited to participate in the ANRS-Pediacam cohort. Their infants were followed at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of life and HIV status was determined from the 6th week of life using real-time PCR. For those who were breastfed and negative at the first PCR, a second test was performed 6 weeks after breast-feeding was stopped. Logistic regression was performed to identify the independent risk factors of VT.Results: Overall, 2053 HIV-exposed infants were enrolled. Of these, 1827 were tested for HIV including 1777 before the age of 3 months, and 59 were HIV-infected, resulting in an overall early VT rate of 3.3...