Search

Objective: To evaluate the combined association of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on adverse birth outcomes in an HIV-endemic region., Methods: The Tsepamo Study abstracts data from antenatal and obstetric records in government maternity wards across Botswana. We assessed maternal mortality and adverse birth outcomes for all singleton pregnancies from September 2020 to mid-November 2021 at 13 Tsepamo sites among individuals with documented SARS-CoV-2 screening tests and known HIV status., Results: Of 20,410 individuals who gave birth, 11,483 (56.3%) were screened for SARS-CoV-2 infection; 4.7% tested positive. People living with HIV were more likely to test positive (144/2,421, 5.9%) than those without HIV (392/9,030, 4.3%) (P=.001). Maternal deaths occurred in 3.7% of those who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result compared with 0.1% of those who tested negative (adjusted relative risk [aRR] 31.6, 95% CI 15.4-64.7). Maternal mortality did not differ by HIV status. The offspring of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection experienced more overall adverse birth outcomes (34.5% vs 26.6%; aRR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.4), severe adverse birth outcomes (13.6% vs 9.8%; aRR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.5), preterm delivery (21.4% vs 13.4%; aRR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.7), and stillbirth (5.6% vs 2.7%; aRR 1.7 95% CI 1.2-2.5). Neonates exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and HIV infection had the highest prevalence of adverse birth outcomes (43.1% vs 22.6%; aRR 1.7, 95% CI 1.4-2.0)., Conclusion: Infection with SARS-CoV-2 at the time of delivery was associated with 3.7% maternal mortality and 5.6% stillbirth in Botswana. Most adverse birth outcomes were worse among neonates exposed to both SARS-CoV-2 and HIV infection., Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure The authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: In Botswana, where almost all pregnant women known to have HIV receive antiretroviral therapy, a large proportion of vertical HIV transmission may occur among women with incident undiagnosed HIV infection during pregnancy. Botswana guidelines recommend repeat HIV testing every 3 months in pregnancy, with at least one test in the third trimester. We evaluated the rate of repeat HIV testing, calculated HIV incidence during pregnancy and estimated missed seroconversions., Methods: In the Botswana Tsepamo Study, we abstracted HIV test dates and results from obstetric records of all women who delivered at maternity wards in 18 communities between 7th May 2017 and 20th August 2021. We defined seroconversion as an initial negative/indeterminate HIV test in pregnancy followed by a positive test during pregnancy/at delivery. The incidence rate (IR) of seroconversion was calculated among women with > = 2 known test dates. Missed seroconversions were estimated among women without a test in the third trimester by applying the IR to the time after the last HIV test until delivery., Results: Among 103,529 women delivering in the study period testing negative at the first test and with known conception and HIV test dates, 29,085 (28%) were tested in one trimester of pregnancy, 73,156 (71%) were tested in ≥ 2 trimesters of pregnancy and 9628 (9%) had a test in all trimesters. A total of 78,162 (75%) women had a third-trimester test. There were 223 seroconversions (2.58/1000 pregnancies, 0.26%) among those with ≥ 2 known HIV test dates, yielding an IR of 0.69/100 person-years. Among 25,289 women who did not have a test in the third trimester, we estimate approximately 58 seroconversions may have been missed during pregnancy due to a lack of repeat testing. Factors associated with seroconversion during pregnancy included younger age, less education and not being married., Conclusions: More than two-thirds of women had repeat HIV testing in pregnancy and HIV incidence was low. However, an estimated 21% of seroconversions in pregnancy were likely missed due to a lack of re-testing. To reach the goal of zero new paediatric HIV infections, Botswana will need to intensify repeat HIV testing in the third trimester of pregnancy., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of the International AIDS Society published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International AIDS Society.)

Background: Botswana updated its antiretroviral treatment (ART) guidelines in May 2016 to support breastfeeding for women living with HIV (WLHIV) on ART who have documented HIV RNA suppression during pregnancy., Methods: From September 2016 to March 2019, we evaluated feeding method at discharge among WLHIV at eight government maternity wards in Botswana within the Tsepamo Study. We validated the recorded feeding method on the obstetric record using the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) counsellor report, infant formula dispensing log or through direct observation. Available HIV RNA results were recorded from the obstetric record, and from outpatient HIV records (starting February 2018). In a subset of participants, we used electronic laboratory records to verify whether an HIV RNA test had occurred. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with infant feeding choice., Results: Among 13,354 WLHIV who had a validated feeding method at discharge, 5303 (39.7%) chose to breastfeed and 8051 (60.3%) chose to formula feed. Women who had a documented HIV RNA result in the obstetric record available to healthcare providers at delivery were more likely to breastfeed (50.8%) compared to women who did not have a documented HIV RNA result (35.4%) (aOR 0.59; 95% CI 0.54, 0.65). Among women with documented HIV RNA, 2711 (94.6%) were virally suppressed (< 400 copies/mL). Breastfeeding occurred in a substantial proportion of women who did not meet criteria, including 46 (30.1%) of 153 women with HIV RNA > 400 copies/mL, and 134 (27.4%) of 489 women with no reported ART use. A sub-analysis of electronic laboratory records among 150 women without a recorded result on the obstetric record revealed that 93 (62%) women had an HIV RNA test during pregnancy., Conclusions: In a setting of long-standing use of suppressive ART, with majority of WLHIV on ART from the time of conception, requiring documentation of HIV RNA suppression in the obstetric record to inform infant feeding decisions is a barrier to breastfeeding but unlikely to prevent a substantial amount of HIV transmission., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To prospectively assess rates and detailed predictors of morbidity and mortality among HIV-exposed uninfected children and HIV-unexposed children in Botswana in a more recent era., Study Design: We enrolled HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected mothers and their children in the prospective observational Tshipidi study at 2 sites (1 city and 1 village) in Botswana from May 2010-July 2012. Live-born children and their mothers were followed for 24 months postpartum. Detailed sociodemographic data, health, and psychosocial characteristics were collected at baseline and prospectively, and health outcomes ascertained. Mothers chose infant feeding method with counselling., Results: A total of 893 live-born HIV-uninfected children (436 HIV-exposed uninfected, 457 HIV-unexposed) were followed. HIV-infected mothers had a median CD4 count of 410 cells/mm 3 , 32% took 3-drug antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy, 67% took only zidovudine, and 1% took <2 weeks of any antiretrovirals antepartum. Twenty four-month vital status was available for 888 (99.4%) children. HIV-exposed uninfected children had a significantly higher risk of death compared with children of HIV-uninfected mothers (5.0% vs 1.8%) (adjusted hazard ratio 3.27, 95% CI 1.44-7.40). High collinearity between maternal HIV status and child feeding method precluded analysis of these factors as independent predictors of mortality. Preterm birth, low birth weight, and congenital anomaly were also associated with mortality (in separate analyses), but maternal socioeconomic factors, depression, substance use, and social support were not significant predictors., Conclusions: The strongest predictors of 24-month mortality among children in Botswana were HIV exposure and formula feeding, although the relative contribution of these factors to child health could not be separated., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Conflicting data exist regarding the impact of in-utero exposure to maternal combination antiretrovirals. We compared neurodevelopmental outcomes between HIV-exposed-uninfected (HEU) children exposed in utero to three-drug combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) vs. zidovudine (ZDV) monotherapy., Design: Prospective study of child neurodevelopment, nested within two cohorts of HIV-infected mothers and their children in Botswana (one observational, one interventional)., Methods: The Tshipidi and Mma Bana studies enrolled HIV-infected women during pregnancy and followed their HEU children for 24 months. Mothers took three-drug ART or ZDV during pregnancy. ART-exposed babies were mostly breastfed, and ZDV-exposed were formula-fed. Neurodevelopmental outcomes, measured at 24 months using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition (Bayley-III) and Development Milestones Checklist (DMC), were compared in adjusted linear regression according to antiretroviral exposure., Results: Of 598 HEU children with valid neurodevelopment assessments, 382 were ART-exposed and 210 were ZDV-exposed. Adjusted mean Bayley-III scores were similar among ART-exposed vs. ZDV-exposed, with adjusted mean differences (95% confidence interval): Bayley-III Cognitive: -0.3 (-1.4, 0.9); Gross Motor: 0.8 (-0.1, 1.7); Fine Motor: 0.5 (-0.2, 1.3); Expressive Language: 0.7 (-0.3, 1.7); Receptive Language: 0.1 (-0.7, 0.8); and DMC Locomotor: 0.0 (-0.5, 0.6); Fine Motor: 0.3 (-0.3, 0.8); Language: -0.1 (-0.5, 0.4); Personal-Social: 0.2 (-0.7, 1.1). Similarly, when restricted to formula-fed children in one cohort (Tshipidi), there were no differences in adjusted mean scores., Conclusion: Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 24 months of age were similar in ART-exposed vs. ZDV-exposed HEU children. Maternal ART with breastfeeding does not appear to have an adverse effect on neurodevelopment.

Background: We sought to determine if HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children had worse neurodevelopmental outcomes at 24 months compared with HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU) children in Botswana., Methods: HIV-infected and uninfected mothers enrolled in a prospective observational study ("Tshipidi") in Botswana from May 2010 to July 2012. Child neurodevelopment was assessed at 24 months with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III: cognitive, gross motor, fine motor, expressive language, and receptive language domains) and the Development Milestones Checklist (DMC), a caregiver-completed questionnaire (locomotor, fine motor, language and personal-social domains). We used linear regression models to estimate the association of in-utero HIV exposure with neurodevelopment, adjusting for socioeconomic and maternal health characteristics., Results: We evaluated 670 children (313 HEU, 357 HUU) with ≥1 valid Bayley-III domain assessed and 723 children (337 HEU, 386 HUU) with a DMC. Among the 337 HEU children with either assessment, 122 (36%) were exposed in utero to maternal 3-drug antiretroviral treatment and 214 (64%) to zidovudine. Almost all HUU children (99.5%) breastfed, compared with only 9% of HEU children. No domain score was significantly lower among HEU children in adjusted analyses. Bayley-III cognitive and DMC personal-social domain scores were significantly higher in HEU children than in HUU children, but differences were small., Conclusions: HEU children performed equally well on neurodevelopmental assessments at 24 months of age compared with HUU children. Given the global expansion of the HEU population, results suggesting no adverse impact of in-utero HIV and antiretroviral exposure on early neurodevelopment are reassuring., (Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Background: Little is known about the impact of knowledge of HIV serostatus on pregnancy intention and contraceptive use in high-HIV-burden southern African settings in the era of widespread antiretroviral treatment availability., Methods: We analyzed interview data collected among 473 HIV-uninfected and 468 HIV-infected pregnant and recently postpartum women at two sites in southern Botswana. Participants were interviewed about their knowledge of their HIV status prior to pregnancy, intendedness of the pregnancy, contraceptive use, and future childbearing desires., Results: The median age of the 941 women was 27 years, median lifetime pregnancies was 2, and 416 (44%) of pregnancies were unintended. Among women reporting unintended pregnancy, 36% were not using a contraceptive method prior to conception. Among contraception users, 81% used condoms, 13% oral contraceptives and 5% an injectable contraceptive. In univariable analysis, women with unintended pregnancy had a higher number of previous pregnancies (P = <0.0001), were less educated (P = 0.0002), and less likely to be married or living with a partner (P < 0.0001). Thirty-percent reported knowing that they were HIV-infected, 48% reported knowing they were HIV-uninfected, and 22% reported not knowing their HIV status prior to conception. In multivariable analysis, women who did not know their HIV status pre-conception were more likely to report their pregnancy as unintended compared to women who knew that they were HIV-uninfected (aOR = 1.7; 95%CI: 1.2-2.5). After controlling for other factors, unintended pregnancy was not associated with knowing one's HIV positive status prior to conception (compared with knowing one's negative HIV status prior to conception). Among women with unintended pregnancy, there was no association between knowing their HIV status and contraceptive use prior to pregnancy in adjusted analyses. Sixty-one percent of women reported not wanting any more children after this pregnancy, with HIV-infected women significantly more likely to report not wanting any more children compared to HIV-uninfected women (aOR = 3.9; 95%CI: 2.6-5.8)., Conclusions: The high rates of reported unintended pregnancy and contraceptive failure/misuse underscore an urgent need for better access to effective contraceptive methods for HIV-uninfected and HIV -infected women in Botswana. Lower socioeconomic status and lack of pre-conception HIV testing may indicate higher risk for unintended pregnancy in this setting.