Abstract:
Background: In 2013, Nigeria accounted for 15% of the 1.3
million pregnant women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and
26% of new infections among children worldwide. Despite this, less
than 20% of pregnant women in Nigeria received an HIV test during
pregnancy, and only 23% of HIV-infected pregnant women received
appropriate intervention following HIV diagnosis. This article
reports findings from 2 structured group exercises conducted at the
first Nigeria Implementation Science Alliance Conference to identify
(1) barriers and research gaps related to prevention of mother-tochild
transmission (PMTCT) and (2) potential strategies and
interventions that could address PMTCT challenges.
Methods: Two 1-hour structured group exercises were conducted
with 10 groups of 14–15 individuals (n = 145), who were asked to
brainstorm barriers and strategies and to rank their top 3 in each
category. Data analysis eliminated duplicate responses and categorizedeach of the priorities along the HIV care continuum: HIV diagnosis,
linkage to care, or retention in care.
Results: Participating stakeholders identified 20 unique barriers and
research gaps related to PMTCT across the HIV continuum. Twentyfive
unique interventions and implementation strategies were identified.
Similar to the barriers and research gaps, these interventions and
strategies were distributed across the HIV care continuum.
Conclusions: The barriers and strategies identified in this study represent
important pathways to progress addressing MTCT. The deliberate
involvement of state and federal policy makers, program implementers,
and researchers helps ensure that they are relevant and actionable.
