Antenatal Care Coverage and the Prevalence of Syphilis, Viral Hepatitis and Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus Infections Among Pregnant Women in Uyo, Nigeria

ABSTRACT Objectives: Antenatal care is a form of preventive medical care that contributes towards both maternal and infant health, yet sub-Saharan Africa is among the regions with lowest levels of antenatal care. This present study aimed at investigating the proportion of pregnant women in Uyo, Nigeria who are registered for antenatal care as well as the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and syphilis infections across this population. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Screening for antibodies to HIV, HBV, HCV and Syphilis were performed. A structured questionnaire was administered by three trained interviewers to obtain biodata and socio-demographic characteristics. Results: This study observed 53.2% antenatal coverage while the proportion of unregistered cases was 46.8%. Out of 188 enrolled pregnant women, 19 persons were reactive to one of the four screened infections giving a general prevalence of 10%. The distribution of infection types indicates higher rates for HIV and HBV, followed by Syphilis and HCV. Among the infected persons, the present study also observed that only those already registered and accessing antenatal care at conventional health facilities (approximately 37%) were aware of their status and receiving treatment as at the time of the study. Conclusion: The prevalence of transmissible infections among the studied population was observed to be 10%. More than half of these transmissible infections among pregnant women occur undetected among those not registered for conventional antenatal care