Refusal of prenatal HIV-testing: a case study in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire)

Santé : cahiers d'étude et de recherches francophones
A Desgrées du LoûGroupe Ditrame Plus

Abstract

One of the main obstacles to HIV prevention in Africa remains the insufficient number of HIV tests performed. The low percentage of individuals aware of their serostatus is due in part to the insufficient availability of HIV testing, but also to individuals' refusal to have the HIV test. Because affordable treatment is now available, it is possible to implement on a much greater scale programs of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, accompanied by the expansion of prenatal HIV testing. It is therefore important to understand the reasons women refuse these tests. Here we analyse the women who refused the offer of prenatal HIV testing in the DITRAME Plus research program, intended to prevent mother-to-child transmission in Abidjan from 2001 through 2005. Three groups of women were followed for two years after they were offered HIV counselling and testing during an antenatal consultation: 347 HIV-infected women, 393 seronegative women, and 62 women who refused HIV testing. Nine months after delivery, HIV testing was again offered to the latter group. We collected quantitative data on social and demographic characteristics, sexual behavior, and communication with their male partners about STIs, HIV, and HIV testing, befo...Continue Reading

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