HIV among Under-Five Children in Lubuto an Urban Population Setting of Ndola, Zambia; Prevalence and Related Factors

Abstract

Background: As of 2014, the perseverance rate of infants contracting HIV among children born to mothers infected with HIV in Zambia was 5.5%, with an estimate of 25 new child infections occurring each day. Showing that the burden of paediatric HIV is unacceptably high. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV represents a critical opportunity for reducing the burden of paediatric HIV. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of HIV among under five children in Lubuto an Urban Population setting and find out factors associated with this prevalence. Method: The study was a cross-sectional study. Data was collected using standardized questionnaire from mothers with under-five children. It was entered and analysed using SPSS. Proportions of various variables were compared using the Chi-square test and only results yielding p value of less than 0.05 were considered to be of statistical significance. Results: There was a total of 361 mothers interviewed, representing 357 singletons and 2 sets of twins. The prevalence rate among Under-fives in Lubuto was 4.7%. None of the risk factors studied, namely: (a) maternal age, (b) level of mother’s education, (c) place of delivery, (d) who delivered,(e) mode of delivery and type of feeding practices, were associated with HIV. Conclusion: The prevalence rate among under-five children was slightly below the target of the Zambia National AIDS Strategic Framework 2014-2016 which aims at reducing the risk of MTCT of HIV to less than 5% by the end of the breastfeeding period by 2016.