Determinants of HIV infection among children born to mothers on prevention of mother to child tranmission program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Unmatched case control study

Despite the fact that Ethiopia is currently implementing mother-to-child transmission through the PMTCT program, existing evidences indicate that the number of children in Ethiopia who are HIV positive has increased. However, little research has been done in Ethiopia on the factors that increase the risk of HIV in women on antiretroviral treatment. Consequently, the aim of this research was to identify determinants of HIV infection in children whose mothers are participating in the PMTCT program. An unmatched case-control study was conducted in Addis Ketema from April 5 to May 4, 2024, involving 157 children born to women on PMTCT whose HIV status was diagnosed at or before 24 months of pregnancy. The case-to-control ratio was 1:4. Data was gathered using structured questionnaires, loaded into Epidata version 3.1, and then exported to SPSS version 22.0 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the factors linked to HIV infection at the 0.05 level of significance. Unplanned pregnancy (AOR: 3.2; 95 % CI: 1.2, 4.2), poor ART adherence (AOR: 2.5; 95 % CI: 1.1, 3.6), lack of prenatal care (AOR: 3.5; 95 % CI: 1.2, 7.2), and WHO clinical stage >II (AOR: 1.3; 95 % CI: 1.1, 3.1) were all found to be determinants of HIV infection. Poor ART adherence, unplanned pregnancies, insufficient prenatal care, and advanced HIV stages were significant risk factors for HIV infection. Therefore, it is recommended to enhance ART medication adherence, prenatal care, and family planning use.