Rapid Human Immunodeficiency Virus Diagnostic Test
During the Intrapartum Period in Pregnant Women Who
Did Not Receive Antenatal Care
AMPHAN CHALERMCHOCKCHAROENKIT, M.D.*, SUDA LOUISIRIROTCHNAKUL, Ph.D.**,
ANUWAT ROONGPISUTHIPONG, M.D.*, KORAKOT SIRIMAI, M.D.*,
PRA VIT SUTCHRITPONGSA, M.D.*, CHANTAPONG WASI, M.D.**
Affiliation : * Deparment of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
** Deparment of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
AbstractThe main barrier to implementation of antiretroviral drugs in HIV-infected pregnant women
is the lack of antenatal.care (ANC). From April 1999 to December 2001, the prevalence of preg
nant women not receiving ANC and coming for delivery in Siriraj Hospital was 7.3 per cent (2,152/
29,484) and the prevalence of HIV infection among this group was 5.7 per cent, substantially higher
than that of 27332 pregnant women receiving ANC in Siriraj Hospital (2.2% ). Besides developing
interventions to increase use of ANC, the test for diagnosis of HIV infection during the intrapartum
period should be rapid, inexpensive, highly sensitive and specific, easy to perform and results should
be easy to interpret. The Determine Rapid Test for detection of HIV fulfills these criteria with 100
per cent sensitivity, 99.85 per cent specificity, 97.54 per cent positive predictive value, 100 per cent
negative predictive value and 0.14 per cent false positive. To improve prevention of mother-to-child
HIV transmission (PMTCT), the authors believe that this uncomplicated rapid HIV testing should be
used during the intrapartum period to Thai-pregnant women who did not receive antenatal care and
antiretroviral drugs might be offered as soon as possible for those testing HIV-positive and for their
baby as chemoprophylaxis.
Keywords : The Determine Rapid Test, Standard HIV Testing, Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV
Transmission (PMTCT)
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