Acceptability of the Opt-Out Counselling and Test for Pregnant Womenin the Wa Municipality; A Facility Based Study.

Abstract

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV is a major contributor of paediatric HIV infection. HIV counselling and testing during pregnancy constitutes an important step in prevention. Acceptability of HIV test among women who voluntarily request to know their HIV status (opt-in) has been found to be rather low and yet the number of pregnant women with HIV in the Wa Municipality has almost doubled, from 3.2 per cent in 2006 to 5.8 per cent in 2007. To address this problem, HIV counselling and testing is routinely offered to all pregnant women who seek antenatal care, with an option to opt-out if they don‟t want to test. This study was conducted to determine the acceptability of the opt-out test as a strategy for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV.