PREVALENCE OF MATERNAL HIV-INFECTION IN C ATALONIA, SPAIN, BASED ON UNLINKED ANONYMOUS TESTING OF NEWBORN BABIES (1994)

BACKGROUND: Spain has the highest incidence rate of AIDS in Europe. Ca talonia contributes with around 30% of the AIDS cases detected in Spai n. From 1990 to 1994 the AIDS heterosexual transmission category incre ased from 9.6% to 14.6% in Catalonia. The objective of the study was t o determine the HIV prevalence in a heterosexual population of pregnan t women. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Unlinked anonymous HIV screening by mea ns of an agglutination assay and an enzyme immunoassay of eluates of d ried blood spots from nearly half of the neonates born in Catalonia du ring 1994. RESULTS: HIV testing was done on 21,074 neonates. Overall H IV prevalence was 0.32% (95% CI: 0.25-0.40), It varied from 0.45% in B arcelona, 0.38-0.29% in the health regions around Barcelona, to 0.20-0 .09% in the rest. The mean age of HIV infected women was younger (27) than that of the seronegative ones (29) (p < 0.001). The highest preva lence was 0.61% in women aged 20-24 years. CONCLUSIONS: The HIV preval ence in the heterosexual population of pregnant women in Catalonia is among the highest in Europe. Preventive efforts must begin with school children and be directed to adolescents and young women. It is conveni ent that women who want to become pregnant and mothers receiving anten atal care have access to voluntary confidential HIV testing.