2024/07/13 by Ufornwa, Emmanuel Chukwuma, Okoroiwu, Henshaw Uchechi
#HIV #HIV exposure. #Health Science and Medicine #PEP #occupational exposure #on-occupational exposure #postexposure prophylaxis
paper · doi:10.60787/tnhj.v21i3.527
Background: Postexposure prophylaxis is useful in prevention of seroconversion in event of occupational and non-occupational exposures to infective body fluids. This study is aimed at probing the factors that predicted initiation of PEP against HIV in our study centre. Methods: The study was a retrospective evaluation of the data of subjects that presented for PEP in the Heart-to-Heart HIV Clinic, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri from January 2008 to December 2013. Results were represented in frequencies and proportion. Chi square was used to assess association. Results: The age range 15 – 24 (47.6%) and 25 – 34 years (31.5%) dominated the number of those presenting for PEP with female gender preponderance. Rape constituted the major reason for overall presentation for PEP as well as non-occupational reason for exposure while needle prick injury was the major reason for occupational exposure (14.3%). Rape, needle prick, unprotected sex, broken condom, blood contact represented 69.9%, 14.3%, 8.2%, 4.1%, 2.6% and 1.1%, respectively of the subjects presenting for PEP. Students represented the bulk of the subjects presenting for PEP and also represented majority of the rape cases (80.7%). Conclusion: Rape and needle prick injury represented majority of the cases under study. This finding exposes the vulnerability of the females as well as healthcare providers. Adequate policy against rape and training on proper handling and disposal of sharp equipment becomes necessary to reduce these occurrences.