HIV Sero-status Outcomes and Associated Factors Among HIV-Exposed Children at Four Public Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2018-2023): A Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome can affect any age group, and it is the major cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality worldwide; challenges persist in identifying and linking all HIV-exposed infants to early infant diagnosis and care.MethodsA cross-sectional study was done using secondary data extracted from the medical records of 244 HIV-exposed children from HIV-infected mothers who were on follow-up from January 2018 to December 2023 and enrolled in four public hospitals. Data were collected and imported into Epi-Data and exported to SPSS version 26.0 for analysis. A binary logistic regression model was used to fit each variable.ResultsAmong 244 HIV-exposed infants, 10 (4.1%) were diagnosed as HIV positive. Children who received cotrimoxazole preventive therapy {AOR 0.89 = 95% CI (0.02-0.79)} and children born at a health facility 91.2% {AOR 0.088 = 95% CI (0.01-0.58)} were associated with positive HIV sero-status.ConclusionThe level of HIV infection among infants was relatively high compared with the global goal of less than 2% for 2030.