[HIV infection among pregnant women attended in testing and counseling centers for AIDS]

To estimate HIV prevalence and identify high-risk sexual behavior for infection in pregnant women who were given prenatal assistance.

Cross-sectional study based on attendance records of 8,002 pregnant women (25% of all municipalities) who lived in 27 municipalities in Southern Brazil in 2003 and had anti-HIV tests done in a testing and counseling center that performed prenatal assistance. Sociodemographic and behavioral data were gathered, as well as syphilis and HIV test results, during the individual counseling sessions registered in the data bank of the Sistema de Informações dos Centros de Testagem e Aconselhamento (Information System on Testing and Counseling Centers). Women who sought the centers for confirmation of previous serology or were referred to this service due to the presence of AIDS symptoms were excluded from the data base.

A total of 0.5% of all the pregnant women analyzed (CI 95%=0.3;0.6) were HIV positive. The only variable associated with HIV seropositivity was schooling. The majority of them were basically exposed through unprotected sexual intercourse with the only partner they had a steady relationship with. Younger pregnant women who were single, unemployed and had lower level of education constituted the group with highest exposure.

The Sistema de Informações dos Centros de Testagem e Aconselhamento turned out to be useful for the epidemiological surveillance of HIV infection and high-risk behavior among pregnant women and could also be useful as regards other populations.