Ezeanolue EE, Olakunde BO, Itanyi IU, et al.
Nigeria carries a high burden of mother-to-child HIV transmission, but large-scale prospective cohort studies explaining persistently poor outcomes remain scarce. This paper describes baseline characteristics of an open multicentre prospective cohort of women of reproductive age living with HIV, established by the Nigeria Implementation Science Alliance across 12 facilities in six geopolitical zones. Of 18,210 women recruited, data from 10,996 were analyzed; mean age was 37.4 years, median time since HIV diagnosis was 8 years, and median time on antiretroviral therapy was 6 years. Most women (80%) were in WHO clinical stage 1, 68% had viral loads below 20 copies/mm3, and 94% were on first-line antiretrovirals. The cohort provides a platform for future research on maternal and child HIV outcomes in Nigeria.
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