First attempt to implement ophthalmia neonatorum prophylaxis in Angola: Microorganisms,efficacy,and obstacles

Purpose. to determine the efficacy of povidone-iodine (p-i) prophylaxis for ophthalmia neonatorum (on) in angola and to document maternal prevalence and mother-to-child transmission rates. methods. endocervical samples from mothers n = 317 and newborn conjunctival smears n = 245 were analysed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (pcr) for chlamydia trachomatis (ct),neisseria gonorrhoeae (ng),and mycoplasma genitalium (mg). newborns were randomized into a noninterventional group and an interventional group that received a drop of p-i 2.5% bilaterally after conjunctival smear collection. mothers were trained to identify signs of on and attend a follow-up visit. results. forty-two newborns had ocular pathology,and 11 (4.4%) had clinical signs of on at the time of delivery. maternal pcr was positive for mg n = 19,ct n = 8,and ng n = 2. six newborns were positive for ct n = 4,mg n = 2,and ng n = 1. mother-to-child transmission rates were 50% for ct and ng and 10.5% for mg. only 16 newborns returned for follow-up. conclusions. lack of maternal compliance prevented successful testing of prophylactic p-i efficacy in on prevention. nevertheless,we documented the prevalence and mother-to-child transmission rates for ct,ng,and mg. these results emphasize the need to develop an effective angolan educational and prophylactic on program. © 2015 isabel alexandre et al.