THE ROLE OF THE NURSES IN PREVENTION AND SCREENING OF HLTV IN PREGNANT WOMEN IN PRIMARY CARE

Abstract

Introduction: HTLV, a human oncogenic retrovirus responsible for pathologies such as leukemia and tropical spastic paraparesis, is a silent disease with difficult monitoring among those infected. Its vertical transmission, especially through breastfeeding, is one of the main modes of contamination, posing a challenge in the maternal-infant health context. Although HTLV is part of the diseases of compulsory notification during pregnancy, its screening is not yet included among the mandatory prenatal exams offered by the Brazilian SUS. This underscores the need for nurses to take a leading role in the early detection of the infection. Objective: To present the role of nurses in the screening of HTLV in pregnant women at the primary care level. Method: This is an integrative literature review, analyzing articles published in the last 10 years, available in full, in Portuguese and English, extracted from databases such as SciELO, BVS, and LILACS, addressing HTLV screening by nurses during prenatal care. Descriptors were taken from DeCS (Health Sciences Descriptors), based on the keywords: HTLV, pregnant women, screening, primary health care, and prenatal. Included were intervention studies, randomized trials, multicenter cohort studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, available in full, in Portuguese and English, published in the last 10 years, with free access. Excluded were abstracts, theses, dissertations, and monographs. Results: Accordingly, this research aims to demonstrate that qualified nursing performance in Primary Health Care is fundamental for the prevention of HTLV in pregnant women, especially through health education, guidance on breastfeeding, and continuous monitoring of serologies for pregnant women. It also evidences the lack of public policies aimed at infection screening. From this, the goal is to contribute to expanding HTLV screening within maternal-child health care protocols and strengthening comprehensive prenatal care practices.