OBJECTIVE: To monitor HIV seroprevalence among STD clinic attenders as part of a sentinel surveillance programme. DESIGN: Seroepidemiological survey on randomly selected patients. SETTING: "Elig Essono" STD clinic, Yaounde; from February 1989 to December 1990. PATIENTS: 1161 randomly selected patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HIV and syphilis seroprevalence. RESULTS: Twenty six of the 1161 patients (2.4%; CI: 95%; 1.5%-3.3%) tested were found to be HIV positive (mostly due to HIV1); 35.4% had antibodies to Treponema pallidum. There was no association between HIV seropositivity and sex, marital status, or educational level. Genital ulcer disease did not correlate with HIV seroprevalence. However, patients with a positive serological test for T pallidum were more likely to have HIV infection (rr = 2.4; 95% CI; from 1.1 to 3.0). Results from 1990 were double those of 1989 (3.3% versus 1.6%, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the findings among the same groups in metropolitan areas of various other African countries, the HIV seroprevalence is still low; this could be due to many reasons, such as the recent introduction of the virus in the country, a different spectrum of STDs, the high level of circumcision of males. HIV infection trends should continue to be monitored among risk groups such as STD patients and control programmes implemented to reduce the rapid spread of AIDS in the country.
OBJECTIVE: To monitor HIV seroprevalence among STD clinic attenders as part of a sentinel surveillance programme. DESIGN: Seroepidemiological survey on randomly selected patients. SETTING: "Elig Essono" STD clinic, Yaounde; from February 1989 to December 1990. PATIENTS: 1161 randomly selected patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HIV and syphilis seroprevalence. RESULTS: Twenty six of the 1161 patients (2.4%; CI: 95%; 1.5%-3.3%) tested were found to be HIV positive (mostly due to HIV1); 35.4% had antibodies to Treponema pallidum. There was no association between HIV seropositivity and sex, marital status, or educational level. Genital ulcer disease did not correlate with HIV seroprevalence. However, patients with a positive serological test for T pallidum were more likely to have HIV infection (rr = 2.4; 95% CI; from 1.1 to 3.0). Results from 1990 were double those of 1989 (3.3% versus 1.6%, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the findings among the same groups in metropolitan areas of various other African countries, the HIV seroprevalence is still low; this could be due to many reasons, such as the recent introduction of the virus in the country, a different spectrum of STDs, the high level of circumcision of males. HIV infection trends should continue to be monitored among risk groups such as STD patients and control programmes implemented to reduce the rapid spread of AIDS in the country.
Entities:
Keywords:
Africa; Africa South Of The Sahara; Antibodies--analysis; Biology; Cameroon; Developing Countries; Diseases; Examinations And Diagnoses; French Speaking Africa; Hematologic Tests; Hiv Infections; Hiv Serodiagnosis; Immunity; Immunologic Factors; Infections; Laboratory Examinations And Diagnoses; Laboratory Procedures; Measurement; Middle Africa; Physiology; Prevalence; Reproductive Tract Infections; Research Methodology; Research Report; Risk Factors; Screening; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Viral Diseases
Authors: P Piot; J K Kreiss; J O Ndinya-Achola; E N Ngugi; J N Simonsen; D W Cameron; H Taelman; F A Plummer Journal: AIDS Date: 1987-12 Impact factor: 4.177
Authors: J N Simonsen; D W Cameron; M N Gakinya; J O Ndinya-Achola; L J D'Costa; P Karasira; M Cheang; A R Ronald; P Piot; F A Plummer Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 1988-08-04 Impact factor: 91.245