AIDS in Africa--an update
Fleming, A.F.
Aids-Forschung Aifo 3(3): 116-138
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0179-3098 PMID: 12315604 Document Number: 359318
At least 1 million people in Central and East Africa are infected with HIV-1, and there are 10,000 new cases of AIDS per year. HIV-1 is spreading into the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mozambique, Angola and southern Africa. HIV-2 is prevalent in West Africa, particularly Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. Groups at greatest risk for HIV-1 are prostitutes, their customers, and patients with a history of sexually-transmitted diseases, which cause breaches in mucosal epithelium. 24% of pregnant women in Uganda are infected, and the risk of transplacental infection is estimated to be between 17% and 79%. Blood transfusion is the 3rd most frequent mode of infection, largely due to need for blood by anemic women. Repeated pregnancy is a cofactor in the progression of AIDS, and infected infants suffer intrauterine growth retardation, premature birth, low birth weight, and high mortality in the 1st week of life. AIDS in adults is often accompanied by tuberculosis, herpes zoster, hepatitis B, herpes type 2, and leprosy. Clinical diagnosis of AIDS is made by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, but African patients have a high frequency of anti-p24 antibody which masks the p24 antigenemia. Some African countries have AIDS education programs, condom distribution and blood screening, but AIDS control programs need to be integrated with primary health care.