HIV and HTLV-I infections in the Americas: a regional perspective
Quinn, T.C.; Zacarias, F.R.; St John, R.K.
Medicine 68(4): 189-209
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-7974 PMID: 2544782 Document Number: 376533
The article describes in detail the extent and nature of HIV and HTLV-1 infections, and AIDS in the Americas. Surveillance statistics are provided for general populations, homosexual and bisexual men, IV-drug users, female prostitutes, hemophiliacs, heterosexual partners of HIV-infected persons, blood donors, and pregnant women. As of publication, over 100,862 AIDS cases have been reported in the region, with indigenous transmission documented in 45-46 countries. Clinical manifestations of HIV infection and AIDS are discussed. North America claims the highest annual AIDS cases per population at 72/million, while the Caribbean subregion has a disproportionately high number of cases, with annual rates reaching 200-300/million for some countries. The temporal rate of increase of AIDS cases has, however, been fundamentally comparable for all countries of the Americas. While HIV transmission modes are the same throughout the region, increasingly lower male-female ratios of AIDS cases, and more cases of perinatal transmission especially in Caribbean countries. Diarrheal disease, respiratory infections, and tuberculosis have also been documented as associated with HIV infection in many tropical countries of the Americas. Further, relatively high rates of HTLV-1 infection in the Caribbean will only exacerbate already significant public health problems faced by some countries of the region. Should HIV continue infiltrating poor, disadvantaged populations of Latin America and the Caribbean, HIV infection levels and AIDS could reach epidemic proportions similar to that witnesses in Africa.