NATIONWIDE COMMUNITY-BASED SEROLOGICAL SURVEY OF HIV-1 AND OTHER HUMAN RETROVIRUS INFECTIONS IN A CENTRAL AFRICAN COUNTRY

A nationwide serological survey of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in the general population of Rwanda was done in two parts and could be effective in evaluating the spread of HIV infection and the efficacy of public health interventions against AIDS.

Abstract

Abstract In December, 1986, a nationwide serological survey of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in the general population of Rwanda was done in two parts—one in the rural and the other in the urban population. The sampling method was a modification of the cluster sampling technique developed for monitoring immunisation coverage. Antibodies to HIV-1 (and to HIV-2 and human T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus type I [HTLV-I]) were detected by immunoenzymatic assays and confirmed by western blot. The number of clusters surveyed was 30 in each setting, urban and rural. HIV-1 seroprevalence was 17·8% (95% confidence interval 14·3-21·2%) in the urban sample (n = 1870) and 1·3% (0·5-2·2%) in the rural sample (n = 742). In the urban sample, females were more frequently HIV-1 seropositive than males (21·0% vs 14·6%). Age-specific peaks of HIV-1 seroprevalence were identifed at 0 to 5 years of age (10·1%) and at 26-40 years (30·0%). No differences in seroprevalence were observed in terms of age and sex in the rural sample. None of the sera were seropositive for HIV-2 and HTLV-I seroprevalence was 0·2% in the urban sample and 0·3% in the rural. Nationwide serological surveys could be effective in evaluating the spread of HIV infection and the efficacy of public health interventions against AIDS in developing countries.