Sexual behaviour and risk factors for HIV infection in a group of male factory workers who donated blood in Harare; Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe has experienced a rapid rise in HIV seroprevalence in recent years. As many as 1 million people (10 of the population) are predicted to become seropositive by 2000. We examined social and behavioral factors associated with HIV infection in a case-control study among male factory workers who donated blood before the launching of the AIDS Awareness Campaign. There were 188 subjects: 69 were HIV-positive and 118 were HIV-negative. High risk behaviour was common in both groups. Among seronegative men; 73.1 reported a sexually transmitted disease (STD); 55.5 reported cash payment for sex; and 73.1; and 73.1 had outside girlfriends. Nonetheless; HIV-positive men were more likely to report a hisotry of STD (OR = 3.9; 95 CI = 1.5-11.9); particulary genital ulcers (OR= 2.4; 95 CI = 1.2-4.8) and extramarital partners (OR = 2.8;95 CI = 1.1-7.1). HIV-positive men reported more lifetime partners (16.5 vs. 12;p less then 0.05 and were less likely to live with their wives. (OR = 0.51;95 CI = 0.23-1.15). [abstract terminated]

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of HIV-1 infection in Zimbabwe

To define the impact of human immunolodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Africa; clinical and laboratory investigations were conducted on 265 HIV-seropositive outpatients in Zimbabwe. Twenty-four of the study subjects were asymptomatic (ASX); 124 had persistent generalized lympademopathy (PGL); and 117 had AIDS-related complex (ARC). HIV infection was assessed by commercial ELISA; Western blots; synthetic peptide ELISA; and measurement of p24 antigen. Serum immunoglobulins; lympocyte mitogen responses; and CD4+ cell numbers were obrtained in 54 sequential patients. Compared to seronegative subjects meab CD4+ cell numbers were decreased and serum immunoglobulins; particularly IgM and IgG; were increased in all groups of seropositive subjects. [abstract terminated]

Vaginal Flora of women in Zimbabwe

High vaginal and cervical swabs were taken from 199 pregnant women and 156 non-pregnant patients attending an STD clinic in Zimbabwe. T. vaginalis was isolated from 31 of preganant women and 37 of STD patients. The bacterial flora in both groups was similar to that found in women from developed countries except that faecal organisms were more and lactobacilli less commonly isolated. Yeasts; mainly C. albicans were isolated from 39 of pregnant women and 26 of STD patients

A handbook on the diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted diseases

This book is useful to health care workers; primary care physicians and medical students

HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases at a rural hospital in Zimbabwe

OBJECTIVE--To define the epidemiological characteristics of STD patients attending an outpatient clinic in rural Zimbabwe; to examine the aetiologic agents causing infection and to determine their relationship with HIV infection. SUBJECTS--319 men and 146 women; making a sample of about 7all patients attending an STD clinic during the 3 month study period. Microbiological data were collected from 104 men and 72 women selected randomly from these. Pregnant women were excluded and patients who had received antibiotics within the previous 14 days were excluded from the microbiology subsample.