Update on the HIV epidemic in Cameroon

ABSTRACT

The study aimed at estimating the extent of AIDS epidemic in Cameroon upon which a guideline for activities of the National AIDS programme could be based. It comprises a total of 2377 individuals who attended the antenatal clinic (n=1091); subjects attending sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinics (n=382) and blood donors (n=212). In Kumba a random recruited individuals attending the hospital casual consultation (n=160) was done; and compared their HIV seroprevalence results with those of frozen samples (n=391) collected from a malaria community survey in 1989; and 141 randomly selected pygmies aged between 18-45 years in the eastern province of Cameroon was screened. HIV-1/2 infection was detected with one or the other of a combined screening assay. The results obtained were as follows in Kumba; one of the 391 was positive (0.3 percent; CL; 0-0.8) compared with one of the 160 casual consultants sera in 1992 (0.6 percent; CL; 0-1.4). In the rural areas; 13 individuals (3.5 percent; 95 percent CL; 1.7-5.3) were HIV-1 positive; one was HIV-2 positives and one of the 141 pygmies (0.7 percent; 95 percent CL; 0-2) was HIV-1 positive. The seroprevalence results in Bamenda and Bafoussam ranged from 4.2 percent and 1.2 percent. Thus rate varied from 4.3 percent in Kumba to 8.8 percent in Ngaoundere and those reported in Yaounde between 189-90 were 3.3. High HIV seroprevalence was found in blood donors in Bamenda and Limbe (3.1 to 5.7 percent). The authors concluded that since HIV will inevitably reach the remote areas in Africa; HIV control activities must be inititated in all populations in Cameroon irrespective of their location