AIDS: from rumour to reality: observations at the Connaught Hospital; Freetown

ABSTRACT

In the past three years; starting September 1987; we have evaluated 5 patients (2 females; 3 males) with clinical AIDS. Criteria for the diagnosis were the presence of two major and one minor sign. Mean age was 37.6 years. None of them gave a history of drug abuse; both females were married heterosexuals; one of them (MJ) had given birth to three children; one of whom died about three months before she presented at our clinic. The other female patient had six children; all of them were reportedly alive at time of her illness. Two male patients were seafarers; married and to our knowledge heterosexuals. The other male patient was unmarried; had no offspring and denied homosexual contacts