The Rio de Janeiro HIV vaccine site - I. Recruitment strategies and socio-demographic data of a HIV negative homosexual and bisexual male cohort in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

RESUMO

The initial effort of the Brazilian Ministry of Health to be an active partner in the world effort in the preparation of future accurate human immune deficiency virus (HIV) efficacy trial was the establishment of a multi-centered cohort of homosexual and bisexual men. An open cohort of homosexual and bisexual men. An open cohort was established to determine the HIV incidence and the socio-behavioral aspects involved in Rio de Janeiro. A total of 318 potencial participants, originated from multiple sources (health units, public information, snowball recruitment), were screened and recruitment became effective through the direct involvement of target communities (with the support of Non Governmental Organizations) and the population, Among this group, seropositivity for sexually transmitted diseases was high with 23, 32 and 46 per cent for HIV, syphilis and hepatite B, respectively. The socio-demographic data from the first 200 participants of this HIV negative cohort suggests that the cohort volunteers are an appropriate sample of the general male population of the State of Rio de Janeiro.