SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among people living with HIV in Guinea-Bissau.
Public Health
; 209: 36-38, 2022 Aug.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1867699
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
In low-income countries with poor SARS-CoV-2 monitoring and high HIV burden, the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 is scarcely studied in people living with HIV (PLWH). We set out to measure SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in this group. STUDYDESIGN:
Serosurvey of SARS-CoV-2 in PLWH.METHODS:
We measured IgG/IgM antibodies using point-of-care rapid tests in 294 PLWH with HIV-1, HIV-2 or HIV-1/2 dual infection at an HIV clinic in Guinea-Bissau between June 1, 2021, and October 1, 2021.RESULTS:
Unvaccinated PLWH (n = 195), constituting 66% of the total study population, had a seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies of 27.7%. Of SARS-CoV-2 seropositive unvaccinated PLWH, 71.2% reported no symptoms of COVID-19 since the start of the epidemic up to the inclusion date. Among all participants, 90.1% reported never having been tested for SARS-CoV-2 by any test (n = 292). Six participants reported a household death, corresponding to a crude annual death rate of 3.3 per 1000 people.CONCLUSIONS:
Despite a low number of officially registered cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Bissau, we found a high seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 of 27.7% in unvaccinated PLWH. Coupled with few ever tested for SARS-CoV-2, it indicates that official PCR testing likely underestimates prevalence and that SARS-CoV-2 monitoring is challenged for PLWH. The low number of symptoms from seropositives may stem from survival bias, some effect of herd immunity or, coupled with a low crude annual death rate, that disease symptomatology and severity could be lower than expected.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
HIV Infections
/
HIV Seropositivity
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
English
Journal:
Public Health
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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