Prevalence of markers of HIV infection among febrile adults and children in Bo, Sierra Leone, 2012-2013

• Published in: BMC research notes Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 565
• Main Authors: Ansumana, Rashid, Dariano, Rd, Donald F, Jacobsen, Kathryn H, Leski, Tomasz A, Taitt, Chris R, Lamin, Joseph M, Lahai, Joseph, Bangura, Umaru, Bockarie, Alfred S, Yasuda, Chadwick, Bockarie, Moses J, Stenger, David A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 06.11.2017; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Antiviral agents; Highly active antiretroviral therapy; HIV; HIV (Viruses); HIV antibodies; HIV infection; HIV testing; Immunological tests; Medical testing products; Research Note; Sierra Leone; Surveillance; West Africa; Sierra Leone; Sierra Leone; HIV; Surveillance; Immunological tests; West Africa
• ISSN: 1756-0500; 1756-0500
• DOI: 10.1186/s13104-017-2912-2

The goal of this study was to examine the prevalence of HIV among febrile patients seeking care in Mercy Hospital, Bo, Sierra Leone, in 2012-2013. A total of 1207 febrile persons were tested for HIV with Determine™ and SD Bioline rapid diagnostic tests kits that detect the presence of HIV antibodies and HIV p24 antigens. The overall prevalence of HIV among the tested patients was 8.9%, which is considerably higher than the < 2% prevalence of HIV reported previously in the general population. While these results are not sufficient to prove a causal relationship, the obtained data imply that HIV positive individuals may be more likely to suffer from febrile infectious diseases than individuals without HIV infection. Increasing the availability and use of HIV testing services will allow antiretroviral therapy to be accessed in a timely manner and improve health status among people living with HIV.