Pattern of hiv-infection in Hurungwe District, Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe

Abstract

After the first case of HIV-infection had been diagnosed in 1986 in a Northern district of Zimbabwe, a local hospital based surveillance system, was introduced. In order to monitor the spread of the epidemic in the district, residence, age, sex and clinical presentation of all newly diagnosed HIV-paticnts were recorded. After three years, the data were compiled and analysed with the following results. Altogether 887 symptomatic HIV-patients (0,5 pc of the district population) were diagnosed. The most common HIV-associated signs and symptoms were PGL (47 pc), chest infection (29 pc), herpes zoster (24 pc) and chronic STDs (15 pc). The fcmalc-to-malc ratio in adults was 1,4. The average age on diagnosis in women was 26,0±6,7 years and in men 30,7±8,6 years. The three years’ cumulative incidence of HIV-cases was 27,2/1 000 in the urban area and 3/1 000 in the rural areas of the district.