title: Surveillance for AIDS in a central African city. Kinshasa, Zaire.
abstract: Surveillance for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Kinshasa, Zaire, was initiated in July 1984, using a modified version of the case definition developed by the Centers for Disease Control. During the first eight months, 332 patients met all clinical and laboratory criteria; surveillance information was available for 295 (89%) of these patients. Of the sera tested from these patients, 99% had antibodies to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus by both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot procedures. The male-female case ratio was 1:1.1; the mean age of patients was 33.6 years (median, 32 years; range, 1.5 to 64 years); and men were significantly older than women (mean, 37.4 vs 30.0 years). The estimated incidence rate for adults in Kinshasa is 380 cases per 1 million people per year. Peak age-specific incidence rates for men and women occurred among the 30- to 39-year age group, although the rate for men in this age group was 24% higher than the rate for women (786 vs 601 per 1 million). A reasonable estimate of the current annual incidence of AIDS is 550 to 1,000 cases per 1 million people. Surveillance of AIDS in Zaire provides important information on transmission patterns and rates in Africa.
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012737:Sex Factors; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015483:HIV Antibodies