title: HIV-1 risk and vaccine acceptability in the Ugandan military.
abstract: Between July and October 1993, 570 19- to 22-year-old volunteers were screened for HIV-1, with a resulting seroprevalence rate of 18.3% (95% CI: 14.0%, 22.6%). A cohort of 249 HIV-1-noninfected military recruits in the Ugandan Peoples' Defense Forces was followed prospectively for up to 18 months to document rates of HIV-1 seroprevalence, seroconversion, and knowledge and attitudes related to vaccine acceptability. The HIV-1 seroincidence rate was 3.56 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 1.49, 5.62) over 309 person-years of observation. At the 3- and 12-month visits, subjects were interviewed on issues of acceptance and knowledge about vaccines, including anti-HIV vaccines in particular. More than 90% believe that HIV vaccines will not cause HIV infection, and if offered, 88% report that they would take the vaccine if they were not already infected. Nonvaccine prevention methods were considered less reliable; monogamy and condom use were considered effective by only 33.5% and 69.3% of the cohort respectively. After completing the vaccine acceptability questionnaire at the 12-month visit, subjects were offered an approved polyvalent meningococcal vaccine as an indicator of general vaccine acceptance. All subjects reported receiving at least one previous vaccination, and 95% willingly accepted the meningococcal vaccination. The Ugandan military is a stable population at substantial risk for HIV-1 infection and may be a suitable population for vaccine efficacy trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4984, U.S.A. dlh3@po.cwru.edu
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Hom
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mugyenyi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Byaruhanga
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kityo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Louglin
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Svilar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vjecha
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Mugerwa
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ellner
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017280:Condoms; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology; D014611:Vaccination / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D015483:HIV Antibodies