title: HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh: a national surveillance.
abstract: Nationwide surveillance of HIV/AIDS from 1989 through 1996 in Bangladesh included several risk groups such as professional blood donors, patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), pregnant women at antenatal clinics, commercial sex workers (CSWs), patients with tuberculosis, long-distance truck drivers, sailors, and non-residents. The population was enrolled by convenience sampling after taking informed consent. Among 70,676 persons tested, 80 (1.13 per 1000) were HIV positive. The prevalence rate was steady until 1994, and then increased rapidly. The rate among male heterosexuals was significantly higher than that in females (3.40 per 1000 versus 0.29 per 1000; odds ratio (OR) 11.60; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 6.45 to 21.16; P < 0.0001). Twelve per cent of patients with STDs had HIV. The HIV cases concentrated in 2 districts, Sylhet (25/72) and Chittagong (20/72), that border India and Myanmar (formerly Burma), respectively. Frequent movement of people of Bangladesh to India, Pakistan, Myanmar and Thailand, where HIV rates are higher, is one of the possible sources of spread of the cases. Bangladesh has the potential to avert epidemic spread of HIV at its early stage.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Mitra
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Mian
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Vermund
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012725:Sexual Behavior