title: HIV and syphilis infection among elderly people in northwest Ethiopia.
abstract: The prevalence of HIV has been continually increasing both in urban and rural Ethiopia. As yet, there has been no report on the magnitude of the problem in the elderly and rural population. This study assessed the seroprevalence of HIV and syphilis infection among 706 elderly and predominantly rural subjects in Northwest Ethiopia. Socio-demographic information was collected using a structured questionnaire. Venous blood was collected and the serostatus of HIV and that of syphilis were checked by ELISA and RPR, respectively. The total HIV-1 seroprevalence was 5% (35/706). Sex-specific prevalences of HIV for males and females were 5.6 and 4.7% respectively. A 4.2% difference in prevalence was observed by area of residence, which was statistically significant, P = 0.018. Only 6% of subjects positive for syphilis were also positive for HIV, while 4.9% of subjects negative for syphilis were positive for HIV. The data indicates that the prevalence of HIV among elderly people in Northwest Ethiopia was high. This indicates the importance of involving the elderly in HIV/AIDS prevention and control programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia. afeworkkassu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Afework
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kassu
authors.forename: Alemayehu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mekonnen
authors.forename: Abebe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bekele
authors.forename: Nuru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abseno
authors.forename: Endalkachew
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Melese
authors.forename: Feleke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moges
authors.forename: Yared
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wondmikun
authors.forename: Fusao
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ota
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health; D012737:Sex Factors; D013587:Syphilis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014504:Urban Health