title: HIV-1 incidence among people seeking voluntary counseling and testing centers, including pregnant women, in Pernambuco State, Northeast Brazil.
abstract: The HIV-1 epidemic in Brazil has displayed new characteristics over time, with an increase in heterosexual transmission and a decline in the male-to-female ratio in AIDS cases. HIV screening was offered to patients attending the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center in Paulista, Greater Metropolitan Recife, Pernambuco State, in Northeast Brazil, to determine HIV-1 incidence. BED capture enzyme immunoassay (BED-CEIA) was used to measure HIV-1 incidence, comparing it to the AxSYM avidity index method (Ax-AI). From 2006 to 2009, 14,014 individuals were tested, and only 18 pregnant women were diagnosed with HIV infection, resulting in 0.15% annual incidence (95%CI: 0-0.33), significantly lower than in men (1.03; 95%CI: 0.45-1.61) and non-pregnant women (0.50; 95%CI: 0.11-0.89). Despite the low HIV-1 incidence in pregnant women, the high rate of recent infection detected during prenatal care emphasizes the need to increase measures to prevent vertical transmission.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brasil.
authors.forename: Kledoaldo Oliveira de
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Laboratório Central de Saúde Pública, Recife, Brasil.
authors.forename: Daniela Medeiros
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Salustiano
authors.affiliation: Laboratório Central de Saúde Pública, Recife, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ana Maria Salustiano
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cavalcanti
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brasil.
authors.forename: Élcio de Souza
authors.initials: Éde S
authors.lastname: Leal
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brasil.
authors.forename: Heloísa Ramos
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Lacerda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology; D011295:Prenatal Care; D015995:Prevalence