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Introduction: Homeless people are a vulnerable group to sexually transmitted diseases (STD) with high prevalence of syphilis and hepatitis. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of syphilis infection and its association with risky behaviors for STDs in a sample of homeless people, and to assess the feasibility of the use of rapid syphilis test (RST) in this population. Methods: Cross-sectional study, in a convenience sample of homeless people assisted in social support services of São Paulo, between 2006 and 2007. A structured questionnaire was applied and RST was performed. In addition, a blood sample for syphilis detection was also collected. The sensitivity and specificity of the RST was estimated using conventional laboratory diagnosis (VDRL + TPHA) as reference. Results: 1,405 volunteers were included in the study. The prevalence rate of syphilis was 7.0%, and was associated with homosexual practices (OR adj 4.9; 95%CI 2.6 -9.4), prior history of STD (OR adj 2.6; 95%CI 1.7 -4.0) and with self-referred non-white race (OR adj 1.9; 95%CI 1.1 -3.4). The sensitivity and specificity of the RST for syphilis were, respectively, 81.4 and 92.1%. Conclusion: The high prevalence of syphilis infection among homeless people shows the need for actions for its control and the utilization of RST that can be considered an efficient strategy due to its sensitivity and specificity. Public Health policymakers must strengthen actions for syphilis control, with screening tests for syphilis and early treatment, decreasing morbidity with the improvement of sexual and reproductive health of the population in general and especially the most vulnerable.

BackgroundBrazil was the first middle-income country to provide free and universal access to AIDS treatment. Understanding the impact of this policy is key to promote ongoing improvement of current intervention strategies. The aim of this study was to compare mortality rates and survival in a cohort of AIDS patients before and after the introduction of antiretrovirals (ARV) and to investigate predictors of survival.MethodsA retrospective cohort study of AIDS patients aged 13 years or more living in the city of Sao Paulo was conducted. All patients were recruited from an STD/HIV outpatient clinic between 1988 and 2003 and followed up until 2005. We estimated AIDS mortality rates in person-years (py) and carried out a survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess predictors of survival in AIDS patients.ResultsThe study cohort comprised 6,594 patients. The yearly mean mortality rates were 17.6, 23.2, and 7.8 per 1,000 py for the study periods 1988-1993, 1994-1996, and 1997-2003, respectively. Median survival time was 13.4 and 22.3 months for patients entering the study in the first and second study periods and survival time was 108 months or more in 72% of those entering the study during 1997-2003. Factors independently associated with shorter survival included: AIDS diagnosis during the 1994-1996 (HR 2.0) and 1988-1993 (HR 3.2) periods; 50 years of age or more (HR 2.0); exposure category of injection drug users (IDU) (HR 1.5); 8 years of schooling or less (HR 1.4); no schooling (HR 2.1); and CD4+ counts between 350 and 500 cells/mm3 (HR 1.2) and less than 350 cells/mm3 at AIDS diagnosis (HR 1.3).ConclusionsThe study showed a strong impact following the introduction of HAART in 1996 with decreased AIDS mortality, increased survival rates, and benefits with early introduction of HAART. However, some groups of patients were less likely to benefit from the new drug regimens. Public policies promoting health equity create an enabling environment helping AIDS control programs in developing countries to achieve their goals as effectively as in developed countries.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-014-0599-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

RESUMO: Objetivo: Analisar a evolução, de 2011 a 2017, das taxas de detecção de sífilis notificada por sexo, faixa etária e região de residência no estado de São Paulo (ESP). Métodos: Foi organizada série histórica com dados do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN). Foram descritas as taxas de detecção de sífilis adquirida (TDSA) e de sífilis adquirida incluindo as gestantes com sífilis (TDSAG), por 100.000 hab. Para análise de tendência da evolução das taxas no período estudado, foi empregado o modelo Jointpoint (ponto de inflexão), bem como foram estimadas a variação percentual anual (VPA) por segmento e a média da variação percentual anual (MVPA), com os respectivos intervalos de confiança de 95% (IC95%). Resultados: Foram notificados 205.424 casos de sífilis adquirida e sífilis em gestantes no período. Entre 2011 e 2017, a TDSA por 100 mil habitantes variou de 26,0 a 84,6 e a TDSAG por 100 mil habitantes, de 33,7 a 108,9; a tendência foi crescente em ambas as curvas e identificou-se um ponto de inflexão dividindo a curva de TDSA e de TDSAG em dois períodos: de 2011 a 2013 e de 2013 a 2017. A MVPA encontrada da TDSA foi de 21,0% (IC95% 15,7 ‒ 26,4) e da TDSAG, de 21,2% (IC95% 16,4 ‒ -26,1). Nas faixas etárias até 24 anos ocorreu crescimento expressivo em ambos os sexos. Observou-se heterogeneidade na evolução das taxas segundo região do Estado. Conclusões: A tendência crescente das taxas de detecção de sífilis adquirida pode ser atribuída a melhor adesão à notificação e ao acometimento desproporcional dos jovens.

HAART has decreased AIDS incidence, prolonged life and increased the number of people living with HIV/AIDS. The post-HAART era presents new challenges to healthcare services in middle-income countries, the main requirements being enhanced strategies focused on early diagnosis, more resource allocation and developing approaches for healthcare systems to manage AIDS as a chronic disease.