HIV infection and high risk behavior among patients attending an STD referral clinic in Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract

Objective: This survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of HIV infection and associated risk behaviour in a high risk population of clients attending an STD clinic in Prague, Czech Republic. Methods: Between September 1994 and January 1995 clients entering the Apolinar STD clinic in Prague, Czech Republic, were enrolled in a blinded, unlinked HIV antibody seroprevalence study. Non-identifying demographic characteristics, STD diagnoses, HIV risk exposures, and voluntary HIV testing experience were extracted from medical charts. Results: Of 1394 patients for whom serum was available for testing, one was positive for HIV (HIV prevalence 0.07%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.01, 0.41%). This person was one of 28 men having sex with men (MSWM) (HIV prevalence among MSWM 3.6%, 95% CI 0.6, 17.7%). Among the 775 male clients, 75.5% had heterosexual unprotected sex, 11.1% had sex with high risk partners or prostitutes, 3.6% were MSWM, 1.0% were injecting drug users (IDUs), 0.7% were both MSWM and IDUs, and 6.8% and 1.8% had other or no recognised risk for HIV/STDs, respectively. Among the 619 female clients, 74.5% had heterosexual unprotected sex, 11.6% were prostitutes, 7.8% had sex with high risk partners, 1.1% were IDUs, and 3.9% and 2.3% had other or no recognised risk, respectively. The 304 adolescent patients (age 11-19 years) diVered significantly (p<0.05) in risk behaviour and STD diagnoses from the 1090 patients who were 20 years and older. Adolescents were significantly more likely to be female (58.6% v 40.5%, OR=2

Chlamydia and gonorrhoea in pregnant Batswana women: time to discard the syndromic approach?

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“…As screening with specific diagnostic tests have been out of reach, risk scores based on sociodemographic risk factors, symptoms or signs of infection, urine sticks and microscopy have been explored as screening tools to identify asymptomatic infections among pregnant women. Studies from sub-Saharan countries have shown variable and unconvincing results [9,10,13-16]. …”

Hiv Infection Among Commercial Sex Workers and Injecting Drug Users in the Czech Republic

“…3 A low HIV prevalence (0.2%) has been previously reported among young IDUs in the city of Prague in 1998. 9 The one HIVinfected subject among IDUs found in our study was a young, 20-year-old Czech heterosexual from the city of Prague, who reported using heroine and pervitin (a variety of methamphetamine, also called "Czecho"). This suggests that the HIV epidemic situation in the Czech Republic seems to be stable and low among IDUs for now.…”

“…8 High-risk behaviors, such as unsafe sexual practices, may contribute to the rapid transmission of HIV in this high-risk group. 9 As in other European countries, the risk of HIV has been previously associated with a history of homosexual/bisexual behavior, which is estimated to constitute the predominant risk category. In the Czech Republic, the majority of recorded HIV-infected persons are from the city of Prague, principally among homosexuals/bisexuals.…”

Evaluation of a comprehensive AIDS education curriculum in Hungary – the role of good educators

“…Although the rates of HIV infection are low at this time, unsafe sexual practices may be common, especially among teenagers. Data on sexual behaviour in Hungary are not readily available, but other Eastern European countries have recently witnessed increases in the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and risky behaviours, and teenagers are especially at high risk of becoming infected (Hegyi et al, 1997;Tichonova et al, 1997;Mikl et al, 1998). For example, three-quarters of heterosexual patients at an STD clinic in Prague, Czech Republic, had had unprotected sex, about 11% of heterosexual men had had sex with prostitutes, and the same percentage of women had engaged in prostitution.…”