Original work ACTA.FAC.MED.NAISS. 1999; 16(2), 57-65

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF MORBUS HIV IN THE REGION COVERD BY THE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH NIŠ

Branislav Tiodorović, Branislav Petrović, Gordana Tasić

Epidemiological Characteristics of the HIV inflicted disease in the Region of Nish (Nishava, Toplica and Pirot County), i.e. the Region covered by the Institute for Health Protection, were analyzed based on the seropositivity prevalence in certain population groups and cases of the disease were registered.

In the period from 1987 to 1 October 1999, with seroepidemiologic investigations of HIV infection in the region of Nish, worked up were approximately 220.000 serums (around 200.000 samples of blood donors volunteers in the Blood Transfusion Center and around 20.000 samples in the Institute for Health Protection in Nish). Detected and epidemiological worked up were 80 HIV positive or diseased individuals, out of which 66 from the Nish region (with 2 blood donors volunteers included in that number). There were 36 AIDS afflicted and 30 HIV positive persons (up to the present, 25 death cases). Among the HIV positive persons, AIDS was diagnosed most often after few months (up to 3 years after) and the survival time was on the average 1 year. Most of these were individuals aged 20-49 years (67%) and the most probable ways of transmission were homo/bisexual (25.8%), heterosexual (19.7%) contacts and intravenous narcotism (15.2%). Wives of 2 HIV positive males remained HIV negative up to the present.

There were 77.27% males among the HIV positive and diseased persons, but the female proportion is constantly increasing. The linear tendency of the diseased is slowly increasing and in the last 2-3 years registered was the smaller number of incident cases while the cumulative morbidity is low (much lower compared with the European developed countries and Belgrade population).

Throughout the world, in Yugoslavia and in the region of Nish the epidemiological situation regarding Morbus HIV is unfavorable on account of the increase of the proportion of heterosexually infected and the larger female proportion in the total number of the diseased and HIV positive individuals.

Key words: Morbus HIV, AIDS, epidemiology