Biomedical subjects

M Pappaioanou

Publications and source records attributed to M Pappaioanou.

42 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

HIV seroprevalence surveys in sexually transmitted disease clinics.

The Centers for Disease Control, in cooperation with State and local health departments, is conducting human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV), seroprevalence surveys, using standard protocols, in sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in selected metropolitan areas throughout the United States. The surveys are blinded (serologic test results not identified with a person) as well as nonblinded (clients voluntarily agreeing to participate). STD clinics are important sentinel sites for the surveillance of HIV infection because they serve persons who are at increased risk as a result of certain behaviors, such as unprotected sex, homosexual exposure, or intravenous drug use. HIV seroprevalence rates will be obtained in the sentinel clinics each year so that trends in infection can be assessed over an extended period of time. Behaviors that place clients at risk for infection, or protect against infection, are being evaluated in voluntary, nonblinded surveys to define groups for appropriate interventions and to detect changes in response to education and prevention programs. Although inferences drawn from the surveys are limited by the scope of the clinics and clients surveyed, HIV trends in STD clinic client populations should provide a sensitive monitor of the course of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic among persons engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

HIV seroprevalence surveys in drug treatment centers.

Sharing of equipment used to inject illicit drugs intravenously is a risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Systematic surveillance of HIV infection among intravenous drug users (IVDUs) in the United States is essential to monitor the HIV epidemic and to target and evaluate prevention programs for IVDUs and their partners. The most accessible segment of the largely covert population of IVDUs are those in drug treatment programs. In collaboration with State and local health departments and drug abuse treatment agencies, the Centers for Disease Control is conducting blinded (serologic test results not linked to identifiable persons) and nonblinded (in which clients voluntarily agree to participate) surveys of IVDUs entering drug treatment in 39 U.S. metropolitan areas. The same protocol is used in all participating drug treatment centers. Blinded surveys will be carried out annually to determine HIV seroprevalence rates in eligible IVDUs entering drug treatment and to monitor trends over time. Each year, nonblinded surveys of IVDUs entering drug treatment will assess self-reported drug use and sexual behaviors to help design educational interventions and to detect changes in behavior over time. This sentinel surveillance system, using a standardized methodology, will provide the best national and regional data available on the seroprevalence of HIV among IVDUs and the relationships of drug use, sexual behaviors, and HIV serologic status of IVDUs.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Determining HIV seroprevalence among women in women's health clinics.

Human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV), seroprevalence studies are needed to determine the level and trends of HIV infection among women attending family planning, abortion, and prenatal care clinics in the United States. A review of published and unpublished studies showed that HIV seroprevalence among women attending women's health clinics was 0 to 2.6 percent, although the studies were difficult to compare because of differences in methodology. The Centers for Disease Control, in association with State and local health departments, has developed a standardized protocol to determine HIV seroprevalence among women attending women's health clinics in selected metropolitan areas. Blinded HIV serosurveys (serologic test results not identified with a person) are being conducted annually in selected sentinel clinics in order to obtain estimates of HIV seroprevalence unbiased by self-selection, as well as to monitor trends in infection among clients attending these clinics. In areas with high HIV seroprevalence, nonblinded serosurveys (in which clients voluntarily agree to participate) will be used to assess behaviors that may place women at increased risk of exposure to HIV. Data from the surveys can be used in developing age-specific and culturally appropriate AIDS educational materials, assessing the amount and type of counseling activities required, and evaluating acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention activities. The information will provide epidemiologic data to complement the results of other surveys in characterizing the scope of HIV infection among women of childbearing age in the United States.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

HIV seroprevalence surveys of childbearing women--objectives, methods, and uses of the data.

A seroprevalence survey of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among childbearing women is being conducted in 43 States and Territories as one of the family of HIV seroprevalence surveys. This blinded survey, in which serologic test results are not linked to identifiable persons, uses neonatal dried blood specimens on filter paper to test for maternal antibodies to HIV. This survey provides relatively unbiased estimates of prevalence of HIV infection in the population of women delivering live children during given survey periods, by month or quarter of delivery, geographic area, and demographic subgroup. This objective will be met while protecting the integrity and efficient conduct of neonatal screening programs and ensuring patient anonymity. Information from this survey will be used to (a) assess the levels and trends of HIV infection in women and infants, (b) help develop and evaluate prevention programs, and (c) project the number of women and children who will develop HIV infection and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and will require health care and social services in the future.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The family of HIV seroprevalence surveys: objectives, methods, and uses of sentinel surveillance for HIV in the United States.

During 1987-89, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in collaboration with State and local health departments, other Federal agencies, blood collection agencies, and medical research institutions, implemented a national sentinel surveillance system for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This ongoing surveillance system, known as the CDC family of HIV seroprevalence surveys, uses standardized survey and HIV serologic testing procedures in a group of sentinel populations from geographically diverse metropolitan areas, States, and Territories of the United States. As of September 1989, sentinel surveillance for HIV infection was being conducted in 41 States, Puerto Rico, and 39 metropolitan areas, including the District of Columbia. Information from this system complements AIDS surveillance data to assist health officials to direct resources and develop strategies for HIV prevention and health-care programs.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Monitoring the levels and trends of HIV infection: the Public Health Service's HIV surveillance program.

A comprehensive, multifaceted approach to HIV surveillance is needed to provide the information necessary for public health management and policy. Because HIV infection is not readily or uniformly ascertained, survey methods and sentinel surveillance approaches must be used. At least some of the surveys must be blinded, that is, anonymous and unlinked to identifiable persons, to avoid the uninterpretable impact of self-selection bias that could lead to both significant underestimates and occasional overestimates of HIV prevalence. Other surveys must be nonblinded, with careful interviews of volunteer participants to evaluate risk factors for HIV infection. These various surveys must continue over time to evaluate trends in infection. A comprehensive family of complementary HIV surveys and studies and a national household-based HIV seroprevalence survey have been undertaken by the Public Health Service in collaboration with other Federal agencies, State and local health departments, blood collection agencies, and medical research institutions. These projects focus on accessible segments of the general population, childbearing women, persons at high risk for HIV, and persons in special settings such as prisons and colleges. This comprehensive surveillance approach will help monitor the levels and trends of HIV infection in the United States and help prioritize, target, and evaluate HIV prevention activities.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗