GEOGRAPHIC AND TEMPORAL STABILITY OF HIV SEROPREVALENCE AMONG PREGNANT-WOMEN IN BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI

Objective: To establish whether HIV seroprevalence in Bujumbura is stable or continuing to increase. Methods: HIV seroprevalence data among pregnant women from 1986 were compared with comparable data from 1991-1992. Results: HIV seroprevalence among antenatal clinic attendees at three sites was 10.5, 28.0 and 11.9% in 1986, compared with 7.7, 25.6 and 12.4%, respectively, in 1991-1992. A weighted least squares analysis showed significant differences in HIV seroprevalence between the different sites (chi2, 71.71; P> 0.0001), but no evidence of any differences between the 1986 and the 1991-1992 prevalence levels (chi2, 0.51; P=0.6). Conclusions: Bujumbura appears to be in the endemic phase of the spread of HIV. The stable geographic variation among clinic populations in Bujumbura suggests the need for focused interventions, and a general need for surveillance data to be gathered from numerous sites so to identify those with the highest incidence of HIV infection.