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Unlinked surveillance of the prevalence of HIV infection in antenatal patients in the west Midlands, England
Author(s) -
Ala F.,
Smillie Jane,
Nicholson G.,
Gough D.,
Duddin R.,
Knox G.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.1890340308
Subject(s) - virology , new england , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , west yorkshire , medicine , north west , pediatrics , environmental health , geography , metropolitan area , pathology , physical geography , politics , political science , law
In the course of an unlinked, anonymous survey of anti‐HIV seroprevalence among antenatal patients in the West Midlands, carried out between November 1986 and March 1990, seven out of 202,012 patient samples were anti‐HIV seropositive. Although the numbers of women infected by heterosexual contact are still low in this region, it is likely that HIV infection is no longer limited to well‐defined, male risk groups. It is therefore increasingly important to monitor the course of the epidemic through large‐scale unbiased surveys of the heterosexual population in order to plan future preventive and health‐care strategies.