Factors associated with HIV prevalence in a pre-partum cohort of Zambian women

Abstract

An ongoing study of mother-to-child human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) transmission in Zambian women (n = 3160) allowed us to examine the association of medical injections with HIV serostatus while simultaneously accounting for other factors known to be correlated with HIV prevalence. Multi-method data collection included structured interviews, medical record abstraction, clinical examinations, and biological measures. Medically administered intramuscular or intravenous injections in the past five years (but not blood transfusions) were overwhelmingly correlated with HIV prevalence, exceeding the contribution of sexual behaviours in a multivariable logistic regression. Statistically significant associations with HIV also were found for some demographic variables, sexual behaviours, alcohol use, and sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The results confirmed that iatrogenic needle exposure, sexual behaviour, demographic factors, substance use, and STD history are all implicated in Zambian women's HIV+ status. However, the disproportionate association of medical injection history with HIV highlights the need to investigate further and prospectively the role of health-care injection in sub-Saharan Africa's HIV epidemic.