HIV-Related Deaths in Nairobi, Kenya: Results From a HIV Mortuary Surveillance Study, 2015

Background: Death is an important but often unmeasured endpoint in public health HIV surveillance. We sought to describe HIV among deaths using a novel mortuary-based approach in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods: Cadavers aged 15 years and older at death at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and City Mortuaries were screened consecutively from January 29 to March 3, 2015. Cause of death was abstracted from medical files and death notification forms. Cardiac blood was drawn and tested for HIV infection using the national HIV testing algorithm followed by viral load testing of HIV-positive samples. Results: Of 807 eligible cadavers, 610 (75.6%) had an HIV test result available. Cadavers from KNH had significantly higher HIV positivity at 23.2% (95% CI: 19.3 to 27.7) compared with City Mortuary at 12.6% (95% CI: 8.8 to 17.8), P
Source: JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Epidemiology Source Type: research