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HIV/AIDS Surveillance Country Profiles

Trends and Patterns of HIV Infection in Selected Developing Countries

A critical issue for policy makers and program planners in the development assistance community is current status and trends over time in the spread of HIV infection and the AIDS epidemic in developing countries. The identification of "hot spots" in the spread of infection is important in decision making regarding the allocation of scarce program funds.

The sentinel surveillance systems in many countries have provided much data on prevalence among specific population groups – pregnant women attending antenatal clinics, patients seeking healthcare from clinics, sex workers, intravenous drug users, and others. Beginning in 2001, HIV testing from population-based surveys, such as the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), has provided important data from the general population.

The data presented in each country profile were drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau’s HIV/AIDS Surveillance Data Base, a compilation of HIV seroprevalence information contained in journals, articles, and public presentations. The Data Base was developed and has been maintained at the Census Bureau since 1987 with funding support from the Office of HIV/AIDS, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Although every attempt has been made to present the most reliable data, the quality of the original data varies considerably. Accordingly, the trends and patterns described should be considered tentative indications, rather than precise estimates of the problem, and caution should be used in drawing conclusions.

These country profiles examine the patterns and trends of the epidemic using the best of the data available. In order to minimize the biases and confusion in using current seroprevalence estimates, we have developed several criteria to select the most representative sample estimate: larger samples are generally favored over smaller samples, more recent estimates are selected over older estimates, and better-documented data are usually selected over poorly documented data. Each profile highlights patterns of infection within population subgroups, patterns of infection by age, by sex, and recent trends in infection levels.

Each country profile has a section called "Demographic Indicators." This section includes population, growth rate, birth rate, infant mortality rates, death rate, life expectancies, percent urban, and fertility rate. Data were taken from the Census Bureau’s International Data Base and unpublished tables. The percent urban is from the World Population Data Sheet published by the Population Reference Bureau.

In addition, some country profiles may include a country map of HIV surveillance information. The data shown, either as a dot or shaded map, are taken primarily from the latest sentinel surveillance report for the population mapped. We welcome copies of articles or reference to information which may have been overlooked.

Africa  Asia  Latin America/Caribbean 

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau | International Programs |  Last Revised: 2012-07-16T15:49:32.784-04:00