AEGiS-13IAC: Prevalence of HIV seropositivity in the subjects of non-natural deaths and its health.

13th International AIDS Conference

Durban, South Africa - July 9-July 14, 2000

Prevalence of HIV seropositivity in the subjects of non-natural deaths and its health.

Int Conf AIDS 2000 Jul 9-14; 13:32 (abstract no.. LbPeA7003)

Meell BL
University of Transkei, Forensic Medicine, Umtata, Easter Cape, South Africa. Fax: +27 47 502 2235, E-mail: meel@getafix.utr.ac.za.

INTRODUCTION: The Umtata General Hospital (UGH) mortuary has a workload of about 1500 autopsies a year.Infection is the highest risk factor associated with working in the UGH mortuary. It could be simple flu to serious infection like HIV and hepatitis. The risk of HIV is more frightening in the workers where no proper protective measures are in place. Therefore it is important to know the prevalence of HIV in the deceased subjects in order to protect the employees at work.

OBJECTIVE:To gather comprehensive information on the seropositivity of victims of death. Design: Descriptive study during the period spanning January 1995 to December 1995.Setting: Umtata General Hospital, Eastern Cape.

METHOD: Blood of the deceased subjects brought by their relatives for autopsy, was taken for HIV testing. The blood samples were sent for the ELISA test in the UGH laboratory.

RESULTS: Two hundred victims of unnatural deaths studied for their HIV status during the period of one year. Two test cases were found equivocal, and in 19 victims the blood was putrefied, therefore declared unsuitable for the test. Out of remaining 179 subjects, there have been 28 (15.5%) were found to be positive for HIV antibodies.

CONCLUSION: There have been significant number of cases found sero-positive for HIV. However, a well planned study should be carried out to ascertain the prevalence of HIV infection in the medico-legal cases. Recommendations: HIV changes human behavior and could lead to unnatural deaths (suicide) in seropositive subjects. Therefore, it is important to carry out proper skilled counselling on these subjects to protect their lives. It needs education of mortuary workers, to make them aware of mortuary hazards especially related with HIV infection according to occupational safety and health act, 1993. Developing a policy inmortuary that will prevent, protect and promote the health of workers.

Keywords: AEGIS, Prevalence, HIV Seropositivity, HIV Infections, HIV Antibodies, Autopsy, Health, Risk Factors, Suicide, Health Personnel, Postmortem Changes, Human, epidemiology, immunology, AIDS
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