Surveillance of HIV infection in vulnerable groups. Cuba 1997-2001.
Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. G12536)
Torres Pena R, Santin Pena M, Abreu MI, Fiol JJ, Alonso Gomez ME Ministry of Public Health, Ciudad Habana, Cuba
The surveillance in vulnerable groups is part of the Cuban strategy for the early detection of people infected with HIV/Aids. Using the potentialities and strengths of the National System of Health, especially of the primary attention, through family medicine model is carried out the identification and classification of people belonging to vulnerable groups, with the objective of carrying out educational interventions to promote changes of sexual behavior and the realization of HIV test, with informed consent and previous counseling, For it, from early 90's a training process began aimed to the personnel of health of primary attention level offering them the necessary knowledge to achieve: 1? Appropriate identification of target population inside the community that is offered medical assistance 2? The correct application of education techniques: individual and groupal 3? To Obtain the consent for the realization of tests of detection of HIV antibodies of implied people From January 1997 through December 31, 2001 they have been carried out a total of 1 191 748 HIV antibodies tests to people belonging to vulnerable groups, among those 393 have been detected as HIV-positive. This represents 16,9% of the total of cases detected in the whole country in those five years. This strategy facilitates the realization of community educational interventions and contributes to the prevention of new infections as well as to the early detection of infected people.
Keywords: AEGIS, HIV Infections, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Sex Behavior, HIV Seropositivity, HIV Antibodies, Counseling, Mass Screening, Cuba, epidemiology, immunology
