October 9, 2007

STI Rates High Among HIV-Positive Women and Girls

Many HIV-positive women and girls are being diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections after their HIV diagnosis, according to a study published in the October issue of Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University examined 143 HIV-positive women over 18 months and looked for incidences of gonorrhoea, chlamydia, trichomonas and syphilis. They found that 19 percent of the women were diagnosed with an STI during that time, and that many of the women had a viral load above the level where HIV is most easily transmitted.
 
“This work demonstrates that many HIV-positive adolescent girls in care will be diagnosed with at least one STI during an 18-month period and that they acquire STIs at times when they are at a high as well as a low likelihood of HIV transmission based on viral load status,” the investigators write.