News From Foussénou
Sissoko
Health Communication Expert
Extra-couple HIV transmission — infections from sexual intercourse
taking place outside an established partnership — continue to fuel new HIV
infections among heterosexual couples in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a
study.
In some countries, up to 65 per cent of new infections among men in
co-habiting relationships are due to extra-couple intercourse.
SPEED
READ
·
Study analyses HIV tests of 27,000 cohabiting
couples in Sub-Saharan Africa
·
Up to 65 per cent of men contract HIV through
extra-couple intercourse
·
Study recommends HIV interventions for all
sexually active people, not just 'at risk' groups
Scientists analysed the HIV tests of 27,000
cohabiting couples from 18 African countries. They found extra-couple
transmissions to be a common contributing factor for new HIV infections in the
region and that the transmissions within couples occur largely from men to
women.
For this reason, the authors advocate HIV
prevention interventions for the entire sexually active population, not just
couples where one partner is HIV-positive.
Sub-Saharan Africa is
home to around 22.9 million people living with HIV/AIDS — the majority of the
34 million infected people worldwide — and registers the highest number of
HIV-related deaths annually, according to the WHO.
Steve Bellan, a post-doctoral researcher at the
University of Texas and the study's lead author, tells SciDev.Net that
the research team wanted to identify how many people were infected with HIV
before entering their current relationship; how many were infected by their
official partner; and how many by extra-couple intercourse.
"Extra-couple transmission within stable,
cohabiting couples was responsible for new HIV infections among an overwhelming
32-65 per cent of men and 10-47 per cent of women — varying according to
country," Bellan says.
He says that individual country analyses gave
wide-ranging results relating to the percentage of transmissions due to
extra-couple intercourse.
Bellan was unable to say if the study's
findings were typical of Africa only, but he called for further research to
enable a comparison of world regions.
The study, published online in The Lanceton 5
February, proposes certain measures to help curb the epidemic, such as early
and proper antiretroviral treatments.
Couples should also be offered the opportunity
to get tested, receive their results and mutually disclose their status in a
supportive counselling environment, the study says, as this will aid treatment
and prevention.
It also recommends expanding treatment, whereby
all infected individuals should be given immediate early treatment on a 'test
and treat concept' basis.
Alloys Orago, director of Kenya's National AIDS
Control Council, tells SciDev.Net: "Since 2008, we have been advocating for a
reduction in the number of sexual partners and being faithful to a single,
uninfected sexual partner as a tool in HIV prevention".
"HIV prevention should target everybody,
not just populations perceived to be most at risk, because HIV knows no
boundaries," he concludes.
(Source : SciDev.Net's Sub-Saharan Africa desk.)
