Sero-Prevalence of HIV Infection Among Commercial Sex Workers in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Context: Commercial sex workers (CSWs) are an important group for the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection all over the world. In view of the upsurge in the prevalence of HIV in Nigeria, it is desirable to determine the magnitude of their contribution to the problem and how to incorporate them into control efforts.


Objective: The main objective of this study was to determine the sero-prevalence of HIV infection among commercial sex workers (CSWs) in Ibadan, Nigeria.


Study Design: This was a cross-sectional survey involving 169 CSWs that were randomly selected from 18 brothels in Ibadan and 136 other women without HIV-related symptoms who visited the Special Treatment Clinic, University College Hospital Ibadan who served as the control group.


Results: Of the 169 CSWs investigated, 58 (34.3%) had HIV infection whilst only 3 (2.2%) of the control subjects were seropositive for HIV, a highly statistically significant difference (p < 0.000001). Vaginal candidiasis was the most common STD diagnosed in both CSWs and the control subjects. All the 13 CSWs that had scabies, 4 (36.4%) of those with genital warts and 19 (67.9%) of those with genital ulcers had HIV infection. Apart from HIV infection, the only condition that was markedly more prevalent among the CSWs was genital ulcer (16.6% vs 1.5%; p < 0.0001).


Conclusion: These findings indicate a high seroprevalence of HIV among CSWs in Ibadan and the need to direct efforts to prevent them from spreading it further in the population.


Key Words: HIV, Seroprevalence, Commercial Sex Workers.


[Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 2003, 20: 12-15]