HIV infection among patients with acute pelvic inflammatory disease at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.

AIDS continues to exert considerable strain on the economy, as well as social aspects of our lives. Previous studies have identified the categories of people most at risk of contracting and developing HIV infection and AIDS. In this study, 20.9% of women with acute pelvic infection at the Kenyatta National Hospital, were found to be seropositive for HIV, much higher than the general population in Kenya. Though there was no direct correlation between one's age and serological status, most of the women with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) were young, quite sexually active, and involved with several partners. 49.0% of the entire group and 53.7% of the women who were seropositive, were married. This underlines the fact that marital status does not appear to offer any protection against HIV infection. The fact that majority of these women had started coitus quite early, they were not using any protective measure against STDs or HIV infection, and that they were involved with several partners, indicate that we are very far from winning the fight against HIV infection and AIDS. There is need to revise the currently operative programmes with a view to making them more effective, in preventing transmission and spread of HIV infection.