NCJ Number
107200
Journal
Morbidity and Morality Weekly Reports Volume: 36 Issue: 11 Dated: (March 27, 1987) Pages: 157-161
Date Published
1987
Length
5 pages
Annotation
An ongoing, cross-sectional study of female prostitutes in seven geographic areas has found an incidence of antibody to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that parallels the cumulative incidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the same areas, suggesting that risk factors for AIDS in female prostitutes may be similar to those in other women living in those areas.
Abstract
Study data came from Atlanta; Colorado Springs, Colo; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Miami; San Francisco; and Newark, Jersey City, and Paterson, New Jersey. Subjects have variously included incarcerated women, women at clinics for sexually transmitted diseases or methadone maintenance, or women reached through outreach efforts. The prevalence of AIDS antibody in prostitutes and the cumulative incidence of AIDS in women are highest in northern New Jersey and Miami. Eleven percent of 546 prostitutes with unprotected vaginal exposure were HIV-antibody positive; none of 22 prostitutes whose partners always used condoms were seropositive. Efforts to stop the spread of HIV infection in prostitutes and to other sexual prostitutes require multiple approaches. These might include counseling and HIV-testing programs for individuals at risk, additional control measures by local public health and law enforcement agencies, and the involvement of voluntary and other social service organizations. Tables, footnotes, and 26 references.