PLoS ONE (Jan 2012)

HIV case notification rates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the past decade (2000-2009).

  • Mohammed A A I Mazroa,
  • Ibrahim A Kabbash,
  • Sanaa M Felemban,
  • Gwen M Stephens,
  • Raafat F Al-Hakeem,
  • Alimuddin I Zumla,
  • Ziad A Memish

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045919
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 9
p. e45919

Abstract

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ObjectiveTo study trends in HIV case notification rates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.DesignA ten year retrospective review of annual HIV case notification returns to the Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.MethodsAnnual Registry statistics covering the period 2000 to 2009 were reviewed. Annual incidence trends were stratified according to the following demographics: age, nationality, geographical region of residence, gender, and mode of disease acquisition.Results10,217 new HIV cases (2,956 in Saudi nationals and 7,261 in non-Saudis) were reported. Africans of Sub-Saharan Africa origin accounting for 3,982/7,261 (53%) of non-Saudi cases constituted: Ethiopians (2,271), Nigerians (1,048), and Sudanese nationals (663). The overall average annual incidence was ConclusionsWhilst the numbers of reported HIV cases have stabilised since 2006, HIV/AIDS remains an important public health problem in KSA, both in migrants and Saudi nationals. HIV transmission to Saudi children is also of concern. Optimization of data collection, surveillance, and pro-active screening for HIV is required.