AIDS in El Salvador

The 1st case of AIDS in El Salvador was diagnosed at Rosales Hospital in San Salvador in October 1985, in a bisexual man who had recently returned from the US. Since that time there have been 110 cases at Rosales Hospital, 81% in men. Of these patients, 54% report exclusively heterosexual histories; 42% report no travel outside El Salvador, 33% report travel to the US, 12% to Honduras, and 7% to Mexico. Risk factors include multiple sexual partners in 61%, prostitution in 7%, and injected drug use in 5%. To date, 52% are known to have died, 18% are alive, and the fate of the remainder is unknown. 5 children with symptomatic HIV infection have been seen at the Benjamin Bloom National Children's Hospital. As of September 1991, 504 persons nationwide were known to be HIV-seropositive, 63% of whom lived in San Salvador. Seropositivity among blood donors at Rosales Hospital has increased from 0% in 1988, when screening began, to 0.265 in 1991.