A prevalence study of HIV antibodies in rural Kenya

In order to describe the prevalence of HIV antibodies and AIDS in West Kenya, serological tests, including ELISA, and in some cases immunoblotting, were performed on whole blood collected on filter paper from 603 Kenyans. Serum samples from 55 of these persons underwent the same examinations, and 45 were further examined by immunofluorescence and a commercial ELISA. The majority of the Kenyans examined were residents of a province in West Kenya, while the others were students from other parts of Kenya, predominantly rural areas. Male/female ratio was 62/38. Median age was 18 years (range 0-70). Five Danes with previously demonstrated HIV antibodies, and 10 Danish controls were examined for HIV antibodies in filter paper whole blood, and in serum by ELISA and immunoblotting. The tests carried out on the filter paper blood were found to be reliable. Only one of the examined Kenyans had antibodies to HIV by both ELISA and immunoblotting, representing a prevalence of 0.17% (95% confidence limits: 0.00-0.93%). This low prevalence is not in accord with results previously presented from rural districts in Kenya.