HIV prevalence and awareness among adults presenting for enrolment into a study of people at risk for HIV in Kisumu County, Western Kenya.

Introduction: Despite declines in new HIV diagnoses both globally and in Kenya, parts of Western Kenya still report high HIV prevalence and incidence. We evaluated HIV prevalence to inform the development of policies for strategic and targeted HIV prevention interventions.

Methods: Adult participants aged 18-35 years were recruited in Kisumu County and screened for HIV for a prospective HIV incidence cohort.

Early sexual debut is associated with drug use and decreased educational attainment among males and females in Kisumu County, Kenya.

Differing global sociocultural contexts of sexual relationships influence age at first sexual intercourse with potentially long-lasting region-specific effects such as increased risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In these cross-sectional analyses of data from the screening and enrollment visits for an HIV incidence study in Kisumu County, Kenya, we evaluated factors associated with having experienced an early sexual debut (ESD) among males and females aged 18-35 years. Clinical evaluation was performed and sexual behaviors were assessed via questionnaire.

Epidemiological and clinical implications of asymptomatic malaria and schistosomiasis co-infections in a rural community in western Kenya.

Background: Malaria and schistosomiasis present considerable disease burden in tropical and sub-tropical areas and severity is worsened by co-infections in areas where both diseases are endemic. Although pathogenesis of these infections separately is well studied, there is limited information on the pathogenic disease mechanisms and clinical disease outcomes in co-infections. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of malaria and schistosomiasis co-infections, and the hematologic and blood chemistry abnormalities in asymptomatic adults in a rural fishing community in western Kenya.

Clinical laboratory reference values in adults in Kisumu County, Western Kenya; hematology, chemistry and CD4.

Background: Clinical laboratory reference intervals (RIs) are essential for diagnosing and managing patients in routine clinical care as well as establishing eligibility criteria and defining adverse events in clinical trials, but may vary by age, gender, genetics, nutrition and geographic location. It is, therefore, critical to establish region-specific reference values in order to inform clinical decision-making.

Methods: We analyzed data from a prospective observational HIV incidence cohort study in Kombewa, Kenya.

False reactive HIV-1 diagnostic test results in an individual from Kenya on multiple testing platforms-A case report.

Background: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) are routinely used in screening for HIV infection. More complex diagnostic algorithms incorporating fourth-generation screening and confirmatory HIV-1/HIV-2 differentiation immunoassays (IA) may be used to confirm HIV infection. Co-infections and autoimmune diseases may lead to falsely reactive HIV diagnostic test results.