Abstract

Adolescents with AIDS in the city of Rio de Janeiro/Brazil: space-time description

S. Taquette¹, A. Rodrigues², E. Amorim¹, L. Bortolotti<sup>3

1</sup>University of State of Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Medicina, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ²University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Serviço Social, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ³University of State of Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Enfermagem, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Background: the purpose of the study was to analyze the dynamic of AIDS epidemic affecting adolescents aged between 13 to 19 years old in Rio de Janeiro in order to establish healthy preventions. The AIDS incidence in Brazil is declining among men who have sex with men (MSM), except for men aged between 13 to 19 years old, and is increasing in women. The ratio man x woman among adolescents is less than one.
Methods: an ecological study was carried out in Rio de Janeiro with secondary data from SINAN (Information System of Disease Notification) about cases of AIDS in patients between 13 and 19 years old since the beginning of the epidemic until november, 2009.
Results: 656 cases have been notified (57,5% man and 42,5% woman) with an annual growing until 1998 and a decrease since 1999, being such decrease more accentuated in man. In 1996 it has occurred the inversion of the ratio man x woman, with predominance of female adolescents cases. In man, the way of transmission homo/bisexual was the most frequent (34,2%) and in the female adolescents was the heterosexual (69,2%). The percentage of cases with unknown way of transmission was 32,6% among men and 22,2% among women. More than three quarters of the female adolescents (76,7%) were less than 8 years in school and only 31,7% were studying in the date of notification. The geographic distribution of the cases in Rio de Janeiro by year of diagnostic revealed that the incidence tripled in the poorest area and decrease to a quarter in the richest area.
Conclusions: The study points out the urgent need of carrying out higher investments in sexual healthy and reproductive services in the poorest area of the city and healthy promotions actions directed to MSM and female adolescents.