Effect of variable transmission rate on the dynamics of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The cause of the high HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa is incompletely understood, with heterosexual penile-vaginal transmission proposed as the main mechanism. Heterosexual HIV transmission has been estimated to have a very low probability; but effects of cofactors that vary in space and time may substantially alter this pattern.

Methods

To test the effect of individual variation in the HIV infectiousness generated by co-infection, we developed and analyzed a mathematical sexual network model that simulates the behavioral components of a population from Malawi, as well as the dynamics of HIV and the co-infection effect caused by other infectious diseases, including herpes simplex virus type-2, gonorrhea, syphilis and malaria.

Results

The analysis shows

SUBMITTER: Cuadros DF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3175213 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature