Education in preventing HIV infection in Greek registered prostitutes

Abstract

From March 1984 to November 1985, 350 Greek registered prostitutes were screened for anti-HIV. Twelve of them (3.4%) were found to be positive. To monitor and control the further spread of HIV infection, an intensive educational campaign was established and screening every 3 months was implemented. Until October 1986, two new seroconversions were detected out of 270 examined (seroconversion rate of 0.74% per year). Further HIV infections have not been detected among the 282 prostitutes followed to 1988. This should be attributed to avoidance of clients from Central Africa and mainly to almost universal use of condoms as a result of the intensive educational campaign.