Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Newly Diagnosed People Living with HIV Initiating Antiretroviral Treatment at the Adult Day Hospital of Bobo-Dioulasso Over a Five-year Period

Background: HIV infection is a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Burkina Faso. This study aimed to describe the socio-demographic characteristics of newly person living with HIV initiating antiretroviral treatment at the Adult Day Hospital of Bobo-Dioulasso over a five-year period. Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020 at the Adult Day Hospital of Bobo-Dioulasso. People newly diagnosed with HIV after confirmatory testing and initiating antiretroviral therapy were included in this study. Results: Women represented 66.74% (586/878) of this study population (878), the average age of the study population was 41 ± 14.30 years-old and the age group of 35-52 years-old was the most represented at the initial visit. The majority of this study population were not schooled (48.86%) and housemaids accounted for 37.70%. The majority of the participants were infected with HIV-1 (84.51%). Conclusion: This study pointed out that HIV continues to infect the disadvantaged social and demographic groups. HIV awareness and screening campaigns are required to better control the infection in these groups.