Prevalence of HIV among general surgical patients in southeastern Nigeria

Background With the advent of HAART, many HIV patients are now living longer. It is expected that the incidence of HIV-related malignancies will increase, with additional burden of operating on HIV patients in areas of chronic severe shortages where minimum basic precautions may not always be feasible. We decided to assess the HIV prevalence in surgical patients and compare the periods 2001-04 and 2008-09.