BACKGROUND The most severe HIV epidemics worldwide occur in Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland. Here we focus on the Lesotho epidemic, which has received little attention. We determined the within-country heterogeneity in the severity of the epidemic, and identified the risk factors for HIV infection. We also determined whether circumcised men in Lesotho have had a decreased risk of HIV infection ...

To the Editor: Reports of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) in the Republic of South Africa have generated concern in the medical and public health literature (1,2). Given that XDR TB is spread through the air, it is not surprising that cases have been reported in multiple countries throughout the world (3). We report a documented case of XDR TB in Lesotho. This case is closely t...

Within sub-Saharan Africa, women are disproportionately at risk for acquiring and having human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is important to clarify whether gender inequalities in HIV prevalence in this region are explained by differences in the distributions of HIV risk factors, differences in the effects of these risk factors or some combination of...

In Lesotho, where the HIV prevalence rate for women is 26.4%, there is high risk for mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. Efforts to prevent MTCT can focus on reducing the fertility level of HIV-positive women. This paper examines the desire for children and unmet need for contraception to limit or space births among HIV-positive women age 15-49 years, using data from the 2004 Lesotho De...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of goitre, urinary iodine status, coverage of supplementation of iodized oil capsules, and current use of iodized salt in children in Lesotho. METHODS Cross-sectional study of children from 50 primary schools in Lesotho. Thyroid glands of children aged 8-12 years were measured by palpation and graded according to the WHO, UNICEF, and the International Coun...

Inadequate demographic data in Lesotho inhibits demographic research. Nonetheless, indirect demographic techniques have proven to be useful tools in the developing world, as their application to census and survey data has greatly expanded knowledge of the demographic situation in data deficient countries (Brass, 1996). The different techniques are based on specific assumptions and robustness of...

rural South African district hospitals: an epidemiological modelling study. Lancet. 2007;370:1500–7. 2. Brewer T. Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis and public health. JAMA. 2007;298:1861. 3. Kim HR, Hwang SS, Kim HJ, Lee SM, Yoo CG, Kim YW, et al. Impact of extensive drug resistance on treatment outcomes in non-HIV-infected patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Clin Infect Dis. ...

INTRODUCTION The government of Lesotho introduced tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) for first-line antiretroviral treatment (ART), as recommended by the World Health Organization (1), in 2008. The use of TDF has been associated with renal toxicity (2); furthermore, renal function outcomes following the use of TDF has not been studied at Roma Health Service Area (RHSA) in Lesotho. Lesotho is a...