Observational Studies Programme
Ag Head of Programme: Prof. Janet Seeley
The research activities of the MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit on AIDS began in 1989 with the establishment of the General Population Cohort study, which formed the nucleus of what subsequently became the Observational Studies Programme, based at the Kyamulibwa field station, Masaka district. The field station has offices, study clinics, a laboratory, a data section, archives, stores, and accommodation for visiting researchers. The Programme comprises three research projects – the General Population Cohort, Rural Clinical Cohort, and the Paediatric Clinical Cohort - supported by a Community Development and Counselling (COD) project. The Programme has close collaborative links with the Social Science and Basic Science Programmes.
General population cohort (GPC)
Principal investigator : Prof. Janet Seeley
Project leader: Gershim Asiki
Background The GPC was established in 1989 as an open community-based cohort. It is one of the few population-based cohorts in Africa investigating the trends and determinants of the HIV epidemic. The GPC is one of six population-based cohorts in sub-Saharan Africa which comprise the ALPHA (Analysing Longitudinal Population-based HIV/AIDS data in Africa) network, and has contributed to the five workshops...
held by the ALPHA network from 2004-2008 analysing data on different themes in HIV epidemiology and contributing to the development of evidence-based policy on HIV prevention and mitigation.
Objective: To monitor HIV prevalence and incidence and identify the behavioural and demographic factors which influence epidemiological trends.
Methods: In an annual survey of the cohort, information is collected on HIV sero-prevalence and associated social, demographic and behavioural factors. Each annual survey is preceded by a census. In 1989, the study population comprised 10,000 people residing in 15 villages, and in 1999/2000 this was expanded to 18,000 residents in 25 villages.more
Kyamulibwa field station Team