Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most severely affected region, accounting for approximately 71% of all people living with HIV infection (Figure 1) [8]. More than 90% of HIV-infected children in the world currently live in Sub-Saharan Africa [11]. Countries with a high prevalence of HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa have witnessed a decline in life expectancy at birth to just below 50 years of age [12]. Kenya is one of the countries severely affected by HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa causing infection in 1.6 million of Kenyan adults and children. Urban residents have a significantly higher risk of HIV infection (10%) than rural residents (6%). While new infections are stabilized at an average of 93,000 among adults and 11,000 among children in Kenya annually,
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Subtype B is most common in the Americas, Western Europe, Japan and Australia. The majority of HIV clinical research has been conducted in populations where subtype B predominates, although it represents only 12% of global HIV infections [14]. Less research has been carried out on subtype C that is prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa and India accounting for almost 50% of the world’s population with HIV infections. Other commonly found subtypes in different regions of Africa are subtypes A (sub-subtype A1 being most common) and D infecting 38% and 5% of population, respectively [15]. While subtypes G, H, J and K are also spread throughout Africa and Asia, they are not encountered as frequently as subtypes A, B, C or D. Further, novel strains can form through hybridization of two concurrent HIV infections within the same individual and are preliminarily defined as unique or unusual circulating recombinant forms (URCs). Complete sequencing of URFs from three epidemiologically unlinked individuals designates novel strains as circulating recombinant forms
Subtype B is most common in the Americas, Western Europe, Japan and Australia. The majority of HIV clinical research has been conducted in populations where subtype B predominates, although it represents only 12% of global HIV infections [14]. Less research has been carried out on subtype C that is prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa and India accounting for almost 50% of the world’s population with HIV infections. Other commonly found subtypes in different regions of Africa are subtypes A (sub-subtype A1 being most common) and D infecting 38% and 5% of population, respectively [15]. While subtypes G, H, J and K are also spread throughout Africa and Asia, they are not encountered as frequently as subtypes A, B, C or D. Further, novel strains can form through hybridization of two concurrent HIV infections within the same individual and are preliminarily defined as unique or unusual circulating recombinant forms (URCs). Complete sequencing of URFs from three epidemiologically unlinked individuals designates novel strains as circulating recombinant forms