Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(2):123-128 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8708

HIV mortuary surveillance system in Kyiv, Ukraine, July–December 2021

Carlie L. Sulpizio1, Roksolana Kulchynska2, Violetta Martsynovska4, Anna Meteliuk5, Lyudmyla Dobrovolska3, Nataliia Bugaienko4, Irina Andrianova4, Petro Kuzyk6, Daryna Krenytska4, Marianna Azarskova3, Nataliya Podolchak3, Ezra Barzilay3, Hammad Ali1
1 Division of Global HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
2 Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
3 Division of Global HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kyiv, Ukraine
4 SI Public Health Centre, Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
5 ICF Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine
6 Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine

Objectives: In Ukraine, accurate HIV mortality data are lacking due to limited information on HIV-related deaths. This study focuses on Kyiv to track HIV-related deaths among undiagnosed individuals living with HIV and evaluate HIV programming for cause-of-death identification.

Methods: Five mortuaries in Kyiv were selected to participate (July–December 2021) with cadavers from people aged 18+ years. HIV status was determined through serology; patient files were examined for prior diagnosis and treatment. Bivariate analyses were conducted to assess HIV status and select characteristics and chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used, as appropriate, to assess statistical significance. Multivariable logistic regression explored correlates of HIV.

Results: Of 1,513 cadavers, 39 (2.6%) tested positive for HIV, among whom, 31 (79.5%) had documentation of an HIV-positive status before death. Overall, medical records for 94% of all 1,513 cadavers did not contain information about HIV status at the time of death.

Conclusions: HIV testing in cadavers can be used to understand burden of HIV disease; data from clinical record from the deceased can be used to assess morbidity and mortality associated with HIV.

Keywords: HIV, mortality, surveillance, Ukraine, cause of death

Received: June 30, 2025; Revised: May 15, 2026; Accepted: May 15, 2026; Published: June 30, 2026  Show citation

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Sulpizio CL, Kulchynska R, Martsynovska V, Meteliuk A, Dobrovolska L, Bugaienko N, et al.. HIV mortuary surveillance system in Kyiv, Ukraine, July–December 2021. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2026;34(2):123-128. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a8708.
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