Current Issue : October - December Volume : 2020 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 6 Articles
Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) in Malawi experience multiple challenges associated with their illness\nand various social, environmental, economic and cultural factors. In exploring their various medical concerns and\nsocial vulnerabilities, we consider the role of multiple services in creating a pathway for resilience.\nMethods: Multiple methods and case studies allowed for triangulation of evidence and provided a holistic understanding\nof resilience among adolescents with complex needs. The research methods included: (1) a survey to\nidentify examples of young people with complex needs, (2) qualitative interviews and field notes to further explore\nthese needs, (3) patient files and health passports to identify clinical challenges, and (4) ecomapping exercises to\npersonalize cases and identify resilience-enabling resources and supports. We present four case studies to highlight\nthe complex experiences and access to services of ALHIV, and to illustrate their growing power and decision-making\ncapacity over time.\nResults: Adversity experienced by ALHIV varied by gender, family situation, years of schooling, and use of teen-clubs\nfor support. The two female adolescents emphasised their need to be accepted and how this impacted sexuality and\nreproduction. The two males illustrated how ideas of masculinity influenced their sexual practice and involvement\nwith health services and the correctional justice system. Multiple risks (alcohol use, sexual activities) and complex\nneeds (belonging, having a purpose in life/productive activities, autonomy, desire for offspring) influence pathways to\nresilience. ALHIV were able to strengthen their own wellbeing by resisting negative behaviours and peer pressure and\ncaregiver interactions through â??strategic silenceâ??.\nConclusion: ALHIV experienced self-transformation as a result of taking ART, with fewer severe episodes of illness\nand distressing skin conditions. Continuous engagement at the teen-club clinic transformed both productive activities\nand social relationships among ALHIV as they set life goals, gained a sense of empowerment, requested SRH services,\nand formed intimate relationships. These transformative opportunities allowed them to learn ways of minimizing\nrisk of reinfection and violence, and of navigating health workerâ??caregiverâ??adolescent interactions....
Long acting and permanent contraceptive methods by far are the most effective, very safe and convenient\nmethods than short acting contraceptive methods. But in less developed countries, use of long acting reversible\ncontraceptive or permanent methods (LARCs/PMs) is very low. Therefore the aim of this study was to identify\ndeterminants of long acting contraceptive method utilization among HIV positive reproductive age women.\nMethods: An institutional based case control study was conducted among random sample of 354 HIV positive\nreproductive age women (total of 97.8% response rate) at Anti-Retroviral Therapy clinics from February 20 to March\n20, 2019. Case to control ratio was 1:2. A structured questionnaire and information recorded from ART card review\nwere used to collect the data. Each variable was entered in Bivariate analysis with dependent variables and those\nvariables with P-value of....................
The link between food insecurity and depression in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) has been\nexplored in numerous studies; however, the existing evidence is inconclusive due to inconsistent results. Therefore,\nthe objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to examine the relationship between food insecurity and\ndepression in PLWHA.\nMethods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus to identify relevant studies. A random-effect\nmodel was used for conducting the meta-analysis. We assessed the risk of publication bias by funnel plot and Eggerâ??s\nregression asymmetry test.\nResults: In this review, seven studies were included in the final analysis. Our meta-analysis revealed that food insecurity\nsignificantly increased the risk of depression in PLWHA....................
HIV/AIDS is a serious health problem among prisoners and constitutes a big\nchallenge for prison administration services, public health services and governments.\nAims: Determine the prevalence of HIV infection among prisoners\nand describe associated factors. Population and Methods: This was a descriptive\nand analytical cross-sectional study conducted from December 2015\nto October 2016. A sample of 600 prisoners was randomly interviewed nationwide.\nThey were selected directly from the sample frame from across the\ncountry and proportionally from all sites. Pre-established questionnaires providing\ninformation on the sociodemographic and biological characteristics of\nprisoners were used for the collection of data. Data entry and analysis were\nperformed using EXCEL and SPSS 18 software. Results: The survey was based\non a randomised sample of 600 prisoners, 593 of whom accepted blood extraction\nfor the HIV testing. The series was mainly composed of males (89%).\nThe median age was 33 years (18 - 69). The level of education among respondents\nwas 60%. Regarding marital status, the proportion of married prisoners\nwas 51.8%. Almost three-quarters (71.5%) were at their first imprisonment\nand 51.8% were on preventive detention. The reasons for imprisonment\nvaried and were dominated by drug use (35.3%), while only 4.6% confessed\nthat they continued using drugs while in prison. 97.8% of prisoners have had\na sexual experience. Their median age was 19 years at their first sexual intercourse.\n20.5% reported using a condom during their first intercourse. Multi\npartnership was estimated at 17.8%. The prevalence of HIV infection was\nhigh among prisoners (2%), the quadruple of the national rate. This prevalence \nwas associated with female sex (4.5%) (p = 0.012) and housewives\n(12.5%) (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Prisoners are very vulnerable to HIV infection\nwith a high prevalence compared to the national rate, hence the\nneed for the enforcement of effective HIV prevention and care measures in\nprisons....
Testing for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), widely distributed in\nsub-Saharan Africa since it is mainly invasive but, could be non-invasive and\nquick also, reducing waiting time especially when required for presurgical\nprocedures. This study determined the HIV status of patients using Urine\nscreening test method and to compare its performance to blood-based testing\nmethods. The routine pre and post-test counselling for HIV screening were\ndone for all provider-initiated HIV testing using blood-based screening methods.\nDue to the cost and unavailability of enough urine testing kits, only\npatients who tested positive for HIV with blood-based methods and were\nscheduled for surgery or a surgical procedure were enrolled in the study. Informed\nconsent was obtained. Paired urine and blood samples were collected\nat the same visit into clean universal bottles and analyzed immediately. A\ncolloidal gold enhanced rapid immuno-chromatographic assay (Alliance\nBiomedical) kit for the rapid qualitative detection of antibodies to Human\nImmunodeficiency Virus (HIV) I and II in urine were used in comparison to\nthe standard HIV testing of ante-cubital venous blood collected in EDTA vacutainer\nand analyzed using Determine (T) HIV 1 and 2 in vitro qualitative\nimmunoassay strip, UNI GOLD rapid test kit and the Chembio HIV.....................
Objective: Assess the impact of B + option on mother-to-child HIVâ??s transmission\nat the community university hospital center after 4 years of use. Patients\nand methods: This was a retrospective and analytical study from January\n1st 2015 to December 31st 2018 i.e. 4 years. The populationâ??s study was\non HIV-positive mothers and their infants care in the service. Results: A total\nof 323 files of infants born from HIV-positive mothers were selected and\nhaving performed the PCR. 9 of them were HIV positive representing a rate\nof 2.79% mother-to-child HIVâ??s transmission. This prevalence was 1.1% for\nwomen who started ART before and during pregnancy. The average age of\nnewborns was 29 years. Mothers were literally rating in 24.15% during the\nperiod of starting antiretroviral therapy, 63% during pregnancy and 19% before\npregnancy. For the deliveryâ??s way 295 delivered vaginally; they represented\n91.33%. Cesarean delivery was 8.67%. Exclusive breastfeeding represented\n87.31% of the diet. Mothers who started ARV therapy during the labor and\nafter delivery were more likely to transmit HIV to their infants than mothers\nwho started ART before and during pregnancy (p = 0.01). The other risk factors\nwere represented by premature rupture of the membranes (p = 0.0001),\nhours of labor (p = 0.0001), use of suction cup (p = 0.0005), birth weight less\nthan 2500 g (p = 0.00). Conclusion: Mother-to-child HIVâ??s transmission still\nremains a public health problem at the Community University Hospital....
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