Migration as a Risk Factor for HIV Infection among Youths in Sub-Saharan Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 648 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica A. Magadi

Of the estimated 10 million youths living with HIV worldwide, 63 percent live in sub-Saharan Africa. This article focuses on migration as a risk factor of HIV infection among the youths in sub-Saharan Africa. The study is based on multilevel modeling, applied to the youth sample of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), conducted from 2003 to 2008 in nineteen countries. The analysis takes into account country-level and regional-level variations. The results suggest that across countries in sub-Saharan Africa, migrants have on average about 50 percent higher odds of HIV infection than nonmigrants. The higher risk among migrants is to a large extent explained by differences in demographic and socioeconomic factors. In particular, migrants are more likely to be older, to have been married, or to live in urban areas, all of which are associated with higher risks of HIV infection. The higher risk among youths who have been married is particularly pronounced among young female migrants.

2012 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
ASHLEY M. FOX

SummaryAlthough health is generally believed to improve with higher wealth, research on HIV in sub-Saharan Africa has shown otherwise. Whereas researchers and advocates have frequently advanced poverty as a social determinant that can help to explain sub-Saharan Africa's disproportionate burden of HIV infection, recent evidence from population surveys suggests that HIV infection is higher among wealthier individuals. Furthermore, wealthier countries in Africa have experienced the fastest growing epidemics. Some researchers have theorized that inequality in wealth may be more important than absolute wealth in explaining why some countries have higher rates of infection and rapidly increasing epidemics. Studies taking a longitudinal approach have further suggested a dynamic process whereby wealth initially increases risk for HIV acquisition and later becomes protective. Prior studies, conducted exclusively at either the individual or the country level, have neither attempted to disentangle the effects of absolute and relative wealth on HIV infection nor to look simultaneously at different levels of analysis within countries at different stages in their epidemics. The current study used micro-, meso- and macro-level data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) across 170 regions within sixteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa to test the hypothesis that socioeconomic inequality, adjusted for absolute wealth, is associated with greater risk of HIV infection. These analyses reveal that inequality trumps wealth: living in a region with greater inequality in wealth was significantly associated with increased individual risk of HIV infection, net of absolute wealth. The findings also reveal a paradox that supports a dynamic interpretation of epidemic trends: in wealthier regions/countries, individuals with less wealth were more likely to be infected with HIV, whereas in poorer regions/countries, individuals with more wealth were more likely to be infected with HIV. These findings add additional nuance to existing literature on the relationship between HIV and socioeconomic status.


Author(s):  
Busi Nkala

An estimated 39.5 million people are living with HIV worldwide. There were 4.3 million new infections in 2006 with 2.8 million (65%) of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa with important increases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where there are some indications that infection rates have risen by more than 50% since 2004. In 2006, 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses (UNAIDS, 2006). The continued increase in new HIV infection is a call for concern. It is imperative that more innovative ways of combating the infections are found sooner. There is an enormous body of evidence that HIV infection is caused mainly by sexual contact. There is also undisputed evidence that there are other contributing factors such as extreme poverty, survival sex, gender inequality, lack of education, fatalism, religious barriers and others. This chapter seeks to support the need to do more research in finding new technologies and innovative ways of dealing with the spread of HIV. The chapter suggests that the involvement of researched communities be effectively involved. Involving communities in finding solutions will help, in that research protocols and health programmes will take into account the cultural acceptability of the new technologies and systems and ensure that recipients of health services become effective organs of change. The chapter seeks to highlight the fact that, if the recipients are involved in all stages of development of health programmes, including technologies, we may begin to see changes in how new technologies are taken up or may shift toward getting technologies that are acceptable. There are various suggested and implemented ways which aid in achieving the protection for individuals and communities; such as community involvement, community participation and community education (Collins, 2002; Gupta 2002), this chapter will focus on community education and a proposal for a community principle.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patience Adzordor ◽  
Clement Avoka ◽  
Vitalis Bawontuo ◽  
Silas Agbesi ◽  
Desmond Kuupiel

Abstract Background Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) homes most of the people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. Adolescents/young people are a vulnerable population and at high risk of HIV infection. Identifying and bridging the research gaps on the disclosure of HIV-positive status among adolescents, particularly to their sexual partners, is essential to inform appropriate policy planning and implementation towards preventing HIV transmission. This study will aim to explore literature and describe the evidence on HIV-positive status disclosure among adolescents in SSA. Methods The framework provided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and improved by Levac and colleagues will be used to conduct a scoping review. A keyword search for relevant literature presenting evidence on HIV-positive status disclosure among adolescents in SSA will be conducted in CINAHL, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and SCOPUS. Date limitations will be removed, but Boolean terms “AND” and “OR” as well as Medical Subject Headings terms will be included where possible and syntax modified to suit the database during the search. Additional relevant articles will be sought from the reference lists of all included studies using a snowballing method. Two reviewers will independently screen the articles at the abstract and full-text screening phases in order to reduce bias and improve the reliability of this study’s findings. A tabular form will be developed using Microsoft Word and piloted for data extraction. Thematic content analysis will be conducted, and a narrative summary of all relevant outcomes reported. Quality appraisal of the included studies for this proposed study will be performed utilizing the recent mixed methods appraisal tool. Discussion The evidence produced by this review may help inform policy and strategies to reduce the incidence of HIV infection among adolescents and improve social support for adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in SSA. It may also reveal literature gaps to guide future researches to further inform HIV policies for adolescents in SSA. Platforms such as peer review journals, policy briefs, and conferences will be used to disseminate this study’s findings.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Savadogo M ◽  
Diallo I ◽  
Sondo K A

Introduction: Sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the regions most affected by HIV infection with severe lethality.Most deaths of patients living with HIV are caused by opportunistic infections. Objective: to determine the prevalence of opportunistic infections among patients living with HIV in hospital serving infectious diseases of UHC YO of Ouagadougou. Patients and Methods:This is a cross-sectional descriptive study covering a 14-month period from 1 January 2017 to 28 February 2018. Included were all HIV-positive patients, hospitalized at the service of Infectious Diseases, in which an opportunistic infection was diagnosed on the basis of clinical and/or para-clinical arguments. Results: During the study period a total of 55 patients living with HIV were hospitalized in the infectious disease unit,35 of whom had at least one opportunistic infection or 63.6% of the patients.The average age of patients was 37 years with extremes of 18 and 66 years.Twenty-two patients were female versus 13 male, a sex ratio = 0.59. HIV1 was involved in 97% of patients.The mean TCD4 lymphocyte rate was 156 cell/mm3 with extremes of 7 and 718 cell/mm3.Tuberculosis and digestive mycosis were the most frequently diagnosed opportunistic infections. Opportunistic infection was the circumstance for HIV testing in two patients.She revealed immune restoration syndrome in two other patients.Nineteen patients were already on antiretroviral treatment upon admission to the service.Half of the patients on treatment were in therapeutic failure.The evolution was marked by 26.5% lethality. Conclusion:The frequency of opportunistic infections is high in patients living with HIV.Their prevention requires early detection of HIV infection and antiretroviral treatment.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254281
Author(s):  
Kwamena Sekyi Dickson ◽  
Kenneth Setorwu Adde ◽  
Edward Kwabena Ameyaw

Introduction In 2017, the highest global maternal deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The WHO advocates that maternal deaths can be mitigated with the assistance of skilled birth attendants (SBAs) at childbirth. Women empowerment is also acknowledged as an enabling factor to women’s functionality and healthcare utilisation including use of SBAs’ services. Consequently, this study investigated the association between women empowerment and skilled birth attendance in SSA. Materials and methods This study involved the analysis of secondary data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 29 countries conducted between January 1, 2010, and December 3, 2018. For this study, only women who had given birth in the five years prior to the surveys were included, which is 166,022. At 95% confidence interval, Binary Logistic Regression analyses were conducted and findings were presented as adjusted odds ratios (aORs). Results The overall prevalence of skilled birth attendance was 63.0%, with the lowest prevalence in Tanzania (13.8%) and highest in Rwanda (91.2%). Women who were empowered with high level of knowledge (aOR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.51, 1.71), high decision-making power (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.15, 1.23), and low acceptance of wife beating had higher likelihood of skill birth attendance after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics. Women from rural areas had lesser likelihood (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.51–0.55) of skilled birth attendance compared to women from urban areas. Working women had a lesser likelihood of skilled birth attendance (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.88–0.94) as compared to those not working. Women with secondary (OR = 2.13, 95% CI = 2.03–2.22), or higher education (OR = 4.40, 95% CI = 3.81–5.07), and women in the richest wealth status (OR = 3.50, 95% CI = 3.29–3.73) had higher likelihood of skilled birth attendance. Conclusion These findings accentuate that going forward, successful skilled birth attendant interventions are the ones that can prioritise the empowerment of women.


Author(s):  
Takara L. Stanley ◽  
Steven K. Grinspoon

Approximately 33 million people worldwide are living with HIV infection, and more than 2 million individuals are newly infected each year (1). Sub-Saharan Africa bears the majority of the disease burden, with 67% of all HIV cases and 75% of all HIV/AIDS related deaths occurring in this region (2). Although access to antiretroviral therapy has improved significantly over the past decade, antiretrovirals are available to only about 30% of those who need them (2). Availability of antiretroviral therapy greatly impacts the endocrine manifestations of HIV infection: individuals treated with antiretrovirals may develop peripheral fat loss, abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia, whereas untreated individuals may develop undernutrition, wasting, and end-organ effects of opportunistic infections such as primary adrenal insufficiency secondary to adrenal destruction (Box 10.2.4.1). In all individuals with HIV infection, regardless of treatment, gonadal function, thyroid function, and bone mineral density may also be decreased, and salt and water balance may be affected (Box 10.2.4.2). The purpose of this chapter is to review the endocrine manifestations of HIV infection, including pathogenesis and treatment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Greene ◽  
J. C. Kane ◽  
W. A. Tol

Background:Alcohol use is a well-documented risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV); however, the majority of research comes from high-income countries.Methods:Using nationally representative data from 86 024 women that participated in the Demographic and Health Surveys, we evaluated the relationship between male partner alcohol use and experiencing IPV in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Using multilevel mixed-effects models, we calculated the within-country, between-country, and contextual effects of alcohol use on IPV.Results:Prevalence of partner alcohol use and IPV ranged substantially across countries (3–62 and 11–60%, respectively). Partner alcohol use was associated with a significant increase in the odds of reporting IPV for all 14 countries included in this analysis. Furthermore, the relationship between alcohol use and IPV, although largely explained by partner alcohol use, was also attributable to overall prevalence of alcohol use in a given country. The partner alcohol use–IPV relationship was moderated by socioeconomic status (SES): among women with a partner who used alcohol those with lower SES had higher odds of experiencing IPV than women with higher SES.Conclusions:Results of this study suggest that partner alcohol use is a robust correlate of IPV in SSA; however, drinking norms may independently relate to IPV and confound the relationship between partner alcohol use and IPV. These findings motivate future research employing experimental and longitudinal designs to examine alcohol use as a modifiable risk factor of IPV and as a novel target for treatment and prevention research to reduce IPV in SSA.


2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (46) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annabel Desgrées-du-Loû ◽  
Julie Pannetier ◽  
Andrainolo Ravalihasy ◽  
Anne Gosselin ◽  
Virginie Supervie ◽  
...  

We estimated the proportion of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) while living in France. Life-event and clinical information was collected in 2012 and 2013 from a random sample of HIV-infected outpatients born in sub-Saharan Africa and living in the Paris region. We assumed HIV infection in France if at least one of the following was fulfilled: (i) HIV diagnosis at least 11 years after arrival in France, (ii) at least one negative HIV test in France, (iii) sexual debut after arrival in France. Otherwise, time of HIV infection was based on statistical modelling of first CD4+ T-cell count; infection in France was assumed if more than 50% (median scenario) or more than 95% (conservative scenario) of modelled infection times occurred after migration. We estimated that 49% of 898 HIV-infected adults born in sub-Saharan Africa (95% confidence interval (CI): 45–53) in the median and 35% (95% CI: 31–39) in the conservative scenario acquired HIV while living in France. This proportion was higher in men than women (44% (95% CI: 37–51) vs 30% (95% CI: 25–35); conservative scenario) and increased with length of stay in France. These high proportions highlight the need for improved HIV policies targeting migrants.


Author(s):  
Stephanie Shiau ◽  
Lindsey Reif

Largely due to increased success in prevention of mother-to-child transmission, new HIV infections among children globally have declined by 47 percent since 2010, from 300,000 in 2010 to 160,000 in 2016. However, the epidemic continues. In 2016 2.1 million children under fifteen years old were estimated to be living with HIV globally, with 85 percent living in sub-Saharan Africa. Without access to HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART), infants and younger children living with HIV are at high risk for mortality, with a mortality rate of about 30 percent by the first year of life and 50 percent by their second year. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and adherence to effective ART is critical. Early infant diagnosis is becoming more widely available globally, allowing for earlier identification of infection close to birth and opportunities to start treatment early in infants and the potential for cure strategies. With effective treatment, pediatric HIV infection has been transformed from a fatal disease to a lifelong chronic disease. Much of pediatric HIV care focuses on co-morbidities related to long-term HIV infection and its treatment. In addition, children living with HIV require close monitoring as they age into adolescence, a high-risk period when they navigate mental, physical, and emotional development. As adolescents become independent from parents or guardians and face choices regarding relationships, sexual behavior, and alcohol and drug use, they are at high risk for poor adherence to ART.


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