Lessons Learned From the Implementation of HIV Biological-Behavioral Surveys of Key Populations in the Caribbean

Tyson Volkmann; Martine Chase; Ann M. Lockard; Deborah Henningham; Rachel Albalak

doi:10.1521/aeap.2018.30.6.528

Lessons Learned From the Implementation of HIV Biological-Behavioral Surveys of Key Populations in the Caribbean

AIDS Education and Prevention ◽

10.1521/aeap.2018.30.6.528 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 30 (6) ◽

pp. 528-541 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tyson Volkmann ◽

Martine Chase ◽

Ann M. Lockard ◽

Deborah Henningham ◽

Rachel Albalak

Keyword(s):

Sex Workers ◽

Stakeholder Involvement ◽

Population Level ◽

Hiv Prevalence ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Formative Assessments ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Emergency Plan ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Nationally Representative

In the Caribbean region, HIV prevalence is high among key population (KP) groups, such as sex workers and men who have sex with men. However, there is a lack of high-quality, population-level data estimating HIV prevalence and population sizes of KPs. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has funded and completed five bio-behavioral surveillance (BBS) surveys using respondent-driven sampling methodology to target KP in the English-speaking Caribbean region. We describe the experience of implementing bio-behavioral surveys in the Caribbean region and document the context, processes, successes, and challenges, and make recommendations for future survey implementation. Successes include the provision of estimates of nationally representative HIV data and KP size estimates to improve HIV programming and provision of tools for routinization of BBS. Challenges include small KP sizes, the legal context, and the cost and speed of implementation. Future bio-behavioral surveys should include well-planned formative assessments and stakeholder involvement.

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Trends in HIV prevalence among people injecting drugs, men having sex with men, and female sex workers in Ukraine

International Journal of STD & AIDS ◽

10.1177/0956462418784096 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (13) ◽

pp. 1337-1344 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kostyantyn Dumchev ◽

Yana Sazonova ◽

Tetiana Salyuk ◽

Olga Varetska

Keyword(s):

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

People Who Inject Drugs ◽

Hiv Prevalence ◽

New Wave ◽

Female Sex ◽

Hiv Epidemic ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Sex With Men ◽

Generation Surveillance

Once recognized as the most severe in Europe, the HIV epidemic in Ukraine is concentrated among people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, and female sex workers. Integrated biobehavioral surveys, as a part of the second generation surveillance, are used to monitor HIV infection trends in key populations since 2002. The present paper is focused on the analysis of HIV prevalence trends in four nationally representative rounds of integrated biobehavioral surveys from 2008/9, 2011, 2013, and 2015 in people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, and female sex workers. Between 2008/9 and 2015, the HIV prevalence has decreased significantly in people who inject drugs (24.2 to 22.0%) and female sex workers (13.6 to 6.3%), while the change in men who have sex with men was not significant (8.5 to 7.8%). There was a significant increase in people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men between 2013 and 2015. In subgroups younger than 25 years, prevalence increased more than twofold in men who have sex with men (1.9 to 4.3%), with no changes in people who inject drugs and female sex workers. The observed decline in prevalence, especially in young subgroups, may result from the effect of extensive prevention efforts on drug injection-related transmission. Recent increase in young men who have sex with men may be a sign of a new wave of the epidemic in this group.

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Freelancers, Temporary Wives, and Beach-Boys: Researching Sex Work in the Caribbean

Feminist Review ◽

10.1080/01417780150514493 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 67 (1) ◽

pp. 39-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Kamala Kempadoo

Keyword(s):

Sex Work ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Male Sex Workers ◽

Research Project ◽

Sex Trade ◽

Male And Female ◽

Beach Boys ◽

Male Sex ◽

The Caribbean

This article presents insights from a research project on sex work that took place in the Caribbean region during 1997–8. First it briefly summarizes common themes in historical and contemporary studies of sex work in the region, then describes the aims, methodology, and main trends of the project. It pays particular attention to the differences between definitions and experiences of sex work by female and male sex workers and of male and female sex tourists, as well as describing conditions in the Caribbean sex trade. Finally the article identifies some implications of the complexity in the region that were uncovered through the research project for feminist theorizing about sex work.

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The Caribbean Strong Summit: Building Resilience With Equity

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2020.18 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 155-157

Author(s):

Leslie Maas Cortés ◽

Melanie Z. Rodriguez-Rivera ◽

James J. James ◽

José F Cordero

Keyword(s):

Puerto Rico ◽

Disaster Preparedness ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Wide Range ◽

Resilient Communities ◽

Response And Recovery ◽

Complete Set ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Future Work

ABSTRACTThe objective of the Caribbean Strong Summit was to plan an intersectoral summit to address the equity of community health and resilience for disaster preparedness, response and recovery and develop a set of integrated and actionable recommendations for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Region post Hurricanes Irma and Maria. A three-day meeting was convened with a wide range of community, organizational and private sector leaders along with representatives from Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, the Americas, and global experts to generate recommendations for enhanced resilience based upon lessons learned and evidence-based approaches. More than 500 participants from the region gave 104 presentations with recommendations for resilience. Over 150 recommendations were generated and ranked for importance and actionability by participants. A representative sample of these are presented along with five major themes for building health resilient communities in the Caribbean. This summit was successful in compiling a set of integrated recommendations from more than 19 diverse sectors and in defining five major thematic areas for future work to enhance resilience for all types of future disasters. A follow-up meeting should be planned to continue this discussion and to showcase work that has been accomplished in these areas. A complete set of the recommendations from the Caribbean Strong Summit and their analysis and compilation would be published and should serve as a foundational effort to enhance preparedness and resiliency towards future disasters in the Caribbean.

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Systematic review of HIV prevalence studies among key populations in Latin America and the Caribbean

Salud Pública de México ◽

10.21149/spm.v55s1.5099 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 55 ◽

pp. 65 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

William Meihack Miller ◽

Lindsay Buckingham ◽

Mario Salvador Sánchez-Domínguez ◽

Sonia Morales-Miranda ◽

Gabriela Paz-Bailey

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Latin America ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Hiv Prevalence ◽

Prevalence Studies ◽

Online Databases ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Probability Methods ◽

Sex With Men

Objective. This systematic review aims to synthesize articles, abstracts and reports of HIV prevalence studies conducted among men who have sex with men (MSM) and female sex workers (FSW) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Materials and methods. Authors searched online databases and collected gray literature on HIV prevalence among MSM and FSW from LAC. Year, location, sampling methodology, study design, sample size, HIV prevalence and confidence intervals were abstracted. Results. A total of 73 studies, dating from 1986 to 2010 were included. The median prevalences for MSM and FSW were 10.6% (interquartile range: 7.4-17.4) and 2.6% (IQR: 0.6-4.2), respectively. Variability was high, especially for MSM. The majority of studies recruited participants using convenience methods. Conclusion. HIV prevalence among MSM was higher than that among FSW. Sampling techniques should be standardized for future studies, prioritizing probability methods.

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Antiretroviral Adherence Perspectives of Pregnant and Postpartum Women in Guyana

Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (JIAPAC) ◽

10.1177/2325957416680297 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 180-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Deborah Vitalis ◽

Zelee Hill

Keyword(s):

Cultural Beliefs ◽

Hiv Prevalence ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Postpartum Women ◽

Art Adherence ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Related Factors ◽

Persons Living With Hiv ◽

The Caribbean

The Caribbean region has the second highest HIV prevalence after Sub-Saharan Africa. Guyana’s adult HIV prevalence is 1.9% among pregnant women, with women accounting for an estimated 58% of all persons living with HIV. However, there are few studies on ART adherence in the Caribbean, none from Guyana, and none focusing on adherence in pregnancy and the postpartum period. The objective of this study was to explore the perspectives of HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women and healthcare providers in Guyana about barriers and facilitators to ART adherence. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with 24 HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women and nine healthcare professionals at five clinics between February and April 2012. The Framework Method for analysing qualitative data identified facilitators and barriers related to five core themes: (i) Concern for wellbeing of children; (ii) ART-related factors; (iii) Disclosure; (iv) Socio-economic issues; and (v) Religious and cultural beliefs. Non-disclosure did not adversely affect adherence, contrary to other studies in the literature. Two broad categories emerged from the lived experiences of women in Guyana. The first is related to the act of actually taking their medication where their tenacity is displayed in efforts made to ensure ART is taken. The second relates to the significance of ART to them in terms of reduced risk of MTCT, and the possibility of better health for themselves to enable them to care for their children. However, issues related to poverty, food insecurity and side effects reduced adherence need to be adequately addressed.

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The Incredible and Sad Story of Boca de Cachón: How a Rural Community in the Hispaniola Is in a Prolonged, Heartless, and Predictable Climate Crisis

Climate ◽

10.3390/cli9120182 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 182

Author(s):

Victor Gomez-Valenzuela ◽

Katerin Ramirez ◽

Solhanlle Bonilla-Duarte

Keyword(s):

Dominican Republic ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Learning Space ◽

Rural Environments ◽

Climatic Scenarios ◽

The Caribbean ◽

The Republic

This article aims to briefly review the socio-economic impact caused by the flooding of Lake Enriquillo on the inhabitants of Boca Cachón due to the complex local phenomenon related to climate variability. Between 2003 and 2014, Boca de Cachón and the communities surrounding Lake Enriquillo were deeply affected by flooding of the Lake’s rising waters. Lake Enriquillo is the largest wetland in the Caribbean and the first designated RAMSAR site. In turn, Boca de Cachón could be considered the first human settlement formally displaced because of climate variability in the Dominican Republic and probably one of the first in the Americas in the twenty-first century. Boca de Cachón is a rural Municipal District located to the northwest of the municipality of Jimaní, with a population of around 3000 inhabitants on the southwest border with the Republic of Haiti and located in the Biosphere Reserve Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo. Given the future climatic scenarios for the Dominican Republic and the possible climate change that could exacerbate by excess or, by default, the socio-environmental problems in the Lake’s belt, it is necessary to support the communities in their capacity-building processes. The lessons learned from Boca de Cachón can serve as a learning space for adaptation processes in rural environments in the Caribbean region.

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African Caribbean Residents of Edinburgh in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Kalfou A Journal of Comparative and Relational Ethnic Studies ◽

10.15367/kf.v7i1.300 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lisa Williams

Keyword(s):

Nineteenth Century ◽

British Empire ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

African Caribbean ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries

Scotland is gradually coming to terms with its involvement in slavery and colonialism as part of the British Empire. This article places the spotlight on the lives of African Caribbean people who were residents of Edinburgh during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. I discuss their varied experiences and contributions: from runaways and men fighting for their freedom in the Scottish courts to women working as servants in city households or marrying into Edinburgh high society. The nineteenth century saw activism among political radicals from abolitionists to anticolonialists; some of these figures studied and taught at Edinburgh University. Their stories reflect the Scottish capital’s many direct connections with the Caribbean region.

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