Using Existing Health Care Systems to Respond to the Aids Epidemic: Research and Recommendations for Chile

1997 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda H. Aiken ◽  
Herbert L. Smith ◽  
Eileen T. Lake

Chile is a country with a relatively low prevalence of HIV infection, where successful prevention has the potential to change the future course of the epidemic. A controversial national prevention strategy based upon public education has emerged in response to characterizations of the epidemic as well-dispersed with a growing involvement of heterosexuals. This characterization is not consistent with the observed facts. There is a comparatively well-organized health care system in Santiago that is doing a good job of detecting HIV infection and already has in place the elements of a targeted intervention scheme. Chile should place priority on the use of the existing health care infrastructure for implementing both the traditional public health interventions for sexually transmitted diseases (contact tracing and partner notification) and the AIDS-necessitated strategy of focused counseling and education.

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (12) ◽  
pp. 2173-2178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas K. Owens ◽  
Vandana Sundaram ◽  
Laura C. Lazzeroni ◽  
Lena R. Douglass ◽  
Gillian D. Sanders ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (4s) ◽  
pp. 71-76
Author(s):  
Michael Frimpong ◽  
Yaw A. Amoako ◽  
Kwadwo B. Anim ◽  
Hubert S. Ahor ◽  
Richmond Yeboah ◽  
...  

Across the globe, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is causing distress with governments doing everything in their power to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) to prevent morbidity and mortality. Actions are being implemented to keep health care systems from being overstretched and to curb the outbreak. Any policy responses aimed at slowing down the spread of the virus and mitigating its immediate effects on health care systems require a firm basis of information about the absolute number of currently infected people, growth rates, and locations/hotspots of infections. The only way to obtain this base of information is by conducting numerous tests in a targeted way. Currently, in Ghana, there is a centralized testing approach, that takes 4-5 days for samples to be shipped and tested at central reference laboratories with results communicated to the district, regional and nationalstakeholders. This delay in diagnosis increases the risk of ongoing transmission in communities and vulnerable institutions. We have validated, evaluated and deployed an innovative diagnostic tool on a mobile laboratory platform to accelerate the COVID-19 testing. A preliminary result of 74 samples from COVID-19 suspected cases has a positivity rate of 12% with a turn-around time of fewer than 3 hours from sample taking to reporting of results, significantly reducing the waiting time from days to hours, enabling expedient response by the health system for contact tracing to reduce transmission and additionally improving case management.


Author(s):  
Milena Cristina Duarte de Almeida ◽  
Álvaro Francisco Rodrigues Garrido ◽  
Aliete Cristina Gomes Dias Pedrosa da Cunha-Oliveira ◽  
Thaísa Góis Farias de Moura Santos Lima ◽  
Jordana Crislayne de Lima Paiva ◽  
...  

Introduction: Data about the increase in human trafficking around the world are worrisome. Although there is legislation on the subject, its scope does not cover all forms and victims of trafficking. Thus, many women, children and men remain in a vulnerable situation. Objective: The purpose of this paper was to elucidate and understand, based on the literature, the relationship between human trafficking, health care systems and the increase in sexually transmitted diseases, and also to point out what is being done to combat the problem. Methods: A documentary research was conducted through an integrative review for the period from 2010 to 2020. The literature search was carried out on the basis of the CAPES journals portal using the keywords “human trafficking”, “sexually transmitted diseases”, “health care systems” and “education”. Results: The results obtained indicated that the absence of access to information, health care and education are intrinsic to the process of illegal immigration and the destination of women and children for exploitation, whether sexual, for organ removal or forced labor, and that situations of violence, absence of health care or education and coercion, among others, are common both for the conditions of trafficking and for the conditions of the increase in sexually transmitted diseases. Conclusion: Given the information obtained, it is concluded that more research must be carried out together with the agencies that investigate and apply current laws to determine what are the most effective measures to combat human trafficking. Furthermore, we highlight the need for information on policies and projects that are able to reach vulnerable populations, with the promotion of education, health care and better living conditions.


JAMA ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 279 (14) ◽  
pp. 1108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence O. Gostin ◽  
David W. Webber

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice J. Lee ◽  
Madeline C. Montgomery ◽  
Rupa R. Patel ◽  
Julia Raifman ◽  
Lorraine T. Dean ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-347
Author(s):  
Harald G. De Cauwer ◽  
Francis Somville

AbstractHealth care organizations have been challenged by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for some time, while in January 2020, it was not immediately suspected that it would take such a global expansion. In the past, other studies have already pointed out that health care systems, and more specifically hospitals, can be a so-called “soft target” for terrorist attacks. This report has now examined whether this is also the case in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.During the lockdown, hospitals turned out to be the only remaining soft targets for attacks, given that the other classic targets were closed during the lockdown. On the other hand, other important factors have limited the risk of such attacks in hospitals. The main delaying and relative risk-reducing factors were the access control on temperature and wearing a mask, no visits allowed, limited consultations, and investigations.But even then, health care systems and hospitals were prone to (cyber)terrorism, as shown by other COVID-19-related institutions, such as pharmaceuticals involved in developing vaccines and health care facilities involved in swab testing and contact tracing. Counter-terrorism medicine (CTM) and social behavioral science can reduce the likelihood and impact of terrorism, but cannot prevent (state-driven) cyberterrorism and actions of lone wolves and extremist factions.


2004 ◽  
Vol 171 (4S) ◽  
pp. 42-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yair Latan ◽  
David M. Wilhelm ◽  
David A. Duchene ◽  
Margaret S. Pearle

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