scholarly journals Editorial Vol.17(1)

Author(s):  
R.P. Pant

On 26th September 2018, Heads of States of different countries gathered at the United Nation General Assembly for the first-ever UN High-Level Meeting (HLM) on tuberculosis (TB) to accelerate efforts in ending TB. The theme of the meeting was “United to end tuberculosis: an urgent global response to a global epidemic”. This was a landmark opportunity to marshal the political will and resources to end TB. Together we can defeat TB and overcome antimicrobial resistance by closing the funding gap for TB research and product development through equitable approaches, securing universal access to new medicines and fostering global collaboration. TB is an infectious disease with high mortality, the most common form of antimicrobial resistance and leading cause of death in people living with HIV/AIDS. World Health Organization declared TB as global emergency. Still, TB is second leading cause of death worldwide. A good percentage of people in the developing countries continue to suffer from this menace because of poverty, gender inequality, vulnerability, discrimination and marginalization. Millions of people with TB do not have access to quality care, including affordable diagnostic test and treatment facility and is a precarious challenge to end TB globally, as well as in SAARC Region. It is estimated that one quarter of the world’s population is infected with TB bacteria. SAARC Region has 36% of the global TB burden with 3.7 million new TB cases and 0.5 million death. Moreover these morbidity and mortality occur mainly in the economically productive age groups of 15-49 years. In order to eliminate TB from the SAARC Region before the global target, the SAARC TB and HIV/AIDS (STAC) has revised “SAARC Regional Strategy on Elimination of Tuberculosis (2018-2023)”. This year the world TB day theme was “Its time”. So it is time to involve policy makers to advocate and take active participation in the TB control programmes. The affected and infected people with this disease can bring positive changes by combining their voices towards the elimination of the disease. Now it is time to intensify advocacy, social mobilization, partnership, research and inter-sectoral efforts to achieve the global target of ending the TB epidemic by 2030. Chief Editor Director, STAC

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melvyn C. Freeman ◽  
Vikram Patel ◽  
Pamela Y. Collins ◽  
Jose M. Bertolote

SummaryA more prominent role is needed for mental health interventions in global HIV/AIDS initiatives – such as the World Health Organization ‘3 by 5’ Initiative. Significant numbers of infected people have, or develop, mental health problems, and this often adversely impacts on HIV/AIDS treatment and adherence. Integrating psychiatric and psychosocial interventions should benefit both the mental and the physical health of people living with HIV/AIDS.


Author(s):  
Christoph Arnim Jacobi ◽  
Pascal Nji Atanga ◽  
Leonard Kum Bin ◽  
Akenji Jean Claude Fru ◽  
Gerd Eppel ◽  
...  

The universal access to treatment and care for people living with HIV (PLWHIV) is still a major problem, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where 70% of HIV-infected people live. Equally important is the fact that HIV/AIDS-related stigma is recognized to be a major obstacle to successfully control the spread of this disease. We devised a pilot project (titled “My friend with HIV remains a friend”) to fight the HIV/AIDS stigmatization through educating secondary school students by openly HIV-positive teachers. In a first step, we have measured the amount and type of stigma felt by the PLWHIV in Buea/Cameroon using the “The people living with HIV Stigma Index” from Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Gossiping and verbal insults were experienced by 90% of the interviewees, while 9% have experienced physical assaults. Using these data and material from the “Toolkit for action” from the “International Centre for the Research on Women,” the teachers educated the students on multiple aspects of HIV/AIDS and stigma. The teaching curriculum included role-plays, picture visualizations, drawing, and other forms of interactions like visits to HIV and AIDS treatment units. Before and after this intervention, the students undertook “True/False” examinations on HIV/AIDS and stigma. We compared these results with results from students from another school, who did not participate in this intervention. We were able to show that the students taking part in the intervention improved by almost 20% points in comparison to the other students. Their results did not change.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-89
Author(s):  
A. O. Olaseni

Introduction: The spate of non-disclosure among individuals diagnosed with Human-Immunodeficiency-Virus and Acquired-Immune-Deficiency-Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has continually been a primary global concern, especially in developing countries. Meta-analysis findings in Nigeria reported poor disclosure rates of 12.5% - 39.5%, which were far below the average disclosure benchmark of 79.0% standard stipulated for developing nations by the World Health Organization. There is no consensus regarding the roles of CD4 counts in disclosure intention. In Nigeria, there is a paucity of literature providing detailed understanding of the predictors of disclosure intention by the duration of diagnosis knowledge and CD4 counts. Methods: This study, therefore, investigated the implication of duration of diagnosis knowledge and CD4 counts in the prediction of HIV disclosure intention among people seeking HIV treatment. Longitudinal survey research designs were adopted. 390 participants were purposively selected to respond to HIV Self-Disclosure Intention Index (α=0.92), while information on CD4 counts and Duration of Diagnosis Knowledge was obtained from the selected respondents’ case files periodically. Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to analyze data at 0.05. Respondents’ mean age was 39.5±10.5 years. Results: Findings revealed that the duration of diagnosis knowledge and CD4 counts interactively predicted the outcome of disclosure intention among treatment-seeking PLHIV. (χ2 = 12.78, df = 2, p < 0.001) and further showed that the likelihood of disclosing HIV positive status increases by 13% between Time 1 (OR = -0.49, p < 0.01; 95%CI = 01.14-12.74) and Time 2 (OR = -0.36, p < 0.05; 95%CI = 01.11-10.93). Increase in CD4 counts was also found to increase the likelihood of HIV self-disclosure by 15% between Time 1 (OR = - 0.84, p < 0.01; 95%CI = 01.09-03.06) and Time 2 (OR = - 0.99, p < 0.01; 95%CI = 00.29-03.06). Conclusion: It was concluded that the duration of diagnosis knowledge and CD4 counts have significant implications in determining the intention to disclose HIV positive status. The study limitations and recommendations were further discussed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 994-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Cristina de Oliveira e Silva ◽  
Renata Karina Reis ◽  
Jordana Almeida Nogueira ◽  
Elucir Gir

OBJECTIVES: to assess the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS and verify its association with clinical characteristics and treatment adherence.METHOD: cross-sectional study conducted in a hospital in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. A questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and clinical data. The quality of life scale proposed by the World Health Organization and a questionnaire to measure treatment adherence were used.RESULTS: of the 314 interviewees, 190 (60.5%) were male, aged 43 years on average, 121 (38.5%) had attended up to five years of schooling, 108 (34.4%) received up to two times the minimum wage, and 112 (35.7%) were on sick leave. In regard to clinical variables, individuals with an undetectable viral load scored higher in all the domains concerning quality of life, with statistically significant differences in three domains. Regarding treatment adherence, 235 (73.8%) presented poor adherence and those who strictly adhered to treatment obtained better scores in quality of life. The results show that quality of life is better among individuals adherent to ART. Supporting people to adhere to the antiretroviral treatment should be a persistent task of healthcare workers and other people participating in the treatment, such as family members and friends.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-29
Author(s):  
George Mamboleo ◽  
George T. Mugoya ◽  
Jonathan Nauser ◽  
Adrionia Molder ◽  
Fais Connor ◽  
...  

The development of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has shifted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) from an acute to a chronic condition. Due to reduced fatality, approximately 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are faced with increased longevity in conjunction with functional consequences associated with chronic disability. Employment has been associated with increased treatment adherence, quality of life (QoL), and mental and physical health for people living with HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between employment status and QoL for PLWHA. Participants included 115 patients receiving services from two Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) clinics in a rural Mid Atlantic Appalachian region of the U.S. Findings revealed statistically significant differences in employment status on six domains of the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life scale for PLWHA (WHOQOL-HIV-Bref), except for spirituality/religion/personal beliefs. Implications for practice and research are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (20) ◽  
pp. 3459-3463
Author(s):  
Elmeida Effendy ◽  
Mustafa M. Amin ◽  
Lidya De Vega ◽  
Nurul Utami

BACKGROUND: The lives of individuals diagnosed with HIV and the subsequent illness, AIDS, were often chaotic because these individuals deal with the physical, emotional, and interpersonal sequelae of this illness. Depressive symptoms and stress were common and impact on functioning, quality of life, and health status, highlighting the importance of diagnosis and treatment of patients with HIV infection. Psychiatric clinical practice and rating scales have come to play an ever-increasing role both in determining specific symptoms and diagnosing an individual condition. Descriptive reports of psychiatric morbidity among those with HIV infection, that relied primarily on self-report rating scales, described high rates of symptomatic depression and stress. AIM: This study aimed to determine the proportion of depression among people living with HIV/AIDS using the BDI-II and PSS to determine a relationship between symptoms of depression and stress with CD4 counts. METHODS: This study was a numerical correlative analytic study with a cross-sectional study approach that assessed the correlation between stress, depression and CD4 level in people with HIV/AIDS that were receiving ARV therapy in the Voluntary Counselling Test (VCT) Polyclinic of General Hospital Haji Medan by recruiting 46 subjects. CD4 level was examined in the Pramita Medan laboratory. RESULTS: When analysis of BDI-II level and CD4 scores were done, a significant correlation was found (P < 0.05). The strength of the relationship between the BDI score and the CD4 score was 0.548 revealing a positive correlation with moderate correlation strength CONCLUSION: We have shown a significant relationship between depression, stress and CD4 level among people with HIV/AIDS in Medan, Indonesia. Psychological distress may affect the immunity in infected people, leading to the disease progressivity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ervan Meidan Ariatama ◽  
Titik Respati ◽  
Eka Nurhayati

Penyakit HIV/AIDS selain mengakibatkan dampak kesehatan dapat juga mengakibatkan dampak negatif terhadap psikologi, sosial, dan spiritual pada kualitas hidup orang dengan HIV/AIDS (ODHA). Antiretroviral (ARV) merupakan obat penghambat proses replikasi HIV yang merupakan solusi untuk meningkatkan kualitas hidup dan harapan hidup penderita. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menggambarkan kondisi psikologi, sosial, dan spiritual ODHA selama menjalani pengobatan ARV di Komisi Penanggulangan AIDS (KPA) Kota Bogor periode bulan Agustus–September 2019. Penelitian ini dilakukan menggunakan metode observasi analitik dengan pendekatan cross sectional. Data diambil menggunakan kuesioner World Health Organization Quality of Life-HIV Instrument (WHOQOL-HIV Instrument) yang terdiri atas 120 pertanyaan dan terbagi menjadi 6 domain (psikologi, sosial, spiritual, fisik, lingkungan hidup, dan tingkat kebebasan). Pada penelitian ini hanya diambil 3 domain, yaitu psikologi, sosial, dan spiritual dengan jumlah pertanyaan 52 butir yang dibagikan kepada 80 responden dan dilaksanakan selama bulan Agustus sampai bulan September 2019. Teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan non-probability sampling jenis consecutive sampling berdasar atas rumus besar estimasi proporsi dengan presisi absolut. Hasil menunjukkan mayoritas kondisi psikologi, sosial, dan spiritual ODHA selama pengobatan antiretroviral di KPA Kota Bogor tahun 2019 dalam kondisi baik dengan persentase kondisi psikologi 96%, sosial 99%, dan spiritual 70%. Simpulan penelitian ini adalah kondisi psikologi, sosial, dan spiritual pada ODHA di Komisi Penanggulangan AIDS Kota Bogor tahun 2019 mayoritas dalam kondisi baik, walaupun kondisi spiritual ODHA masih terdapat hasil kurang baik. PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, AND SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS IN PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS DURING ANTIRETROVIRAL TREATMENT AT THE AIDS PREVENTION COMMISSION AT BOGOR CITY IN 2019Apart from having an impact on health, HIV/AIDS can also have a negative psychological, social, and spiritual impact on people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Antiretroviral (ARV) as drugs that inhibits the process of replication of HIV, which is a solution to improve the quality of life and life expectancy of patients. The purpose of this study was to describe the psychological, social, and spiritual conditions of PLWHA during ARV treatment at the AIDS Prevention Commission in Bogor City in August to September 2019. The study was a cross-sectional study. The research material consisted of primary data taken using the World Health Organization-Quality Instrument HIV questionnaire (WHOQOL-HIV Instrument) consisting of 120 questions and divided into six domains (psychological, social, spiritual, physical, environment, degree of freedom). However, in this study, only three domains studied, which are psychological, social, and spiritual, with 52 questions and then distributed to 80 respondents and carried out from August to September. The sampling technique uses non-probability sampling type consecutive sampling based on large formula of proportion estimation with absolute precision. Results showed the psychological, social, and spiritual condition of PLWHA during antiretroviral treatment at the Bogor City AIDS Commission in 2019 shows a good condition. The majority of good psychological, social, and spiritual domain experienced by 96%, 99%, and 70% of respondents, respectively. The conclusion of this research is the psychological, social, and spiritual conditions of PLWHA in the Bogor AIDS prevention commission in 2019 in the good conditions, even though there was a spiritual condition of ODHA that was still not good.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arvind Pandey ◽  
Robin Khatri ◽  
Dhananjay Sharma ◽  
Anshum Kansal ◽  
Niraj Kumar Singh ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Improvement in people’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS and reduction in stigma and discrimination have been key factors in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The objective of the present paper is to examine the mediation effect of comprehensive knowledge on people’s attitudes towards HIV positives in India. Methods Data for the study have been drawn from nationally representative India’s National Family Health Survey, 2015-16. Statistical methods of data analysis included odds ratio and logistic regression models. Results Two in every five men and of women with comprehensive knowledge held a positive attitude towards PLHIVs. The people in rural areas and females against their counterparts are less likely (OR: 0.85, p &lt; 0.05) to have positive attitude. The mediation by comprehensive knowledge, contributed to 46% of direct effect from gender perspective on comprehensive positive attitude. Among males, aged group 25-44 and among females age &lt;25 had most positive attitude towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) as compared to their counterparts. Conclusions There existed a difference between males and females in attaining comprehensive knowledge and having comprehensive positive attitude. The mediation by comprehensive knowledge contributed, though partially, direct effects from gender perspective on comprehensive positive attitude. The findings are programmatically relevant to device content analysis of the material in the information, education and communication strategies. Key messages The mediation effect of comprehensive knowledge on people’s attitudes towards HIV positives has been substantial in India.


2014 ◽  
pp. 185-191
Author(s):  
Xuan Huy Le ◽  
Phuoc Thuoc Doan ◽  
Dinh Son Nguyen

Introduction: The objectives of the study are to describe the status and influence, and the harms of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in Khanh Hoa. Methodology: Cross-sectional study using the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, with 200 people living with HIV/AIDS, aged 16 and older. Results: 4.5% of people living with HIV/AIDS reported their rights have been violated, 3% of people living with HIV/AIDS outcasts, shunned and 8% were refused to participate in community activities. The harmful effect of stigma and discrimination are both of physical and spiritual: the HIV-infected people intend to suicidal accounted for 10% and 72.5% of people did not accessing Voluntary Counselling and Testing room (VCT) for fear of being stigmatized; 16.7% people did not access Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) due to fear of stigma. Conclusion: Status of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in Khanh Hoa has declined through effective intervention strategies in the long term, however, this situation still exists. Keywords: Stigma and Discrimination, HIV/AIDS, Khanh Hoa.


2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 390-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Tromp ◽  
Rozar Prawiranegara ◽  
Adiatma Siregar ◽  
Deni Sunjaya ◽  
Rob Baltussen

Objectives: This study describes the views of various stakeholders on the importance of different criteria for priority setting of HIV/AIDS interventions in Indonesia.Methods: Based on a general list of criteria and a focus group discussion with stakeholders (n = 6), a list was developed of thirty-two criteria that play a role in priority setting in HIV/AIDS control in West-Java province. Criteria were categorized according to the World Health Organization's health system goals and building block frameworks. People living with HIV/AIDS (n = 49), healthcare workers (HCW) (n = 41), the general population (n = 43), and policy makers (n = 22) rated the importance of thirty-two criteria on a 5-point Likert-scale. Thereafter, respondents ranked the highest rated criteria to express more detailed preferences.Results: Stakeholders valued the following criteria as most important for the priority setting of HIV/AIDS interventions: an intervention's impact on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, reduction of stigma, quality of care, effectiveness on individual level, and feasibility in terms of current capacity of the health system (i.e., HCW, product, information, and service requirements), financial sustainability, and acceptance by donors. Overall, stakeholders’ preferences for the importance of criteria are similar.Conclusions: Our study design outlines an approach for other settings to identify which criteria are important for priority setting of health interventions. For Indonesia, these study results may be used in priority setting processes for HIV/AIDS control and may contribute to more transparent and systematic allocation of resources.


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