scholarly journals A Litany of Saints: Remembering the Early Years of HIV/AIDS Activism in the First Year of a New Pandemic

Author(s):  
Mary Foltz ◽  
Adrian Shanker ◽  
Liz Bradbury ◽  
Kristen Leipert

With the emergence of COVID-19 in the U.S., many LGBTQ people found ourselves reflecting upon the early years of HIV/AIDS and how our communities responded to the lack of robust federal and state response to this preceding public health crisis. As the leaders of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center (BSC) in eastern Pennsylvania became a central resource for our community sharing up-to-date information about COVID-19 and organizing vaccine clinics, they also recognized the historic nature of this moment as many elders in our community consistently tried to make sense of the current crisis by contemplating their past AIDS activism and organizing. In March of 2020, BSC staff and archivists received grant funding to conduct an oral history project called "40 Years of Public Health in the LGBTQ Community: Collecting and Curating Local LGBTQ Health Experiences From HIV/AIDS to COVID-19," which recorded both timely commentary on the impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ people and memories of HIV/AIDS organizing that seemed urgent and relevant to our contemporary moment. Offering excerpts from oral histories collected in 2020, this piece explores how COVID-19 spurred LGBTQ people in the Lehigh Valley to share stories about communal grief, health inequity, political responses to pandemics, and organizing to support the health of minoritized communities.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 271
Author(s):  
Carmen Valentina Radulescu ◽  
Georgiana-Raluca Ladaru ◽  
Sorin Burlacu ◽  
Florentina Constantin ◽  
Corina Ioanăș ◽  
...  

The present research aims to establish the impact that the current crisis situation the planet is facing, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, has had so far on the Romanian labor force market. In this context, given the lack of information and information regarding this pandemic and its effects, the administration of a questionnaire among the population was considered to identify the research results. The method of semantic differential and the method of ordering the ranks were used for the interpretation of the results. With the help of this questionnaire, it will be possible to answer the question of the research in this study: What are the main effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Romanian labor market? The main results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the Romanian workforce; the respondents of the applied questionnaire claimed that they obtained better results and maintained a similar income, but the health crisis also influenced the mentality of employees, with respondents stating that in the event of changing jobs, they would consider it very important for the new employer to ensure the conditions for preventing and combating COVID-19, as well as complex health insurance. However, analyzing at the macroeconomic level, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic induced an increase in the number of unemployed people in the Romanian labor market.


Pharmacy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
George Daskalakis ◽  
Ashley Cid ◽  
Kelly Grindrod ◽  
Michael A. Beazely

A recent report found that the number of opioid-related deaths in Ontario in the first 15 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic was 38.2% higher than in the 15 weeks before the pandemic. Our study sought to determine if pharmacy professionals self-reported an increase or decrease in naloxone provision due to the pandemic and to identify adjustments made by pharmacy professionals to dispense naloxone during the pandemic. A total of 231 Ontario community pharmacy professionals completed an online survey. Pharmacy professionals’ barriers, facilitators, and comfort level with dispensing naloxone before and during the pandemic were identified. The sample consisted of mostly pharmacists (99.1%). Over half (51.1%) reported no change in naloxone dispensing, while 22.9% of respondents reported an increase and 24.7% a decrease. The most common adjustments made during the pandemic were training patients how to administer naloxone over video or phone, delivering naloxone kits, and pharmacy technicians offering naloxone at prescription intake. Over half (55%) of participants said the top barrier for dispensing was that patients did not request naloxone. Naloxone distribution through pharmacies could be further optimized to address the increased incidence of overdose deaths during the pandemic. Future research should investigate the reasons for changes in naloxone dispensing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debanjan Banerjee ◽  
K. S. Meena

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as a significant and global public health crisis. Besides the rising number of cases and fatalities, the outbreak has also affected economies, employment and policies alike. As billions are being isolated at their homes to contain the infection, the uncertainty gives rise to mass hysteria and panic. Amidst this, there has been a hidden epidemic of “information” that makes COVID-19 stand out as a “digital infodemic” from the earlier outbreaks. Repeated and detailed content about the virus, geographical statistics, and multiple sources of information can all lead to chronic stress and confusion at times of crisis. Added to this is the plethora of misinformation, rumor and conspiracy theories circulating every day. With increased digitalization, media penetration has increased with a more significant number of people aiding in the “information pollution.” In this article, we glance at the unique evolution of COVID-19 as an “infodemic” in the hands of social media and the impact it had on its spread and public reaction. We then look at the ways forward in which the role of social media (as well as other digital platforms) can be integrated into social and public health, for a better symbiosis, “digital balance” and pandemic preparedness for the ongoing crisis and the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisy Acosta ◽  
Jorge J. Llibre-Guerra ◽  
Ivonne Z. Jiménez-Velázquez ◽  
Juan J. Llibre-Rodríguez

During the last decade, the Caribbean Hispanic islands experienced accelerated demographic aging, representing the fastest aging region within Latin America. Age-related non-communicable diseases, including dementia, are now reported at high prevalence. The Caribbean islands share similar genetic ancestry, culture, migration patterns, and risk profiles, providing a unique setting to understand dementia in the Caribbean-Hispanics. This perspective article aimed to describe the impact of dementia in the Caribbean, at a local and regional level and reflect on research strategies to address dementia. We report on 10/66 project findings, described research projects and regional plans for the region. According to our results, the prevalence of dementia in the Caribbean is the highest in Latin America, with 11.7% in Dominican Republic, 11.6% in Puerto Rico, and 10.8% in Cuba. Preliminary data from new waves of the 10/66 study shows increasing numbers of dementia cases. Furthermore, dementia is expected to be one of the most serious medical and social issues confronted by Caribbean health systems. However, there is a scarcity of knowledge, awareness, and health services to deal with this public health crisis. In light of the new evidence, local and regional strategies are underway to better understand dementia trends for the region and develop policies aimed to decrease the impact of dementia. Implementation of our national plans is critical to deal with an aging population with high dementia rates. Current recommendations include emphasizing public health prevention campaigns to address modifiable risk factors and expand support to caregiver and family interventions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-59
Author(s):  
Muhammad Anwarul 'Izzat ◽  
Riska Ratnawati ◽  
Avicena Sakufa Marsanti

The 2018 national prevalence of HIV/AIDSwas 301.959 cases. The 2016 East Java had an HIV/AIDS prevalence was 6.315 cases,the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Madiun of 2002-2009 amounted to 343 cases. The prevalence in Dagangan was 46 cases. The HIV/AIDS cases in Dagangan was small, but peoples stigma on HIV/AIDS fall in high category, one in the BanjarsariWetan village. Therefore, the purpose of this studied to identify the impact of Public Health Promotion had on peoples stigma in HIV/AIDS sufferers. The kind of this research used experimental methods of epidemiology, and used pre-experimental design (one group pretest and posttest design). The population of this studied about 1,326 people and the numbers of samples were 171 respondents. The results of pre-test and post -test studies, means 96 respondents have dropped the stigma on HIV/AIDS sufferers from pre test to posttest scores. The result of the ties' value was 59, so there is a similar value between the pre test and the post test for those who develop the stigma on HIV/AIDS. Based on wilcoxon's test analysis, the value of p=0,000 can be concluded that a significant impact can be noted between the stigma on society's intervention and the promotion of health care for those with HIV/AIDS in pre-test and post-test values. Increased tools and information infrastructure to increase public knowledge about HIV/AIDS are urgently needed.


Author(s):  
Barbara Gomez-Aguinaga ◽  
Ana L. Oaxaca ◽  
Matt A. Barreto ◽  
Gabriel R. Sanchez

While the literature on infectious disease outbreaks has examined the extent to which communication inequalities during public health emergencies exacerbate negative outcomes among disadvantaged individuals, the implications of ethnic media consumption among minority groups during these crises are underexplored. Making use of the first nationally representative survey of US Latinos (N = 1200) on the impact and reactions to COVID-19, this study examines the implications of Spanish-language news media consumption on source credibility and attitude formation during the COVID-19 pandemic among Latinos and immigrants from Latin America. Through a series of statistical analyses, this study finds that ethnic news consumption is strongly associated with trust in Spanish-language journalists, whereas mainstream media consumption is not associated with trust in English-language journalists. More importantly, this study finds that source credibility, particularly in Spanish-language journalists, matters for Latinos as it is associated with more positive assessments of state and local officials providing adequate information about COVID-19. This study illuminates the importance of non-traditional media among racial minorities, who account for almost 40% of the US population, and highlights the importance of shared backgrounds in source credibility among linguistically diverse groups in the United States during a public health crisis.


2014 ◽  
Vol 04 (01) ◽  
pp. 27-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dickson Shey Nsagha ◽  
Ngowe Ngowe Marcelin ◽  
Jules Clement Nguedia Assob ◽  
Anna Longdoh Njundah

Author(s):  
Yousuf A Vawda ◽  
Farhana Variawa

South Africa is renowned for having a progressive Constitution with strong protection of human rights, including protection for persons using the public health system. While significant recent discourse and jurisprudence have focused on the rights of patients, the situation and rights of providers of health care services have not been adequately ventilated. This paper attempts to foreground the position of the human resources personnel located at the centre of the roll-out of the government's ambitious programme of anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy. The HIV/AIDS epidemic represents a major public health crisis in our country and, inasmuch as various critical policies and programmes have been devised in response, the key to a successful outcome lies in the hands of the health care professionals tasked with implementing such strategies. Often pilloried by the public, our health care workers (HCWs) face an almost Herculean task of turning the tide on the epidemic. Unless the rights of HCWs are recognised and their needs adequately addressed, the best laid plans of government will be at risk. This contribution attempts to identify and analyse the critical challenges confronting HCWs at the coalface of the HIV/AIDS treatment programme, in particular the extent to which their own rights are under threat, and offers recommendations to remedy the situation in order to ensure the successful realisation of the ARV rollout.


2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e7
Author(s):  
William Riley ◽  
Kailey Love ◽  
Jeffrey McCullough

The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated an acute blood shortage for medical transfusions, exacerbating an already tenuous blood supply system in the United States, contributing to the public health crisis, and raising deeper questions regarding emergency preparedness planning for ensuring blood availability. However, these issues around blood availability during the pandemic are related primarily to the decline in supply caused by reduced donations during the pandemic rather than increased demand for transfusion of patients with COVID-19. The challenges to ensure a safe blood supply during the pandemic will continue until a vaccine is developed, effective treatments are available, or the virus goes away. If this virus or a similar virus were capable of transmission through blood, it would have a catastrophic impact on the health care system, causing a future public health emergency that would jeopardize the national blood supply. In this article, we identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood supply adequacy, discuss the public health implications, propose recovery strategies, and present recommendations for preparing for the next disruption in blood supply driven by a public health emergency. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print March 18, 2021: e1–e7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306157 )


Author(s):  
Vaijanath Babshetti ◽  
Jyothi E. Singh ◽  
Prakash B. Yaragol

The COVID-19 pandemic originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The virus has spread across the globe over the last 20 months. In the interest of public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency to harmonise international responses to the virus. In a strongly interconnected world, the effect of the pandemic goes beyond mortality and morbidity. The unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 has also resulted in a global economic crisis. Almost every sector of the economy has been gravely affected by the pandemic to various degrees. In an attempt to curb the spread of the virus many countries have initiated measures such as lockdowns, travel restrictions, ban on public and private transportation, closure of schools and colleges and restrictions on public and social gatherings. These initiatives have led to the decline in GDP, foreign trade and foreign exchange reserves, the rise of unemployment, the crash of stock markets and the depreciation of national currencies among other things. This study assesses the impact of COVID-19 on selected macroeconomic parameters of various Asian countries to present insights on the economic and health crisis caused due to COVID-19. The study analyses the effect of the pandemic on the macroeconomic factors listed above as well as the human cost of the pandemic during the last 20 months. The research finds that the outbreak adversely affected the economy and lives of people in India when compared to selected Asian nations.


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