scholarly journals PrEP in India’s HIV Prevention Policy in the Era of Social Media and Sex Positivity

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anindya Kar ◽  
Dinesh Bhugra ◽  
Shuvankar Mukherjee ◽  
Agnibho Mondal ◽  
Aaditya Suresh Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Cultural Transition ◽  
Prevention Policy ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Government ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

Introduction: The global revolution of online social media and connectivity had a tremendous effect on sexual behavior in both developed and developing countries. This global change is influencing the societal structure and existing social principles. Moreover, it has a significant impact on the epidemiology of different infectious diseases, especially HIV.Discussion: India is one of the most diverse democratic countries that has undergone a social-cultural transition in the last decade. However, having the second-highest HIV infection rate in the world, India does not have any other new prevention tools in their national HIV prevention strategy. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a boon of HIV prevention widely used in different countries, is still not implemented in India. The concept of “Digital India” by the Government of India is giving wide access of internet to the people of India. Furthermore, people are exposed to social media, and that is impacting their sex seeking behavior. Interestingly, recent legal changes in India promotes sex positivity. It also calls for introspection on existing HIV preventive strategies.Conclusion: Given the current scenario of PrEP and other existing preventive measurements of HIV, further research is needed to determine the acceptance and efficacy of PrEP and improve engagement in care for individuals in India. Various international studies recommend effective implication of PrEP to reduce the rate and economic burden of HIV infection.

scholarly journals The review of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreP) for HIV prevention

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-59
Author(s):  
Meriam Caboral Stevens ◽  
Godfrey Aneke ◽  
Andrew Neplock
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Condom Use ◽  
Biomedical Research ◽  
Prevention Strategies ◽  
Global Health Issue ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Current Guidelines ◽  
Prevention Of Hiv

Human lmmunodeficiency Virus (HlV) epidemic continues to represent a major global health issue. Today, there are several tools available to prevent the spread of HIV infection. However, there are several constraints to the current prevention strategies including low condom use, low acceptance of testing, low awareness of vulnerability and more emphasis on treatment. Prevention strategy is redirected towards reducing acquisition of HIV. Pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP is the latest groundbreaking innovation in biomedical research in the prevention of HIV transmission.The purpose of this paper is to review preex ding the current guidelines in the use of PreP.

scholarly journals Southern African guidelines for the safe use of pre-exposure prophylaxis in men who have sex with men who are at risk for HIV infection

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Southern African HIV Clinicians Society Consensus Committee
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Renal Function ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Hepatitis B ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Creatinine Clearance ◽  
Fixed Dose ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Hiv Negative

Background. The use of oral antiretrovirals to prevent HIV infection among HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) has been shown to be safe and efficacious. A large, randomised, placebo-controlled trial showed a 44% reduction in the incidence of HIV infection among MSM receiving a daily oral fixed-dose combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine (Truvada) in combination with an HIV prevention package. Improved protection was seen with higher levels of adherence. Aim. The purpose of this guideline is to: (i) explain what pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is; (ii) outline current indications for its use; (iii) outline steps for appropriate client selection; and (iv) provide guidance for monitoring and maintaining clients on PrEP. Method. PrEP is indicated for HIV-negative MSM who are assessed to be at high risk for HIV acquisition and who are willing and motivated to use PrEP as part of a package of HIV prevention services (including condoms, lubrication, sexually transmitted infection (STI) management and risk reduction counselling). Recommendations. HIV testing, estimation of creatinine clearance and STI and hepatitis B screening are recommended as baseline investigations. Daily oral Truvada, along with adherence support, can then be prescribed for eligible MSM. PrEP should not be given to MSM with abnormal renal function, nor to clients who are unmotivated to use PrEP as part of an HIV prevention package; nor should it be commenced during an acute viral illness. Three-monthly follow-up visits to assess tolerance, renal function, adherence and ongoing eligibility is recommended. Six-monthly STI screens and annual creatinine levels to estimate creatinine clearance are recommended. Hepatitis B vaccination should be provided to susceptible clients. Gastro-intestinal symptoms and weight loss are common side-effects, mostly experienced for the first 4 - 8 weeks after initiating PrEP. There is a risk of the development of antiretroviral resistance among those with undiagnosed acute HIV infection during PrEP initiation and among those with sub-optimal adherence who become HIV infected while on PrEP. Risk compensation (increasing sexual behaviours that can result in exposure to HIV) while on PrEP may become a concern, and clinicians should continue to support MSM clients to continue to use condoms, condom-compatible lubrication and practice safer sex. Research is ongoing to assess optimum dosing regimens, potential long-term effects and alternative PrEP medications. Recommendations for the use of PrEP among other at-risk individuals, and the components of these recommendations, will be informed by future evidence. S Afr J HIV Med 2012;13(2):40-55.

The Scope of Adaptation of HIV Prevention Policy Actions by UNAIDS in the Context of Bangladesh

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 16-29
Author(s):  
Sovan Dey
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Policy Position ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Prevention Policy ◽  
Programme Implementation ◽  
The Government ◽  
Hiv Aids

HIV/AIDS, a worldwide epidemic, affects Bangladesh, not only among the high risk groups, but also the general population. The number of HIV cases has increased recently, especially among injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and female sex workers. Furthermore, unsafe blood supplies to hospitals and cross-border migration have worsened the current situation in the country. It is necessary for the Government and policy makers to consider revising the existing HIV/AIDS policy. Comparative content analysis is employed to analyze the National Policy on HIV/AIDS Prevention of Bangladesh (1997) with The Essential Policy Actions for Prevention proposed by UNAIDS (2005) in its policy position paper, `Intensifying HIV Prevention’. Recommendations are made for amendments to the Bangladesh policy after the analysis; the inclusion of religious leaders, people living with HIV/AIDS involved in policy making and programme implementation, and review and reform in some of the current legal frameworks regarding gender equity and stigma.

scholarly journals Quality of HIV Websites With Information About Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis or Treatment as Prevention for Men Who Have Sex With Men: Systematic Evaluation (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Silverman ◽  
Nicole Asante ◽  
Jacob J van den Berg
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Treatment As Prevention ◽  
Key Words And Phrases ◽  
Prevention Strategies ◽  
Hiv Prevention Strategies ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

BACKGROUND Knowledge and uptake of high-efficacy HIV prevention strategies such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP) remain low among men who have sex with men (MSM) who are at the highest risk for HIV infection in the United States. Electronic health (eHealth) interventions are promising tools for disseminating information about these critical yet underutilized strategies and addressing key barriers to uptake among target populations. However, existing HIV prevention websites are understudied and unevaluated. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to systematically review and evaluate existing HIV websites that include information about PrEP or TasP for MSM. METHODS From March 2018 to May 2018, 2 trained research assistants (RAs) entered relevant key words and phrases into 3 commonly used search engines and applied exclusion criteria to all returned results to identify 31 websites included in this review. RAs independently scored each website for authority, usability, interactivity, and PrEP/TasP-related content based on a standardized rating scale and then averaged the results. RESULTS No website received a perfect score in any of the 4 categories, and the average website score was 62% (37/60). Less than a quarter of the websites (23%, 7/31) received a score of more than 75% (7.5/10) for content. Approximately two-thirds of the websites (65%, 20/31) received a score of 50% (5/10) or lower for interactivity. The average score in usability was 68% (6.8/10) and in authority was 69% (6.9/10). Other deficiencies observed included difficulty locating relevant content and lack of information targeting audiences with the highest likelihood of HIV infection. CONCLUSIONS Existing HIV prevention websites with information about PrEP or TasP for MSM fail to provide adequate content as well as present that content to users in an interactive and audience-conscious way. Future eHealth interventions should attempt to rectify these deficiencies to successfully engage and educate MSM at high risk for HIV regarding prevention strategies.

scholarly journals Evidence of disorientation towards immunization on online social media after contrasting political communication on vaccines. Results from an analysis of Twitter data in Italy

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0253569
Author(s):  
Samantha Ajovalasit ◽  
Veronica Maria Dorgali ◽  
Angelo Mazza ◽  
Alberto d’Onofrio ◽  
Piero Manfredi
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Communication ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Immunization Policy ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Political Events ◽  
General Elections ◽  
The Government ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Measles Outbreaks

Background In Italy, in recent years, vaccination coverage for key immunizations as MMR has been declining to worryingly low levels, with large measles outbreaks. As a response in 2017, the Italian government expanded the number of mandatory immunizations introducing penalties to unvaccinated children’s families. During the 2018 general elections campaign, immunization policy entered the political debate with the government in-charge blaming oppositions for fuelling vaccine scepticism. A new government (formerly in the opposition) established in 2018 temporarily relaxed penalties and announced the introduction of forms of flexibility. Objectives and methods First, we supplied a definition of disorientation, as the “lack of well-established and resilient opinions among individuals, therefore causing them to change their positions as a consequence of sufficient external perturbations”. Second, procedures for testing for the presence of both short and longer-term collective disorientation in Twitter signals were proposed. Third, a sentiment analysis on tweets posted in Italian during 2018 on immunization topics, and related polarity evaluations, were used to investigate whether the contrasting announcements at the highest political level might have originated disorientation amongst the Italian public. Results Vaccine-relevant tweeters’ interactions peaked in response to main political events. Out of retained tweets, 70.0% resulted favourable to vaccination, 16.4% unfavourable, and 13.6% undecided, respectively. The smoothed time series of polarity proportions exhibit frequent large changes in the favourable proportion, superimposed to a clear up-and-down trend synchronized with the switch between governments in Spring 2018, suggesting evidence of disorientation among the public. Conclusions The reported evidence of disorientation for opinions expressed in online social media shows that critical health topics, such as vaccination, should never be used to achieve political consensus. This is worsened by the lack of a strong Italian institutional presence on Twitter, calling for efforts to contrast misinformation and the ensuing spread of hesitancy. It remains to be seen how this disorientation will impact future parents’ vaccination decisions.

Rumor Detection on Twitter Using a Supervised Machine Learning Framework

2021 ◽  
pp. 452-465
Author(s):  
Hardeo Kumar Thakur ◽  
Anand Gupta ◽  
Ayushi Bhardwaj ◽  
Devanshi Verma
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Supervised Machine Learning ◽  
Learning Framework ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Rumor Propagation ◽  
Multiple Classification ◽  
The Government ◽  
Rumor Detection

This article describes how a rumor can be defined as a circulating unverified story or a doubtful truth. Rumor initiators seek social networks vulnerable to illimitable spread, therefore, online social media becomes their stage. Hence, this misinformation imposes colossal damage to individuals, organizations, and the government, etc. Existing work, analyzing temporal and linguistic characteristics of rumors seems to give ample time for rumor propagation. Meanwhile, with the huge outburst of data on social media, studying these characteristics for each tweet becomes spatially complex. Therefore, in this article, a two-fold supervised machine-learning framework is proposed that detects rumors by filtering and then analyzing their linguistic properties. This method attempts to automate filtering by training multiple classification algorithms with accuracy higher than 81.079%. Finally, using textual characteristics on the filtered data, rumors are detected. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is shown through extensive experiments on over 10,000 tweets.

scholarly journals Micro-celebrity participation and risk communication in Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-71
Author(s):  
Lidwina Mutia Sadasri
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Massive Number ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Government ◽  
National Disaster

Information dissemination in the media, specifically social media, is one of the critical channels of information related to the COVID-19 outbreak sought by the public. The information presented has been related to accurate and reliable situation reports and false information in various forms, not only text-based but also audio and visual. The chaos of data, coupled with a central response that seemed unprepared, shaped the Indonesian community’s perceptions of the COVID-19 outbreak. This fact related to the massive number of internet users in Indonesia is one aspect of the government’s decision, in this case BNPB (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana; officially National Disaster Management Authority), to engage strong social media influencers. The government collaborated with some influencers to enable public engagement through online social media platforms in the context of COVID-19—two of them being @dr.tirta and @rachelvennya. The platforms also gained more visibility after being appointed COVID-19 influencers. They updated information about COVID-19 on their social media accounts with picture posts and Instagram stories, either individually or in collaboration with others. This study aims to analyse the practice of the Indonesian government’s agency using micro-celebrity to deploy a risk communication frame and the delivery of the message by a celebrated person.

scholarly journals A Young Black MSM on PrEP Is Lost to Follow-Up and Acquires HIV Infection: A Case to Call for Improved Strategies to Support Youth Adherence and Engagement in HIV Prevention

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 232595821985383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ketzela Jacobowitz Marsh ◽  
Meghan Rothenberger
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Msm ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Young Black Msm ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Lost To Follow Up

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States. High-risk sexual behaviors are difficult to modify; thus, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with a daily pill is a promising prevention tool for this vulnerable population. We present a case of a young black MSM who was able to successfully access PrEP with the help of a community program but was not able to adhere to the regimen or engage in care. He ultimately acquired HIV infection. We review the existing literature and advocate for increased services and research to support youth’s adherence to PrEP and engagement in HIV prevention programs, with a focus on YMSM of color.

scholarly journals Comparing Web-Based Platforms for Promoting HIV Self-Testing and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Uptake in High-Risk Men Who Have Sex With Men: Protocol for a Longitudinal Cohort Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shea M Lemley ◽  
Jeffrey D Klausner ◽  
Sean D Young ◽  
Chrysovalantis Stafylis ◽  
Caroline Mulatya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Dating Apps ◽  
Self Testing ◽  
Self Test ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

BACKGROUND The majority of those living with HIV in the United States are men who have sex with men (MSM), and young, minority MSM account for more new HIV infections than any other group. HIV transmission can be reduced through detection and early treatment initiation or by starting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), but rates of testing are lower than recommended among MSM, and PrEP uptake has been slow. Although promoting HIV testing and PrEP uptake by placing advertisements on web-based platforms — such as social media websites and dating apps — is a promising approach for promoting HIV testing and PrEP, the relative effectiveness of HIV prevention advertising on common web-based platforms is underexamined. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the relative effectiveness of advertisements placed on 3 types of web-based platforms (social media websites, dating apps, and informational websites) for promoting HIV self-testing and PrEP uptake. METHODS Advertisements will be placed on social media websites (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), dating apps (Grindr, Jack’d, and Hornet), and informational search websites (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) to recruit approximately 400 young (18-30 years old), minority (Black or Latino) MSM at elevated risk of HIV exposure. Recruitment will occur in 3 waves, with each wave running advertisements on 1 website from each type of platform. The number of participants per platform is not prespecified, and recruitment in each wave will occur until approximately 133 HIV self-tests are ordered. Participants will complete a baseline survey assessing risk behavior, substance use, psychological readiness to test, and attitudes and then receive an electronic code to order a free home-based HIV self-test kit. Two follow-ups are planned to assess HIV self-test results and PrEP uptake. RESULTS Recruitment was completed in July 2020. CONCLUSIONS Findings may improve our understanding of how the platform users’ receptivity to test for HIV differs across web-based platforms and thus may assist in facilitating web-based HIV prevention campaigns. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04155502; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04155502 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/20417

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