Search

Rickettsioses are a group of tick-borne infectious diseases. The clinical presentation is characterised by unspecified manifestations seen in illnesses such as dengue, zika, and chikungunya, so identification is complicated. The greatest impact occurs among the world's poorest populations. Rickettsioses have hardly been studied from a qualitative perspective to show the cultural horizon of the people affected. We aimed to describe the perception of Mayan indigenous farmers about their risk perception for disease transmission. We used the ethnographic method and built life stories. From the perspective of people interviewed, their relationship with the reservoirs for vectors did not represent a high risk, did not consider that blisters and other skin lesions are caused by tick bites. Contributions as this article show the thinking logic underlying the perception of risk of these impoverished populations. To produce synergy with prevention efforts, it is necessary to know the cultural perspectives of targeted groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, increasing uptake of voluntary HIV testing among ‘core risk groups’ is a national public health priority. While HIV testing uptake has been studied among key populations in India, limited information is available on multi-level barriers and facilitators to HIV testing, and experiences with free, publicly available testing services, among key populations. We conducted 12 focus groups (n = 84) and 12 key informant interviews to explore these topics among men who have sex with men, transgender women, cisgender female sex workers, and injecting drug users in the city of Chennai. We identified inter-related barriers at social-structural, health-care system, interpersonal, and individual levels. Barriers included HIV stigma, marginalised-group stigma, discrimination in health-care settings, including government testing centres, and fears of adverse social consequences of testing HIV positive. Facilitators included outreach programmes operated by community-based/non-governmental organisations, accurate HIV knowledge and risk perception for HIV, and access to drug dependence treatment for injecting drug users. Promoting HIV testing among these key populations requires interventions at several levels: reducing HIV-related and marginalised-group stigma, addressing the fears of consequences of testing, promoting pro-testing peer and social norms, providing options for rapid and non-blood-based HIV tests, and ensuring non-judgmental and culturally competent HIV counselling and testing services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]