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This study aims to estimate the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among people living with HIV (PLWHA). A search for observational studies was conducted in five databases and preprinted literature. Summary estimates were pooled using a random effects model and meta-regression. Of 150 identified studies, 31 were eligible (18,550 PLWHA). The weighted prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy overall was 29.07% among PLWHA (95%CI = 24.33–34.32; I² = 98%,) and that of vaccine acceptance was 68.66% (95%CI = 62.25–74.43; I² = 98%). Higher hesitancy prevalence was identified in low/lower-middle income countries (35.05; 95% CI = 19.38–54.78). The heterogeneity was explained by the risk of bias, region, and year of data collection. The findings conclude that the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy rate remains high, especially in low-income countries. Evidence-informed interventions aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance at the national and individual levels ought to be designed to increase COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among PLWHA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of AIDS & Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The global economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine, and worldwide inflation surge may have a profound impact on poverty-related infectious diseases, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this work, we developed mathematical models for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) in Brazil, one of the largest and most unequal LMICs, incorporating poverty rates and temporal dynamics to evaluate and forecast the impact of the increase in poverty due to the economic crisis, and estimate the mitigation effects of alternative poverty-reduction policies on the incidence and mortality from AIDS and TB up to 2030. Three main intervention scenarios were simulated—an economic crisis followed by the implementation of social protection policies with none, moderate, or strong coverage—evaluating the incidence and mortality from AIDS and TB. Without social protection policies to mitigate the impact of the economic crisis, the burden of HIV/AIDS and TB would be significantly larger over the next decade, being responsible in 2030 for an incidence 13% (95% CI 4–31%) and mortality 21% (95% CI 12–34%) higher for HIV/AIDS, and an incidence 16% (95% CI 10–25%) and mortality 22% (95% CI 15–31%) higher for TB, if compared with a scenario of moderate social protection. These differences would be significantly larger if compared with a scenario of strong social protection, resulting in more than 230,000 cases and 34,000 deaths from AIDS and TB averted over the next decade in Brazil. Using a comprehensive approach, that integrated economic forecasting with mathematical and epidemiological models, we were able to show the importance of implementing robust social protection policies to avert a significant increase in incidence and mortality from AIDS and TB during the current global economic downturn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living with extremely low-income is an important risk factor for HIV/AIDS and can be mitigated by conditional cash transfers. Using a cohort of 22.7 million low-income individuals during 9 years, we evaluated the effects of the world's largest conditional cash transfer, the Programa Bolsa Família, on HIV/AIDS-related outcomes. Exposure to Programa Bolsa Família was associated with reduced AIDS incidence by 41% (RR:0.59; 95%CI:0.57-0.61), mortality by 39% (RR:0.61; 95%CI:0.57-0.64), and case fatality rates by 25% (RR:0.75; 95%CI:0.66-0.85) in the cohort, and Programa Bolsa Família effects were considerably stronger among individuals of extremely low-income [reduction of 55% for incidence (RR:0.45, 95% CI:0.42-0.47), 54% mortality (RR:0.46, 95% CI:0.42-0.49), and 37% case-fatality (RR:0.63, 95% CI:0.51 −0.76)], decreasing gradually until having no effect in individuals with higher incomes. Similar effects were observed on HIV notification. Programa Bolsa Família impact was also stronger among women and adolescents. Several sensitivity and triangulation analyses demonstrated the robustness of the results. Conditional cash transfers can significantly reduce AIDS morbidity and mortality in extremely vulnerable populations and should be considered an essential intervention to achieve AIDS-related sustainable development goals by 2030. Brazil has operated a conditional cash transfer program to support families living in precarious conditions since 2004. Here, the authors use linked administrative and health data to investigate the impacts of the program on HIV/AIDS-related outcomes, demonstrating strong positive associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HIV epidemic affects men who have sex with men (MSM) disproportionally in Brazil, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective for preventing HIV in this population. However, low perceived risk of HIV may influence the acceptability and decision to use PrEP. This study estimated the association between self-perception of HIV risk and acceptability of daily oral PrEP among Brazilian MSM. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used for behavioral and biological surveillance to recruit 4,176 MSM 18 years or over in 12 Brazilian cities in 2016. Results were weighted using Gile's estimator in RDS Analyst software. Adjusted odds rations (OR) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using multivariate logistic regression. Acceptability of daily oral PrEP was high (69.7%) among the 3,544 MSM available for analysis. Most participants self-reported low or moderate risk of HIV infection (67.2%) and a small proportion (9.3%) reported high risk. A dose–response relationship was observed between acceptability of PrEP and self-reported risk: PrEP acceptability was 1.88 times higher (OR 1.8; 95% CI: 1.24–2.85) among MSM whose perceived risk of HIV infection was low or moderate, and 5 times higher (OR 5.68; 95% CI: 2.54–12.73) among those who self-reported high risk compared to MSM reporting no HIV risk. MSM with the highest risk perception of HIV reported higher rates of PrEP acceptability. Given the availability of daily oral PrEP in the public health care system in Brazil, we suggest emphasizing counseling about self-perception of HIV risk as part of routine HIV prevention services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes how the COVID-19 pandemic affected sexual behavior and use of HIV prevention methods among young transgender women (YTGW) and young gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YGBMSM) participating in an HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) demonstration study in Brazil. Online interviews with 39 participants aged 15–22 years old were conducted between September and November 2020 and analyzed based on social constructionism and human rights-based approaches to health. The pandemic disrupted interviewees' routines, negatively affecting their life conditions. Among those who did not have a steady partner, social distance measures led to temporary interruption of sexual encounters and increased sexting and solo sex. Conversely, for those who had a steady relationship such measures contributed to increasing sexual practices and intimacy. Participants who had sexual encounters during the pandemic reported having continued to use PrEP. However, home confinement with family, lack of privacy, loss of daily routines and changes in housing impaired PrEP adherence and attendance at follow-up consultations. These results highlight the importance of maintaining HIV-service delivery for these groups during a public health crisis, as well as to address the structural drivers of the epidemic with comprehensive HIV prevention policies and by ensuring access of YGBMSM and YTGW to social protection policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of AIDS & Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of AIDS & Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this article the author talks about the COVID-19 pandemic which is impacting the delivery of health care services and although in the early stages, the results of disruptions are becoming clearer. It mentions that on March 20th, 2020 the Brazilian Ministry of Health (MoH) announced that all Brazilian states had coronavirus cases and issued guidelines on social distancing measures, such as voluntary home quarantine, and social isolation.

Copyright of AIDS & Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Brazil has a concentrated HIV epidemic among key populations. In 2009, the Ministry of Health conducted a survey in 10 Brazilian cities aiming to estimate HIV prevalence, knowledge, and associated risk behaviors of polysubstance users (PSU). Using Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS), 3449 PSU were recruited, answered an Audio-Computer Self Assisted Interview (ACASI) and were tested for HIV and syphilis. Analyses were weighted by individual’s social network size generated on RDSAT. Pooled HIV prevalence was 5.8% but varied across cities. Most PSU were male, non-white, without income, unemployed, with low levels of education. Overall, 12.0% used injectable drugs, 48.7% had sex with occasional partners and 46.4% engaged in commercial sex. A majority received free condoms (71.4%) but 76.7% exhibited inconsistent condom use. Findings can support policies aiming to improve health care and preventive interventions tailored to this population that remains at high risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV/STI in multiple scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a cross-sectional study examining highly effective contraceptive (HEC) use among HIV-positive women in Salvador, Brazil. We used multivariate logistic regression to look for predictors of alternative contraceptive choices among women who discontinued HEC after HIV diagnosis. Of 914 participants surveyed, 38.5% of participants used HEC before but not after diagnosis. Of these, 65.9% used condoms alone; 19.3% used no protection; and 14.8% reported abstinence. Use of condoms alone was associated with a history of other sexually transmitted infections (AOR 2.18, 95% CI 1.09–4.66, p = 0.029). Abstinence was associated with recent diagnosis (AOR 8.48, 95% CI 2.20–32.64, p = 0.002). Using no method was associated with age below 25 (AOR 5.13, 95% CI 1.46–18.00, p = 0.011); income below minimum wage (AOR 2.54, 95% CI 1.31–4.92, p = 0.006); HIV-positive partner status (AOR 2.69, 95% CI 1.03–7.02, p = 0.043); and unknown partner status (AOR 2.90, 95% CI 1.04–8.05, p = 0.042). Improved contraceptive counseling is needed after HIV diagnosis. Continuation of HEC should be encouraged for women wishing to prevent pregnancy, and may increase contraceptive coverage among HIV-positive women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]