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There has been little research into how the diverse cultures within Papua New Guinea interpret, represent and understand the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Using qualitative ethnographic research, this study examines how incoming ideas about AIDS relate to the existing cultural frameworks of a rural Christian community. Although L, elet respondents in New Ireland have recourse to indigenous conceptions, apocalyptic Christianity is the most influential framework in their understanding of AIDS. Two interconnected issues are examined: how the epidemic is understood in apocalyptic terms, and how this affects practical approach to the disease. The paper indicates a need for more research into the stances taken by different Christian groups towards HIV/AIDS. This is especially important in the Pacific, where Christianity is the dominant worldview and where there has been a rapid spread of apocalyptic forms of Christianity, which may have particularly significant consequences for the epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS offers great promise as an instrument of global action to address the devastating effects of the disease. Yet the enormity of its promise also speaks to the scope of its mission: to facilitate the financing by governments, corporations, philanthropical bodies and individuals of a massive effort to address the epidemic that has to date outpaced previous efforts at effective control. A key challenge is to devise a governance structure that makes effective action likely, satisfies donors, responds efficiently, and produces observable results. By examining recent developments, this paper seeks to outline facets of the governance challenge facing the Global AIDS Fund. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the obstacles and opportunities experienced by a diverse group of persons living with HIV and AIDS in accessing medical and social services. A social networks approach is used to analyse data from 56 in-depth interviews conducted with persons living with HIV and AIDS in Orange County, California. From this analysis, the service pathways by White/Caucasian gay men, Latina/Hispanic women who speak only Spanish, and injecting drug users of diverse ethnicities are used to illustrate the influence of race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation on service access. Implications for service provision and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from research in Zambia, and drawing on the broader literature on HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and gender, this paper examines the difficulties faced by women who wish - or are pressured - to have children, but at the same time want to protect themselves and their children against HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fertility-stimulating effect of high rates of child mortality on reproductive decision making (RDM) is a central tenet of population studies, yet the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on RDM have not been thoroughly explored in the literature. This paper investigates how RDM is articulated in the context of high HIV/AIDS prevalence in Zimbabwe. Using qualitative methods (35 focus groups and 46 in-depth interviews), we found that childbearing is extremely important in the lives of adult Zimbabweans and that children are needed to cement the couple's relationship, whether it is the first or subsequent marriage. Most respondents said that rates of both adult and child mortality were greatly increasing due to the AIDS epidemic. However, contrary to expectations based upon the insurance strategy, most respondents said that they would have fewer children as a result of the perceived increase in child mortality. They were also hesitant to continue childbearing after a child death, indicating only weak replacement motivation. Instead, many respondents expressed the desire to limit family size due to concerns about their own mortality and its negative effects on their children. Furthermore, new reproductive strategies seem to be emerging, which focus upon the health of parents and child and are based upon perceptions of 100 per cent maternal-infant HIV transmission. Adult HIV status is linked to child survival as respondents explained that having a healthy child who survives to age five indicates that the parents are also free of the virus and, at this point, they can safely continue childbearing. Additionally, couples who have experienced the death of a child are hesitant to give birth again because they believe future children would die. Finally, there was some talk of having children early in an attempt to avoid contracting HIV. This study presents evidence that Zimbabweans are altering their reproductive strategies in order to protect both parents and children from the threat of AIDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family, household and community have often been identified as having a crucial role to play in HIV and AIDS-related care in developing countries. Yet few studies have sought to examine the limits to the support that such institutions can provide. This paper describes findings from a study of the care and support offered to people living with HIV and AIDS in Chiang Mai province, an area of Thailand severely affected by the epidemic. Following an initial Rapid Assessment Process (RAP), data was collected from in-depth household and individual interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation in two village communities. A number of recurrent themes emerge from the data: local beliefs and practices as factors mediating family and community responses; the impact of recent economic and social change on the social organisation of family and village life (including the role of formal village leaders and the growth of sex work); the complex interface between traditional and modern systems of care and support; differences between rich and poor in access to, and use of, health services; and the unequal burden of responsibility shouldered by women as care givers. The implications of these findings for the future provision of health care and support in this part of Thailand are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epidemiology of HIV transmission, and hence AIDS, depends upon phenomena such a sexual mixing patterns, about which very little is known. Mathematical models of sexually transmitted WV assume random mixing among susceptible and infected individuals, across differing levels of sexual activity. Given that this representation of sexual mixing is probably wrong (in the sense of descriptive accuracy) should such models be used to formulate and/or evaluate AIDS intervention strategies? This paper presents an example where random mixing, though wrong descriptively identifies a useful policy. In the process, the concept of worst case sexual mixing is introduced. Arguments for involving simple models of the AIDS epidemic in policy analysis conclude the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents comments of the authors on the article "The Origin and Diffusion of AIDS: A View From Medical Geography," by G.W. Shannon and G.F. Pyle. Shannon and Pyle misrepresent evidence that exists in the literature about the first appearance in Africa of HIV and about the methods of transmission of AIDS on that continent. They also ignore evidence contained in articles they cite which runs counter to their thesis, as well as a readily available paper, written by a geographer, that suggests that the question of the spatial origins of AIDS is largely irrelevant. In addition to that, the article presents various other information.

This article reports on ethnographic and demographic findings on AIDS and HIV infection in China. Also, it elaborates those cultural, social and political factors involved in China's attempt to manage its growing HIV epidemic. Data from the First Sino-American Management of HIV Diseases Symposium are also blended with the ethnographic material to further clarify the cultural and epidemiologic status of HIV/AIDS in China. Since HIV predominates among drug users, this fact aroused great attention from the Chinese government early on. Laws introduced in 1988 aimed at strengthening existing statutes to insure that drug dealers, traffickers, and users were prosecuted. Not only is drug-dealing illegal in China, but so is drug-taking. Also, it is argued that providing sexuality education as a means of preventing HIV infection offers no guarantee of reduced behavioral risks. It is concluded that HIV/AIDS and its management pose a transforming challenge to: (1) realistically appraise sexual expression, (2) change traditional sexual language symbols, and (3) revamp the avenues by which China presently addresses "sex."

Despite global similarities between the immunologic and pathogenic properties of HIV infection, there are substantial cultural and geographical variations in the transmission dynamics of HIV infection/AIDS. In the United States and Europe, for example, HIV infection/AIDS is predominantly evident among homosexual men and intravenous drug abusers. However, in Central Africa, the data indicate that HIV infections/AIDS is heterosexually acquired. Thus, the purpose of the present paper is to suggest some basic strategies and raise some critical issues for collecting data on sexual practices relevant to the transmission of HIV infection/AIDS throughout the world. Topics include assessment strategies, language and meta-language, cross-cultural and intra-cultural comparability, general methodological issues, and constraints for the assessment of anal intercourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a paper which uses an interorganizational approach to trace the emergence of transnational cooperative structures in response to AIDS. Several characteristics of the AIDS issue are germane to understanding organisational responses. First, AIDS provides a graphic illustration of the degree of interdependence and mutual vulnerability among peoples. Second, AIDS typifies an issue that spans global and community levels, in which penetrating societies is of utmost importance. Third, efforts to prevent or halt the spread of AIDS encroache upon the private and personal spheres that are normally beyond the purview of states. Several lessons of broader applicability can be derived from the experience of IGO--NGO links in this specialised yet diffuse and elusive issue.

Conspiracy theories (evidence-free, improbable narratives about powerful agents conspiring to harm people) circulated widely during the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and COVID-19 epidemics. They travelled over time and space, adapted to local conditions and anxieties, and were promoted for commercial and political purposes. Russian conspiracy theories claiming the viruses were United States bioweapons appeared in both epidemics. So did 'cultropreneurs' who, as a marketing strategy for their 'alternative' therapies, promoted conspiracy theories about scientific medicine. Pro-science activists sought to counter medical misinformation and debunk faux cures, but their task was harder in the 'post-truth' social-media driven context of COVID-19. Conspiracy theories about vaccines are an ongoing challenge for public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV/AIDS remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Moreover, sub-Saharan countries, including Ethiopia, are highly affected by HIV/AIDS pandemic. Ethiopia's government has been working on a comprehensive HIV care and treatment programme, including antiretroviral therapy. However, evaluating client satisfaction with antiretroviral treatment services is not well studied. This study aimed to assess client satisfaction and associated factors with antiretroviral treatment services provided at public health facilities of Wolaita zone, South Ethiopia. A facility-based cross-sectional study involved 605 randomly selected clients using ART services from six public health facilities in Southern Ethiopia. A multivariate regression model was used to see an association between independent variables and the outcome variable. The odds ratio with 95% CI was computed to determine the presence and strength of the association. Four hundred twenty-eight (70.7%) clients were satisfied with an overall antiretroviral treatment service, which included significant variations ranging from 21.1% to 90.0% among health facilities. Sex [AOR = 1.91; 95% CI = 1.10–3.29], employment [AOR = 13.04; 95% CI = 4.34–39.22], clients' perception of the availability of prescribed laboratory services [AOR = 2.56; 95% CI = 1.42–4.63], availability of prescribed drugs [AOR = 6.26; 95% CI = 3.40–11.52] and cleanliness of toilet in the facility [AOR = 2.83; 95% CI = 1.56–5.14] were factors associated with client satisfaction with antiretroviral treatment services. The overall client satisfaction with antiretroviral treatment service was lower than the national target of 85%, with a marked difference among facilities. Sex, occupational status, availability of comprehensive laboratory services, standard drugs, and cleanliness toilets in the facility were factors associated with client satisfaction with antiretroviral treatment services. Sex-sensitive services needed to address and sustained availability of laboratory services and medicine recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information about the Special Issue of the "Journal of the Operational Research Society." For this issue, authors wanted to attract and publish papers from both academics and practitioners which demonstrate how Operational Research is meeting the challenges of changing health care provision in the 21st century. These challenges may be even greater than ever before. AIDS has become endemic in large parts of the world, particularly Africa. The spread of diseases worldwide is exacerbated by the widespread use of national and international transport networks. In the developed countries, there is a high prevalence of chronic problems arising from lifestyle and old age. This issue has been put together by an academic and a practitioner in order to encourage papers that bridge the gap between practice and theory.

This article discusses the book "Midlife and Older Adults and HIV: Implications for Social Service Research, Practice, and Policy," edited by C.C. Poindexter and S. Keigher. This book examines fundamental issues for the midlife and older HIV population, as well as for aging persons affected by relatives and close friends living with HIV. Sensitive and resourceful, the text brings policymakers, analysts, practitioners, educators, and the general public up-to-date on the accessible social services for aging adults living with HIV/AIDS.

This article discusses the book "Practice Issues in HIV/AIDS Services: Empowerment-Based Models and Program Applications," edited by R.J. Mancoske and J.D. Smith. This sensitive and comprehensive book focuses on approaches related to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States, the inefficient preventative measures regarding many disadvantaged Mexican migrant farm workers and African Americans in the United States and the impact of substance abuse treatment and the spread of HIV infection through the use of injection drugs.

Background: In Vietnam, women are at risk of HIV infection due to many factors. However, there is limited evidence about what women know and how they behave to protect themselves from HIV. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the trends in comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitude, and associated factors among Vietnamese women from 2000 to 2011. Design: Data from three waves of the Vietnam Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (years 2000, 2006, and 2011) were used. Logistic regression methods examined factors associated with each of two dependent variables, HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitude toward HIV/AIDS. Results: Although there was an increasing trend in basic HIV/AIDS knowledge and positive attitude toward the disease, in Vietnamese women in the general population over the survey years, the prevalence of women with basic HIV/AIDS knowledge and positive attitude toward HIV/AIDS was low. Multivariable models indicated that women who had higher levels of education, lived in urban areas, had higher economic status, and knew about places of HIV-related services were more likely to have good HIV/AIDS knowledge (e.g. in 2011, AOR's = 3.01; 1.27; 1.88; 2.03, respectively). Women with higher educational attainment, knew about HIV services, and had better HIV knowledge were more likely to report positive attitude toward HIV/AIDS (e.g. in 2011, AOR's = 2.50; 1.72; 2.23, respectively). Conclusions: This study recommends that public health programs for the control of HIV, such as behavioral change communication campaigns or social policies for women, should focus not only in improving the quality of existing HIV/AIDS counseling and testing services but also on expanding coverage to increase accessibility to these services for women in rural areas. In addition, efforts to raise the level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and improve attitude toward the disease should be undertaken simultaneously. The results of this study can help inform HIV control policies and practices in other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Features the book "A History of AIDS Social Work in Hospitals: A Daring Response," edited by B. Willinger and A. Rice.

Young people are among those most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in South Africa. To date, however, there has been a shortage of fictional narratives appropriate to their needs, and addressing issues of HIV/AIDS. Accessibility to literature is of concern for a variety of reasons, ranging from low levels of literacy among many Black students to the non- availability of books in many schools. This paper aims to extend notions of the meanings of literacy within the context of HIV/AIDS prevention amongst South African youth. It examines the significance of such literacy both to life itself and to what counts as literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All over the world HIV has been stigmatised, making it difficult for people living with HIV to access testing, treatment, care and counselling or even to act on a diagnosis or get advice and treatment, for fear of being judged. Prejudice in society has also often been reflected and reproduced by health care providers. A human rights approach, which positively incorporates sexual and reproductive rights, rather than a restricted medical view, is therefore essential for the achievement of true partnerships between health care providers and service users. This paper is about the experiences of HIV positive women and men in sexual and reproductive health services and HIV testing. It provides guidance not only on how things could and should be done but also on how they should not be done. It outlines the sexual and reproductive rights positive people consider crucial and gives examples of how these are being violated. It presents perceptions and implications of HIV testing and how health services can support people after a positive diagnosis. It analyses the importance of confidentiality, continuity of care, knowledge and information, and the role of support groups and home-based care. It calls on sexual and reproductive health services to address issues of stigma and discrimination when offering and carrying out HIV testing and counselling, and in providing treatment, care and support. Partout dans le monde, les personnes vivant avec le VIH souffrent de stigmatisation, ce qui entrave leur accès au dépistage, au traitement et aux soins, les empêche d'agir après le diagnostic et d'obtenir des conseils ou un traitement, par crainte d'être jugées. Le personnel sanitaire a souvent reproduit les préjugés de la société. Une approche des droits de l'homme, qui inclut positivement les droits génésiques, de préférence à une perspective médicale restreinte, est donc essentielle pour établir de véritables partenariats entre le personnel sanitaire et les patients. Cet article porte sur les expériences d'hommes et de femmes séropositifs dans les services de santé génésique et de dépistage du VIH. Il conseille non seulement sur la manière dont les choses peuvent et doivent être faites, mais aussi sur la manière dont il ne faut pas les faire. Il répertorie les droits génésiques jugés fondamentaux par les personnes séropositives et donne des exemples de violations. Il présente des conceptions et des conséquences du dépistage du VIH et montre comment les services de santé peuvent soutenir les patients après un diagnostic positif. Il analyse l'importance de la confidentialité, de la continuité des soins, de la connaissance et de l'information, et du rôle des groupes de soutien et des soins à domicile. Il demande aux services de santé génésique d'aborder les questions de stigmatisation et de discrimination quand ils proposent et assurent des programmes de conseil et dépistage du VIH, et dispensent un traitement, des soins et un soutien. Por todo el mundo el VIH ha sido estigmatizado, lo cual dificulta que las personas que viven con VIH tengan acceso a pruebas, tratamiento, atención y consejería, o incluso que tomen medidas respecto al diagnóstico u obtengan consejos y tratamiento, por temor a ser juzgados. El prejuicio de la sociedad con frecuencia también ha sido reflejado y reproducido por los prestadores de servicios de salud. Por tanto, un enfoque de derechos humanos, que incorpore de manera positiva los derechos sexuales y reproductivos, en vez de una visión médica restringida, es esencial para lograr verdaderas alianzas entre los prestadores de servicios de salud y los usuarios. Este artículo trata sobre las experiencias de mujeres y hombres VIH-positivos con servicios de salud sexual y reproductiva y pruebas de VIH. Proporciona orientación no sólo respecto a cómo pueden y deben hacerse las cosas, sino también respecto a cómo no deben hacerse. Esboza los derechos sexuales y reproductivos que las personas seropositivas consideran cruciales y da ejemplos de cómo estos están siendo violados. Expone percepciones e implicaciones de las pruebas de VIH y cómo los servicios de salud pueden apoyar a las personas después de un diagnóstico positivo. Analiza la importancia de la confidencialidad, continuidad de la atención, conocimiento e información, y la función de los grupos de apoyo y la atención en el hogar. Hace un llamado a los servicios de salud sexual y reproductiva para que traten los problemas de estigma y discriminación al ofrecer y realizar pruebas y consejería de VIH, y al brindar tratamiento, atención y apoyo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most sexual health education programmes use fear and risk of disease to try to motivate people to practise safer sex. This gives the impression that safer sex and pleasurable sex are mutually exclusive. Yet there is growing evidence that promoting pleasure alongside safer sex messaging can increase the consistent use of condoms and other forms of safer sex. To this end, the Pleasure Project created The Global Mapping of Pleasure, a document that identifies projects and organisations worldwide that put pleasure first in HIV prevention and sexual health promotion, and sexually provocative media that include safer sex. This article summarises some of the findings of this mapping exercise and what we learned about incorporating pleasure from it. We found that there are a variety of organisations, including religious and youth groups, and HIV/AIDS organisations and NGOs, promoting pleasurable safer sex. The techniques they use include promoting sexual techniques and dialogue about sex, teaching married couples how to have better sex and putting images of desire in sexual education materials. This paper focuses on ways of eroticising female and male condoms as examples of effective ways of using pleasure in HIV prevention and sexual health promotion. La plupart des programmes d'éducation en matière de santé génésique tablent sur la peur et le risque d'infection pour inciter les couples à se protéger lors des relations sexuelles, donnant l'impression que la protection et le plaisir s'excluent mutuellement. Pourtant, on comprend de mieux en mieux que promouvoir le plaisir avec des messages sur les relations sexuelles protégées, peut accroître l'utilisation régulière de préservatifs et d'autres formes de relations protégées. À cette fin, le Projet Plaisir a dressé la carte mondiale du plaisir qui recense les projets et les organisations qui donnent la priorité au plaisir dans la prévention du VIH et la promotion de la santé génésique, et les films érotiques avec relations sexuelles protégées. Cet article résume certaines des conclusions et des enseignements de cette initiative. Nous avons constaté que des organisations diverses, notamment des groupes religieux et de jeunes, des organisations sur le VIH/SIDA et des ONG prônent les relations sexuelles sûres et agréables. Pour cela, elles encouragent les techniques sexuelles et le dialogue sur les rapports sexuels, elles apprennent aux couples mariés à améliorer leur sexualité et introduisent des images du désir dans le matériel d'éducation sexuelle. Cet article décrit en particulier les moyens d'érotiser les préservatifs masculins et féminins, afin d'illustrer l'utilisation du plaisir dans la prévention du VIH et la promotion de la santé génésique. La mayoría de los programas de educación sexual utilizan el temor y el riesgo de enfermedades para motivar a las personas a tener sexo más seguro. Esto da la impresión de que el sexo más seguro y el sexo por placer son mutuamente exclusivos. No obstante, cada vez existen más pruebas de que la promoción del placer con los mensajes de sexo más seguro pueden aumentar el uso sistemático de los condones y otras formas de sexo más seguro. Con este fin, el Proyecto Placer creó el Mapa Mundial del Placer, un documento que identifica proyectos y organizaciones internacionales que anteponen el placer en la prevención del VIH y la promoción de la salud sexual, y medios de comunicación sexualmente provocativos que tratan sobre el sexo más seguro. En este artículo se resumen algunos hallazgos de este ejercicio y lo que se aprendió respecto a la incorporación del placer. Encontramos que una variedad de organizaciones, incluidos los grupos religiosos y de jóvenes, y ONG y organismos dedicados a la lucha contra el VIH/SIDA, promueven el sexo más seguro placentero. Algunas tácticas empleadas son promover diálogo y técnicas sexuales, enseñar a las parejas casadas cómo mejorar sus relaciones sexuales e incluir imágenes del deseo en los materiales de educación sexual. Este artículo se centra en las formas de erotizar los condones masculino y femenino como ejemplos de medios eficaces de utilizar el placer en la prevención del VIH y la promoción de la salud sexual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Despite important advances in expanding access to antiretroviral therapy in the countries most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, there has been little consideration of the connections between HIV prevention, care and treatment programmes and reproductive health services. In this paper, we explore the integration of reproductive health services into HIV care and treatment programmes. We review the design and progress of the MTCT-Plus Initiative, which provides HIV care and treatment services to HIV positive women as well as their HIV positive children and partners. By emphasising the long-term follow-up of families and the provision of comprehensive care across the spectrum of HIV disease, MTCT-Plus highlights the potential synergies in linking reproductive health services to HIV care and treatment programmes. While HIV care and treatment programmes in resource-limited settings may not be able to integrate all reproductive health services into a single service delivery model, there is a clear need to include basic reproductive health services, such as access to appropriate contraception and counselling and management of unplanned pregnancies. The integration of these services would be facilitated by greater insight into the reproductive choices of HIV positive women and men, and into how health care providers influence access to reproductive health services of people with HIV and AIDS. Malgré une amélioration de l'accès à la thérapie antirétrovirale dans les pays les plus touchés par le VIH/SIDA, les liens entre les programmes de prévention, soins et traitement du VIH et les services de santé génésique n'ont guère été étudiés. Dans cet article, nous examinons l'intégration des services de santé génésique dans les programmes de soins et traitement du VIH. Nous analysons la conception et les progrès de l'Initiative PTME-Plus, qui assure des services de soins et traitement aux femmes séropositives ainsi qu'à leurs enfants et partenaires infectés. En privilégiant le suivi familial à long terme et les soins complets à tous les stades de l'infection, PTME-Plus souligne les synergies déclenchées en liant les services de santé génésique avec les programmes de soins et traitement du VIH. Si dans les environnements à ressources limitées, ces programmes ne peuvent pas toujours intégrer tous les services de santé génésique en un modèle unique de services, il faut néanmoins y inclure des services de santé génésique de base, comme l'accès à une contraception adaptée et des consultations, et la gestion des grossesses non désirées. L'intégration de ces services serait facilitée par une meilleure connaissance des choix génésiques offerts aux femmes et aux hommes séropositifs, et de l'influence des prestataires de soins de santé sur l'accès des séropositifs aux services de santé génésique. Pese a los importantes avances en la ampliación del acceso a la terapia antirretroviral en los países más afectados por el VIH/SIDA, no se ha pensado mucho en las conexiones entre los programas de prevención, atención y tratamiento del VIH, y los servicios de salud reproductiva. En este artículo, exploramos la integración de estos ãltimos a los programas de atención y tratamiento del VIH. Revisamos el diseño y los avances de la Iniciativa MTCT-Plus, que proporciona servicios de atención y tratamiento del VIH a las mujeres VIH-positivas, sus hijos y sus parejas VIH-positivos. Al dar énfasis al seguimiento de las familias a largo plazo y a la provisión de atención integral en todo el espectro de la enfermedad del VIH, la MTCT-Plus destaca las posibles sinergias en vincular los servicios de salud reproductiva a los programas de atención y tratamiento del VIH. Aunque es posible que, en ámbitos con pocos recursos, estos programas no logren integrar todos los servicios de salud reproductiva a un solo modelo de prestación de servicios, indudablemente es necesario incluir los servicios esenciales de salud reproductiva, como el acceso a anticonceptivos y consejería apropiada y el manejo de embarazos no planeados. La integración de estos servicios se facilitaría al tener más conocimiento sobre las decisiones reproductivas de las mujeres y los hombres VIH-positivos, y sobre cómo los profesionales de la salud influyen en el acceso de las personas con VIH/SIDA a los servicios de salud reproductiva. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV/AIDS affects over 40 million people worldwide, and more than 70% of these people live in Africa. Mother-to-child transmission of HIV accounts for over 90% of all HIV infections in children under the age of 15 years. However, implementing HIV prevention policies in Africa is extremely difficult because of the poor medical and socio-economic infrastructure. In this paper, we present a discrete-event simulation model that evaluates the relative benefits of two potentially affordable interventions aimed at preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, namely anti-retroviral treatment at childbirth and/or bottlefeeding strategies. The model uses rural Tanzanian data and compares different treatment policies. Our results demonstrate that strategic guidelines about breastfeeding are highly dependent on the assumed increase in infant mortality due to bottlefeeding, the efficacy of anti-retroviral treatment at childbirth, and the maternal health stage. The cost of averted infections, though low by Western standards, may represent significant obstacles to policy implementation in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After years of passionate advocacy informed by solid policy work on the ground, the global response to HIV/AIDS is better resourced. Poor countries can absorb considerably higher levels of aid than they currently receive, but recent increases in funding have generated a number of concerns. This paper analyses the capacity of NGOs, community-based organisations and governments to ensure that the influx of funds has a significant effect on the HIV epidemic and people's lives. Limited absorptive capacity may be an obstacle to the uptake of funding. To avoid community-based organisations being over-stretched by AIDS and to ensure capacity is maintained, HIV-positive staff must be enabled to continue their work through access to antiretroviral therapy and related services. Equally challenging, given that donors are increasingly using governments as intermediaries to fund civil society organisations, is increasing the capacity of developing country governments to disburse funds effectively. If donors do not accept that governments and civil society organisations need technical support in order to accept, distribute and account for increases in funding, there is a danger that home-grown responses will be replaced with imported solutions. The community sector is the glue that holds responses to HIV/AIDS together; now it needs to adapt to new partnerships with government and other emerging HIV/AIDS service providers. Après des années de plaidoyer passionné fondé sur un solide travail politique sur le terrain, la lutte mondiale contre le VIH/SIDA dispose de meilleures ressources. Les pays pauvres peuvent absorber des niveaux nettement plus élevés d'assistance, mais les accroissements récents du financement ont suscité certaines préoccupations. L'article analyse la capacité des ONG, des organisations à assise communautaire et des gouvernements de s'assurer que l'afflux de fonds améliore sensiblement la lutte contre l'épidémie et la vie de la population. Une capacité d'absorption limitée peut s'opposer à l'accroissement du financement. Pour éviter que les organisations communautaires ne soient mises à rude épreuve par le SIDA, et pour garantir le maintien de la capacité, le personnel séropositif doit continuer à travailler grâce à l'accès à la thérapie antirétrovirale et aux services liés. Tout aussi difficile, étant donné que les donateurs utilisent de plus en plus les gouvernements comme intermédiaires pour financer les organisations de la société civile, il convient d'accroı̂tre la capacité des gouvernements des pays en développement d'allouer efficacement les fonds. Si les donateurs ne reconnaissent pas que les gouvernements et les organisations de la société civile requièrent un appui technique pour accepter, distribuer et comptabiliser les hausses de financement, les solutions nationales risquent d'être remplacées par des approches importées. Le secteur communautaire assure la cohésion des réponses au VIH/SIDA ; il doit s'adapter aux nouveaux partenariats avec les pouvoirs publics et d'autres prestataires de services émergents en matière de VIH/SIDA. Después de años de realizar vehementes esfuerzos de gestorı́a y defensa informados por medio de un trabajo sólido de formulación de polı́ticas en este tema, la respuesta mundial al VIH/SIDA cuenta con mejores recursos. Los paı́ses pobres pueden asimilar niveles de ayuda financiera considerablemente más altos de los que reciben actualmente, pero los recientes aumentos en el financiamiento han generado varias inquietudes. En este artı́culo se analiza la capacidad de las ONG, las organizaciones comunitarias y los gobiernos de garantizar que el flujo de fondos tenga un efecto significativo sobre la epidemia del VIH y la vida de las personas. Una capacidad limitada de asimilación puede ser un obstáculo a la captación de financiamiento. Para evitar que las organizaciones comunitarias se extralimiten por el SIDA y para garantizar que se mantenga la capacidad, se debe facultar al personal VIH-positivo para que continúe su trabajo mediante el acceso a la terapia antirretroviral y a los servicios complementarios. Igual de desafiante, dado que los donantes emplean cada vez más a los gobiernos como intermediarios para financiar a las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, es aumentar la capacidad de crear gobiernos en cada paı́s con el fin de desembolsar los fondos de manera eficaz. Si los donantes no aceptan el hecho de que los gobiernos y las organizaciones de la sociedad civil necesitan apoyo técnico para poder aceptar, distribuir y explicar los aumentos en el financiamiento, existe el peligro que las respuestas formuladas a nivel local se sustituyan con soluciones importadas. El sector comunitario es el elemento que mantiene unidas las respuestas al VIH/SIDA; y ahora necesita adaptarse a las nuevas alianzas con el gobierno y a otros prestadores de servicios de VIH/SIDA emergentes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex workers in Kerala, India, live in a coercive environment and face violence from the police and criminals, lack of shelter, lack of childcare support and have many physical and mental health problems. This paper documents the environment in which women have been selling sex in Kerala since 1995, and their efforts to claim their rights. It is based on sex workers'' own reports and experiences, a situation analysis and a needs assessment study by the Foundation for Integrated Research in Mental Health. Involvement in HIV/AIDS prevention projects first gave sex workers in Kerala an opportunity to come together. Some have become peer educators and distribute condoms but they continue to be harassed by police. Most anti-trafficking interventions, including rescue and rehabilitation, either criminalise or victimise sex workers, and sex workers reject them as a solution to sex work. They understand that the lack of sexual fulfillment in other relationships and their own lack of access to other work and resources are the reasons why commercial sex flourishes. Sex workers are not mere victims without agency. They have a right to bodily integrity, pleasure, livelihood, self-determination and a safe working environment. Sex workers are organising themselves for these objectives and demand decriminalisation of sex work. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) allows suppressed viremia to reach less than 50 copies/mL in most treated persons living with HIV (PLWH). However, the existence of PLWH that show events of persistent low-level viremia (pLLV) between 50 and 1000 copies/mL and with different virological consequences have been observed. PLLV has been associated with higher virological failure (VF), viral genotype resistance, adherence difficulties and AIDS events. Moreover, some reports show that pLLV status can lead to residual immune activation and inflammation, with an increased risk of immunovirological failure and a pro-inflammatory cytokine level which can lead to a higher occurrence of non-AIDS defining events (NADEs) and other adverse clinical outcomes. Until now, however, published data have shown controversial results that hinder understanding of the true cause(s) and origin(s) of this phenomenon. Molecular mechanisms related to viral reservoir size and clonal expansion have been suggested as the possible origin of pLLV. This review aims to assess recent findings to provide a global view of the role of pLLV in PLWH and the impact this status may cause on the clinical progression of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a clarion call by Higher Education HIV/AIDS programme (HEAIDS) to South African universities, entrenching, integration and infusing the teaching and learning of HIV/AIDS in the curriculum of universities prove to be a sustainable solution to changing risky behaviour and attitudes of university students towards HIV/AIDS. The majority of students in South African universities lack general awareness and education in HIV/AIDS. This raises the need to produce graduates who are knowledgeable and have a positive attitude regarding HIV/AIDS. A pilot study on HIV/AIDS curriculum integration at the University of Fort Hare involved academic staff was done. A qualitative case study approach was used to describe the process and effectiveness of the curriculum integration process. The data collection was through evaluation forms, reports and a focus group interview. Data were analysed using content analysis. Guskey's model for professional development was followed to understand the process and effect of curriculum integration. Initially, the academic staff anticipated that the HIV/AIDS curriculum integration process would result in credit overload for students, time constraints and increased workload. Later, most academic staff affirmed the benefits of being involved in the project such as improving teaching and facilitation styles and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The barbing industry poses particular public health risks if it is not conducted in a safe and hygienic manner. These risks can lead to the transmission of infectious diseases like the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to the barbers or their clients. This study investigated the knowledge, attitudes and prevention practices regarding HIV transmission among barbers in the Ho Municipality. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed. A pretested structured questionnaire was administered to a consented sample of barbers sampled using a multistage random sample design. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using Stata version 14.0 software programme where 0.05 level was used as a measure of significance. The knowledge level of the barbers regarding HIV/AIDS was inadequate (63.6%). Knowledge was significantly associated with work experience [AOR = 13.56 (95% CI: 2.73–67.25); p = 0.001], with attitude [AOR = 4.07 (95% CI: 1.27–13.08); p = 0.018], with level of education [AOR = 10.22 (95% CI: 2.24–46.64); p = 0.003], with marital status [AOR = 0.07 (95% CI: 0.01–0.50); p = 0.008] and with number of clients per day [AOR = 0.13 (95% CI: 0.03–0.52); p = 0.004]. The attitude of barbers was also inadequate (58.7%). Attitude was significantly associated with the mode of learning the barbing profession [AOR = 0.32 (95% CI: 0.11–0.89); p = 0.029], and with level of knowledge [AOR = 5.48 (95% CI: 2.01–14.93); p = 0.001]. Majority of the participants exhibited poor prevention practices regarding HIV/AIDS (87.6%). Prevention practice was significantly associated with work experience [AOR = 24.92 (95% CI: 2.08–297.86); p = 0.011] and with level of knowledge [AOR = 12.57 (95% CI: 1.35–116.86); p = 0.026]. The barbers in Ho exhibited inadequate knowledge and attitude regarding HIV/AIDS, and also manifested poor prevention practices regarding HIV/AIDS. Programmes aimed at improving the knowledge, attitudes and prevention practices should be implemented among barbers, with focus on those without any formal education, those with less than five years work experience and those with more than ten clients a day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A multi-sectoral response is advocated by international organisations as a good strategy to address the multiple drivers and impact of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and was historically mandated as a condition of funding. In March 2017, the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) launched the latest 5 year National Strategic Plan (NSP) to address HIV, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis. As with previous iterations, the NSP calls for multi-sectoral action (MSA) and mandates AIDS councils (ACs) at different levels to coordinate its implementation. Efforts have been made to advocate for the adoption of MSA in South Africa, yet evaluation of these efforts is currently limited. Objective: This paper assesses the implementation of a multi-sectoral response to HIV in South Africa, through a case study of the Mpumalanga Province. Methods: We identified and reviewed key policy documents, conducted 12 interviews and held six focus group discussions. We also drew on our involvement, through participant observation, in the development of NSPs and in AC meetings. Results: SANAC is struggling to provide much-needed support to provincial, district and local ACs. Therefore, most ACs are generally weak and failing to implement MSA. Membership is voluntary, there is a lack of sustained commitment and they do not include representatives from all sectors. There is little capacity to undertake the activities necessary for coordinating the implementation of MSA, and unclear roles and responsibilities within ACs result in divisions and tension between sectors. There is inadequate senior political leadership and funding to facilitate effective implementation of MSA. Conclusion: We identified three interventions that we argue are required to support the effective implementation of MSA: strengthening and stabilising the SANAC structure; building capacity of ACs; and creating an enabling environment for effective implementation of MSA through political leadership, support and resourcing of the HIV response. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objectives of this study were to assess the nutritional status and the most commonly reported nutrition-related factors contributing to nutritional risk in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Ghana and the specificity and sensitivity of the Rapid Nutrition Screening for HIV disease tool (RNS-H) in this population. A cross-sectional design was utilised. Patients were screened for nutritional status during a one-week period by clinic nurses using the RNS-H. Results were compared with a comprehensive nutritional assessment by a dietitian. The research was conducted in a public health clinic at the University of Ghana Hospital, Legon. Patients receiving care at the clinic were asked to participate. The nutritional screening and nutritional assessment both resulted in participants being assigned to one of three nutritional statuses: 'low risk', 'at risk' and 'high risk'. The association between the nutritional screening and nutritional assessment was measured. The results of the nutritional status assigned by the RNS-H and nutritional assessment were compared. A total of 51 patients participated. A high prevalence of nutritional risk based on the RNS-S (54.9%) was found with 33.3% of the sample being malnourished. The most common nutrition-related complications were food insecurity, poor appetite, weight loss and diarrhoea. The RNS-H was found to have a strong specificity and sensitivity in a sample of Ghanaian PLWHA. Because of the nutritional risk and complexity of HIV in Ghana, nutritional screening using the RNS-H and nutrition care by a dietitian should be a standard of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the context and meaning of the HIV epidemic as it has impacted gay men. The article begins with a review of the relevant epidemiological data and presents some background on the history and social context, the social ecology of the gay epidemic. It then discusses the primary anthropological issues and concludes with the author describing his own experience in working with the HIV epidemic and with the gay community. Understanding the sociocultural dynamics of the gay HIV epidemic will provide important insights into stopping HIV transmission in a variety of cultural settings as well as in developing effective and culturally sensitive models of care. While the epidemiology of the HIV epidemic provides some sense of the scope of the epidemic in terms of numbers, it only hints at the cultural issues involved. It is useful, therefore, to place the HIV epidemic in the historical and social context of the ecology in which it first emerged, the urban United States gay community of the early 1980's.

The article presents a review of cross-cultural studies on prostitution and its impact on AIDS prevention programs in different countries. It argues that efforts to understand prostitution and AIDS have been hampered by reliance on an epidemiological paradigm which is poorly suited to the task of finding avenues for prevention. This frame of reference has prevented researchers from engaging with social meanings and functions of prostitution in relation to broader economic, political and gender issues which vary from culture to culture. The article aims to show that the social, historical and cultural dimensions of prostitution heavily condition sustainable strategies for risk reduction among women in prostitution and their clients. Psychologists, anthropologists and social historians have increasingly shown that it is possible to reclaim the whole, to illuminate sexual behavior, including forms of sexual economic exchange, as expressions of and adaptations to specific constellations of socio-cultural, economic and personal motivations and pressures.

The article examines ethnographic methodologies relevant to the study of AIDS. A basic objective of the ethnographic approach is to provide qualitative information of a sensitive nature that cannot usually be uncovered in surveys or formal interviews. AIDS has become a new universe of fear, posing a remarkable challenge to the achievement of rapport and trust in the fieldworker's situation. Rapport in face-to-face relationships is never easy. In the context of disease, death and epidemic, the building of a private and trusting dialogue taxes the most seasoned ethnographer. The AIDS epidemic has resulted in the necessity of new collaborations between social science researchers and service providers. Because AIDS is an unprecedented and little-understood illness, public health specialists draw on diverse bodies of knowledge both to understand the vectors of the epidemic and to control the disease course, to provide interventions that limit the spread of the epidemic from those currently infected and also to offer prevention techniques to protect the uninfected.

The article presents a worst case analysis of sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS. The sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS depends upon the specifics of mixing between subpopulations with differing sexual activity rates. As the manner in which such mixing occurs is very difficult to observe, it is natural to consider the number of infected persons that would result from worst case mixing, that is, mixing that maximizes the number of infected persons in the population. That the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS depends upon the manner in which subpopulations with differing sexual habits mix has been recognized by several authors. The major advantage of random mixing models is that they are able to qualitatively capture a number of features apparent in the AIDS epidemic with reasonably modest data requirements. In particular, the mean and variance of the sexual activity rates for a population can be exploited to produce an epidemic threshold condition.

COVID-19 is not the world's first pandemic, not its worst, or likely to be its last. In fact, there have been many pandemics throughout history with lessons for the current one. The most destructive pandemic of all time, at least in terms of the number of people killed in the shortest time, was the "Spanish flu" pandemic of 1918/1919. Why did it happen? What lessons did it teach us? And could it happen again? These questions are addressed in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic and several other nearly equally devastating pandemics of earlier times [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The conventional survival analysis model on HIV/AIDS prognosis is the Cox proportional hazard model, which deals with only one event type, death, regardless of the cause. Few studies have used a competing risk model to evaluate the predictors of AIDS-related mortality. To estimate the influence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation time and baseline CD4+ cell counts on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related death among former plasma donors. A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 11,905 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS patients in a high-risk area of Henan province in China between 1995 and 2016. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Sub-distribution hazard ratios (sHRs) for AIDS-related mortality with baseline CD4+ cell counts and ART initiation time were determined using a competing risk model. Patients who initiated ART within 90 days of HIV/AIDS diagnosis (sHR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.22–0.27) or had baseline CD4+ counts of >500 cells/μL (sHR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.19–0.28) were associated with lower AIDS-related mortality risk. Patients with ART initiation time >1 year but CD4+ counts >350 cells/μL (sHR: 4.42, 95% CI: 3.30–5.91) had a higher AIDS-related mortality risk than those with ART initiation time >90 days but CD4+ counts ≤350 cells/μL (sHR: 4.33, 95% CI: 3.58–5.23). Our results demonstrate that patients with high CD4+ cell counts and late ART had a 9% higher risk of AIDS-related death than those with low CD4+ cell counts and early ART. This study confirms the great significance of immediate ART initiation among former plasma donor HIV patients in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HIV and AIDS pandemic resulted in increased demands on the South African healthcare system and contributed to elevated stress levels among healthcare workers, including home-based care workers. The goal of the study was to evaluate a stress management programme for HIV and AIDS home-based care workers in Tshwane, South Africa. Social constructionism was adopted as the theoretical framework of the study. The study implemented intervention research and adopted a qualitative research approach, specifically the instrumental case study. Non-probability sampling, specifically volunteer sampling was utilised to recruit a group of twelve HIV and AIDS home-based care workers (n = 12). The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and administered before and after exposure to the stress management programme. The research findings, based on thematic analysis, revealed that the programme was effective in mitigating the impact of stress experienced by the HIV and AIDS home-based care workers in Tshwane. Recommendations are proffered for the refinement of the newly developed stress management programme for implementation among HIV and AIDS home-based care workers in similar field settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sub-Saharan Africa faces and is severely affected by many conflicts. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) threaten both the physical and financial well-being of individuals in these struggling countries. This research aims to investigate the immigrants' attitudes and beliefs regarding HIV/AIDS in the Mopani district, Limpopo Province. Qualitative and quantitative designs were used, and 200 immigrants were sampled. Data was collected using a questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions. Ethical standards were maintained. The study revealed that many respondents expressed discriminatory practices towards individuals infected by HIV. Many viewed promiscuity and the disease called Makhume (meaning illness caused by the omission of purification rites following the death of a family member) as causes of HIV/AIDS. These attitudes could hinder the achievement of healthy lives and the promotion of well-being at all ages if not addressed appropriately. The collaboration of various departments in the Mopani district is required to change these negative attitudes and beliefs that influence immigrants' behaviours. Also, the use of audio-visuals and peer teaching is most successful in changing attitudes and beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adolescent knowledge of safe sex and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can reduce the risk of STIs as well as unplanned pregnancies. Objective: To describe the knowledge of safe sex and STIs and to identify related factors among high school students in Vientiane Prefecture, Lao PDR. Method: This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted at one high school from January to February 2019. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information from respondents. The questionnaires were completed by 337 respondents who were selected by stratified random sampling. The data collected were entered into and analysed using EpiData and Stata 13.0 software. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to determine the factors associated with knowledge of safe sex and STIs. Results: The results showed that nearly half of the participants (49.5%) had a good knowledge of safe sex and 51.9% of the respondents had a good knowledge of STIs. Significant positive associations were shown between knowledge of safe sex by students living with other people, those who had studied family planning and had religious beliefs reflecting acceptance to using birth control. Other factors positively associated with knowledge of STIs were students being in Grade 10, and who had studied STIs including HIV/AIDS. Conclusion: In this study, approximately half of the participants were aware of safe sex and had knowledge of STIs. There is a need to have comprehensive sexual education, particularly emphasising family planning, STIs, and HIV/AIDS for all grades in school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research aims to systematically analyse Iranian university students' awareness and attitude towards AIDS. We published human cross-sectional studies published in English and Persian between 1 January 1990 and 1 January 2018 in the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase Ovid, Scopus, Web of Science. The key terms searched were Student, HIV, AIDS, Iran, Knowledge, and Attitude. The operators used were AND, NOT, OR which led us to find related articles. The overall findings showed that about 30% of university students had a reasonable awareness of AIDS and 44% had an attitude towards AIDS. As the results showed, 37% of the medical students and 23% of the non-medical group had a good awareness of AIDS. This study showed the fact that despite the susceptibility of university students to high-risk behaviours, this population does not enjoy an adequate level of AIDS preventive programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV in Pakistan is concentrated to people who inject drugs (PWID) and easy accessibility of narcotics to this population cannot be disregarded as a risk factor of growing encumbrance of AIDS in the country. All the narcotics and other medications having high potential of abuse are stratified into Schedule G of Punjab Drug Rules 2017. According to these rules, drugs in Schedule G shall be sold in pharmacy under the direct supervision of qualified pharmacist. However, Schedule G is not implemented in Punjab due to continuous resistance from pharmaceutical stakeholders including medical store owners (who are barred to sell drugs from schedule G). Since 1.6 million PWID reported misuse of prescription opioids for non-medical use, delayed implementation of schedule G is attributing to the unabated sale of narcotics without prescription and for non-medical purposes, which is further contributing to the staggering number of PWID in the country. Implementing schedule G will not only curb the existing situation of HIV but will also mitigate the contribution of PWID towards the future events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disclosure of HIV status remains one of the major challenges to the effectiveness of the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in rural areas in South Africa. This study aimed at assessing the determinants of HIV status disclosure among HIV infected pregnant women who have disclosed their HIV status to someone, as well as among those who have disclosed to their partners. Cross-sectional data was collected from 673 HIV sero-positive pregnant women receiving antenatal care services at 12 Community Health Centers in Mpumalanga province. Results indicated that over two-thirds (72.1%) disclosed their status to someone, while just over half (58.4%) disclosed to their partners. Multivariate analysis showed that both disclosure of ones HIV status to someone and to their male partners was significantly associated with increase in antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, the known HIV positive status of their partner, and male involvement during pregnancy. Participants who were diagnosed HIV positive during this current pregnancy were less likely to disclose their HIV status to someone. Non-disclosure during current pregnancy highlights a need for interventions that will encourage disclosure among HIV positive women, with a particular focus on those who are newly diagnosed. The findings also need to integrate male partner involvement and partner disclosure during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information provided by television advertising is an important weapon in the fight against a new public health pandemic--AIDS. The authors assess the brief history of AIDS advertising through a rhetorical analysis of the 1987, 1988, and 1989 federal AIDS television campaigns. The descriptive findings from this analysis provide insights for rethinking the role of television advertising in this, and possibly in other, pandemic crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated the relationship between AIDS-related anxiety and the evaluation of condom advertisements. Data suggest that subjects' attitudes toward condom ads and brands may have been the product of different causes of state anxiety. Attitudes toward the condom ads may have been based on a subject's level of anxiety concerning the spread of AIDS in society. However, attitudes towards the condom brands may have been based on the extent of personal threat from infection through sexual contact. Also, data show that subjects held more positive attitudes for the moderate-fear appeal than the high-fear and non-fear appeals. Implications for advertisers marketing controversial products to help consumers cope with major social problems are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS) is a kind of acquired disease that breaks down the immune system. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of AIDS. By the end of 2016, there were 36.7 million people living with HIV worldwide. Early diagnosis can alert infected individuals to risk behaviors in order to control HIV transmission. Infected individuals are also benefited from proper treatment and management upon early diagnosis. Thanks to the public awareness of the disease, the annual increase of new HIV infections has been slowly declining over the past decades. The advent of molecular diagnostics has allowed early detection and better management of HIV infected patients. Areas covered: In this review, the authors summarized and discussed the current and future technologies in molecular diagnosis as well as the biomarkers developed for HIV infection. Expert Commentary: A simple and rapid detection of viral load is important for patients and doctors to monitor HIV progression and antiretroviral treatment efficiency. In the near future, it is expected that new technologies such as digital PCR and CRISPR-based technology will play more important role in HIV detection and patient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sahara J: Journal of the Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS is the property of Routledge 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.)