MSM in South India

via Deccan Herald, by Kalyan Ray

In what can emerge as a fresh public health challenge, literate young men in southern India are increasingly getting involved in high-risk activity of having sex with men without protection, making them vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. 

Though there is barely any reliable statistics available on the MSM (Men having Sex with Men) prevalence, as many as 8,615 members of the MSM community were interviewed in a new behavioural survey carried out in 15 districts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

In majority of the districts, HIV prevalence ranged from 5 to 30 per cent among high risk men while prevalence of other sexual diseases in the same community vary from 2 to 20 per cent.

The researchers claimed that actual numbers of the MSM population could be more because it was “representative sample”, which means only about 700 MSM people from each districts were interviewed for the study conducted between 2006 and 2010. The scientists took care to ensure that the same person is not interviewed twice.

Read the rest.


[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]

University freshers often green about dangers of HIV in Kenya

via PlusNews

They arrive at university looking forward to the freedom and challenges that come with life on campus, but researchers say few Kenyan "freshers" are prepared to navigate the murky waters of adult sexual relationships.

"In recent research, which has yet to be filed, we found that 70 percent of freshers [at Egerton University, in Kenya's Rift Valley Province] know how HIV is transmitted, but almost 90 percent have never attended [a] seminar or forum on HIV," said Bernard Kibor, HIV/AIDS coordinator at the university.

According to the Kenya demographic and health survey 2008/2009, 47 percent of women and 58 percent of men have had sexual intercourse by the age of 18, when many young people first start university. Although sex education in schools is part of the country's HIV prevention strategy, many teachers are not trained in the subject and young people often glean their knowledge of sex from their peers.

Read the rest.


[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]

Hunger and HIV in the Horn of Africa: Famine Exacerbates the Epidemic

An estimated 11.6 million people are struggling for basic nutrition and sanitation in the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa – and experts have warned that this situation could have a serious effect on the health of people undergoing HIV treatment. The United Nations has said that 750,000 people could die if global assistance fails to meet the required target (so far, only 62% of the total has been contributed).

The worst drought in 60 years has led to large-scale food scarcity, which is a well-known barrier to antiretroviral (ARV) effectiveness. ARVs increase the appetite and a lack of food has been known to worsen the side-effects. Additionally, HIV-positive mothers may have to feed their children with a mixture of solid food and breast milk, thereby increasing the risk of transmission.

The number of sexual assault and rape cases also increases in refugee camps as regular societal and legal protection systems break down. With that, the risk of new HIV infections also rises. While post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may be available at some places, most rapes go unreported and HIV prevention awareness is low. Many women are also forced to turn to sex work to survive and procure food for their families, and the lack of condoms increases the chances of HIV infection.

Thousands of migrants will also face problems with adherence – the stigma attached to HIV makes it hard for them to approach unknown healthcare providers for services. Additionally, the already-limited health services are dealing with the ongoing starvation crisis and HIV treatment services are often not prioritized at such times.

You can read a UNAIDS feature story on this situation as well as an article on the IRIN website. The issue was also mentioned as one of the stories to follow during UN week in a blog post written by Mark Leon Goldberg, managing editor of the UN Dispatch blog.

Tell us – what do you think needs to be done to tackle a crisis such as this one? Africa has seen millions of people die from HIV infection, and the numbers are often exacerbated due to socio-political tumult in the region. How can we work towards a long-term solution to this problem, to try and limit the impact ofthe HIV epidemic? (Note: The Horn of Africa Initiative is one such effort, which has been working to “halt and reverse the spread and address the impact of HIV and AIDS in the Horn of Africa region.”)

[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]

The 96 Percent Campaign: How Obama Can Help End the AIDS Crisis

via RealityCheck, by Matthew Kavanagh

President Obama has repeatedly stressed his administration’s commitment to science as one way to distinguish his leadership from that of his predecessor.  Right now that commitment is being put to the test on HIV and AIDS: if the President could do more to  end the crisis, would he?

A revolutionized response to the global AIDS crisis has just been made possible with the August publication of a US-funded study showing that antiretroviral AIDS medicines (ARVs) can cut the risk of HIV transmission from an infected to a non-infected partner  by 96 percent. Not only do AIDS drugs save lives—they are among the most powerfully effective prevention tools.

This double-benefit changes the equation in fighting AIDS at home and abroad and raises the question: Will the Obama administration respond?

That is why we are launching The 96% Campaign making clear the choice the President faces between action and inaction. AIDS treatment is not just science—it’s a reproductive, economic, and racial justice issue.

The Obama administration has had a decidedly mixed record on AIDS treatment. Now, the science and our communities are asking: Will he step up?

Read the rest.


[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]

Quick Follow-Up Testing Increases the Rate of People Seeking Antiretroviral Treatment

via The New York Times, by Nicholas Bakalar

In low-income countries, as many as two-thirds of those in need of antiretroviral drugs to treat H.I.V. infection never get them. One reason is that after a positive H.I.V. test, many patients never return to the clinic for the next step — a test to determine blood levels of CD4 cells, a measure of immune function essential to deciding whether treatment is needed, and if so, what kind.

New equipment makes it possible to determine CD4 counts immediately after a patient tests positive for H.I.V. A study published online in The Lancet last week found that so-called point-of-care testing in Mozambique has resulted in a substantial increase in the number of patients whose CD4 counts are evaluated.

Researchers studied results at four public health clinics in Mozambique, looking at data on more than 900 patients who were found to be infected before and after point-of-care CD4 testing was instituted. About 70 percent of them were women.

Before quick testing was available, 42 percent of infected patients returned to learn their CD4 count at a subsequent visit. After point-of-care testing began, 78 percent of infected patients were evaluated — that is, almost twice as many infected people took this important first step toward drug treatment.

“These point-of-care technologies are great and are going to solve lots of access issues,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Ilesh V. Jani, director of the National Institute of Health in Mozambique. “But they are not magic bullets. The 78 percent means that we have managed to increase efficiency. But where did the other 22 percent go?”

Read the Abstract of the study here.


[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]