ABSTRACT
Aims: Fertility desires among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) could have important HIV prevention and demographic implications particularly in high prevalence settings such as Cameroon. There is a paucity of data on fertility desires and associated factors among PLHIV in Cameroon. The aim of the study was to determine whether HIV positive women desire having children so as to improve on the sexual and reproductive health messages and services provided to them. Study Design: This was a facility based cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Regional Hospital Limbe (RHL) HIV treatment centre between May and June 2014. Methodology: Systematic sampling was used to select 250 women between the ages of 15–49 years as they consulted at the clinic. Participants were recruited and data collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Results: Mean age was 32 years and 75.9% were sexually active. In this study, 51.4% were not married while 48.6% were married. Fertility desires was high (83.3%) and child bearing after HIV diagnosis was common (48%) with 71.2% of them not going in for preconception counseling. In multivariate analysis, older age (OR: 20.895, 95%CI: 5.3-83.5), not using condom (OR: 30.021, 95% CI: 3.4-262.6) and not being married (OR: 4.87, 95%CI: 1.4-17.6) were having a significantly higher chance of desiring children in future. Majority of WLWHIV (86.9%) indicated a need for RH education. Fertility desire (OR: 11.013, P=.001), previous RH discussions (OR: 7.49, P=.001) and knowledge of PMTCT (OR: 3.647, P=0.021) were the best predictors of RHE need. Conclusion: A substantial number of WLWHIV attending RHL HIV treatment centre desire having children and there is unmet Reproductive Health Education needs for these women. There is need to sought new strategies to address reproductive health care services so as to satisfy reproductive health care needs of HIV positive woman in Cameroon.
ABSTRACT
Salmonella spp. have been extensively incriminated worldwide as common causes of bacterial gastroenteritis in humans, with food-animals serving as important reservoirs. The study was aimed at investigating cattle and pigs slaughtered in Buea as reservoirs of Salmonella Typhimurium and the susceptibility of isolates to antibiotics. In total, 230 specimens (comprising 50 each from the rectum, ileum, and gall bladder of cattle; and 10 each from same anatomical sites of pigs and 50 from abattoir drains) were analyzed for Salmonella using the standard microbiological, biochemical and serological techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was determined by the Kirby-Bauer disc-diffusion test. The isolates were characterized into biotypes using the API 20E kit, and results were analyzed using the chi-square test. Seventy-five (32.6%) of the 230 specimens were positive for S. Typhimurium, with pigs and abattoir drains presenting the highest level of isolation (40%). Biochemical typing grouped the isolates into five biotypes. Biotype I was the most prevalent (30.6%) while biotype IV was the least prevalent (9.3%) and was absent in samples from pigs. Antibiotic susceptibility studies revealed 14 antibiotypes based on antibiotics used in the study. The predominant antibiotype AMXR DOXRCEFR was recorded in 13 (17.3%) of the isolates. Multidrug resistance (to four or more antibiotics) was recorded in 50.7% (38/75) of the isolates. The most active drugs were ciprofloxacin (98.6%), ofloxacin (93.3%), amikacin (90.6%), and gentamicin (84%). All the isolates (100%) were resistant to tetracycline and ampicillin. Cattle and pigs were found to be reservoirs of S. Typhimurium in the environment of Buea, Cameroon, implying that foods from these sources, if not properly handled, could serve as vehicles for its transmission to humans.