Behavioral, normative, and control beliefs of Filipino men who have sex with men on repeat HIV testing and counseling

Introduction@#The Philippines faces an increasing incidence of HIV. Timely and regular HIV testing can be a preventive method against HIV infection because early detection of the virus leads to early access to treatment. This can lead to viral suppression in which the virus becomes undetectable and untransmittable. Repeat HIV testing is recommended to men who have sex with men (MSM) and other individuals with previous or ongoing risk of acquiring HIV. Following the Reasoned Action Approach model, providing behavioral interventions in promoting retesting among MSM first needs the identification of their salient beliefs toward a repeat test. @*Method@#A qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted. Thirty HIV non-reactive MSM from a community-based HIV testing and counseling center took part in the study. Participants were asked questions designed to elicit salient behavioral, normative, and control beliefs toward a repeat HIV test three to six months following the receipt of the non-reactive HIV screening test result. @*Results@#The most salient belief on the positive consequence of a repeat test was having peace of mind with one’s status; while the most salient belief on the disadvantages was investing in time and travelling as well as experiencing pain from the needlestick. Close friends were the most cited normative referent. Accessibility of facilities and time were believed to be the most salient facilitator and barrier, respectively. @*Conclusion@#HIV/AIDS counselors and administrators can become key persons in increasing regular HIV testing by bringing messages that address the unearthed salient beliefs of MSM toward repeat testing. The salient beliefs extracted from the participants can provide basis for behavioral interventions; however, a formal test through a quantitative study of a larger sample is warranted to identify beliefs that significantly affect attitudinal, normative, and control factors of retest intention.

Incidence of HIV infection in eastern Uttar Pradesh: HIV counseling and testing services record based retrospective study

Background: India has approximately 2.4 million of people living with HIV and out of these two thirds live in rural areas. This study may yield significant data to understand epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in this region that would help in designing techniques for effective implementation to prevent this infection.Methods: The present study was a comprehensive retrospective hospital-based investigation of the HIV infection in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India based on a large number of clinical samples at HCTS centre, representing different geographic regions and has been functional since 2002, conducting HIV tests, counselling of patients as well as maintains proper records.Results: A total of 444 HIV positive clients were registered in this retrospective study. The male and female ratio among all positive clients was 1.67:1 and the most common age group for both the genders was 35-49 years. Among 444 HIV positive clients, HIV-TB co-infection found in 72 (16.21%) cases. Out of 444 clients, 177 (40%) and 167 (38%) found extremely immunocompromised with low CD4 cells count in range between of 0-100 cells/mm3 and >100-350 cells/mm3 respectively. Mortality was seen in 72 (16%) out of 444 HIV positive clients.Conclusions: There is an urgent need of information, education about this disease and by providing suitable occupation or to make them aware, which will markedly help in preventing the spread of HIV pandemic in this geographical region.

Prevalence of HIV and Disease Outcomes on the Medical and Surgical Wards at Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) in a range of clinical settings. We describe the characteristics of patients diagnosed with HIV on the medical and surgical wards at a tertiary care hospital in Malawi. Methods: Under the universal opt-out HCT protocol we characterized the number of new HIV/AIDS infections and associated clinical features among hospitalized surgical and medical patients diagnosed during the course of admission. Results: All 2985 and 3959 medical and surgical patients, respectively, admitted between April 2012 and January 2013 were screened for HCT. 62% and 89% of medical and surgical patients, respectively, had an unknown status on admission and qualified for testing. Of the patients with an unknown status, a new HIV diagnosis was made in 20% and 7% of medical and surgical patients, respectively. Of the newly diagnosed patients with a CD4 count recorded, 91% and 67% of medical and surgical patients, respectively, had a count less than 350, qualifying for ART by Malawi ART guidelines. Newly HIV-diagnosed medical and surgical patients had an inpatient mortality of 20% and 2%, respectively. Discussion: While newly diagnosed HIV-positive medical patients had high inpatient mortality and higher rates of WHO stage 3 or 4 conditions, surgical patients presented with less advanced HIV, though still meeting ART initiation guidelines. The medical inpatient wards are an obvious choice for implementing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), but surgical patients present with less advanced disease and starting treatment in this group could result in more years of life gained.

Operational Research for STD Service: Improvement of Treatment and Care at Siriraj Hospital.

Objective: Operational research for sexually transmitted disease (STD) service was conducted to: 1) create the potential for systematic care: to assess and monitor for HIV and STI; 2) create the linkage among OB-GYN, Medicine and Pediatric Departments of Siriraj Hospital; 3) cervical cancer screening in HIV-infected females by Pap smear once a year; 4) create a system file for collection of STI data of the unit; 5) promote HIV counseling, disclosure and keep records; 6) promote condom usage and reduce risk behaviors of HIV-infected females continuously. Methods: HIV positive females attending STD Clinic, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Siriraj Hospital were enrolled in to the study during March 1, 2005 to September 1, 2006. The procedures include: 1) provide STI testing/treatment, risk-reduction and HIV disclosure counseling, provision of free condoms, and cervical cancer screening at least once a year; 2) develop standardized procedures and data collection tools and strengthen data management; 3) refer women from different departments to the STI clinic for screening; 4) provide training in risk reduction counseling and HIV disclosure counseling. Results: Most of the primary visits were check-up. Chlamydial infection was 2.1% (year 2005). GC infection was 0.5% (year 2005). Abnormal Pap was significantly related to low CD4 count. L-SIL = 9.3%; H-SIL = 26.8%. Among the participants, 10.4% had CD4 count <200. Conclusion: Early detection and treatment of STI is 30%. Early detection of cervical cancer and treatment were increased. Access to ARV for HIV-1 PMTCT was also increased. Cross sectional analysis will show more realistic data since the follow up visit may be a group who came to receive condoms which could be missed as high condom use rate. KPI of success in good clinical tracer include increased condom use and CD4 count, decrease STI, opportunistic infection, and viral load.