HIV Self-Testing, Self-Stigma and Haart Treatment at the University of Limpopo: Health Sciences Students' Opinion and Perspectives.

HIV self-testing (HIVST) is an empowering process in which an individual performs an HIV rapid diagnostic test and interprets the result in privacy. Policy makers have turned to it to facilitate greater uptake, earlier diagnosis, access to prevention, care and treatment services. The University of Limpopo now has an established HIV counselling and testing (HCT) service. Unfortunately, the uptake of this HCT service by the student body is not encouraging. It was against this background that a study was carried out among health sciences students, to assess the potential of HIVST to increase access to and uptake of HIV testing on campus. Information was gathered through focus group discussions and the social media Whatspp, among 300 health sciences students, to provide a 'yes' or 'no' response to an enquiry, about HIVST and the pregnancy test. One on one discussion on the same issues was also held with the staff at the student Health Centre which now stocks ARVs. About 51% of the students, the majority being females indicated that they would go for the HIVST. Students' opinion and perspectives appeared to suggest that there was a potential for the HIVST to increase uptake for HIV testing.

Factors influencing treatment outcomes in tuberculosis patients in Limpopo Province, South Africa, from 2006 to 2010: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: South Africa has a high burden of tuberculosis (TB), with high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-TB co-infection rates and the emergence of multidrugresistant TB. OBJECTIVES: To describe treatment outcomes and factors influencing outcomes amongst pulmonary TB (PTB) patients in the Limpopo Province. METHOD: A retrospective review was conducted of data on the provincial electronic TB register (ETR.net) for the years 2006 to 2010 (inclusive), and a random sample of 1200 records was selected for further analysis. The Chi square test was used to examine the influence of age, gender, health facility level, diagnostic category and treatment regimen on treatment outcomes. RESULTS: Overall 90 617 (54.6% male) PTB patients were registered between 2006 and 2010. Of the sampled 1200 TB cases, 72.6% were in persons aged 22 to 55 years and 86.2% were new cases. The TB mortality rate was 13.6% (much higher than the World Health Organization target of 3%), whilst the default rate was 9.8%. There was a strong association between age (P < 0.001), diagnostic category (P < 0.001), treatment regimen (P < 0.001), and health facility level (P < 0.001) and treatment outcome. Those aged 22­55, and 56­74 years were more likely to die (P < 0.05). Poor treatment outcomes were also associated with initial treatment failure, receiving treatment at hospital and treatment regimen II. CONCLUSION: The poor TB treatment outcomes in Limpopo, characterised by a high mortality and default rates, call for strengthening of the TB control programme, which should include integration of HIV and/or AIDS and TB services.

Reference values and predictors of white blood cell subset counts: a cross-sectional study among HIV seronegative pregnant women in Zimbabwe.

OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors and develop reference values of white blood cell subset counts for pregnant black women in Zimbabwe. STUDY DESIGN: In this cross-sectional study, multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis was employed to assess the relationship of WBC subset counts with age, gestational age, gravidity, season, serum retinol, beta-carotene, ferritin, folate and alpha-1 antichymotrypsin among 998 women 22-35 weeks pregnant attending antenatal care (ANC) in Harare, Zimbabwe. RESULTS: Mean age was 24.0 (95% CI; 23.6-24.4), range 14-45 years. The mean gestational age was 29.2 (95% CI; 29.0-29.4), range 22-35 weeks. Median gravidity was 2, range 1-9. Predictors of neutrophil counts were gestational age, season and serum ferritin, the latter in interaction with gravidity (interaction, p = 0.016). Mean lymphocyte count was 0.13 x 10(9)cells/l higher in gravida >4 than gravida 1-3, and 0.35 x 10(9)cells/l higher in the late rainy than other seasons. Predictors of monocyte counts were gestational age, serum folate and season, while eosinophil counts declined with advancing gestation. Reference values adjusted or unadjusted for identified predictors were different from those of pregnant and non-pregnant white women reported in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Gravidity, season and micronutrient status influence WBC counts during pregnancy and therefore are of physiological and clinical importance. WBC reference values in the literature were not applicable obviating the need for local reference values.