Cortezcoble3401
After initial screening and full-text screening, six articles remained and were included in the qualitative narrative synthesis. This included four randomised control trials and two cohort studies of specific interventions comparing CB-ARTi with the standard of care in SSA. There is evidence that CB-ARTi can increase access to HIV-testing services, linkage to ART, retention in care and viral suppression rates and is possibly not inferior to facility-based healthcare.
CB-ARTi has the potential to increase access to HIV services to people living with HIV in SSA. The results mentioned previously suggest that CB-ARTi models could prove to be equal and possibly not inferior to facility-based ones and warrant further investigation.
CB-ARTi has the potential to increase access to HIV services to people living with HIV in SSA. The results mentioned previously suggest that CB-ARTi models could prove to be equal and possibly not inferior to facility-based ones and warrant further investigation.
South African adolescents (12-17 years) need an array of prevention tools to address their risk of acquiring the life-long, stigmatized condition that is HIV. Prevention tools include pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, service providers may not be clear on the instances where self-consent is permissible or when parental consent should be secured.
To consider the legal norms for minor consent to PrEP using the rules of statutory interpretation.
Legal and policy framework.
We find that PrEP should be interpreted as a form of 'medical treatment'; understood broadly so that it falls within the ambit of one of consent norms in the
. When PrEP is interpreted as 'medical treatment', then self-consent to PrEP is permissible for persons over 12 years, if they have the mental capacity and maturity to understand the benefits, risks, social and other implications of the proposed treatment. Currently, PrEP is only licensed for persons over 35 kg. Reaching the age of 12 years is a necessary but not sufficiis envisaged that these efforts will enable at-risk adolescents to access much needed interventions to reduce their HIV risk.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) associated invasive cervical cancer (ICC) is common in Zimbabwe, disproportionately affecting women living with HIV (WLHIV). Understanding high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection in relation to cervical disease is important for ICC prevention amongst WLHIV.
To describe the prevalence of cervical hrHPV, type distribution, associated risk factors and ICC screening outcomes in an urban cohort of Zimbabwean women.
In this cohort study, WLHIV were tested for hrHPV infection using the Cepheid Xpert® HPV assay and followed up for incident cervical disease. Follow-up assessments were done by visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to describe hrHPV burden and association between hrHPV and potential risk factors. Incidence rates (IR) and rate ratios of cervical disease by hrHPV infection status were also calculated.
Amongst 321 WLHIV recruited, hrHPV prevalence was 24.9% (
= 80). Fifty-two of these women (65%) were positive for hrHncrease screening intervals in hrHPV-negative women, reducing costs for programmes. We recommend further research into cross protectivity of the bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines against these other hrHPV types.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are associated with thyroid abnormalities. Scarce literature exists on the prevalence of thyroid abnormalities in people living with HIV (PLWH) and DM (PLWHD). Guidelines vary regarding thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) screening in PLWH and/or DM.
This study describes thyroid abnormalities in PLWHD and HIV-uninfected people living with DM (PLWD).
This was a cross-sectional analysis of demographic, clinical and biochemical data including TSH results of first-visit patients to the Edendale Hospital diabetes clinic between January 2016 and December 2017.
A total of 915 patients were enrolled 165 PLWHD and 750 PLWD. Overall prevalence of thyroid disorders in PLWD was 8.53% (64/750). The occurrence of 'total' thyroid disorders and of 'subclinical-hypothyroidism' (SCH) was higher in PLWHD than PLWD (23.03% vs. 8.53% and 20.61% vs. 4%,
< 0.001; respectively). People living with HIV and diabetes with thyroid disorders had lower CD4 counts thof SCH. People living with HIV and DM on ART demonstrated an increased prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and poor lipaemic control. The introduction of combined communicable-non-communicable disease clinics might provide an integrated patient screening option.
The quality of the decisions made by women during pregnancy, especially their first visit, depends on their health needs, their health-seeking behaviour and the type of information available to them.
This study describes the health education needs, information barriers and health information-seeking behaviour of pregnant women on their first visit to antenatal clinics in a low-income setting in the Western Cape.
The setting was two antenatal facilities in Khayelitsha Health District facilities in South Africa.
A quantitative descriptive survey was conducted. A systematic random sample of 261 antenatal first visit attendees between May and July 2016 was selected. Selleck Ulonivirine Data were collected using a researcher-administered questionnaire and was analysed using descriptive statistics, 95% confidence intervals and non-parametric tests.
The response rate of the study was 92% (
= 240). Pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic for the first time reported high information needs with low health information-seekor listening to the radio (1.5, ±0.9) were the least used sources of health information. Having a medical diagnosis (p less then 0.001) and being of an advanced maternal age (p = 0.005) were predictive of higher health-seeking behaviour. The reliance on passively receiving information from health sources may indicate low levels of health literacy and its inverse relationship to health promoting behaviours which should be the subject of further investigation.
