Attitudes of female street vendors towards HIV/AIDS in Vhembe district of South Africa

Background: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are still global health problems. This study was conducted to describe the attitudes of female street vendors (FSV) in Thohoyandou, Vhembe district, towards HIV/AIDS and those infected with the virus.Materials and methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Data were collected by means of a structured, self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0.Results: Majority (85.0%) of the participants had completed secondary education, 46.7% were single and 41.5% were aged 40 and above. Most of them (90.5%) indicated that they would accept to do a voluntary HIV test. Fear of stigmatization ranked highest among the reasons given by those not in favour of testing. Whilst 91.0% of the participants reported that they can stay in the same house with a person who is HIV positive and 88.5% said they would not have sex in exchange for money, only 57.5% indicated that they would agree to take antiretroviral drugs if they tested positive in pregnancy. The level of education was found to be significantly associated (p-value = 0.000) with the type of attitude shown towards HIV and those infected.Conclusion: It is recommended that HIV information providers and health workers in  outh Africa pay more attention to enlightening women about the importance of taking antiretroviral drugs in pregnancy to reduce the incidence of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.Keywords: Attitude; female street vendors; HIV/AIDS; health workers, antiretroviral drugs

ATTITUDES OF FEMALE STREET VENDORS TOWARDS HIV/AIDS IN VHEMBE DISTRICT OF SOUTH AFRICA

Background: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are still global health problems. This study was conducted to describe the attitudes of female street vendors (FSV) in Thohoyandou, Vhembe district, towards HIV/AIDS and those infected with the virus. Materials and methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Data were collected by means of a structured, self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: Majority (85.0%) of the participants had completed secondary education, 46.7% were single and 41.5% were aged 40 and above. Most of them (90.5%) indicated that they would accept to do a voluntary HIV test. Fear of stigmatization ranked highest among the reasons given by those not in favour of testing. Whilst 91.0% of the participants reported that they can stay in the same house with a person who is HIV positive and 88.5% said they would not have sex in exchange for money, only 57.5% indicated that they would agree to take antiretroviral drugs if they tested positive in pregnancy. The level of education was found to be significantly associated (p-value = 0.000) with the type of attitude shown towards HIV and those infected. Conclusion: It is recommended that HIV information providers and health workers in South Africa pay more attention to enlightening women about the importance of taking antiretroviral drugs in pregnancy to reduce the incidence of mother-to-child transmission of HIV

Factors Associated With Small Size at Birth in Nepal: Further Analysis of Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2011

Background: The global Low Birth Weight (LBW) rate is reported to be 15.5% with more than 95% of these LBW infants being from developing countries. LBW is a major factor associated with neonatal deaths in developing countries. The determinants of low birth weight in Nepal have rarely been studied. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with small size at birth among under-five children. Methods: Data from the 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) were used. The association between small size at birth and explanatory variables were analysed using Chi-square tests (χ2) followed by logistic regression. Complex Sample Analysis was used to adjust for study design and sampling.Results: A total of 5240 mother- singleton under five child pairs were included in the analysis, of which 936 (16.0%) children were reported as small size at birth. Of 1922 infants whose birth weight was recorded, 235 (11.5%) infants had low birth weight (<2500 grams). The mean birth weight was 3030 grams (standard deviation: 648.249 grams). The mothers who had no antenatal visits were more likely (odds ratio (OR) 1.315; 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.042-1.661)) to have small size infants than those who had attended four or more antenatal visits. Mothers who lived in the Far-western development region were more likely to have (OR 1.698; 95% CI (1.228-2.349)) small size infants as compared to mothers from the Eastern development region. Female infants were more likely (OR 1.530; 95% CI (1.245-1.880)) to be at risk of being small than males. Conclusion: One in every six infants was reported to be small at birth. Attendance of antenatal care programs appeared to have a significant impact on birth size. Adequate antenatal care visits combined with counselling and nutritional supplementation should be a focus to reduce adverse birth outcomes such as small size at birth, especially in the geographically and economically disadvantaged areas such as Far-western region of Nepal

Effect of maternal oral ingestion of Aspirin on birth weight of wistar rat offspring

Abstract This study was carried out to examine the influence of maternal oral ingestion of aspirin on the birth weight of off springs in Wistar rats. The experiment was performed with 30 rats consisting of 24 females and 6 males of body weights ranging between 200g and 250grams. The 6 males were separated from the 24 females; which were then divided into 2 groups of 12 each, A and B respectively. Nine female rats were then removed from each group to form classes A and B, while the remaining 6 females formed the control class C. Each was then placed in an enclosure for 2 days with a male after which they were examined for signs of copulation. Water containing soluble aspirin in varying doses was then administered to the rats in classes A and B on the various gestational days. Off springs of the animals were weighed and their weights recorded. A decrease in offspring birth weights was recorded to be more in class B, receiving higher doses of aspirin, compared to class A. The birth weights of the newborns in the control group were observed to be within the normal range of 5 to 6grams for Wistar rats. Maternal ingestion of aspirin led to the production of off springs with low birth weight, the severity depending on the dosage of aspirin administered

Urinary schistosomiasis: Water contact frequency and infectivity among secondary school students in Ibadan, Nigeria

This study was carried out among the students of three secondary schools in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria, using the Ajibode stream situated along Ajibode village as the project area. A total of 205 students were examined, for the presence of Schistosoma (S.) haematobium ova from the three secondary schools. Sixty students from one school served as controls because the school is located far away from the stream while 145 students from the other two schools, served as tests because of their proximity and accessibility to the stream. Out of the 145 students, 7(6.7%) males and 1(2.5%) female had S. haematobium ova in their urine samples. Ajibode Grammar school had the highest number of 6 (24%), out of the 80 students sampled in that school. A prevalence of 2 (10%), was recorded in Abadina College among the 65 students sampled in the school. There was no significant association between the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis among male and female students in the two schools, (Abadina College and Ajibode Grammar School. Also, there was no association between the prevalence among male and female students in both schools (df = 1, x2 = 0.97, P&gt;0.05). The water-contact frequency and knowledge of the cause of the disease among the students were investigated with the use of a structured standardised questionnaire. The Ajibode stream and its surroundings were examined for the presence of Bulainus globusus, the intermediate host of S. haematobium. Snails found were examined for infectivity and the presence of sporocysts confirmed infectivity. Water samples, from the stream were also examined for miracidia and cercariae. The presence of these confirmed that the stream was infected.Keywords: Schistosoma haematobium, Bulainus globusus, sporocysts, miracidia and cercariaeNigerian Journal of Parasitology, Vol. 32 [1] March 2011, pp. 129-13