3 research outputs found
Spillover of a hepatitis A outbreak among men who have sex with men (MSM) to the general population, the Netherlands, 2017.
Since 2015, outbreaks of hepatitis A among men who have sex with men (MSM) have been reported worldwide. To examine the impact of these MSM outbreaks in the Netherlands, we combined notification and epidemiological data with sequence analysis. Our results show the hazards of outbreaks within risk-groups spilling over into the largely susceptible general population. One third of the outbreak-related hepatitis A virus genotypes were detected in non-MSM cases
Fear Of Stigmatization As Barrier To Voluntary HIV Counselling And Testing In South Africa
Objective: The objective of this qualitative study was to identify
psychosocial correlates of HIV voluntary counselling and testing (VCT),
with an emphasis on the association between fear of AIDS-related stigma
and willingness to have an HIV test. Methods: The study was executed
in Limpopo Province at University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa.
Focus group interviews were held among 72 students, divided over 10
groups. Results: Results showed that participants had different
levels of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and VCT, and that AIDS was still
strongly associated with 'death'. Results further demonstrate that HIV/
AIDS related stigma is still a very serious problem in South Africa.
Lack of HIV/ AIDS related knowledge, blaming persons with HIV/AIDS for
their infection, and the life-threatening character of the disease were
seen as the most important determinants of AIDS-related stigma. The
main benefit to go for VCT was 'knowing your HIV status', whereas main
barriers for testing were 'fear of being stigmatised' and ‘fear
of knowing your HIV positive status'. Conclusion: Fear of
stigmatization is an important barrier to HIV testing and has negative
consequences for AIDS prevention and treatment. Interventions to reduce
HIV-related stigma are needed in order to foster voluntary HIV
counselling and testing in South Afric