Involving young people in the care and support of people living with HIV and AIDS in Zambia

The Population Council, in collaboration with CARE International and Family Health Trust, conducted a study in Zambia to determine which care and support needs of people living with HIV and AIDS and their families could be met by trained youth, and to establish whether youth engaged in formalized care and support activities would increase their adoption of protective behaviors or reduce the stigma faced by members of AIDS-affected households. Discussions with caregivers and clients demonstrated that trained youth are able to meet a range of the needs of clients and orphans and vulnerable children, and that their efforts may be laying the foundation for decreased isolation and stigmatization of AIDS-affected families. This study also demonstrated that NGOs and youth clubs working in relatively isolated rural and semi-urban areas can meet with positive and enthusiastic responses and high levels of participation. A particular focus of the continuing study is to further strengthen local partnerships and expand network linkages in order to promote community ownership and sustainability

'We are no longer called club members but caregivers': Involving youth in HIV and AIDS caregiving in rural Zambia.

This study assessed the strategy of building young people's capacity to provide care and support to people living with HIV and AIDS in rural Zambia. Members of youth anti-AIDS clubs in schools and communities were trained as adjunct caregivers using a locally developed curriculum that allowed them to explore and challenge gendered notions of caregiving and emphasized networking with existing resources. Results show that caregiving increased among males (47% to 82%) and females (41% to 78%). Both sexes provided similar caregiving services, including help with household chores and personal care tasks. Youth also undertook activities with children to decrease their isolation, help them stay in school, and reach additional services. While clients and caregivers reported positive aspects of the programme, both reported frustration with the youths' inability to meet material needs. This study demonstrates that trained youth already involved in anti-AIDS efforts can meet a range of care needs and be valuable assets to their community. It also highlights the importance of communicating clearly what youth can and cannot do, ongoing monitoring and support of youth caregivers, and involving community leaders to give youth credibility and access to local resources

Seroprevalence of HIV-1, HIV-2, and HIV-1 group O in Nigeria : evidence for a growing increase of HIV infection

To determine current data on HIV infection and to further confirm the presence of HIV-1 group O infection in Nigeria, 2300 samples from five states were tested for the presence of HIV antibody. A convenience sampling was obtained from pregnant women, tuberculosis (TB) patients, commercial sex workers (CSWs), blood donors, patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), patients with skin diseases, male clients of CSWs, outpatients suspected bo have AIDS, truck drivers, and community dwellers. With the exception of pregnant women, the HIV prevalences in all these groups were high : 60,6% in CSWs, 16,2% in TB patients, 7,7% in blood donors in some states, and 16% in the rural area of Kano State. Male clients of CSWs, truck drivers, and STD patients had prevalences of 7,8%, 8,6% and 21,2%, respectively. Regional differences in relation to HIV prevalences were observed ; HIV-2 and most of the HIV-1/2 infections were found in the southern states of Nigeria. Higher HIV prevalences were observed in the north-northeast in pregnant women, TB patients, and CSWs, but for blood donors, higher rates were seen in the southeast-southwest. One asymptomatic 50-year-old woman, a community dweller in Kano, was identified to be HIV-1 group O-positive. Compared with data from national surveillance studies in 1991/1992 and 1993/1994, a substantial increase in HIV infection was observed. Our results show a growing incidence of HIV infection in Nigeria and suggest the presence of a rural HIV epidemic. The identification of HIV-1 group O in Kano shows that this virus strain is geographically widespread in Nigeria. (Résumé d'auteur

The identification of a complex A/G/I/J recombinant HIV type 1 virus in various West African countries

In this sequence note we describe the full-length genome sequence of an HIV-1 isolate originting from the West African country of Mali. The phylogenetic tree analysis from the near full-length genome shows that the 95ML84 strain forms a separate cluster, supported by 100% of the bootstrap values, with the previously described A/G/J/? mosaic virus BFP90 from Burkina Faso. Additional analysis showed that throughout the genome the lowest diversity was seen between the 95ML84 and the BFP90 viruses, and bootscan analysis showed a similar complex genomic structure. In addition to the initial report describing the BFP90 virus as an A/G/J/? recombinant, our data show that for the BFP90 and 95ML84 strains the unclassified region corresponds to subtype 1. The A/G/I/J BFP90 and 95ML84 strains represent the fifth and most complex circulating recombinant form of HIV-1 detected so far, and our data show its presence in various West African countries. Subtype 1 and J sequences, initially considered rare, seem to have broadened their geographical spread by way of these recombinant forms. (Résumé d'auteur

Seroprevalence of HIV-1, HIV-2, and HIV-1 group O in Nigeria : evidence for a growing increase of HIV infection

To determine current data on HIV infection and to further confirm the presence of HIV-1 group O infection in Nigeria, 2300 samples from five states were tested for the presence of HIV antibody. A convenience sampling was obtained from pregnant women, tuberculosis (TB) patients, commercial sex workers (CSWs), blood donors, patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), patients with skin diseases, male clients of CSWs, outpatients suspected bo have AIDS, truck drivers, and community dwellers. With the exception of pregnant women, the HIV prevalences in all these groups were high : 60,6% in CSWs, 16,2% in TB patients, 7,7% in blood donors in some states, and 16% in the rural area of Kano State. Male clients of CSWs, truck drivers, and STD patients had prevalences of 7,8%, 8,6% and 21,2%, respectively. Regional differences in relation to HIV prevalences were observed ; HIV-2 and most of the HIV-1/2 infections were found in the southern states of Nigeria. Higher HIV prevalences were observed in the north-northeast in pregnant women, TB patients, and CSWs, but for blood donors, higher rates were seen in the southeast-southwest. One asymptomatic 50-year-old woman, a community dweller in Kano, was identified to be HIV-1 group O-positive. Compared with data from national surveillance studies in 1991/1992 and 1993/1994, a substantial increase in HIV infection was observed. Our results show a growing incidence of HIV infection in Nigeria and suggest the presence of a rural HIV epidemic. The identification of HIV-1 group O in Kano shows that this virus strain is geographically widespread in Nigeria. (Résumé d'auteur