University Students and AIDS: Evaluation of HIV Self-Testing Acceptability and Willingness

Given the high incidence of HIV among youth in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is critical to better understand the factors influencing HIV testing in this population; this is the first stage in the HIV treatment cascade. To reach the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets for eradicating AIDS by 2030, 95% of persons living with HIV (PLWHV) should be diagnosed, 95% of those diagnosed should be on antiretroviral medication (ART), and 95% of those on ART should be virally suppressed. Youth (ages 15-24) are less likely than adults (ages 25-49) to receive HIV testing, and they are disproportionately affected by HIV; in 2018, an estimated one-third of all new infections occurred in the 15-24 age group, with Africa accounting for 73% of new infections among youth. HIV self-testing (HIVST) has been found to be an acceptable technique of learning one's HIV status without danger of self or social harm, and may boost the uptake and frequency of testing for teenagers and those who are reluctant to test. The current study therefore, evaluated Kenyan University students' acceptability and willingness towards HIV self-testing (HIVST). The study sampled 250 students from 4 public Universities using simple random sampling method. Data was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The study concluded that many University students choose HIV self-testing (HIVST) owing to stigma

Preparedness for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Pandemic in Africa

Africa’s strategies for pandemic influenza must also strengthen overall public health capacity

‘Are we criminals?’ - Everyday racialisation in temporary asylum accommodation

This paper critically examines the placement of people seeking asylum in temporary accommodation during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is based on a 14-month collaborative ethnography conducted between 2020 and 2022 with asylum seeking individuals in Glasgow. While moves to temporary accommodation were framed by state authorities and private firms as providing a ‘safe environment’ from Covid-19, we show how these relocations amounted to a racialised process which constructed our participants as ‘undeserving’ and ‘unworthy’ of protection and care during a period of crisis. Our analysis highlights how this racialisation took place not only on a policy level but also in practice through everyday encounters with private provider staff. Advancing the literature on asylum housing and dispersal through new theoretical and empirical contributions, we argue that the rise of temporary forms of asylum accommodation can be understood as constitutive of racial modes of belonging within a regime of differential humanity

Impact of the Integration of Water Treatment and Handwashing Incentives with Antenatal Services on Hygiene Practices of Pregnant Women in Malawi

Access to safe drinking water and improved hygiene are important for reducing morbidity and mortality from diarrhea. We surveyed 330 pregnant women who participated in an antenatal clinic-based intervention in Malawi that promoted water treatment and hygiene through distribution of water storage containers, sodium hypochlorite water treatment solution, soap, and educational messages. Program participants were more likely to know correct water treatment procedures (62% versus 27%, P < 0.0001), chlorinate drinking water (61% versus 1%, P < 0.0001), demonstrate correct handwashing practices (68% versus 22%, P < 0.0001), and purchase water treatment solution after free distribution (32% versus 1%, P < 0.0001). Among participants, 72% had at least three antenatal visits, 76% delivered in a health facility, and 54% had a postnatal check. This antenatal-clinic-based program is an effective new strategy for promoting water treatment and hygiene behaviors among pregnant women. Participants had high use of antenatal, delivery, and postnatal services, which could improve maternal and child health