Marital status and risk of HIV infection in South Africa

Objective. Available evidence on the relationship between marital status and HIV is contradictory. The objective of this study was to determine HIV prevalence among married people and to identify potential risk factors for HIV infection related to marital status in South Africa. Methods. A multistage probability sample involving 6 090 male and female respondents, aged 15 years or older was selected. The sample was representative of the South African population by age, race, province and type of living area, e.g. urban formal, urban informal, etc. Oral fluid specimens were collected to determine HIV status. A detailed questionnaire eliciting information on socio-demographic, sex behaviour and biomedical factors was administered through face-to-face interviews from May to September 2002. Results. HIV prevalence among married people was 10.5% compared with 15.7% among unmarried people (p-value < 0.001). The risk of HIV infection did not differ significantly between married and unmarried people (odds ratio (OR) = 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.71 - 1.02) when age, sex, socio-economic status, race, type of locality, and diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) were included in the logistical regression model. However, the risk of HIV infection remained significantly high among unmarried compared with married people when only sex behaviour factors were controlled for in the model (OR 0.55; 95% CI: 0.47 - 0.66). Conclusions. The relationship between marital status and HIV is complex. The risk depends on various demographic factors and sex behaviour practices. Increased prevention strategies that take socio-cultural context into account are needed for married people. S Afr Med J 2004; 94: 537-543

New approaches, new activities and new outcomes in international conferences on HIV/AIDS in Africa – Report of the 3rd African Conference on the social aspects of HIV/AIDS, Dakar, 10 - 14 October 2005

Africa's HIV/AIDS situation remains cause for concern. The impact of HIV is considerable and threatens the survival and development of African societies. Although much has been attempted, the results still leave much to be desired. AIDS is an epidemic that needs to be addressed with much creativity and spirit of initiative. It is against this background that the 3rd African conference on the social aspects of HIV/AIDS brought innovations in the way international conferences are designed, activities implemented and results obtained. The innovations concerned the approach to international conferences and take into account reconceptualising HIV/AIDS so as to encourage holistic approaches and better visibility of vulnerable groups.The activities of the conference were organised in such a way as to get people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), grassroots communities and marginalised groups to play a focal role.The conference offered an opportunity for developing cultural activities that would translate the African cultural concepts that had been identified as important in the HIV situation and response analysis. Interaction at the conference created an opportunity to analyse the various dimensions of the political, cultural and economic determinants. The conference offered food for thought around response construction while singling out the themes of urgency and acceleration of response, synergy construction, and coordination and conception of political responses. Keywords: conference, policies, HIV/AIDS, cultural aspects, responses, determinants Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Vol. 3 (2) August 2006: 424-44

Climate-driven range extension of Amphistegina (protista, foraminiferida) : models of current and predicted future ranges

© The Author(s), 2013. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 8 (2013): e54443, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054443.Species-range expansions are a predicted and realized consequence of global climate change. Climate warming and the poleward widening of the tropical belt have induced range shifts in a variety of marine and terrestrial species. Range expansions may have broad implications on native biota and ecosystem functioning as shifting species may perturb recipient communities. Larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera constitute ubiquitous and prominent components of shallow water ecosystems, and range shifts of these important protists are likely to trigger changes in ecosystem functioning. We have used historical and newly acquired occurrence records to compute current range shifts of Amphistegina spp., a larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera, along the eastern coastline of Africa and compare them to analogous range shifts currently observed in the Mediterranean Sea. The study provides new evidence that amphisteginid foraminifera are rapidly progressing southwestward, closely approaching Port Edward (South Africa) at 31°S. To project future species distributions, we applied a species distribution model (SDM) based on ecological niche constraints of current distribution ranges. Our model indicates that further warming is likely to cause a continued range extension, and predicts dispersal along nearly the entire southeastern coast of Africa. The average rates of amphisteginid range shift were computed between 8 and 2.7 km year−1, and are projected to lead to a total southward range expansion of 267 km, or 2.4° latitude, in the year 2100. Our results corroborate findings from the fossil record that some larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera cope well with rising water temperatures and are beneficiaries of global climate change.This work was supported by grants from the German Science Foundation (DFG; www.dfg.de) to ML and SL (LA 884/10-1, LA 884/5-1)

Track D Social Science, Human Rights and Political Science

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138414/1/jia218442.pd

HIV/Aids, religion and spirituality

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HIV prevalence in three predominantly Muslim residential areas in the Cape Town metropole

The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaObjective. To report on the results of a random and representative household survey of HIV prevalence in 3 predominantly Muslim areas in the Cape Town metropole. Method. A cross-sectional representative community household survey was conducted in 3 residential areas. Aerial photographs were used in the selection of a random sample of 548 households, with the objective of obtaining an oral fluid sample and behavioural data from 2 inhabitants per household. Phase 1 of the study involved preparing the communities and notifying the household residents of the study. In phase 2, trained nurses collected oral fluid specimens for HIV testing and administered a confidential and anonymous behavioural questionnaire to household inhabitants aged 15 years and older. Results. A total of 717 people completed a behavioural interview and 512 were tested for HIV, yielding response rates of 65% and 47% respectively. The specimens of 503 respondents were correctly matched with behavioural data; 352 of these respondents indicated that they were Muslim. Of these oral fluid specimens 9 were reactive and 341 were non-reactive. We therefore calculated HIV prevalence among Muslims living in the three areas at 2.56% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18 - 4.80%). None of the individuals who tested HIV-positive had been previously tested for HIV. There were no HIV infections in the remainder of the sample. Conclusion. The results indicate that HIV prevalence among Muslims living in the 3 targeted residential areas of the Cape Town metropole, while not trivial, is significantly lower than the national prevalence for South Africa. These results imply the need for ongoing prevention and education programmes specifically targeting Muslim youth and adults and support and assistance for Muslims infected with and affected by HIV.Publisher’s versio

Patterns of alcohol consumption and road safety awareness - an exploratory study among young people in two South African communities

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Patterns of alcohol consumption and road safety awereness - An exploratory study among young in two South African communities.

Paper presented at the 32nd Annual Southern African Transport Conference 8-11 July 2013 "Transport and Sustainable Infrastructure", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.This project examines the patterns of alcohol consumption and road safety risks facing young people in two South African communities. The research indicates that levels of consumption in both communities are higher than national averages, with young females consuming comparable amounts and with comparable frequency than males. Hand in hand with high consumption rates is an elevated exposure to actual and potential collision risk – one in nine youngsters have already been involved in a collision of some sort (most commonly as pedestrians) and many are exposed to the dangers of drunk drivers both as pedestrians and as passengers. The level of real understanding about the dangers of drinking and mobility are, however, extremely low – in almost all cases the physiological impact of alcohol was poorly comprehended and even basic knowledge such as national Blood Alcohol Concentration limits are simply not known or understood.This paper was transferred from the original CD ROM created for this conference. The material was published using Adobe Acrobat 10.1.0 Technology. The original CD ROM was produced by Document Transformation Technologies Postal Address: PO Box 560 Irene 0062 South Africa. Tel.: +27 12 667 2074 Fax: +27 12 667 2766 E-mail: nigel@doctech URL: http://www.doctech.co.zamv201