Assessment of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among people living with HIV/AIDS: a single-centered study

Introduction: as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are distributed and administered globally, hesitancy towards the vaccine hinders the immunisation of a significant number of vulnerable populations, such as people living with HIV/AIDS. Hence, this study aims to assess COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) attending clinical-outpatient follow-up at State Specialist Hospital Maiduguri (SSHM), Borno State, Nigeria. Methods: a hospital-based cross-sectional study design was conducted to assess COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among 344 PLHIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the United States President´s Emergency Plan for AIDS (PEPFAR) clinic in SSHM from 4th January to 25th February 2022. Data were collected using a structured and pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. The results were presented using frequencies and percentages. The factors that are associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy were identified using the Chi-square statistical test. Results: among the 344 respondents of the study, only 88 (26.6%) received the COVID-19 vaccine. Out of the 256 respondents that did not receive the vaccine, only 10.5% (27/256) are willing to be vaccinated, while the majority; 57.8% (148/256) are not willing to be vaccinated and 31.7% (81/256) of the respondents are uncertain, thus resulting in a hesitation rate of 89.45%. There was no statistically significant association between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the study´s independent variables; where p-value is greater than 0.05. Conclusion: hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccine is high among PLHIV and there is no any statistically significant association between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the independent variables of the study where p-value is greater than 0.05. Hence, it is necessary to develop targeted strategies to boost vaccine uptake among this vulnerable population

Assessment of HIV Related Symptoms among People Living with HIV/AIDS Attending ART Clinics in Bauchi State Nigeria

Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are characterized by a multitude of symptoms that still persist even with the advent of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy HAART. As a result, this study aims to assess the physical and psychosocial symptoms related to HIV/AIDS among People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Bauchi state. A cross-sectional descriptive research design was used with a total sample of 384 PLWHA recruited through multistage sampling technique from eight ART centres in Bauchi state. The respondents were interviewed using a questionnaire developed from the revised signs and symptoms checklist for HIV, the HIV-related Symptoms Severity Scale (SSC-HIVrev), and HIV related social problem scale. The data collected was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science students (SPSS) version 23.0. Frequency tabulation, descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used. Most of the participants were affected by physical stressors; the most common symptoms were fever (77.1%), headache (69.8%) and fatigue (65.4%) in the physical dimension, worry/fear (60.9%) in the psychological dimension and grief (57.3%) in the social dimension. Based on these findings it can be concluded that despite the increasing access to ART manageable symptoms still exist. The assessment of these symptoms is essential alongside other virological outcomes as well as the coping strategies adopted to self-manage the symptoms. Keywords: HIV related symptoms, HIV/AIDS, people living with HIV/AIDS, Physical and Psychological Symptom

Prière pour l’intervention divine: La réalité « des trois délais » au nord du Nigéria.

This paper describes how pregnant women in three northern Nigerian communities responded to maternal complications that occurred outside of a hospital setting. The sample consisted of 322 women who had recently delivered, of which 15% had at least one complication. Thirty-seven percent of women described antepartum or postpartum haemorrhage. Over 60% of women went to a health care facility, but 35% first tried herbal remedies and another 20% simply waited for their husband to return. The median interval between recognizing the problem and deciding to seek help was two hours. It took approximately one to two hours to reach the hospital and upon arrival, most respondents got care in one to two hours. Rural communities clearly have their own hierarchy of appropriate actions in the face of a household emergency which need to be understood in order to develop creative intervention strategies to reduce unnecessary risks to the life of a motherCette étude fait une description de la manière dont les femmes dans les trois communautés du nord du Nigéria ont réagi aux complications maternelles qui se produisent en dehors du milieu hospitalier. L’échantillon comprenait 322 femmes qui venaient récemment d’accoucher, dont au moins 15% avaient une complication. Trente-cinq pourcent des femmes ont décrit l’hémorragie de l’ante-partum ou de post-partum. Plus de 60% des femmes ont fréquenté un établissement de santé, mais trente-cinq pourcent ont essayé les remèdes à base de plantes et un autre 20% n’ont fait qu’attendre que leurs maris rentrent. L’intervalle moyen entre la reconnaissance du problème et la décision de rechercher l’aide était deux heures. On mettait presque deux heures pour arriver à l’hôpital et une fois là-bas, la plupart des interrogées ont reçu des soins au cours d’une heure ou deux. Les communautés rurales ont clairement leur propre hiérarchie d’actions appropriées face à une urgence familiale qu’on doit comprendre afin de développer des stratégies de l’intervention créatrice pour réduire les risques inutiles de la vie d’une mèr