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HIV Status of the World after Three Decades: Progress, Prevention Efforts, Challenges, and Strategies for the Way Forward

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 8656

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
Interests: global health; HIV/AIDS; water and sanitation; gender issues; maternal and child health; program evaluation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The first known cases of HIV were diagnosed in 1981 in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since then, the disease has become a pandemic, infecting and killing millions of people all around the world. HIV has not only robbed nations of their human resources, it has also threatened economic development and challenged health systems. Whereas certain parts of the world have progressed in reducing HIV prevalence following the introduction of the erstwhile Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015), global progress has not been consistent; some countries and regions are doing better than others. Per goal three and target three of the Sustainable Development Goals launched in 2015 on the heels of the Millennium Development Goals, the world should end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 through universal health coverage, access to quality health care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines. With only 10 more years to achieve this target, where do countries and regions of the world stand? What are the successes, general challenges, and challenges associated with prevention efforts? What are some of the identified best strategies for stemming the tide of the epidemic?

Dr. Elizabeth Armstrong-Mensah
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2311 KiB  
Article
Does Venue of HIV Testing and Results Disclosure in the Context of a Research Study Affect Adolescent Health and Behavior? Results from a Study in Western Kenya
by Winnie Kavulani Luseno, Samuel H. Field, Bonita J. Iritani, Fredrick S. Odongo, Daniel Kwaro and Stuart Rennie
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3249; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063249 - 10 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1753
Abstract
Ethical concerns about risks to minor adolescents participating in HIV prevention research is a barrier to their inclusion. One concern is whether HIV testing and results disclosure venue affects the health and behavior of adolescent participants. We assessed for differential effects on quality [...] Read more.
Ethical concerns about risks to minor adolescents participating in HIV prevention research is a barrier to their inclusion. One concern is whether HIV testing and results disclosure venue affects the health and behavior of adolescent participants. We assessed for differential effects on quality of life (QOL), depressive symptoms, and sexual behavior due to (1) testing venue (home or health facility) and (2) test result (HIV-positive, HIV-negative, indeterminate). We collected data at three timepoints (baseline, 2-month follow-up, 12-month follow-up) from 113 Kenyan adolescents aged 15–19 (51% female). We analyzed the data using linear mixed effects models for the QOL and depressive symptoms outcomes and a logistic model for the sexual behavior outcome. Results showed a small mental health benefit for adolescents tested for HIV at a health facility compared with home. There was little evidence that testing venue influenced sexual behavior or that test results moderated the effects of HIV testing across all outcomes. The decision to conduct HIV testing at home or a health facility may not be very consequential for adolescents’ health and behavior. Findings underscore the need to critically examine assumptions about adolescent vulnerability to better promote responsible conduct of HIV prevention research with youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Full article
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7 pages, 351 KiB  
Article
Anti-HIV and Anti-Candidal Effects of Methanolic Extract from Heteropterys brachiata
by Maira Huerta-Reyes, Luis O. Sánchez-Vargas, Getsemaní S. Villanueva-Amador and Luis A. Gaitán-Cepeda
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(14), 7270; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147270 - 7 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2193
Abstract
Nowadays, the HIV pandemic is far from controlled. HIV+/AIDS patients show a serious risk of developing resistance to HIV antiretroviral drugs and to be orally colonized by albicans and non-albicans Candida strains resistant to antifungals. As a consequence, new drugs that possess [...] Read more.
Nowadays, the HIV pandemic is far from controlled. HIV+/AIDS patients show a serious risk of developing resistance to HIV antiretroviral drugs and to be orally colonized by albicans and non-albicans Candida strains resistant to antifungals. As a consequence, new drugs that possess anti-candidal and anti-HIV effects would represent an alternative in the comprehensive treatment of HIV+/AIDS patients. The present study evaluates the possible anti-HIV and anti-Candida effects of a methanolic extract from Heteropterys brachiata (Hb MeOH), an American tropical plant. The anti-HIV effect of Hb MeOH was tested using a non-radioactive colorimetric method (Lenti RT® Activity Assay; Cavidi Tech) that uses reverse transcriptase of HIV-1 enzyme as enzymatic target. The anti-candidal effect of HbMeOH extract was evaluated by following a standardized test protocol of microdilution for yeast using the Candida albicans strain ATCC® 90028. The Hb MeOH at 1 mg/mL concentration shows 38.5% RT-HIV inhibition, while Hb MeOH at 10 mg/mL concentration produced 98% C. albicans growth inhibition. Our findings show that the Hb MeOH possesses a strong anti-candidal activity and moderate anti-HIV effect and suggests that the plant extract could be considered as a potential candidate for HIV/AIDS treatment. Full article

Review

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15 pages, 1369 KiB  
Review
Voluntary Counseling and Testing, Antiretroviral Therapy Access, and HIV-Related Stigma: Global Progress and Challenges
by Elizabeth Afibah Armstrong-Mensah, Ato Kwamena Tetteh, Emmanuel Ofori and Osasogie Ekhosuehi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6597; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116597 - 28 May 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3621
Abstract
To date, about 37 million people are living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and an estimated 680,000 people have died from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) related illnesses globally. While all countries have been impacted by HIV, some have been significantly more [...] Read more.
To date, about 37 million people are living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and an estimated 680,000 people have died from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) related illnesses globally. While all countries have been impacted by HIV, some have been significantly more impacted than others, particularly countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this paper was to identify progress made in HIV prevention globally, particularly in the areas of voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) uptake, access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and HIV-related stigma. With the development of ART, a cocktail of medications for the treatment of HIV, VCT uptake increased, as it became apparent that the medication would only be prescribed after an HIV diagnosis through testing. Widely considered a critical gateway to HIV prevention and treatment, VCT is being implemented in many countries, and as a result, about 38 million people living with HIV in 2018 had access to ART. Regardless of this success, major challenges still remain. We did an electronic search of 135 articles in English related to global HIV progress and challenges indexed in PubMed, ResearchGate, Google, and other search engines from 1998 to 2021. Sixty articles met the inclusion criteria for this paper. Data on trends in ART coverage were obtained from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) website. These data were used to show ART coverage globally in World Health Organization (WHO) regions. It was found that while global successes have been chalked in the areas of VCT uptake and ART coverage, HIV-related stigma has impeded greater success. This paper summarizes and discusses global successes and challenges in HIV prevention efforts in the past four decades with a focus on VCT, ART, and HIV-related stigma. Full article
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