Although HIV/AIDS is a global epidemic the majority of people living with HIV/AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a leading cause of death in that region and a serious public health problem with southern Africa being the most affected. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only part of the world where HIV prevalence and AIDS deaths are higher for women than for men. The gender dimension is therefore vital to understanding how HIV is spread: the concept facilitates an analysis of how men’s and women’s roles increase vulnerability to the disease. In every society males and females — who by nature are biologically different — are expected to behave in prescribed ways. In some cultures in southern Africa men are expected to have multiple partners while women are expected to be monogamous; the age of marriage is often lower for females than for males and men are expected to have younger sexual partners. Common law and customary laws reinforce these expectations. (excerpt)

Correcting gender inequalities is central to controlling HIV / AIDS [editorial]

With the increasing use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in developing countries, little is known on the potential impact of large-scale ART use on sexual behavior. We used Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection as a marker for sexual behavior to aid in assessing the association between ART related knowledge and beliefs and sexual behavior. This cross-sectional study analyzed secondary data collected in Kisumu’s general population. A total of 1,655 participants (749 men, 906 women) aged 15 to 49yrs were interviewed. Socio-demographic factors, prevalence of HSV-2 and ART related knowledge and beliefs and their association with HSV-2 infection were evaluated. Overall, the prevalence of HSV-2 was 53%, and significantly higher in females (65%) than males (38%), p 2 times odds of having HSV-2 (aOR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.1 to 3.43) similar observations in females (aOR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.34 to 3.40). Misinformation on ART capability may lead to increased HIV and sexually transmitted infection incidence if people think they are a cure for HIV. Targeted informative messages on ART to those at risk may aid in reducing the incidence of HSV-2.

	 

	Key words: Antiretroviral therapy, knowledge, beliefs, herpes simplex virus, general population, Kisumu, Kenya.

https://www.academicjournals.org/article/article1379665566_Njuguna et al.pdf

Henry Njuguna

Papers

Herpes simplex virus type 2 seroprevalence, HIV and Antiretroviral therapy knowledge and beliefs in the general population in Kisumu, Kenya