Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0277787 (stigma)
 13,352 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In Africa the AIDS epidemic is primarily spread by heterosexual sexual contact. According to WHO estimates 400,000 Africans contracted AIDS in the last 10 years and approximately 3,500,000 equally divided among both sexes are infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). About 600,000 of them are children 5. Child mortality is projected to increase by 50% in the next 10 years attributable to a further spread of HIV among women who will contaminate their children. Currently, there are more than 1 million African children 10 who are not infected but whose mothers are. There are ominous implications both for women in the traditional role and for working African women on the infrastructure in addition to the anxiety of contracting HIV, the impact on future pregnancies, and the stigma of AIDS victims who are ostracized from society. The case of a woman whose husband recently died of AIDS and who is suffering from ARC (AID-related complex) is detailed. Her twin daughters aged almost 2 are also seropositive. At a clinic an AIDS worker informed her that she and her daughters had 1 or 2 more years to live. AIDS has placed a double burden on the shoulders of African women: to prevent AIDS as care providers and to help the victims, especially because governments and organizations do not provide much support. Committed women who organize to overcome social injustice intrinsic in the suffering of AIDS victims can develop the fighting spirit to better their lives.
 ...
PMID:[The consequences of AIDS for women and children in Africa]. 206 27

Prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is a major challenge particularly in developing countries. The chance of HIV transmission during a single act of intercourse may be increased 50 times. This article discusses the relationship between STDs and HIV transmission and identification of some of the problems involved in treatment, vertical and horizontal integration of health-seeking behavior, and the costs and motivation to halt the spread of STDs and HIV. Special inserts describe the operation of Chicago's Municipal STD Clinic and the typical daily waiting room experiences, and selected commentary on STD treatment in Zambia and Zimbabwe which reveals the interference of one's personal sense of shame and stigma in the treatment process. Estimates of 200 million cases of gonorrhea and 50 million cases of syphilis worldwide are really guestimates since in many countries STDs go unreported, untreated, and unrecognized. The presence of genital sores or even inflammation as in the case of chlamydia is thought to be critical in the transmission of HIV. Sexual behavior changes are needed. The VII Regional Conference of the African Union Against Venereal Diseases, 1991, suggested HIV prevention must concentrate on promoting safer sex, increasing the availability of condoms, and early diagnosis and treatment of STDs. Identifications of STDs can be difficult; many people seek treatment outside the formal health care system. There is a concentration of HIV in areas with high STD rates. In Zambia's University Teaching Hospital in 1991, 54% of all STD patients and 60% of STD patients in an urban health center in Kariba, Zimbabwe, were positive for HIV. 33% of STD clinic patients in Bombay, India, were HIV positive. STD control and prevention could bring about better control of HIV. There also can be pooling of resources and targeting at-risk populations. The transmission chain can be broken with appropriate notification of partners and coordination at the ministerial level between AID and STD programs. Several models of STD control are indicated: vertical as in specialized clinics and horizontal as in regular health care settings. In Sweden, STDs have almost been eliminated due to youth clinic services. Developing countries with an investment of $US10 or less in health care need outside funding for STD programs. Money and innovative strategies are needed but also practical technology for diagnosis and new drugs that are simple, safe, and affordable.
 ...
PMID:Breaking the chain: STDs and HIV. 1231 32