background : suicidal behavior and hiv/aids are considered as significant public health concerns. hiv infection has been associated with elevated risk of suicidal ideation. methods and materials: cross-sectional and descriptive research design was used to record socio-demographic data of the study. the suicidal ideation scale beck was used to determine and measure the frequency of suicide ideat...

BACKGROUND Contact tracing (CT) has rarely been used to improve HIV case finding in sub-Saharan Africa because of concerns regarding privacy protection and possibly high costs. METHODS We estimate the relative cost of identifying an undiagnosed HIV infection through CT compared with client-initiated voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and door-to-door provider-initiated testing (PIT). We u...

BACKGROUND Reproductive health programming for female sex workers (FSW) may include contraceptive services but rarely addresses safer pregnancy planning. METHODS Adult FSW were enrolled into a cross-sectional study across four sites in Burkina Faso and Togo using respondent-driven sampling. Sociobehavioral questionnaires and HIV counseling and testing were administered. Sample statistics and ...

BACKGROUND HIV prevention is increasingly focused on people living with HIV (PLWH) and the role of healthcare settings in prevention. Emergency Departments (EDs) frequently care for PLWH, but do not typically endorse a prevention mission. We conducted a pilot exploratory evaluation of the first reported ED program to address the prevention needs of PLWH. METHODS This retrospective observation...

Introduction: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the outcome of a viral infection human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has not only affected individuals physically, but individuals have also lost their social identity due to societal stigma and discrimination. Counseling is considered a powerful tool of creating positive attitudes among these patients and thus enhancing their quality of l...

Many HIV serodiscordant couples have a strong desire to have their own biological children. Natural conception may be the only choice in some resource limited settings but data about natural conception is limited. Here, we reported our findings of natural conception in HIV serodiscordant couples. Between January 2008 and June 2014, we retrospectively collected data on 91 HIV serodiscordant coup...

Pediatricians can play a key role in preventing and controlling HIV infection by promoting risk-reduction counseling and offering routine HIV testing to adolescent and young adult patients. Most sexually active youth do not feel that they are at risk of contracting HIV and have never been tested. Obtaining a sexual history and creating an atmosphere that promotes nonjudgmental risk counseling i...

Couples HIV testing and counseling (CHTC) has been used for more than 20 years in African settings and more recently among men who have sex with men in the United States, but little is known about willingness of heterosexuals in the U.S. to use CHTC. We conducted an online survey of heterosexuals in sexual relationships to assess willingness to use CHTC and willingness to discuss relationship a...

BACKGROUND: We evaluated changing HIV testing coverage and prevalence rates before and after expanding city-wide antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs in Lusaka, Zambia. METHODS: We conducted serial cross-sectional surveys on the University Teaching Hospital medical ward to assess HIV prevalence among inpatients of unknown status in 2003 and 2006. Willing participants received counseling and d...