STD partner notification and referral in primary level health centers in Nairobi, Kenya

Article Abstract:

Counseling programs that encourage patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to notify their sexual partners may be effective in controlling the spread of STDs in the developing world. Limited transportation and communication services, fear, and cultural barriers restrict STD patients and clinic staff in notifying STD partners in developing nations. Researchers gave 5-10 minutes of additional counseling to 254 STD patients in a developing country. The researchers counseled them on the importance of informing their sexual partners about their condition and encouraging their partners to seek treatment. The researchers asked these patients to return one week later for follow-up. Only 100 patients returned. Sixty-eight percent of these patients claimed to have informed their partners and 58% claimed that their partners received treatment. Without the additional counseling, only 15% of STD partners received treatment. Married patients and women attending family clinics were most likely to inform their potentially infected partners.

Sexually transmitted diseases, Evaluation, Developing countries, Disease reporting, Public health administration, Health counseling

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The duration of breastfeeding by HIV-1-infected mothers in developing countries: balancing benefits and risks

Article Abstract:

New mothers in developing countries who are HIV-positive should breastfeed their infants no longer than seven months. There is evidence that HIV can be transmitted in breast milk and many new mothers in developing countries do not have access to nutritional substitutes. Researchers used a mathematical model to compare the risk of an infant dying from lack of proper nutrition to its risk of contracting HIV from breast milk. Breast milk is crucial during the first few months, but over a period of time its benefits decline. However, the risk of contracting HIV is constant throughout the breastfeeding period. The model showed that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risk of contracting HIV only during the first three to seven months. Many women continue breastfeeding for a year or more. Additional research may determine approximately when viral transmission occurs during breastfeeding.

Women, Prevention, HIV infection in children, Pediatric HIV infections, Disease transmission, HIV infection in women, Breast feeding

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Comparison of the declines in CD4 counts in HIV-1-seropositive female sex workers and women from the general population in Nairobi, Kenya

Article Abstract:

CD4 T cell counts appear to decline much more rapidly among HIV-infected female prostitutes in Kenya than in other HIV-infected women. The median time to AIDS in these prostitutes is less than five years, compared to 10 years in other groups studied. Researchers used a Markov model to study the transition between different stages of CD4 T cell levels in 485 HIV-infected Nairobi prostitutes and 231 infected mothers. The mothers were more likely to move backward to a stage of higher T cell levels than the prostitutes. It took an estimated 37.4 months for the prostitutes to reach T cell counts of 200 or less, compared to 89.5 months in the mothers. Prostitutes may become infected with several strains of HIV or they may contract other sexually transmitted diseases that cause their HIV infection to progress more rapidly.

Measurement, Development and progression, HIV infection, Prostitutes, CD4 lymphocytes

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