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Biomedical subjects

S Kalibala

Publications and source records attributed to S Kalibala.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Providing support to caregivers and self-care.

The evolution of HIV/AIDS care has resulted in a wide range of caregivers who work out of public and private hospital facilities, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based facilities. Others are volunteers and community health and social workers based at facilities or community sites. Many caregivers are family members or part of a client's close social network. Additionally, people living with HIV/AIDS (PHA) themselves engage in self-care and provide support to other PHA through support groups. In the best-case scenario the services of these caregivers are sometimes provided free of charge at one site by a specialized NGO. In many cases, however, a person wishing to gain access to care and social services may need an understanding how the systems and procedures of various institutions operate. Many PHA are unprepared for the administrative, financial, and legal barriers that they may encounter. To cope with this need, a new type of support service called the "buddy" system has emerged. Buddies are individuals who are less directly involved with, but who know about HIV/AIDS, the services available and the rights of PHA. A buddy is close enough for the PHA to approach, has sufficient time to devote to him/her and can be asked almost everything. The article on the Rio de Janeiro Buddy Project provides an example of a project for gay men in Brazil. In other parts of the world where the buddy system is non-existent, the PHA must often rely on support provided by family and friends.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Care of human immunodeficiency virus-infected children in developing countries. International Working Group on Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.

CONTEXT: There is urgent need to strengthen the area of pediatric HIV/AIDS care in developing countries. Clinical research in this area is also scarce. METHODOLOGY: A literature review and a postal survey were used to obtain updated information on mortality, morbidity and current standards of care of children born to HIV-infected mothers in developing countries. A 2-day workshop was organized to review the available data and to identify the key areas where clinical research should be conducted. MAIN FINDINGS: Rates of mortality and morbidity were very different from one study to another but generally higher than in industrialized countries. Prognostic studies for HIV-1-infected children in developing countries were not available. Based on the report of 14 teams from 11 countries, specific protocols for HIV-infected children with persistent diarrhea or severe malnutrition were documented in fewer than one-half of the cases. Secondary antimicrobial prophylaxis after interstitial pneumonia or recurrent infections was still infrequent, as primary prophylaxis of opportunistic infections. The following list of clinical research priorities was identified by the workshop participants: primary prophylaxis of opportunistic and bacterial infections; case management of persistent diarrhea; reassessment of the performance of p24 antigen for diagnostic and prognosis use; studies on the etiology of pulmonary infections; long term observational pediatric cohorts; current weaning practices and duration of breast-feeding; counseling and HIV testing of children and families; prevention of HIV sexual transmission in children and adolescents.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗

Participatory evaluation of counselling, medical and social services of The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) in Uganda.

The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) is an indigenous non-governmental organization (NGO) of HIV-infected and affected people in Uganda. TASO provides counselling, social support, medical and nursing care for opportunistic infections at 7 centres affiliated to district hospitals in Uganda. Between 1993 and 1994, the services provided by TASO were evaluated through a participatory approach between staff and clients. TASO counselling services helped clients and their families to cope with HIV and AIDS, with 90.4% of clients revealing their serostatus, and 57.2% reporting consistent use of condoms in the past 3 months. TASO was also the main source of medical care for clients with opportunistic infections in the last 6 months (63.8%). As a result of counselling, over half of the clients (56.9%) made plans for the future and 51.3% wished to make wills. There was a high level of acceptance of people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs) by families (79%) and the community (76%). Care was provided to PWAs at home mainly by women (86.2%). TASO has demonstrated that individuals and their families are able to live positively with HIV/AIDS. Through counselling, medical care and material support to clients and their families, TASO has effected change in people's attitudes, knowledge and lifestyles. In particular, TASO has demonstrated a strong capacity to overcome four problems that haunt AIDS care in most places: (1) revealing one's HIV-serostatus to relevant others; (2) accepting PWAs in family and community; (3) seeking early treatment; and (4) combining prevention and care. In general, TASO has shown that specialized services to meet AIDS care needs can be added to existing health services at district levels. As a result of the participatory evaluation, a well-accepted monitoring system was established.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

Blood donor counselling for HIV: results of a multi-country feasibility study.

A qualitative characterisation study was conducted by the World Health Organisation's Global Programme on AIDS, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in six developing countries in order to determine the feasibility of introducing blood donor counselling into procedures for blood donation at blood transfusion sites. After careful preparation of consultants, in-country visits were made to include structured discussions with key BTS and Red Cross, and national AIDS programme staff, and donors, and observations of relevant facilities. Necessary resources, management requirements, obstacles to and options for blood donor counselling were explicated, together with information on the role of HIV testing in motivating blood donation, and problems associated with this and with donor notification. Blood donor counselling is seen as feasible, provided minimum conditions can be established to ensure appropriate standards and availability of resources.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

AIDS and community-based care in Uganda: the AIDS support organization, TASO.

TASO is an organization set up by Ugandans who are personally, in one way or another, concerned about AIDS. Its work in Uganda is an attempt to bridge the gap between the African approach to disease and the western, hospital-based, approach. The result is a service providing community-based care to those affected by AIDS and HIV. The attitudes of the rural people of Uganda to disease, as a typical example in the developing world, are discussed. Our conclusion is that a community-based approach is ideal in caring for those affected by AIDS and HIV in Africa.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗