Zim wins bid to host ICASA conference

Zimbabwe has won the bid to host the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) to be held from the 29th of November to the 4th of December 2015. Announcing the outcome of the assessment that was carried out over three days, ICASA President, Dr Ihab Ahmed thanked President Robert Mugabe for accepting to host one of the largest AIDS conferences in Africa.

Health and Child Care Minister, Dr David Parirenyatwa and the visiting Uganda's Minister of Health, Sarah Opendi said the decision to grant Zimbabwe the honour to host the conference will further buttress strides registered in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The bid to host the 18th ICASA conference had initially been won by Tunisia, but the North African nation failed to meet some requirements, leading to the cancellation of the bid.

Photo credit: twitter.com

The cancellation of the Tunisia bid paved the way for other African countries to express interest to host more than 5000 delegates from across the globe who will attend the conference. Zimbabwe then won the bid ahead of four other countries selected for further assessment. Before announcing the ICASA decision, Dr Ahmed and his team held meetings with the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Parirenyatwa, some government officials, as well as various HIV and AIDS organisations in the country.

The conference, which will bring together scientists, policy makers, activists, people living with HIV and some civil society representatives, is expected to review the HIV and AIDS response mechanisms adopted by countries as well as come up with ways of strengthening the partnership among governments and co-operating partners. The conference will be held under the theme ‘AIDS in Post 2015, Linking Leadership, Science and Human Rights.

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Power to the vagina... FINALLY

It has been said countless of time that one of the contributory factors regarding the spread of HIV in Zimbabwe are gender imbalances. Women are not bold enough to negotiate for safe sex. It is up to the men to decide whether a condom is used or not. In the few instances when women do carry the condom, the men will deem them promiscuous. Besides, back in the day, women carrying condoms where charged for prostitution and a condom would be used as "evidence". So with all these stereotypes associated with having a condom as a woman or having the guts to negotiate for safer sex, have continued to dog women drastically.

AN example of a microbicide (credit: nature.com)

As a means to empower women all across the globe sexually, a "solution" is on the pipeline. Microbicides is the bullet proof to dodge HIV, without the stress of having used a condom or not during sex. The term microbicides refers to substances being studied that could be used in the vagina o reduce the risk of HIV infection via sexual exposure. Currently, there are no licensed microbicides available today. But, hey, all we need is girl power to advocate for its licencing.

Microbicides can come in a number of forms like vaginal rings that release the active ingredient over a few weeks or months; creams; gels; films; suppositories that could be used vaginally.

Are there any trials going on or trials have been done?

Yes. At the moment, there are  ongoing trials of vagina ring containing the ARV drug (dapivirine) that is designed to be inserted for four weeks at a time. These trials are known as "The Ring Study" and "Aspire" and they are expected to have data in 2016. Aspire (MTN 020) was launched by the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) has enrolled 2 629 women in Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Results are expected towards the end of 2015 or early next year. the ring study (IPM 027), sponsored by the International partnership for Microbicides (IPM) is enrolling 1 950 women in Uganda and South Africa. We should be expected in late 2016.

Additionally, the vagina microbicide (one percent) gel is the ARV drug tenofovir (TFV) formulated in gel form. There have been three efficacy trials of this gel.

1. The first CAPRISA 004 found evidence of modest benefit.
2. Two subsequent trials, VOICE and FACTS 001 found no overall evidence of protection. However in both trials there was evidence that in small subset of women who were able to use the product correctly and consistently (the two trials had different dosing regimens), the gel did reduce the risk of HIV acquisition. But the overall finding from two out of three trials was that this product wasn't one that women could use enough of the time to achieve the potential benefits.
3. The results of these trials underscore the need to ensure that "the healthy choice is the easy choice" and that women initiated HIV prevention includes strategies that can fit into the lives of women at the greatest risk of HIV.

Loopholes

Microbicides DO NOT prevent against STIs and STD, pregnancies or any other infections that poses as a threat to the vagina. Meaning to say, it is not a multi purpose prevention method  Its sole purpose is to prevent the transmission of HIV as there are recommendations to uses condom.

It's women empowerment right there

Such trials can only allow for licensing if they are attract a 70+ percent success rate. I can only keep my fingers crossed for the success of the above trials. Just prevention methods give women the power to control the spread of HIV.  Gaps on gender imbalances are closed. Women don't even say a word about negotiating for safe sex. The women just do it and BOMB, they are protected. The vagina is empowered all the way.

Are HotSpots in Bulawayo neccessary?

The hot spot analysis project provides a prospect to review and analyse populations at greatest risk of HIV/AIDS infection, population being left out by current interventions and geographic hotspots. This project is an Inter-agency programme between (Ministry of Health and Child Care, NAC, UNAIDS and WFP), an initiated discussion to identify the HIV hotspots in Zimbabwe through analysis of the available datasets and present the findings in a series of high quality maps and charts. By conducting the HIV hot spot analysis and identifying the hotspots, will assist in future programming and interventions strategies. A detailed Desktop review of peer reviewed documents, surveys and published articles was conducted. However, this project does not give detailed discussion on the selected indicators why?

 

Picture take from meindia.net

 

The project explores the HIV Hotspots through the identification of HIV drivers in Zimbabwe, incidence, HIV prevalence and the measures (interventions) that have been put in place to curb new incidences. At the same time, the same project tries to understand the impacts of HIV on the economy and on food security (at country, household and individual levels).

 

With this in mind, will the creation of hotspots in Bulawayo accelerate the decrease of HIV prevalence in the province? If so how?  Let's engage!

 

 

 

 

Fasting VS ARVs

About two weeks ago, I joined the rest of the church in a one week fast. It wasn’t easy cause we had to break after evening prayers which usually ended after 7pm. Yes so imagine, while I had to starve my flesh of food, I was feeding my spirit with the word of God. In serious cases, congregates can stretch for a month long fast or even pull for 40 days and 40 nights fasting just like Jesus. Remember?

Image taken from youtube.com

Now today, something crossed my mind, and I certainly hope you will help out. During that church fast weeks ago, how did people taking antiretrovirals and multivitamins go about it? In most cases, it is a requirement that these pills are taken with water or food. Common to most religions, fasting starts from dawn to dusk. Is it healthy for someone on HIV treatment to fast every day for weeks to fulfil spiritual and religious obligations?

New formulation of HIV treatment to save more children’s lives -- UNICEF and UNAIDS (Joint Press release)

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 5 June 2015—Children affected by HIV and AIDS will benefit from the decision by the United States Food and Drug Administration to grant approval to a new antiretroviral formulation that can be mixed with food to make it easier for children living with HIV to take the life-saving medicines, UNAIDS and UNICEF said today.

“Treatment innovations such as this that replace unpleasant and bad tasting medicines are a real breakthrough, accelerating access to treatment for children and keeping our youngest healthy,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “It is unacceptable that only 24% of children living with HIV have access to antiretroviral medicines.”

The oral pellets, manufactured by Indian generic medicines manufacturer CIPLA, contain an antiretroviral formulation of lopinavir and ritonavir that can be mixed into a child’s food. The treatment is heat stable and more palatable than medicines currently available, making it particularly suitable for treating very young children.

“This new formulation is a step in the right direction towards saving more lives of children living with HIV,” said Craig McClure, UNICEF’s Chief of HIV and AIDS and Associate Director, Programmes. “We expect it to greatly improve treatment access for many more children and support UNICEF’s equity focused programming aimed at reaching the most disadvantaged children throughout the world.”

HIV infection progresses rapidly in children and, in highly impacted countries, is a major contributor to child morbidity and mortality. Without treatment, one in three children who become infected with HIV will die before their first birthday. Half will die before their second birthday.

Early initiation of antiretroviral treatment in children as recommended by the World Health Organization substantially reduces the risk of death. Many countries have not been able to fully implement the WHO recommendation because of the challenge of not having a more appropriate, heat stable and palatable paediatric formulation of lopinavir/ritonavir used as part of the treatment options for children under 3 years of age.

Despite global efforts to accelerate access to HIV paediatric care and treatment, fewer than 800 000 of the 3.2 million children living with HIV worldwide had access to antiretroviral medicines in 2013.

UNAIDSThe Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Learn more atunaids.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work, visit: http://www.unicef.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

For more information, please contact:

Sophie Barton-Knott, UNAIDS Geneva, tel. +41 22 791 1697, bartonknotts@unaids.org

Kate Donovan, UNICEF New York, tel. +1 212 326 7452, kdonovan@unicef.org

HIV Testing and Counselling - It's Not Just Routine

A visit to an HIV testing clinic left Waza blogger, Nokuthaba Mathema feeling vulnerable and disaffected,instead of leaving her empowered. She writes about the experience in her inaugural blog for Waza.

I did my first HIV test in November 2010 at the New Start Centre at Haddon and Sly, Bulawayo. The first time experience was worth my time.

I went again for an HIV test sometime last week, and believe me, things have changed drastically. A lot has transformed and the paradigm shift is not pleasant.

The first time, when I got to reception, I was kindly referred to the payment desk, where I paid the nominal $1 fee.

Before long, I joined close to twelve people in a focus group counselling session that lasted close to 20 minutes.

The discussion was informative - to say the least. Tests were done, and I was counselled again before being showed my results. That encounter was very much encouraging for a first timer.

Counselling

Sadly, five years down the line, that same song cannot be sung.

Thirty minutes of what they deem counselling has been rebranded to an interrogation, or a question and answer tablet/ipad session. The counsellors are glued to these gadgets from start to end.

By definition counselling is a private conversation with a specially trained person aimed at helping you to help yourself. Counselling encourages you to explore possible solutions to your problems, and to consider the impact that certain decision may have on your life.

You must receive face-to-face counselling before you have the test. This is known as pre-test counselling, aimed at ensuring that you make a well-informed decision about whether to have the HIV test or not. It encourages you to explore the possible impact that having the test may have on your life.

Changed attitudes

Well I cannot say all that happened the last time I was there. The counsellor seemed to be conducting some tired routine that has become redundant and lifeless.

Despite the burning questions I had, owing to the unfriendliness reflected by the so called counsellor, I shut my mouth and agreed to everything.

On that day when I had my last test, after cross checking the numbers on my card and the the numbers on the result-slip, she threw the piece of paper on my lap and said, "You are negative, So what will you do about that?"

"You are negative, So what will you do about that?"

"I will continue to protect myself," I responded and she said, "Okay!" then she took the result-slip, stood up, and were we done.

Just like that!

Considering that I was anticipating a brief post-counselling session, I was clearly shocked.

So as I left, I pondered to myself, "So these people are paid to be moody?"

What ever happened to compassion? Surely I could have received much better treatment. Is it because I am a woman or that I am a youth or both?

Stereotypes

It is through these societal stereotypes that marginalized communities such as women and youths fear such institutions.

Such tendencies and uncalled for behavior by professional counsellors could be a contributory factor, and the reason why they are sometimes hesitant when it comes to HIV testing.

The roots of patriarchal segmentation continue to grow in public institutions, especially places of HIV testing, despite the advocacy for youth empowerment and gender parity.

How can one be empowered as a citizen through HIV testing when the platform is a bit shaky, when the environment is not conducive enough to promote such practices.

Mere statistics

That experience reduced me from a human being, to just a mere figure to add on to their statistics of HIV prevalence.

My sexual and reproductive health rights were violated. I opened up, revealed personal sexual and reproductive information in exchange for a "routine" and an attitude.

Such service delivery infringes on the full execution and exercise of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Will I ever want to go through that again? I doubt. I did not like the way I was left feeling vulnerable, and I'm quite sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Waza is proud to feature as part of its content local bloggers who have a knack for expressing their unique perspectives, independent thoughts and engaging stories. The opinions expressed here are those of the author.

Be sure to check out Waza blogger Joseph Elunya's experience with Uganda's health system.

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