Bridging the Gap: Conference Record [Abstract book, International Conference on AIDS (12th: 1998: Geneva, Switzerland)]

1006 Abstracts 60021-60026

12th World AIDS Conference

there, as soon, even hostile relatives change their attitude towards the widows.
They begin to return some of the property they confiscated earlier on.
Lessons Learned: Effective support to distressed widows by fellow widows
provides a sustainable restoration of hope through shared experience.
S 60021 Program in therapeutic community: Integration approach
Leonardo Daniel Perelis. PTE Peron 1875 50 E, 1040 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Program to integrate drug addict patients living with HIV/AIDS into the every day
life to the therapeutic communities. Integration of their relatives with the rest of
the community.
Issue: People living with HIV/AIDS and their relatives are discriminated in
terapeutic communities in drug addict rehabilitation programs.
Project: In a therapeutic community located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The
need of integration of the people living with HIV/AIDS into the every day becamo
apparent. At the some time, their relatives also need to be taught how to live with
their sertopositive relatives.
To accomplish this, the following is required: With People living with HIV/AIDS:
Develop workshop related to: 1.) Sex; 2.) Discrimination; 3.) AIDS (fantasy's,
general information, clinicla science). With their relatives: 1.) General information;
2.) AIDS and every day life; 3.) Safety; 4.) Diet.
Results: With People living with HIV/AIDS: Strait forwards into de every day
life in the therapeutic community. Mayor facilities for psychologically working on
problems associated with HIV in single and group session. Mayor care of the
conditions of security in the residencial place. Improvement in health care.
With their relatives: Mayor improvement in couple relationships. Mayor improvementin relative relationships. Implementation of the safety measures at home with
emphasis in economic and physical expenses.
Lessons Learned: The research was adapted to the residential place of the
patients with HIV+. Language was also adapted to the drug addict patients.
600221 Discourse analysis of the development of AIDS social
work models in the context of the complex response of
society to AIDS challenge
Dmitri Youskov. 147 Barnwell Road Cambridge CB5 8RR, UK
Main objective: The objective of the study is to analyse the main internal and
external factors of the development of AIDS social work activities and priorities
in the West and to formulate the implication for the development of AIDS social
work model in the countries that recently faced the challenge of AIDS.
Methodology: Discourse analysis of a number of core British and American
books and periodicals on AIDS social work and different aspects of the complex
response of society to AIDS challenge.
Most important results: The analysis displays that the development of AIDS
social work in the West was influenced mostly by the external factors coming from
the events in the complex response of the society to AIDS challenge rather than
by internal factors of its development as a branch of health social work. AIDS
social work development went through some consequent stages. The critical
analysis shows that the most developed and long standing model of AIDS social
work could be characterised in particular by the following features: (1) educating
social work fellows, as well as medical professionals on the issues of AIDS transmission; (2) the task of HIV prevention as a part of professional responsibility
of social workers; (3) extending the traditional scope of hospital located medical
social work; (4) competition rather than collaboration with non-governmental sector in the provision of psycho-social support and advocacy to HIV/AIDS-affected
people; (5) loosing the task of crisis intervention in the form of (pre-/post-test)
counselling.
There are two distinctive gaps in statutory AIDS social work: (1) in general, it
did not tackle the task of informing affected people about the variety of effective
alternative health strategies coming from non-traditional naturopath medicine; (2)
in long-term counselling it failed to address the issue of psychological self-programming to death by the message about HIV+ diagnosis.
Conclusion and relevance of the results: Countries that have just faced the
challenge of AIDS at large scale and have no infrastructure of statutory social
work while attempting to introduce it are to take into account not only the positive
experience of Western AIDS social work, but also its deficiencies revealed by
critical analysis. In designing their models of social work and the strategy of social
policy they should avoid the gaps in those in the West.
r 60023 Electrophysiological examinations of the peripheral
nerve in HIV-1-infected individuals under stavudine
therapy
Hans-Juergen Von Giesen1, H. Jablonowjki2, G. Arendt3. 1Neurologische Klinik
Der HHV Postfach 101007 D-90001, Dusesseldorf; 2Dept of Medicine HHV,
Duesseldorf; 3Dept of Neurology HHV, Duesseldorf, Germay
Objectives: To find out about the potential neurotoxic effect of stavudine;

(2',3'-Didehydro-3'deoxythymidine; D4T) on the peripheral nervous system under
the conditions of careful pre-treatment screening of HIV-1-seropositive patients
before new onset of stavudine treatment.
Design: Retrospective analysis of all electroneurographic examinations performed in patients under treatment with stavudine.
Methods: Before starting therapy, all HIV-1-seropositive patients were neurologically examined in our center. Stavudine was not given if any risk factor for

polyneuropathy (i.e. diabetes mellitus, family history, vitamin B 12 deficiency or
prior treatment with neurotoxic drugs) was present. Mean dosage of stavudine
was 1.0 mg/kg/day. 180 patients were newly started. In 107, nerve conduction
velocity studies were available (group 1). Electrophysiological results (motor and
sensory), conduction velocities, motor and sensory nerve action potentials, both
upper and lower extremities) were compared to 103 HIV-1-seropositive controls
(group 2) who received a comparable treatment with zidovudine instead of stavudine. Group 1 consisted of 59 patients with stavudine, lamivudine and a protease
inhibitor, 22 patients with stavudine and lamivudine, 11 patients with stavudine
and didanosine and 15 patients with stavudine monotherapy. Group 2 consisted
of 29 patients with zidovudine, lamivudine and a protease inhibitor, 29 patients
with zidovudine and lamivudine and 45 patients with zidovudine and didanosine.
Results: Comparing groups 1 and 2 with a Mann-Whitney-U test and comparing the different treatment subgroups by a Kruskal-Wallis test revealed no
significant differences between patients under stavudine and those without.
Conclusions: Careful clinical neurological screening of HIV-1 -seropositive patients before starting stavudine treatment may prevent to a large extent stavudinerelated toxic neuropathy.
60024 Autosupport group: Only bridge between despair and
regain of hope
Marcel-Antoine Bolou. 59 Ba De Marseille 06 BP 1021 Cidex 1 Abidjan 06,
Coted D'lvoire
The Problem: What could be done as a follow up as soon as the illness has been
diagnosed until the fatal result, death.
The Objective: Evaluated the importance and the impact of an autosupport
group on the life of PWA.
The Methods: A detailed and anonynous questionnary will be distributed within
a group of PWA (50% female, 50% male).
The Results: 60% have answered been part or having been part of an autosupport group (called group A) 40% have answered never having been in touch with
an autosupport group (we'll call them B) Within group A, 35% of the individuals
became part of an autosupport group as soon as the illness was diagnosed, but
65% left the group after a while. Whether for an other association or have cut
definitly any contact with any group of this kind. For the 35% that have stayed with
the autosupport group the gain is considerable. Their life have risen with hope,
since they have gained a better understanding of the illness and its differents
aspect. They have learnt have necessity of using preservatives each time they
had inter intercourse. The have learnt how to use them. Their out look towards
the health, well being of their partners and subsequently towards themself has
grown immensely. All of this has been part of a positive re-entry in Society. To
become part of more.
Lesson Learned: The first contact and the constant follow up by the autosupport group consitute one of strong pillar in prevention, social insertion, use of the
F.S.U. (formation sanitaire urbain) and other financial structure.
60025 Sensitizing people living with HIV/AIDS on STDS and
other infectious diseases
Francis Okuda1, Jie Ekwau2. 1Kures United Positive Network, PO. Box 40144,
Nakawa, Kampala; 2The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO), Kampala, Uganda
Objectives: Develop an effective, sensitisation on STD and other veneral diseases.
Methods: An effective sensitisation on STD and other infectious diseases such
as syphilis veneral diseases etc has been emphasised on support groups dealing
with HIV/AIDS education. Dr. Kabatesi Donna the incharge of youth education and
the director with THETA the support of some funding has managed to educate
PLW HIV/AIDS how the virus and other diseases attack the immune system,
mostly when somebody doesn't get immediate testing and adequate treatment.
The sensitisation is done through reaching and participating in these groups by
video show, UTV, News papers i.e. (straight talk) monthly newspaper for youth
and parents, pamphlets, radios, etc.
Results: The groups welcomed the idea and most of them have been involved
in educating others and get tested.
The involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS and groups within HIV/AIDS
organisation including youth is essential in any successful education and prevention campaigns. However PLW HIV/AIDS and both the country at large need peer
education and skills training to become fully effective.
|60026 Giving information on HIV/AIDS to villagers, especially
the young female
Husein Habsyi, Djauzi, Djoerban. 1JL Kebon Baru Utara No. 15 Asem Baris,
Jakarta 12830; 2 Pelita Ilmu Foundation, Jakarta, Indonesia
Issue: It is necessary for young female in rural areas, especially those are working
in big cities to understand the procedure for preventing the HIV infection and be

willing to support people with HIV/AIDS in their community.
Project: The number of young female villagers working in big cities is considerable. Due to their low education and improper skill, some of them work as
commercial sex workers. Their low understanding about HIV infection leads them
finally to be infected by HIV. Generally those who are known being infected by
HIV are returned to their original village. We, as NGO providing support to people
with HIV/AIDS (PWA), know that in rural areas in province of West Java, there