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

12th World AIDS Conference

Abstracts 60052-60058 1011

partners as completely as possible. New interviewing techniques for enhancing
recall of partners need to be developed and evaluated rigorously.
60052 Prevention of HIV transmission from injecting drug users
to their wives
Elangbambhanu Devi. Lifeline Foundation Keisamthong Top Leirak
Imphal-795001, India
Issue: The spouses of male injecting drug users in Manipur, India are vulnerable
to HIV/AIDS through sexual route and the number of widows with children with
poor health is also on the increase. Innovative and comprehensive approach is
required to address their priority needs.
Project: A Comprehensive community based intervention project has been
undertaken among IDUs and their sexual partners under Harm Reduction philosophy through Outreach Service. Strategies adopted are education, information
and behaviour change communication through peer educators and outreach workers, community sensitisation, advocacy, care and support and socio-economic
development of widows.
Results: 400 wives have been reached out. Education, information and counselling services have been provided to 148 wives and 23 of them can negotiate
with their IDU husbands on safer sex. 109 out of 400 wives have become widows
and socio-economic status of 30 widows have been improved. A self support
group of widows have, also, been initiated.
Lessons Learned: Outreach is very effective specially when female and male
workers reach out parallel to female and male clients respectively. Comprehensive
approach enhance the prevention of HIV transmission.
60053 PHA can play a big role in HIV prevention: KADINET+
experience
Rachel Namirembe. National Guidance and Empowerment Network of PHA PO.
Box 10028, Kampala, Uganda
Issue: Kampala is the capital city of Uganda with approximately 4 million people
of which approximately 400,000 are infected with HIV. Being the centre of any
business you can think of, Kampala residents are more vulnerable to HIV hence
the spread still continues.
Subject: Kampala District Network of PHA (KADINET+) is engaged in bringing
all PHA together and encourage them to participate in prevention procedures
through self-preservation, coupled with guidance and empowerment. We openly
and sincerely share the dangers the virus has caused and thus the need to stop
further spread. Today, self-preservation is the surest answer to those infected in
developing countries like Uganda, where medicines cannot be easily accessed.
Results: PHA are being accepted and valued by society as "partners" in the
struggle against HIV/AIDS. The urban population is now open to further learning
about HIV and have kept the disease to decrease. They take HIV tests and are
active in informing others about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. We are looking towards
a time when everyone will know how to protect himself from infection and has the
empowerment to do so. We are creating an atmosphere where everyone infected
with HIV will have someone to talk to and share his feelings in a sincere manner
without fear of being remorsed.
Conclusion: PHA are potentially one of Uganda's most valuable assets in responding to the challenges of HIV/AIDS as campaigners, educators, counsellors
and care givers. This has been proved correct by the role PHA have played in
Kampala city under KADINET+. PHA have the key to further spread and should
be encouraged and supported to participate in HIV prevention and AIDS care
initiatives.
60054 Out patient management of 745 HIV and AIDS patients at
NGO, OPD clinic, Bangalore, India
Satish Kadappashivappa. 878 V Block Rajajinagar, Samraksha Bangalore, India
Issue: Caring for HIV and AIDS patients at NGO, OPD clinic in developing
country, India.
Project: Study of 745 patients at NGO, OPD clinic. Slowly and steadily the
number of HIV and AIDS patients are on the raise managing HIV patients at
government hospitals who are already overburdened with various dieseases is a
cause of concern. The NGO network, could ease some of these burdens.
Results: 745 patients were seen by me and followed up regularly for a period
of 3 years. There were 548 males and 195 females. 2 patients were enuchs.
161 patients were illetrates. 442 patients were married. There were 407 patients
between 25-34 years. 33.4% patients had T.B. STD was reported by 40%. All
patients were treated symptomatically for opportunistic infections. None received
anti retroviral therapy.
NGO network could effectively take up the issues of HIV/AIDS patients and
reduce the burden of already overcroweded opd clinics of government hospitals
in developing countries.

60055 Homoeopathic medicines: Bridging the AIDS gap
Nazir Ahmed. Ahmed Manzil, Amberkhana West, AIDS Research Center,
Sylhet, Bangladesh
Objectives: To divise the technique of homoeopathic treatment in primary (initial)
infection and other HIV related diseases.

Design: Prospective, closed study.
Method: 12 HIV infected persons from north eastern Bangladesh were included in the treatment program organized by the AIDS Research Center, Sylhet. The treatment has been confirmed and given for the symptoms of body
pain, headache, diarrhoea, fever, weakness, cough etc. According to their especific symptoms the following homoeopathic medicines were prescribed: Sulphur,
Syphilinum, Medorhinum, Alo Soc, Podopyllum, Murcurius, Natrum Slph, Belladona and Thuja in ultra attenuated L M potencies of single remedy at a time.
Results: These homoeopathic remedies gave astounding relief and restrained
the embition of the HIV to 7.2 discontinued to take medicine and 3 has got no
result.
Conclusion: If homoeopathic medicines could be applyed in HIV infected
cases with proper clinical opportunities, the medicines will give tremendous relief
and cure, becouse, homoeopathic medicines in L M potencies are more more
thiner than HIV.
160056 Women and safer sex practices in slum areas: Do women
have a choice?
Amos Kaggwa1, William Kwadi2, K.P. Katende3, B.R. Banage3, S.R. Sentongo4,
B.S. Bukirwa4. 1PO. Box 3703, Kampala; 2Economist/Counsellor, Kampala;
3 Social Worker, Kampala; 4Medical Doctor, Kampala, Uganda
Objective: To find out whether HIV/STD Counselling empowers Women to practice safer sex, in Katanga slum - Kampala.
Method: Aware that more women in Kampala slums are sero-positive. 413
women were randomly interviewed about their sex practices in Katanga slum.
HIV/STD counseling was carried out. Their risky behaviour was assessed using
HIV transmission score card. Convinced Convinced to start using safer sex, using
condoms. They were each given 20 condoms, initially and told to pick more if
they got finished.
Results: 40 women were already consistently using condoms so they were
eliminated. After three months 38 out of 248 married women only were practicing
safer sex using condoms. 100 out of 125 unmarried women were practicing safer
sex using condoms. Majority of the married women said their husbands refused
to use the condoms.
Lessons Learnt: There is need to emphasis couple counselling in order to encourage safer sex practices using condoms. Women should also be empowered
socio-economically to make them less submissive to their husbands.
60057 Social cultural factors that promote female circumcision
and how this prediposes women to HIV infection
Catherine A. Oyugi. PO. Box 49196 Nairobi Womens Bureau/Kwaso, Kenya
Objective: A social study was carried out to find out why female circucision
persists inspite of concerted efforts to eradicate it due to its health risks.
Methodology: Focus Group Discussions with clan elders, interviews with
circumcised women, parents, husbands, wives and the circumcisers.
Results: It was established that FGM raises the social status of parents whose
daughters go through the ritual, it is a source of income generation for parents
whose daughters get married and dowry is paid, diminishes sexual desire for
women thus keeping them under control, a rite of passage, husbands tend to
have extra marital affairs since wives have no desire, one surgical instrument used
on all initiates, increases chances of bleeding to death and need for transfusion
due bleeding at child birth because of tearing, belief that one cannot get married
if not circumcised.
FGM predisposes women to HIV infection in many ways, e.g when husbands
have extra marital sex, blood transfusions, using same surgical instrument on all
female initiates, dowry gotten when young underage girls are married off to older
men who may already be infected.
60058 HIV seroprevalence and HIV-1 subtype E among pregnant
women in Vientiane, Laos, 1996
Sana Loue1, B. Khanthong2, P. Vanphenh3, T.D. Mastro4. 1Metro Health Medical
CTR Dept Epidemiolo Metro Health DR, Cleveland OH, USA; 2Natl Inst Hygiene
& Epidemiology, Vientiane; 3Sethathirath Hospital, Vientiane, Laos; 4HIV/AIDS
Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
Objective: To estimate HIV seroprevalence among pregnant women in the city
of Vientiane.
Design: Cross-sectional serosurvey.
Methods: A total of 502 pregnant women were recruited from a government-funded antenatal clinic in Vientiane in 1996. Basic demographic data were
collected from questionnaires. Simpli-RED HIV test kits were used as an initial
screening test. Seropositivity was confirmed using standard EIA and Western blot.
Additional blood specimens were collected from one HIV-seropositive woman,
which were analyzed with V3-loop peptide EIAs, direct DNA sequencing of the
envelope (env) C2-V4 region, and phylogenetic analysis.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 25.2 years. All women reported that they were married. Two of 502 (0.4%, 95% C.I. 0.0%,.95%) were
HIV seropositive. The virus from one HIV-seropositive woman was determined to
be HIV-1 env subtype E and was similar to strains found in Thailand. Subtype
E accounts for a large majority of sexually transmitted infections in Thailand.
By mid-1990, a total of 6 border points were open to traffic between Laos and
Thailand. Hundreds of truck drivers travel regularly between Laos and points in