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

1180 Abstracts 60983-60988

12th World AIDS Conference

A number of French self-support groups are confronted with an unpredicted
evolution in their actions: the initial militant aspect of their organisation is put on
the side, to the only profit of prevention and/or social care actions.
Results: Ensemble Contre le Sida has recently decided to organise a "reflection workshop" on these issues, involving as many French self-support and/or
community-based organisations as possible. A questionnaire will be sent to these
organisations, and the workshop will take place in February 1998. This will help
identifying specific issues and specific ways to address them, and will result in the
definition of priorities for a forthcoming Offer for Tenders to French associations.
Lesson: Ensemble Contre le Sida's financial support and coordination with
self-support and community-based groups show that this type of a action can
help these groups build a viable long-term work structure, and allow them to
maintain the militant aspect of their organisation.
609831 Involvement of PWA in commissioning and development
of HIV services
Winifred Nsaja-Mayeku. 12A Portland Rise, London N4 2PP, UK
Issue: The development of community groups has been highly influenced by the
involvement of PWA.
Project: The number of African organisations offering HIV services in the U.K is
rapidly increasing. Most of the groups are either poorly funded or not funded at all.
As an African woman living with HIV/AIDS, I take on the role of lead commissioner
for HIV prevention work among African men within the East London & the City
Health Authority area. I am involved with supporting Sub-Saharan African groups
particularly the Kenyan, Congolese, Ghanaian and Ugandan communities. These
groups set up organisations and started offering HIV services without any financial
support. I have discussed their needs and priorities with other funders and have
actively contributed to planning and development of policies and structures to suit
specific needs.
Results: The organisations have succeeded in receiving funding and are regularly organising HIV awareness workshops specifically for African men. Each
session initially consisted of about 30 men but this is gradually increasing. The
men are more relaxed about discussing HIV issues openly than they were before.
PWA need not undermine themselves because they have a lot to offer. Their
experience can create a great impact in improvement of services for the benefit of various communities. Also the success of their service creates personal
satisfaction and empowerment.
160984 Title not indicated
Alice Atenyi Atugonza. 123 High Cross Road, London Tottenham N17 9NR, UK
Issue: African people living in UK as opposed to the Eurocentric Services hence
late presentation to treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Project: Carried out a needs assessment for African Communities living in UK.
This was carried out by African Community organisations, workers and service
users. Advocacy for culturally appropriate services. Training of functional English
to speakers of other languages of the African origin. Equipping with information
and encouraging self advocacy to service users. Empowering and enabling training to people of African origin living in UK to obtain the required qualifications in
social/health care in order to play role models and provide cultural appropriate
services. A number of African professional are graduating every other year in
social/health care. As a result of targeted career advises and recommendations
from user focused consultations. Where there was lack of role models, and
culturally appropriate providers and professionals to relate to in terms of culture
language.
Result: In one London Borough and equivalent of a District 53% people of
African origin are registered with General Practioners, Sexual Health (Gum)
clinics, Gynaecologists, Dieticians, District Nurses etc. Through information and
education more African people are accessing Health/Social care services at an
early stage. The belief of that one sees a Doctor when critically ill has been
changed with the down of AIDS where early intervention is vital.
| 60985 | Determining factors that influence voluntary HIV testing
in peri-urban population in Uganda
Molly Abala Tumusiime1, D.S. Kabatesi2. 1Nursing Officer, PHDA PO. Box 6791
Kampala, Ward 7 Old Mulago Hospital, Kampala; 2Doctor, Kampala, Uganda
Background: With the rather slow drop in HIV seropositive clients in the Ugandan
community, a need to develop new strategies for the prevention of HIV/AIDS was
paramount.
Objective: To identify factors that influence voluntary testing in order to develop
new strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention in Ugandan community.
Methods: The study population was those clients who voluntarily came to the 2
AIDS information centres. One in Kampala and another in South Western Uganda
between January 1995 and December 1996. information on strong reasons why
the clients wanted to know their sero status was obtained. The study was not

gender biased.
Results: 27% of the study population was doubting their spouses' sexual behaviour, 3% had had peculiar illnesses in the past few months, 14% were women
who had lost their siblings, 26% just wanted to know, while 30% had lost their
spouses.
Conclusion: The study population was well aware of the high risk they stood
to the HIV infection. Sensitising the Ugandan community on voluntary HIV testing

would be a good strategy in promoting responsible sex behaviour subesquently
decreasing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Ugandan community.
60986 Determinants of HIV transmission in incarcerated
populations in Africa: The C6te d'lvoire experience
Y. Toussaint Togbe1, M. Aguirre1, S. Dedy2, D. Gobbers3, B. Kouame4,
L. Traore5, A. Gougou1. 1HOPE Worlwide-Centre D'Assistance Socio Medicale
06 BP 1021 Cidexl Abidjan 06; 2lnstitut Ethno-Sociologie Universite, Abidjan;
3Cooperation Frangaise, Abidjan; 4Prison-MACA, Abidjan; 5Service Ivoirien
D'Etudes Et De Sondages, Cote D'lvoire
Issue: Few studies have addressed the problem of HIV transmission in African
prisons. In the C6te d'lvoire, HIV seroprevalence is estimated at between 12.5%
and 14.2%, in the urban setting, transmission being mainly by heterosexual
spread. This is compared to 27.54% at the main prison facility in Abidjan.
(End-1997 figures) By November 1997, the prison housed 4919 prisoners. This
study was designed to assess the determinants of HIV transmission within this
population, with the goal of developing an effective AIDS prevention program and
providing recommendations.
Project: The study was divided into 2 phases. Phase 1: Pre-tested KAPB
questionnaires were administered to a random sample of 500 prisoners using
structured, one-to-one interviews. Phase 2. Qualitative data was collected by
in-depth interviews with prison authorities, personnel and prisoners.
Results: 96% of prisoners in the sample were male. 28% had ongoing stable
sexual partners before entering prison. The age range was between 14 and 65
years, 64% were between 21 and 35 years. 76% were adequately informed on
AIDS. 44% had shared sharp instruments in prison. 7% had shared drug-injecting
needles. Sexual Relations in Prison (SRP) in the last 6 months, included; 20%
of inmates who had already been incarcerated from 6 months to one year; 11%
of prisoners, from one to three years; 10% of prisoners from three to five years
and; 13%, already incarcerated for more than 5 years. 38% of prisoners jailed for
more than 5 years had had at least one SRP since their incarceration 5.6% of
the sample had had SRP with an inmate of the opposite sex. 1.8% of those, had
at least one sexual contact per month. Only 4.2% admitted to having received
penile-anal intercourse and 4.4%, to initiating anal intercourse. 2.8% had used
condoms at least once. Reasons for intercourse included; hunger, rape and deere.
All results were statistically significant. (P < 0.005).
Lessons learned: HIV seroprevalence rates have reached alarming levels in
many prison populations. Overcrowded prisons, long prison sentences, difficult
medical and social conditions, and lack of condom availability, favor high-risk
behaviors and hence the rapid spread of HIV. Urgent, carefully designed interventions are required to address the many factors contributing to HIV transmission
in these pop ulations.
60987 Comparative study of AIDS education materials from
Germany, Thailand and the Philippines
Mark Rothensee. Claudius Str. 11, 10557 Berlin, Germany
Objects of Analysis: The presentation is based on a Ph.D. at the University of
Oldenburg, Germany, which is a comparative study of AIDS education materials
(booklets, comic-strip and posters) from Germany, Thailand and the Philippines.
It is a content analysis of a representative selection of materials published and
distributed in the years 1994-1997.
Issues: The study looks at different actors (prostitute, man, housewife, promiscuous person), their roles in protecting/transferring AIDS and how protection is
done: monogamy, condom, explications or conviction. Another area of inquiry is
the emotions associated with AIDS (fear, menace, the responsibility, the love,
the joy, the liberty, and the prohibition). The study also examines the contrasting
explicit and implicit messages in the texts and by using the frameworks of Roland
Barthes, Claude Levi Strauss and Norbert Elias, looks into the connections of the
reality and myths surrounding AIDS and ensuing discussions between the poles
of the "moral" and the "immoral", between desire and absention, between loneliness, faithfulness and promiscuity. The presentation concludes with a discussion
of the structure of the sotires as told in booklets or comic-strips (whether it is
temptation, discourse/discussion, purification/purging/catharsis).
Objective: Based on the above findings, implications for improving AIDS
education materials will be drawn.
Conclusion: The generation of medical fear is over, but the fear of others still
alive.
S60988 | System and problems of HIV/AIDS prevention at schools
in Lithuania
Aleksandra G. DavidaviCine. Research, Expert on HIV Prov. at School, M.
Katkau 44, 2600 Vilnius, Lithuania
Objectives: To present HIV/AIDS prevention system and problems at schools of
Lithuania.

Design: Prospective, controlled study in 1998.
Methods: Survey of teachers, parents and students according to questionnaire
for evaluation of health education at school.
Result: Survey of teachers, for instance, showed, that only 1.5% of then constantly discuss with students issues about human sexuality and 1.0% - about
HIV/AIDS. Most of then (more than a half) have never dealt this problem in
classroom at all. Teachers and health workers often have different perspectives