Structural violence and the uncertainty of viral undetectability for African, Caribbean and Black people living with HIV in Canada: an institutional ethnography.

Biomedical advances in healthcare and antiretroviral treatment or therapy (ART) have transformed HIV/AIDS from a death sentence to a manageable chronic disease. Studies demonstrate that people living with HIV who adhere to antiretroviral therapy can achieve viral suppression or undetectability, which is fundamental for optimizing health outcomes, decreasing HIV-related mortality and morbidity, and preventing HIV transmission. African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities in Canada remain structurally disadvantaged and bear a disproportionate burden of HIV despite biomedical advancements in HIV treatment and prevention. This institutional ethnography orients to the concept of 'structural violence' to illuminate how inequities shape the daily experiences of ACB people living with HIV across the HIV care cascade. We conducted textual analysis and in-depth interviews with ACB people living with HIV (n = 20) and health professionals including healthcare providers, social workers, frontline workers, and health policy actors (n = 15). Study findings produce a cumulative understanding that biomedical HIV discourses and practices ignore structural violence embedded in Canada's social fabric, including legislation, policies and institutional practices that produce inequities and shape the social world of Black communities. Findings show that inequities in structural and social determinants of health such as food insecurity, financial and housing instability, homelessness, precarious immigration status, stigma, racial discrimination, anti-Black racism, criminalization of HIV non-disclosure, health systems barriers and privacy concerns intersect to constrain engagement and retention in HIV healthcare and ART adherence, contributing to the uncertainty of achieving and maintaining undetectability and violating their right to health. Biomedical discourses and practices, and inequities reduce Black people to a stigmatized, pathologized, and impoverished detectable viral underclass. Black people perceived as nonadherent to ART and maintain detectable viral loads are considered "bad" patients while privileged individuals who achieve undetectability are considered "good" patients. An effective response to ending HIV/AIDS requires implementing policies and institutional practices that address inequities in structural and social determinants of health among ACB people.

Gender and ethnic differences in rates of immune reconstitution, AIDS diagnosis, and survival.

In this work, we use 2011-2013 Texas HIV surveillance data (N=2,175) and apply hierarchical linear and Cox regression modeling to characterize the association of gender and race/ethnicity with rate of immune recovery and determine whether immune recovery contributes to gender and racial/ethnic disparities in AIDS diagnosis and survival. The associations between gender and rate of immune recovery and between race/ethnicity and rate of immune recovery were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In the multivariate survival analyses, there was no statistically significant association between gender and AIDS diagnosis (Adjusted Hazard Ratio (AHR) = 1.06, p = 0.61, 95%=0.85-1.32) and between race/ethnicity and AIDS diagnosis (Blacks vs Whites: AHR = 1.10, p = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.94-1.30; Hispanics vs Whites: AHR = 1.06, p = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.91-1.24). Similarly, there were no statistically significant associations with death (males vs females: AHR = 0.88, p = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.43-1.81; Blacks vs Whites: AHR = 0.68 p = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.36-1.30; Hispanics vs Whites: AHR = 0.96, p = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.55-1.67). However, the direction of the point estimates were in the reverse direction when compared to the rate of immune recovery or the AIDS diagnosis models. Our findings suggest that differences in rate of immune recovery may better explain disparities in AIDS diagnosis than disparities in survival. Future studies with longer follow-up may potentially generate statistically significant results.

Evidence for HIV transmission across key populations: a longitudinal analysis of HIV and AIDS rates among Black people who inject drugs and Black heterosexuals in 84 large U.S. metropolitan areas, 2008-2016.

PURPOSE: To assess cross-population linkages in HIV/AIDS epidemics, we tested the hypothesis that the number of newly diagnosed AIDS cases among Black people who inject drugs (PWID) was positively related to the natural log of the rate of newly diagnosed HIV infections among Black non-PWID heterosexuals in 84 large U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in 2008-2016. METHODS: We estimated a multilevel model centering the time-varying continuous exposures at baseline between the independent (Black PWID AIDS rates) and dependent (HIV diagnoses rate among Black heterosexuals) variables. RESULTS: At MSA level, baseline (standardized ß = 0.12) Black PWID AIDS rates and change in these rates over time (standardized ß = 0.11) were positively associated with the log of new HIV diagnoses rates among Black heterosexuals. Thus, MSAs with Black PWID AIDS rates that were 1 standard deviation= higher at baseline also had rates of newly diagnosed HIV infections among Black non-PWID heterosexuals that were 10.3% higher. A 1 standard deviation increase in independent variable over time corresponded to a 7.8% increase in dependent variable. CONCLUSIONS: Black PWID AIDS rates may predict HIV rates among non-PWID Black heterosexuals. Effective HIV programming may be predicated, in part, on addressing intertwining of HIV epidemics across populations.

Therapeutic Borderlands: Austerity, Maternal HIV Treatment, and the Elusive End of AIDS in Mozambique.

"End of AIDS" requires ambitious testing, treatment, and adherence benchmarks, like UNAIDS' "90-90-90 by 2020." Mozambique's efforts to improve essential maternal/infant antiretroviral treatment (ART) exposes how austerity-related health system short-falls impede public HIV/AIDS service-delivery and hinder effective maternal ART and adherence. In therapeutic borderlands-where household impoverishment intersects with health-system impoverishment-HIV+ women and over-worked care-providers circumnavigate scarcity and stigma. Worrisome patterns of precarious use emerge-perinatal ART under-utilization, delayed initiation, intermittent adherence, and low retention. Ending HIV/AIDS requires ending austerity and reinvesting in a public sector health workforce to ensure universal health coverage as household and community safety nets.

Differential Association of HIV Funding With HIV Mortality by Race/Ethnicity, United States, 1999-2017.

OBJECTIVE: Federal funds have been spent to reduce the disproportionate effects of HIV/AIDS on racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States. We investigated the association between federal domestic HIV funding and age-adjusted HIV death rates by race/ethnicity in the United States during 1999-2017. METHODS: We analyzed HIV funding data from the Kaiser Family Foundation by federal fiscal year (FFY) and US age-adjusted death rates (AADRs) by race/ethnicity (Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native [API+AI/AN]) from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER detailed mortality files. We fit joinpoint regression models to estimate the annual percentage change (APC), average APC, and changes in AADRs per billion US dollars in HIV funding, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). For 19 data points, the number of joinpoints ranged from 0 to 4 on the basis of rules set by the program or by the user. A Monte Carlo permutation test indicated significant (P < .05) changes at joinpoints, and 2-sided t tests indicated significant APCs in AADRs. RESULTS: Domestic HIV funding increased from $10.7 billion in FFY 1999 to $26.3 billion in FFY 2017, but AADRs decreased at different rates for each racial/ethnic group. The average rate of change in AADR per US billion dollars was -9.4% (95% CI, -10.9% to -7.8%) for Hispanic residents, -7.8% (95% CI, -9.0% to -6.6%) for non-Hispanic black residents, -6.7% (95% CI, -9.3% to -4.0%) for non-Hispanic white residents, and -5.2% (95% CI, -7.8% to -2.5%) for non-Hispanic API+AI/AN residents. CONCLUSIONS: Increased domestic HIV funding was associated with faster decreases in age-adjusted HIV death rates for Hispanic and non-Hispanic black residents than for residents in other racial/ethnic groups. Increasing US HIV funding could be associated with decreasing future racial/ethnic disparities in the rate of HIV-related deaths.

Monitoring progress towards the first UNAIDS 90-90-90 target in key populations living with HIV in Norway.

BACKGROUND: In line with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 target, Norway aims for at least 90% of people living with HIV (PLHIV) to know their HIV-status. We produced current estimates of the number of PLHIV and undiagnosed population in Norway, overall and for six key subpopulations: Norwegian-born men who have sex with men (MSM), migrant MSM, Norwegian-born heterosexuals, migrant Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)-born heterosexuals, migrant non-SSA-born heterosexuals and people who inject drugs. METHODS: We used the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) HIV Modelling Tool on Norwegian HIV surveillance data through 2018 to estimate incidence, time from infection to diagnosis, PLHIV, and the number and proportion undiagnosed. As surveillance data on CD4 count at diagnosis were not collected in Norway, we ran two models; using default model CD4 assumptions, or a proxy for CD4 distribution based on Danish national surveillance data. We also generated alternative overall PLHIV estimates using the Spectrum AIDS Impact Model, to compare with those obtained from the ECDC tool. RESULTS: Estimates of the overall number of PLHIV in 2018 using different modelling approaches aligned at approximately 5000. In both ECDC models, the overall number undiagnosed decreased continuously from 2008. The proportion undiagnosed in 2018 was lower using default model CD4 assumptions (7.1% [95%CI: 5.3-8.9%]), than the Danish CD4 proxy (10.2% [8.3-12.1%]). This difference was driven by results for heterosexual migrants. Estimates for Norwegian-born MSM, migrant MSM and Norwegian-born heterosexuals were similar in both models. In these three subpopulations, incidence in 2018 was < 30 new infections, and the number undiagnosed had decreased in recent years. Norwegian-born MSM had the lowest estimated number of undiagnosed infections (45 [30-75], using default CD4 assumptions) and undiagnosed fraction (3.6% [2.4-5.7%], using default CD4 assumptions) in 2018. CONCLUSIONS: Results allow cautious confidence in concluding that Norway has achieved the first UNAIDS 90-90-90 target, and clearly highlight the success of prevention strategies among MSM. Estimates for subpopulations strongly influenced by migration remain less clear, and future modelling should appropriately account for all-cause mortality and out-migration, and adjust for time of in-migration.

O reaparecimento da homossexualidade masculina nas estratégias de prevenção da infecção por HIV: reflexões sobre a implementação da PrEP no Brasil / The male homosexuality reappearance in HIV infection prevention strategies: reflections on the PrEP implementation in Brazil

Resumo Este trabalho toma como ponto de partida o texto de Nestor Perlongher, intitulado "O desaparecimento da homossexualidade", que descreve um esvaziamento da identidade homossexual masculina com o surgimento da aids e propõe uma nova leitura a partir da implementação da profilaxia pré-exposição ao HIV (PrEP) pelo sistema público de saúde no Brasil. Distribuída a partir do início de 2018 e considerada como uma das mais novas medidas de prevenção ao HIV/aids, a PrEP se configura como um esquema antirretroviral de uso contínuo direcionado aos sujeitos que não foram infectados pelo vírus. Tomando como referência empírica o Protocolo Clínico de Diretrizes Terapêuticas para PrEP, identificamos como, a partir da noção de risco, a profilaxia possibilita o retorno da homossexualidade aos consultórios médicos e, mais do que isso, opera como objeto discursivo de problematizações de caráter sanitário e social. Diante disso, a PrEP produz uma nova categoria de homossexual, atrelada a tecnologias disciplinares e biopolíticas, que se apoiam na individualização e responsabilização dos indivíduos pelo cuidado de si.

Abstract This paper takes its starting point the text by Nestor Perlongher, entitled O desaparecimento da homossexualidade [The disappearance of homosexuality], depicting an emptying of male homosexual identity with the emergence of aids, and proposes a new reading about the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation by the public health system in Brazil. Distributed from early 2018 and considered as one of the newest HIV/aids prevention measures, PrEP is a continuous antiretroviral therapy aimed for subjects who have not been infected with the virus. Taking as an empirical reference the Clinical Protocol of PrEP Therapeutic Guidelines, we identified how, from the notion of risk, prophylaxis enables the return of homosexuality to doctors' offices and, furthermore, operates as a discursive object of sanitary and social problematizations. Thus PrEP produces a new homosexual category, linked to disciplinary and biopolitical technologies, which rely on the individualization and accountability of individuals for self-care.

National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day - October 15, 2019.

National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, October 15, is observed each year to focus on the continuing and disproportionate impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) on Hispanics/Latinos in the United States. In 2017, 26% of newly diagnosed HIV infections occurred in Hispanics/Latinos (1). Seventy-five percent of these newly diagnosed HIV infections in Hispanics/ Latinos were in men who have sex with men (MSM), and an additional 3% were in MSM who inject drugs (1).

Food Insecurity and Maternal Mental Health among African American Single Mothers Living with HIV/AIDS in the Alabama Black Belt.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the relationship between food insecurity and depression among African American low-income single mothers living with HIV/AIDS in rural Alabama. Food insecurity is a neglected variable in bioethics, biomedical, behavioral, and health disparities research. METHODS: Regression analyses of data from a survey of African American single mothers living with HIV/AIDS in Alabama's Black Belt were used to evaluate the association between food insecurity and depression. RESULTS: As determined by the USDA food insecurity scale, about 53% of the sample was classified as food insecure. In the bivariate regression model, food insecurity was associated with depression. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, food insecurity remained positively associated with depression in this sample. CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity places low-income African American women at risk of depression. Given widespread poverty among HIV-positive individuals in the Black Belt, access to food should be considered in HIV-related prescriptions and in health disparities research.

Longitudinal Intra- and Inter-individual variation in T-cell subsets of HIV-infected and uninfected men participating in the LA Multi-Center AIDS Cohort Study.

To assess the intra-individual and inter-individuals biological variation and the effect of aging on lymphocyte T-cells subsets.We assessed lymphocyte phenotypes (CD3, CD4, and CD8 T-cells) in 89 HIV-1-infected and 88 uninfected white non-Hispanic men every 6 months, to examine the biological variation for those measurements, and the average change in lymphocyte phenotype over 34 years.The markers showed significant intra-individuality in HIV-infected and uninfected individuals with index of individuality of <1.4. No mean changes were seen over the 34 years, with the exception of percentage CD4T-cells in HIV-uninfected individuals.In the pre-HAART era, HIV-infected individuals experienced an increase in mean absolute CD3 T-cell numbers (11.21 cells/µL, P = 0.02) and absolute CD8 T-cell numbers (34.57 cell/µl, P < .001), and in the percentage of CD8 T-cells (1.45%, P < .001) per year and a significant decrease in mean absolute CD4 T-cell numbers (23.68 cells/µl, P < .001) and in the percentage of CD4 T-cells (1.49%, P < .001) per year.In the post-HAART era, no changes in mean levels were observed in absolute CD3 T-cell count (P = .15) or percentage (P = .99). Significant decreases were seen in mean count (8.56 cells/µl, P < .001) and percentage (0.59%, P < .001) of CD8 T-cells, and increases in mean absolute count (10.72 cells/µl, P < .001) and percentage (0.47%, P < .001) of CD4 T-cells.With the exception of CD4 (%), no average changes per year were seen in lymphocyte phenotype of HIV-uninfected men. The results of coefficients of variation of intra and inter-individuals of this study can be useful for HIV-1 infection monitoring and in addition the observation could be a useful guide for intra- and inter-individual coefficient variations, and establishing quality goal studies of different blood biomarkers in healthy and other diseases.

Survival of patients with AIDS and association with level of education level and race/skin color in South and Southeast Brazil: a cohort study, 1998-1999. / Sobrevida de pacientes com aids e associação com escolaridade e raça/cor da pele no Sul e Sudeste do Brasil: estudo de coorte, 1998-1999.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the survival of people with AIDS and association with schooling and race/skin color. METHODS: this was a retrospective cohort study of people diagnosed with AIDS between 1998 and 1999, in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil. We used survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier method), stratified by schooling and race/skin color and multivariate analysis was performed using Cox regression. RESULTS: the study included 2,091 people who had survived at 60 months, with 65% survival among White participants and 62% among Black/brown participants. Irregular use of antiretroviral (HR=11.2 - 95%CI8.8;14.2), and age ≥60 years (HR=2.5 - 95%CI1.4;4.4) were related to lower survival; schooling >8 years (HR=0.4 - 95%CI0.3;0.6) and being female (HR=0.6 - 95%CI0.5;0.8) were positively related to survival; those with less schooling had lower survival. CONCLUSION: lower schooling levels overlap race/skin color differences in relation to survival; these inequalities explain the differences found, despite the policies on universal access to antiretroviral.

HIV/AIDS stigma and beliefs about HIV transmission among Israeli Jews and Arabs: an exploratory study.

Although HIV/AIDS incidence in Israel is lower than in most Western countries, HIV/AIDS burden in Israel is on the rise. The Arabs are the largest ethnic minority in Israel. Medical experts in Israel believe that HIV infection rates among Israeli Arabs are underestimated. Moreover, unofficial data suggest that Arabs are significantly less likely than Jews to be tested for HIV and that Arabs are typically diagnosed at a late stage of their disease. Since data concerning the levels of HIV/AIDS stigma and knowledge can inform policy, this exploratory study compares the extent of HIV/AIDS stigma and beliefs about HIV transmission of Jews to those of Arabs. A convenience sample of 183 Israelis was drawn (135 Jews, 48 Arabs). Data were collected via a computerized, open-ended, self-report questionnaire. The main findings revealed that compared to Jews, Arabs reported more misinformation about HIV transmission. Arabs differed from Jews in key manifestations of stigma (support for coercive policies, attribution of blame and responsibility, anger and fear), but not others (avoidance intentions and discomfort). Arabs scored higher on the Summary Index of Stigma, than did Jews. These preliminary findings indicate a need to design culturally-specific interventions to enhance HIV transmission-related knowledge and to debunk stigma among Israeli Arabs.

Effects of early adversity on the brain: Larger-volume anterior cingulate cortex in AIDS orphans.

Multiple studies have revealed that adolescent AIDS orphans have more psychosocial problems than healthy adolescents. However, little is known about whether and how the brain structures of adolescent AIDS orphans differ from those of healthy adolescents. Here, we used magnetic resonance imaging to compare adolescent AIDS orphans reared in institutions (N = 20) with a sex- and age-matched group of healthy adolescents reared in families (N = 20) in China using a voxel-based morphometry analysis. First, we found that both total gray- and white-matter volumes did not differ between groups. Second, after correcting for age, sex, and total gray-matter volume, the AIDS orphan group demonstrated smaller hippocampal volumes, larger anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) volumes, and no differences in the amygdala. Third, a whole-brain analysis identified higher gray-matter volume of the ACC in the AIDS orphan group than in the control group. The preliminary findings of this study highlight the need for future research to confirm the sensitivity of the hippocampus and ACC to early adversity.

Burden of disease in South Africa: Protracted transitions driven by social pathologies.

For several decades, researchers from the South African Medical Research Council have made invaluable contributions towards improving the health of the population through the analysis and interpretation of cause of death data. This article reflects the mortality trends in pre-and post-apartheid South Africa (SA), and describes efforts to improve vital statistics, innovations to fill data gaps, and studies to estimate the burden of disease after adjusting for data deficiencies. The profound impact of HIV/AIDS, particularly among black African children and young adults, is striking, within a protracted epidemiological transition and the current reversals of multiple epidemics. Over the next 20 years, it will be important to sustain and enhance the country's capacity to collect, analyse and utilise cause of death data. SA needs to support development in the region, harnessing new data platforms and approaches such as including verbal autopsy tools in the official system and improving data linkage.

Differences Between U.S.-Born and Non-U.S.-Born Black Adults Reported with Diagnosed HIV Infection: United States, 2008-2014.

Despite improvements in its treatment, HIV infection continues to affect Blacks disproportionally. Using National HIV Surveillance System data from 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, we examined demographic and epidemiologic differences between U.S.-born and non-U.S.-born Black adults. Of 110,452 Black adults reported with diagnosed HIV during 2008-2014 with complete country of birth information, 11.1% were non-U.S.-born. Non-U.S.-born were more likely to be older, female, have HIV infection attributed to heterosexual contact, have been diagnosed late, and live in the northeastern U.S. region. During 2014, the HIV diagnosis rate among African-born Black females was 1.4 times the rate of U.S.-born Black males, 2 times the rate of African-born Black males, and 5.3 times the rate of U.S.-born Black females. We elucidate the differences between U.S.-born and non-U.S.-born Blacks on which to base culturally appropriate HIV-prevention programs and policies.

Using Financial Incentives to Improve Rates of Viral Suppression and Engagement in Care of Patients Receiving HIV Care at 3 Health Clinics in Louisiana: The Health Models Program, 2013-2016.

OBJECTIVES: The Care and Prevention in the United States Demonstration Project aimed to reduce HIV/AIDS-related morbidity and mortality among racial/ethnic minority groups in 8 states. We evaluated Health Models, a pay-for-performance program piloted by the Louisiana Department of Health that used financial incentives to improve rates of engagement in HIV medical care and viral suppression among people with HIV. METHODS: We enrolled 2076 patients of 3 urban HIV specialty clinics in Louisiana in the Health Models pay-for-performance program on a rolling basis from September 2013 through September 2016 and gave patients cash incentives to attend HIV medical appointments, achieve or maintain viral suppression, and link to supportive services. We used laboratory data collected from Louisiana's HIV surveillance database to calculate rates of engagement in care and viral suppression during the first 24 months of enrollment. RESULTS: Of the 2076 patients who enrolled, 1400 (67.4%) were non-Hispanic black, 1480 (71.3%) were male, 1175 (56.6%) were men who have sex with men, and 1371 (66.0%) reported an annual income of <$15 000. At enrollment, 1456 (70.1%) patients were engaged in HIV care, and 1197 (57.7%) patients were virally suppressed. After 12 months of enrollment, 1474 of 1783 (82.7%) patients were virally suppressed. Of enrolled patients with at least 12 or 24 months of follow-up data, 1299 of 1317 (98.6%) patients were engaged in care during their first 12 months of enrollment, and 995 of 1033 (96.3%) patients were engaged in care between 12 and 24 months of enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: During the implementation of Health Models, enrolled patients had increases in rates of viral suppression and achieved rates of engagement in care and viral suppression that were higher than national levels; however, additional supportive services may be needed to further reduce socioeconomic disparities in the rates of viral suppression.

["We live on the tightrope": the experience of health professionals working with HIV/AIDS in a remote area of Northeast Brazil]. / "A gente vive em cima da corda bamba": experiência de profissionais da saúde que trabalham com o HIV/aids em uma área remota do Nordeste brasileiro.

This ethnographic study aimed to understand the experience of health professionals working in a Specialized Service for HIV/AIDS Care in a remote area of Northeast Brazil. Data collection used participant observation and a semi-structured interview with seven professionals in the health care team. The thematic coding technique yielded three categories: "I didn't even know what it was": aspects of becoming a specialist in HIV/AIDS; "They're all out there, kind of hidden": strategies for dealing with the (in)visibility of serological status; and "We live on the tightrope": experiences in the work process. The study's most relevant aspect was the service's institutional invisibility as a result of the current configuration of the AIDS structure in Brazil. The results revealed several difficulties that are typical of services located in remote areas, especially the health professionals' lack of experience, aggravated by the lack of continuing education, unmet infrastructure needs, the position of HIV/AIDS care on the local political agenda, and the physician-centered organization of the work process. The study also highlighted the interlocutors' agency in the production of strategies to deal with these difficulties. The study further emphasized the local dimension as a social marker of difference that modeled the interlocutors' experiences, where the health policy's guidelines and principles are performed by health professionals, administrators, and users, comprising diverse material forms.

Esta etnografia objetivou compreender a experiência de profissionais da saúde que trabalham em um Serviço de Atenção Especializada em HIV/aids num contexto de área remota, no Nordeste brasileiro. Para a coleta de dados, utilizaram-se observação participante e entrevista semiestruturada com sete profissionais que compunham a equipe do serviço estudado. Por meio da técnica de codificação temática, obtiveram-se três categorias: "eu não sabia nem o que era": aspectos do vir a ser profissional especializado em HIV/aids; "está todo mundo lá meio que escondido": estratégias de enfrentamento à (in)visibilidade do status sorológico; e "a gente vive em cima da corda bamba": experiências no processo de trabalho. O aspecto mais relevante deste estudo diz respeito à invisibilidade institucional do serviço como reflexo da atual configuração do dispositivo da aids no Brasil. Os resultados assinalaram algumas dificuldades próprias de serviços localizados em áreas remotas, notadamente a inexperiência dos profissionais e seu agravamento pela carência de educação permanente, necessidades infraestruturais, o lugar das ações de saúde em HIV/aids na agenda política local e a centralidade do fazer médico na organização do processo de trabalho. Destacou-se, ainda, a agência dos interlocutores na produção de estratégias de enfrentamento dessas dificuldades. Este estudo acrescenta ao ressaltar a dimensão local como um marcador social da diferença que modelava as experiências dos interlocutores, pois é ali onde as diretrizes e os princípios da política de saúde são performados por profissionais, gestores e usuários compondo materialidades diversas.

Este estudio etnográfico tuvo como objetivo comprender la experiencia de profesionales de salud, que trabajan en un Servicio de Atención Especializada en VIH/SIDA en un contexto de área remota, en el nordeste brasileño. Para la recogida de datos, se utilizaron técnicas observación participante y entrevista semiestructurada con siete profesionales que componían el equipo del servicio estudiado. Mediante la técnica de codificación temática, se obtuvieron tres categorías: "yo no sabía ni lo que era": aspectos de lo que supone convertirse en un profesional especializado en VIH/SIDA; "está todo el mundo allí medio escondido": estrategias de enfrentamiento a la (in)visibilidad del estatus serológico; y "la gente vive sobre una cuerda floja": experiencias en el proceso de trabajo. El aspecto más relevante de este estudio se refiere a la invisibilidad institucional del servicio, como reflejo de la actual red de atención al SIDA en Brasil. Los resultados señalaron algunas dificultades propias de servicios localizados en áreas remotas, resaltándose la inexperiencia de los profesionales y su agravamiento por la carencia de formación permanente; necesidad de infraestructuras; el lugar de las acciones de salud en relación con VIH/SIDA dentro de la agenda política local, y la centralidad del quehacer médico en la organización del proceso de trabajo. Se destaca, no obstante, la voluntad de los interlocutores para generar estrategias que enfrenten esas dificultades. Este estudio es relevante al resaltar la dimensión local, como un marcador social de las diferencias que modelaban las experiencias de los interlocutores, pues es allí donde se llevan a cabo las directrices y los principios de política de salud por parte de profesionales, gestores y usuarios formando materialidades diversas.

Perceived behavioural predictors of late initiation to HIV/AIDS care in Gurage zone public health facilities: a cohort study using health belief model.

OBJECTIVE: The study was aimed to measure incidence density rate and identify perceived behavioural believes of late initiation to HIV/AIDS care in Gurage zone public health facilities from September 2015 to November 2016. RESULTS: The incidence density rates of late initiation to HIV/AIDS care were 2.21 per 100 person-months of observation. HIV positive individuals who did not perceived susceptibility were 8.46 times more likely delay to start HIV/AIDS care than their counter parts [OR = 8.46 (95% CI 3.92, 18.26)]. HIV infected individuals who did not perceived severity of delayed ART initiation were 6.13 time more likely to delay than HIV infected individuals who perceived its severity [OR = 6.13 (95% CI 2.95, 12.73)]. HIV positive individuals who didn't have self-efficacy were 2.35 times more likely delay to start HIV/AIDS care than HIV positive individuals who have self-efficacy [OR = 2.35 (95% CI 1.09, 5.05)]. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that high incidence density rates of delayed initiation for HIV care and variations were explained by poor wealth, and perceived threat and benefit. Therefore, interventions should be designed to initiate care at their diagnosis time.