The South African HIV testing guideline, Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), World Health Organisation (WHO), and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNSAID) have recommended that routine HIV testing be offered in every healthcare facility. The emergency department(ED) is uniquely placed to be involved in this initiative due the volumes and characteristics of patients seen in the ED. This study seeks to determine the attitude of ED staff and their perceived barriers towards routine testing in the ED. Methods: Paper-based questionnaires were distributed to 170 members of ED staff in 3 academic hospitals. Survey Questionnaires contained 25 questions to reflect staff knowledge of HIV infection, their attitude towards testing, current testing practices and perceived barriers to testing. Chi square test was used to test for associations between various variables and the willingness to test. Result: Response rate was 52% (88/170). Average year of experience in an ED (SD) was 4.4 years. Only 30% of ED staff favoured routine testing in the ED. However, 63% of staff was willing to test if result was available within 20 minutes. Members of ED staff generally prefer that a HIV counsellor disclose the result of a positive test. Members of the white race and those who identified fewer barriers were more likely to test. Important barriers cited include; time constraints (77%), inadequate resources (77%), and lack of support staff (71%). Conclusion: The ED staff generally favoured risk based testing over routine testing. Members of the ED staff are generally willing to offer routine HIV testing, but the presence of barriers may limit the implementation of routine HIV testing in the ED.

A Research Submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences (School of Public Health), University of the Witwatersrand, in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters in Public Health in the field of Social Behaviour Change and Communication 27 May 2014 / Introduction: HIV/AIDS services are now given freely at public health facility level. They have been decentralized to the formal primary health facilities in the rural areas. Despite the efforts by the South African government, the utilization of those services remains a challenge. There are gender disparities in utilisation of HIV/AIDS services as females utilize the services in greater numbers compared to their male counterparts. The newly diagnosed seropositive men tend to disappear soon after HIV testing, only to appear in a formal health system when their immune system is seriously suppressed and at a more advanced WHO stage of disease. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to explore the underlying perceptions and beliefs that influence utilization of HIV/AIDS services by newly diagnosed HIV positive men in Mbashe Sub-District of the Eastern Cape between January 2010 and March 2011 Methods: The study was conducted in the rural Mbashe Sub-District of the Eastern Cape Province and utilized a qualitative methodology. This qualitative approach relied on semi-structured in-depth interviews with newly diagnosed HIV positive men of 18-49 years of age who were either accessing or not accessing the HIV/AIDS services during January 2010 and March 2011.The participants were recruited through purposive sampling and 18 interviews were conducted in 6 different facilities at three different service levels. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcripts were subjected to thematic content analysis based on the Health Belief Model. Results: The results show that both groups of men reacted negatively to HIV positive status. The experiences during HIV Counselling and Testing were not linked to whether men could access services. The barriers to utilizing the available HIV/AIDS services included fear of stigma and discrimination, need for an alternative quick cure which delayed utilization of the services, the clinic as gendered space, compromised Provider-Initiated Counselling and Testing (PICT) model implementation, shortage of food, physical fitness and alcoholism. The facilitators for access included the need for survival, disclosure and social support, and cues to action like witnessing a relative dying due to HIV/AIDS related illness. However, the HBM model could not squarely explain the trends in accessing HIV service since few constructs were found to be relevant and also some issues that are outside the HBM model emerged. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that newly diagnosed men‟s utilization of the subsequent free HIV/AIDS services at the primary health care level is influenced by many factors . There are those factors that trigger men to utilize the services and those that deter them from accessing necessary HIV/AIDS services. The factors that influence their access to services are mainly within the multilevel framework which ranges from individual, family, community and societal factors. Therefore, the targeted interventions to address the issue should focus on addressing stigma and discrimination, policy change on training, recruitment and deployment of male nurses, integration of traditional/spiritual interventions within the mainstream of health services, correct implementation of the PICT model and encouraging couple counselling and testing. The Health Belief Model constructs, especially perceived severity, were not strongly linked to whether men accessed services or not.

Given the high prevalence of HIV and AIDS in South Africa, particularly among the 12-25 year age group, the study set out to understand the perceptions of parents regarding the proposed school-based HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign planned by the Department of Health in collaboration with the Department of Education. This campaign is aimed at encouraging teenagers to get tested and to know their HIV status in the hope that such knowledge will reduce the number of new infections. The target market of the HCT campaign includes high schools because they have a significant number of adolescents and young adults who could benefit from HCT campaign (SANAC, 2010:11). The research looked at the ethical, legal and social implications of the HCT campaign in schools as perceived by parents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 20 households. Among the main findings was that parents were generally in favour of the HCT campaign but believed that participation in the programme should be voluntary. They anticipated that the HCT programme could potentially affect children’s emotional well-being, particularly if ethico-legal issues of consent and confidentiality were violated and social issues of stigma and discrimination were not handled sensitively. They emphasised that the campaign needed to consider children’s vulnerability and should seek to protect them in the process. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for promoting bioethical principles in implementing the HCT campaign.

Thesis (MSc.(Clinical Psychology))University of Limpopo, 2009. / The aim and objective of this investigation is to explore, on a preliminary basis, the psychological and social effects on a sample of women of having disclosed their positive HIV diagnosis. The study was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A convenience sampling approach was used to collect the sample. Inclusion criteria included female, older than 18, with a positive HIV status. Participants’ disclosure of a positive HIV status (defined as having voluntarily disclosed to sexual partners, intimate or immediate family, extended family and or friends) was a key inclusion criterion. Semi-structured interviews were used in the collection of data. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Through collaboration with other trained researchers, the data was analyzed and interpreted using investigator triangulation. The independent clinicians identified and established the categories, themes or recurring processes separately using content analysis. The themes in the transcripts as well as from the literature review were utilized as a guide. The results of this study suggest that there are various factors that influence whether disclosure of a positive HIV diagnosis takes place, largely based on the initial adjustment to the positive HIV diagnosis, the individual’s socio-cultural context and the weighing of potential reactions (whether positive or negative) that disclosing a positive HIV diagnosis can induce. The psychological effects of disclosing a positive HIV diagnosis that were identified in this study were anger, fear of stigma/discrimination, shock and disbelief and a false sense of acceptance of the diagnosis. The social effects of disclosing a positive HIV diagnosis were satisfaction with support received following disclosure. However lack of partner support as well as experiences with stigma/discrimination were identified following disclosure.

PhD, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / HIV/AIDS continues to be one of the greatest health challenges which South Africa faces. The epidemic in children is closely linked to that in women, the prevalence of which continues to grow according to antenatal statistics from the South African Department of Health (DOH). HIV is known to invade the central nervous system at the time of infection, and causes widespead damage. In children, this leads to a well-researched condition known as HIV encephalopathy, which affects all areas of neurodevelopment. The effects of timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy on alleviating the impact of encephalopathy have been well described. Neurodevelopmental delay is a stage four disease indicator according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), and therefore is a criterion for initiation of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). HAART is often only administered according to the virologic and immunologic status of a child, as standardised neurodevelopmental assessment tools are not widely available in South African clinics. When HAART initation is dependent on immunologic status, it is often too late to prevent encephalopahy. To date, the only means of prevention of this condition is early initation of HAART, which has not been widely available in South Africa. Stringent guidelines for the commencement of this therapy according to the WHO, and the South African Department of Health (DOH) have had to be followed, leading to late initiation of HAART, and widespread central nervous system encephalopathy. Studies which have been carried out in South African clinics have demonstrated the high prevalence of this condition. Once there is evidence of encephalopathy, children should be referred for assessments in all facets of development, and where necessary, for rehabilitation. A standardised developmental screening tool which is suitable for use in a developing country is therefore necessary in order to screen for neurodevelopmental delays to allow for further assessment and referral to rehabilitation services, as well as providing an additional assessment criterion for initiation of HAART. Paediatric HIV clinics in developing countries are understaffed, and children may be seen by junior staff or screened by nurses due to the high numbers of clinic attendees. This often results in neurodevelopment being inadequately assessed and children are therefore not referred for intervention services. A standardised screening tool, which The Development of a Screening Tool to Evaluate Infants who are HIV Positive could be administered by clinic staff in order to ensure correct and timely referral of children for further assessment and intervention is therefore necessary. This is of importance both locally and internationally where a screening tool, which has been developed specifically for this purpose, does not exist. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the agreement between the Bayley-III Screening Test and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (3rd version) in a population of HIV positive infants in order to evaluate its appropriateness for use in South Africa. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development have long been considered the ‘gold standard’ in infant developmental assessment, which is why this tool was chosen to evaluate the Bayley-III Screening Test against. The developmental scores in each facet (cognitive, motor or language) were evaluated to determine which should be included in an assessment tool for this population. Further objectives for the study were to adapt the screening tool to the needs of the population, or to develop a new screening tool should the Bayley-III Screening Test not prove suitable for use in this population. In order to meet the aims and objectives, a cross-sectional study was conducted where 112 HIV positive infants between the ages of six and eighteen months were assessed using the Bayley-III Screening Test and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (3rd version) (BSID III). The infants were stratified into four age groups namely 6-8 months, 9- 12 months, 13-16 months, and 17-18 months. Children were recruited from Harriet Shezi Children’s Clinic at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. The agreement between the Bayley-III Screening Test and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (3rd version) was analysed using Kappa, for the overall group, and for each age group. Overall agreement between the tools was as follows: K=0.58 for the Cognitive facet, K=0.82 for the Expressive Communication facet, K=0.76 for the Receptive Communication facet, K=0.44 for the Fine Motor facet and K=0.57 for the Gross Motor facet. These values indicate that the Bayley-III Screening Test is therefore not acceptable for clinical use, as excellent agreement (k≥0.75) in all facets would be necessary for this purpose. A new screening tool therefore had to be developed. The infant’s developmental scores from the BSID III were analysed to determine which facets of development were most severely affected, and therefore which facets should be included in a new screening tool. Gross motor function was demonstrated to be the area which was most severely affected, followed by cognitive function. A gross motor screening tool would therefore be suitable for use in this population, as no equipment would be necessary. Gross motor development is the most universally similar aspect of development, which is not completely dependent on cultural or socioeconomic factors which often have an influence on language and cognitive development. Item selection from the BSID III was undertaken to determine which items should be included in a brief screening tool. In each of the four age groups, item selection occurred as follows: Two items which discriminated the At-Risk, from Emerging and Competent groups (less than 20% in the At-Risk group, and 100% in the other groups) were selected. Two items, which discriminated between children in the ‘Emerging’ and ‘Competent’ categories on the BSID III were selected (0-5% of children who were At-Risk obtained credit, 30-50% of the Emerging group obtained credit, and 100% of the Competent group obtained credit). Lastly, two items were selected which discriminated the Competent group from the other two groups (100% or as high as possible in the Competent group, and 0% in the other groups). The new gross motor screening tool was assembled using the selected items, scoring was allocated, and it was tested against the scores obtained on the Gross Motor facet of the BSID III for the initial 112 infants. Agreement between the tools was analysed using Kappa, and refinements were made according to the discrepancies. This was done three times, until the Kappa value revealed excellent agreement between the tools (k = 0.87). A panel of experts was then invited to examine the new gross motor screening tool, and to comment on it, and further adjustments were made accordingly. Preliminary concurrent validity testing of the new gross motor screening tool was then carried out against the Gross Motor facet of the BSID III on 60 children, who were recruited from the Harriet Shezi Children’s Clinic at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. Statistical analysis revealed that the agreement between the BSID III and the new screening tool was excellent (k=0.85). The diagnostic properties of the new gross motor screening tool were as follows: sensitivity 97.4%, specificity 85.7%, positive predictive value 92.7%, and negative predictive value 94.7%. These values indicate that the statistical properties of the tool are excellent, and the tool will not be predisposed to underreferrals or over-referrals. Preliminary reliability testing was carried out on 15 children for test-retest/intrarater reliability and 15 children for interrater reliability. Interrater, test-retest and intrarater reliability were excellent (r=1, r=0.98, r=0.98 respectively). Further testing of reliablity and validity should be undertaken in order to establish these properties, and standardisation should also be carried out on healthy children. Given the need for an assessment tool of this nature in South Africa and other developing countries, and the statistical properties thus far, the tool may be used clinically for the purposes for which it was developed.

Magister Public Health - MPH / In recognition of high dual burden of tuberculosis (TB) and Human Immunodeficiency virus(HIV) in Sub-Saharan Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO, 2004) provided guidance for implementing integrated HIV/TB services. This strategy has been implemented using different models ranging from partial to fully integrating, and evaluations of these models have been conducted to determine their effectiveness. The aim of this study was to describe and contrast the effectiveness of different models of implementation of HIV and TB integration at primary care level within the Tuberculosis (TB) programme in Livingstone District, Zambia The specific objectives of the study included; 1. To describe the models of integrated HIV and TB services that are currently implemented at four health facilities within the TB programme in Livingstone District at primary health care level. 2. To describe and contrast the coverage and quality of HIV diagnosis in the Tuberculosis(TB) programme achieved in the different facilities representing fully and partially integrated models of service delivery. 3. To describe and contrast the coverage and quality of HIV prevention activities in the Tuberculosis (TB) programme achieved in the different health facilities representing fully and partially integrated models of service delivery. 4. To describe and contrast the coverage and quality of HIV care activities received by coinfected clients in the Tuberculosis (TB) programme in the different facilities representing fully and partially integrated models of service delivery. 5. To describe the quality and outcomes of TB diagnosis and treatment in the different facilities representing fully and partially integrated models of service delivery. A research design using quantitative methodologies: a cross sectional survey and structured observations or review of patient records (quantitative) were used. The records of 814 TB clients notified in 2010 served as the study population while the sample of 464 (232 from partially and 232 from fully integrated) were randomly selected. Two data collection tools namely: patient record and HIV/TB register review; facility staff interviews (key informant interviews) were used and the results were analyzed using Epi info statistical package. In the study, all respondents gave informed consent and no personal information was collected from the retrospective record review. The HIV prevention interventions in this study were rated below 30% except for of HIV education (97%). Statistically significant differences (p-value<0.001) existed for condom provision at facility level. Poor performance reported for STI screening (below 2%) and PMTCT information (below 15%). The HIV testing rate was 94% among TB clients which was higher than the counseling coverage of 88%. Statistically significant differences (p value <0.001) at facility level existed for clients who received HIV test results. Sixty three percent (63%) of TB clients were also co- infected with HIV. ART assessment for TB clients was below 40% and statistically significant differences (p value=<0.001) between facilities were identified for this indicator. ART assessment of TB clients at the same facility they tested for HIV was above 50% for all facilities. The continuation of cotrimoxazole was poor at 38% and statistically significant differences (p value=<0.001) were identified for this indicator between facilities. Sputum testing was 85% while the cure rate was poor at 28% average for all facilities. Statistically significant differences (p-<0.001) were noticed at model level for clients cured. Although HIV prevention and care services were introduced in the TB program in Livingstone,they were not comprehensive enough to respond to the high HIV and TB co-infectivity. For HIV prevention, other than HCT and HIV education, the rest of the critical interventions such as condom provision, STI screening and treatment, and PMTCT intervention were neglected. The HIV care services such as ART assessment and CPT implementation were also poor. There is need to put in place systems to improve these services in the district to improve treatment outcomes. The differences that were noted in performance for the majority of the indicators were mainly at facility level as being a fully integrated facility did not guarantee effective integration or better performance.

Magister Artium - MA / Introduction A high burden of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) constitutes a key global public health concern. In South Africa, it is estimated that 260 000 children aged 0-14 years had HIV infection and only 63% of them were reported to have received HIV treatment in 2018. Without antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV infection during infancy is associated with rapid disease progression where more than half of all infected children are expected to die before two years of age. Early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV is therefore essential for accessing timely HIV treatment. However, preanalytical errors within the EID diagnostic cascade prevent optimal access to HIV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and contributing factors of preanalytical errors resulting in missed diagnostic opportunities for HIV among children below 18 months of age in Thabo Mofutsanyana (TM) district. Methodology The study was conducted using a descriptive cross-sectional study design and data was collected in two phases. Phase 1 involved obtaining the routine HIV PCR testing data set from the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) for all samples collected at TM public health facilities in 2018 and registered by NHLS. Phase 2 included a facility assessment checklist and semi structured questionnaire administered to 36 health care workers (HCWs) from 10 purposively selected health facilities. Data collected in phase 2 was analyzed to describe health facilities and HCW factors that might be contributing to the HIV PCR preanalytical errors. Results Phase 1. Of the 9318 samples included in the analysis, 49.6% were birth HIV PCRs whilst 42.1% and 8.3% were from 10 weeks and above 12 weeks age categories, respectively. A total of 745 (8%) samples were rejected because of the following preanalytical errors: insufficient specimen (84.3%), unsuitable sample (9.9%) and clerical error (5.8%).By age, the preanalytical errors were: birth (534), 10 weeks (170) and the above 12 weeks age category (41). Hospitals had the highest proportion of total preanalytical errors (58.1%). For PHCs the errors were: insufficient specimen (90%), unsuitable sample (5.5%) and clerical (4.8%).

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / Studies have indicated that help-seeking behaviour of people living with HIV is not predictable and linear and may entail the utilization of western medicine, traditional medicine and/or complementary medicine. The aim of this study was to explore pre- and post- HIV diagnosis help-seeking behaviour by patients receiving antiretroviral treatment at Witbank Hospital in Mpumalanga Province (South Africa).A qualitative, descriptive phenomenological approach was utilized in the study. Ten participants (male = 5; female = 5, and aged between 30 and 50 years)diagnosed with HIV and who came to the hospital to collect their treatment and for medical review were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Interpretive analysis method was used to analyse the data. The results suggest the preference for western medicine pre-and post-HIV diagnosis. The results further suggest that help-seeking behaviour is a dynamic process embedded mainly in the conceptualization of the health problem, perception of its severity, the treatment given, and social support experienced.

Une solution envisageable pour éliminer la propagation de l'épidémie du VIH est que les personnes vivant avec le VIH (PVVIH) ignorant leur statut sérologique (épidémie cachée) soient diagnostiquées et que les PVVIH aient accès rapidement au traitement antirétroviral (TARV). C'est pour cette raison qu'il est recommandé de mettre en place les interventions combinant notamment le dépistage précoce du VIH et l'initiation précoce du TARV. L'objectif de cette thèse est de développer des méthodes statistiques pour estimer les indicateurs permettant de désigner, de suivre et d'évaluer ces interventions dans différents contextes épidémiques. Ainsi, un premier modèle de rétrocalcul combinant les données de diagnostic du VIH et les changements dans l'accès au dépistage est développé, avec une application en France, pour estimer l'incidence de l'infection à VIH, la durée entre l'infection et le diagnostic du VIH et la taille de l'épidémie cachée. Une analyse multiniveaux est mise en œuvre pour identifier les facteurs de risque d'accès tardif au TARV au Cameroun. Une méthode basée sur les modèles multiniveaux est proposée, avec une application au Cameroun, pour estimer deux nouveaux indicateurs, la durée entre la seroconversion et l'initiation du TARV et la durée entre l'éligibilité théorique au TARV et son initiation effective. Un second modèle de rétrocalcul plus adapté aux pays d'Afrique est développé à partir des données des PVVIH mises au TARV, avec une application au Cameroun, pour estimer l'incidence de l'infection à VIH. Cette thèse propose des méthodes originales pour estimer l'incidence du VIH et le délai entre l'infection et le diagnostic du VIH ou l'initiation du TARV. / A possible solution to eliminate the spread of the HIV epidemic is that people living with HIV (PLHIV) unaware of their HIV status (the hidden epidemic) are diagnosed and that all PLHIV have timely access to antiretroviral treatment (ART). That is why it is now recommended to put in place interventions combining early diagnosis of HIV and early initiation of ART. The objective of this thesis is to develop statistical methods to estimate indicators to identify, monitor and evaluate these interventions in different epidemic settings. Thus, a first back-calculation model combining HIV diagnosis data and changes in access to HIV screening is developed - with an application in France -to estimate the incidence of HIV infection, the duration between infection and HIV diagnosis and the size of the hidden epidemic. A multilevel analysis is implemented to identify risk factors associated with late ART initiation in Cameroon. A method based on multilevel models is proposed - with an application to Cameroon - to estimate two new indicators, the time between seroconversion and ART initiation and the delay between the theoretical time of ART eligibility and the effective time of ART initiation. A second back-calculation model more adapted to Africa countries is developed from data on PLHIV initiating ART - with an application in Cameroon - to estimate the incidence of HIV infection. This thesis proposes original methods to estimate the incidence of HIV infection and the time to HIV diagnosis or ART initiation.

Text in English / INTRODUCTION: Late in HIV epidemic while HIV program is maturing studies in rich and resource limited setting have shown controversial results with regard to whether childbearing desire and intention are changed after the expansion of ART and PMTCT services. There are few studies in Ethiopia which tried to find out fertility preferences after the decentralized ART and PMTCT services. PURPOSE: The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of fertility desire, intention and associated factors among HIV positive males and females at health facilities in Hawassa city with chronic HIV care. METHOD: The study used quantitative, observational, analytic and cross-sectional study design. It was structured on Trait-Desire-Intention-Behaviour theoretical frame work. A gender based stratification followed by random sampling method was applied. An interviewer-administered structured data collection approach using the pre-tested questionnaire was applied in the study. The Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Epi-Info version 3.5.3 were utilized for data analysis. In addition to descriptive statistics, both bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyse the data. RESULT: With a respondent rate of 93%, a total of 460 PLHIV participated in the study with equal number of males and females. The majority of the participants were from urban (85%), in relationship (70.9%), and on ART (80%). The reported fertility desire, 43.9% (45.2% in males; 42.6% in females), and fertility intention, 44.9% (46.4% in males; 43.4% in females), were high. The median number of intended children was 2. About 54% of PLHIV were using at least one of the contraceptives with 32.4% of unmet need of family planning. Participants with overall experinece of 2 births or less (AOR: 2.4 95% CI 1.32-4.32; p-value=0.0042), without birth experience after HIV diagnosis (AOR:0.52 95% CI 0.28-0.98; p-value=0.0424) and whose partner also desired for childbearing (AOR: 19.73 95%CI 10.81-35.99; p-value=0.0000) were more likely to intend for a/another child.They wished and planned to get birth because; they did not have a/children before or fear of childless stigma (25.3%), ART could help to have negative child (21.8%), importance of parenthood (17.8%) and the desire of once partner (16.8%). The study participants had consulted health care workers (34.2%), approached their partner or their partner had already approached them (27.6%), tried to get a partner or married (17.6%) and stop using family planning (6%) to get pregnant. CONCLUSION: This study highlights high fertility desire and intention in the background of high unmet need for family planning among PLHIV. A development of comprehensive male partner-involved couple counseling protocol, improving the communication HCWs have with PLHIV to emphasize safer conception methods and strengthening all the components of PMCT integrating with other SRH services at chronic HIV clinic are critical. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)