Background: Circumcisions undertaken in non-clinical settings can have significant risks of serious adverse events, including death. The aim of this study was to test an intervention for safe traditional circumcision in the context of initiation into manhood among the Xhosa, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
This paper presents the findings of an exploratory study to investigate the challenges faced by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in communities in Cape Town, South Africa. The primary goal of the study was to gather data to inform the adaptation of a group risk reduction intervention to the South African context. Qualitative methods were used to examine the experiences of PLWHA. Eight focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with 83 HIV-positive participants and 14 key informants (KIs) involved in work with PLWHA were interviewed. Findings revealed that AIDS-related stigma was still pervasive in local communities. This was associated with the difficulty of disclosure of their status for fear of rejection. Also notable was the role of risky behaviours such as lack of condom use and that PLWHA considered their HIV/AIDS status as secondary to daily life stressors like poverty, unemployment, and gender-based violence. These findings have implications for the adaptation or development of behavioural risk reduction interventions for PLWHA.
The aim of the study was to identify factors influencing the utilisation of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) in a resource poor setting in South Africa.
<b>Opsomming</b>
Die doel van die studie was om faktore te identifiseer wat die benutting van die Voorkoming van Moeder-tot-Kind Oordrag (VMTKO) beïnvloed in ‘n omgewing in Suid-Afrika wat arm is aan hulpbronne.
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Training designed to improve circumcision knowledge, attitude and practice was delivered over 5 days to 34 traditional surgeons and 49 traditional nurses in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Training included the following topics: initiation rites; statutory regulation of traditional male circumcision and initiation into Manhood (TCIM); structure and function of the male sex organs; procedure of safe circumcision, infection control; sexually transmitted infections (STIs); HIV/AIDS; infection control measures; aftercare of the initiate including after care of the circumcision wound and initiate as a whole; detection and early management of common complications of circumcision; nutrition and fluid management; code of conduct and ethics; and sexual health education. The evaluation of the training consisted of a prospective assessment of knowledge and attitude immediately prior to and after training. Significant improvement in knowledge and/or attitudes was observed in legal aspects, STI, HIV and environmental aspects, attitudes in terms of improved collaboration with biomedical health care providers, normal and abnormal anatomy and physiology, sexually transmitted infections and including HIV, circumcision practice and aftercare of initiates. We concluded that safer circumcision training can be successfully delivered to traditional surgeons and nurses.
The aim of this study was to assess attitudes of preinitiates towards traditional Male Circumcision (MC) in the context of HIV. The sample included 350 Xhosa preinitiates recruited from 3 different recruitment sites during the preparation prior to MC in the Eastern Cape province. Results indicated that: 10% were to be circumcised before their sexual debut and reported a great deal of sexual risk behavior; 9% had been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection in the past 12 months; 20% reported that they had had 3 or more sex partners in their lives; and 47% had not used a condom the last time they had sex. Reasons and attitudes, including barriers, towards MC as well as risky sexual behavior found in this study need to be considered in MC programming.
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