SCOPE OF PROBLEM
Unintended pregnancies among HIV positive women in low-income settings is a significant public health issue with implications for the health and well-being of women of childbearing age, their partners, and their children. According to the Global HIV/AIDS Response Progress Report (WHO, 2011), Swaziland is a priority country for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence in the world - nearly 26% of adults aged 15-49 in Swaziland are living with HIV. Among adults with HIV in Swaziland, 58% are women (UNAIDS, 2012). Further concerning is the high prevalence of HIV among young women who are reaching the peak of fertility. HIV prevalence among women aged 15-24 was 15.6% in 2009 (Unicef, 2011). Considering that 64% of pregnancies among women aged 15-49 were unintended and that 12% of HIV positive women reported an unmet need for family planning, unintended pregnancies among HIV positive women in Swaziland is a significant cause for concern (Unicef, 2011; WHO, 20l11).
In response to high rates of HIV transmission to infants in the intrapartum and postpartum periods, the United Nations developed a four-pronged approach for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). The four components of the PMTCT strategy include: 1) primary prevention of HIV among women of childbearing age; 2) prevention of unintended pregnancies among women living with HIV; 3) prevention of transmission of HIV from mothers living with HIV to their infants; 4) treatment, care and support for mothers living with HIV and their children and families (PEPFAR, 2010). Prevention of unintended pregnancies among HIV positive women continues to pose a challenge to the reduction of maternal-child tra...
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Wanyenze, R. K., Wagner, G. J., Tumwesigye, N. M., Nannyonga, M., Wabwire-Mangen, F., & Kamya, M. R. (2013). Fertility and contraceptive decision-making and support for HIV infected individuals: client and provider experiences and perceptions at two HIV clinics in Uganda. BMC Public Health, 13, 98. doi: 1471-2458-13-98 [pii]
10.1186/1471-2458-13-98
Warren, C.E., Abuya, T., & Askew, I. (2013). Family planning practices and pregnancy intentions among HIV-positive and HIV-negative postpartum women in Swaziland: a cross sectional survey. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 13(150), 1-10. doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-13-150
World Health Organization. (2011). Global HIV/AIDS response: epidemic update and health sector progress towards universal access. Retrieved from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241502986_eng.pdf
Bland, R.M., Rollins, N.C., Coovadia, H.M., Coutsoudis, A., & Newell, M.L. (2007). Infant feeding counseling for HIV-infected and uninfected women: appropriateness of choice and practice. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 85(4), 289-296.
The country’s first cases of HIV were detected in 1982. About 2.6 million Ugandans were infected while 1.6 million people lost their lives to the HIV/AIDS illness. HIV/AIDS is a massive issue which currently, 7.2 percent of Uganda’s population is living with. 90% of HIV cases are discovered in developing countries and Uganda has the 7th highest number of HIV cases reported all over the world. This amounts to an estimated 1.4 million people, which includes approximately 190,000 children. In 2011 an estimated 62,000 people died from AIDS and 1.1 million children have been orphaned due to the virus. HIV is more common in women at 5.4 percent, compared to 2.4 percent prevalence rate amongst men. Developing countries such as Uganda have less money to support their basic necessities. Majority of these people do not have enough money to purchase health care to help keep them safe from the virus. As well in Uganda there is a lack of education about how HIV/AIDS is transmitted. Children need to be educate...
Although the sub-Saharan region accounts for just 10% of the world’s population, 67% (22.5 million) of the 33.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS in 1998 were residents of one of the 34 countries of sub-Saharan Africa, and of all AIDS deaths since the epidemic started, 83% have occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (Gilks, 1999, p. 180). Among children under age 15 living with HIV/AIDS, 90% live in sub-Saharan Africa as do 95% of all AIDS orphans. In several of the 34 sub-Saharan nations, 1 out of every 4 adults is HIV-positive (UNAIDS, 1998, p. 1). Taxing low-income countries with health care systems inadequate to handle the burden of non-AIDS related illnesses, AIDS has devastated many of the sub-Saharan African economies. The impact of AIDS on the region is such that it is now affecting demographics - changing mortality and fertility rates, reducing lifespan, and ultimately affecting population growth.
Wolf, L. E., Lo, B., Beckerman, K. P., Dorenbaum, A., Kilpatrick, S. J., Weintrub, P. S., et al. (2001). When parents reject interventions to reduce postnatal human immunodeficiency virus transmission. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 155(8), 927-933.
The author mentions a few key take away main points. First of all, solutions must address the underlying causes of HIV risk among women. This mainly includes poverty and disempowerment because women in lower living standar...
It is projected that nearly 200 million people across the globe are infected with this disease (Stevens, 2008). Notably, the diseases are most prevalent in young people living in underdeveloped countries of Africa. Also, it is specifically targeting poor African American women and poor communities of certain parts of Asia. This is one of the neglected diseases despite it being associated with increased risk for premature deliveries and HIV-infections, which should increase concern. This is an area that does not only call for great attention, but also requires an extensive and thorough
In 2008, 358,000 women died due to complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these preventable deaths occurred in developing countries, with a substantial number occurring in Africa. In addition, when a mother dies from pregnancy related causes their children who survive are 10 times more likely to die within two years than those with two living parents. Furthermore, many women who survive childbirth experience serious illness, injury, or disability caused by pregnancy-related complications. Maternal morbidity includes uterine prolapse, pelvic inflammatory disease, vescio-vaginal fistulas, urinary and fecal incontinence, infertility and discomfort during intercourse among other lasting effects of pregnancy...
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are generally transmitted through sexual contact, during unprotected sexual intercourse, some are also transmitted from mother to child during antenatal, intranatal and postnatal period and through unsafe blood, blood products, donated organs or tissues and contaminated needles, their consequences are more devastating and prevalent among women than men.1
Kershaw, T. S., Magriples, U., Westdahl, C., Schindler-Rising, S., & Ickovics, J. (2009). Pregnancy as a Window of Opportunity for HIV Prevention. American Journal of Public Health, November 99: 2079-2086.
World Health Organizaton. (2004). Reducing maternal and newborn mortality in Africa. African Health Monitor , 5 (1), 5-7.
O'Leary, Ann. Beyond Condoms: Alternative Approaches To HIV Prevention. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Pub., 2002. eBook Collection. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.
During the 1980s, efforts increased to alert the public to the dangers of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and unintended pregnancy, yet these problems have increased. Adolescents and young adults have been especially hard hit. Pregnancy and birth rates among teenagers are at their highest levels in two decades.
Stoto, Michael A., Donna A. Almario, and Marie C. McCormick. Reducing the Odds: Preventing Perinatal Transmission of HIV in the United States. Washington, D.C.: National Academy, 1999. Print.
Reproductive health services have and currently do struggle against obstacles including religious beliefs, governmental policies, educational shortcomings, and governmental financial circumstances. With the increase in reproductive health medicine and technology, an increase for the global standard of living, and women’s rights movements worldwide, global access to reproductive health services is becoming more and more of a priority. Topics such as abortion and form of contraception are highly debated. “Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, with almost 86.1% of Indonesians declared Muslim according to the 2000 census. 8.7% of the population is Christian, 3% are Hindu, and 1.8% Buddhist or other”(“Demographics of Indonesia”, Wikipedia). Indonesia implemented a family planning organization known as the National Population and Family Planning Board (BkkbN), which help provide sexual and reproductive education to the citizens of Indonesia. The goal of BkkbN is “Balanced Population Growth in 2015” ("Profil | BKKBN"). Unfortunately, the HIV/AIDS “Adult prevalence rate: [is] 0.2% (2007 est)” (“Demographics of Indonesia”, Wikipedia), and children suffer from mal-nutrition… “More than 30 per cent of pre-school children are underweight” (ReliefWeb). In some of these cases, the statistics could correlate directly to unplanned parenthood. Unplanned parenthood and unavailable global access to reproductive services could increase these numbers.
The emergence of HIV/AIDS is viewed globally as one of the most serious health and developmental challenges our society faces today. Being a lentivirus, HIV slowly replicates over time, attacking and wearing down the human immune system subsequently leading to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) at which point the affected individual is exposed to life threatening illnesses and eventual death. Despite the fact that a few instances of this disease have been accounted for in all parts of the world, a high rate of the aforementioned living with HIV are situated in either low or medium wage procuring nations. The Sub-Saharan region Africa is recognized as the geographic region most afflicted by the pandemic. In previous years, people living with HIV or at risk of getting infected did not have enough access to prevention, care and treatment neither were they properly sensitized about the disease. These days, awareness and accessibility to all the mentioned (preventive methods, care etc.) has risen dramatically due to several global responses to the epidemic. An estimated half of newly infected people are among those under age 25(The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic). It hits hard as it has no visible symptoms and can go a long time without being diagnosed until one is tested or before it is too late to manage.