Evaluation of the role of support groups in the lives of HIV positive people at Nontyatyambo and Empilweni Gompo Community Health Centres in East London, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Mkhencele, Nontando Precious
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: HIV-positive persons , Self-help groups -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , HIV infections , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Nursing Science)
- Identifier: vital:11894 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1001094 , HIV-positive persons , Self-help groups -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , HIV infections , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. The estimated 5,7 million South Africans that are living with HIV need comprehensive and holistic care. Psychosocial support is a vital aspect of care for HIV positive people. Support groups have been identified as a basic form of psychosocial support. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of support groups in the lives of HIV positive people in East London, Eastern Cape. A qualitative study design was implemented using focus group interviews to explore the role of HIV support groups. The research questions were designed to elicit responses pertaining to the needs, expectations and experiences of HIV positive support group attendees. Activities conducted in support groups as well as the attitude of support group members towards recruiting other HIV positive people to join the group were also explored. Findings revealed that the benefits of attending a support group included emotional and psychological support, sense of belonging to a “family”, assistance with disclosure issues, gaining information about HIV and treatment as well as material benefits such as food parcels and job opportunities. The greatest need of support group attendees was assistance in obtaining a Social Support or Disability Grant. A few negative experiences were reported which included: unfulfilled promises by people outside of the group, unfair allocation of grants and food parcels, as well as negative group dynamics at times. Support group members agreed that even though there were few negative experiences, the benefits clearly outweighed the negative experiences. Most participants agreed that they would recommend the support group to other HIV positive people so that they could also enjoy the stated benefits. In summary, the study concluded that support groups are very helpful in the lives of HIV positive people.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Immunological and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium species in HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative diarrhoea patients in the Nkonkobe Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: a pilot study
- Authors: Etinosa, Omoruyi Beauty
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Protozoa, Pathogenic , Pathogenic microorganisms -- Detection , Medical microbiology , HIV-positive persons , Cryptosporidium , Diarrhea , HIV-infections
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Biochemistry)
- Identifier: vital:11252 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/392 , Protozoa, Pathogenic , Pathogenic microorganisms -- Detection , Medical microbiology , HIV-positive persons , Cryptosporidium , Diarrhea , HIV-infections
- Description: Cryptosporidiosis is an infection caused by Cryptosporidium; a protozoan parasite that infects the gastrointestinal tract. The infection is of major public health concern in both developed and developing countries. Faecal samples were collected from 160 in-patient adults, with complaint of diarrhoea, admitted at Victoria hospital in Alice, Nkonkobe Municipality. Twenty apparently healthy subjects were included as controls. All diarrhoea positive patients were interviewed to record socio-demographic information, water supply and animal contact. Initial screening was carried out by microscopy and ELISA to detect positive Cryptosporidium. Genomic DNA was extracted from microscopically positive samples and a PCR reaction was perform to amplify the (18S) SSUrRNA gene for further identification and epidemiology of Cryptosporidium. Data were analysed using Pearson‘s χ2 and Fisher‘s exact test to assess the univariate association between Cryptosporidium infection and the possible risk factors. Of the 180 subjects screened for cryptosporidial infection, Cryptosporidium antigen was detected in 122 giving an overall prevalence of 67.8 percent. In HIV-positive diarrhoea patients, prevalence increased with ages; between 31-43 (mean age 36.5 yr) and 70-82 (mean age 75.8 yr) had a higher prevalence (100 percent) of the antigen than 18-30 (mean age 23.2 yr) and 83-95 (mean age 88.8 yr) (50.0 percent) in HIV-positive diarrhoea patients (P > 0.05). In HIV-negative diarrhoea patients, prevalence was highest in the 18-30 (mean age 23.2 yr) (87.5 percent) and least (35.7 percent) in those aged 83-95 (mean age 88.8 yr) (P > 0.05). Cryptosporidium antigen was higher in females than in males. Of 115 females (mean age 46.7yr) who participated in the study, antigen was detected in 90 (78.2 percent) against 32 (71.1 percent) of 45 males (mean age 42.6yr). None of the 20 apparently healthy control subjects was found to be infected with Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium was detected in 27 HIV-positive and 97 HIV-negative diarrhoea patients by any one of the techniques. Antigen detection by ELISA 14 showed the highest positivity 96 (76.8 percent) in HIV- negative and 26 (74.3 percent) in HIV- positive diarrhoea patients. PCR detected eighty-nine (71.2 percent) cases in HIV-negative and 23 (65.7 percent) in HIV-positive patients with diarrhoea. Only 13 (37.1 percent) HIV-positive and 34 (27.2 percent) HIV-negative diarrhoea patients were found positive for Cryptosporidium by modified ZN. No significant difference was observed in sensitivity of antigen detection by ELISA and PCR (96.9 percent) in HIV-negative diarrhoea patients, respectively. Specificity of the staining technique was 88.9 percent in HIV-positive and 96.6 percent in HIV-negative diarrhoea patients. No significant difference was found in specificity of antigen detection by ELISA and PCR in HIV-positive and HIV-negative diarrhoea patients, respectively. Positive predictive value of ZN staining in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative diarrhoea patients (92.3 and 96.9 percent) was statistically higher than ELISA and PCR. No significant difference was observed in negative predictive value of ZN technique for detection of Cryptosporidium between HIV-positive and HIV- negative diarrhoea patients. Differences found in prevalence rates due to water source, suggest that the high infection rates of specific groups are associated with their exposure to the contaminated water supply. The results indicate that Cryptosporidium infection is highly prevalent in adult faecal specimens in the Nkonkobe Municipality, an indication of active infection that is likely to emerge as major human pathogen in this location due to socioeconomic changes which favour transmission. However, sequencing analysis is required to differentiate between Cryptosporidium genotypes in the various outbreaks
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- Date Issued: 2010
A qualitative study aimed at describing & interpreting the changing symbolic meanings of HIV/AIDS which encountering HIV-positive patients introduces into the personal & professional identities of selected health care professionals
- Authors: Read, Gary Frank Hoyland
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- Africa , Physicians -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Medical personnel -- South Africa -- Attitudes , HIV-positive persons
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3041 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002550 , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- Africa , Physicians -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Medical personnel -- South Africa -- Attitudes , HIV-positive persons
- Description: This study aimed at describing and interpreting the changing symbolic meanings of the Acquired Immunodefiency Syndrome (AIDS) which encountering a Human Immunodefiency Virus (HIV)-positive patient introduced into the personal and professional identities of six health care professionals in a subregion of the Eastern Cape. With the exponential increase of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, medical practitioners have become increasingly exposed to HIV infected patients. This study has considered the psychological structures developed by practitioners in an attempt to control and understand their situation in the context of HIV/AIDS. In order to describe these psychological structures the existential phenomenological approaches of L. Binswanger (in Needleman, 1963), A. Giorgi (1975) and F.J.Wertz (1985) were employed. Through these procedures, the structure of the experience of encountering an HIV infected patient was elucidated. This comprised the first goal of this study. The second goal focused on interpreting these descriptions by way of the symbolic meanings and definitions implicit in the structure of this experience. For this latter purpose the approach of symbo1ic interactionism was used, in particu1ar the understandings outlined by H. Blumer (1969). This theory was seen as appropriate in that the encounter between the practitioner and patient was primarily located in interpersonal parameters. The findings were discussed in terms of the two dominant metaphorical frameworks used by the subjects to comprehend the disease - namely the perspectives of society and the biomedical model. These two frameworks were critically evaluated in the context of HIV/AIDS, the needs of HIV infected individuals as well as the needs of the general practitioner. The process of the encounter was found to be very significant for practitioners in terms of their conceptualisations of HIV/AIDS. Old understandings were reinterpreted within the interpersonal context and replaced with more appropriate symbolic metaphors upon which to base practise. This study has revealed these new understandings were limited and constrained with regard to understanding and treating HIV/AIDS in that the subjects were still influenced by the metaphors of the biomedical model. These constraints were examined in the light of both personal and professional meanings and identities. This study concluded by making suggestions for modification of the medical practitioner's role in the context of HIV/AIDS.
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- Date Issued: 1993