Heena Sharma Blog

Training lay people to conduct HIV testing can be an effective approach to reach high-risk populations and prevent the spread of the infection throughout the world, a study has found. Lay providers can serve as a critical addition to efforts to help achieve the United Nations' global HIV targets by 2020 and help to cover the "last mile" of HIV services to at-risk populations. The study -- published in PLOS ONE -- suggests that community-based HIV testing is an effective approach to reach people at risk of HIV who have never been tested or test infrequently. Key at-risk populations include people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, female sex workers, and first-time HIV testers. A cross-sectional survey of 1,230 individuals tested by lay providers found that 74 per cent of clients belonged to at-risk populations, 67 per cent were first-time HIV testers, and 85 per cent preferred lay provider testing to facility-based testing. Read More

Stigma related to human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) impairs cognition in men living with the condition, finds a study. The findings of the McGill University study have been published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The participants filled out a questionnaire asking how much stigma they experience. Their answers were related to their results in cognitive testing and mental health questionnaires. Researchers found that HIV-related stigma had direct effects on cognitive test performance and anxiety. There was also a direct but weaker link between stigma and depression. Through its effects on cognition, stigma was found to reduce participation in social activities and impair function in everyday life. This study is the first to draw a direct connection between stigma and cognitive performance in people with HIV. The mechanisms through which stigma affects cognition are unclear, but might range from the impact of chronic stress on the brain, t