Objective: The study aimed to describe the current epidemiological, clinical and immunological profile of newly
detected HIV - positive patients in Northern Benin by 2016. Methods: It was a prospective study conducted from May 2 to
October 31, 2016 on three main sites of care of people living with... HIV (PLHIV) in the department of Borgou in Benin. All
new cases of HIV infection have been systematically and comprehensively recruited. Initial epidemiological, clinical and
immunological data were collected using a questionnaire. These data were entered and analyzed using the Epi Info 7 software.
Results: In total, 185 adults (68 male and 117 female) newly screened HIV positive were included in this study. The middle age
was 36.2 ± 10.9 years and the sex ratio was 0.6 One hundred and thirty-five patients (73%) were between 25 and 50 years old.
In terms of the profession, 132 patients (71.3%) were engaged in liberal activities (craftmen, traders and retailers). The
majority was schooled (113 or 61.1%) and resided in urban areas (146 or 79%). One hundred and sixteen patients lived in
couple (62.7%) with an average monthly income estimated at 70 US Dollars. Clinically, 123 patients (66.5%) were in WHO
stage III. The body mass index was over 18.5 kg/m2 in 124 patients (67%). The median number of TCD4 lymphocytes was
254.5 cells/ml and 25 patients (13.5%) had a number of CD4 over 500 cells/ml. HIV1 was really predominant (97.8%). Most
patients (152 or 82.2%) had been screened for clinical suspicion. Conclusion: HIV infection in Benin remains the prerogative
of young, female, educated and poor people. Screening is delayed and hence the need to develop innovative strategies for early
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A field guide for accelerating and sustaining open defecation free communities through a Community-Led Total Sanitation approach
Follow-up MANDONA (FUM) is an action-oriented approach for accelerating community-wide sanitation and hygiene behaviour change following the initial triggering session. D...irectly based on Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) principles, FUM involves a series of participatory, facilitated sessions that brings the entire community together to analyze their sanitation situation
and collectively undertake small, immediate and doable actions to end open defecation (OD) in the shortest time possible
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Improving the survival chances and quality of life of women, newborns, and children remains an urgent global challenge. Since 2012, substantial progress has been made in reducing maternal and under-5 deaths, and a only handful of countries are on target to meet the SDG targets in 2030. Yet, 5 millio...n children still die each year under the age of 5, and nearly half of those are newborns less than a month old. Worse still, the global maternal mortality ratio is going in the wrong direction.
A Decade of Progress and Action for the Future will examine the tenacity and innovation that helped us make gains, the lessons learned through monitoring, country-led adaptation and leadership, analysis, and reflection, as well as the approaches we must take to reinvigorate the momentum and global commitment to improving maternal and child survival. Increasing coverage, strengthening the quality of care, and enhancing equity will be tantamount to our global progress.
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This field action guide focuses on the first psychosocial assessment to be conducted just after a calamity strikes or just after a major event in an ongoing armed conflict. While it is necessary to update that initial assessment as the emergency situation evolves through the different phases of reco...very (briefly outlined in the “phase chart”), this mini book is meant to guide the formation of a team to assess the psychosocial as well as physical needs of children, their families and the communities and then the recommendations the team makes for ensuing support.
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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a new Framework for Environmental and Social Management (FESM) to ensure that both people and the environment are protected from any potential impacts of FAO programmes and projects.
“This Framework ensures that our proj...ects do both “no harm” and support the transformation to more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable agrifood systems by upholding the highest international standards for risk management,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu explained during a virtual event.
The Framework, which includes key elements of a people-centered approach and establishes environmental and social performance requirements for FAO programming, is also intended to ensure that all stakeholders, including local and indigenous communities, have ample opportunities to actively participate in projects’ activities and to voice their concerns about them.
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The main aim of these guidelines is to enable the central units of national TB and HIV/AIDS programmes to support districts to plan, coordinate and implement collaborative TB/HIV activities. These guidelines reinforce current medical understanding, that highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART)... has decreased TB incidence of people living with HIV/AIDS. They are comprehensive, giving an overview of the range of activities that could be undertaken in high burden TB/HIV countries or where a rising prevalence of HIV might fuel TB. Activities highlight the need for comprehensive care, prevention and support for adults living with HIV/AIDS. Comprehensive TB and HIV care and prevention rely on full implementation of the DOTS strategy as part of a wide ranging HIV/AIDS care and prevention programme as well as collaborative TB and HIV programme activities.
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