Panzi Foundation

Abstract Introduction: Screening and surveillance of HIV infected pregnant women remains a public health problem in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This study’s aim was to assess the epidemiological, clinical, and biological profiles of HIV-infected pregnant women in the eastern region of DRC (South Kivu). Methods This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in Panzi Hospital from July 2015 to July 2020. Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression were used to measure the strength of the association between independent variables and HIV status among pregnant women. Results During the study period, 9143 women were registered for PMTCT, including 6318 pregnant women tested for HIV. Among them 256 were HIV-positive (4.1%) (256/6318), and 112 were pregnant, a rate of 43.7% (112/256). HIV infected pregnant women had lower ANC rate than HIV negative pregnant women. The main opportunistic found among HIV infected women were candidiasis and genital herpes, with 2.7% in both cases. Only 58.03% (65/112) HIV infected pregnant women had available CD4 count and all of them had CD4 count above 500 cells/ml. Viral load was found undetectable (less than 30 copies/l) 60.7% (68/112) HIV infected pregnant women. Liver and renal dysfunctions were estimated at 6.2% and 30.3%, respectively. Lastly, 61.6% HIV infected pregnant women had the heamoglobin of < 12 g/dl. In multivariable logistic regression, HIV infected pregnant women under 20 years of age (aOR = 7.20; 95% CI: 1.78–29.1; p = 0.004), primary level of education (aOR = 5.30; 95% CI: 1.94–14.4; p = 0.001), household income of 50-100U$ per months (aOR = 56.4; 95% CI: 13.1-240.5; p = 0.001), primipara (aOR = 10. 68; 95% CI: 2.17–52.42; p = 0.001), and poverty (aOR = 18; 95% CI: 3.61–89.60; p < 0.001) were all associated with positive HIV status. In contrast, multigravida (aOR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.09–0.38; p = 0.001), staying in ibanda health zone (aOR = 0.06; 95% CI: 0.01–0.23; p = 0.001), and Kadutu zone (aOR = 0.21; 95% CI: 0.05–0.86; p = 0.037) were associated with lower risk of HIV positive status among pregnant women. Conclusion Our findings highlighted that epidemiological, clinical, and biological profile of HIV-infected pregnant women may an important role in PMTCT. Regular screening of viral load is substantial in HIV infected pregnant women in our setting.

A growing literature documents the significant barriers to accessing care that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) face. This study focuses on gender-based violence (SGBV), an issue often exacerbated in times of forced displacement, and adds to extant debates by considering the wide range of social connections (pathways and actors) involved in providing care beyond the formal biomedical (and justice) system. This research asks, who do IDPs turn to following SGBV and why? How effective do IDPs perceive these social connections to be? To answer these research questions, the study used ‘participatory social mapping’ methodology for 31 workshops held with over 200 participants in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2021/2022. Pathways to SGBV-related care for IDPs appear eclectic and contingent upon not only the availability and accessibility of support resources but also social, cultural and gendered beliefs and practices. ‘Physical’, mental health, and justice needs are intertwined. They are hard to decouple as many actors cut across need categories, including family, faith and aid organisations, and customary institutions. Comparing Congolese and Somali sites of displaced communities, we see significant similarities and overlaps in pathways to care. While both countries have experienced severe erosions of state capacity, NGOs and parallel faith-based and customary legal, psychological, and health systems have filled the state's weakness to varying degrees of acceptance by IDP participants. A comprehensive understanding of the local milieu, which requires illuminating the logics behind where people actually turn to for care, is crucial for interventions supporting SGBV victims/survivors; indeed, they risk being inefficient if they only address barriers to formal systems.

Latar belakang : Masa batita (bawah tiga tahun) merupakan periode penting dalam proses tumbuh kembang manusia sehingga sering disebut golden age. Pertumbuhan dan perkembangan pada usia ini menjadi penentu keberhasilan pertumbuhan dan perkembangan anak di periode selanjutnya. Salah satu gangguan kesehatan yang banyak dihadapi oleh anak usia ini adalah konstipasi. Penelitian di Amerika, Eropa dan Asia didapatkan angka prevalensi konstipasi pada anak mencapai 0.7 - 29.6 %Tujuan : Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pola makan dan kejadian konstipasi pada anak usia 6-24 di Kelurahan Pedurungan Semarang.Metode : Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian descriptive yang bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan pola makan dan kejadian konstipasi pada anak usia 6-24 bulan di Kelurahan Pedurungan Tengah Kota Semarang. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan cross sectional dengan subjek penelitian anak usia 6-24 bulan berjumlah 41 yang diambil secara purposive random sampling. Pengambilan data meliputi recall 2x24 jam dan kuesioner kejadian konstipasi dilengkapi gambar Bristol Stool Chart.Hasil : Hasil penelitian menunjukkan sebagian besar pola makan sampel berupa ASI+MP-ASI. Sebagian besar pola makan sampel belum sesuai dengan anjuran Kemenkes RI. Pola makan MP-ASI meliputi jenis, frekuensi dan porsi/jumlah pemberian MP-ASI. Kejadian konstipasi sampel sebesar 34.1% dengan tipe feses 1 dan 2. Sebanyak 57.1% sampel mengalami konstipasi dengan frekuensi 3x dalam satu bulan dari waktu penelitian.Kesimpulan : Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat dijadikan masukan pada pihak pemerintahan Kelurahan dan Puskesmas untuk mengadakan penyuluhan mengenai pola pemberian MP-ASI yang sesuai dengan anjuran Kemenkes RI tentang MP-ASI tahun 2010 pada ibu-ibu balita khususnya ibu anak usia 6-24 bulan.

Hovland, S.1; Arbyn, M.2; Lie, A.K.3; Risberg, B.3; Ryd, W.4; Borge, B.3; Berle, E.5; Skomedal, H.1; Kadima, T.6; Batumbola, L.6; Kyembwa, M.L.6; Bilayi, E.6; Mukwege, D.7; Chirimwami, B.8; Kashongwe, J.P.8; Mvula, M.8; Snijders, P.9; Karlsen, F.1 Author Information