Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Human Papillomavirus-Associated Anal Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions In Men Who Have Sex With Men And Transgender Women Living With And Without Hiv In Karachi Pakistan: Implications For Screening And Prevention, Muslima Ejaz, Muhammad Mubarak, Tazeen Saeed Ali, Sören Andersson, Anna Mia Ekström

Community Health Sciences

Background: Anal squamous intraepithelial lesions (ASIL), strongly related to human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, is more prevalent among men who have sex with men (MSM). However, no such data are available for Pakistan yet, and neither HPV vaccination nor anal-cytology screening is implemented in Pakistan. The purpose of this first ever study was to assess the prevalence of HPV-related anal cytological abnormalities among MSM and transgender women living with and without HIV infection in Pakistan.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from March 2016 to November 2017 at sexual health centers run by the Perwaaz Trust and the National AIDS …

High Hiv Incidence Among Persons Who Inject Drugs In Pakistan: Greater Risk With Needle Sharing And Injecting Frequently Among The Homeless., Rab Nawaz Samo, Arshad Altaf, Ajmal Agha, Omrana Pasha, Shafquat Rozi, Ashraf Memon, Saleem Azam, Meridith Blevins, Sten Vermund, Sharaf Ali Shah

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

The incidence of HIV among persons who inject drugs (PWIDU) has fallen in many nations, likely due to successes of clean needle/syringe exchange and substance abuse treatment and service programs. However in Pakistan, prevalence rates for PWID have risen dramatically. In several cities, prevalence exceeded 20% by 2009 compared to a 2003 baseline of just 0.5%. However, no cohort study of PWID has ever been conducted.

METHODS:

We enrolled a cohort of 636 HIV seronegative PWID registered with three drop-in centers that focus on risk reduction and basic social services in Karachi. Recruitment began in 2009 (March to June) …

Research Fatigue Among Injecting Drug Users In Karachi, Pakistan, Aysha Zahidie, Arshad Altaf, Adeel Ahsan, Tanzil Jamali

Community Health Sciences

Background

Karachi is the largest metropolis of Pakistan and its economic hub attracting domestic migrants for economic opportunities. It is also the epicenter of HIV epidemic in the country. Since 2004, one pilot study and four behavioral and biological surveillance rounds have been conducted in Karachi. In addition many student research projects have also focused on key risk groups including injection drug users (IDUs). As a result of this extra ordinary exposure of same kind of questions, IDUs know how to respond to high value questions related to sharing of needles or unsafe sexual practices. The purpose of the study …

Parallel Ngo Networks For Hiv Control: Risks And Opportunities For Ngo Contracting., Shehla Zaidi, Xaher Gul, Noureen Aleem Nishtar

Community Health Sciences

Policy measures for preventive and promotive services are increasingly reliant on contracting of NGOs. Contracting is a neo-liberal response relying on open market competition for service delivery tenders. In contracting of health services a common assumption is a monolithic NGO market. A case study of HIV control in Pakistan shows that in reality the NGO market comprises of parallel NGO networks having widely different service packages, approaches and agendas. These parallel networks had evolved over time due to vertical policy agendas. Contracting of NGOs for provision of HIV services was faced with uneven capacities and turf rivalries across both NGO …