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Nyman F. Reshaping the narrative: Tracing the historical trajectory of HIV/AIDS, gay men, and public health in Sweden. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298630. [PMID: 38386666 PMCID: PMC10883528 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) emerged as an endemic health crisis in the United States during the early 1980s. Initially labelled a "gay disease" due to its prevalence among gay men, the spread of HIV led to widespread fear and moral panic, as there was limited medical knowledge on preventing its transmission. While HIV is often associated with Sub-Saharan Africa, this article focuses on Sweden, a pioneering nation that became the first to achieve the remarkable Joint UNAIDS/WHO 90-90-90 continuum in addressing the epidemic. However, despite this significant milestone, the punitive legislation and attitudes prevalent in Sweden have had a counterproductive effect on curbing the virus's spread. Drawing upon a comprehensive triangulation of various data and sources on the evolution of public policy in Sweden, this article argues for the urgent need to reduce stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS. By undertaking further measures to combat stigmatisation, we not only have the potential to prevent the spread of HIV but also significantly enhance the quality of life for individuals living with the virus. An essential step in this journey is to eliminate the legally-enforced mandatory disclosure of one's HIV status, which would mark a tremendous victory for all those affected. With limited evidence to support the effectiveness of criminalisation and penal laws, no longer being viewed as criminals for non-disclosure would be a monumental achievement, positively transforming the lives of people living with HIV and fostering a more inclusive and supportive society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fredrik Nyman
- Department of Psychology and Social Work, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Jämtland, Sweden
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2
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Prussing E. Ethnography and quantification: Insights from epidemiology for Indigenous health equity. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.13797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erica Prussing
- Department of Anthropology and Department of Community & Behavioral Health University of Iowa
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3
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Roels NI, Estrella A, Maldonado-Salcedo M, Rapp R, Hansen H, Hardon A. Confident futures: Community-based organizations as first responders and agents of change in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Soc Sci Med 2021; 294:114639. [PMID: 34998135 PMCID: PMC8683095 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
This comparative study of community organizations serving marginalized youth in New York City and Amsterdam utilized a novel ethnographic approach called reverse engineering to identify techniques for social change that are active in each organization, adaptable and translatable to other contexts. It found that youth-serving organizations led flexible responses to the crisis of COVID-19 as it affected those marginalized by race, immigrant status, housing instability, religion and gender. The organizations employed techniques that they had previously developed to cultivate youth well-being – among them connectivity, safe space, and creativity – to mount tailored responses to COVID-19 related crises. In New York City, these groups addressed crises of material survival resources (personal protective equipment, food, housing) whereas in Amsterdam, youth-serving organizations focused on social connections and emotional well-being as the government met more of participants’ material needs.
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Gagliolo A. All the Other Stuff: Treatment as Prevention and the Embodiment of Undetectability. Med Anthropol 2021; 40:759-771. [PMID: 34403621 DOI: 10.1080/01459740.2021.1962861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The "Treatment as Prevention (TasP)" campaign advocates extended undetectability-untransmissibility (U = U) as a means to "End the Epidemic" of HIV/AIDS. Drawing on ethnographic research in Buenos Aires (Argentina), I identify three issues that prevail in overly-optimistic discourses associated with TasP, which: overshadow the history of HIV and antiretrovirals; overlook the inherent dynamism of undetectability; and understand antiretrovirals as technical tools with predictable effects, regardless of context. I address how undetectability becomes embodied in the lives of pre-HAART survivors while underscoring the diversity of challenges faced in a Latin American country with universal and free-of-charge access to antiretroviral therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agostina Gagliolo
- Institute of Anthropological Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, University of Buenos Aires (ICA, FFyL, UBA)
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Rijneveld CJ. The Biomedical Closet? Undetectability among HIV-positive Gay Men in India. Med Anthropol 2021; 40:718-731. [PMID: 33956539 DOI: 10.1080/01459740.2021.1916741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The discourse of Undetectability, referring to the effect of HIV viral suppression on forward sexual transmission, is at the heart of the current paradigm of Treatment-as-Prevention and is invested with hopes of eliminating stigma. But ethnographic examination of the way HIV-positive gay and bisexual men in four major Indian cities experience Undetectability reveals a more complicated picture. Rather than resolve the problem of HIV stigma, Undetectability enables new ways of managing it, including ethical non-disclosure in the face of social danger. This reveals three paradoxes inherent in the universalism of Treatment-as-Prevention and its reliance on biomedical solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelis J Rijneveld
- School of Oriental and African Studies London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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Viljoen L, Bond VA, Reynolds LJ, Mubekapi‐Musadaidzwa C, Baloyi D, Ndubani R, Stangl A, Seeley J, Pliakas T, Bock P, Fidler S, Hayes R, Ayles H, Hargreaves JR, Hoddinott G. Universal HIV testing and treatment and HIV stigma reduction: a comparative thematic analysis of qualitative data from the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial in South Africa and Zambia. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2021; 43:167-185. [PMID: 33085116 PMCID: PMC7894283 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite continued development of effective HIV treatment, expanded access to care and advances in prevention modalities, HIV-related stigma persists. We examine how, in the context of a universal HIV-testing and treatment trial in South Africa and Zambia, increased availability of HIV services influenced conceptualisations of HIV. Using qualitative data, we explore people's stigma-related experiences of living in 'intervention' and 'control' study communities. We conducted exploratory data analysis from a qualitative cohort of 150 households in 13 study communities, collected between 2016 and 2018. We found that increased availability of HIV-testing services influenced conceptualisations of HIV as normative (non-exceptional) and the visibility of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in household and community spaces impacted opportunities for stigma. There was a shift in community narratives towards individual responsibility to take up (assumingly) widely available service - for PLHIV to take care of their own health and to prevent onward transmission. Based on empirical data, we show that, despite a growing acceptance of HIV-related testing services, anticipated stigma persists through the mechanism of shifting responsibilisation. To mitigate the responsibilisation of PLHIV, heath implementers need to adapt anti-stigma messaging and especially focus on anticipated stigma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lario Viljoen
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthFaculty of Medicine and Health SciencesDesmond Tutu TB CentreStellenbosch UniversityStellenboschSouth Africa
- Department of Sociology and Social AnthropologyStellenbosch UniversityStellenboschSouth Africa
| | - Virginia A. Bond
- ZambartSchool of Public HealthRidgeway CampusUniversity of ZambiaLusakaZambia
- Global Health and Development DepartmentFaculty of Public Health and PolicyLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Lindsey J. Reynolds
- Department of Sociology and Social AnthropologyStellenbosch UniversityStellenboschSouth Africa
| | - Constance Mubekapi‐Musadaidzwa
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthFaculty of Medicine and Health SciencesDesmond Tutu TB CentreStellenbosch UniversityStellenboschSouth Africa
| | - Dzunisani Baloyi
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthFaculty of Medicine and Health SciencesDesmond Tutu TB CentreStellenbosch UniversityStellenboschSouth Africa
| | - Rhoda Ndubani
- ZambartSchool of Public HealthRidgeway CampusUniversity of ZambiaLusakaZambia
| | - Anne Stangl
- International Center for Research on WomenWashingtonDCUSA
| | - Janet Seeley
- Global Health and Development DepartmentFaculty of Public Health and PolicyLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Triantafyllos Pliakas
- Department of Public Health, Environments and SocietyFaculty of Public Health and PolicyLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Peter Bock
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthFaculty of Medicine and Health SciencesDesmond Tutu TB CentreStellenbosch UniversityStellenboschSouth Africa
| | - Sarah Fidler
- Imperial College NIHR BRCImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - Richard Hayes
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Public HealthLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Helen Ayles
- ZambartSchool of Public HealthRidgeway CampusUniversity of ZambiaLusakaZambia
- Department of Public Health, Environments and SocietyFaculty of Public Health and PolicyLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - James R. Hargreaves
- Department of Public Health, Environments and SocietyFaculty of Public Health and PolicyLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Graeme Hoddinott
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthFaculty of Medicine and Health SciencesDesmond Tutu TB CentreStellenbosch UniversityStellenboschSouth Africa
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Ouedraogo R, Attané A, Gyasi RM. Aging in the Context of HIV/AIDS: Spaces for Renegotiation and Recomposition of Mutual Solidarity in Burkina Faso. J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care 2020; 18:2325958219881402. [PMID: 31615300 PMCID: PMC6900609 DOI: 10.1177/2325958219881402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The HIV-infected older people in sub-Saharan Africa are inevitably vulnerable to chronic health-related conditions, yet the needed social support for these people is mostly inadequate. Drawing on the anthropology of disease and health paradigms, this study explores the recomposition of multidimensional and multidirectional nature of mutual familial support for older people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in Burkina Faso. METHODS We conducted multiple in-depth interviews among 147 individuals recruited from nonprofit organizations in Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Ouahigouya, and Yako through 2 projects funded by the National Agency for AIDS Research. Thematic and narrative analytical frameworks were used to analyze the data. RESULTS We found that older people suffered serious socioeconomic and psychological challenges associated with HIV/AIDS. Older people were particularly vulnerable to the double burden of HIV/AIDS and caregiving responsibility for family members infected with the disease. However, the infected older people who received adequate treatment and familial support regained sociocultural positions as agents for cultural transition and material/emotional resources. CONCLUSIONS Although HIV/AIDS potentially renegotiated the nature, intensity, and direction of familial support for vulnerable older people, the extrafamily solidarity seems an integral part of the great cycle of reciprocity and intrafamily mutual support. Health and policy interventions targeted at strengthening the interpersonal relationships and support for HIV/AIDS-infected and HIV/AIDS-affected older people are needed to improve their independence and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramatou Ouedraogo
- African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Anne Attané
- Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD)/LPED, Marseille, France
| | - Razak M Gyasi
- African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, Kenya
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Osingada CP, Okuga M, Nabirye RC, Sewankambo NK, Nakanjako D. Disclosure of Parental HIV Status to Children: Experiences of Adults Receiving Antiretroviral Treatment at an Urban Clinic in Kampala, Uganda. AIDS Res Treat 2017; 2017:3458684. [PMID: 29209538 PMCID: PMC5676343 DOI: 10.1155/2017/3458684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Limited data are available on the experiences of parental HIV disclosure to children in Uganda. We conducted a qualitative study comprising sixteen in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions with parents receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. Analysis was done using Atlas.ti qualitative research software. Back-and-forth triangulation was done between transcripts of the in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, and themes and subthemes were developed. Barriers to parents' disclosure included perceptions that children are too young to understand what HIV infection means and fears of secondary disclosure by the children. Immediate outcomes of disclosure included children getting scared and crying, although such instances often gave way to more enduring positive experiences for the parents, such as support in adherence to medical care, help in household chores, and a decrease in financial demands from the children. Country-specific interventions are needed to improve the process of parental HIV disclosure to children and this should encompass preparation on how to deal with the immediate psychological challenges associated with the parent's disclosure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Peter Osingada
- Makerere University College of Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Monica Okuga
- Makerere University School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy Planning and Management, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Rose Chalo Nabirye
- Makerere University College of Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Nelson Kaulukusi Sewankambo
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Damalie Nakanjako
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
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Winchester MS, McGrath JW, Kaawa-Mafigiri D, Namutiibwa F, Ssendegye G, Nalwoga A, Kyarikunda E, Birungi J, Kisakye S, Ayebazibwe N, Walakira EJ, Rwabukwali C. Routines, Hope, and Antiretroviral Treatment among Men and Women in Uganda. Med Anthropol Q 2016; 31:237-256. [PMID: 27159357 DOI: 10.1111/maq.12301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2014] [Revised: 04/28/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Antiretroviral treatment programs, despite biomedical emphases, require social understanding and transformations to be successful. In this article, we draw from a qualitative study of HIV treatment seeking to examine the drug-taking routines and health-related subjectivities of men and women on antiretroviral treatment (ART) at two sites in Uganda. We show that while not all participants in ART programs understand clinical protocols in biomedical terms, they adopt treatment-taking strategies to integrate medication into daily practices and social spaces. In turn, these embedded practices and understandings shape long-term hopes and fears for living with HIV, including the possibility of a cure. More significant than new forms of citizenship or sociality, we suggest that quotidian dimensions of treatment normalization shape the long-term experience of medication and outlook for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret S Winchester
- Department of Health Policy and Administration, Pennsylvania State University.,Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda and Case Western Reserve University
| | - Janet W McGrath
- Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University.,Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - David Kaawa-Mafigiri
- Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University.,Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Florence Namutiibwa
- Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.,Case Western Reserve University
| | - George Ssendegye
- Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.,Case Western Reserve University
| | - Amina Nalwoga
- Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.,Case Western Reserve University
| | - Emily Kyarikunda
- Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.,Case Western Reserve University
| | - Judith Birungi
- Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.,Case Western Reserve University
| | - Sheila Kisakye
- Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.,Case Western Reserve University
| | - Nicholas Ayebazibwe
- Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.,Case Western Reserve University
| | - Eddy J Walakira
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, Kampala.,Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Charles Rwabukwali
- Center for Social Science Research on AIDS (CeSSRA), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.,Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
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Abstract
Following a national policy shift toward universal access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Malawi, hospitals and clinics around the country made major changes to enable the provision of ART. In this already resource-limited environment, the provision of ART brought new health care delivery challenges to bear on both patients and health care professionals. The substance and form of these local interventions are affected by a multilayered global context. Drawing on fieldwork in an antiretroviral clinic in rural Malawi, this article discusses the daily implications of providing and receiving care in the context of a massive global shift in health policy, and argues that in order to fully understand the process of service rollout in all its complexity, care should be explored not only from the patients' perspective but also from that of local and international health care professionals and policymakers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anat Rosenthal
- a Department of Health Systems Management , Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
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