From the inside-out: TB-related self-stigma

This Podcast features a special message by Dr Ian Hodgson, who is part of The Work For Change team, and who was on the panel in a session at the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2019) in Mexico. Dr Hodgson shares his insights on how self-stigma or shame affects people with tuberculosis (TB), or people living with HIV who have/had TB.

From the inside out: TB-related self-stigma

Existence of civil society is under threat

Dr Ian Hodgson, CNS (Citizen News Service) 

Gandhi ji's Talisman
CNS Image Library: Gandhi Settlement, Durban/ 2018

The increasing repression of civil society was a major theme that emerged during the recently concluded 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in Amsterdam. A range of presentations and discussions confirmed that, in many countries, like Hungary, Russia, Venezuela, and the Philippines, the civil society space for HIV prevention is diminishing with the introduction of new laws and policies that are aimed at minimising access to human rights and jeopardising the health and well-being of key populations.

Where are the nurses in the HIV response?

Dr Ian Hodgson, CNS (Citizen News Service)

Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, nurses have been at the forefront of the response to this once fatal infection. The nurse is involved at every stage of the trajectory of a person living with HIV—from usually being the first to counsel the newly diagnosed person, to one of the last to be with him/her at the point of death.

Policy and harm reduction: What about the people?

Dr Ian Hodgson, CNS Correspondent

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 25th Harm Reduction International Conference (#HR17), Montreal, Canada's Minister of Health, Jane Philpott, stated that, “Addiction is not a crime, or a moral failing, and not a bad choice, but a health problem.”

Drug checking and harm reduction: It could save lives

Dr Ian Hodgson, CNS Correspondent
At the 25th Harm Reduction International Conference (#HR17)  held in Montreal earlier this week, over 1000 people gathered to address one of the great public health challenges of our time: the lack of adequate support for people who use drugs, and an increasingly hostile and economically austere environment that denies basic services to a vulnerable population. Delegates at the conference include activists, researchers, community workers, and people who use drugs.

Improving treatment adherence in hard to reach populations: it CAN be done

Whilst there has been great progress in rolling out access to antiretroviral treatment (ART), there are also many challenges in ensuring that patients adhere to treatment, especially those living in complex social situations. Here at the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC, today, a press conference held by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) drew attention to a range of initiatives for traditionally hard to reach populations – including mobile populations and adolescents living with HIV – whose success confirms that tailoring programmes for specific groups and populations can result in higher levels of retention and adherence than other ‘easier to reach’ groups. 

Access to treatment – mapping the progress, seeing the gaps

Here at the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) released an important report tracking progress in implementing policies, strategies and tools to roll out coverage of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) in 23 countries. Results suggest there has been critical progress, but that in some countries, access to ART remains lamentably low, reflecting a paucity of policy around specific initiatives – such as task shifting – vital to ensure people living with HIV (PLHIV) receive the treatment they require.

Supporting adolescents and youth living with HIV – challenges and opportunities

At the first full day of the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC (AIDS 2012), we’ve already seen a plethora of statements and presentations detailing progress in the fight against HIV. There’s a distinct ‘milestone’ feeling, with many speakers offering a retrospective of the last 30 years, highlighting just how far we’ve come. A series of presentations addressed issues facing one particular group living with HIV –which over the years has often been neglected, falling between the monoliths of paediatric and adult HIV – young people and adolescents. They continue to experience significant gaps in services and facilities, even three decades in to the HIV pandemic.