Inequalities in HAART uptake and differential survival according to exposure category in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Despite substantial improvement in prognosis and quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Brazil, inequalities in access to treatment remain. We assessed the impact of these inequalities on survival in Rio de Janeiro over a 12-year period (2000/11). Data were merged from four databases that comprise the national AIDS monitoring system: SINAN-AIDS (Brazilian Information System for Notificable Diseases; AIDS cases), SISCEL (laboratory tests), SICLOM (electronic dispensing system), and SIM (Brazilian Mortality Information System), using probabilistic linkage.

HIV, HCV, HBV, and syphilis among transgender women from Brazil: Assessing different methods to adjust infection rates of a hard-to-reach, sparse population.

Different sampling strategies, analytic alternatives, and estimators have been proposed to better assess the characteristics of different hard-to-reach populations and their respective infection rates (as well as their sociodemographic characteristics, associated harms, and needs) in the context of studies based on respondent-driven sampling (RDS). Despite several methodological advances and hundreds of empirical studies implemented worldwide, some inchoate findings and methodological challenges remain. The in-depth assessment of the local structure of networks and the performance of the available estimators are particularly relevant when the target populations are sparse and highly stigmatized.

Social geography of AIDS in Brazil: identifying patterns of regional inequalities.

The trend towards decline and stabilization of the AIDS epidemic in Brazil should be analyzed carefully, since aggregate data can mask regional or local inequalities in such a large and diverse country. The current study reevaluates the epidemic's spatial dissemination and the AIDS-related mortality pattern in Brazil. The study considered all AIDS cases diagnosed in individuals over 18 years of age and living in Brazil, as well as AIDS deaths recorded in 1998-2008.

Influence of culture on contraceptive utilization among HIV-positive women in Brazil, Kenya, and South Africa.

Contraceptive choice and discontinuation are poorly understood among HIV-positive women, and HIV disease and culture may influence decisions. We assessed factors influencing contraceptive decision-making among HIV-positive women in three countries. This qualitative assessment of 108 HIV-positive women (36/site, selected by age and parity strata) was conducted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Kericho, Kenya; and Soweto, South Africa.