Abstract
BackgroundVoluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) is an important component of any HIV/AIDS control and prevention activities. VCT makes people aware of their HIV serostatus and enables early identification of those who need care. It is an important link to HIV care and support. The main aim of this study is to describe the HIV burden at VCT and define the relationship between the VCT Center and the HIV Chronic Care Clinic of the University of Gondar (UoG) Hospital.MethodsIt is a record based descriptive study undertaken by using data collected by health professionals at the VCT center and the HIV chronic care clinic of the UoG Hospital. Patient data collected from 2005/06 to 2008/09 was investigated. Analysis was carried out using the SPSS version 16.0.ResultsA total of 19,168 people were tested for HIV and a prevalence of 25.4% was obtained. 4298 HIV positive people were referred to the HIV chronic care clinic but only 27% actually registered at the clinic. Chi-square analyses showed residence, age and time of VCT visit showed significant relations with hospital care attendance.ConclusionThe overall HIV prevalence is high. The data obtained at the HIV care clinic regarding patients’ clinical conditions at acceptance were incomplete. Improvements are required on the link between VCT and HIV care and documentation of data.
Highlights
Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) is an important component of any HIV/AIDS control and prevention activities
Decades have passed since HIV/AIDS started to be considered as a major threat in terms of its personal, family and socio-economic consequences
The main aim of this study is to quantify the burden of HIV at VCT and see the link between the VCT center and the HIV care clinic of the University of Gondar (UoG) Hospital. This is a descriptive study conducted by reviewing the registration and charts available at the VCT center and HIV care clinic
Summary
Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) is an important component of any HIV/AIDS control and prevention activities. HIV counselling and testing is a major concern and the relationship between counseling and testing and HIV care is an important link to notice [1]. VCT provides people with an opportunity to learn and accept their HIV serostatus in a confidential environment with counselling and VCT is an entry point for HIV related programs. Knowledge of the quality of services and motivation for undergoing testing by individuals is important for effective understanding of the testing environment [3,4]. It is a valuable component of comprehensive HIV/ AIDS programming. VCT centers can be used for the estimation of the prevalence of HIV infection [6]
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