Objective: The study aimed to describe the current epidemiological, clinical and immunological profile of newly detected HIV - positive patients in Northern Benin by 2016. Methods: It was a prospective study conducted from May 2 to October 31, 2016 on three main sites of care of people living with... HIV (PLHIV) in the department of Borgou in Benin. All new cases of HIV infection have been systematically and comprehensively recruited. Initial epidemiological, clinical and immunological data were collected using a questionnaire. These data were entered and analyzed using the Epi Info 7 software. Results: In total, 185 adults (68 male and 117 female) newly screened HIV positive were included in this study. The middle age was 36.2 ± 10.9 years and the sex ratio was 0.6 One hundred and thirty-five patients (73%) were between 25 and 50 years old. In terms of the profession, 132 patients (71.3%) were engaged in liberal activities (craftmen, traders and retailers). The majority was schooled (113 or 61.1%) and resided in urban areas (146 or 79%). One hundred and sixteen patients lived in couple (62.7%) with an average monthly income estimated at 70 US Dollars. Clinically, 123 patients (66.5%) were in WHO stage III. The body mass index was over 18.5 kg/m2 in 124 patients (67%). The median number of TCD4 lymphocytes was 254.5 cells/ml and 25 patients (13.5%) had a number of CD4 over 500 cells/ml. HIV1 was really predominant (97.8%). Most patients (152 or 82.2%) had been screened for clinical suspicion. Conclusion: HIV infection in Benin remains the prerogative of young, female, educated and poor people. Screening is delayed and hence the need to develop innovative strategies for early more

Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, was devastated by an earthquake in 2010. The disaster uncovered the realities of a non-existent mental health care system with only ten psychiatrists nationwide. Attempts were made to assess the increased prevalence of mental illness, likely due to t...he trauma to which many were exposed. Several interventions were carried out with aims to integrate mental health into primary health care services. The interplay between socio-cultural beliefs and health (both mental and physical) in Haiti has been widely commented upon by both foreign aid and local caregivers. Observations frequently highlight barriers to the willingness of patients to seek care and to their acceptance of biomedicine over traditional Vodou beliefs. The perception of Haitian beliefs as barriers to the availability and acceptance of mental health care has intensified the difficulty in providing effective recommendations and interventions both before and after the earthquake. Argued in this review is the importance of considering the interactions between socio-cultural beliefs and mental health when developing models for the prevention, screening, classification and management of mental illness in Haiti. These interactions, especially relevant in mental health care and post-disaster contexts, need to be acknowledged in any healthcare setting. The successes and failures of Haiti’s situation provide an example for global consideration. more