• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.47-73
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• 2006

Objectives: This study aims to identify gaps between knowledge regarding migration and the spread of HIV/AIDS, to improve understanding of migrants with HIV/AIDS and their human rights, and to make suggestions for Korean policy makers to reform laws and policies towards granting migrants with HIV/AIDS more human rights and access to treatment and care. Methods: This study is based on an extensive literature review, questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews from randomly selected 8 countries from 5 different continents: Japan from Asia; Australia from Oceania; Finland, Germany, Ireland and United Kingdom(UK) from Europe; and Canada and United States of America(USA) in North America. Results: This study has found that Korea has a discriminating policy regarding HIV/AIDS and foreigners. Classifying HIV/AIDS into a legal communicable disease, it requires a presentation of HIV/AIDS test results from foreigners wanting a long-term stay before entering. In principle, foreigners with HIV/AIDS cannot either enter or stay in Korea. If they are known infected with HIV/AIDS by any reason, they became to face an immediate deportation regardless of their sojourn statuses and purposes. Conclusion: With the results, this study suggests three reasons why Korean government needs to change the current HIV/AIDS policy on foreigners: 1) HIV-related travel restrictions have no public health justification, 2) its strict HIV/AIDS policy on foreigners could result in restriction on the mobility and migration of its people by the other countries, inversely, and 3) it needs to meet international guidelines and to observe conventions that international organizations suggest to maintain its status as a member of the international society.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.117-124
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• 2014

Purpose: Administration of antiretroviral drugs to mothers and infants significantly decreases mother-to-child human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission; cesarean sections and discouraging breastfeeding further decreases this risk. The present study confirmed the HIV status of babies born to mothers infected with HIV and describes the characteristics of babies and mothers who received preventive treatment. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed medical records of nine infants and their mothers positive for HIV who gave birth at Korea University Ansan Hospital, between June 1, 2003, and May 31, 2013. Maternal parameters, including HIV diagnosis date, CD4+ count, and HIV ribonucleic acid (RNA) copy number, were analyzed. Infant growth and development, HIV RNA copy number, and HIV antigen/antibody test results were analyzed. Results: Eight HIV-positive mothers delivered nine babies; all the infants received antiretroviral therapy. Three (37.5%) and five mothers (62.5%) were administered single- and multidrug therapy, respectively. Intravenous zidovudine was administered to four infants (50%) at birth. Breastfeeding was discouraged for all the infants. All the infants were negative for HIV, although two were lost to follow-up. Third trimester maternal viral copy numbers were less than 1,000 copies/mL with a median CD4+ count of $325{\mu}L$ ($92-729{\mu}L$). Among the nine infants, two were preterm (22.2%) and three had low birth weights (33.3%). Conclusion: This study concludes that prophylactic antiretroviral therapy, scheduled cesarean section, and prohibition of breastfeeding considerably decrease mother-to-child HIV transmission. Because the number of infants infected via mother-to-child transmission may be increasing, studies in additional regions using more variables are necessary.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.1
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• pp.48-55
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• 2012

Background: The epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) has been assessed based on the data of the analysis of TB patients notified to the surveillance system in Korea. However, the national status of TB is not validated through this surveillance system. The objective is to determine the epidemiology of TB and to understand the accurate status of TB patients treated in private institutions. Methods: Medical records of 53,579 patients who had been diagnosed with TB in 2008 were analyzed. Results: Among 53,579 patients, the number of sputum smear positive cases was 15,639(29.2%) and the number of new cases was 39,191 (73.1%). The drug resistance rate of new cases was 5.3%, while the rate stood at 13.3% for TB patients with treatment history. The number of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients was 2,472 (4.6%), which consists of 2.9% of new cases and 9.3% of TB patients with prior treatment history. The number of extensively drug-resistant TB patients was 749 (1.4%), consisting of 1.1% of new cases and 2.2% of TB patients with prior treatment history. In terms of treatment outcomes, 66.4% of all TB patients, 70.5% of new cases, 64.4% of relapse cases, and 46.8% of MDR-TB cases were cured or completed. It was inferred that in 2008, the total number of TB patients reached 70,767, 145.6 per 100,000 people (95% confidence interval, 145.5~145.7). Conclusion: We conclude that the medical records review of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) data can be very effective in promoting the understanding of the current status of TB in private institutions.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.205-212
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• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the behaviors associated with discrimination towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in Indonesia and to determine the factors affecting discrimination. Methods: Secondary data from the 2017 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey were analyzed using a cross-sectional design. Discrimination was assessed based on the questions (1) "Should children infected with HIV/AIDS be allowed to attend school with non-infected children?" and (2) "Would you buy fresh vegetables from a farmer or shopkeeper known to be infected with HIV/AIDS?" Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the factors affecting discrimination, with adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CIs) used to show the strength, direction, and significance of the associations among factors. Results: In total, 68.9% of 21 838 individuals showed discrimination towards PLHA. The odds of discrimination were lower among women (aOR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.71), rural dwellers (aOR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.75 to 0.89), those who understood how HIV is transmitted from mother to child (aOR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.89), and those who felt ashamed of their own family's HIV status (aOR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.52 to 0.61). The odds were higher among individuals who knew how to reduce the risk of getting HIV/AIDS (aOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.39), how HIV/AIDS is transmitted (aOR, 3.49; 95% CI, 3.09 to 3.95), and were willing to care for an infected relative (aOR, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.47 to 3.13). A model consisting of those variables explained 69% of the variance in discrimination. Conclusions: Gender, residence, knowledge, and attitudes related to HIV/AIDS were explanatory factors for discrimination against PLHA. Improvements in HIV/AIDS education programs are needed to prevent discrimination.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.65-71
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• 2002

Objective : To estimate the status of HIV infection and AIDS incidence using a back-calculation model in Korea. Methods : Back-calculation is a method for estimating the past infection rate using AIDS incidence data. The method has been useful for obtaining short-term projections of AIDS incidence and estimating previous HIV prevalence. If the density of the incubation periods is known, together with the AIDS incidence, we can estimate historical HIV infections and forecast AIDS incidence in any time period up to time t. In this paper, we estimated the number of HIV infections and AIDS incidence according to the distribution of various incubation periods Results : The cumulative numbers of HIV infection from 1991 to 1996 were $708{\sim}1,426$ in Weibull distribution and $918{\sim}1,980$ in Gamma distribution. The projected AIDS incidence in 1997 was $16{\sim}25$ in Weibull distribution and $13{\sim}26$ in Gamma distribution. Conclusions : The estimated cumulative HIV infections from 1991 to 1996 were $1.4{\sim}4.0$ times more than notified cumulative HIV infections. Additionally, the projected AIDS incidence in 1997 was less than the notified AIDS cases. The reason for this underestimation derives from the very low level of HIV prevalence in Korea, further research is required for the distribution of the incubation period of HIV infection in Korea, particularly for the effects of combination treatments.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.60 no.5
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• pp.327-338
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• 2022

This study determined the recent status and trend of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PcP) in the non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (non-HIV-PcP) and HIV (HIV-PcP) infected populations using data from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). SaTScan and Join-point were used for statistical analyses. Non-HIV-PcP cases showed an upward trend during the study period from 2010 to 2021, with the largest number in 2021 (551 cases). The upward trend was similar until 2020 after adjusting for the population. Seoul had the highest number of cases (1,597) in the non-HIV-PcP group, which was the same after adjusting for the population (162 cases/1,000,000). It was followed by Jeju-do (89 cases/1,000,000). The most likely cluster (MLC) for the non-HIV-PCP group was Seoul (Relative Risk (RR)=4.59, Log Likelihood Ratio (LLR)=825.531), followed by Jeju-do (RR=1.59, LLR=5.431). An upward trend was observed among the non-HIV-PcP group in the Jeju-do/Jeollanam-do/Jeollabuk-do/Gyeongsangnam-do/Busan/Daejeon/Daegu/Ulsan joint cluster (29.02%, LLR=11.638, P<0.001) located in the southern part of Korea. Both women and men in the non-HIV groups showed an overall upward trend of PcP during the study period. Men in the 60-69 age group had the highest annual percentage change (APC 41.8) during 2014-2019. In contrast, the HIV groups showed a falling trend of PcP recently. Men in the 60-69 age group had the most decrease (APC -17.6) during 2018-2021. This study provides an analytic basis for health measures and a nationwide epidemiological surveillance system for the management of PcP.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.291-296
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• 2009

Purpose : The aim of this studγ was to evaluate the patient's and dentist's perspective and knowledge on rapid human immunodeficiency virus screening test in dental setting. Material and Methods: In March 2009, 100 patients and 100 dentists at College of Dentistry, Yonsei University were provided an attitude assessment survey. Results : Results were analyzed for acceptance of testing and potential barriers. 94% of patients agreed to take a rapid HIV screening test and 77% of dentists were willing to provide the test to their patients. Also the current knowledge state of patients and dentists on HIV infection was not accurate as expected. Conclusion : Overall, dental clinic patients widely accepted the offer of rapid oral HIV screening. Rapid HIV screening test in the dental setting ran be an important option to increase the number of individuals who know their HIV status.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.404-415
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• 2018

This descriptive research investigates the knowledge of and attitude toward HIV/AIDS among individuals in their 20s to 40s. This study also analyzes the results of the 2011 and 2013 community health surveys to identify the factors influencing their knowledge and attitude. The study subjects were 20 to 49 years old, and the final analysis included 182,315 subjects. The collected data were analyzed through t-tests, ANOVA, correlational analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The survey results showed a high level of knowledge of HIV/AIDS, with 69.4% correct answers. Most individuals lacked knowledge regarding routes of infection, and those in their 20s had the lowest percentage of correct answers. As for attitude toward HIV/AIDS, 44.3% showed a negative attitude. The scores for knowledge and attitude toward HIV/AIDS were higher among males, unmarried individuals, individuals with a higher income, individuals with a higher level of education, individuals working in agriculture, forestry, or fishery, managers, professions that were not homemakers/unemployed, and professional soldiers. A positive correlation (r=0.27, p<0.001) was observed between knowledge and attitude. The factors influencing AIDS knowledge and attitude were gender, marital status, income level, occupation, and education level. This study confirmed that there is a difference by age group. As such, educational programs customized by age and other characteristics are expected to be more effective in enhancing knowledge and in developing a more positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.447-461
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• 2003

Over the past 10 years, AIDS has grown to become one of the major health problems in Korea. This paper reviews the current status of the prevalence of AIDS, AIDS law and policy in Korea. This paper also suggests some proposals for policy to reduce HIV transmission from the view point of personal rights and welfare. Korea needs more effective national AIDS prevention and control programs applicable to the current situations of health policy in Korea. The activities of NGOs would be as important as those of government.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.91-96
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• 2012

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of HPV and cervical neoplasia among HIV-infected women in southwestern China. Methods: Cervical cytology, HPV detection by Hybrid Capture-$2^{TM}$ assay, and diagnostic colposcopy were followed by cervical biopsy if indicated. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze associations between HPV co-infection and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and HIV-related clinical and laboratory parameters. Results: Colposcopic-histopathologically proven CIN2+ lesions were present in 7/83 (8.4%) HIV-infected women. Nearly half (41/83, 43%) were co-infected with carcinogenic HPV genotypes. HPV co-infection was higher in women with colposcopic-histopathologically proven CIN2+ lesions than women with $cells/{\mu}L$ had higher CIN2+ prevalence after adjusting for current ART status and age (adjusted OR: 6.3, 95% CI: 1.1, 36.5). Conclusions: HIV/AIDS care and treatment programs should integrate effective cervical cancer prevention services to mitigate the risk of invasive cervical cancer among HIV-infected women in China.