"This project is an attempt to be representativeof the HIV epidemic around the world, including Africa, which carries the bulkof the burden but is often forgotten when it comes to opinion."
In the first of this five-part series,Linda-Gail Bekker of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, a Mapping Pathways partner organisation,speaks about the evolution of the project and the recently-released SouthAfrica guidelines for PrEP in MSM.MP: Please giveus some of your thoughts on the MappingPathways project as it has evolved over time.
LGB: A keycomponent of the Mapping Pathways project is its concept of beingmulti-continent, which imparts depth and relevance. The world is a big placeand this project is an attempt to be representative of the HIV epidemic aroundthe world, including Africa, which carries the bulk of the burden but is oftenforgotten when it comes to opinion!.
The project is a wonderful attempt to gather and document importantviews from opinion leaders as well as from people in the street around theworld on important topics in prevention. This is enhanced by the fact that weare at a very exciting time in HIV prevention, which is quite a volatile,polarised and changing field. Things move at such a rapid pace in this fieldthat sometimes, things done a month ago can quickly be out of date.
We have shared some of our Mapping Pathways data andfindings informally at conferences like the Microbicides 2012 (M2012) conferencein Sydney and the AIDS 2012 conferencein Washington D.C. We are now looking forward to all the data collected beingput together in a more formal, structured way. RAND Europe, one of the projectpartners, is working to create a book that will cover results and analyses ofthe four methods of data collection used in this project; the LiteratureReview, online survey, the ExpertLensand stakeholder interviews. It is great that all the sites and partners arecontributing to this.
On a personal note, I feel JimPickett, Director of PreventionAdvocacy and Gay Men's Health at the AIDSFoundation of Chicago and Mapping Pathways project member, is one ofthe most charismatic and compelling people I have worked with. His “can-do”attitude, enthusiasm for prevention and vision has been essential for thesuccess of this project, considering its scope and scale spanning threecontinents.
MP: Please tellus about the South Africa guidelines that recently came out based on aconsensus group that you chaired.
LGB: The Southern African HIV Clinicians Society writesconsensus guidelines for clinicians in the country on a variety of topics. Ichaired one such consensus group to come up with guidelines for PrEP in MSM inSouth Africa. These guidelines were written and published earlier this year andare available online.
The rationale is that Truvada is currently available in countryand we imagine that some men may wish to use it and clinicians would needguidance as to how to do that safely. The guidelines provide practitioners witha go-to document to enable them to use the drug in a safe and effective wayshould they have a client who wishes to and can afford to do so.
Stay tuned to the blog as we bring you part two of ourconversation with Linda-Gail, where she speaks about vulnerable populations inAfrica and the burden of HIV there.
Staytuned for the Mapping Pathways monograph, coming in early 2013
[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position. Please look for us on Facebook here www.facebook.com/MappingPathways and you can follow us on Twitter @mappingpathways as well.]
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