Virginia Bond
Biographic Data
| ID | 237053 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Virginia Bond |
| GIVEN NAMES | Virginia |
| FAMILY NAME | Bond |
| SIGNATURE | BOND V |
| AFFILIATIONS | London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6815-4239 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 51 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 33 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 51 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Migration and its impact on universal HIV testing and treatment in the HPTN 071 (PopART) study communities
Migrants have been identified as a population left behind by the AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) response, with evidence showing poorer HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) outcomes and reduced intervention effectiveness in mobile populations. We used data from the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01900977) to investigate migration and HIV-related indicators, assessing whether community migration influenced PopART t…
“I live with pain, it cannot go away”
Childhood and adolescent tuberculosis (TB) survivors often face ongoing challenges even after completing their treatment. While the biomedical aspects of TB recovery are well studied, there is still limited understanding of how young survivors cope with the long-term impact of TB on their daily lives, development, and aspirations. Guided by an illness-narrative and phenomenological perspective, this qualitative study explored the lived experience…
Disability inclusion in Zambia’s government Covid-19 policies
These findings underscore persistent structural barriers to equity for people with disabilities during public health crises. It highlights shortcomings by the Government of Zambia in promoting disability inclusion during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is need for improved provisions across all stages of policy design and implementation to strengthen equity and resilience in future public health emergencies
Sexual and reproductive health interventions for mobile adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa
Research exploring SRHR interventions for mAYP is limited in sub-Saharan Africa. Future research and interventions should be underpinned by an understanding of young people's health and wellbeing more broadly, and foreground the social, cultural, religious and economic factors shaping mAYP's SRH needs
Higher loss of livelihood and impoverishment in households affected by tuberculosis compared to non-tuberculosis affected households in Zimbabwe
Tuberculosis (TB) disproportionally affects poor people, leading to income and non-income losses. Measures of socioeconomic impact of TB, e.g. impoverishment and patient costs are inadequate to capture non-income losses. We applied impoverishment and a multidimensional measure on TB and non-TB affected households in Zimbabwe. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 270 households: 90 non-TB; 90 drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB), 90 drug-resistant TB (D…
The local dynamics of sociostructural features and HIV stigma in the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial
Across sub-Saharan Africa, stigma levels have been decreasing but not enough to achieve the 95–95–95 HIV targets by 2030. Current global HIV frameworks have identified stigma reduction, context specific interventions, and community mobilization as critical to enabling more effective uptake of HIV services. We conducted a retrospective analysis of longitudinal qualitative and quantitative data collected in 21 urban communities in Zambia and South …
At risk but not adequately included
The findings may contribute to the development and enhancement of policies and interventions responsive to the needs of people with disabilities in future pandemics in the Zambian context
HIV and gender identity expression among transfeminine people in the Western Cape, South Africa – a thematic analysis of data from the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial
Our findings are amongst the first exploratory and descriptive data of transfeminine people in South Africa. We show how transfeminine people navigate fluid gender identities that could pose a challenge for accessing and utilizing HIV services that are currently set up for transgender individuals or MSM. More work needs to be done to understand and respond to the diverse and shifting ways people experience their gender identities in this high HIV…
Competing (ac)counts of disability
Research is a critical starting point for public policy. For disability policy, the calculation of prevalence – the percentage of persons with disabilities in a population – has attracted significant attention. Multiple disability prevalence studies have been conducted in Zambia. We used data from semi-structured interviews about research and the policy process with twelve Zambian disability policy stakeholders to explore perspectives about disab…
Testing when I know my status
Landmark studies demonstrating a reduction in onward HIV transmission and improved survival have informed a shift in global antiretroviral therapy policy to a ‘treat all’ approach. Global HIV stakeholders have called on countries to urgently scale up their HIV programs, involving responsibilities for various health system actors for accelerating HIV epidemic control. In this article we explore how community members in South Africa who were part o…
Facilitators and barriers to Covid-19 testing in community and clinical settings
The sudden emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a devastating impact on health systems and population health globally. To combat the spread of COVID-19, countries enacted guidelines and safety measures, including testing, contact tracing, and quarantine. It was unclear the extent to which uptake of COVID-19 testing and other health initiatives would be accepted in countries with a history of dealing with widespread communicabl…
Coping with drug resistant tuberculosis alongside Covid-19 and other stressors in Zimbabwe
Households in low-resource settings are more vulnerable to events which adversely affect their livelihoods, including shocks e.g. death of family members, droughts and more recently COVID-19. Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) is another shock that inflicts physical, psychological and socioeconomic burden on individuals and households. We describe experiences and coping strategies among people affected by DR-TB and their households in Zimbabwe d…
The effect of universal testing and treatment for HIV on health-related quality of life – An analysis of data from the HPTN 071 (PopART) cluster randomised trial
The intervention did not change overall HRQoL, suggesting that raising HRQoL among PLHIV might require more than improved testing and treatment. However, PLHIV had fewer problems with pain/discomfort under the full intervention; this benefit of UTT should be maximised during roll-out
Prevalence of mental distress in adults with and without a history of tuberculosis in an urban Zambian community
People with tuberculosis (TB) are susceptible to mental distress. Mental distress can be driven by biological and socio-economic factors including poverty. These factors can persist beyond TB treatment completion yet there is minimal evidence about the mental health of TB survivors. A cross-sectional TB prevalence survey of adults was conducted in an urban community in Zambia. Survey participants were administered the five-item Self Reporting Que…
Coverage and effectiveness of conditional cash transfer for people with drug resistant tuberculosis in Zimbabwe
The End TB strategy recommends social protection to mitigate socio-economic impacts of tuberculosis. Zimbabwe started implementing a conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme for people on drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) treatment in 2013. We aimed to determine the proportion of people receiving CCT and effectiveness of CCT in improving treatment outcomes, explore their experiences with registering for CCT and understand the impact of CCT fro…
Qualitative study of patient experiences of mental distress during TB investigation and treatment in Zambia
The findings illustrate that mental distress during TB is driven by multi-layered and intersecting stresses, with the economic stress of poverty often being the most powerful driver. Measures are urgently needed to support TB patients during the investigation and treatment phase, including increased availability of mental health services, better social security safety nets during TB treatment, and interventions targeting TB, HIV and mental health…
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Associated Factors in HPTN 071 (PopART) Study Communities in Zambia and South Africa—A Comparison by HIV Status
The HPTN 071(PopART) study was a community-randomised trial in Zambia and South Africa, examining the impact of combination-prevention including universal testing and treatment (UTT), on HIV-incidence. This sub-study evaluated factors associated with IPV (physical and/or sexual) to identify differences by HIV status. During 2015-16, a random subset of adults who participated in the first year of the PopART intervention were recruited and standard…
Coming of age with HIV
Young perinatally-infected women living with HIV in Zambia grew up alongside antiretroviral therapy (ART) roll-out and expanding prevention programmes. We used Bonnington's temporal framework to understand how HIV impacted the experiences of these women over time. Data were drawn from two sequential studies with a cohort of young women living with HIV: a qualitative study in 2014-16 and an ethnographic study in 2017-18. Data from workshops, in-de…
TB is a disease which hides in the body’
The WHO estimates 58 million people experienced one or more TB disease episodes between 2000 and 2018. These 'former TB patients' are at greater risk of future TB infection and death than TB naïve people. Additionally, former TB patients experience social, psychological, and physiological difficulties after microbiological cure. Drawing on semi-structured interviews collected with 28 people from communities in Zambia ( n = 8) and South Africa ( n…
Community-based health workers implementing universal access to HIV testing and treatment
The global expansion of HIV testing, prevention and treatment services is necessary to achieve HIV epidemic control and promote individual and population health benefits for people living with HIV (PLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa. Community-based health workers (CHWs) could play a key role in supporting implementation at scale. In the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial in Zambia and South Africa, a cadre of 737 study-specific CHWs, working closely with governm…
Universal HIV testing and treatment and HIV stigma reduction
Despite continued development of effective HIV treatment, expanded access to care and advances in prevention modalities, HIV-related stigma persists. We examine how, in the context of a universal HIV-testing and treatment trial in South Africa and Zambia, increased availability of HIV services influenced conceptualisations of HIV. Using qualitative data, we explore people's stigma-related experiences of living in 'intervention' and 'control' stud…
Disability Focal Point Persons and Policy Implementation Across Sectors
Background: Zambia has created new disability policies and updated existing policies to be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These initiatives require the widespread engagement of ministries and departments to achieve effective policy development and implementation. To pursue widespread engagement, the Government of Zambia developed a structure of disability focal point persons (FPPs). The Z…
Perspectives on ART adherence among Zambian adults living with HIV
Anti-retroviral treatment (ART) has improved the survival of people living with HIV in Africa. Living with chronic HIV comes with new health and functional challenges and the need to manage ART adherence. The Sepo Study applied disability frameworks to better understand living with chronic HIV while using ART. The study followed 35 people (18 women, 17 men) living with HIV and on ART 6 months or longer in private and public health facilities in L…
Types of episodic disability among people living with HIV in Zambia
HIV is increasingly recognized as a chronic illness which may result in episodic disability related to the effects of the virus, side effects of medication, co-morbidities and consequences of aging. Little is known about the episodic disability experiences of people living long-term with HIV in resource-limited countries, which is best understood by following people over time. This qualitative longitudinal study examined the episodic disability e…
Critical Reflections on Individual Collages as a Research Method With Young Women Living With HIV in Zambia
Art-based research methods can enable young people to generate data that provide insights into their lives. We assessed the feasibility, value, and limitations of collages as a participatory research method to understand the experiences of young women living with HIV. Individual collages were created in participatory workshops, firstly in 2015 and secondly in 2017, by a cohort of young women living with HIV in Lusaka, Zambia. Collages were analyz…
Secrets and Silence
Drawing on a 12-month ethnography with young women living with HIV in Zambia, we explore their everyday strategies to avoid unintentional disclosure of their HIV status. Young women practiced secrecy with sexual partners, through hiding their antiretroviral therapy and using veiled language around HIV. Whilst remaining silent about their HIV status enabled them to maintain identities beyond HIV, this secrecy triggered feelings of guilt and anxiet…
The importance of addressing the unfolding TB‐HIV stigma in high HIV prevalence settings
In the context of high HIV prevalence, tuberculosis is proving hard to control, becoming an increasingly prevalent disease and forcing a more integrated public health approach to the dual epidemics. Yet this integrated approach often overlooks the implications of how intertwined TB and HIV have become in the social reality of people living in high HIV prevalence settings. In this context, TB, the most common and serious of HIV's opportunistic inf…
HIV-related stigma and universal testing and treatment for HIV prevention and care
Background : Stigma and discrimination related to HIV and key populations at high risk of HIV have the potential to impede the implementation of effective HIV prevention and treatment programmes at scale. Studies measuring the impact of stigma on these programmes are rare. We are conducting an implementation science study of HIV-related stigma in communities and health settings within a large, pragmatic cluster-randomized trial of a universal tes…
High levels of vulnerability and anticipated stigma reduce the impetus for tuberculosis diagnosis in Cape Town, South Africa
Prolonged diagnostic and treatment delays, particularly in settings experiencing concomitant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) epidemics, undermine global TB control efforts. Current TB control policy in South Africa, as organized through the National TB Control Programme (NTP), relies on the voluntary presentation of TB suspects to local clinics for diagnosis, i.e. passive case finding (PCF). In 2005 a participatory study …
Antiretroviral therapy in Zambia
Value and Limitations of Broad Brush Surveys Used in Community-Randomized Trials in Southern Africa
We describe and reflect on a rapid qualitative survey approach called "Broad Brush Survey" (BBS) used in six community-randomized trials (CRTs)/studies in Zambia and South Africa (2004-2018) to document, compare, classify, and communicate community features systematically for public health and multidisciplinary research ends. BBS is based on a set sequence of participatory qualitative methods and fieldwork carried out prior to a CRT intervention …
Being seen” at the clinic
Health workers in 21 government health facilities in Zambia and South Africa linked spatial organisation of HIV services and material items signifying HIV-status (for example, coloured client cards) to the risk of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) 'being seen' or identified by others. Demarcated HIV services, distinctive client flow and associated-items were considered especially distinguishing. Strategies to circumvent any resulting stigma mostly i…
School holidays
This article discusses a practice of child residential mobility in Zambia that is frequently overlooked in migration studies and difficult to capture through standard survey methods: the practice of 'going on holiday' to the homes of relatives during breaks in the school term. Drawing on child-centered and quantitative research, this article examines the multiple dimensions of 'going on holiday' for children living in a low-income urban settlemen…
Narratives of Nationhood and HIV/Aids
The HIV/AIDS epidemic, exacerbated by global processes, has affected most aspects of life in Zambia. The country's demographic profile has changed, with significant losses among those of reproductive age, and a huge increase in the number of orphans has placed additional burdens on families and on the delivery of health and education services. HIV/AIDS has engendered profound changes in personal and national identity. Shifts in Zambian narratives…
The difficulties of compiling a glossary of diseases associated with sexual intercourse in Chiawa, Rural Zambia
The difficulties of compiling a glossary of diseases associated with sexual intercourse in Chiawa, Rural Zambia
Stigma, HIV/Aids and prevention of mother-to-child transmission in Zambia
The importance of addressing the unfolding TB‐HIV stigma in high HIV prevalence settings
In the context of high HIV prevalence, tuberculosis is proving hard to control, becoming an increasingly prevalent disease and forcing a more integrated public health approach to the dual epidemics. Yet this integrated approach often overlooks the implications of how intertwined TB and HIV have become in the social reality of people living in high HIV prevalence settings. In this context, TB, the most common and serious of HIV's opportunistic inf…
Antiretroviral therapy in Zambia
Barriers and outcomes
The vulnerabilities that underlie barriers faced by the rural poor whilst trying to access and adhere to "free" antiretroviral treatment (ART) demand more attention. This paper highlights barriers that poor rural Zambians co-infected with tuberculosis (TB) and HIV and their households faced in accessing ART between September 2006 and July 2007, and accounts for patient outcomes by the end of TB treatment and (more sporadically) beyond October 200…
“It is not an easy decision on HIV, especially in Zambia”
As universal testing moves onto the HIV agenda, there is a need for more understanding of the relatively low uptake of HIV testing and the dynamics of disclosure in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the expanding provision of anti-retroviral therapy in Zambia since 2004, disclosure of HIV status - beyond a closed network - remains limited. Drawing on 20 years of living and working in a high HIV prevalence country, research on HIV-related stigma and exi…
A systematic review of qualitative findings on factors enabling and deterring uptake of HIV testing in Sub-Saharan Africa
High levels of vulnerability and anticipated stigma reduce the impetus for tuberculosis diagnosis in Cape Town, South Africa
Prolonged diagnostic and treatment delays, particularly in settings experiencing concomitant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) epidemics, undermine global TB control efforts. Current TB control policy in South Africa, as organized through the National TB Control Programme (NTP), relies on the voluntary presentation of TB suspects to local clinics for diagnosis, i.e. passive case finding (PCF). In 2005 a participatory study …
School holidays
This article discusses a practice of child residential mobility in Zambia that is frequently overlooked in migration studies and difficult to capture through standard survey methods: the practice of 'going on holiday' to the homes of relatives during breaks in the school term. Drawing on child-centered and quantitative research, this article examines the multiple dimensions of 'going on holiday' for children living in a low-income urban settlemen…
Narratives of Nationhood and HIV/Aids
The HIV/AIDS epidemic, exacerbated by global processes, has affected most aspects of life in Zambia. The country's demographic profile has changed, with significant losses among those of reproductive age, and a huge increase in the number of orphans has placed additional burdens on families and on the delivery of health and education services. HIV/AIDS has engendered profound changes in personal and national identity. Shifts in Zambian narratives…
Considerations for a Human Rights Impact Assessment of a Population Wide Treatment for HIV Prevention Intervention
Increasing attention is being paid to the potential of anti‐retroviral treatment ( ART ) for HIV prevention. The possibility of eliminating HIV from a population through a universal test and treat intervention, where all people within a population are tested for HIV and all positive people immediately initiated on ART , as part of a wider prevention intervention, was first proposed in 2009. Several clinical trials testing this idea are now in inc…
A narrative analysis positioning HIV relative to personal (sexual) relationship challenges in an agony aunt column in the Western Cape, South Africa – Aunty Mona’s “love advice”
HIV prevalence and incidence in South Africa remain high, making HIV a part of everyday life. Community narratives on HIV treatment and prevention are important and influence official and unofficial health messaging and community perceptions and understandings of HIV. We explore how contributors and the columnist of an agony aunt column position HIV relative to choices made about love, partnership, and sex over three years. We analysed all column…
“The difference that makes a difference”
This paper explores contextual heterogeneity within a community randomised trial HPTN 071 (Population Effects of Antiretroviral Treatment to Reduce HIV Transmission) carried out in 21 study communities (12 Zambian, 9 South African). The trial evaluates the impact of a combination HIV prevention package (including household-based HIV counselling and testing and anti-retroviral treatment (ART) eligibility regardless of CD4-count) on HIV incidence. …
Why do marital partners of people living with HIV not test for HIV? A qualitative study in Lusaka, Zambia
Improving uptake of HIV testing requires a multi-pronged approach that addresses self-stigma, lay risk perceptions, negative treatment and health beliefs and the perceived psychological burden of living with HIV. Strengthening couple HIV testing services, including addressing conflict and addressing gendered power relationships are also warranted to facilitate joint knowledge, acceptance and management of HIV status in marital relationships
HIV-related stigma and universal testing and treatment for HIV prevention and care
Background : Stigma and discrimination related to HIV and key populations at high risk of HIV have the potential to impede the implementation of effective HIV prevention and treatment programmes at scale. Studies measuring the impact of stigma on these programmes are rare. We are conducting an implementation science study of HIV-related stigma in communities and health settings within a large, pragmatic cluster-randomized trial of a universal tes…
The influence of social constructs of hegemonic masculinity and sexual behaviour on acceptability of vaginal microbicides in Zambia
Vaginal microbicides are heralded as a woman's HIV prevention method. This study, conducted in a microbicide clinical trial setting in Zambia, explored how the social construction of masculinity and sexual behaviour influenced the acceptability of vaginal microbicides. The data were generated from 18 In-depth Interviews and 8 Focus Group Discussions. The data were analysed thematically. The study found that hegemonic masculinity influenced the us…
Optimism alongside new challenges
Previous research has demonstrated increased comorbidities related to the chronic effects of HIV. Rehabilitation science offers a useful approach for studying chronic illness. This longitudinal qualitative study used a rehabilitation science approach to explore the experiences over time of women and men living with HIV and on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the high HIV-prevalence setting of Lusaka, Zambia. Thirty-five participants participated i…
Exploring the concerns of persons with disabilities in Western Zambia
This study contributes to literature on disability theory by providing a contextually grounded account of a particular understanding of disability and poverty. The study also contributes to disability practice and policymaking through the demonstration of poverty as the main concern of persons with disabilities in this context
Understanding the Time Needed to Link to Care and Start ART in Seven HPTN 071 (PopART) Study Communities in Zambia and South Africa
To achieve UNAIDS 90:90:90 targets at population-level, knowledge of HIV status must be followed by timely linkage to care, initiation and maintenance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all people living with HIV (PLHIV). Interpreting quantitative patterns using qualitative data, we investigate time taken to link to care and initiate ART amongst individuals aware of their HIV-status in high HIV-prevalence urban communities in the HPTN 071 (PopAR…
Who is answerable to whom? Exploring the complex relationship between researchers, community and Community Advisory Board (CAB) members in two research studies in Zambia
This paper explores the accountability relationships that arise between researchers, the community and community representative structures known as Community Advisory Boards (CABs). It draws on ethnographic and case study research that documented the history, recruitment, composition and representativeness of two CABs and their relationships with researchers and communities, carried out in two studies in Zambia between 2010 and 2014. The findings…
Being seen” at the clinic
Health workers in 21 government health facilities in Zambia and South Africa linked spatial organisation of HIV services and material items signifying HIV-status (for example, coloured client cards) to the risk of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) 'being seen' or identified by others. Demarcated HIV services, distinctive client flow and associated-items were considered especially distinguishing. Strategies to circumvent any resulting stigma mostly i…
Stigma in health facilities
Stigma in health facilities undermines diagnosis, treatment, and successful health outcomes. Addressing stigma is fundamental to delivering quality healthcare and achieving optimal health. This correspondence article seeks to assess how developments over the past 5 years have contributed to the state of programmatic knowledge-both approaches and methods-regarding interventions to reduce stigma in health facilities, and explores the potential to c…
Navigating ‘ethics in practice’
While 'procedural ethics' provides essential frameworks for governing global health research, reflecting on 'ethics in practice' offers important insights into addressing ethically important moments that arise in everyday research. Particularly for ethnographic research, renowned for it's fluid and spontaneous nature, engaging with 'ethics in practice' has the potential to enhance research practice within global health. We provide a case study fo…
Value and Limitations of Broad Brush Surveys Used in Community-Randomized Trials in Southern Africa
We describe and reflect on a rapid qualitative survey approach called "Broad Brush Survey" (BBS) used in six community-randomized trials (CRTs)/studies in Zambia and South Africa (2004-2018) to document, compare, classify, and communicate community features systematically for public health and multidisciplinary research ends. BBS is based on a set sequence of participatory qualitative methods and fieldwork carried out prior to a CRT intervention …
Disability Focal Point Persons and Policy Implementation Across Sectors
Background: Zambia has created new disability policies and updated existing policies to be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These initiatives require the widespread engagement of ministries and departments to achieve effective policy development and implementation. To pursue widespread engagement, the Government of Zambia developed a structure of disability focal point persons (FPPs). The Z…
Medicine (39 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (29 works) · Psychology (25 works) · Sociology (22 works) · Environmental health (20 works) · Family medicine (20 works) · Political science (19 works) · Population (19 works) · Qualitative research (19 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (17 works)