Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Blade - May 26, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Public medical clinics run by the city will no longer require written consent and counseling sessions before testing people for HIV in a bid to increase the number screened for the virus, officials said May 17. It's a dramatic policy shift for a city at the forefront of the AIDS fight, and the first known entity in the U.S. to loosen consent and counseling requirements. The new policy was implemented May 16 in city clinics and two hospitals that test patients. Last year, 240 people tested positive out of the 6,000 tested in San Francisco. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is contemplating similar recommendations, as well as proposing that most healthy patients get tested during routine physical exams. San Francisco doctors are required to get only verbal permission for testing, bypassing paperwork and bureaucracy. "Once again, San Francisco is taking the lead," said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, director of the city's sexually transmitted disease prevention. "We hope others follow this common sense approach." But many AIDS activists and other critics fear the changes could violate patient privacy and deter some from seeking treatment if they test positive.
Harlem gay group protests sex party banning condom use
NEW YORK (AP) - The invitation arrived in Tokes Osubu's e-mail inbox on May 15, and the contents astounded him: Black and Latino men were being invited to attend a gay sex party the following weekend where condoms would be banned. Show up with a condom, the invitation said, and you'll be asked to leave. "I was shocked and disgusted," said Osubu, executive director of Gay Men of African Descent, a Harlem-based nonprofit group battling the HIV/AIDS epidemic among black gay men. Osubu sent the party's promoter a letter urging him to reconsider the policy, and the group planned to protest outside the East Harlem building where the party was scheduled to be held.
New generic HIV drug OK'd under AIDS plan
RESEARCH TRIANGLE, N.C. - The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has given tentative approval for a generic version of an anti-HIV drug made by GlaxoSmithKline for sale under President Bush's global AIDS relief plan. The drug, known as abacavir, is manufactured by Indian pharmaceutical company Aurobindo Pharma and is the first generic version of Glaxo's already approved Ziagen, the Triangle Business Journal reported May 15. Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, announced during his 2003 State of the Union address, currently provides $15 billion over five years to fight AIDS worldwide. The program is designed to treat at least 2 million with HIV, care for 10 million HIV-affected people and prevent 7 million new HIV infections, according to the FDA.
Scottish schools to get training on gay sex ed
EDINBURGH, Scotland - Scottish secondary schools will be able to choose whether teachers receive training on advising pupils about gay sex, the Edinburgh Herald reported May 22. NHS Health Scotland will provide the training as part of the Sexual Health & Relationships Education program. It said the current SHARE plan is not reflective of the population, and amendments are required. "No new guidance to schools is being issued," a Scottish government spokesman told the Herald. The main message, she said, was to encourage respect for others and delay sexual activity until teens were ready. The training comes six years after the repeal of laws preventing teachers from discussing gay sex education.
Concern grows over addiction to internet
NEW YORK - For some, the internet has become an addiction, adversely affecting lives and families, Reuters reported May 19. While not yet defined as a true addiction, many people are suffering the consequences of online obsessions, Dr. Diane M. Wieland, who treats patients with computer addiction, wrote in the journal, Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. Wieland estimated that five to 10 percent of internet users most likely experience addiction. Signs and symptoms include a general disregard for health and appearance, sleep deprivation, and decreased physical activity and social interaction.
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