2006

LESOTHO: Masai for Africa Campaign Halfway to $1 Million Target: Guelph Mercury (Ontario, Canada) (12.26.06) - Friday, December 29, 2006; Joanne Shuttleworth; Last week, Canada s Masai for Africa campaign to sustain an AIDS clinic in Lesotho reached its halfway point to raising $1 million Canadian ($858,400 US). The brainchild of Dr. Anne- Marie Zajdlik, a Guelph family physician and HIV specialist, the clinic and its fundraising scheme have attracted interest nationwide fro
LIBYA: EU Urges Libya to Annul Death Sentence for Foreign Medics: Associated Press (12.28.06) - Friday, December 29, 2006; On Thursday, the European Union urged Libya to free the Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor accused of infecting children with HIV after their death sentences were re-imposed by a Libyan court. It is my strong hope that . Libyan authorities will take the necessary measures to review and annul the death sentence, B
OHIO: Cervical Cancer Vaccine Offered; Medicaid Will Cover the Vaccine Next Year: Dayton Daily News (12.28.06) - Friday, December 29, 2006; Anthony Gottschlich; Next week, the Ohio Department of Health will begin shipping Gardasil to local health departments across the state. The vaccine, recommended for girls as young as nine, targets four strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause most cervical cancers and genital warts. Medicaid recently approved covering the vaccine
MARYLAND: Rush for Student Vaccines: Baltimore Sun (12.23.06) - Friday, December 29, 2006; Sandy Alexander; Maryland school officials are concerned that newly required vaccinations for students will leave many facing suspension for failure to obtain them. Before sixth- through ninth-grade students can return to school after the winter break, they must show documentation proving they have had hepatitis B and chicken pox vacci
UNITED STATES: Hospitalizations of Pregnant HIV-Infected Women in the USA Prior to and During the Era of HAART, 1994-2003: AIDS Vol. 20; No. 14: P. 1823-1831 (09.11.06) - Friday, December 29, 2006; Athena P. Kourtis; Pooja Bansil; Melissa McPheeters; Susan F. Meikle; Samuel F. Posner; Denise J. Jamieson; In noting that the literature on whether HIV infection and its complex antiretroviral treatments confer a higher risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes is controversial, the authors of the current study set out to compare rates of hospitalization for select morbidities among HIV-infected and uninfected pregnant women in t
CARIBBEAN: Fighting Stigma: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale) (12.10.06) - Friday, December 29, 2006; Tim Collie; In August, the Kaiser Family Foundation, in conjunction with the Ford Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation, announced a $1 million media initiative to combat prejudice against HIV/AIDS patients throughout the Caribbean. The program trains broadcasters and journalists to improve reporting on the disease. The in
UNITED KINGDOM: HIV Taboo a Threat to UK Asians: BBC News (12.22.06) - Friday, December 29, 2006; Emily Buchanan; While HIV cases are rising in the United Kingdom , a reluctance to acknowledge the disease has officials fearing that low infection numbers for the Asian community are misleading. Low testing rates and high levels of HIV stigma could be masking the epidemic s impact among UK Asians. HIV is mostly acquired through heter
SOUTH AFRICA: South African Center Eases Pain on Wallet of AIDS Drugs: Agence France Presse (12.17.06) - Friday, December 29, 2006; Fran Blandy; Zuzimpilo Clinic in Johannesburg offers HIV patients antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) at a third of the market rate. Funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the recently opened clinic offers consultations, laboratory tests, and medicine for around 350 rand ($50 US) per month, compared to the average b
MAINE: State Weighs HIV Testing Policy Change: Times Record (Brunswick) (12.27.06) - Friday, December 29, 2006; Michael Reagan; The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MCDC) wants to make HIV testing routine in order to make it more accessible to some one-third of residents who are HIV-infected but do not know it. However, any changes in HIV testing policies must first pass the state Legislature. Currently, HIV screening must be sp
HAWAII: AIDS Clinic Gets Late Reprieve: Honolulu Advertiser (12.28.06) - Friday, December 29, 2006; Christie Wilson; The National Institutes of Health has agreed to a temporary cash infusion for the Hawaii AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, which had faced closure at year s end. NIH s $640,000 bridge funding, combined with other monies, should allow HACTU to operate for another six months, said Dr. Cecilia Shikuma, the unit s program directo
JAPAN: New TB Bacteria Resistant to Many Drugs: Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo) (12.27.06) - Thursday, December 28, 2006; On Monday, the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association warned that about 70 Japanese per year acquire extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). Unlike multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), which is resistant to two first-line drugs, XDR-TB is additionally resistant to at least three of the six main classes of second- line TB drug
CALIFORNIA: Deluge of Bills Approaching: San Jose Mercury News (12.27.06) - Thursday, December 28, 2006; Steven Harmon; A preview of bills filed for California s 2007 legislative session includes several health-related bills. Among them, Assembly Bill 16, sponsored by Assemblymember Sally Lieber (D- Mountain View), would require girls entering the sixth grade to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV). Another bill, AB 66, woul
OKLAHOMA: Fatalities Linked to Meth Use Reported: Associated Press (12.26.06) - Thursday, December 28, 2006; The US Drug Enforcement Agency reported recently that methamphetamine use remains the principal drug of concern in the state of Oklahoma. That follows a state report that estimated substance abuse costs the state $3.21 billion-$4.38 billion per year, based on 2003 figures. Methamphetamine in particular has been cited f
TENNESSEE: 25 Years Later, Misconceptions Persist about HIV/AIDS: Associated Press (12.26.06) - Thursday, December 28, 2006; Since CDC first reported AIDS cases 25 years ago, misconceptions still surround the disease in Tennessee. AIDS goes home with businessmen to their wives; wives bring it home to their husbands, said Sister Adamarie Kost, director of The Home Place, a Chattanooga residence for HIV patients. It s not a gay disease anymore
NEW YORK: Distribution of Free Condoms Soars in Recent Months: New York Sun (12.19.06) - Thursday, December 28, 2006; Gabrielle Birkner; Community-based organizations and businesses that want to help promote male condom use in New York City can now order condoms and water-based lubricant through the Web. The city s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene now distributes 1.5 million free condoms monthly, compared to 250,000 18 months ago, before www.nycc
KENYA: A Prospective Study Assessing the Effects of Introducing the Female Condom in a Sex Worker Population in Mombasa, Kenya: Sexually Transmitted Infections Vol. 82: P. 397-402 (10..06) - Thursday, December 28, 2006; S.C. Thomsen; W. Ombidi; C. Toroitich-Ruto; E.L. Wong; H.O. Tucker; R. Homan; N. Kingola; S. Luchters; The researchers conducted a 12-month, prospective study of 210 female sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya , to assess the impact and costs of adding female condoms to a peer education program promoting and distributing male condoms. Participants were interviewed about their sexual behavior every two months for a total of sev
UNITED KINGDOM: HIV Home Screening Kit Launched: BBC News (12.28.06) - Thursday, December 28, 2006; People seeking HIV testing in the privacy of their own home can now do so thanks to the launch of the United Kingdom s first home test kit, the Dr. Thom test. An oral sample is sent from home off to a laboratory, which looks for HIV antibodies in the saliva. If the results are negative, results are sent out via e-mail.
ALGERIA: Algeria Promotes Condoms to Prevent HIV/AIDS: Agence France Presse (12.26.06) - Thursday, December 28, 2006; Boubker Belkadi; Long considered taboo in this conservative Muslim country, condoms are now being publicly promoted by experts in Algeria as a tool in preventing HIV/AIDS. A government campaign on Algerian radio and television stations touts the contraceptive s virtues as a barrier to infection. Officials asked imams last month to prea
MASSACHUSETTS: Critics Chide State over Cervical Cancer Vaccine Delays: Boston Herald (12.26.06) - Thursday, December 28, 2006; Jessica Fargen; Planned Parenthood says Massachusetts has been slow to cover the cost of Gardasil, which protects against several strands of human papillomavirus (HPV) responsible for 70 percent of US cervical cancer cases. Massachusetts should be a leader on this and should cover it for all women who want and need to get vaccinated,
GLOBAL: Poor Record Keeping Plagues Bush AIDS Effort in Developing Countries: Associated Press (12.26.06) - Thursday, December 28, 2006; Rita Beamish; An audit of the $15 billion President s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) found the program has both undercounted, by lacking documentation, and overestimated the thousands of patients it has helped overseas. The program was unable to verify claims of success made by local groups that received money. The audit, c
ROMANIA: Leader Hosts Children with AIDS, Cancer: Washington Times (12.24.06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; On Dec. 23, Romanian President Traian Basescu hosted dozens of children, some with AIDS or cancer, at his palace in the capital for a Christmas reception. Guests also included Gypsy children from southern Romania and schoolchildren from Bulgaria , Ukraine , and Moldova s breakaway republic of Transdnestr.
CALIFORNIA: Exposure to TB Suspected at Salon: San Diego Union-Tribune (12.22.06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; Helen Gao; Patrons and employees at Tommy s Estetica Unisex salon in San Diego may have been exposed to TB following the diagnosis of active TB in a worker there, cautioned the county Health and Human Services Agency on Thursday. That patient has been treated and is no longer infectious, county officials said. The agency is assis
CALIFORNIA: San Francisco Syphilis Campaign: Associated Press (12.26.06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; San Francisco Department of Public Health researchers say a 2002-2005 campaign to encourage men to test for syphilis was successful. The Healthy Penis campaign featured comic-strip penis-shaped characters as mascots. The department sponsored the ads in order to check rising syphilis rates among gay and bisexual men. Mo
US VIRGIN ISLANDS: AIDS Patients' Advocates in US Virgin Islands Cite Drug Shortages: Associated Press (12.22.06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; Mat Probasco; More than 60 HIV/AIDS patients in St. Thomas have been without medications for up to two months because the US territory s Health Department failed to pay pharmacists supplying the treatments, said Bruce Small, director of Virgin Islands Community AIDS Resource and Education Inc. The Virgin Islands Health Department sa
FLORIDA: County Asks Gates Foundation to Study HIV Here: Palm Beach Post (12.22.06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; Jennifer Sorentrue; Recently, Palm Beach County Commission Chairperson Addie Greene sent a letter asking the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to consider Palm Beach County for research opportunities on HIV/AIDS. Commissioner Mary McCarty asked the commission to send the letter, following a recommendation from a resident. McCarty said it
UNITED STATES: Substance Use, Medications for Sexual Facilitation, and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Traveling Men Who Have Sex with Men: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Vol. 33; No. 12: P. 706-711 (12..06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; Eric G. Benotsch, PhD; Salvatore Seeley, MSW; John J. Mikytuck, BS; Steven D. Pinkerton, PhD; Christopher D. Nettles, MA; Kathleen Ragsdale, PhD; The researchers undertook the current study to examine the correlates of sexual risk behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM) while traveling for leisure. The subjects were 304 MSM visiting popular tourist areas. They completed a brief survey on sexual behavior and substances used while on vacation, including ere
SOUTH AFRICA: Circumcision May Stop 1.4 Million South Africa HIV Cases: Reuters (12.21.06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; Widespread circumcision could prevent about 1.4 million new HIV infections and 800,000 AIDS deaths over 20 years in South Africa , prompting a research group to call for a national circumcision campaign to help stem the country s epidemic. Recent studies showing circumcision confers an up to 60 percent reduction in HIV
VIETNAM: AIDS Epidemic Shifts, Vietnam Makes Policy: Reuters (12.25.06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; Grant McCool; On Jan. 1, a new law outlining a broad policy framework for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment goes into effect in Vietnam . The law strengthens the rights of HIV/AIDS patients, calls for AIDS education in the workplace, and for HIV medicines to be included in health plans. It also provides for condom distribution, need
GLOBAL: Web Site Grants Holiday Wishes for Children with HIV/AIDS: Associated Press (12.24.06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; Daniela Flores; Before graduating from Rutgers University-Newark in 1997 and becoming an accountant, Shimmy Mehta was surprised in working with the AIDS Resource Foundation for Children that many infected children had unmet non-medical needs. A lot of the things that the care centers told me that they needed weren t real medical in na
NEW YORK: Rifts Emerge on Push to End Written Consent for HIV Tests: New York Times (12.25.06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; Sewell Chan; Physicians and AIDS advocates are split on the yearlong push to end a 1988 state requirement of separate, written patient consent for HIV testing. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas R. Frieden has championed the change to remove testing barriers he says end in late diagnoses and AIDS mortality. More than 1,40
UNITED STATES: AIDS Research Funding Trimmed: Washington Times (12.22.06) - Wednesday, December 27, 2006; Gregory Lopes; As part of a major restructuring of its AIDS research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is cutting funding for AIDS clinical trial units across the country. The cuts will likely force 10 of the 32 units to close at the beginning of the year. Sites affected include New York City; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Honolu
UNITED KINGDOM: Leader Hails City HIV Reduction: BBC News (12.18.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; Edinburgh Council s leader said HIV infections have declined among intravenous drug users (IDUs), but evidence of needle- sharing among young IDU would need continued monitoring. Edinburgh s position is now as a center of excellence where voluntary and statutory services work closely together offering some of the best
UNITED STATES: Vertex HIV Drug Candidate Development Halted by GlaxoSmithKline Because of Formulation Problem: Associated Press (12.18.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; GlaxoSmithKline has stopped collaborating with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. on the HIV drug candidate brecanavir (VX- 385), Vertex said in a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The drug, which was in mid-stage clinical testing, would be too difficult to formulate, said Glaxo. The firms have collaborated
VIRGINIA: Nearly a Dozen at Lakeland High School Test Positive for TB: Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) (12.21.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; Amy Coutee; Nearly a dozen people from Lakeland High School have tested positive for tuberculosis and are currently being treated with antibiotics. This follows the testing of around 200 students and staff at the 1,300-pupil school after a person was diagnosed last week with a possible active case of the bacterial infection. Dr. L
LIBYA: Bush Expresses Disappointment at Libyan Court's Sentencing of Bulgarian Nurses, Palestinian Doctor to Death: Associated Press (12.21.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; On Thursday, President Bush phoned Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov to express his disappointment with Libya s death sentence for five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting more than 400 Libyan children with HIV. Bush added he strongly supports Bulgaria s efforts to secure the release of the
CALIFORNIA: Pharmacist Has a Way with HIV Patients: Orange County Register (12.14.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; Yvette Cabrera; For years, HIV-positive residents of Laguna Beach have had to travel elsewhere to fill their prescriptions. But in June, when pharmacist Michelle J. Sherman became a consultant HIV specialist at Laguna Drug, the store became a full-service HIV/AIDS pharmacy. These medications help you live, but you also have side effec
UNITED STATES: Peer Referral for HIV Case-Finding Among Men Who Have Sex with Men: AIDS Vol. 20; No. 15: P. 1961-1968 (10.03.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; Matthew R. Golden; Thomas L. Gift; Devon D. Brewer; Mark Fleming; Matthew Hogben; Janet S. St. Lawrence; Hanne Thiede; H. Hunter Handsfield; Researchers in the current study sought to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a health department- based peer referral program for identifying previously undiagnosed HIV cases among men who have sex with men (MSM). From 2002 to 2005, 283 MSM peer recruiters were enrolled in a public health program in
GLOBAL: A Cut, Blow Dry and AIDS Advice that Could Save Your Life: Financial Times (London) (12.09.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; Andrew Jack; A salon-based HIV prevention program that beauty giant L Oreal created in South Africa is now being introduced internationally. With 30,000 staffers training some 400,000 hairdressers around the world each year, the company recognizes the opportunity to use salons as a venue for AIDS education. Martin Smith, chief
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Southern Africa Mulls Roping In Prostitutes, Gays to Fight AIDS: Agence France Presse (12.12.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; Felix Mponda; Attendees at the recent three-day Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting in Malawi discussed how to bridge the gap between those targeted for HIV/AIDS prevention and those hit hardest by the epidemic. To make advances in prevention, we must begin to tackle honestly the difficult questions that the epidem
RUSSIA: HIV Policy Change Lambasted: Moscow Times (12.21.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; Carl Schreck; On Nov. 21, Russia s Health and Social Development Ministry surreptitiously decreed first-line HIV drugs would be bypassed for third-and fourth-line AIDS drugs, AIDS activists and federal officials allege. The Community of People Living with HIV said the decree would jeopardize HIV patients lives. The more expensive al
CALIFORNIA: Condoms in Jail: Outlawed HIV Prevention: Oakland Tribune (12.18.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; Cheryl Winkelman; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently vetoed legislation that would have required the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR) to permit nonprofit groups and public health agencies to distribute condoms and dental dams in correctional facilities. According to Kate Monico Klein, director of San Francisco
RHODE ISLAND: Sex Education Program Still Flawed, Says ACLU: Providence Journal (12.19.06) - Friday, December 22, 2006; Tom Mooney; Following up on its earlier complaints, the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) claimed again this week that a federally funded abstinence program continues to have serious flaws. Heritage of Rhode Island s abstinence program was being used in Woonsocket schools earlier this year, though
MALAYSIA: Malaysia Gives Green Light for Sex Education: Agence France Presse (12.21.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; Under new plans approved by Malaysia s cabinet, the conservative, Muslim-majority nation will introduce its first- ever sex education program in schools. The program will address youths from age four through young adulthood and will include topics including homosexuality, masturbation, rape, and HIV/AIDS. The move sign
HAITI: UN Issues Appeal for $98 Million to Help Haiti's Economic Recovery: Associated Press (12.18.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; On Monday, the UN appealed for $98 million in contributions to help Haiti s economic recovery and to provide basic services. In Haiti, the UN maintains a force of 8,800 peacekeepers; these were sent in after the February 2004 revolt that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who now lives in South Africa
OHIO: 17 More People Exposed to TB, Reynoldsburg Tests Find: Columbus Dispatch (12.20.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; In the second wave of TB testing at Reynoldsburg High School, 17 more people have shown preliminary evidence of TB exposure. Authorities have now identified 19 people exposed, including the initial active case that led to the testing, said Debbie Coleman, a Columbus assistant health commissioner. More than 650 students
MINNESOTA: AIDS Research Program at University of Minnesota to Close Due to Lack of Funding: Associated Press (12.21.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; A University of Minnesota AIDS research program that has run clinical trials for 20 years will shut down following a funding cut from the National Institutes of Health, which is reducing its grants for domestic trials in favor of trials conducted in developing nations. Hank Balfour, principal investigator, said people
PENNSYLVANIA: Frank Talk from Magic About HIV: Philadelphia Daily News (12.13.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; Valerie Russ; Of the nearly 2,000 young people who filled the auditorium at University City High School on Dec. 12 to see basketball great Magic Johnson, many were only babies when the NBA star announced 15 years ago he had tested positive for HIV. But that did not diminish the roaring cheers that greeted Johnson, who came to the sc
FLORIDA: AIDS Group Loses Money, Not Hope: Pensacola News Journal (12.19.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; Carmen Paige; The Santa Rosa HIV/AIDS Minority Task Force is shutting its office after losing a state grant, effective Dec. 31. Volunteers, however, vow to continue to offer outreach services and testing. The $75,000 Florida Department of Health grant was the main monetary source for the task force, whose officials are applying for
GERMANY: Factors Associated with Exposure to Hepatitis B Virus in Injection Drug Users: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Vol. 84; No. 2: P. 154-159 (09.15.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; Markus Backmund; Kirsten Meyer; Christian Schuetz; Jens Reimer; The current naturalistic study was undertaken to describe factors associated with exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV) in injection drug users (IDUs) who have undergone treatment; its aim was to better direct prevention and care in high-risk subgroups. In Munich, 1,018 patients who had ever shared needles and were admit
INDIA: Indian State Plans to Make HIV Test Mandatory Before Marriage: Deutsche Presse-Agentur (12.21.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; Legislators in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday discussed plans to make HIV testing mandatory for couples seeking to marry. The proposed bill was brought up after lawmakers underwent voluntary HIV tests as part of an awareness program, the Indian Express newspaper reported. Andhra Pradesh has th
CANADA: Falling Short; HIV North's Housing Program Having Trouble Finding Rental Space for At-Risk Individuals: Daily Herald (Grande Prairie, Alberta) (12.14.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; Stephen Thomson; Since the HIV North Society s housing program began Oct. 30, it has placed only two clients in rental housing units. HNS officials believe landlords reluctance to participate stems from their fear that the HIV-positive clients, who include current or former injection drug users and female sex workers, will use drugs or
CANADA: Mounties Attack Injection Safe Site: Harm Reduction Increases Drug Use, Internal Report Says: Ottawa Citizen (12.11.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; Peter O'Neil, Vancouver Sun; An internal, three-page report by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) alleges Vancouver s supervised drug injection site encourages drug use. The pilot Insite project was established to stem overdoses and HIV transmissions through needle-sharing among injection drug users. Vancouver Sun obtained the RCMP report th
UNITED STATES: Premarital Sex Common for Decades, Study Finds: USA Today (12.20.06) - Thursday, December 21, 2006; Sharon Jayson; Most Americans have had premarital sex, a new Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) report says. Ninety-five percent of Americans polled in 2002 reported they had had premarital sex. For those who were age 15 between 1954 and 1963, the median age of first premarital sex was 20.4 years. The median age was lower younger for th
LIBYA: US Voices Disappointment at Libyan AIDS Trial Death Sentences: Agence France Presse (12.19.06) - Wednesday, December 20, 2006; The Bush administration on Tuesday said it was disappointed in a Libyan court s death sentences for six medics convicted on intentionally infecting more than 400 hospitalized children with HIV. We re disappointed in the verdict, said White House spokesperson Tony Snow. The death sentence against five Bulgarian nurses a
LIBYA: UN Rights Office Urges Libya to Halt AIDS Trial Death Sentences: Agence France Presse (12.19.06) - Wednesday, December 20, 2006; On Tuesday, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour called on Libya not to execute six foreign medical workers condemned for allegedly transmitting HIV to children who were their patients at the Al-Fateh hospital. The circumstances surrounding the application of the death penalty in this c
UNITED STATES: Bush Signs 3 Health Care-Related Bills into Law: Associated Press (12.19.06) - Wednesday, December 20, 2006; Among other actions Tuesday, President Bush signed the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act. The version of the act in effect since 2000 distributed federal AIDS funds based on counts of patients who had progressed to AIDS. The new act also counts those with HIV, a formula that favors rural and Southern areas whe
NEW YORK: AIDS Facility Quietly Starts Expansion: Times Union (Albany) (12.07.06) - Wednesday, December 20, 2006; Kenneth C. Crowe II; Support Ministries for Persons with AIDS Ahana House is undergoing a $950,000 expansion, bringing to 37 the number of people the organization can assist. The transitional residence for homeless people with HIV/AIDS is located in a former convent. Ahana House is across the street from St. Mary s Church, St. Mary s Schoo
NEW MEXICO: Straight Talk at Barbershops: Albuquerque Journal (12.16.06) - Wednesday, December 20, 2006; Juan-Carlos Rodriguez; Since early this year, the state-funded South Valley Male Involvement Project (MIP) has helped educate males at barbershop sex seminars held in the West Side and in the valley. At Conrad Padilla s barber shop on Coors N.W., MIP Program Director Francisco Ronquillo recently presented a 45-minute sex education seminar on
NEW YORK: New Chief Executive of AIDS Organization Intends to Battle Stigma: Associated Press (12.17.06) - Wednesday, December 20, 2006; Marcus Franklin; Eradicating HIV-related stigma may be the biggest challenge Marjorie Hill faces as the new executive director of Gay Men s Health Crisis (GMHC), the New York-based AIDS service organization. While death rates from AIDS have plummeted due to effective therapies, stigma and discrimination still keep people from testing o
GLOBAL: Study Finds Risk of Getting HIV Not Raised by Birth Control Pills: Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (12.09.06) - Wednesday, December 20, 2006; Regina McEnery; Results from a large international study of more than 6,000 women from Africa and Asia show birth control pills and other types of hormonal contraception do not increase the risk of contracting HIV. More than 100 million women across the globe rely on varying forms of hormonal contraception to prevent pregnancy. Still,
INDIA: Prison Sex Study Author Calls for Conjugal Visits in India Jails: Agence France Presse (12.14.06) - Wednesday, December 20, 2006; Sachindra Sharma; The author of a study of prison sex in India is calling for authorities to allow conjugal visits to decrease unprotected sex among male inmates and lower the risk of HIV transmission. Although homosexuality is illegal in India, sex behind bars is an open secret, said study author Mridul Srivastava, who teaches crimin
GLOBAL: UN Urges Circumcision in AIDS-Hit Southern Africa: Reuters (12.19.06) - Wednesday, December 20, 2006; Kamil Zahee; On Tuesday, UNAIDS chief Dr. Peter Piot called for Southern African nations to adopt mass circumcision as a tool in the fight against AIDS. Recent studies have shown circumcision cuts the risk of HIV infection among men by 50-60 percent. One US-Ugandan trial found male circumcision also reduces infection in female part
NEW JERSEY: New NJ Law Means Some Groups Can Give Addicts Clean Needles: Associated Press (12.19.06) - Wednesday, December 20, 2006; Beth DeFalco; On Tuesday, Gov. Jon Corzine signed into law a measure allowing six New Jersey municipalities to pilot needle- exchange programs (NEPs), in which injecting drug users (IDUs) swap used syringes for sterile ones as a means of stemming blood-borne infections. It s been long overdue, Corzine said at the signing, which foll
INDIA: India Promotes Female Condoms to Check AIDS: Agence France Presse (12.19.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Outreach workers are hitting the streets in Kolkata s centuries-old red-light district to teach sex workers how to use the female condom. The condom for women can be a great help to sex workers, said Anjali Narayan, deputy-director of West Bengal s AIDS program. It will help them to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and
ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe Receives $65 Million from UN to Combat AIDS: Agence France Presse (12.14.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Zimbabwe will use a new $65 million grant from the UN to upgrade its fight against AIDS, TB, and malaria, according to Edwin Muguti, junior health minister. The UN grant comes two weeks after the health ministry signed a $40 million deal with Britain, Sweden ,
VIRGINIA: Possible Exposure to TB Leads to Testing at School: Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) (12.16.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; A group of students and teachers at Lakeland High School in Suffolk underwent TB testing on Friday. School officials were notified on Dec. 13 that some people at the school may have been exposed to a person with active TB. More information is available from the health department at 757-686-4900.
CALIFORNIA: Funding for AIDS Program Will Continue: Los Angeles Times (12.19.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Responding to concerns voiced by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and others, officials at the National Institutes of Health on Monday pledged their continued support of the clinical trials program at County-USC Medical Center through 2008. Most of the program s 3,000 clients per year are low-income, minority HIV/AIDS pat
FLORIDA: Frankly, Teens Have Much to Say About Sex: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (12.03.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Macollvie Jean-Francois; Are you willing to die for [sex]? That was the question facilitators posed to around 400 teenagers attending the 27th annual Adolescent Health and Sexuality Conference at Dillard High School on Dec. 2. Organizers said the goal of the conference was to encourage young people to be responsible when it comes to actions t
ILLINOIS: Forum Seeks Answers on Meth: Chicago Free Press (12.13.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Gary Barlow; The nexus of crystal methamphetamine use, risky sex, and HIV infection among gay men was apparent in a recent community forum presentation by a Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) official. About 10 percent of gay men in Chicago used meth in 2004, including 2 percent who used it weekly, said Nik Prachand of CDPH
UNITED KINGDOM: Factors that Shape Young People's Sexual Behaviour: A Systematic Review: The Lancet Vol. 368; No. 9547: P. 1581-1586 (11.04.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Cicely Marston, PhD; Eleanor King; In the current study, the authors examined why providing condoms and safer sex information to people ages 15-24, while important, may not be enough to change their behavior. Cultural and social influences revealed through qualitative analyses might help to explain that gap. This systematic review of 268 qualitative you
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Australia-Backed Papua New Guinea Inmates Take AIDS Message to Settlements: Australian Associated Press (12.07.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Lloyd Jones; As part of a $100 million Australian ($78 million US) program to combat AIDS in Papua New Guinea (PNG), inmates from the Bomana jail outside Port Moresby are being trained as peer HIV educators. After undergoing HIV/AIDS awareness training by Australia s law and justice sector program, low-security status inmates recen
EUROPE: European Outrage over Libyan Death Sentences: Agence France Presse (12.19.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; A Libyan court s verdict condemning six medical workers, five Bulgarians and a Palestinian, to death for allegedly infecting 426 hospitalized children with HIV was met with swift condemnation. European Union officials warned Tripoli against carrying out the executions, and EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini expres
LIBYA: Libya Condemns Six to Death in AIDS Trial: Agence France Presse (12.19.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Afaf Geblawi; A Libyan court today sentenced six foreign medics to die by firing squad or hanging for allegedly infecting 426 hospitalized children with HIV. The six, five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, had all pled not guilty. Some burst into tears upon hearing the verdict. The medics have been jailed in Libya since 199
SOUTH CAROLINA: Patients Wait for Help from Struggling Agency: The State (Columbia) (12.16.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Czerne Reid; The waiting list for South Carolina s AIDS Drug Assistance Program is the longest in the nation: 342 patients as of mid- December. Prospective ADAP clients have been added to the list since June, when administrators announced a $3 million shortfall. Case workers are helping patients access drugs through charitable prog
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: District's HIV Testing Found to Be Falling Short: Washington Post (12.16.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Susan Levine; In a new report, the D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice blames poor planning and wasted resources for the District s failure to reach its goal of testing 400,000 residents ages 14-84 for HIV. More than half the Administration for HIV Policy and Program s (AHPP) initial $1.3 million budget was spent on 80,000 ora
OHIO: Second Person Positive for TB at Reynoldsburg High: Columbus Dispatch (12.15.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Charlie Roduta; Columbus health officials have reviewed the TB test results of 119 Reynoldsburg High School students and staff and found one person who tested positive, according to Debbie Coleman, assistant health commissioner. Additional testing will determine whether the person has active TB. The testing was called for after a stud
NEW YORK: 12 at Grover Cleveland Test Positive for Tuberculosis: Buffalo News (12.16.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Mary B. Pasciak; Two months after a Grover Cleveland High School student was diagnosed with TB, 12 people there have tested positive for the disease. According to Dr. Anthony J. Billttier IV, none of the 12 shows signs of TB infection, and they may not have been exposed to the disease by the initial student. That patient, who was most
IOWA: TB Testing for Children Expanded in Cedar Rapids: Associated Press (12.15.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Letters recommending TB testing have now gone out to the parents of 350 children who attended a Cedar Rapids gymnastics school. The decision to expand testing was based on the results of the September TB screenings of 150 pupils at Twisters Gymnastics Cheer and Dance Studio. That initial screening turned up several peo
MICHIGAN: Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Associated Press (12.15.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; In the final hours before adjournment early Friday morning, the Michigan House rejected legislation that would have encouraged girls entering sixth grade to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV). The legislation, which had received overwhelming approval by the state Senate, first passed the house by a 58-45
LOUISIANA: Students Use Pep Rally for AIDS Awareness: Times-Picayune (12.10.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Adam Koob; Students at Helen Cox High School in Harvey recently commemorated World AIDS Day with a pep rally-style event to raise AIDS awareness. The school s Red Ribbon Club each year presents Safe Lifestyle Week, a time to promote healthy decision-making. This year the week coincided with World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, and the stude
CALIFORNIA: Feds Aim to Reduce AIDS Housing Subsidy: Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco) (12.14.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Matthew S. Bajko; Under a proposal published in the Federal Register on Dec. 6, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) would cap the cumulative lifetime use of Ryan White CARE funds for short-term and emergency housing at 24 months. The public can make comments about the proposal through Feb. 5. If enacted, the rule wou
UNITED STATES: Chlamydia Trachomatis and Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Infections Among Men and Women Entering California Prisons: American Journal of Public Health Vol. 96; No. 10: P. 1862- 1866 (10..06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Kyle T. Bernstein, ScM; Joan M. Chow, MPH, DrPH; Juan Ruiz, MD, DrPH; Julius Schachter, PhD; Evalyn Horowitz, MD; Rebecca Bunnell, ScD, Med; Gail Bolan, MD; The objective of the current study was to estimate the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection among newly arriving inmates at six prisons in California. In this cross-sectional study conducted in 1999, urine specimens from 698 men ages 18-25 and 572 women ages 18 or older were collected
INDIA: Drugs Sold over the Counter Fuel HIV in India: Reuters (12.11.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Injection drug users (IDUs) in India are easily circumventing prescription laws for pain medications and sedatives, resulting in an informal market that is raising HIV risks, UNAIDS reported recently. Though by law many painkillers and sedatives require a prescription, these are nevertheless sometimes sold o
LATIN AMERICA: Health Officials Urge International Community Not to Abandon AIDS Fight in Latin America: Associated Press (12.15.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Tracee Herbaugh; At a UNAIDS briefing on Thursday, health officials called for sustained efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Latin America. While the rate of new infections is leveling off in certain areas, the international community must continue to support prevention and treatment programs, regional officials said. We ask you not to
LIBYA: Benghazi Six' Await Their Fate in Libya AIDS Trial: Agence France Presse (12.17.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Afaf Geblawi; On Tuesday, a Libyan court is scheduled to deliver its verdict in the trial of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor charged with deliberately infecting over 400 children with HIV. Prosecutors are calling for the death penalty, though the defendants claims of innocence are supported by doctors and scientists w
GLOBAL: Drug Resistant TB Cases Higher than Once Estimated: Reuters (12.18.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Patricia Reaney; New research analyzing surveys in 79 countries revealed there are more multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) infections annually than indicated by the previous estimate nearly a decade ago. MDR-TB strains are resistant to at least two of the most widely used first-line TB drugs. There is increasing drug resistance
UNITED STATES: On the Job with HIV: Washington Post (12.10.06) - Monday, December 18, 2006; Amy Joyce; In the workplace, attitudes and approaches toward HIV/AIDS remain complex. Some managers are unaware of what, if any, accommodations are available to HIV-positive employees. Others may react poorly to learning of an employee s HIV status due to the stigma still attached to AIDS. [HIV-positive] people are living longer
GEORGIA: Atlanta Ends Ban on HIV-Positive Massage Therapists: Southern Voice (Atlanta) (12.08.2006) - Friday, December 15, 2006; Ryan Lee; On Dec. 4, the Atlanta City Council unanimously voted to amend a city regulation to allow people with HIV to be licensed as massage therapists. Prior to the amendment, massage therapist applicants had to submit a physician s note stating they were free of all communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS. Mayor Shirley Fra
SOUTH CAROLINA: S.C. to See More AIDS Funding: The State (Columbia) (12.12.2006) - Friday, December 15, 2006; Czerne M. Reid; The new funding headed to South Carolina under the reauthorized Ryan White CARE Act is particularly needed in the state, where the AIDS Drug Assistance Program is facing a $3 million shortfall and where 324 patients were waiting for drug assistance as of Nov. 29. The program s 2005 budget was $14.25 million; last year
ILLINOIS: Ex-Surgeon General Speaks About AIDS: Bradenton Herald (Florida) (12.11.2006) - Friday, December 15, 2006; Carolyn P. Smith (Belleville News-Democrat); Dr. Joycelyn Elders, who served as US surgeon general in the Clinton administration, was the keynote speaker on Sunday at the HIV/AIDS and Health Awareness Worship event at Trinity United Methodist Church in East St. Louis. Elders called on churches to play a bigger role in getting HIV prevention information to the bla
WASHINGTON: County Happy with Expanded STD Testing: Daily News (Longview) (12.08.2006) - Friday, December 15, 2006; Barbara LaBoe; Cowlitz County is facing near-record high numbers of chlamydia and gonorrhea cases this year, and Health Department officials have expanded opportunities for people to get STD testing. New Tuesday clinic sessions were announced late on Monday, Dec. 4, and the very next day four people presented for testing, said Jan Wh
INDIA: HIV Prevalence and Predictors Among Rescued Sex- Trafficked Women and Girls in Mumbai, India: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes Vol. 43; No. 5: P. 588-593, (12.15.2006) - Friday, December 15, 2006; Jay G. Silverman, PhD; Michele R. Decker, MPH; Jhumka Gupta, MPH; Ayonija Maheshwari, MD, MPH; Vipul Patel; Anita Raj, PhD; Although India s HIV epidemic has spread rapidly among female sex workers, and large numbers of women and girls are trafficked for sex each year, few HIV studies of this population have been conducted. In the current study, the authors examined the prevalence and predictors of HIV infection in sex-trafficked women and
CENTRAL AMERICA: Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek Use Their Fame to Focus Attention on HIV/AIDS in Latin America: Lexington Herald Leader (Kentucky) (12.01.2006) - Friday, December 15, 2006; Otis Hart; Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek toured Central America recently to preach HIV/AIDS awareness and promote the one-hour documentary, Confronting the Pandemic, that aired on the Learning Channel on World AIDS Day. The program deals with HIV/AIDS prevention in Central America. Judd is goodwill ambassador for YouthAIDS, a nonpr
PAKISTAN: Afghan Drugs a Worry as Pakistanis Confront AIDS: Reuters (12.05.2006) - Friday, December 15, 2006; While Pakistani health officials face a low-prevalence HIV/AIDS epidemic, they worry that high-risk intravenous drug use (IDU) could be fueled by Afghanistan s bumper crop of opium, the raw material of heroin. We are committed for a strong program to combat HIV/AIDS, especially among [IDU], Mohammed Naseer Khan, Pakist
SOUTH AFRICA: South African Lifespans Cut Short by AIDS: Agence France Presse, (12.11.2006) - Friday, December 15, 2006; Fran Blandy; South Africa s average life expectancy has declined by 13 years since 1990, from 64 years to 51 years, due to HIV/AIDS, according to a new survey by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Actuarial Society of South Africa. Estimated life expectancy is now 49 years for males and 53 years for females. Most disturbing
UNITED STATES: New AIDS Funds May Help Bring Transportation to Rural Patients: Associated Press, (12.12.2006) - Friday, December 15, 2006; Desiree Hunter; AIDS advocates in the South hailed the Congressional reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, saying they hope it will, among other enhancements, improve programs to transport patients to often-distant medical appointments. The revised act, which includes $70 million in new money for fiscal year 2007, will direct mo
UNITED STATES: AIDS Group Asks Viagra Maker to Halt Ad Campaign: Los Angeles Times, (12.14.2006) - Friday, December 15, 2006; Rong-Gong Lin II; The Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation is running advertisements criticizing Viagra s maker, Pfizer , for direct- to-consumer ads that AHF claims promote recreational use of the erectile dysfunction drug. AHF is particularly concerned about Viagra s use by gay men who also use methamphetamine, an illegal drug
AUSTRALIA: Young People Want Sex Education to Go Beyond Basics: Study: Australian Associated Press (12.10.06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; Young people in New South Wales say they want sex education programs to give them guidance in handling the complexities of emotional relationships in addition to knowledge about the mechanics of sex, according to a recent study by the University of Western Sydney and the NSW Rape Crisis Center. Three of 10 females and
CHINA: Hong Kong HIV Cases Rise Sharply as a Result of Unprotected Sex: Deutsche Presse-Agentur (12.01.06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; According to health department data released on World AIDS Day, Hong Kong recorded 275 new HIV infections through September 30. In the whole of 2005, we only recorded 313 infections, so we expect 360 to 380 infections by year s end, said Raymond Ho, a senior medical health officer with the department.
AFRICA: Africa Lacks Skills, Money to Fight AIDS-Related Cancer: Expert: Agence France Presse (12.11.06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; On Monday on the sidelines of a cancer conference in Cape Town, an expert said AIDS-related cancers are on the rise in Africa. There is such a huge amount of HIV in Africa. that HIV-associated cancers have also increased in prevalence, said Ian Magrath of the International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research. The
HAITI: In Haiti, Number of Children Orphaned by AIDS Grows: Associated Press (12.11.06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; Tim Collie; More than 400,000 people in Haiti have died of AIDS since the epidemic s onset, and an estimated 250,000 children have lost one or both parents to the disease. This year, for the first time, anyone with HIV/AIDS in Haiti can access, in theory, effective drug therapy - though geographic and cultural barriers to treatmen
WYOMING: 'Open Up and Talk About It': Casper Star-Tribune (12.10.06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; Allison Rupp; The Dental Services program at the Community Health Center of Central Wyoming began offering HIV testing in April 2005. It has since become a model for other dental practices across the country that would like to do the same. You give a whole different avenue to access, said Casper- based hygienist Stacy Smith, who, al
NEW YORK: Housing Works Plans New Resource Center for AIDS/HIV Positive Women: Fort Greene Courier (12.08.06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; Mattlee Davis; On Nov. 30, Housing Works broke ground for its new Brooklyn center, By and For Women, which will offer by spring of next year day treatment services, primary care, and dental services for women with HIV/AIDS. The creation of the center, located at 57 Willoughby St., reflects the epidemic s inroad among women. In 2005,
RUSSIA: Drug Injecting and Syringe Use in the HIV Risk Environment of Russian Penitentiary Institutions: Qualitative Study: Addiction Vol. 101; No. 12: P. 1787 (12..06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; Anya Sarang; Tim Rhodes; Lucy Platt; Valentina Kirzhanova; Olga Shelkovnikova; Venyamin Volnov; Dmitri Blagovo; Andrei Rylkov; Noting that prison is a high risk environment in relation to [HIV] and hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission associated with injecting drug use, the authors undertook qualitative studies among 209 injecting drug users (IDUs) in Moscow (56 subjects), Volograd (83), and Barnaul (70). Among participants, 77 percent reporte
INDIA: India HIV Cases May Be Lower than Estimates: Study: Reuters (12.13.06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; Scientists studying HIV prevalence in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, found the number of infections were lower than earlier government estimates in which the state ranked highest nationwide. However, UN officials warned against hastily conflating that study s findings with broader, national surveillance estimates. Administrat
GLOBAL: WHO and UNAIDS Set Controversial Course for HIV Testing: Lancet Infectious Diseases Vol. 6; No. 12: P. 760 (12..06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; Emily Bass; The World Health Organization and UNAIDS are drafting HIV testing recommendations, set for release early 2007, that will endorse provider-initiated testing and counseling (PITC). The recommendation aims to reach the nine in 10 HIV-infected people worldwide who are undiagnosed and thus miss out on treatment services whe
CALIFORNIA: Bill Backs Cancer Shot for Girls: Sacramento Bee (12.08.06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; Jim Sanders; In California, an Assembly bill would require girls entering the sixth grade to receive Gardasil, a three-series vaccination against four types of sexually transmitted human papillomavirus that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer and 90 percent of genital warts. Assembly Bill 16, sponsored by Sally Lieber (D-Moun
NEW JERSEY: State Rejects Abstinence Funding: Press of Atlantic City (12.08.06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; Richard Degener; Gov. Jon S. Corzine s administration has turned down $945,000 in federal abstinence money for next year, saying some of the newly enforced guidelines tied to the funds go against New Jersey s core curriculum standards. The move will leave groups like Peer Challenge scrambling for new funding sources. The abstinence edu
GLOBAL: HIV Risk Halved by Circumcision, US Agency Finds: New York Times (12.14.06) - Thursday, December 14, 2006; Donald G. McNeil Jr.; On Wednesday, National Institutes of Health officials said evidence from two large trials in Africa indicates that circumcision reduces a man s risk of contracting HIV from heterosexual sex by half. So strong was the evidence of circumcision s protective effect that NIH s Data Safety and Monitoring Board halted the tri
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 466 HIV Patients Being Treated, Reveals Ministry: Gulf News (Dubai) (12.08.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; Nina Muslim; Mohammed Al Khan; On Friday, the United Arab Emirates Health Ministry announced there are 466 HIV patients receiving treatment, data the country previously kept confidential. Since the early 1980s, UAE has registered 657 HIV cases. All cases are UAE citizens, as non-nationals with HIV are deported, Health Minister Humaid Al Qutami told
CHINA: Chinese AIDS Patients Win Landmark Compensation Claim: Agence France Presse (12.05.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; The state-owned China Daily newspaper reported recently that a group of 15 patients who received HIV through hospital transfusions in 2004 will each receive a one-time compensation of 200,000 yuan ($25,562 US), and a monthly sum of 3,000 yuan ($383 US). The hospital, located in the northeastern Heilongjiang province, w
CHINA: China, US Holding Talks on Health Care, Infectious Diseases, and Regulatory Cooperation: Associated Press (12.13.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; Audra Ang; Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt is part of a US Cabinet delegation, led by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, in Beijing this week for talks on a variety of issues including health care. Leavitt attended the opening of a collaborative office between the US and Chinese centers for disease control and pre
FLORIDA: Video Aims to Save Lives by Enlightening Residents: Palm Beach Post (12.02.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; Jim Reeder; The Executive Roundtable, a group of St. Lucie County policy makers, has released an AIDS education and prevention video. The film includes people who discuss their reactions to learning they are HIV-positive, pastors who talk about counseling patients, and local officials who focus on the epidemic s impact in the coun
UNITED STATES: Characteristics of Recently HIV-Infected Men Who Use the Internet to Find Male Sex Partners and Sexual Practices with Those Partners: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes Vol. 43; No. 5; P. 582-587 (12.15.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; Davey M. Smith, MD, MAS; Lydia N. Drumright, PhD, MPH; Simon D.W. Frost, DPhil; W. Susan Cheng, MPH; Stephen Espitia, MS; Eric S. Daar, MD; Susan J. Little, MD; Pamina M. Gorbach, MHS, DrPH; In the current study, investigators examined the characteristics and sexual behaviors of recently HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) who find partners through the Internet compared with other MSM who do not. A computer-assisted self-interview was administered to 194 recently infected MSM in Southern Californi
IRAN: For Iran's Isolated HIV Patients, Outreach and Treatment: Washington Post (12.02.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; Nora Boustany; Fourteen Iranian doctors visited Washington recently to participate in discussions hosted by the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit international organization that supports dialogue on contemporary issues. The Iranians and their American counterparts discussed health systems and their challenges. The visit was the first such
SOUTH AFRICA: Focus on Mental Health: Business Day (Johannesburg) (12.01.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; Erica Webster; Mental health issues can affect not only HIV/AIDS patients but also their families and caregivers, according to Zane Wilson, director of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG). People who have both serious mental disorders and HIV infection need additional support, especially when they are taking antire
SOUTHERN AFRICA: AIDS-Hit Southern Africa Mulls New Combat Strategies: Agence France Presse (12.12.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; Felix Mponda; At a three-day meeting that began Tuesday in Blantyre, Malawi , representatives from Southern Africa are working to come up with effective HIV prevention approaches. The region is the epicenter of the global pandemic - accounting for a third of all HIV infections worldwide and 34 percent of AIDS deaths in 2006. Ste
GLOBAL: Call for Worldwide Use of Cervical Cancer Vaccines: Reuters (12.12.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; Ben Hirschler; At a Tuesday meeting in London, international health experts called for global access to vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV), the cause of most cervical cancer. Price will be a key factor in how quickly women in the developing world, where 80 percent of cervical cancer deaths occur, will be able to access HPV v
UNITED STATES: Uniting Against AIDS: Newsday (New York) (11.28.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; Curtis L. Taylor; In the book Not in My Family: AIDS in the African-American Community (Agate Publishing), black Americans are speaking out about the epidemic s impact. Many of us are sick, dying, living in fear and shame, and many of us who aren t afflicted are living in denial, according to Gil I. Robertson IV, the book s editor. Robe
MARYLAND: Passage of Federal Act Preserves AIDS Funds: Baltimore Sun (12.12.06) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006; Jonathan Bor; Officials from Maryland and the Baltimore region said the Ryan White CARE Act passed by Congress Saturday will shave less money off the overall total than they had feared. The bill, which President Bush has promised to sign, will likely reduce the $20 million Baltimore and five surrounding counties received this year b
NORTH CAROLINA: Get HIV Test Now, Ads Urge: News & Observer (Raleigh) (12.01.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Jean P. Fisher; North Carolina has launched a new campaign to encourage HIV testing, titled, Get Real. Get Tested. The campaign - a joint effort of the state Division of Public Health, Duke Medicine, University of North Carolina Health Care and Fox 50 - will use radio and television advertisements to urge residents to learn their HIV
ZIMBABWE: Mugabe to Be Life President as Country Starves: The Australian (Sydney) (12.11.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Christina Lamb; Zimbabwe s ruling party congress this week may appoint Robert Mugabe, 82, president for life. If the proposal is raised, as I am sure it will be, why not? said Didymas Mutasa, national security minister and secretary for administration in the Zanu-PF Party. Zimbabwe has the world s highest rate of inflation (more than
UGANDA: Married Couples Top HIV Infection Rates in Uganda: Study: Xinhua News Agency (12.04.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; A study carried out between 1996 and 2005 found that 42 percent of the 130,000 new HIV infections in Uganda occurred within wedlock. Apuuli Kihumuro, director-general of the Uganda AIDS Commission, attributed the high infection rate to unawareness of HIV status, engaging in sex with multiple partners, and reluctance to
UKRAINE: President: Ukraine Still Has One of Fastest-Growing AIDS Epidemics in Europe: Associated Press (12.01.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; In a World AIDS Day address, President Viktor Yushchenko said HIV continues to spread faster in Ukraine than in other European nations, and he called for new measures to tackle the escalating problem. The country has 100,000 reported cases, one-tenth of them children. Each day in Ukraine, 40 people are diagnosed with H
RUSSIA: Report: Chief Epidemiologist Says Official Number of HIV Cases in Russia at 362,000: Associated Press (11.30.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; The Russian news agency RIA-Novosti recently reported the country s chief epidemiologist said the number of officially registered HIV patients is now 362,000. Among them are 2,300 children, and half of these cases resulted from mother-to- child transmission - a problem that remains acute, said Gennady Onishcheno, head
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: HIV Epidemic Ravages Papua New Guinea: Agence France Presse (11.30.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; HIV diagnoses have risen by about 30 percent a year since 1997 in Papua New Guinea , and an estimated 60,000 people in the nation of 5.9 million are now infected, according to a UNAIDS report. The study estimated that 1.8 percent of PNG adults are HIV-positive, but it acknowledged that the true infection rate may be as
INDIA: Indian President Backs Law Against AIDS Discrimination: Deutsche Presse-Agentur (12.01.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has asked India s lawmakers to commit to passing, within six months, legislation to outlaw discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients. According to a recent study, one-quarter of HIV patients had been denied medical attention because of their serostatus. It is for the members of parliament to
CHINA: China to Promote Condom Use Among Gays: Agence France Presse (12.01.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; According to state media, China next year will roll out a five-year initiative to promote condom use by gay men, only one in five of whom reports regularly using condoms. The Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Center hopes to raise that rate to 70 percent, China Daily said. Wu Zunyou, director of the center s AIDS
FLORIDA: Broward Health Officials Want County, Cities to Chip In to Fight HIV/AIDS: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (12.06.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Bob Lamendola; Broward County s Health Department recently unveiled a 66-page report that says new HIV infections are growing again among gay and bisexual men and remain high among African Americans. From 1999 to 2004, new infections among gay or bisexual men jumped 94 percent, due largely to the combination of unsafe sex and party d
RUSSIA: Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Strategies to Expand Antiretroviral Therapy in St. Petersburg, Russia: AIDS Vol. 20; No. 17: P. 2207-2215 (11.14.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Elisa F. Long; Margaret L. Brandeau; Cristina M. Galvin; Tatyana Vinichenko; Swati P. Tole; Adam Schwartz; Gillian D. Sanders; Douglas K. Owens; The authors of the current study sought to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of using highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to treat HIV-infected injection drug users (IDUs) and non-IDUs in Russia . After developing a dynamic HIV epidemic model for a population of IDUs and non-IDUs in St. Petersbur
SOUTH AFRICA: Want Great Sex? Wait, Says South African Chastity Campaign: Reuters (11.30.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Rebecca Harrison; South Africans have recently launched their own version of the Silver Ring Thing, a Christian-themed abstinence campaign that has made headlines in the United States and Britain. At rallies, the South African Silver Ring Thing team entertains the crowd with slick video clips and skits about the dangers of STDs and the
GLOBAL: Condoms Can Be Fun, Too: ABC News (12.01.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Dan Childs; Campaigns promoting condoms should emphasize how they can raise the fun factor of sex, according to a recent Viewpoint piece in The Lancet. Since pursuit of pleasure is one of the main reasons people have sex, this factor must be addressed when motivating people to use condoms and participate in safer sexual behavior,
GEORGIA: Specialty Tag to Benefit AIDS Organization: Southern Voice (Atlanta) (12.01.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Eric Ervin; On Nov. 7, according to the office of Georgia s secretary of state, 67.4 percent of voters approved amending the state s constitution to allow state funds from the sale of specialty license tags to go directly to the organizations they endorse. License tags bearing the name of AIDS Survival Project, a statewide nonprof
SOUTH CAROLINA: Death of AIDS Patient Stirs Group to Hold Rally: The State (Columbia) (12.12.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Czerne M. Reid; Ahead of a meeting of the State Budget and Control Board and following the death of a fourth patient awaiting help, activists will rally today for $3 million in emergency funds to end the waiting list for South Carolina s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). As people living with this virus. we have a personal interest
NEW JERSEY: New Jersey Lawmakers Approve Needle Exchanges for Drug Users: Associated Press (12.12.06) - Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Beth DeFalco; New Jersey s Legislature voted yesterday to allow six municipalities to pilot needle exchange programs (NEPs) in order to examine their effect on preventing the transmission of blood-borne diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis C, among intravenous drug users (IDUs). The bill passed 49-27 in the Assembly and 23-16 in the
MALAYSIA: Malaysia Aims to Cut HIV Infection Rate by 20 Percent in Next Year: Agence France Presse (12.05.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Warning that AIDS could reverse a half-century of development gains, Malaysian Health Minister Cua Soi Lek recently announced a goal of reducing the nation s HIV infection rate by 20 percent by the end of 2007 or early 2008. Measures to be employed in the prevention program include needle exchange, methadone therapy, f
ZAMBIA: AIDS Threatens Half of Zambian Youths: Red Cross: Agence France Presse (12.05.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Zambia s Red Cross Society has launched a $50 million appeal to fight HIV with a warning that nearly half the nation s young people face a lifetime risk of dying of AIDS. UNAIDS says 1.1 million of the country s 11 people are HIV-positive. Charles Mushitu, general-secretary of Zambia s RCS, said the $50 million would b
CANADA: New Law Speeds Blood Tests for Emergency Workers: The Record (Kitchener) (12.08.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Canadian Press; On Thursday, Ontario s Legislature passed a bill that would make it easier to force a person who bites or spits at emergency responders to undergo blood tests. The bill is designed to help such workers learn if they might have been infected with a blood-borne virus. The bill awaits royal assent before becoming law.
WISCONSIN: No AIDS Babies Born in State: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (12.01.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Wisconsin s Department of Health and Family Services has documented no HIV infections among newborns this year. Two infants were infected last year by mothers who were unaware they were HIV-positive. Between 1990 and 1994, Wisconsin recorded 30 newborn HIV cases.
FLORIDA: Agency Pairs Heterosexuals with HIV: Miami Herald (12.02.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Daniel Shoer-Roth; The Center for Positive Connections in Miami Shores offers social events and Internet listings to HIV-positive heterosexuals. The agency currently has 350 clients. Revealing HIV status is a challenge for anyone seeking a soulmate but is even more difficult for heterosexuals with the virus, said Evelyn Fisboin, a mental
UNITED STATES: Arrest History as an Indicator of Adolescent/Young Adult Substance Use and HIV Risk: Drug and Alcohol Dependence doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.09.017 (11.07.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Marina Tolou-Shams; Larry K. Brown; Glenn Gordon; Isabel Fernandez; Project SHIELD Study Group; Due to their substantially high rates of risk behaviors, high rates of substance use disorders and psychopathology, young offenders are particularly at risk for HIV, the authors wrote. They noted that while numerous studies have assessed the risk behaviors of youth in correctional settings, the current study sought to
GLOBAL: Heifer Works to Bring Food to Those with HIV and AIDS: Associated Press (12.01.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Jon Gambrell; The scale-up of HIV drugs to patients in developing countries must be accompanied by proper nutrition in order for the medicines to work most effectively, the charity Heifer International said ahead of World AIDS. People need milk, they need meat. Especially if they are on antiretroviral drugs, said Meghan MacKrell, HI
IVORY COAST: Abstinence Anchors HIV/AIDS School Curriculum: Inter Press Service (11.28.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Fulgence Zamble; A new curriculum adopted for the 2006-07 school year will promote abstinence for youth and condom use for adults in Ivory Coast . The nation s HIV prevalence rate is 4.7 percent, according to 2006 figures, down from 7 percent in 1991. The infection rate among students is 4 percent. In the past, we contented oursel
INDIA: Cheap AIDS Drug Pioneer India Faces Many Hurdles on Own Turf: Agence France Presse (11.30.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Tripti Lahiri; India , while a pioneer in producing generic antiretrovirals (ARVs), is not providing low-cost treatment to many of its own 5.7 million HIV/AIDS patients, some activists and experts say. According to UNAIDS , only 55,000 Indians are receiving antiretroviral treatment, 7 percent of those who need the drugs.
AUSTRALIA: Australians Becoming Complacent Towards AIDS: Expert: Australian Associated Press (11.30.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Nick Ralston; Australians are becoming complacent about HIV, according to Dr. Roger Garsia, chairperson of the New South Wales Ministerial Advisory Committee on HIV and Sexually Transmissible Infections. Australia logged 950 new cases in 2005, up slightly from 2004, for a per capita prevalence rate comparable to that of the
UNITED STATES: Congress Sends AIDS Care Bill to President: Associated Press (12.09.06) - Monday, December 11, 2006; Erica Werner; On Saturday, Congress sent to President Bush a three-year reauthorization of the $2.1 billion annual Ryan White CARE Act, the nation s largest program for HIV/AIDS patient treatment and services. In a statement Saturday, the president expressed his support for the bill, the first revision of the act since 2000. The bil
CALIFORNIA: Desert AIDS Group Settles on Key Hire: Desert Sun (Palm Springs) (12.03.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Stefanie Frith; At the Desert AIDS Project in Palm Springs, Arturo J. Hernandez has been named Director of Education, Prevention and Testing. He will direct a staff of six educators and outreach workers who present prevention programs at various community sites. Hernandez comes to DAP from the Latino group Bienestar, where he was Dire
OHIO: Columbus AIDS Task Force Seeking New Leader: Columbus Dispatch (12.01.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Sherri Williams; Following the Oct. 27 resignation of Executive Director Aaron Riley, the Columbus AIDS Task Force is seeking a new leader. Riley started with the organization as director of client services in September 2000 and was the first African American to head it since its founding in 1984. Five of the agency s approximately 40
INDIA: Health Authorities Rope In Islamic Clerics in Battle Against HIV/AIDS in India's Kashmir: Associated Press (12.01.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Aijaz Hussain; In India s deeply conservative Jammu-Kashmir state, the local AIDS prevention agency has recruited hundreds of Islamic clerks to boost awareness. Whenever I deliver a sermon, I talk about AIDS, said top Muslim cleric Mufti Nazir Ahmed. Methods to prevent AIDS correspond exactly with the teachings of Islam, he said, not
UNITED KINGDOM: HIV Pushing Sufferers in Britain into Poverty: Reuters (11.30.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Patricia Reaney; According to a report by the National AIDS Trust and the AIDS charity Crusaid, one-third of British people diagnosed with HIV have sought poverty-relief assistance. HIV often drives people into poverty, and poverty makes the condition more difficult to manage, said Yusef Azad of NAT. The report calls on government and
AFRICA: European Firms Pledge to Step Up Fight Against AIDS: Agence France Presse (12.01.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; On World AIDS Day, about 20 major European firms active in the developing world promised to do more to fight the epidemic, especially in Africa. Companies that have signed on include the cosmetics firm L Oreal, oil company Total, the Accor hotel and catering chain, and the brewer Heineken. More companies are expected t
GLOBAL: WHO Calls for More Access to Vaccines in Developing Nations: Agence France Presse (12.06.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; On Wednesday, the World Health Organization said access to vaccines for diseases like yellow fever, influenza and hepatitis B must be improved in developing countries. There can be a 20-year delay between the introduction of some vaccines in the United States and Europe and in the developing world, said Marie-Paul
CALIFORNIA: Tenderloin Health Receives Funding for HIV Dental Care: Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco) (11.30.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Heather Cassell; The US Department of Health and Human Services awarded a $2 million, five-year demonstration grant to Tenderloin Health (TH) to provide critical dental care for HIV/AIDS patients. TH s partner agency is the Tom Waddell Health Center, which offers a dental clinic a few hours each week. TWHC works with the Native America
CALIFORNIA: Inquiry Begins on Hart Program: Daily News of Los Angeles (12.06.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Connie Llanos; In Santa Clarita, William S. Hart Union High School District officials said Tuesday they were investigating their sex education curriculum to see whether it violates state law, as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently warned. Under California law, public schools cannot invite speakers from faith-based grou
MICHIGAN: Detroiters in Rush to Catch Up on AIDS Fight: Detroit Free Press (12.01.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Patricia Anstett; In predominantly black metropolitan areas such as Washington and Detroit, HIV/AIDS impact is high. Our real issue is that it s spreading at an alarming rate in the black community while other communities have been successful in abating it, said the Rev. Horace Sheffield, a Detroit activist who recently launched a local
KENYA: Study Says Dual Infection with Malaria and HIV Fuels Epidemics' Spread in Africa: Associated Press (12.07.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Lauran Neergaard; In a vicious cycle, malaria is both fueling and being fueled by Africa s AIDS epidemic - highlighting the need to combat both epidemics simultaneously, according to new research. Scientists have suspected the epidemics interplay, and University of Washington researchers studied a mathematical model to figure out how mu
SENEGAL: Clandestine Sex Workers Linked to Rising HIV/AIDS Rates: Agence France Presse (12.01.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Makiko Kitamura; Senegal has one of Africa s lowest HIV/AIDS infection rates - less than 1 percent - but vulnerable groups such as sex workers and gay men have higher HIV prevalence. Currently, HIV infection among legal sex workers in Dakar has risen to 21 percent, compared to 1 percent 20 years ago, according to Enda Third World, an
TEXAS: Herpes Study Authors Deny Claims that Subjects Were at Risk: Dallas Morning News (12.02.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Paul Meyer; The public interest advocacy group Public Citizen recently criticized as unnecessarily risky a Dallas-based, placebo- controlled study of a drug therapy to prevent genital herpes outbreaks in women during childbirth. The GlaxoSmithKline-funded study enrolled 170 pregnant women who were given Valtrex (valacyclovir) and
MASSACHUSETTS: Cases of HIV on Rise Among Immigrants: Boston Herald (12.03.06) - Wednesday, December 08, 2006; Laura Crimaldi; The proportion of HIV cases among the foreign-born in Massachusetts has grown from 18 percent of HIV diagnoses in 1999 to 26 percent in 2004, according to the state Department of Public Health (DPH). These figures represent all categories of immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers. From 2002 to 2004, 785 fore
CHINA: HIV/AIDS Cases Up by More than 70 Percent in Shanghai: Agence France Presse, (11.29.2006) - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; China s Xinhua News Agency has reported that HIV/AIDS infections in Shanghai were up by 74 percent from 2005 to 2006. The city recorded 356 cases for all of 2005 but has already documented 621 cases this year through the end of November. Eighty percent of cases are males, and most are ages 25 to 44.
SINGAPORE: Singapore Detects Record Number of AIDS Cases: Agence France Presse, (11.27.2006) - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; According to Ministry of Health statistics, a record 317 Singapore residents were found to have HIV/AIDS last year, surpassing the previous record number of infections: 311 in 2004. The ministry said 90 percent of cases are males, and most transmissions occurred heterosexually through casual sex and sex with prostitute
INDIA: For India Truckers, AIDS is a 'White Man-Only' Disease: Agence France Presse, (11.30.2006) - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; A recently released survey commissioned by the Uttar Pradesh transport and health ministries found that a high number of truckers - who are 10 times likelier to be HIV-infected than India s general population - have heard about HIV/AIDS, but most do not consider themselves at risk. The truck drivers feel AIDS is a fore
ARIZONA: HPV Vaccine Catching On at U. Arizona Clinic: University Wire, (12.01.2006) Daily Wildcat; University of Arizona - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; University of Arizona Campus Health officials say they have administered 150 Gardasil human papillomavirus vaccinations since they began offering it in September. The three-series vaccine remains effective for at least five years against high-risk HPV strains that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and 90 percen
UNITED STATES: Congress Struggles to Break Final Logjam by the Weekend: Associated Press, (12.07.2006) Jim Abrams - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; Among a range of matters acted upon by the 109th US Congress as it moves toward adjournment, the Senate on Wednesday approved a measure to renew the $2.1 billion annual Ryan White CARE Act for AIDS prevention and treatment. The bill still needs approval by the House of Representatives.
GEORGIA: Stigma of Disease Persists; Residents of Macon's Rainbow Center Recount Slights: Macon Telegraph, (12.01.2006) Joe Kovac Jr. - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; The way some people treat HIV/AIDS patients is akin to racism, according to Johnny Fambro, director of Macon, Georgia s Rainbow Center and the Central City AIDS Network, which provides housing assistance to some 400 HIV/AIDS patients in 23 counties. He said despite extensive efforts to educate the public, the disease i
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The Condoms? Please, Take One: Washington Post, (12.01.2006) Susan Levine - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; Over the next two months, six local community groups are coming together in the Life Guard Project, a grassroots dissemination of 30,000 condoms and HIV prevention information kits in some of the worst-hit District neighborhoods. The idea is to get the word out: Here s a packet that can save your life, said Franck DeRo
UGANDA: Internet Use Among Ugandan Adolescents: Implications for HIV Intervention: Public Library of Science Medicine Vol. 3; No. 11: P. e433, (11..2006) - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; Michele L. Ybarra; Julius Kiwanuka; Nneka Emanyonu; David R. Bangsberg; The Internet is quickly becoming a low-cost, powerful method of delivering health intervention programs to sizeable numbers of people, especially youths, over diverse geographic regions, the authors of the current study noted. However, the feasibility and accessibility of such methods for resource- limited settings, wh
INDIA: As India Tops with World's Largest Number of HIV Cases, New Strategy Targets Drug Users: Associated Press, (11.29.2006) Nirmala George - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; In India , where most anti-HIV efforts have focused on promoting safe sex among high-risk groups such as sex workers, truckers and migrant laborers, health authorities are shifting direction to curb HIV s spread. India has 5.7 million HIV/AIDS cases, the largest number in the world. Our priority for the new phase
KENYA: Stigma Remains Greatest Hurdle in Kenya's Fight Against AIDS: Agence France Presse, (12.01.2006) Karen Calabria - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; According to National AIDS Control Council statistics, 1.3 million of Kenya s 35 million people have HIV/AIDS. Sixty-five percent of the 1.3 million are women ages 19 to 45. Since 1984, according to health ministry estimates, at least 1.5 million Kenyans have died from HIV/AIDS. Awareness campaigns have reduced Kenya s
LIBYA: Libyan HIV Trial Twist: Newsday, (12.07.2006) Bryn Nelson - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; A new genetic study supports the innocence of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor charged with deliberately infecting over 400 hospitalized children with HIV in Benghazi, Libya . The six were convicted and sentenced to death in an earlier trial; that verdict was overturned last year by the Libyan Supreme Cou
COLORADO: Colorado Blacks, Hispanics Face Growing AIDS Risk: Rocky Mountain News (Denver), (12.02.2006) Bill Scanlon - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; At the request of the Rocky Mountain News, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment categorized HIV/AIDS exposure by ethnic group and gender. The resulting analysis showed women are the fastest-growing risk group in Colorado, with black women 31 times more likely than white women to acquire HIV. Among m
SOUTH CAROLINA: Combating HIV; Report Says Limited Testing in SC Delaying Diagnoses: The State (Columbia), (12.01.2006) Czerne M. Reid - Wednesday, December 07, 2006; A study published on World AIDS Day in CDC s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that of more than 1,700 late testers diagnosed with HIV in South Carolina between 2001 and 2005, nearly three-quarters had visited a health care facility multiple times in the preceding years. The study, led by Dr. Wayne Duffus of
ILLINOIS: Pitching In to Fight AIDS Pandemic: Chicago Tribune (12.06.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Nancy Munson; Over the weekend, some 325 people at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville worked to assemble kits of items to be sent to AIDS caregivers around the world. The response to help with the kits was way beyond any of our expectations, said the Rev. Greg Wenhold, the church s pastor. Included in the kits are disposabl
CALIFORNIA: TB Tests Planned at Center High: Sacramento Bee (12.05.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; On Friday, the parents of 270 students at Center High School, Antelope, were notified that their children need TB testing after being in contact with a student with an active case of the disease. A school nurse at the 1,600-student school was notified of the student s diagnosis on Thursday and consulted county health d
ZIMBABWE: One in Four Zimbabwe Children Are AIDS Orphans: UNICEF: Reuters (12.05.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Almost one in four children in Zimbabwe , 1.6 million, are now orphaned, having lost at least one parent, and this number is growing, UNICEF representative Festo Kavishe said Tuesday. HIV and AIDS have dramatically increased children s vulnerability in recent years to the point where Zimbabwe now has the highest perce
THAILAND: Military Concerned at HIV/AIDS: The Nation (Bangkok) (12.05.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Of the 29,540 conscripts and 4,299 volunteers who joined the Thai army since May 2004, 4,152 are HIV-positive, according to the Royal Thai Army Medical Department and the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Science. In good news, however, the study found that an increasing number of those having their first sexu
PHILIPPINES: Philippines OKs Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Associated Press (11.29.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; The Philippines Bureau of Food and Drugs has given its approval to Gardasil, Merck & Co. s human papillomavirus vaccine. The three-injection immunization protects against the types of HPV that cause most cases of cervical cancer and genital warts. According to the Philippine Cancer Society, the nation recorded 7,27
VIETNAM: Vietnam Cheers Clinton on HIV/AIDS Tour: Agence France Presse (12.06.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Bill Clinton, the first US president to visit Vietnam , was today warmly greeted by crowds as he returned to Hanoi. I am glad to be back in Vietnam and to see that so much progress has been made since my wonderful visit here in 2000, said Clinton, who signed an agreement between his foundation s HIV/AIDS initiative and
NEW YORK: Teen Girls Skip Tests for Sexual Diseases: New York Post (11.27.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Carl Campanile; A state health report obtained by the New York Post showed only 41 percent of city females ages 16 to 20 received annual chlamydia screening through their commercial managed-care insurance last year. Only 45 percent of women ages 21 to 25 were tested, the survey found. Among poor women, only 42 percent of teens and 47
UNITED STATES: School-Based Screening for Chlamydia Trachomatis and Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Among Philadelphia Public High School Students: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Vol. 33; No. 10: P. 614-620 (10..06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Lenore E. Asbel, MD; E. Claire Newbern, PhD, MPH; Melinda Salmon; C. Victor Spain, DVM, PhD; Martin Goldberg; The current study aimed to identify, treat, and describe the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) infections among Philadelphia public high school students. The authors analyzed cross-sectional data from the first year of an annual program offering education, screening, and treatment
BRAZIL: AIDS Growing More Quickly Among Adults in Brazil, Defying Global Trend: Associated Press (12.02.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Elizabeth Dwoskin; On World AIDS Day, Brazil s health ministry announced the results of a study showing that HIV/AIDS is rising fastest among older Brazilians and declining among the young. The ministry said the number of Brazilians ages 50 to 59 infected with HIV/AIDS grew in the past decade by 64 percent, from 18.2 cases per 100,000 to
ASIA: UN Calls for Action to Cut Massive TB Deaths in Asia: Agence France Presse (11.29.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; In Jakarta two days before World AIDS Day, UN Special Envoy to Stop TB Jorge Sampaio called for Asia to coordinate efforts against the disease. TB kills more than 1 million people in Asia a year and is a major cause of death for those with HIV/AIDS. We are dealing with a disease or a pandemic which kills around 5,000 p
KENTUCKY: Wives, Mothers Battle Disease: Courier-Journal (Louisville) (12.03.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Laura Ungar; Nearly 25 percent of annual AIDS diagnoses in Kentucky are in women, and the fastest growth is among African-American women. Even so, some residents still believe AIDS is just a gay man s problem, said Vicki Johnson, an AIDS coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Public Health. Well, it s not, she said. While men a
HAWAII: Hawaii AIDS Clinical Trials Program Loses Funding: Associated Press (11.30.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Hawaii s AIDS Clinical Trials Unit has learned it will no longer receive a $2 million annual grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. ACTU is part of a network of 48 national and international sites funded by NIAID. Program Director Dr. Cecilia Shikuma said she was notified by telephone tha
NEVADA: Officials Urge HIV Testing Before Births: Las Vegas Review-Journal (12.02.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Annette Wells; At the University of Nevada-Las Vegas on Friday, a panel of federal, state, and local health officials spoke of the need for statewide prenatal HIV testing to avoid mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT). With rapid HIV testing, a mother of unknown serostatus could be admitted while already in labor and receive the te
UNITED STATES: AIDS Bill Ends Urban-Rural Stalemate, California Gets $260 Million: Associated Press (12.06.06) - Wednesday, December 06, 2006; Devlin Barrett; Under a compromise crafted by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), senators from New York and New Jersey dropped their months- long opposition to the revised Ryan White bill. As initially proposed, the five-year, $2.1 billion annual reauthorization had been held up by Northeast senators because it shifted AIDS money away from a
GLOBAL: Doctors Without Borders Calls for Affordable Treatment on World AIDS Day: Associated Press (12.01.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; On World AIDS Day, Doctors Without Borders challenged international institutions to come up with ways to help developing nations buy expensive new AIDS drugs. New [ World Health Organization ]-recommended regimens for patients starting treatment can be up to six times more expensive than today s most commonly used comb
MISSISSIPPI: Mississippi Health Officials Say New Vaccinations May Be Needed: Associated Press (12.01.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; Due to a recently discovered malfunctioning refrigerator, some 750 children and adults in the Newton area who were vaccinated by the health department between October 2005 and October 2006 may need to be re-immunized. Now we re going through each individual chart and trying to determine what revaccinations they might n
UNITED STATES: Pfizer to Expand Access to HIV Drug: Associated Press (12.01.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; On Friday, Pfizer Inc. announced plans to allow HIV/AIDS patients expanded access to a drug not yet approved by regulators but in late-stage clinical trials. Maraviroc belongs to the CCR5 antagonists class of drugs; these work by trying to block HIV from gaining entrance to white blood cells, rather than by fighting th
RHODE ISLAND: State Prison Doesn't Want to Distribute Condoms: Associated Press (11.29.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; Officials at the state Department of Corrections are opposed to giving condoms to inmates, a policy recently recommended by the National Minority AIDS Council. Ellen Alexander, Assistant Director of Administration at DOC, said sex between inmates is prohibited at state Adult Correctional Institutions, and if we provide
NEW JERSEY: Needle Exchange Law Advances: Associated Press (12.05.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; On Monday, the state Assembly Appropriations Committee released a bill that would permit needle exchanges in six New Jersey communities and would allocate $10 million for drug treatment. The Assembly passed the measure in October 2004, and while it was passed by Senate committees, it has never been taken up by the full
KANSAS: $13,000 Grant Aids County in Treating TB: Wichita Eagle (11.28.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; Barbara J. Isenberg; The state Department of Health and Environment has awarded a $13,000 grant to help the Sedgwick County Health Department fight TB, said Cindy Burbach, county division director of health protection and promotion. The funds will help pay for X-rays and treatment for patients with little or no insurance. The county has re
CALIFORNIA: Foundation Announces Grants to AIDS Groups: San Francisco Chronicle (11.29.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; Sabin Russell; Fourteen Bay Area organizations faced with funding cuts in recent years will split a $1 million donation from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund. The gift is timely, said San Francisco philanthropist Richard Goldman, since 2006 marks the 25th year of the AIDS epidemic. It seemed like a good time to emphasize that this
UNITED STATES: Parent Opinion of Sexuality Education in a State with Mandated Abstinence Education: Does Policy Match Parental Preference?: Journal of Adolescent Health Vol. 39; No. 5: P. 634-641 (11..06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; Kristin E. Ito, MD, MPH; Ziya Gizlice, PhD; Judy Owen-O'Dowd, BS; Evelyn Foust, MPH; Peter A. Leone, MD; William C. Miller, MD, MPH, PhD; Despite public debate about the content of sexuality education in schools, state and federal policy has increasingly financed and legislated abstinence-only education over the past decade, the authors wrote, noting that little is known about parental desires regarding sexuality education in states with mandated abstin
MEXICO: New Walk-in Clinic in Tijuana Joins Area's Fight Against AIDS: San Diego Union-Tribune (11.26.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; Sandra Dibble; A new walk-in clinic in eastern Tijuana aims to fight AIDS in the Baja California city where as many as one of every 125 people ages 15-49 is believed to be HIV-positive. Mexico s AIDS rate is about half that of the United States . Rates along the US border have long been higher, however, and Baja California s rate is
CANADA: Federally Funded Prison Tattoo Parlors Shut Down: Edmonton Journal (12.05.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; Janice Tibbetts; Canadian Public Safety Minister, Stockwell Day, told a news conference yesterday that a prison-based tattoo program is not an effective use of taxpayer money. The former Liberal government enacted the $600,000 Canadian ($526,130 US) pilot project in August 2005 at six federal penitentiaries. Proponents believed the pro
UNITED STATES: AIDS Fight Needs Churches, Obama Says: Los Angeles Times (12.02.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; Michael Finnegan; At an evangelical AIDS conference Friday at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., 2,072 religious leaders gathered to discuss the church s role in fighting HIV/AIDS. Two potential presidential candidates addressed the crowd, emphasizing that stopping the epidemic should be a moral and not a partisan effort. We can
CALIFORNIA: Routine HIV Testing Poses New Problems for Health Officials: San Jose Mercury News (12.01.06) - Tuesday, December 05, 2006; Rebecca Vesely; In September, CDC recommended universal, voluntary HIV tests for all patients ages 13-64 in clinical settings as a way to link more of those who are HIV-infected but unaware of treatment and care. Many California providers, however, have questions about the logistics and costs of implementing the recommendations. The P
AFRICA: Encouraging Signs in Africa's Anti-AIDS Fight: WHO Official: Agence France Presse (12.01.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; In his World AIDS Day statement, Luis Gomes Sambo, the World Health Organization s Regional Director for Africa, pointed out some encouraging news. While acknowledging that Africa still remains the region of the world most affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Sambo added, There are signs of hope: there are indications of
FRANCE: France to Fight AIDS with 20 Cent Condoms: Agence France Presse (11.27.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; Ten million discount-priced condoms will soon go on sale in 20,000 locations around France , the government announced recently. The condoms will be priced at 20 cents euro (25 cents US). The goal of the outreach is to make safer sex behavior a reflex, said Xavier Bertrand, health minister. Venues selling the condoms wi
NIGERIA: Nigerian President Takes HIV Test on World AIDS Day: Agence France Presse (12.02.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; In World AIDS Day events on Friday, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo took an HIV test in Abuja. Our dictum should be zero tolerance to new HIV infections since this compromises the future of the country, This Day newspaper quoted him as saying. Obasanjo said he hopes his launch of the National Counseling and Testin
THAILAND: Teenagers Now Hardest-Hit by HIV in Thailand: Agence France Presse (11.30.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; According to a health ministry study released Thursday, Thailand recorded 15,174 new HIV cases in 2006, 40 percent of whom were teenagers who contracted the virus sexually. In addition, 0.44 percent of pregnant women ages 15-19 were found to be HIV-positive, the ministry said. The Department of Disease Control has set
NAMIBIA: World Food Program to Slash Orphan Feeding Programs for Lack of Funds: Associated Press (11.30.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; The World Food Program, facing a $4 million shortfall for its operations in Namibia through April, has said it may be forced to halt food distribution to 90,000 orphans and vulnerable children in the country by year s end. For the past 18 months, WFP has worked with Namibia s government to establish food programs in th
NETHERLANDS: Dutch AIDS Deaths Down but Infection Rate Up: Report: Agence France Presse (11.20.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; The recent annual report of the Netherlands HIV monitoring foundation found that while the number of Dutch people dying from AIDS has fallen significantly in the past decade, the rate of new HIV infections continues to rise. The foundation logged 329 HIV new infections in 1996, but logged 950 in 2006. Eighty percent of
CAMBODIA: Former US President Clinton Pledges Greater Help for Cambodian Children with HIV/AIDS: Associated Press (12.04.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; Today in Phnom Penh, former President Bill Clinton praised the Cambodian government for its steadfast and consistent commitment to fighting AIDS but said more work remains to be done. Since June 2005, when the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation began working in Cambodia, the number of Cambodian children receiving HIV
NORTH DAKOTA: Fargo Group Plans Workshops on Abstinence Training: Associated Press (11.25.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; Beginning Dec. 7 in Jamestown, Fargo-based FirstChoice Clinic s Make a Sound Choice program will offer workshops to teachers, counselors, and others to become certified abstinence educators. Now in its seventh year, Make a Sound Choice is funded by grants through the federal Health and Human Services Department. Kay Ki
SWEDEN: HPV and Smoking a Risky Combo for Women: Reuters (11.17.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; Female smokers who are infected with human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) are at higher risk for cervical cancer in situ (CIS), cancer that is confined to the surface layer of the cervix, than their peers with just one of the two risk factors, according to a new study by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stoc
UNITED KINGDOM: Blair Presses Religious Leaders over Condom Bans on AIDS Day: Agence France Presse (12.01.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; On Friday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged religious leaders to give up bans on condoms. In a pre-recorded interview broadcast on MTV on World AIDS Day, Blair said, I think if all the churches and religious organizations were facing up to reality, it would be better. Blair was especially critical of the Vatican
CANADA: Researchers Say Canadian Injection Site a Success: Reuters (11.20.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; Allan Dowd; North America s only supervised safer injection facility, in Vancouver s Downtown Eastside, has connected some intravenous drug users (IDUs) to treatment, a new study found. While the pilot project did not increase the surrounding area s crime rate, its closure would likely increase health problems for the city, said t
CANADA: Ottawa's Long-Awaited AIDS Funding Announcement Pledges $120 Million in New Funds: Canadian Press (12.01.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; On World AIDS Day, the Canadian government announced it will contribute an additional $120 million Canadian ($105 million US) to the global fight against AIDS. The funding comprises $41 million Canadian ($36 million US) for prevention strategies, including $20 million Canadian ($17.4 million US) to fund vaccine researc
GLOBAL: Annan Touts Need for 'Accountability' in Dealing with AIDS: Agence France Presse (11.30.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan emphasized that the theme for World AIDS Day 2006 is accountability. Accountability requires every head of state, legislator, and politician to declare that AIDS stops with me, said Annan, who is soon leaving his post after 10 years. It requires them to strengthen protection
NEW HAMPSHIRE: New Hampshire First to Offer Cervical Cancer Vaccine to All Girls: Associated Press (11.29.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; Norma Love; On Wednesday, state Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen announced New Hampshire will provide free Gardasil vaccinations to females ages 11-18. New Hampshire will be the first state in the country to offer the vaccine in its universal children s [vaccine] program, said Stephen. Gardasil, which was approv
UNITED STATES: Bush to Ease Rule Limiting HIV-Positive Foreign Visitors: San Francisco Chronicle (12.02.06) - Monday, December 04, 2006; Sabin Russell; On Friday, the White House announced President Bush would issue an executive order allowing HIV-positive people from other countries to enter the United States on short-term tourist and business visas. Since 1987, HIV-infected non- nationals have had to obtain a special waiver to enter; these were usually granted to at
CHINA: Chinese Premier Spends World AIDS Day with AIDS- Affected Children: Xinhua News Agency (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Today in Beijing, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sported a red AIDS awareness ribbon as he welcomed 15 AIDS-affected children to the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party. The children, two of whom are HIV-positive and 13 of whom were orphaned by AIDS, presented the premier with drawings they had made to symbolize th
INDONESIA: Indonesia Ministers Kick Off AIDS Awareness Day with One Million Flyers: Agence France Presse (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Today in Jakarta, three government ministers stopped traffic and distributed flyers as part of the kickoff of a national HIV/AIDS awareness campaign. The campaign is called the distribution of one million flyers because we want to prevent 1 million Indonesian people from being infected by HIV/AIDS in 2015 if nothing is
THAILAND: Thailand to Raise Awareness with Record Attempt for World's Longest Condom: Associated Press (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Thailand is marking World AIDS Day today with the Longest Condom Chain, a record-setting ribbon of 25,000 condoms intended to raise awareness about the disease. More than 1,000 activists and others are expected to take part in the event in Bangkok s Lumpini Park, said UNESCO, the UN cultural body that is co-organizin
UNITED STATES: World AIDS Day: Giving Back a Priority for Rapper: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Sonia Murray; Today, Atlanta-based rapper and YouthAIDS ambassador Ludacris wraps up a weeklong tour of colleges, universities, and retail stores across the nation promoting HIV/AIDS awareness among young people. I volunteered for this because it seems like nobody is talking about HIV anymore, like it s gone away or something, said
UNITED STATES: HIV Awareness Gets MTV Touch: Dayton Daily News (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Kevin Lamb; MTV will reach out to teens and young adults today on World AIDS Day by airing two programs on HIV/AIDS. The shows, which feature pop stars Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, are being supplemented by MTV s news broadcasts and its campaign www.thinkhiv.org. New HIV/AIDS cases are slowing in all US age groups except a
UNITED STATES: Progress Made in HIV Vaccine Development: United Press International (11.16.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Jonathan Jay Gibian; US researchers recently reported initial Phase I results from two vaccine candidates that successfully produced immune responses in healthy, uninfected adults. Eventually, the approach may be used to protect against HIV infection. Dr. Barney Graham and colleagues from the National Institutes of Health Vaccine Research
AFRICA: Africa Urged to Break Deafening Silence on AIDS: Agence France Presse (11.29.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Jerome Cartillier; To combat AIDS, Africa must bring it out in the open, South African Zulu leader Mangosutho Buthelezi said in a recent interview. We have no alternatives. If we want our people to survive, if we want to get over this pandemic, we have to become upfront, open about it, including sexuality, he said. Buthelezi, 78, shocked
THAILAND: US Chamber: Thailand AIDS Drug Decision Sends 'Negative Signal': Deutsche Presse-Agentur (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; The US Chamber of Commerce today criticized Thailand s decision to break the patent of Merck s antiretroviral treatment efavirenz . The chamber s Bangkok branch warned, Surprise actions such as these send a negative signal to foreign investors in Thailand regarding transparency and support for intellectual property rig
THAILAND: Thailand Breaks Patent with Merck's AIDS Drug: Agence France Presse (11.30.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Nareerat Wiriyapong; On Wednesday, the public health ministry of Thailand s military-backed government announced its decision to issue an immediate compulsory license to cut the cost of Merck s HIV/AIDS drug efavirenz from the current $67 per month to $38.50. We need to break the patent because the price is too high for the government to a
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa Targets 50 Percent Drop in New HIV Cases: Agence France Presse (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Fran Blandy; Today, South Africa s Health Ministry unveiled a five-year plan to address HIV/AIDS, which has already infected 5.5 million of the nation s 47 million people. A chief component will involve preventing new HIV infections, especially by persuading youths to delay sexual debut. The action plan, released by Deputy Presiden
GLOBAL: AIDS Programs Fail to Reach High-Risk Groups: UN: Reuters (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Those most at risk of acquiring HIV worldwide - high-risk drug users, homosexuals, and sex workers - are often the least likely to be targeted by national surveillance, prevention and treatment programs, the World Health Organization said today. Only 1.6 million, or 24 percent, of 6.8 million people with HIV/AIDS world
UNITED STATES: Magic Johnson Combats AIDS Misperceptions: USA Today (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Steve Sternberg; At a World AIDS Day briefing in Los Angeles today, basketball great Magic Johnson will launch a $60 million campaign aimed at cutting HIV/AIDS rates among African Americans by 50 percent in the next five years. Through a partnership with drug maker Abbott Laboratories , the I Stand with Magic initiative will hold HIV
UNITED STATES: Quilt Remains a Poignant Symbol on World AIDS Day: USA Today (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; Kate Patterson; When it was last displayed in its entirety, in October 1996, the AIDS Memorial Quilt stretched along the National Mall from the Washington Monument to the US Capitol. That year, the quilt included 40,000 panels memorializing 70,000 people who had died from AIDS. Today, the quilt has 48,000 panels in memory of 91,000 pe
GLOBAL: Bush Pledges Fight Against AIDS, Promotes Abstinence: Agence France Presse (12.01.06) - Friday, December 01, 2006; In a statement released ahead of World AIDS Day, President George W. Bush reiterated the United States commitment to the global fight against HIV/AIDS and called abstinence the only sure way to avoid contracting the virus sexually. On World AIDS Day, we underscore our commitment to fight the AIDS pandemic with compassi
FLORIDA: AIDS Day Has Special Urgency: St. Petersburg Times (11.29.06) - Thursday, November 30, 2006; Waveney Ann Moore; In observance of World AIDS Day on Friday, the Pinellas County Health Department and the city of St. Petersburg are sponsoring the World AIDS Day Wellness Fair at Williams Park in downtown. A variety of activities are planned, including free health screenings, flu shots, and free food and entertainment. The event, said
TEXAS: Artists Help Raise AIDS Awareness: Dallas Morning News (11.28.06) - Thursday, November 30, 2006; Ian McCann; Brandon Formby; Local artists will mark World AIDS Day with the Art Rage Us event Friday and Saturday at the Resource Center of Dallas, 2701 Reagan St., Dallas. Telephone 214-528-0144. On Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., World AIDS Day Gospel Fest will take place at the Paul Quinn College chapel, 3837 Simpson Stuart Rd. Presenting sponsor the
GEORGIA: Atlanta Events to Mark World AIDS Day: Southern Voice (Atlanta) (11.24.06) - Thursday, November 30, 2006; Zack Hudson; Nonprofits, schools, and local governments among others have planned a variety of events to mark World AIDS Day on Friday. AID Atlanta, the state s largest AIDS service organization, will host an award ceremony acknowledging its patrons and partners, featuring remarks from US Rep. Barney Frank (D- Mass.). Fulton County
LOUISIANA: Kenner Hosting AIDS Awareness Event: Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (11.30.06) - Thursday, November 30, 2006; On Saturday from noon to 3 p.m., Kenner Mayor Ed Muniz and City Council member Marc Johnson will host an AIDS awareness event at the A.P. Clay Center, 200 Decatur St., Kenner. Scheduled attendees include representatives of the NO/AIDS Task Force, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and the Louisiana L
KANSAS: 25 Years In, Treatment Better but Millions Infected with HIV: Wichita Eagle (11.30.06) - Thursday, November 30, 2006; Karen Shideler; Wichita-area World AIDS Day events include two memorial marches. A candlelight walk will begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. at East High School, 2301 E. Douglas, Wichita. A free program, including a performance by the Heart of America Men s Chorus and a talk by Dr. Donna Sweet, will follow at 7 p.m. at the American Reed Cross,
MASSACHUSETTS: World AIDS Day Schedule of Events: Bay Windows (Boston) (11.30.06) - Thursday, November 30, 2006; Boston-area World AIDS Day events include the following. For 24 hours beginning at 10 p.m. on Nov. 30, a vigil will be kept at the Medicine Wheel, an interactive AIDS memorial art installation at the Boston Center for the Arts. Visit www.medicinewheelproductions.org. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Women s Le
ILLINOIS: Chicago Events Mark World AIDS Day: Chicago Free Press (11.29.06) - Thursday, November 30, 2006; Gary Barlow; Several Chicago-area groups are commemorating World AIDS Day, Dec. 1. Some of Friday s events include: The AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago will conclude a lecture series, Commemorating 25 Years of HIV/AIDS, with a panel discussion at the institute s Price Auditorium at noon. Columbia College
FLORIDA: HIV Hits Blacks Harder: Palm Beach Post (11.18.06) - Thursday, November 30, 2006; Antigone Barton; One in 42 black Palm Beach County residents has HIV, but this recent state Department of Health figure has, surprisingly, not attracted many people s attention, said Lorenzo Robertson of the county health department. A series of meetings to plan a strategic county response has been sparsely attended, he said. I invited
GLOBAL: Taking a Break from HIV Drugs Doubles Risk of Death, According to Large Global Study: Associated Press (11.29.06) - Thursday, November 30, 2006; Mike Stobbe; HIV-positive patients who temporarily suspend their drug regimens more than double their risk of dying, according to a new study. Because AIDS drugs are expensive and can have unpleasant side effects, many patients have expressed an interest in treatment holidays, or planned breaks in regimen adherence. Indeed, several
INDIA: India's Finance Minister Says HIV/AIDS Biggest Threat to Economy: Agence France Presse (11.26.06) - Thursday, November 30, 2006; Of all the biggest risks to India s economic future, HIV/AIDS has the most frightening potential to get out of hand, Fi