2008

CALIFORNIA: San Diego City College Student Diagnosed with TB: Associated Press (11.19.08) - Wednesday, November 19, 2008; San Diego County health officials are notifying around 190 students and staff at San Diego City College they may have been exposed to TB following the diagnosis of active disease in a student at the school. The student attended classes from late August to early November, said Leslie Ridgeway, spokesperson for the count
WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia County Sees Spike in Syphilis Cases: Associated Press (11.18.08) - Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Ohio County health officials and specialists from the state Bureau for Public Health are troubled by a spike in syphilis diagnoses in the Wheeling area this year. At least seven area cases have been reported in 2008, compared to zero in all of 2007. Statewide, syphilis has been on the rise since 2003, but experts are w
WASHINGTON: HIV Clinic Opens in Everett: Daily Herald (Everett) (11.18.08) - Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Sharon Salyer; Snohomish County HIV patients can now access health care closer to home, thanks to the opening of a satellite branch of Harborview Medical Center in south Everett. Previously, patients had to travel to Harborview s main clinic in downtown Seattle for treatment. The new clinic is located in the Community Health Center o
UNITED STATES: Fears About HIV Transmission in Families with an HIV-Infected Parent: A Qualitative Analysis: Pediatrics Vol. 122; No. 5: P. e950-e958 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-0390) (10.31.08) - Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Burton O. Cowgill, PhD, MPH; Laura M. Bogart, LM, PhD; Rosalie Corona, PhD; Gery Ryan, PhD; Mark A. Schuster, MD, PhD; Advances in antiretroviral treatment to prevent mother-to- child HIV transmission have made it possible for more HIV- positive parents to have children. But few studies have examined transmission fears that might remain for these families and how they address such fears, noted the authors. The current study describes t
CANADA; UNITED STATES: Immune Cells Worn Out from HIV Fight Given New Life to Assault Disease: Study: Canadian Press (11.11.08) - Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Researchers report they have found a way to revivify killer CD8 immune cells, which could some day be used to assist the body s natural infection-fighting power against HIV. CD8 cells normally seek and destroy infected cells, but they become exhausted by HIV infection, said study co-author Dr. Mario Ostrowski. With HIV
CANADA: Insite Can Save Health Care System $20 Million: Study: Ottawa Citizen (11.18.08) - Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Linda Nguyen; A new computer simulation model study shows Vancouver s supervised injection facility Insite can save the city $20 million (US $16 million) in health care costs and boost its population s lifespan over a 10-year period. In the study, Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi of St. Michael s Hospital in Toronto and the University of Toronto a
CANADA: Homeless and Pregnant, Women Afraid to Seek Care: Edmonton Journal (11.12.08) - Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Jodie Sinnema; Edmonton s needle exchange program, Streetworks, on some days looks more like a prenatal clinic. Since 2005, Alberta has logged 14 congenital syphilis cases from an outbreak that also affects many potential Streetworks clients. We re the needle exchange program, but we work with the crowd that this was affecting, those
AUSTRALIA: The Morning After: Backpackers' Drinking Habits Linked to High STD Rates: Sydney Morning Herald (11.19.08) - Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Natasha Wallace; This summer holiday period, the New South Wales Health Department, four Sydney-area councils, and the NSW Backpackers Operators Association are targeting young international travelers with safe-sex messages. The Safe in the Sack Project kicks off Dec. 1 and runs through March. The campaign was prompted by new research
UNITED STATES: Epidemic of Cancers Feared with HIV Link: Chicago Tribune (11.19.08) - Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Stephanie Desmon, Baltimore Sun; People with HIV are at a much greater risk of developing certain cancers - including of the lung, liver, head, and neck - than the general population, according to research reported Tuesday at a medical conference in National Harbor, Md. We re seeing people we have treated successfully for HIV at much higher risk for
AUSTRALIA: Aussie Vaccine Wins Medical Nobel Prize: Australian Associated Press (11.17.08) - Tuesday, November 18, 2008; The human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil, which was pioneered by Australian research, has been awarded the International Prix Galien, considered the drug industry s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Professor Ian Frazer, the Queensland immunologist whose work developing the vaccine earned him the honor 2006 Australian of
TOGO: Togo Says to Distribute HIV/AIDS Drugs at No Cost: Reuters (11.15.08) - Tuesday, November 18, 2008; John Zodzi; Daniel Magnowski; The government of the West African nation of Togo on Saturday announced it will begin distributing free antiretrovirals to HIV/AIDS patients. Antiretroviral medicines distributed by the network of the Central Supply of Essential and Generic Medicines (CAMEG) will be free of charge from Monday, 17 November, throughout t
LESOTHO: Universal AIDS Testing Scheme Fails in Lesotho: Rights Group: Agence France Presse (11.18.08) - Tuesday, November 18, 2008; Today in Johannesburg, Human Rights Watch and the AIDS Rights Alliance for Southern Africa said inadequate training and funding were to blame for the failure of a universal HIV testing plan in Lesotho . Lesotho s program was noble in ambition but weak in action, the groups said. The outreach, launched in 2005, set out
VIRGINIA: Fewer Fairfax Teens Have Had Intercourse: Washington Post (11.15.08) - Tuesday, November 18, 2008; Amy Gardner; Michael Alison Chandler; A survey released Friday shows almost 33 percent of Fairfax County 10th and 12th-graders reported having had sexual intercourse, compared with nearly 48 percent of their peers nationally. For all categories of age, sex, and ethnicity, the biennial behavioral survey in county schools found the rate of sexual experience
ILLINOIS: Suit Filed over Transplant: Chicago Tribune (11.18.08) - Tuesday, November 18, 2008; Deborah L. Shelton; On Monday, a woman filed suit against the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) and one of its surgeons, saying she contracted HIV and hepatitis C after receiving a transplanted kidney from an infected donor. The patient alleges the hospital was medically negligent for failing to notify her that the donor engaged
AUSTRALIA: AIDS Drugs Trigger Inflammation Linked to Diabetes, Study Says: Bloomberg News (11.17.08) - Tuesday, November 18, 2008; Jason Gale; Researchers in Australia say a new study may help explain why people taking certain AIDS drugs are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) like Gilead Science s Truvada trigger inflammation that can lead to the metabolic complications, said Katherine
UNITED KINGDOM: New Cancer Test Announced by UK Researchers: May Save Thousands of Gay Men: Edge News (Boston) (11.05.08) - Tuesday, November 18, 2008; Kilian Melloy; A test may soon be used in early screening for anal cancer, possibly saving the lives of thousands of men for whom anal Papanicolaou testing would be inadequate, according to researchers. Some gay activists welcomed the news, saying the field has been neglected. The rate of anal cancer in gay men is 37 cases per 100,00
CHINA: A Big Shift for China's AIDS Fight: Condoms for Those Who Need Them: Wall Street Journal (11.17.08) - Tuesday, November 18, 2008; Nicholas Zamiska; Geoffrey A. Fowler; A former Beijing health official is helping promote condom use to stop the sexual spread of HIV, now the virus main transmission route in China . Today, Guan Baoying works with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to steer grants to community prevention groups working in Beijing. As head of Beijing s Munic
CHINA: Misconceptions 'Still Cause AIDS Stigma' in China, Study Finds: Xinhua (11.18.08) - Tuesday, November 18, 2008; A UNAIDS official on Tuesday said widely held misconceptions about AIDS in China are making it more difficult to garner public support for those with the disease, despite years of educational efforts. In a recent survey of more than 6,000 Chinese, 80 percent correctly knew that HIV can be transmitted through unprotecte
UNITED STATES: Feds Nix Ban on Drug Vials: Newsday (Melville) (11.18.08) - Tuesday, November 18, 2008; Ridgley Ochs; Michael Amon; The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has rebuffed a proposal by New York state and city health officials to end the manufacture of multi-dose medicine vials. Locally, at least one hepatitis C infection was transmitted several years ago through syringe reuse involving multi-dose vials at the Plainview pain managemen
INDIA: India Sets New Rules for Media Reporting on HIV/AIDS: Xinhua (11.17.08) - Monday, November 17, 2008; The Press Council of India on Sunday announced revised guidelines for journalists covering HIV and AIDS issues. The council said journalists should not disclose the identity of HIV/AIDS patients; use the term scourge in reports about the disease; or use hidden cameras to show HIV/AIDS patients, including the sick and d
CANADA: Fewer People Need Tests After Used-Syringe Discovery: Edmonton Journal (11.15.08) - Monday, November 17, 2008; Fewer than half the 3,000 people originally thought to have been possibly exposed to HIV and hepatitis at the High Prairie Health Complex will need to be screened, authorities now say. In all, 1,381 patients, including 954 who had endoscopies and 427 who received pain medication after dental surgery, will be contacted
KENTUCKY: Man's Shop Raises Funds for People with AIDS: Courier Journal (Louisville) (11.12.08) - Monday, November 17, 2008; Martha Elson; Thirteen years after he opened a Louisville thrift store to raise funds to help people living with HIV/AIDS, Les Downs work had earned him a 2008 Mayor s Good Neighbor Award. The One for All Shop, a two-story retail outlet at 1975 Douglass Blvd. in Deer Park, has raised almost $280,000 for the AIDS support agency House
TEXAS: Forced to Pack Up the Pantry: Dallas Morning News (11.13.08) - Monday, November 17, 2008; Dianne Solis; An Oak Lawn food pantry for people with HIV/AIDS must find a new home, its operators have learned. Just a few weeks ago, the Resource Center of Dallas (RCD) received word that its lease at the 2,900-square-foot space on Cedar Springs Road - which runs through December - would not be renewed. The leasing agent for the p
UNITED STATES; THE NETHERLANDS: Crucell Vaccine Stops AIDS in Monkeys, Harvard Scientist Says: Bloomberg News (11.09.08) - Monday, November 17, 2008; Simeon Bennett; An experimental AIDS vaccine developed by the Netherlands biotech firm Crucell has recently advanced from animal testing to a human trial, according to a new report. In tests using monkeys, researchers used adenovirus-26 (Ad26) as a vehicle to carry a single simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) protein to prompt T cells
SOUTH AFRICA: Miners Face Huge HIV/AIDS Challenge: Business Day (South Africa) (11.11.08) - Monday, November 17, 2008; Luphert Chilwane; HIV/AIDS is tearing through South Africa s mining sector, which contributes around 6.6 percent of the country s gross domestic product. According to Benchmarks Foundation, an estimated 16-30 percent of mineworkers are infected with HIV/AIDS. David van Wyk, a foundation researcher, said exact numbers are difficult to pi
AUSTRALIA: Needle Program Needed to Cut Hepatitis C Risk in Jail: Australian Associated Press (11.17.08) - Monday, November 17, 2008; Compared with the general population, persons entering Australia s prison system are far more likely to have hepatitis C virus, and many HCV-infected inmates continue injection drug use (IDU) while incarcerated, researchers report. Without access to sterile needles, inmates face a greater risk of HCV s spread, accordin
SOUTHEAST ASIA: ASEAN-UN Study Finds Migrants Vulnerable to AIDS: Agence France Presse (11.13.08) - Monday, November 17, 2008; A new report offers the first-ever analysis of current migration patterns and their link to HIV infection in the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Produced jointly by ASEAN and the UN, the new report says 1.5 million people - most of them working-age - are living with HIV in the region.
SOUTHEAST ASIA: Interpol Seizes $6.65 Million in Counterfeit Drugs: Bloomberg News (11.17.08) - Monday, November 17, 2008; Simeon Bennett; For the second time in three years, the international police organization Interpol has disrupted the trade in counterfeit medicines in Southeast Asia, officials announced recently. More than $6.65 million in fake HIV, TB, and malaria drugs were seized in the five-month Operation Storm, which encompassed
UNITED STATES: Study Chronicles Drug-Resistant TB: Los Angeles Times (11.12.08) - Monday, November 17, 2008; Mary Engel; Cases of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) in the United States declined sharply from a high of 18 in 1993 to just two in 2007, a new report shows. At least 83 US cases of the hardest-to-treat form of TB have been diagnosed in the last 15 years, according to the most thorough accounting to date of TB s national im
INDIA: Condom Ringtone, Ads Push Sales in India: Agence France Presse (11.14.08) - Friday, November 14, 2008; The National AIDS Control Organization is crediting a media campaign and a catchy cell phone ringtone with increasing condom sales by 85 million in the past six months in India , where the UN says 2.5 million people are living with HIV. The ringtone, in which voices sing condom, condom, was introduced in August by the
DELAWARE: Report: Racial Disparities in Delaware Death Rates: Associated Press (11.13.08) - Friday, November 14, 2008; Significant disparities in death rates for Delaware whites and blacks were revealed in a new report from the state Department of Health and Social Services. Compared to whites, death rates among blacks were more than twice as high for diabetes and almost 15 times as high for HIV. Infant mortality rates were twice as hi
CALIFORNIA: AIDS Detected Late in Latinos: San Gabriel Valley Tribune (11.09.08) - Friday, November 14, 2008; Rebecca Kimitch; In Los Angeles County, 60 percent of HIV cases among Latinos are detected very late, compared with 33 percent for whites. One of our biggest concerns is that Latinos aren t getting tested early enough in infection, said Paulina Zamudio, program supervisor for prevention services at the county s Office of AIDS Programs
GERMANY: A Doctor, a Mutation and a Potential Cure for AIDS: Wall Street Journal (11.07.08) - Friday, November 14, 2008; Mark Schoofs; An HIV-positive leukemia patient given a special type of bone marrow transplant appeared not to have HIV in his blood more than 600 days after the procedure, despite not taking AIDS medications, according to researchers. In 2006, the American patient was failing first-line chemotherapy at Berlin s Charite Medical Unive
SOUTH AFRICA: HPV 'an Epidemic' Among HIV-Positive Women: Independent Online (Cape Town) (11.12.08) - Friday, November 14, 2008; Natasha Joseph, Cape Times; The Treatment Action Campaign said on Tuesday it is lobbying pharmaceutical firms to shave the price of human papillomavirus vaccines so that developing countries can afford the inoculation. Certain strains of HPV cause most cases of cervical cancer, and HIV-positive women have 10 times the risk of infection with oncog
ANGOLA: Angola Sees AIDS as New Post-War Threat: Reuters (11.10.08) - Friday, November 14, 2008; Henrique Almeida; Angola s health minister says his nation s 27-year civil war may actually have helped protect its people from HIV. The conflict ended in 2002, and now that destroyed roads and bridges are being rebuilt, Jose Van-Dunem worries that the people using them will carry the virus from neighboring nations. The borders are open
CANADA: AIDS Vaccine Poised for Human Tests: Edmonton Journal (11.13.08) - Friday, November 14, 2008; Becky Rynor; Jordana Huber, Canwest News; Animal toxicology trials of an experimental Canadian AIDS vaccine could begin within days, the University of Western Ontario-London announced Wednesday. The vaccine candidate was developed by UWO virologist Dr. Chil-Yong Kang. The animal testing will take place at a US research facility and may yield results in three m
CHILE: Nearly 2,000 Carrying HIV in Chile Were Not Notified: New York Times (11.14.08) - Friday, November 14, 2008; Pascale Bonnefoy; Alexei Barrionuevo; Before Chile s Congress on Thursday, Health Minister Alvaro Erazo told lawmakers the country s public health system failed to notify at least 512 people that they were infected with HIV, and that private-sector services did not inform 1,364 more patients that they were HIV-positive. In approximately half of the cases,
NEW MEXICO: New Mexico Youth Survey Shows Declining Risk Behaviors: Associated Press (11.07.08) - Friday, November 14, 2008; New Mexico high school students reported fewer risky behaviors in the 2007 Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey compared with earlier surveys, the state Department of Health reported recently. About 11,300 high school students from 89 districts statewide participated in the YRRS, yielding data which are included in CDC s n
CALIFORNIA: Forum on HIV Set: L.A. Watts Times (Los Angeles) (11.13.08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; A community forum on HIV will be held Sunday at the African American Cultural Center, 3018 W. 48th St., Los Angeles. HIV in the Black Community: Where the Brothas At? begins at 3 p.m. For more information, telephone 323-299-6124.
CALIFORNIA: Housing Cuts Hurt Seniors, People with AIDS: Bay Area Reporter (11.13.08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; Heather Tirado Gilligan; Advocates are staging a statewide day of action next Wednesday, Nov. 19, to protest Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger s line item veto slashing California s renters rebate program. The rebate gave $150 million to seniors and the disabled, including people living with AIDS. Dean Preston, executive director of the advocacy grou
INDIA: Injecting Drugs Threatens India's AIDS Fight: Reuters (11.13.08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; Bappa Majumdar; UNAIDS today warned that HIV infections will spread like a bushfire in pockets of India unless the country strongly supports prevention efforts among injection drug users. India has an estimated 200,000 IDUs, and HIV prevalence among them is estimated at more than 10 percent. IDUs are concentrated particularly in the
GLOBAL: Millions Will Die if AIDS Funds Stop: United Nations: Reuters (11.12.08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; Bappa Majumdar; On Wednesday, the head of UNAIDS said that patients will die if the global fight against HIV/AIDS falters due to the financial crisis. If we interrupt [funding] even for six months or a year, it will result in millions of deaths, said Peter Piot. If we interrupt these activities we will have to pay later as more people
NEW YORK: Speaking Out for a Group Once Unheard-of: Aging with AIDS: New York Times (11.11.08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; Karen Barrow; Fifteen years after being diagnosed with AIDS and given six months to live, New Yorker Myron Gold, 67, is alive and relatively well. Thanks largely to improved drug treatments, more Americans with AIDS are living into their senior years. Indeed, 29 percent of persons with HIV are now 50 or older. CDC reports that in 20
FLORIDA: Federal Judge Defers Ruling on Inmate's HIV Care Lawsuit: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (11.13.08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; Vanessa Blum; On Wednesday, US District Judge Alan Gold deferred ruling on a civil case that alleges the Broward Sheriff s Office and its prison health care provider refused to provide HIV treatment to a former inmate. Attorneys for Richard Hardwick of Deerfield Beach say officials with the Sheriff s Office and Armor Correctional He
NEW ZEALAND: Teen Drinkers at Risk for Poor Adult Health: Reuters Health (10.28.08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; Amy Norton; The results from a 30-year study of 1,037 young people show that those who began using alcohol or drugs before age 15 had a greater risk of substance dependence, STD infection, and criminal conviction. Additionally, females who were early substance users were more likely to become pregnant before age 21. The study auth
UNITED STATES: Study: HPV Vaccine Prevents Genital Warts in Males: Associated Press (11.13.08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; Mike Stobbe; The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil effectively prevents genital warts in males, according to a study to be presented today at the European Research Organization on Genital Infection and Neoplasia International Multidisciplinary Conference in Nice, France . Gardasil targets two types of the STD linked to 70
HAITI: US Focuses on Literacy, Curbing HIV/AIDS in Haiti: Caribbean Today (09..08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a three-year, multi-million dollar initiative centered on curbing HIV/AIDS and boosting primary education in Haiti . The $19 million Haiti Basic Education Project will target youths who are not in school as well as those attending public and private scho
GLOBAL: More Countries Make Spreading HIV a Crime: Associated Press (11.13.08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; Maria Cheng; A new report by the International Planned Parenthood Federation shows 58 countries explicitly criminalize HIV transmission or use existing laws to prosecute people for transmitting the virus. Another 33 nations are considering similar legislation, IPPF said. According to health officials, the trend could reverse gains
UNITED STATES: Diseased-Traveler Threat Not Eliminated, Federal Report Warns: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (11.13.08) - Thursday, November 13, 2008; Craig Schneider; A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report being released today blames several federal agencies for not stopping a man with drug-resistant tuberculosis from flying to Europe and back aboard commercial jets last year. In May 2007, Atlanta attorney Andrew Speaker sparked an international health scare when he flew to
ZIMBABWE: UN Food Agency to Double Aid for Zimbabwe's Hungry: Associated Press (11.11.08) - Wednesday, November 12, 2008; The UN World Food Program said Tuesday it will double the number of Zimbabweans it feeds due to famine in the AIDS- stricken and impoverished African country. WFP spokesperson Emilia Casella said the agency fed 2 million people there in October, a figure that is expected to rise to 4 million by the end of November. Ano
MASSACHUSETTS: AIDS Funding Cuts Expected: Boston Globe (11.10.08) - Wednesday, November 12, 2008; Stephen Smith; At a recent meeting, leading AIDS service organizations in Massachusetts were told to expect further cuts in HIV prevention, treatment, and education. Last month, Gov. Deval Patrick eliminated $1.5 million in HIV/AIDS services as part of a $1 billion cut in the state budget. It is not because this governor wants to mak
GLOBAL: The Antiquity and Persistence of Tuberculosis: Providence Journal-Bulletin (11.10.08) - Wednesday, November 12, 2008; Stanley M. Aronson, MD; Tuberculosis (TB), paleontologists tell us, has been with us since prehistoric antiquity. Many epidemiologists assert that TB, through the last millennium, has affected more humans, and killed more, than any other known contagious agent. Until recently, the United States could take pride in its gradual conquest of TB.
FLORIDA: Former Inmate's Suit Against Broward Sheriff's Office and Armor Correctional Health over Denial of AIDS Drugs Heads for Federal Court: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (11.12.08) - Wednesday, November 12, 2008; Vanessa Blum; In a Miami federal courtroom, US District Judge Alan Gold will today hear arguments in a lawsuit alleging that the Broward Sheriff s Office and its prison health care provider withheld HIV drugs from an inmate with the virus. The months-long delay in treatment caused Richard Hardwick s HIV infection to progress to AIDS
UNITED KINGDOM: Older Couples 'Use Condoms Less': BBC (11.12.08) - Wednesday, November 12, 2008; A new probability survey of 11,161 UK men and women from 1999 to 2001 reveals declining condom use with age, even for new sex partners. In the United Kingdom , the number of new STD diagnoses rose 6 percent from 2006 to 2007, and earlier this year a West Midlands study found STD diagnoses more than doubled in people ag
UNITED STATES: Gilead AIDS Pill Effective in Study with Weekends Off: Bloomberg News (11.11.08) - Wednesday, November 12, 2008; John Lauerman; In a new study, patients who took a three-in-one combination AIDS pill five days a week fared just as well as those who took the drug every day. The results could have important implications both for the cost of AIDS care and for the ability of patients to comply with treatment regimens. The Harvard Medical School stud
SOUTH AFRICA: Single Dose of Childbirth HIV Drug 'Can Be Fatal': Business Day (South Africa) (11.06.08) - Wednesday, November 12, 2008; Tamar Kahn; HIV-positive women given a single dose of nevirapine during labor to prevent mother-to-baby transmission face an increased risk of resistance to the drug and premature death if later treated with a regimen containing nevirapine, researchers said recently. About 100,000 women annually receive nevirapine during childbirt
HAWAII: Hawaii Sticks with Celibacy Curriculum: Star Bulletin (Honolulu) (11.10.08) - Wednesday, November 12, 2008; Helen Altonn; Though about half of US states forego federal funds for abstinence-only sex education, Hawaii is a steadfast participant. The state Department of Health has received five- year abstinence-only grants for nine years, and it is applying for a new grant, said Marlene Lee, supervisor of DOH s Children and Youth Wellness Se
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Housing Department Seeks Residents' Views: Washington Post (11.06.08) - Tuesday, November 11, 2008; Terence McArdle; The Department of Housing and Community Development is holding a series of meetings at which members of the public are invited to comment on issues related to affordable housing. The first meeting, at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 13, will deal with special-needs housing, including for the homeless, persons with AIDS and the disab
ZIMBABWE: Global Fund Earmarks US $169 Million for Zimbabwe Despite Issues with Central Bank: Voice of America (11.10.08) - Tuesday, November 11, 2008; Carole Gombakomba; In its newly announced eighth round of funding, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria has allocated $169 million for use in Zimbabwe . Many in the impoverished nation had feared it would be denied further assistance because its Reserve Bank had mishandled money previously provided by the Global Fund. The bank,
GLOBAL: Aid Group to Spend $2.75 Billion to Fight Diseases: Associated Press (11.11.08) - Tuesday, November 11, 2008; On Monday, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria announced it has approved $2.75 billion in new grants over the next two years. This is the highest amount of new financing approved by the Global Fund ever, Rajat Gupta, chair of the fund s board, said at the conclusion of a board meeting in New Delhi,
CONNECTICUT: University of Connecticut Professor Awarded for HIV Prevention Method: University Wire (11.07.08) - Tuesday, November 11, 2008; Emily Volz; Daily Campus; An award from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) will help the University of Connecticut s Robert Broadhead expand a successful peer-driven HIV prevention model overseas. Since the 1990s, the sociology professor has been working on stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users. He developed a peer
INDIANA: Downtown Walgreens to Focus on HIV/AIDS: Indianapolis Star (11.07.08) - Tuesday, November 11, 2008; Shari Rudavsky; As part of a national push to provide customized services to patients with certain diseases, Walgreens is transforming its downtown Indianapolis store into a specialized HIV/AIDS pharmacy. The store, located at 1530 N. Meridian St., looks like a typical Walgreens to the casual observer. However, it is staffed with phar
MARYLAND: HERO AIDS Clinic to Shut Down in Weeks amid Move to Reallocate Funds to Other Organizations: Baltimore Sun (11.11.08) - Tuesday, November 11, 2008; Julie Bykowicz; Within three weeks, Baltimore s Health Education Resource Organization (HERO) clinic will permanently close. For 25 years, HERO has provided HIV/AIDS medical, legal, and counseling services to roughly 3,000 clients per year. However, the clinic has experienced financial troubles since 2004, when its longtime director w
UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Souped-Up Immune Cells Catch Even Disguised HIV: Reuters (11.09.08) - Tuesday, November 11, 2008; Maggie Fox; Researchers on Sunday reported that they genetically engineered immune cells that can detect HIV even when it tries to disguise itself, potentially suggesting a new way to treat HIV infection. Engineered versions of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), also known as CD8 killer T cells, were able to recognize other cells inf
CANADA: Province Hushed Up Syphilis Outbreak: Edmonton Journal (11.11.08) - Tuesday, November 11, 2008; Paula Simons; An Alberta Health 2007 internal report confirms the province s ongoing syphilis outbreak has spread beyond high-risk groups and into the general population. The report, obtained through Freedom of Information applications, was prepared by Dr. Karen Grimsrud, Alberta s former chief medical officer of health. It stands i
UNITED STATES: Condoms Trump Abstinence in Obama Global AIDS Policy: Bloomberg News (11.10.08) - Tuesday, November 11, 2008; Jason Gale; John Lauerman; The co-chair of Barack Obama s advisory committee for women s health said the president-elect will reverse US family planning and HIV prevention policies that have linked global funding to anti-abortion and abstinence education. Susan F. Wood, a research professor at George Washington University School of Public Health
INDONESIA: Condom Week Sets Sights on Youths: Jakarta Post (11.05.08) - Monday, November 10, 2008; Agnes Winarti; Indonesia s National AIDS Commission has announced several initiatives for National Condom Week, Dec. 1-7. During the week, special events will be held at campuses, malls, and other spots frequented by young people. The University Challenge, which runs through Nov. 28, will select the top three student designers and fu
CHINA: More than 1,000 Chinese Die of Infectious Diseases in October: Xinhua (11.10.08) - Monday, November 10, 2008; Today, China s Health Ministry said infectious diseases claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people in October. HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, TB, rabies, and newborn tetanus were the top five killers last month, accounting for nearly 90 percent of the deaths, the ministry said. Nearly 950 Chinese died of infectious diseases i
SOUTH AFRICA: Mbeki Blamed for 330,000 Deaths: BBC (11.07.08) - Monday, November 10, 2008; As a result of former President Thabo Mbeki s 1999 decision blocking AIDS drugs, 330,000 South African HIV/AIDS patients died and nearly 35,000 babies were born HIV-positive between 2000 and 2005, a new study estimates. Dr. Pride Chigwedere of the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues said Mbeki failed to prov
CALIFORNIA: Legal Program for People with AIDS Marks 25 Years: Bay Area Reporter (11.06.08) - Monday, November 10, 2008; Heather Tirado Gilligan; San Francisco s AIDS Legal Referral Panel, the Bay Area s only nonprofit providing low- or no-cost legal services to people with HIV/AIDS, will mark its 25th anniversary on Nov. 13 with a fundraising reception. Bill Hirsh, its executive director, says not everyone understands the importance of ALRP s work. Sometimes it
MISSOURI: HIV Scare Unnerves a Missouri High School: New York Times (11.09.08) - Monday, November 10, 2008; Malcolm Gay; This week, HIV test results are expected for students at a suburban St. Louis high school. The testing was prompted by an Oct. 13 letter stating that St. Louis County Health Department officials had reason to believe that a person at the school may have transmitted HIV among some Normandy Senior High School students.
UNITED STATES: Heterosexual Anal Sex Activity in the Year After an STD Clinic Visit: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Vol. 35; No. 11: P. 905-909 (11..08) - Monday, November 10, 2008; Lin H. Tian, MD, MS; Thomas A. Peterman, MD, MSc; Guoyu Tao, PhD; Lesley C. Brooks, BA; Carol Metcalf, MBChB, MPH; Kevin C. Malotte, DrPH; Sindy M. Paul, MD, MPH; John M. Douglas Jr., MD; The Respect-2 Study Group; The research team undertook the current study to describe anal sex activity during a year and to identify factors associated with heterosexual anal sex and condom use. They performed secondary analysis of data from a trial conducted in three public STD clinics. The patients described sexual behaviors every three months
ESTONIA: Estonia Has One of Europe's Top Rates of Injecting Drug Users: Baltic News Service (11.06.08) - Monday, November 10, 2008; A survey released Thursday by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) found Estonia has a higher prevalence of injecting drug users (IDUs) than other European nations. The EMCDDA report found that in most of the countries surveyed, IDUs represented between one and five people per 1,000 resi
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Confronting the AIDS Epidemic in the Pacific: Epoch Times (New York City) (11.04.08) - Monday, November 10, 2008; Julia Huang; Experts say greater cooperation among Papua New Guinea authorities and international and non-governmental entities will be critical to fighting HIV/AIDS there. PNG accounts for 80 percent of HIV/AIDS cases in the Pacific Islands region, with new diagnoses doubling between 2002 and 2006.
CARIBBEAN: Grim HIV/AIDS Figures for Caribbean: Caribbean Today (09..08) - Monday, November 10, 2008; Peter Richards; Recent figures released as part of the Caribbean Launch of the 2008 UNAIDS Global Report show HIV/AIDS epidemics in the region appear to be stabilizing. We have made some headway against HIV in the region, said Dr. Michel de Groulard, acting director of UNAIDS Caribbean Regional Support Team. But we still have a long
MISSISSIPPI: Health Department Fights Criticism over HIV Effort: Clarion Ledger (Jackson) (11.07.08) - Monday, November 10, 2008; Mark F. Bonner; At a news conference on Thursday, the chief of the Mississippi State Department of Health disputed claims that the department practiced racial discrimination by passing up federal HIV/AIDS funding for minorities. The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi and other nonprofit groups claimed MSDH failed to apply f
FLORIDA: Seminole Will Open New STD Clinic Today: Orlando Sentinel (11.06.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; Robyn Shelton; Responding to a spike in rates of HIV and other STDs, the Seminole County Health Department is opening a new clinic targeting the diseases. Sexual health education, prevention and testing services will be offered at the clinic, which is located in the department s existing offices on West Airport Boulevard.
AUSTRALIA: Schoolie Condom Campaign Launched: Australian Associated Press (11.07.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; Students celebrating Australia s Schoolies, a weeklong holiday for graduating high school seniors, are being offered free condoms by Marie Stopes International. The TXT 4 Free Condomz outreach will send two condoms in plain packaging to students who request them by texting to 19 SEXTXT. This initiative overcomes both t
ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia to See Sharp Rise in Orphans Running Households: NGO: Agence France Presse (11.11.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; In a report issued today, the Addis Ababa-based African Child Policy Forum predicted Ethiopia will see a four-fold increase in the number of orphan-led households in two years. Due to AIDS, poverty, and conflict, the number of child-headed families will grow from 77,000 in 2005 to 225,000 by 2010, the non-governmental
MOROCCO: 22,000 Moroccans Live with HIV: Official: Xinhua (11.06.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; About 22,000 Moroccans were HIV-positive in 2007, Health Minister Yasmina Baddou told the House of Representatives on Thursday in Rabat. The government s 2007-2011 AIDS response plan calls for enlarging prevention programs and administering 150,000 HIV tests by 2011; offering adequate treatment to those infected; and e
ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe Releases Missing AIDS Funds: Agence France Presse (11.07.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is today reporting that Zimbabwe s Reserve Bank has released US $7.3 million in unspent aid money intended to target the diseases. The central bank had acquired the money from commercial banks last year by enforcing a requirement that all foreign currency be channeled throu
MASSACHUSETTS: He Walks the World, Talks AIDS with Teens: Boston Globe (11.03.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; Billy Baker; Fitchburg native John Chittick, 60, has been talking with teens on the street about HIV/AIDS for more than a decade, a mission he has taken international in his travels to 80 countries. For his efforts, the founder of nonprofit TeenAIDS- PeerCorps has also been arrested in Cuba , detained in
SOUTH KOREA: Poor Prognosis Seen in TB Patients with Extensive Drug Resistance: Reuters Health (11.06.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; In a retrospective study, researchers assessed the impact of a diagnosis of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) on treatment outcomes and long-term survival of mostly HIV- negative South Korean patients with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). Treatment outcomes of [XDR-TB] have varied among studies, and data on long-t
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Sale of Drugs to Cut HIV Infection Allowed: Gulf News (Dubai) (11.05.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; Dina El Shammaa; The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Health has approved the dispensing of eight antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for HIV post- exposure prophylaxis (PEP) across the country, officials said recently. The drugs, if taken within 72 hours of exposure to the virus, can reduce the chances of HIV infection by about 79 percent. P
SOUTH AFRICA: Is Circumcision Helping Against HIV?: South African Press Assoc (11.04.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; Among South African participants of a 2002 population-based HIV/AIDS survey, HIV was significantly lower in men circumcised before age 12 (6.8 percent infected) than after (13.5 percent), government researchers there reported. Several large randomized controlled studies have found male circumcision reduces female-to-ma
INDIA: UN Urges India to Decriminalize Homosexuality: Agence France Presse (11.07.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; India s fight against HIV/AIDS would benefit from the country decriminalizing homosexuality, a top UN official said today. Countries that protect gays from discrimination have far better track records of protecting them from infection, said Jeffrey O Malley, director of the United Nations Development Program on HIV/AID
NEVADA: Class-Action Lawsuit Rejected in Hepatitis C Outbreak: Las Vegas Review-Journal (11.06.08) - Friday, November 07, 2008; Paul Harasim; On Tuesday, District Court Judge Allan Earl refused to certify a planned class-action suit against the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada (ECSN), the site of an outbreak in which at least six people contracted hepatitis C. Health officials in January learned that ECSN staff had been reusing single-use vials of medicin
CALIFORNIA: New Group for San Francisco Newcomers: Bay Area Reporter (11.06.08) - Thursday, November 06, 2008; Cynthia Laird; A group is forming to help new residents feel connected with the community and avoid substance abuse and HIV risk behaviors. The San Francisco Newcomers Assistance Program targets gay and bisexual men in their 20s and 30s, providing a space where people can talk with others who have moved to the city in the previous ye
SCOTLAND: Gay Blood Donor Appeal Rejected: BBC (11.04.08) - Thursday, November 06, 2008; The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service recently reaffirmed its exclusion of men who have sex with men from donating blood. The service told the Scottish Parliament petitions committee that HIV is increasing among gay males and that donor selection is the only way to ensure the safety of its blood products. The
MALAWI: Malawi Gets 20 Million Dollars to Fight AIDS and HIV: Agence France Presse (11.05.08) - Thursday, November 06, 2008; The Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria awarded Malawi $20 million for its HIV/AIDS programs, a senior official said Wednesday. The funds will be used to buy antiretroviral drugs and HIV test kits, said Washington Kaimvi of Malawi s National AIDS Commission. As of June, we had 184,405 patients on [ARVs], but we ho
OHIO: Clinic Has Walk-In Times for Teen Girls: Columbus Dispatch (11.02.08) - Thursday, November 06, 2008; Misti Crane; Planned Parenthood in Franklinton is adding a teen walk-in clinic service. From 2 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, teens 19 and younger can confidentially access annual exams, STD testing and treatment, and birth control and emergency contraception. No appointments are necessary. Charges are on a sliding scale based on income.
MARYLAND: Preventative Campaign Launched for Syphilis and HIV/AIDS: Washington Informer (09.11.08) - Thursday, November 06, 2008; Odell B. Ruffin; Health officials in Maryland have launched a campaign to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and syphilis among residents of Prince George s and Montgomery counties, particularly African Americans. Blacks comprise 90 percent of AIDS cases in Prince George s County. New advertising that communicates key messages about the di
UNITED STATES: HIV/STI Risk Behaviors Among Latino Migrant Workers in New Orleans Post-Hurricane Katrina Disaster: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Vol. 35; No. 11: P. 924-929 (11..08) - Thursday, November 06, 2008; Patricia Kissinger, PhD; Nicole Liddon, PhD; Norine Schmidt, MPH; Erin Curtin, MPH; Oscar Salinas, MD; Alfredo Narvaez, BS; After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans experienced a rapid influx of Latino migrant workers. Many of these men came to the area without their primary sex partner, potentially putting them at high risk for acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The current study was designed to assess the HIV/STI sexual
GLOBAL: Internews Trains Indian Journalists to Cover HIV/AIDS: India-West (San Leandro, CA) (10.03.08) - Thursday, November 06, 2008; Lisa Tsering; Recognizing the vital role that journalists play in disseminating health information, the nonprofit California- based Internews Network is working in 70 countries to encourage accuracy in health reporting. Local Voices, its training program, has worked with more than 1,000 reporters in India ,
IRELAND: Government Gives Up Cervical Cancer Vaccine Plan: Irish Times (Dublin) (11.05.08) - Thursday, November 06, 2008; Elaine Edwards; Martin Wall; Citing a rapidly and seriously deteriorating economic situation, the Irish government is calling off plans to vaccinate all 12-year-old girls against human papillomavirus (HPV). Health resources have become very scarce since the initiative was announced just three months ago, said Minister for Health Mary Harney. The p
ZIMBABWE: US: Zimbabwe Central Bank 'Diverts' Donor Funds: Voice of America (11.05.08) - Thursday, November 06, 2008; Peta Thornycroft; As the largest donor to humanitarian efforts in Zimbabwe , the United States said it will no longer channel funds to non- governmental organizations (NGOs) through the country s Reserve Bank. The decision follows an announcement this week by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria that the Reserve Bank has failed
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Grave Warnings of Disease, with the Adman's Flair: New York Times (11.04.08) - Thursday, November 06, 2008; Amanda Schaffer; An exhibition now on view at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington examines how public health experts have employed advertising techniques in the battle against disease. An Iconography of Contagion includes works from many countries targeting a range of diseases, including syphilis, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tube
CANADA: Third Saskatchewan Health Region Reports Reuse of Syringes in Operating Room: Canadian Press (11.04.08) - Wednesday, November 05, 2008; On Tuesday, a third health region in Saskatchewan said syringes were occasionally reused in an operating room at a local hospital to inject medicine into an intravenous bag. The Sun Country Health Region, in the southeastern corner of the province, said it discovered Weyburn General Hospital had been reusing syringes t
UNITED STATES: Corrected: Wart Virus Caused 25,000 Cancers a Year - CDC: Reuters (11.03.08) - Wednesday, November 05, 2008; Reuters has issued a correction to its article on CDC s new findings regarding human papillomavirus and cancer. Reuters coverage, which was summarized in yesterday s edition of PNU, incorrectly stated that HPV caused 25,000 cases of cancer over a five-year period. In fact, CDC s research showed that HPV caused 25,000 c
NEBRASKA: Agencies Help Teens Prevent Pregnancy: Omaha World-Herald (11.04.08) - Wednesday, November 05, 2008; Cindy Gonzalez; On Monday, a Pediatrics study found that the more teens watched sexual content on TV, the likelier they were to become pregnant or get someone pregnant. But local health advocates say simply switching off such programming is not the solution. There will be neighbors TVs, video iPods, magazines, and other media that wil
UNITED STATES: Abstinence-Only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy: Journal of Adolescent Health Vol. 42; No. 4: P. 344-351 (04..08) - Wednesday, November 05, 2008; Pamela K. Kohler, RN, MPH; Lisa E. Manhart, PhD; William E. Lafferty, MD; In the United States , the role that sex education plays in the initiation of sexual activity and risk of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) is controversial, the authors of the current study explained. Despite several systematic reviews, few epidemiological evaluations of the effectiveness of these
FRANCE: Experimental HIV Vaccine May Have Increased Infection Risk: Study: Agence France Presse (11.04.08) - Wednesday, November 05, 2008; A new study examines the failure of the candidate HIV-1 vaccine tested in Merck and Co. s STEP trial. Phase II trials of the vaccine were halted last year when it was learned the drug may have actually increased subjects likelihood of HIV infection, said researchers at France s Montpellier Institute of Molecular Geneti
THAILAND: Alarm over Rising HIV Infection Among Gay Men: The Nation (Thailand) (10.31.08) - Wednesday, November 05, 2008; HIV infections among gay men in Thailand have been rising in recent years, especially in tourist centers like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, health officials said recently. The news was delivered at an Oct. 30th conference about prevention lessons learned from a project targeting men who have sex with men (MSM).
CANADA: Surge in HIV Among Latinos Spurs Program: Toronto Star (11.03.08) - Wednesday, November 05, 2008; Lesley Ciarula Taylor; On the edge of Toronto s gay village, the Center for Spanish- Speaking Peoples (CSSP) runs an HIV/AIDS program from the fourth floor of a nondescript building, in a locked and shuttered office. The center receives telephone calls from abroad and locally, all from Latinos who are scared and want to talk. Many of the new
CANADA: Oil Boom, Transient Work Force Blamed for Syphilis Outbreak: Edmonton Journal (11.04.08) - Wednesday, November 05, 2008; Jodie Sinnema; In Edmonton on Monday, Alberta s health minister told the Standing Committee on Health that a syphilis outbreak in the province is the result of fast lifestyles among oilfield workers flush with cash. We have developed in this province over the past few years a very, I d say, careless attitude in some ways and I think
UNITED STATES: HIV Doctors May Treat All Infected, Adding Thousands: Bloomberg News (10.29.08) - Wednesday, November 05, 2008; John Lauerman; In light of recent research, public health experts are re- evaluating when HIV-positive patients should initiate antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. Because of concerns about medication side effects and the drug-resistant virus that can develop when regimens are not closely followed, treatment guidelines had long counseled
JORDAN: Help Scarce for Refugee Rape Victims in Jordan: Associated Press (11.03.08) - Tuesday, November 04, 2008; Iraqi women living as refugees in Jordan are more vulnerable to rape due to their illegal status, yet emergency contraceptives and post-exposure prophylaxis drugs to reduce the likelihood of contracting HIV are unavailable there. That was the message delivered Monday by Sarah Chynoweth of the New York-based Women s Com
VIETNAM: Over 132,000 People Infected with HIV in Vietnam: Xinhua (11.03.08) - Tuesday, November 04, 2008; Ministry of Health statistics reported Monday in Hanoi indicate that Vietnam has logged a total of 132,249 HIV cases and almost 40,000 AIDS-related deaths. The data were presented at the opening of the 16th Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Task Force on AIDS, which continues through Wednesd
UTAH: Shop for a Good Cause: Salt Lake Tribune (10.30.08) - Tuesday, November 04, 2008; Katie Drake; People With AIDS Coalition of Utah s Our Store: A Thrift Alternative is now open in downtown Salt Lake City. The mostly volunteer-run shop aims to provide supplementary income to PWACU s HIV/AIDS programs. Our Store s mission is to help PWACU become self-sustaining, said Toni Johnson, the coalition s executive director
TEXAS: Tarrant Health Officials Zeroed In on Tuberculosis Outbreak: Fort Worth Star Telegram (11.02.08) - Tuesday, November 04, 2008; A 2002 TB outbreak concentrated in homeless shelters around Fort Worth s East Lancaster Avenue has now been nearly eliminated, said Gerry Drewyer, TB division manager for the Tarrant County Public Health Department. The important thing is that we continue to do it, Drewyer said of the county s six-year TB elimination e
FRANCE: The Impact of Methadone or Buprenorphine Treatment and Ongoing Injection on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) Adherence: Evidence from the MANIF2000 Cohort Study: Addiction Vol. 103; No. 11: DOI: 10.1111/j.1360- 0443.2008.02323.x (11..08) - Tuesday, November 04, 2008; Perrine Roux; M. Patrizia Carrieri; Virgine Villes; Pierre Dellamonica; Isabelle Poizot-Martin; Isabelle Ravaux; Bruno Spire; To date, no data exist assessing the impact of either methadone or buprenorphine on adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the long term, the authors wrote. They designed the current study to determine whether receiving take-home methadone and buprenorphine may ensure better adherence to HAART in
SWAZILAND: AIDS-Hit Swaziland Promotes Circumcision: Associated Press (11.02.08) - Tuesday, November 04, 2008; Clare Nullis; Teams of Israeli surgeons are offering male circumcision in African nations, surgical expertise they honed in the early 1990s during the mass migration to Israel of Jews from the former Soviet Union. In Swaziland , where the government actively promotes the operation, the Jerusalem AIDS Project has several dozen surgeo
GLOBAL: World Losing AIDS Battle, Minister Warns as 220 Million Pound Fund Launched: The Guardian (London) (11.04.08) - Tuesday, November 04, 2008; Sarah Boseley; The British government announced today a new 220 million pound (US $353 million) fund for research into technological interventions to stop the spread of HIV. In London, the government is convening a meeting of researchers, industry, and experts to plan and prioritize prevention efforts. The global epidemic will contin
Joe De Capua: New Vaccine Candidate May Better Protect HIV- Positive People from TB: Voice of America (10.24.08) - Tuesday, November 04, 2008; Joe De Capua; Human trials of a new TB vaccine candidate designed to protect HIV-positive people from the bacterial infection are being planned, said Dr. Marcus Horwitz, professor of medicine, microbiology, and molecular genetics at the University of California-Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine. Horwitz said the current TB
UNITED STATES: Wart Virus Caused 25,000 Cancers in Five Years: CDC: Reuters (11.03.08) - Tuesday, November 04, 2008; Maggie Fox; From 1998 to 2003, human papillomavirus (HPV) caused an estimated 25,000 cancer cases in the United States , CDC said Monday. The leading cause of cervical cancer, HPV is also linked to anal and penile cancers and cancers of the mouth and throat. CDC looked at 38 states and Washington, D.C., and found nearly 7,400 case
NEW YORK: Chelsea STD Clinic Faulted: Gay City News (New York City) (10.30.08) - Monday, November 03, 2008; Patrick Hedlund; A recent report from the city Public Advocate s office rapped the Chelsea STD Clinic on Ninth Avenue as the least functional of 10 health department-run clinics surveyed. However, some of the findings could be mitigated by circumstances, the city health department said, pledging to follow up the report. According to th
WASHINGTON: New King County TB Cases Show Spike: Seattle Times (10.31.08) - Monday, November 03, 2008; Kyung M. Song; Last year, King County recorded 161 new TB diagnoses, an increase from 145 in 2006 and the highest number seen since 1969, Public Health-Seattle & King County reported on Thursday. The agency noted that an outbreak in the local Pacific Islander community resulted in a dozen cases. Health officials said the county s
UNITED STATES: HIV May Cause Dangerous Blood Clots: Reuters (10.21.08) - Monday, November 03, 2008; Patients who interrupt HIV treatment have a higher risk of blood clots and other problems with blood vessels, even if they are relatively healthy, according to a recently published international study. Researchers analyzed plasma samples from an earlier study that enrolled 5,472 HIV patients for either continuous antir
CANADA: Health Unit Offers Speedy New HIV Test: Waterloo Region Record (11.01.08) - Monday, November 03, 2008; Johanna Weidner; The Region of Waterloo Public Health in September began offering rapid HIV tests, part of a six-month pilot being conducted across Ontario. The point-of-care tests at the Waterloo office are free and confidential, and patients can get their results within minutes during their initial visit. It s a good testing service
NEPAL: HIV/AIDS Groups See Long Road to Halting Spread: Inter Press Service (10.28.08) - Monday, November 03, 2008; Renu Kshetry; The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria has approved $36 million for Nepal in the seventh round of its grant-making activities. Among Nepal s 75 districts, 25 now have sites administering antiretrovirals (ARVs). So far, however, only 1,920 people have taken advantage of the treatment, while the National Center fo
CHINA: China AIDS Patients Dying Because of 'Tragic Stigma': Reuters (10.30.08) - Monday, November 03, 2008; Emma Graham-Harrison; AIDS ignorance and tragic stigma are hampering China s efforts to fight its epidemic, a top activist said Thursday. A recent UNAIDS-sponsored survey of 6,000 people in six Chinese cities found two-thirds said they would be unwilling to live with an HIV-infected person, and a fifth said they would be unwilling to care f
ZIMBABWE: Aid Group Says Zimbabwe Misused $7.3 Million and Hasn't Repaid It: New York Times (11.03.08) - Monday, November 03, 2008; Celia W. Dugger; The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is demanding Zimbabwe give back $7.3 million earmarked to fight killer diseases there. Fund Inspector General John Parsons said President Robert Mugabe s government has failed to honor requests to return the money, and its actions jeopardize a $188 million grant due to be c
UNITED STATES: Teen Pregnancies Tied to Tastes for Sexy TV Shows: Associated Press (11.03.08) - Monday, November 03, 2008; Lindsay Tanner; Teenagers who watch lots of TV programming with sexual dialogue and behavior have much higher rates of pregnancy compared with those who watch fewer such programs, a new Rand Corp. study finds. Lead author Anita Chandra said the report is the first to link viewing habits with teen pregnancy. Previous studies by some of
RHODE ISLAND: Brown University Trick-or-Treaters Could Score a Condom: University Wire (10.24.08) - Friday, October 31, 2008; Shannon O'Brien, Brown Daily Herald; Some Brown University students have been receiving an unusual seasonal greeting in their mailbox: a condom-gram complete with a chocolate and Halloween decorations. The note delivered with the condom reads, Someone is wishing you a safe and happy Halloween - because nothing is scarier than unsafe sex! The condom-grams
LOUISIANA: Hip Hop for Hope: Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (10.30.08) - Friday, October 31, 2008; The third annual New Orleans Hip Hop for Hope Benefit Concert is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8. The event seeks to raise money and awareness to fight HIV/AIDS in the city. A coalition of students, music industry professionals and community leaders is sponsoring the concert along with the Upward Bound foundation and se
BRAZIL: Brazil Government Site Gives Tips to Prostitutes: Associated Press (10.28.08) - Friday, October 31, 2008; Bradley Brooks; A spokesperson for Brazil s Labor Ministry said Tuesday that a Web resource offering health and occupational tips to sex workers will be toned down in response to critics, who complained that the site encourages prostitution. Launched by the government in 2002, the site includes HIV information and advises prostitutes
NEW MEXICO: Hike Toward Health; For Gay Men, Self-Worth the Core of HIV Prevention: Albuquerque Journal (10.27.08) - Friday, October 31, 2008; Phil Parker; Adventure Out! is an HIV/AIDS awareness group that operates out of the Adult Health Services Program at the Santa Fe Mountain Center (SFMC) in Tesuque. Designed for gay men and transgendered persons, Adventure Out! uses the outdoors in place of more traditional gay gathering spots. The group hikes the local trails, an
INDIANA: Employee Suspended over STD Test Lapse: Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (10.29.08) - Friday, October 31, 2008; Michael Schroeder; A disease intervention specialist with the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health s HIV/STD Prevention Program has been suspended for three weeks without pay for leaving specimens collected for STD testing overnight in her car. The package of blood and urine samples was discovered near the 3900 block of Nokomis R
LOUISIANA: Wait for HIV Funds Frustrates Officials: Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (10.31.08) - Friday, October 31, 2008; David Hammer; New Orleans City Council members on Thursday grilled an official of Mayor Ray Nagin s administration over why it took more than half a year for seven dedicated employees to distribute $7 million in HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention grants. Fran Lawless, director of the mayor s Office of Health Policy, told the council
UNITED STATES: New Antibiotics Offer Hope in Fight Against Drug-Resistant TB: Study: Agence France Presse (10.16.08) - Friday, October 31, 2008; A new class of antibiotics could help treat drug-resistant tuberculosis and other bacterial infections, according to scientists at Rutgers University s Howard Hughes Institute. Lead researcher Richard Ebright and colleagues discovered three naturally occurring antibiotic compounds that can be used to create new drugs t
GLOBAL: Women Need Empowerment in Fight Against AIDS: UN: Reuters (10.17.08) - Friday, October 31, 2008; Ben Blanchard; At a recent poverty elimination conference in Beijing, the UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia-Pacific said a lack of respect for women is helping drive the spread of HIV/AIDS in the region. Gender-based violence and discrimination on grounds of gender drive the HIV and AIDS epidemic, said Nafis Sadik. Empowerment of
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa Pioneers HIV-Positive Transplants: The Guardian (London) (10.25.08) - Friday, October 31, 2008; Belinda Beresford; Cape Town surgeons recently conducted the first organ transplants from one HIV-positive patient to another, opening up a procedure that South African authorities once banned for those infected. Nearly a third of potentially transplantable organs are discarded in South Africa because the donors were HIV-positive. Dr. El
UNITED STATES: US Study Says Doctors Subconsciously Favor Whites: Reuters (10.28.08) - Friday, October 31, 2008; In a new study, doctors showed a subconscious favoring of whites over blacks - an unwitting bias that may refine explications of persistent racial disparities in US health care. However, it is too early to know if there is a direct link to the quality of care provided to blacks, said researchers, who presented their fi
ZIMBABWE: Zimbabweans Fighting HIV/AIDS Turned Away as State Clinics Close: Voice of America (10.29.08) - Thursday, October 30, 2008; Sylvia Manika; Carole Gombakomba; Brenda Moyo; In Zimbabwe , a widening strike by health professionals has shuttered several clinics that provide critical HIV/AIDS services, including treatment of opportunistic infections and antiretroviral distribution. Nurses and doctors joined the strike, forcing the closure of clinics in Parirenyatwa and Harare hospitals in the
UNITED STATES: OraSure's Hepatitis C Test Awaits FDA Approval: Morning Call (Allentown, PA) (10.29.08) - Thursday, October 30, 2008; Kevin Duffy; On Tuesday, OraSure Technologies Inc. announced it had submitted a pre-market approval application to the Food and Drug Administration for a rapid hepatitis C virus test that uses the OraQuick technology platform. The OraQuick HCV test would be the nation s first rapid HCV test, utilize five specimen types, and have a
UNITED STATES: HIV/AIDS Drug Gains Tentative FDA Approval: United Press International (10.29.08) - Thursday, October 30, 2008; The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted tentative approval to generic lamivudine, which will enable the AIDS drug s use in the President s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The drug, marketed by Macleods Pharmaceuticals Ltd. of India , is the 75th generic antiretroviral FDA h
FLORIDA: Silence About HIV Worries Treasure Coast Officials: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (10.27.08) - Thursday, October 30, 2008; Hillary Copsey; Health authorities in Florida s Treasure Coast counties worry that widespread stigma and fear of AIDS may be keeping people from being tested for HIV - and that the area s case counts may thus be artificially low. Martin and Indian River counties have each reported just over 100 HIV cases since 1997. St. Lucie County s
UNITED STATES: New AIDS Drug, New Abbott Rival: Chicago Tribune (10.30.08) - Thursday, October 30, 2008; Bruce Japsen; At this week s 48th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Washington, a head- to-head study of two AIDS drugs found Johnson & Johnson s Prezista is non-inferior to Abbott Laboratories Kaletra . About 10 protease inhibitors are sold in the
UNITED STATES: HPV Infection Rates Similar in Men and Women: Reuters Health (10.10.08) - Thursday, October 30, 2008; David Douglas; In a new study, researchers found that men are at high risk of acquiring human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, though most last no more than a year - about the same length of time the STD persists in women. The researchers - Dr. Anna R. Giuliano of the Tampa, Fla.- based H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Insti
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa Health Care Receives a Huge Cash Injection: Business Day (South Africa) (10.22.08) - Thursday, October 30, 2008; Tamar Kahn; A mid-term budget statement shows Finance Minister Trevor Manuel has allocated extra funds for dealing with South Africa s HIV/AIDS epidemic, in addition to focusing on long- term efforts to boost health infrastructure and retaining skilled staff in the public sector. An additional 300 million rand (US $28.6 million) w
UNITED KINGDOM: Cash to Boost Cervical Screening: BBC (10.28.08) - Thursday, October 30, 2008; With the launch of a new 250,000 pounds (US $408,151) initiative, the National Health Service (NHS) hopes to address a growing problem: Fewer women in England are being screened for cervical cancer. We are aware that coverage rates are declining across the country, particularly in young women, said a Department of Heal
ALABAMA: State Teen Pregnancy Up 2nd Year in a Row: Birmingham News (10.28.08) - Thursday, October 30, 2008; Anna Velasco; Alabama s teen pregnancy rate rose for the second straight year in 2007, according to data released Monday. After dropping steadily from 57.1 pregnancies per 1,000 girls ages 10-19 in 1996 to 37.5 in 2005, the rate rose to 39.6 in 2006 and was 39.7 last year. Any time that we see numbers like this moving in the wrong d
SOUTH AFRICA: AIDS Orphans Growing as Adoptions Slow in South Africa: Agence France Presse (10.27.08) - Wednesday, October 29, 2008; On Monday, Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya said adoptions of AIDS orphans in South Africa are down 13 percent from last year while cases of abuse are steadily growing. Of South Africa s approximately 1.5 million AIDS orphans, only about 1,900 were adopted in 2007, said Skweyiya. South Africa is facing a chal
CHILE: Chile's Health Minister Resigns amid AIDS Scandal: Reuters (10.28.08) - Wednesday, October 29, 2008; Chilean Health Minister Maria Soledad Barria resigned Tuesday following an AIDS scandal earlier this month and the news on Monday that President Michelle Bachelet plans a cabinet reshuffle ahead of next year s presidential election. The president has accepted the resignation of Minister Barria and has designated her de
GLOBAL: Vaccination Programs Avert 3.4 Million Deaths: Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization: Agence France Presse (10.28.08) - Wednesday, October 29, 2008; Vaccine programs targeting hepatitis and meningitis in the world s poorest countries will have saved the lives of 3.4 million people by the end of 2008, the public-private Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization said Wednesday. In its latest report, GAVI said the hepatitis B vaccine is projected to reach 192.2 mi
TENNESSEE: Syphilis Cases on Rise in Knox: Knoxville News-Sentinel (10.28.08) - Wednesday, October 29, 2008; Kristi L. Nelson; On Monday, Knox County health officials warned residents about a recent rise in syphilis cases. So far this year, the health department has seen 46 syphilis cases, an increase from 37 last year and 27 in 2006, said Martha Buchanan, the county public health officer. There is a very specific population who is most at ris
UNITED STATES: Ethnic Differences in HIV Risk Behaviors Among Methadone-Maintained Women Receiving Contingency Management for Cocaine Use Disorders: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Vol. 98; No. 1-2: P. 144-153 (11..08) - Wednesday, October 29, 2008; Danielle Barry; Jeremiah Weinstock; Nancy M. Petry; The study s goal was to identify ethnic differences in HIV risk behaviors among cocaine-using women receiving methadone maintenance for opioid dependence, and further to evaluate the efficacy of contingency management (CM) for cocaine use disorders in reducing HIV risk behaviors. Included in the study were 47 African-A
SOUTH AFRICA: New Grant Proposed for Chronic Illness Sufferers: Business Day (South Africa) (10.21.08) - Wednesday, October 29, 2008; Tamar Kahn; In signs it is finally beginning to implement the National Strategic AIDS Plan, the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) has tasked researchers with developing new policies about chronic disease grants and about male circumcision and HIV. The government is hopeful that the new grant, which will cover a range of
SOUTH AFRICA; UNITED STATES: New HIV Vaccine Trials Raise Hopes: Inter Press Service (10.20.08) - Wednesday, October 29, 2008; Stephanie Nieuwoudt; Within a few months, two experimental HIV/AIDS vaccines from South Africa will be administered to a small number of volunteers in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Boston. This will mark the first time HIV vaccine candidates produced in the developing world are trialed in a developed nation. At the AIDS Vaccine 2008 Conf
UNITED KINGDOM: Sex Education to Begin at Five in All Schools: The Guardian (London) (10.24.08) - Wednesday, October 29, 2008; Polly Curtis; The Department for Children, Schools and Family is planning to make sex and relationship education mandatory for primary and secondary schools in England, which has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Europe. Currently, secondary schools must teach only the mechanics of sex in biology classes, outside of the con
NEW MEXICO: State Requiring Artists to Obtain a Permit by Nov. 12: Albuquerque Journal (10.25.08) - Wednesday, October 29, 2008; Olivier Uyttebrouck; Under a law passed last year by the Legislature, Nov. 12 is the deadline for tattoo, body piercing, and permanent cosmetic artists to obtain a license to practice. However, just 47 tattoo artists and 17 establishments had applied as of Oct. 24. The number of practitioners in the state is likely much higher, said Jeanin
NORTH CAROLINA: Web Site Designed for Women with HIV/AIDS: News and Observer (Raleigh NC) (10.29.08) - Wednesday, October 29, 2008; Sarah Avery; Alarmed over the high HIV/AIDS burden among women - particularly women of color - the Southern AIDS Coalition (SAC) has launched a new Web-based effort called the Southern AIDS Living Quilt. The site features video testimonies of 30 Southern women who are living with or working to fight HIV/AIDS. By 2007, the South had
NEW YORK: Sexual Disease Clinic Extending Its Hours: Buffalo News (10.12.08) - Tuesday, October 28, 2008; The Niagara County Health Department s STD clinic - where confidential services are available to all age 12 and older, and no appointment is necessary - has announced new, extended hours. The clinic is now open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each Monday and Wednesday, except holidays observed by county offices. Testing and
SOUTH AFRICA: Firing over HIV Drugs Ruled Wrongful: New York Times (10.23.08) - Tuesday, October 28, 2008; Celia W. Dugger; A judge in South Africa has found in favor of a doctor who was sacked by a provincial health department seven years ago. In 2001, Dr. Malcolm Naude was fired from the Mpumalanga Province Health Department for violating its prohibition against prescribing antiretrovirals to rape survivors to lessen their chances of bein
AUSTRALIA: A Call that May Bring Positive News - if You're Unlucky in Love: The Age (Melbourne) (10.28.08) - Tuesday, October 28, 2008; Julia Medew; Health officials in Victoria are this week launching a new Web site to help people inform their sexual contacts that they may have been exposed to an STD. Entitled Let Them Know, the site offers STD-infected users the option of notifying their sexual partners via anonymous e-mail or text message. The effort replicates
PENNSYLVANIA: High Rate of HIV Cases Is 'Wake-Up Call' for Philadelphia: Philadelphia Inquirer (10.28.08) - Tuesday, October 28, 2008; Don Sapatkin; New numbers based on 2006 CDC data show an estimated 1,400 Philadelphians are newly infected with HIV each year. Philadelphians are being infected at a rate more than 50 percent higher than New York City residents and five times the national average, according to the data. More than 16,000 city residents already have H
UNITED STATES: Smallpox Vaccine Safe in HIV-Infected Patients: Reuters Health (10.27.08) - Tuesday, October 28, 2008; Anthony J. Brown, MD; Research presented Saturday at the 48th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Washington indicates that the third-generation smallpox vaccine IMVAMUNE is safe and effective for HIV-infected patients. In the study, the vaccine was administered to HIV-positive and HIV-negative patient
SOUTH AFRICA: AIDS-Related Death Rate in South Africa 'Falling': Business Day (South Africa) (10.24.08) - Tuesday, October 28, 2008; Tamar Kahn; The rate of increase in mortality among South African young adults has slowed, which two leading experts attribute to the public provision of antiretroviral drugs. South Africa s ARV rollout began in 2004. The governmental Statistics South Africa (SSA) mortality report, released online Thursday, showed mortality among
AUSTRALIA: The Sex Talk Non-Existent for 20 Percent of Teens: Survey: Australian Associated Press (10.27.08) - Tuesday, October 28, 2008; Tamara McLean; Sexual health advocates are calling for sex education to be required in Australian schools, citing a recent survey showing 20 percent of teens do not talk with their parents about sex. The survey, commissioned by Marie Stopes International (MSI), polled 1,000 Australian teenagers and their parents. Among parents, 22 pe
CANADA: Up to 2,700 Alberta Patients to Be Tested After Used Syringes Used on Patients: Canadian Press (10.27.08) - Tuesday, October 28, 2008; On Monday, health officials in Alberta announced that up to 2,700 patients of the High Prairie Health Complex will need to be tested for HIV and hepatitis. A handful of nurses involved in endoscopic and dental surgery procedures had routinely reused syringes in patients IV lines, officials said. The practice was discov
UNITED STATES: Child-Prostitution Roundup Snares over 600: Associated Press (10.27.08) - Tuesday, October 28, 2008; Natasha T. Metzler; A 29-city federal, state and local law enforcement prostitution roundup headed by the FBI has resulted in the arrests of more than 600 adults and the rescue of 47 children. The raids stemming from Operation Cross Country II dismantled 12 major sex trafficking rings run through call services, Web sites, truck stops, and
UNITED STATES: Aggressive Vaccine Effort Could Cut Cervical Cancer: Reuters (10.26.08) - Tuesday, October 28, 2008; Julie Steenhuysen; A new mathematical model shows cervical cancer rates could be cut in half for US women up to age 45 if every female were vaccinated against human papillomavirus, the common STD linked to cervical cancer, researchers said Saturday at the 48th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Was
MISSOURI: Tattoo Needles Discounted in School HIV Exposure: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (10.25.08) - Monday, October 27, 2008; At Normandy High School in St. Louis, where follow-up after an HIV diagnosis indicated that up to 50 students have may been exposed to the virus, health officials have ruled out tattooing as a possible transmission route. There is no sign that tattoos or tattoo parlors are involved, said the St. Louis County Health Dep
GLOBAL: Gates Foundation Seeks Out Nontypical Research to Fund: Wall Street Journal (10.23.08) - Monday, October 27, 2008; Robert A. Guth; On Wednesday, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it is granting 104 researchers in 22 countries $100,000 each to explore unusual approaches for tackling diseases - including HIV/AIDS and TB - as well as other global health issues. The $100 million earmarked for the program, called Grand Challenges Explor
GLOBAL: WHO Slashes AIDS Mortality Projections: Agence France Presse (10.27.08) - Monday, October 27, 2008; In the latest edition of its Global Burden of Disease report, released today in Geneva, the World Health Organization lowered the number of global deaths it expects from HIV/AIDS. WHO s earlier estimate, which assumed antiretrovirals would reach 80 percent of those needing them by 2012, predicted that AIDS deaths would
CALIFORNIA: Oakland Housing Authority Awarded $2.7 Million for AIDS Housing: Contra Costa Times (10.21.08) - Monday, October 27, 2008; Kamika Dunlap; California s Department of Housing and Community Development- Multifamily Housing Program has given Oakland $2.7 million in housing assistance for area HIV/AIDS patients. The Oakland Housing Authority will use the funds to build a two-story, 20,000-square-foot development in East Oakland at the former Alita Brand Macar
UNITED STATES: Studies: Newer HIV Drugs More Tolerable for Many: Associated Press (10.26.08) - Monday, October 27, 2008; Linda A. Johnson; Patients on newer HIV drugs did well and had fewer side effects that stopped treatment, according to several studies presented Sunday in Washington at the 48th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The company-funded studies could support extending first-line approval to HIV drugs now
UNITED STATES; CANADA: AIDS Treatment Should Start Sooner, Study Finds: Associated Press (10.26.08) - Monday, October 27, 2008; Marilynn Marchione; A new study presented Sunday at the 48th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Washington suggests that people with HIV should begin antiretroviral treatment sooner than guidelines currently recommend. Delaying ARVs until patients T-cell counts fall below 350 nearly doubles the risk
CHINA: Mothers' Plea After Children with Hepatitis Refused Nursery Places: The Guardian (London) (10.24.08) - Monday, October 27, 2008; Tania Branigan; In China on Thursday, 101 mothers whose toddlers were denied admittance to nursery school because they have hepatitis B appealed to the government for help and an end to discrimination against people with the virus. Our children have already been unfortunate enough to be infected with hepatitis B, and yet [are] treated
ZAMBIA: Zambian AIDS Victims Say Left in Dark Ahead of Poll: Reuters (10.27.08) - Monday, October 27, 2008; Shapi Shacinda; Zambian AIDS activists are decrying the fact that the two top candidates in the country s Oct. 30 presidential election have remained largely silent about how they plan to deal with HIV/AIDS. More than a million of Zambia s 12 million people are HIV- positive. UN figures show almost 56,000 Zambians died of HIV/AIDS-rel
UNITED STATES: Immigrants' Advocates Decry Gardasil Requirement: Los Angeles Times (10.22.08) - Monday, October 27, 2008; Mary Engel; New female immigrants ages 11-26 must be inoculated against human papillomavirus in order to become US residents, despite concerns about adding unnecessary layers to the naturalization process and questions about the HPV vaccine s efficacy for older women, immigration advocates say. A 1996 law stipulates that the US Ci
GEORGIA: A Day for Hope: Southern Voice (Atlanta) (10.24.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; Matt Schafer; AIDS Walk Atlanta, held on Oct. 19, attracted almost 12,000 participants. Organizers hope the final amount raised by the event, which benefits nine metro Atlanta AIDS service organizations, will come close to last year s total of $1.017 million.
ALABAMA: Red Ribbon Health Fair Scheduled: Birmingham News (10.22.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; On Tuesday, the Brighton Anti-Drug Coalition and Gateway will host the Red Ribbon Health Fair at the Brighton Community Center. In addition to information of preventing drug abuse, the event will offer free HIV testing and HIV prevention information presented by AIDS Alabama. The free event will be held from 3 to 5 p.m
ILLINOIS: New AIDS Web Site Launched: Windy City Times (10.22.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; AIDS Foundation of Chicago has kicked off a new Web site whose aim is to serve as a one-stop shop for HIV/AIDS resources, information and events. The site, www.aidsconnect.net, is hosted by AFC s Service Providers Council.
CANADA: Warning out After Toronto Restaurant Worker Tests Positive for Hepatitis A: Canadian Press (10.23.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; A restaurant worker s diagnosis with hepatitis A prompted Toronto Public Health to issue a warning to patrons of Sushi Haru, 635 College St. Persons who ate food from the establishment between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3 or between Oct. 6 and 10 should be alert for signs of the ailment, authorities said. Post-exposure administ
NORTH CAROLINA: AIDS Service Group to Launch Medical Clinic: Charlotte Observer (10.17.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; Karen Garloch; The Metrolina AIDS Project of Charlotte opened a new medical clinic on Oct. 20 using a five-year, $360,000 grant from the US Health Resources and Services Administration. The Metrolina Care Network Clinic (MCNC) will offer primary care and other services, including case management, counseling and testing. MCNC will be
MISSOURI: HIV Scare Puts Missouri School in Uncertain Territory: Associated Press (10.24.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; Cheryl Wittenauer; Students at Normandy High School in Normandy this week were screened for HIV after potentially being exposed to the virus by a newly diagnosed person. The Normandy School District is consulting with national AIDS organizations to help prevent transmission and to counter misinformation. The district does not know the in
UNITED STATES: Serum RPR Testing Predicts Success of Neurosyphilis Treatment: Reuters Health (10.22.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; New research finds that measuring the serum level of rapid plasma reagin (RPR) can generally predict the success of treatment for neurosyphilis, thereby avoiding lumbar puncture for confirmatory cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing. Successful treatment for neurosyphilis is usually defined as normalization of CSF and clin
UNITED KINGDOM: British Doctor Chooses Gardasil Shot over Cervarix: Reuters (10.23.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; A British doctor says Gardasil - not its competitor Cervarix - is the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that most UK physicians are prescribing for their own daughters. The NHS [National Health Service] vaccination program may have opted for the bivalent vaccine (Cervarix) to concentrate resources on preventing cervic
CANADA: Boys Need HPV Vaccine, Too; Nobel Winner Says Males Carry Cancer-Linked Virus: Toronto Star (10.23.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; Trish Crawford; The doctor whose discovery of the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer earned him this year s Nobel Prize for medicine says boys as well as girls should be vaccinated against the STD. Speaking to some 400 researchers and health specialists in Toronto on Tuesday, Dr. Harald zur Hausen said the imm
NEW YORK: Slip of Needle Could Cost a Life: Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) (10.17.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; Cathleen F. Crowley; Concerned about the dangers of possible disease transmission via accidental needlesticks, some first-responders and other health care professionals are working to change a New York state law that requires a patient s written consent prior to HIV testing after such mishaps. Dr. Michael Dailey, regional emergency medical
NEVADA: Official: 114 Hepatitis Cases May Trace to Clinics: Associated Press (10.23.08) - Friday, October 24, 2008; Ken Ritter; State health investigators said Thursday that 114 Las Vegas patients may have contracted hepatitis C virus from unsterile medical injection practices first detected Jan. 2. Earlier this year, the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) began contacting the outpatients of two endoscopy centers in Las Vegas where investig
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Free Screenings, Flu Shots at Church Health Fair: Washington Post (10.23.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; A free health fair this Saturday at Washington s Greater First Baptist Church will feature screenings for HIV and a variety of other medical conditions, as well as flu shots. The fair will take place from noon to 3 p.m. at 2701 13th St. NW; for more information, telephone Lynell Rawlings at 202-409-5315.
LOUISIANA: Pact Provides Doctors for Ouachita AIDS Inmates: Associated Press (10.10.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; A specialist physician from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center will make regular visits to prisoners with AIDS at Ouachita Parish Correctional Center under an agreement recently announced. For years, inmates with AIDS as well as other prisoners had been treated by general-care doctors from LSU-Monroe. Bu
AUSTRALIA: Funding Needed to Stem Flow of Hepatitis B Cases: Australian Associated Press (10.21.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; At the sixth Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference in Brisbane this week, health experts called for greater attention and funding to hepatitis B in Australia . More than 160,000 Australians are affected by the virus, and some 6,000 new cases are reported each year. Unlike hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS, there is currently
EUROPEAN UNION: EU Awards Rights Prize to Jailed Chinese Dissident Hu: Agence France Presse (10.23.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; Yann Ollivier; Today in Strasbourg, France , the European Parliament bestowed a prestigious rights award upon Hu Jia, a Chinese activist noted for his work on behalf of civil rights, the environment, and HIV/AIDS patients. Hu is currently serving a 3.5-year prison sentence in China for inciting subversion of state powe
TEXAS: We Were Wrong' for Sitting on the Sidelines on AIDS, Ad Says: Dallas Morning News (10.17.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; Sam Hodges; We were wrong, said an attention-grabbing full-page ad in the Oct. 16th edition of the Dallas Morning News. The ad, placed by the Springcreek Church of Garland, deplored the church s having sat on the sidelines while AIDS devastated Africa. We were wrong; we re sorry. Please forgive us, the ad concluded. Contacted abo
PENNSYLVANIA: Teen Sexuality Topic of Penn State Fayette Workshop: Tribune-Review (Greensburg) (10.19.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; Marilyn Forbes; A day-long workshop - Risky Business, Sexually Transmitted Infections/Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Youth - was recently presented at Penn State Fayette-Eberly Campus. Patricia Barthalow Koch, a professor of behavioral health at Penn State s University Park campus and the president of the Society for the Scientific
TURKEY: New TB Blood Test Seen More Accurate: Reuters (10.21.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; Michael Kahn; A new blood test, ELISpot, is 1.5 times better at identifying persons with TB than conventional skin testing, researchers reported in a new study. Traditional TB testing involves injecting components of the TB bacterium into the patient s skin; resultant swelling can indicate dormant TB infection. But these tests are p
UNITED KINGDOM: Scouts' 'Be Prepared' Motto Now Includes Sex: Australian Associated Press (10.20.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; The London-based Scout Association has introduced new guidelines for sex education. Now, scouts will be taught about contraception, pregnancy testing, and what to do if they believe they are being forced to have sex. They will also visit sexual health clinics and be given free condoms. The Scout Association believes th
CANADA: Opposition to HPV Vaccine 'Dismaying': Daily Herald-Tribune (10.22.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; Helen Branswell, Canadian Press; On Monday, the German co-winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in medicine said he is disappointed that some critics have such trepidation and distrust of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Dr. Herald zur Hausen is in Canada to give the Gairdner lecture at the University of Western Ontario. It is a little bit dismay
UNITED STATES: Few Adverse Reactions to Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Reuters (10.22.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; The human papillomavirus inoculation Gardasil did not cause vaccinated women and girls to suffer a number of adverse events documented since its approval, CDC officials reported Wednesday. Since Merck and Co s HPV vaccine received US approval, CDC and the Food and Drug Administration have monitored its safety. The safe
UNITED STATES: US FDA Expands Approval for Johnson & Johnson HIV Drug: Reuters (10.22.08) - Thursday, October 23, 2008; On Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson announced that its HIV drug Prezista (darunavir) has received US approval for patients just beginning treatment. Prezista was already approved for use in treatment-experienced patients with drug-resistant HIV. The firm said the Food and Drug Administration also finalized its 2006 ini
GEORGIA: Gwinnett School Cautious on TB: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (10.22.08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; Craig Schneider; Earlier this month, a Meadowcreek High School student s positive test for TB prompted health authorities to perform skin tests on 170 students and five staff members who had been in close contact with the infected youth. Twenty-five students tested positive for TB exposure, though none showed symptoms of active disease
AUSTRALIA: More Women Having Pap Tests: Government: Australian Associated Press (10.17.08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; More than 60 percent of New South Wales women over age 20 are now having regular Pap tests, new government figures show. This is an increase of 95,000 women who ve had a test to check for the onset of cervical cancer in the 12 months to July 2008, said Tony Stewart, the minister assisting the minister for health (cance
AUSTRALIA: Cervical Cancer Vaccines Creator Wins Prime Minister's Science Prize: Australian Associated Press (10.16.08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; Queensland Professor Ian Frazer has been awarded the Australian Prime Minister s Prize for Science in recognition of his work to create vaccines against human papillomavirus, certain strains of which cause most cases of cervical cancer. Professor Frazer s work provides invaluable protection against cervical cancer and
CALIFORNIA: San Jose State University: Blood Drive Suspension for 'Discrimination' Against Gay Men Still Stands: University Wire (10.08.08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; Joey Akeley, Spartan Daily; Blood drives have been suspended at San Jose State University (SJSU) since Feb. 1 because federal government policies forbidding blood donations by men who have had sex with men (MSM) were considered discriminatory. In March, San Jose- Evergreen Community College took the same action. According to Larry Carr, a public
MISSOURI: 50 at Normandy High Face HIV Risk: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (10.22.08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; Blythe Bernhard; After announcing last week that some students at Normandy High School may have been exposed to HIV, health authorities on Tuesday revised to 50 their estimate of students potentially at risk. The matter began as a routine investigation into one HIV diagnosis, which in turn led to concerns about a number of students. Of
MINNESOTA: Ex-Inmates Sue County over TB Infections: St. Paul Pioneer Press (10.21.08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; Jeremy Olson; Two former inmates are suing Ramsey County in federal court, alleging that improper TB screening and treatment this spring at the Maplewood workhouse violated their civil rights. According to the lawsuit, staff members ignored signs of an active TB case at the workhouse, despite a written petition by 20 inmates urging
UNITED STATES: HIV Risk Behavior Among Patients with Co- occurring Bipolar and Substance Use Disorders: Associations with Mania and Drug Abuse: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Vol. 92; No. 1-3: P. 296-300 (01..08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; Christina S. Meade; Fiona S. Graff; Margaret L. Griffin; Roger D. Weiss; The researchers note that bipolar and substance use disorders often co-occur, and both are associated with impulsivity, impaired judgment and risk-taking. In this study, the team set out to describe the rates of HIV sexual and drug risk behaviors among patients with co-occurring bipolar and substance use disorders; to
CHINA: HIV Infections Up Sharply Among Hong Kong Gay Men: Reuters (10.17.08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; Tan Ee Lyn; Effective HIV prevention programs are urgently needed to stop an ongoing increase in new infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Hong Kong , experts warn. Hong Kong has seen the number of HIV diagnoses in MSM rise sharply - from 50 cases in 2003 to 67 in 2004, 96 in 2005 and 112 in 2006.
SOUTH AFRICA: Scientists to Test TB Vaccine in Cape Town: Business Day (South Africa) (10.20.08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; Tamar Kahn; Local researchers are enrolling adult volunteers in Cape Town in a phase II trial of a potential TB vaccine. The experimental vaccine, found safe in one smaller US trial, was developed by the Dutch pharmaceutical firm Crucell and the not-for-profit Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation. The University of Cape Town s Lung
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa Urges Red Cross to Find New AIDS Strategies: Agence France Presse (10.20.08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; On Monday in Johannesburg, South Africa s new minister of health urged attendees at the Seventh Pan-African Conference of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies to seek fresh approaches to fight HIV/AIDS. The gathering included the leaders of all 53 African societies. They look upon us for a change in their plight, said
UNITED STATES: You've Got Mail. And Maybe Something Else: Washington Post (10.21.08) - Wednesday, October 22, 2008; Ishani Ganguli; Since its launch in 2004, more than 30,000 people have accessed inSPOT (www.inspot.org), an online STD notification service. Developed by public health experts for San Francisco men who have sex with men (MSM), the site has expanded to include people of both genders and all sexual orientations, and it has been replicat
SOUTH CAROLINA: Palmetto Family Council Gets $3 Million Abstinence Grant: Associated Press (10.19.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; The US Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a five-year, $3 million abstinence education grant to the Palmetto Family Council, a conservative group. President Oran Smith said PFC will raise matching funds and begin hiring employees for the new project, which will involve promoting abstinence until marria
OREGON: Willamette Student Panel Votes to Put Safe-Sex Posters Back Up: The Oregonian (Portland) (10.16.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; Kimberly A.C. Wilson; Willamette University s House of Hall Representatives has voted to allow dorm resident assistants to display any poster with an appropriate health or safety message, including posters with condoms. Two weeks earlier, a parent had complained after observing a poster reading Strong women protect themselves, with condoms
MASSACHUSETTS: Government Axes 1,000 Jobs and $1 Billion: Boston Herald (10.16.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; Dave Wedge; Facing a $1.4 billion budget shortfall, Gov. Deval Patrick is implementing sweeping cuts in state jobs and programs. Patrick s plan eliminates 1,000 jobs from the state s workforce of 45,000 people. His budget cuts include: $1.5 million from AIDS prevention and treatment services; $611,000 from suicide prevention; $5 m
MALAWI: Malawi Drops HIV Cash Handouts: BBC (10.13.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; Under a new policy, Malawian civil servants with HIV - who previously received an additional $35 a month to help purchase food - will now be given food instead. The money may not be spent on what you intended it for, said Dr. Mary Shawa, who works in the president s office and is responsible for HIV and nutrition. With
KENTUCKY: Louisville HIV/AIDS Cases Rise, Spur Alarm: Courier Journal (Louisville) (10.16.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; Laura Ungar; Louisville recorded double-digit increases in HIV/AIDS cases from 2006 to 2007, with HIV diagnoses up 11 percent - from 155 to 172 - and AIDS diagnoses up 13 percent - from 86 to 97. Statewide, new HIV/AIDS cases declined during the same period. HIV diagnoses across Kentucky fell from 347 in 2006 to 327 last year, whil
AUSTRALIA: Sex Workers Working Within a Legalized Industry: Their Side of the Story: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Vol. 84: P. 393-394 (10.01.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; J. Groves; D.C. Newton; M.Y. Chen; J. Hocking; C.S. Bradshaw; C.K. Fairley; The researchers set out to examine the characteristics and work attitudes of female sex workers in licensed brothels in Victoria, Australia . The cross-sectional study assessed sex workers at 38 of the 92 licensed brothels operating in Victoria in 2006. One hundred eight women were asked to participate; 97 (90 percent)
CANADA: Researchers Test New Rapid Screening Test for Human Papillomavirus: Voice of America (10.09.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; Rose Hoban; Since the 1950s, the Pap smear has been the best tool for detecting cervical cancer and lowering death rates from the disease in the developed world. But many third-world countries lack the laboratories, equipment, expertise, and financial resources for Pap tests to be a viable way to lower rates of cervical cancer, th
SOUTH AFRICA: Do Not Cut Funding for AIDS Vaccine Quest, Activist Urges: Business Day (South Africa) (10.16.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; Tamar Kahn; The AIDS Vaccine 2008 Conference in Cape Town ended on Oct. 15 with calls for a sustained commitment to research, even as the global economy slows and financial markets falter. My argument would be if you are going to cut, don t cut the little teeny bit that can give you the tools to end the epidemic, said Seth Berkley
BOTSWANA: African Leader in AIDS Fight Wins $5 Million Prize: Associated Press (10.20.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; Nancy Zuckerbrod; On Monday, the former president of Botswana was awarded the 2008 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership for his role in tackling one of the world s highest HIV infection rates. Festus Gontebanye Mogae, who led the southern African nation from 1998 until resigning this year, will receive $5 million over 10
CALIFORNIA: AIDS Office Head Treads Quietly in Sacramento: Bay Area Reporter (10.16.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; Matthew S. Bajko; Since taking office 14 months ago, California s Office of AIDS (COA) chief has been working to implement changes in how the state tackles the epidemic. Dr. Michelle Roland said her first priority was finalizing the confidential name-based HIV/AIDS reporting system. When I first got here the names-reporting still had em
UTAH: Meth Boosting Number of HIV Cases, University Physician Says: Deseret News (Salt Lake City) (10.19.08) - Tuesday, October 21, 2008; Amy K. Stewart; On Saturday, participants at the 20th annual Living With AIDS Conference discussed topics including drug-related HIV risk behaviors and support for people with the disease. The one-day conference, hosted by the People With AIDS Coalition of Utah (PWACU), was held at the Salt Lake Community College campus in Sandy. The
LOUISIANA: AIDS Project Being Launched: Associated Press (10.17.08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; At New Orleans Tulane University on Wednesday, the Southern AIDS Coalition and Test for Life will launch a new effort to call attention to the epidemic s impact on women and minorities. The project s Web site, www.livingquilt.org, will go live at that time: It will present video stories of Southern women living with HI
PENNSYLVANIA: AIDS Walk Raises $425,000 for Services, Prevention: Philadelphia Daily News (10.20.08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; Anna Hyclak; Sunday s 22nd annual Philadelphia AIDS Walk attracted more than 15,000 walkers and runners who raised a record $425,000 for 30 area HIV/AIDS organizations. Participants gathered at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where organizers displayed AIDS Memorial Quilt panels honoring 40 local residents who died of the disease.
MOZAMBIQUE: Brazil to Speed Up AIDS Project for Mozambique: Associated Press (10.16.08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; At a news conference in Maputo, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said officials of his country have $4 million ready to build an AIDS drug factory first promised to Mozambique five years ago. Another $6 million will be available by the middle of next year, with construction commencing at the end of 2009, Amorim
IRAN: Iran Reports 30 Percent Rise in HIV Infection on 2007: Agence France Presse (10.14.08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; New figures from the health ministry show that 18,320 Iranians have been infected with HIV - up 30 percent from 2007. So far, 1,592 of the infected people have developed AIDS. and 2,800 have died, the ministry said. Of persons with HIV, 93.7 percent are men; 80.8 percent became infected through intravenous drug use; an
CALIFORNIA: Text Message-Based HIV/AIDS Campaign Set to Start in Los Angeles: Advocate (10.10.08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; A grant from Cable Positive - the cable industry s HIV/AIDS nonprofit - will allow AIDS Project Los Angeles to proceed with an innovative new campaign using text messaging, APLA announced on Oct. 8. The health initiative will employ text messaging to directly address HIV-related concerns or questions of at-risk gay and
AUSTRALIA: Attitudes of Men in an Australian Male Tolerance Study Towards Microbicide Use: Sexual Health Vol. 5; No. 3: P. 273-278 (08..08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; Wendy R. Holmes; Lisa Maher; Susan L. Rosenthal; Currently in development to provide additional options to prevent STD infections, vaginal microbicides are generally promoted as a female-initiated product. However, because men may influence product uptake and how it is used, the views of men are important as well. In the current study, 36 men were enrolled in a seven
INDONESIA: Rates of HIV/AIDS in Bali Prostitutes at Alarming Levels: Australian Associated Press (10.17.08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; HIV/AIDS cases are increasing among sex workers in Bali, Indonesia , and efforts to prevent new infections find little support from community and religious leaders, experts said at a recent conference. Earlier this month, Indonesian officials released data showing that 14 percent of sex workers in Bali had HIV during a
CANADA: Two More Boards Decline HPV Vaccine: Edmonton Journal (10.18.08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; Jodie Sinnema; Two more Catholic school boards recently voted not to permit Alberta public health nurses to offer the human papillomavirus vaccine in their school-based inoculation initiatives. The provincial program includes free HPV shots for girls in fifth grade through the support of a $10 million (US $8.4 million) annual federal
SOUTH AFRICA: Integrated Programs Crucial to Beat Disease: Business Day (South Africa) (10.17.08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; Lynn Carlisle; Employee wellness programs (EWPs) in South Africa could benefit by taking a holistic view of health care, said Dr. Burton Shinners, medical adviser at the insurance firm Alexander Forbes Health. Programs that take a wholeness in health approach go from being disease-centered to being people-centered, he said. Mos
GLOBAL: Aid Agencies: World's Poor Will Be Biggest Victims: Associated Press (10.14.08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; Alexander G. Higgins; Charities that provide medicine, food, and other relief to HIV patients in poor countries are warning that the global financial crisis will hurt their ability to help. It is well documented that AIDS is a problem compounded by poverty, said Neil Tobin of UNAIDS in Sierra Leone . Thus the c
UNITED STATES: AIDS Cases Disproportionately Hit Ethnic Group: Sacramento Bee (10.17.08) - Monday, October 20, 2008; Susan Ferriss; Latinos, both US-born and immigrant, are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2006, 19 percent of all newly diagnosed HIV cases in the United States were Latinos, who comprise 14 percent of the population. However, public health officials worry the figure may be even higher, since Latinos lag behind other groups
GEORGIA: AIDS Walk on Sunday: Southern Voice (Atlanta) (10.17.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; Mike Fleming; Organizers for the 2008 AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run hope thousands will turn out this Sunday to support HIV/AIDS awareness and raise funds for 10 local AIDS service organizations. The events will take place at Piedmont Park and Grady High School, 10th St. and Charles Allen Blvd. The run begins at 1:45 p.m. and the w
CALIFORNIA: Silicon Valley Walk for AIDS: Bay Area Reporter (10.17.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; Cynthia Laird; Thousands of participants are expected for this Sunday s 19th annual Walk for AIDS Silicon Valley, which steps off at Discovery Meadow in San Jose at 10 a.m. A post-walk celebration will begin at noon. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and participants are asked to raise a minimum of $20. The walk is the largest HIV/AIDS f
KENTUCKY: Hope Center Receives HIV, Veterans' Grants: Lexington Herald-Leader (10.10.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; Beverly Fortune; The Hope Center was recently awarded two grants that will boost its programs for the homeless. The center received a $2.25 million US Department of Health and Human Services grant for HIV outreach, testing, risk-reduction education and substance abuse counseling. Previously, if clients didn t self-report, we had no way
GEORGIA: 25 of 175 Tested at School Had Positive Readings: Associated Press (10.11.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; Results from recent TB testing performed at Meadowcreek High School in Gwinnett County found 25 of 175 students and staff had positive readings and now must have a chest X-ray. County spokesperson Sloan Roach said the skin test results indicate these people have been exposed to TB at some point in their lives, but none
IDAHO: Health Officials Warn HIV on Rise in Idaho: Associated Press (10.16.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; New HIV/ AIDS diagnoses in Idaho are up 23 percent this year over last year, officials with the state Department of Health and Welfare are warning. So far in 2008, officials have recorded 25 new HIV cases and 12 new AIDS cases. Department officials say 13 of the new cases involve people under age 25, with many of the r
GEORGIA: Savannah State University Stresses HIV/AIDS Awareness: Savannah Morning News (10.13.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; Jenel Few; Since 2005, Savannah State University has promoted HIV/AIDS awareness, particularly among young African Americans. The program - operated through SSU s Department of Criminal Justice and Behavioral Sciences with support from the US Center for Substance Abuse Prevention - especially targets first-year students, who ofte
MISSOURI: HIV Alert at School Gets Mixed Reviews: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (10.17.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; Blythe Bernhard; Nancy Cambria; Steve Giegerich; Some people are praising St. Louis County health officials for recently notifying parents and the public about an HIV exposure risk among Normandy High School students, following a routine investigation into one HIV-positive diagnosis. But others are questioning the aggressive, high-profile response. The county Departm
TANZANIA: Separation of Spouses Due to Travel and Living Apart Raises HIV Risk in Tanzanian Couples: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Vol. 35; No. 8: P. 714-720 (08.01.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; Debby C.J. Vissers, MSc; Helene A.C.M. Voeten, PhD; Mark Urassa, MSc; Raphael Isingo, MSc; Milalu Ndege; Yusufu Kumogola; Gabriel Mwaluko, PhD; Basia Zaba, MSc; Sake J. de Vlas, PhD; J. Dik F. Habbema, PhD; Persons whose partners are absent may be more vulnerable to risky sexual behavior and thus to HIV, the authors wrote. Such absences may be due to traveling or to living apart (e.g., for work purposes, or in polygamous marriages). In the current study, the researchers investigated the degree to which partner absence lea
INDONESIA: HIV/AIDS Most Prevalent Among Drug Users: The Jakarta Post (10.14.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; Erwida Maulia; A study released Monday shows Indonesian injecting drug users (IDUs) are at the highest risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. The Indonesian Health Ministry study found that, across the eight provinces surveyed in 2007, the range of prevalence for HIV/AIDS among IDUs was 42.8 to 56 percent. Members of the transgender and trans
GLOBAL: TB Funding Drop Could Hurt AIDS Fight: Los Angeles Times (10.15.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; Mary Engel; The global economic crisis could push aside the world s TB fight as a priority and consequently jeopardize millions of HIV/AIDS patients, a Pasteur Institute researcher and a recent winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for medicine warned Tuesday. We are at the period of success with antiretroviral treatment for HIV, said Fr
UTAH: Anonymous Prescriptions for STDs Could Get Committee Support Next Month: Deseret News (Salt Lake City) (10.15.08) - Friday, October 17, 2008; James Thalman; Due to increases in STDs in Utah, the Legislature s Health and Human Services Interim Committee on Wednesday generally endorsed a bill that would allow a physician to provide a prescription to unnamed sexual partners of people who have been diagnosed with an STD. After discussing concerns raised by Sen. Allen Christens
CALIFORNIA: Hepatitis C Support Group Forms: Sacramento Bee (10.14.08) - Thursday, October 16, 2008; Barbara Barte Osborn; On Oct. 29, Placer County Health and Human Services is sponsoring its second hepatitis C support group meeting for those who want to know more about the disease and treatment options. The confidential meetings, moderated by knowledgeable county health staff members, are being held at the Community Health Building, 1148
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