A leading UK HIV campaigner who has strived to transform attitudes towards HIV/Aids and to the role of gay men and women in society has been knighted. Nick Partridge, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, was recognised for his 20-year service to healthcare. Knighthoods also go to Royal College of Surgeons pas
Hogmanay revellers are being advised to watch their alcohol intake in case it leads to risky sex and possibly a sexually transmitted infection . NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) said excessive alcohol intake could lead to uncharacteristic behaviour . It warned that this could lead to a risk of exposure to sexually t
Aid agencies are struggling to help those most in need as operating environments become increasingly hazardous, a medical charity said. In a list of top 10 humanitarian crises, Medecins Sans Frontieres said conditions in Somalia , DR Congo and Sudan were particularly challenging. Threats in Somalia and
La Plata is a lovely city. Its central plaza is dominated by a beautiful cathedral, its tree-lined streets are full of interesting shops and quality restaurants. It is a thriving university city and the capital of Buenos Aires province - the largest and wealthiest in Argentina . But there is also a sinister, sleaz
A new information service to deliver news and public-interest information via land, mobile and internet phones is being trialled in Zimbabwe . The Freedom Fone project is being run by a non-governmental organisation called Kubatana. Digital Planet, BBC World Service s technology programme, spoke to Brenda Burrell who i
Women having unsafe sex may be at more risk of HIV than thought after tests revealed the virus could breach even healthy vaginal tissue. It had been believed that only damaged skin inside the vagina could provide a route to infection. However, US-based researchers say HIV can get past this intact barrier within hours.
Scientists believe successful tests in monkeys could prove a step towards a new type of drug to combat HIV. The journal Nature reports infected animals survived almost twice as long after a single treatment to raise immune response to the virus. An independent expert said multiple doses were possible, and might elimina
Anti-retroviral drugs used to treat HIV/Aids are being bought and smoked by teenagers in South Africa to get high. Reports suggest that the drugs are being sold by patients and even healthcare staff for money. Schoolchildren have been spotted smoking the drugs, which are ground into powder and sometimes mixed with pain
I first met Otisha, a tall Afro-Guyanese transvestite prostitute in 2003 when I reported on HIV and Aids in Guyana and Barbados . Back then, the Caribbean had the second highest rate of infection in the world. The prevalence among female sex workers in Guyana was 27% and 21% for men who have sex with men.
Kawale - Their names are Mary and Joseph and they have a newborn child. But for this Malawian family this is a time of worry and not of cheer. Both parents have HIV and when we meet them the status of their baby girl, Idess, is still unclear. God has been wonderful to us, Joseph says as he sits outside their small hut
South Africa s new heath minister has promised to increase the availability of treatment for HIV and Aids, speaking at a rally to mark World Aids Day. Barbara Hogan cited the case of an eight-year-old boy battling Aids-related TB and meningitis who died while on a waiting list for drugs. She said the government should
The number of people diagnosed with HIV in Northern Ireland could double this year, doctors fear. Sixty-five new cases of the infection were diagnosed last year, according to figures released by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. But 54 new cases have already been identified in the first half of this yea
Jakarta - The Indonesian province of Papua is debating whether to introduce a law allowing the government to implant microchips in people living with HIV. The bill proposes tracking the movements of HIV-positive people who behave in what some MPs describe as an irresponsible way. The proposal is the most controversial
More than 500,000 people have died from Aids-related illnesses in the US in the last 27 years - but has Aids really changed the country? The actor Paul Michael Glaser, who presents a Radio 2 documentary on the subject on Tuesday, has no doubt it has had a tremendous impact at a personal level. Best known as Starsky in
Young people in Dundee are encouraging others to learn more about Aids and what they can do to tackle the disease across the world. Youth End Poverty Dundee is staging what it believes is the biggest event in Scotland to mark World Aids Day. Talks, videos and information will be available at the Caird Hall before a can
Kathmandu - A brave full-length dive from goalkeeper Alok Satyal was to no avail. Deepak Bista had just scored the second and clinching goal for the ARV Superstars in their special match against the blue-and-white HIV Warriors. The crowd of a couple of thousand whooped and whistled in the slanting sunlight. The men and
A flash mob has been staged in Glasgow to publicise World Aids Day. Dozens of campaigners froze at the same moment while handing one another Aids Day ribbons and condoms in the city s Buchanan Street. The British Red Cross organised the stunt through social networking sites to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. Louise Irv
There is no evidence that a (pounds) 6 billion UK drive to tackle the Aids epidemic abroad will meet its early targets, according to a committee of MPs. The International Development Committee said the strategy was strong on rhetoric but lacked vital details. The government has pledged the cash over seven years and wan
Campaigners created human red ribbon around Oxford s Radcliffe Camera to show their solidarity with the millions of people living with HIV/Aids. The event was organised by Oxford University Stop Aids Society, ahead of World Aids Day on Monday, to highlight the plight of sufferers. People who took part in the stunt on S
The UK is to give South Africa s new Health Minister Barbara Hogan (pounds) 15m to help combat Aids in the country. Ms Hogan was appointed health minister in September to help shake up a health service in crisis. South Africa has one of the most severe HIV/Aids epidemics in the world, with 800 people a day dying a day
Teenagers out on the town in Jersey are to be given information on how to avoid contracting HIV. Young people are among those most at risk of infection in Jersey, along with marginalised groups and people whose first language is not English. Youth workers will be in Liberation Square with a marquee later. There will be
Universal testing for HIV, followed by immediate treatment could cut the number of people developing full-blown Aids by up to 95%, a Lancet study says. The World Health Organization (WHO) also found that such a strategy could virtually eliminate HIV transmission. The study used computer modelling to project what would
Health protection experts estimate there are now 77,400 people with HIV in the UK. There were more than 7,000 new diagnoses last year - a rise of 6% on the previous year. Almost a third of people are diagnosed late - meaning they are missing the benefits of early treatment. Gay men accounted for 41% of new cases, but t
A haemophiliac feared died in the Asian tsunami of 2004 has been jailed for 12 months for infecting his ex-girlfriend with the HIV virus. James Cawley, 41, from Crewe, fled to Thailand after being questioned by police over the offence, Preston Crown Court was told. Knowing he had the virus in 1993 he had a sexual relat
A significant rise in the number of reported HIV positive and Aids cases in Hull and the East Riding has prompted a campaign for residents to get tested. According to NHS Hull, there was a 20% increase in cases from 2006-2007. The increase across England was 2.5%, whereas London was less than 2%. NHS Hull now hopes a w
Rapid drug treatment of babies with HIV dramatically cuts their risk of death and debilitating disease, international research shows. The study prompted the World Health Organization to change its guidelines, which had recommended delaying therapy until symptoms became apparent. It found giving antiretroviral therapy
The number of people in Scotland diagnosed with HIV has risen, the latest figures have revealed. NHS Scotland laboratories reported that 100 new people had tested HIV positive between 1 July and 30 September. More than half (55) of the recently reported cases are presumed to have been acquired outside of Scotland.
Nurses are calling for safer needles, after a poll suggested nearly half of them have been accidently jabbed. The Royal College of Nursing said simple shielded needles could stop most accidents and protect nurses from infections such as HIV and hepatitis. But the poll of nearly 2,000 nurses in the UK suggests that near
Zelda Hansen, a wife and mother of three, is being held like a prisoner in South Africa . But she hasn t committed any crime. Zelda suffers from a deadly new form of tuberculosis that has devastated the lives of countless African families. It s like a prison. I m found guilty for something I can t explain, Zelda told
Chile s public health service may have failed to tell 512 people they had tested positive for HIV, which can lead to Aids, the health minister has said. The government is now trying to locate the patients and inform them of their condition, said Alvaro Erazo. He disclosed the numbers to lawmakers amid an Aids scandal w
Doctors in Germany say a patient appears to have been cured of HIV by a bone marrow transplant from a donor who had a genetic resistance to the virus. The researchers in Berlin said the man, who suffered from leukaemia and HIV, had shown no sign of either disease since the transplant two years ago. But they stresse
Couples who meet in their 30s or 40s are less likely to use condoms than younger counterparts, a study suggests. University College London researchers found two thirds of men and women in their late teens used a condom when they first had sex with a new partner. But only a third of men and women aged 35 to 44 in new re
More than 40 young children have been infected with HIV at a hospital in Uzbekistan , officials have said. Health authorities told the BBC that an investigation into the infections of the mainly new-born babies was taking place in the eastern town of Namangan. The United Nations says Central Asia has one of the world s
Cells have been successfully engineered in the laboratory to overcome one of HIV s most effective defence mechanisms, say researchers. The immune system cells, created by UK and US scientists, can lock on to HIV, even after it has mutated to throw them off the scent. It is hoped the Nature Medicine study could lead to
Ex-South African President Thabo Mbeki s decision to block medication to HIV patients is estimated to have cost the lives of 330,000 people. A Harvard School of Public Health study said the deaths were caused by Mr Mbeki s decision in 1999 to declare the available drugs toxic and dangerous. He had decided that the gove
Chile s health minister has resigned after a hospital failed to tell dozens of patients they had tested positive for HIV, which can lead to Aids. Maria Soledad Barria said she did not want to be an obstacle to government efforts to improve the health service. Before resigning, Ms Barria dismissed several members of sta
The popularity of mobile phones in South Africa is helping to tackle HIV and Aids in the nation. Project Masiluleke will send one million free text messages a day to push people to be tested and treated. Approximately 350,000 people die of Aids-related diseases in the country every year. Trials of the system showed
The world has got its priorities wrong when it comes to the money we spend on combating disease. We should be spending money on the treatment of neglected tropical diseases which can be cured easily and cheaply according to Alan Fenwick, Professor of Tropical Parasitology at Imperial College, London. Tens of billions o
This seems an unlikely place to go fishing for your dinner. The dusty scrublands of Zomba West have been brittle dry since April, when the rainy season ended. The place is spookily deserted today - the funeral of the local chief. In the marketplace, we find only one stall open, run by children. And all they are selling
South Africa s new Health Minister, Barbara Hogan, has called for a renewed global effort to find a vaccine for HIV, which can lead to Aids. Ms Hogan said it was unquestionable that HIV caused Aids and conventional medicines were the best treatment. This comes in sharp contrast to her predecessor, Manto Tshabalala-Msim
Three men have gone on trial in the Netherlands accused of deliberately infecting at least 14 other men with HIV - the virus that causes Aids. The prosecution says the three promoted gay sex parties on the internet, then drugged and raped their guests and injected them with HIV-infected blood. Twelve of the alleged
Malawian civil servants with HIV, who used to receive an extra $35 a month to help them buy more food, are now to get a food handout instead. The money may not be spent on what you intended it for, Mary Shawa from the president s office told the BBC. The new policy is part of a government review into its HIV policy and
There is no hard evidence that circumcision protects gay men from HIV, research shows. African trials have shown circumcision cuts the likelihood of female to male HIV transmission by up to 60%. But a US analysis of data on 53,567 men who have sex with other men found HIV rates were not significantly lower among those
China has said it hopes the Nobel Peace Prize will reward what it called the right person , amid reports that jailed dissidents top the list of favourites. The Prize is to be awarded on Friday in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. The Chinese foreign ministry said some past choices had gone against the prize s original pur
South Africa s fight against HIV/Aids is likely to receive an important boost, following the appointment of a new health minister, Barbara Hogan. She was sworn in last week, after President Kgalema Motlanthe named his cabinet. Ms Hogan s predecessor, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has been sidelined, and appointed a minister
The scientists who discovered HIV will share the Nobel prize for medicine with the expert who linked human papilloma virus (HPV) to cervical cancer. French team Françoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier were recognised for their groundbreaking work in uncovering the virus responsible for Aids. Harald zur Hausen, from
A woman has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for a truly shocking random knife attack in Edinburgh. Investment accountant Gillian Massie, 36, was approached by 27-year-old Laura Reid as she walked in Oxgangs in April. Reid asked her if she had ever been stabbed by someone with HIV. When Ms Massie replied no, she s
The arrival of colonial cities in sub-Saharan Africa at the dawn of the 20th Century may have sparked the spread of HIV. US experts analysed one of the earliest samples of the virus ever found, in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1959. The study, published in the journal Nature, suggests the virus may have crossed f
South African Aids campaigners have serenaded the new health minister and rejoiced at the departure of her controversial predecessor. A group of activists sang outside the Cape Town flat of Barbara Hogan and drank champagne with her. They have long called for the dismissal of Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, known as Dr Beet
Ryan Giggs has revealed how fatherhood made him help children around the world in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The Wales and Manchester United legend allowed a BBC Wales film crew to accompany him on a visit to South Africa as part of his role as an ambassador for UNICEF. The result is a special report to be scree
The rate of HIV infection among injecting drug users appears to be rising, researchers say. The report, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, says 3m self-injecting drug users worldwide could now be HIV-positive. In nine countries, more than 40% of drug users were infected. The authors are concerned abou
Top politicians from Kenya s Luo community have publicly admitted to getting circumcised as part of a campaign to tackle HIV/Aids. Standing before an audience of 500 in the western city of Kisumu, including Prime Minister Raila Odinga, three government ministers and an MP said they had secretly undergone the operation.
A simple nipple shield that prevents HIV transmission from a breast-feeding mother to her child has been devised by a Cambridge University engineer. Stephen Gerrard, a chemical engineer, has helped devise the shield that can disinfect milk as it leaves the breast. The device uses a detergent used by biochemists to dena
Rates of HIV infection in Australia have increased by almost 50% in the past eight years, according to a report. The latest figures show that Australia now has about 10,000 cases of Aids, while more than 27,000 people are infected with HIV. Researchers say the rise has been fuelled by Australia s mining boom. They
Thabo Mbeki, who took up an almost impossible challenge in 1999 to fill the shoes of the charismatic Nelson Mandela after he stepped down as South Africa s president, has confirmed he will quit the post following an order from the ANC. His recent troubles stem from a bitter fallout with another charismatic politician -
All 15-59 year olds in some areas of England should be offered a HIV test by their GP, new recommendations say. In 42 trusts with more than two HIV cases for every 1,000 people, everyone should be offered the test when they join a GP surgery, experts said. Around 20% of the population would fall under the universal tes
More than 500 soldiers belonging to an elite paramilitary force in India are infected with HIV, the chief of the force has said. Seventy troops of the 173-year-old Assam Rifles have died of the infection in the past 10 years, according to Lieutenant General Karan Singh Yadava. Many of the Assam Rifles troops are post
A man who stabbed a taxi driver with a syringe he claimed would give him HIV has been jailed for 28 months. Peter Campbell, 25, threatened three different taxi drivers with the needle between 17 May and 1 June this year. Falkirk Sheriff Court heard the heroin addict, whose father is a policeman, stole up to (pounds)200
Progress in cutting the number of deaths among children under five is still grossly insufficient in some parts of the world, Unicef has warned. Its report, published in the Lancet, shows there has been a fall of 28% in child deaths since 1990. But the UN children s agency warns many poorer countries will not meet the 2
South African cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro at the centre of a row over his drawing of ruling party leader Jacob Zuma has admitted it is derogatory . But he told the BBC it was defendable, after reports that he may face legal action over the cartoon showing Mr Zuma about to rape the justice system . Protests are planned
Blood taken from donors and patients in Jersey is to be screened for the HIV virus and Hepatitis C from next year. The checks are already available free of charge on request from the hospital and GPs surgeries. But screening will be done anonymously and islanders who have blood tests can opt out of it if they choose.
HIV-positive couples are being paired up for marriage by a northern Nigerian state in an attempt to reduce the spread of the disease. But international Aids experts have voiced concern at the plan. Warren Naamara from UNAids said the two people could have different strains of the virus, which could interact. He said th
The spread of the Roman Empire through Europe could help explain why those living in its former colonies are more vulnerable to HIV. The claim, by French researchers, is that people once ruled by Rome are less likely to have a gene variant which protects against HIV. This includes England, France ,
Distributing anti-retroviral drugs in Malawi has led to a huge fall in Aids-related deaths, an official says. Mary Shawa told the Reuters news agency that 67% of those taking the ARV drugs are still alive. Malawi is among the countries worst affected by Aids, with about 7% of the 13m population affected. The
Four Kent-based scientists have been given an international accolade for their work on an HIV treatment. The team from Pfizer in Sandwich were named as Heroes of Chemistry by the American Chemical Society. They were praised for their work on the new HIV medicine, Celsentri, an oral HIV medicine. The annual awards r
Hundreds of Swazi women have marched through the streets of the capital to protest about a shopping trip taken by nine of the king s 13 wives. They chartered a plane last week to go to Europe and the Middle East. The BBC s Thulani Mthethwa says the protesters handed in a petition to the finance ministry saying the mone
The number of people in the north west of England accessing HIV treatment is continuing to rise, new figures reveal. The total number of HIV positive people being treated reached its highest level last year at 5,212 - a 9% rise on 2006 statistics. Liverpool John Moore University-based Centre for Public Health and the H
Some of India s best-known writers have come together in a unique anthology of writing which tells the human stories behind HIV/Aids in the country. India has one of the largest numbers of HIV-positive people in the world and they suffer serious social stigma. Aids Sutra: Untold Stories from India has been published in
South Africa s health department has launched an investigation after two tuberculosis drugs used for treating thousands of patients were withdrawn. Pharmascript, which supplied state hospitals and clinics with the medication, has promised to replace drugs found to be sub-standard. The probe comes within days of some an
An international Aids conference has ended with a warning that commitments made by wealthy countries to fund access to HIV treatment may not be met. The charity Oxfam said there had been an air of complacency from government and UN officials at the Mexico meeting. In 2005, the G8 industrialised nations set a goal of pr
As an international conference of HIV and Aids experts comes to a close in Mexico City, Genevieve Edwards of the Terrence Higgins Trust reports on what has been learnt about the latest challenges in the fight against the disease. The criminalisation of HIV must end. That was the closing call from the conference of expe
In a large field in a village just a few hours drive east of India s capital, Delhi, a group of women sing as they chop stalks of millet, a coarse grain used across the region to make bread. After they finish, they pack it into bundles and place them on their heads to be taken home. It is a traditional, even idyllic, r
Jane Dreaper, BBC Health correspondent in Mexico City
Prisons offer a potent mixture in terms of the risk of contracting HIV. There are men who have sex with other men (even though they might not wish to admit it), addicts with a history of injecting drugs and needles being shared for tattoos. I visited Latin America s largest prison - Reclusorio Preventivo Oriente in Mex
A Indian couple who were infected with the virus that can lead to Aids have committed suicide after killing their three children, police in Mumbai say. Relatives say the couple had been depressed by news that their daughter also had the HIV virus. Police say the parents hanged themselves after poisoning their children,
Former US President Bill Clinton has said that improving health services is the main challenge to fighting HIV/Aids in Africa, not a lack of money. In a BBC interview, Mr Clinton said his foundation had therefore been focusing more and more on cost-effective ways to improve national health systems. He also said encoura
The twice weekly market in Debre Zeit is always a lively affair. But on Friday hundreds of people poured into the main field, to wave flags and greet the former American president, Bill Clinton. Mr Clinton came to this area to see a health centre staffed by extension workers . These are nurses, generally women, who wor
Former US President Bill Clinton has called for an increase in funding to keep down the cost of drugs for people with HIV. Mr Clinton told a world Aids conference in Mexico that a 50% rise was needed in the next two years just to keep pace with expanding drug programmes. Figures released ahead of the meeting show the n
Scientists are testing a vaccine designed to give HIV patients a prolonged break from their regular medication without side effects. The Aids 2008 conference in Mexico City was told 345 patients in 21 centres in the US and Europe will take part in the largest-ever trial of its kind. The vaccine has been developed by a
A court in Kyrgyzstan has convicted nine medical workers for infecting 24 children with HIV - the virus that causes Aids - local media have said. The doctors and nurses, all from one hospital, were sentenced to between three and five years for causing the infections through negligence. They have also been ordered t
Patients being treated for tuberculosis (TB) may not get the full benefits from HIV therapy, researchers say. Nevirapine - a cheap antiretroviral drug used to treat HIV in developing countries - did not work as well in patients also on TB treatment. But another more expensive drug - efavir
As experts gather at an international conference in Mexico to discuss HIV, British delegates will be sharing their experiences of the changing face of the condition back at home. It s a rapidly developing picture, with the impact of new drug therapies, improved life expectancy and recent immigration creating new challe
The number of Americans infected with the HIV virus each year is much higher than current government estimates, US health officials have said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 56,000 people had become infected with the virus that causes Aids in 2006. That is substantially more than the earlier
More effort is needed to spread HIV prevention information among African men and women now living in the UK, claim researchers. A survey conducted by the University of Portsmouth revealed commonly-held false beliefs about HIV infection. These included the fear that HIV diagnosis could lead to deportation from the UK.
It is hard to believe that the world has been living with the Aids epidemic for a quarter of a century. As 20,000 delegates meet in Mexico City for the 17th International Aids Conference, there is much progress to report, but some setbacks, too. New figures from the United Nations show that, for the second year running
I don t know what will happen to us when we don t have this safe place to visit. Eighteen years ago, aged 28, Maria was diagnosed with HIV. Given just five years to live, she became depressed and lost her job and desperate to escape the negative reactions of her family and friends, she moved from her home-town of Madr
President Bush has signed off a new law that triples America s budget for fighting Aids and other diseases in Africa and the Caribbean. The new legislation increases US funds to combat Aids, malaria and tuberculosis to $48bn - up from $15bn. The new law also drops requirements for one-third of Aids funds to be spent pr
A fire service control room operator with HIV is suing Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service for disability discrimination over his condition. Michael Ashton told an employment tribunal in Manchester he had to take time off work because of his condition. Mr Ashton, who worked for the service for five years prior t
Aids activists in South Africa have dismissed as unconstitutional a call for all Muslim couples to have a compulsory HIV test before marriage. It undermines public health and it will further stigmatise and discriminate against people, Aids activist Fatima Ahmed told the BBC. The proposal was made by opposition MP M
There have been significant gains in preventing new HIV infections in a number of heavily-affected countries, a United Nations programme report says. However, UNAids warns the Aids epidemic is not over in any part of the world. The report says prevention programmes have seen changes in sexual behaviour, and a drop in i
Walking down a street or through a shopping centre in Sao Paulo, Lucia looks like any other mother or grandmother going about her normal business. But this 71-year-old woman carries a burden that few know about. She is HIV-positive and the virus was passed on to her by her husband. Lucia discovered she was infected in
Aids activists in South Africa have dismissed as unconstitutional a call for all Muslim couples to have a compulsory HIV test before marriage. It undermines public health and it will further stigmatise and discriminate against people, Aids activist Fatima Ahmed told the BBC. The proposal was made by opposition MP M
Life expectancy for people with HIV has increased by an average of 13 years since the late 1990s thanks to better HIV treatment, a study says. Researchers said it meant HIV was now effectively a chronic condition like diabetes, rather than a fatal disease, the Lancet reported. The team, involving Bristol University sta
HIV is being spread because doctors overlook symptoms which could reveal the infection, a charity claims. The National Aids Trust said as many as half of all early-stage infections, often marked by severe flu-like symptoms, are being missed. Spotting them and carrying out an HIV test would prevent further infections, i
A human rights group is calling on Iran to release immediately or charge two doctors renowned for their work on the prevention and treatment of HIV/Aids. Human Rights Watch says the authorities have not disclosed why Arash Alaei and Kamyar Alaei were detained last month, or where they are being held. The two brothe
Elders from Kenya s Luo community in western Kenya have refused to endorse a plan to promote male circumcision to curb the spread of HIV/Aids. The Luo Council of Elders says it cannot sanction circumcision, as it is against the community s culture. A ministry of health campaign is trying to encourage more men to be cir
The US Senate has voted to overturn a rule banning HIV-positive visitors from entering the US. The US is one of only a dozen countries - including Sudan , Saudi Arabia , Libya and Russia - that ban travel and immigration
Nelson Mandela s ability to use words to breathe life into his cause was one of his most powerful weapons in the struggle for black equality in South Africa . Here is a selection of some of his most compelling quotes. Conclusion of his three-hour defence speech at his 1964 trial for sabotage and treason: I have fo
Nelson Mandela is one of the world s most revered statesmen, who led the struggle to replace the apartheid regime of South Africa with a multi-racial democracy. Despite many years in jail, he emerged to become the country s first black president and to play a leading role in the drive for peace in other spheres of conf
A gene which apparently evolved to protect people from malaria increases their vulnerability to HIV infection by 40%, say US and UK scientists. People of African descent have a variation of the DARC gene which may interfere with their ability to fight HIV in its early stages. The Cell Host and Microbe study says the ge
Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs has been awarded an honorary degree for his contribution to sport and charitable causes. Giggs, 34, was made a master of arts by the University of Salford in a ceremony at the Lowry Theatre. Collecting his award, he said: I m really pleased to accept this degree. I grew up in Sal
US prosecutors have alleged that the Indian drug firm Ranbaxy deliberately lied about the quality of its low-cost drugs, including those for HIV. The US Department of Justice wants India s biggest pharmaceuticals company to hand over key documents relating to drug testing procedures. It believes they will show the comp
Prince Harry: I wish I could be out here more often What a difference a couple of years and the levelling effects of the Army can have. It certainly seems to be true in the case of Prince Harry, with whom I have just spent 48 hours in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho . Clarence House wanted the British media
A HIV-positive Kenyan woman has won $35,000 in a landmark ruling against her employer for unfair dismissal. Jacqueline Adhiambo Ongur, a 45-year-old waitress, also sued her doctor for revealing her HIV status without her consent. The High Court ruled that it was unlawful to end employment on the grounds of a person s H
A two-pronged initiative aims to speed up diagnosis and treatment of people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in developing countries. The World Health Organization is working with partners to make a rapid test - which gives results in two days - more widely available. Currently, standard tests take up
Dilfusa wept as she rocked her baby, Bekhruzbek, to sleep. She had taken her son to hospital near their village in southern Kyrgyzstan because he had heat stroke. Eight months later he was diagnosed with HIV. I thought my life was over, she said. The doctors who treated Bekhruzbek are now on trial, accused of infecting
Geneva - The Aids epidemic in some countries is so severe that it should be classified as a disaster, the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) has warned. The crisis fits the UN definition of a disaster as an event beyond the scope of any single society to cope with, says the IFRC. The IFRC s annual report on world disast
A free and simple piece of open source software is helping manage the spread of disease in developing countries. The Open Medical Record System (OpenMRS) is providing countries, such as South Africa , with an online patient medical record system. Users do not require any programming knowledge for the tool which helps i
The Indian authorities have given approval for the establishment of orphanages for children whose parents have died of Aids. The National Aids Control Organisation is to set up 10 homes across India to care for and educate the orphans. A spokesman for the organisation said it was possible to find families willing to ta
A third of gay men who know they are HIV positive are still having unprotected sex, a study suggests. The Medical Research Council, which questioned 3,500 gay men, also found 40% of the 300 who tested positive for HIV did not know they were infected. Dr Lisa Williamson said more sexual risks were taken by men who had b
A three-year-old girl has been tested for HIV and hepatitis after standing on a discarded needle. Mia Henderson was playing outside her Hartlepool home during a family barbecue when she was heard screaming. The toddler was taken to the town s University Hospital where she underwent the tests, though the results will no
A scientist whose work has transformed antenatal screening for birth defects has been made a knight in the Queen s Birthday honours list. Professor Nicholas Wald s work has directly led to tests for Down s syndrome and spina bifida. Professor Andrew McMichael, expert on the immune system response to viruses such as HIV
A South African court has banned unauthorised trials of vitamin therapies for Aids, which some say are a health risk. The High Court in Cape Town ruled against German physician Matthias Rath and US doctor David Rasnick, a former adviser to President Thabo Mbeki. The case was brought by the pressure group the Treatment
Prince Harry was given a pop star-style welcome on his first day of official engagements in Wales. Youngsters from Cathays High School in Cardiff screamed, cheered and some even broke down in tears when the 23-year-old prince arrived. He was there to learn about their work with disadvantaged African children and also v
Human rights group Amnesty International has strongly condemned the arrest of three homosexual rights activists at a Ugandan Aids conference. Amnesty said it was concerned for the safety of those arrested because of a history of harassment and degrading treatment of gays by the police. The three got past security outsi
A clinic in Derbyshire is diagnosing more than one new HIV patient every week, an increase from a year ago. Staff at an NHS-run sexual health clinic in Derby, which treats patients from across Derbyshire, said it was a very worrying trend. A specialist nurse at the clinic said: We get clusters from time to time, but th
A new international report into the battle to stem HIV/Aids and treat sufferers around the world has found both progress and deeply-rooted problems. The report, released jointly by the World Health Organization , UNAids and Unicef, offers a bleak numbers game showing that the gap between the supply of antiretroviral tr
Millions of people with HIV/Aids in poor countries still do not have access to potentially life-saving drugs. A major report found just 31% of people in need of treatment in low and middle-income countries had access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2007. The report, by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAids
An HIV-positive Ugandan woman s claim to stay in the UK has been rejected by the European Court of Human Rights. Her lawyers argued that a lack of medical care in Uganda would lead to her early death, and this would amount to cruel and degrading treatment. The government denies this, saying all NHS HIV drugs are availa
A rotary club has raised more than (pounds)1,000 to help the children of Aids victims at a orphanage in South Africa . A meal and raffle hosted by Swindon Rendezvous at Theatre Square in the town raised (pounds)1,310 for the facility in Swellendam. The town s Rotarians have raised more than (pounds)6,000 for the childr
Madonna has been on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival for the European premiere of her Aids film. The documentary, I Am Because We Are, highlights the plight of Malawi s estimated one million Aids orphans. The 49-year-old will be joined later by a host of A-list stars including actors Sharon Stone and Sean Pen
About 200 women have been offered a HIV test after an NHS medic working at two hospitals in Essex was found to have the virus. The worker was based at Basildon and Southend Hospitals in 2006 and early 2007 and worked with new mothers. Basildon Hospital said no-one in the UK had ever caught HIV from an infected healthca
Medical staff at a clinic in the coastal slum of Kroo Bay, in Sierra Leone s capital, Freetown, are keeping a diary of their working lives for the BBC News website. Here, Aminatta Sama, a nurse and councillor at the clinic, talks about how she deals with HIV patients and the stigma they face. The first case I did today
A trade union representing South Africa s soldiers is taking the defence ministry to court, accusing it of discriminating against people with HIV. The South African Security Forces Union (Sasfu) says people with the Aids virus are not recruited, or if they become soldiers, are refused promotion. The defence minister ha
A hospital is accepting donations of breast milk to help premature babies. The new scheme, launched at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E), accepts milk donated by new mothers who are back home in the community. Donated milk will be tested for bacteria, pasteurised, then screened again before being stored in
Funding for HIV prevention is being wasted on strategies which have little impact, say US researchers who call for a dramatic shift in priorities. Substantial investment in condom promotion, HIV testing and vaccine research has had limited success in Africa, they argue in Science. Instead male circumcision and reducing
Appropriate treatment can all but eradicate the risk that a pregnant woman with HIV will pass the virus to her child, research shows. Data on 5,151 HIV pregnancies in the UK and Ireland between 2000 and 2006 found an infant infection rate of just 1.2% where preventative steps were taken.
A specific protein in the body may be the key to overcoming the increasing problem of resistance to HIV drugs. Inactivating the ITK protein which is involved in the immune response blocks many steps of HIV replication, studies in the laboratory show. Most current HIV drugs attack the virus itself which is liable to mut
The government is looking for ways to stop health tourists coming to Britain for free treatment to which they are not entitled. A pilot project in London could be the future: money changes hands at the bedside and if you can t pay you are discharged within 48 hours. On the stroke ward at the West Middlesex University H
An asylum seeker believed to have HIV has been jailed for biting a policeman. Zimbabwean Mlungisi Moyo, 31, assaulted the officer in a patrol car after he was arrested in Gateshead on suspicion of driving while unfit. Pc John Dougal suffered a wound to his head during the attack on 1 April and must wait for three month
Details of a Scottish public inquiry into the infection of NHS patients with hepatitis C and HIV through blood products have been announced. Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said previous government-led inquires into the issue lacked independence. Hundreds of people in Scotland, including haemophiliacs, were given the
Allegations a dentist has been treating patients in south London despite being HIV positive are being investigated. Lewisham Primary Care Trust (PCT) said it was looking into claims about a dentist at a clinic in Lewisham. It said the healthcare professional, who has not been named, had stopped work and was no longer s
Regulations banning failed asylum seekers from receiving free NHS treatment have been declared unlawful by a High Court judge. The decision could affect up to 11,000 people who are waiting to be sent back to their home countries. Mr Justice Mitting made the ruling in a test case of a Palestinian who claimed denying car
A charity has urged black and Asian men in east London who have gay sex to be tested for HIV. Positive East, which is based in Tower Hamlets, has launched a confidential text service to raise awareness about the issue. The campaign targets all men including married men who have sex with men and those who do not classif
The Brazilian government has begun producing condoms using rubber from trees in the Amazon. The health ministry says the move will help preserve the largest rainforest in the world. It will also cut dependence on imported contraceptives, which are given away to fight Aids. The Brazilian government has one of the bigges
Edinburgh scientists are using the world s most powerful computer to design drugs which could prevent HIV infection, it has been revealed. Edinburgh University experts are using sophisticated computing technology to investigate the way the virus attaches to cells in the body. They hope to discover how to prevent infect
The Police Federation has called for an asylum seeker with HIV to be deported, after he bit a police officer. Handcuffed Mlungisi Moyo, 31, bit the Northumbria officer after being arrested in Gateshead on Tuesday. The unnamed officer must wait three months to hear if he has been infected with the virus, or Hepatitis B,
The US is set to spend $50bn to battle HIV/Aids in the next five years. The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to more than triple government spending in Africa and other badly affected parts of the world. The bipartisan measure, which is backed by the White House, was passed by 308 votes to 116. The bill m
A popular anti-HIV drug nearly doubles the risk of heart attack, a study says. Abacavir works by reducing the amount of the virus in the body and is often used in combination with other drugs. But Danish researchers said patients may wish to consider changing treatment programmes after studying over 33,000 people, the
Gay men are being urged to get HIV tests more regularly and practise safe sex in a bid to halt the high numbers of new cases in the UK. The Health Protection Agency made the warning after new diagnoses among gay men topped 2,600 for the third year. But the figures do seem to have begun to plateau after a surge at the t
Fourteen medical workers in Kyrgyzstan have been charged with malpractice and negligence after 42 children were infected with HIV. The health workers, from the southern Osh region, are accused of negligence while administering injections and blood transfusions. A spate of infections of HIV, the virus that causes Aids,
A team of fundraising students have returned from a visit to Africa to see an international sight charity at work. Seven youngsters from Felpham Community College in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, got the chance to visit Malawi after winning the 2007 Giving Nation Awards. They joined Sightsavers International to learn abou
Data collected from more than 2,000 infected men showed there were distinct clusters or bursts of the disease. Researchers now believe targeted local campaigns in bars and nightclubs could be the most effective way of curbing the spread of HIV by sexual contact. The Edinburgh University study was carried out with Chels
A more efficient way to shut down rogue genes raises hopes of new therapies for conditions like diabetes and HIV. Systematically knocking out single genes potentially gives scientists unprecedented control over the processes which cause disease. US and UK researchers have developed synthetic proteins which can target i
One in four teenage girls in the United States has a sexually-transmitted disease, a study has indicated. The study, by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found an even higher prevalence of STDs among black girls. Researchers analysed data from a nationally representative sample of 838 US gir
HIV can survive the apparently effective onslaught of antiviral drugs for years by hiding away in the body s cells, research shows. The US National Cancer Institute found low levels of dormant HIV in patients seven years after they started - and responded well to - standard therapy. The finding confirms patients must t
Sita has been staying for over 30 years in Mumbai s red-light district of Kamathipura, resigned not only to her own fate but that of her daughter s too. But, she says, if I can do something for my grandchild, maybe it s still worth it. That something is an account with Sangini Women s Co-operative Bank. My income has
Tuberculosis is one of mankind s oldest foes. Although once a major killer in Europe and North America it is now largely a disease of poverty in the developing world. For decades it became a neglected illness. But in recent years the emergence of drug-resistant strains helped fuel an increase in cases in Europe and Nor
Three films have been withdrawn from sale following a Newsnight investigation into the health risks of so-called bareback gay porn - which shows men have unprotected sex. It follows concerns within the gay community that performers are being infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Two of the DVDs fea
Treating African HIV patients in their own homes instead of the clinic could substantially cut the number of deaths from the disease, say researchers. Writing The Lancet, Kenyan researchers say they were able to cut deaths from the virus by more than 90% using antiretroviral drugs. There was also a sharp fall in the ch
As many as 40,000 people who used a Las Vegas clinic are being urged to be tested for HIV and the blood-borne hepatitis C virus, US officials say. Anyone who received anaesthesia injections from the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada from March 2004 to January 2008 should be tested. The warning came after an investiga
For a president whose foreign policy has been dominated by Iraq , this visit was a chance for George W Bush to show the world what he calls his mission of mercy - trying to rid Africa of HIV/Aids and Malaria. There were strategic considerations too - showing China it is not the only
Banksy s Keep it Spotless painting broke a record for the artist An auction organised by U2 star Bono and artist Damien Hirst has raised $42.5m ((pounds)21.6m) towards the global fight against Aids. Hirst donated seven of his works to the art sale in New York, including a cabinet filled with drugs to treat HIV, which f
After two decades of research into an HIV vaccine, there comes a bleak message from one of those leading the hunt. Professor David Baltimore, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said that while efforts are continuing, there is little hope of success. In 1984, we were told that as the v
Egyptian police have arrested four men suspected of being HIV positive, bringing the total detained in a recent crackdown to 12, rights groups say. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said last week that HIV-positive Egyptian men had been chained to hospital beds and forced to undergo tests for the virus. The latest arrests took
Scientists are no further forward in developing a vaccine against HIV after more than 20 years of research, a Nobel Prize-winning biologist has said. Professor David Baltimore, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), said there was little hope among scientists. But he said that they
A displaced woman in Kenya outside a Red Crescent tent More than 600,000 people have been displaced in the violence A Kenyan woman crouches in a tent by the only possession she retrieved when she fled her home last month - a brown-paper bag packed with HIV drugs. I was told by gangs that I was going to be raped because
New York - Damien Hirst asked Bansky to donate some of his pieces U2 star Bono and British modern artist Damien Hirst have joined forces with Sotheby s and the Product RED to auction off contemporary art to raise money for Aids relief in Africa. I met them in the Gagosian art gallery in Manhattan s trendy Chelsea neigh
A nurse died more than seven years after contracting HIV while taking blood from a patient, it has emerged. The needle slipped and pricked nurse Juliet Young s thumb as she took blood from the infected patient at south London s Maudsley psychiatric hospital. Ms Young developed Aids and died of pneumonia in January last
A BBC presenter who denies raping a man he met at a New Year party has told a court he would never have harmed him. Nigel Wrench, 47, said he took cocaine with the 26-year-old alleged victim and they returned to Mr Wrench s flat in Finsbury Park, north London, last year. He told the Old Bailey they drank champagne befo
HIV-positive Egyptian men are tortured and chained to hospital beds while awaiting unfair homosexuality trials, a human rights group has claimed. Human Rights Watch (HRW) decried the ignorance and injustice of a case in which a group of arrested men were given HIV tests without their consent. They were also subjected t
The woman was told the syringe was contaminated with HIV A woman has been robbed by another woman who threatened her with a syringe which she claimed was contaminated with the HIV virus. The 21-year-old victim was approached in Bothwell Street, Edinburgh, at about 1600 GMT on Sunday by a woman demanding money. When she
An HIV-positive British man has been jailed for 14 years in Sweden after being convicted of infecting two under-age girls during unprotected sex. Christer Merrill Aggett, 32, who grew up in Sweden, was also convicted of putting other young women at risk. Aggett was ordered to pay compensation of about (pounds) 213,000
Mumbai - Aids awareness poster in Indian-administered Kashmir Experts say more needs to be done to promote Aids awareness A committee set up by the Indian state of Maharashtra has provisionally approved the mandatory HIV testing of couples before marriage. If the decision is made into law, Maharashtra would be the firs
HIV can become resistant to treatment The first in a new class of HIV drugs has become available in the UK. It means doctors will have a further treatment option for patients who have built up resistance to existing drugs. Raltegravir is an integrase inhibitor, which works by blocking an enzyme essential for HIV to be
Rape is on the rise in Kenya , troubled by violence which followed December s disputed elections. A girl looks out of a truck in Nakuru, Kenya Women and children are most at risk of sexual attack Every day women turn up at the doors of Nairobi s hospitals and clinics telling the same story. I could not run away. T
Soldiers and policemen are being urged to be circumcised Rwanda has launched a campaign to encourage all men to be circumcised, to reduce the risk of catching HIV/Aids. A health minister told the BBC that soldiers, policemen and students would be asked to come forward first for circumcision. The UN World Health Org
An innovative publicity campaign has dramatically increased the number of HIV tests being carried out in Lothian. The HIV Comeback Tour was launched by NHS Lothian in 2006 amid concern that many people had become complacent about the risk posed by the virus. Figures released on Thursday warned about a widespread ignora
More than 280 people in Scotland were diagnosed with HIV in 2006 People in Scotland are the least knowledgeable in the UK about HIV even though the disease rate is continuing to rise, campaigners have warned. The National Aids Trust has called on the Scottish Government and local authorities to re-invest in a public aw
The emergency transfusions came from US personnel, who have subsequently been found not to have hepatitis or HIV. Six UK civilian security contractors may also have received contaminated blood provided by the US military, the Health Protection Agency said. The MoD said the infection risk was low and the transfusions ha
Malawian civil servants with HIV are to be given a pay rise by the government. Health Minister Marjorie Ngaunjeb said all civil servants affected by the disease would receive an extra $35 a month to help them buy more food. We thought [it] would go a long way in improving their nutritional requirements which are essent
Male sex workers or gigolos comprise a shadowy group of people in India . The BBC s Soutik Biswas meets a group of gigolos in the eastern city of Calcutta. Sudeep (left), Samrat (middle) and Goutam (right) Gigolos in India are bonding and joining HIV prevention groups What is common between a draughtsman, an accounting
Circumcision does not reduce sexual satisfaction and so there should be no reservations about using this method as a way to combat HIV, a study says. Nearly 5,000 Ugandan men were recruited for the study. Half were circumcised, half had yet to undergo surgery. There was little difference between the two groups when the
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