One in ten people mistakenly believes it is impossible to get pregnant through having sex standing up, a survey shows. The Department of Health and Department for Children, Schools and Families commissioned the poll to highlight misconceptions about safe sex. The poll, of 2,000 people aged 16-50, found 19% were unaware
Sir Elton John has said he is back on his feet and bouncing around after being treated in hospital for flu and E.coli earlier this month. The 62-year-old spoke about his recovery at his annual Aids Foundation benefit in New York. The worst thing about being in the hospital was that it s the first time I ve been in bed
More than 1,200 items from the homes of late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge are being auctioned in Paris. The Christie s auction of items ranging from chandeliers to paperweights is being held in the Marigny theatre near the Champs Elysees. Yves Saint Laurent died of cancer aged 71 in
A woman from Wellington, Somerset, has travelled to southern Africa to see a Red Cross project tackling the issue of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Emily Blewett, 21, a student at Exeter University, was chosen after winning an international development journalism award in the Guardian newspaper. Ms Blewett travel
Singer Annie Lennox has been presented with this year s woman of peace honour at a summit of Nobel Peace Laureates which took place in Berlin. The former Eurythmics star scooped the prestigious prize for her work raising awareness of HIV and Aids. Lennox, 54, has raised $2m (1.2m pounds) since 2003 with her charitable
Zimbabwean paediatrician Robert-Grey Choto spends most of his day counselling sexually abused children at a clinic in the capital, Harare. On the day I visit the Family Support Trust Clinic he is with a 10-year-old girl who was abused by a neighbour last month. She had been at home alone when she was molested, as her p
When the Olympics hosted by Beijing ended, a collector snapped up the 5,000 condoms left over from the 100,000 distributed free to athletes. The collection has now been put up for a one-off auction, with a starting price of one yuan ($0.15; 0.08 pounds) each. Each condom wrapper carries the motto of the Beijing Games -
Vinh, a 24-year-old man, says his parents never talked to him about sex. But they would make jokes about it so that I know what they expect from me, he says. Vinh is from Hue, one of the most traditional cities in Vietnam , but this attitude is found throughout the country, according to the authors of the first survey
The career of Sir Elton Hercules John spans four decades and has been littered with accolades, hit singles and world records. He was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, on 25 March 1947. Sir Elton began playing the piano when he was aged about three, and went to the Royal Academy of Music in London at th
Many thousands of South African children live in homes with no parents, largely as a result of HIV/Aids. Life is desperate for the children left at the head of their families. At the age of 10, Nokubonga Qaba was left with the daunting responsibility of raising her four younger siblings in a remote village in Eastern C
The US is to end its 22-year ban on people with HIV entering the country, President Barack Obama has confirmed. Mr Obama made the announcement as he extended funding for an act that provides HIV/Aids related health care. If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/Aids, we need to act like it, Mr Obama said.
Kenya is to carry out a census of its gay population in an effort to bolster the fight against HIV/Aids - despite homosexuality being against the law. Nicholas Muraguri, head of Kenya s Aids prevention programme Nascop, told the BBC it was vital that the government reached out to the gay community. He said gay pe
Hundreds of thousands of sick people in India are suffering unnecessary and excruciating pain because of a lack of funds, according to a new report. The Human Rights Watch group says that budgetary constraints result in poor medical training, restrictive drug regulations and poor patient care. The group says that m
A top international HIV/Aids expert has told the BBC that the epidemic in Russia is now out of control. Robin Gorna, head of the International Aids Society, urged Russia to do much more to prevent the spread of HIV among an estimated two million drug users. Ms Gorna was speaking ahead of a major international conferenc
Nearly 100 patients are to be contacted by NHS bosses after being treated some years ago by a healthcare worker who has since been diagnosed with HIV. Forty-six patients treated by the worker at Pontefract General Infirmary in West Yorkshire between 1999 and 2001 will be offered blood tests. Tests will also be offered
Scientists working on a new anti-Aids drug treatment for children have said their research may have to stop if they cannot find more funding. The University of Bradford is trying to produce anti-retroviral drugs in the form of granules. The granules are easier for children to take and are more stable in countries with
Russia is highlighted as the country that bears the brunt of the ill-effects of the Afghan drug trade by a UN Office on Drugs and Crime report. The BBC s Stephen Eke reports on Moscow s growing concern about the problem. The head of Russia s federal drug control service has recently blamed lack of effective border co
The condom has now caught up with the pill as women s preferred method of contraception, latest figures suggest. A quarter of the 1,093 women under 50 surveyed opted for condoms, which is identical to the proportion who plumped for the oral contraceptive pill. Experts said the Office for National Statistics figures wer
Matt McGrath, BBC News science and environment reporter
A review of a trial of a HIV vaccine in Thailand has concluded that it does show real signs of a protective effect. Scientists announced last month that a combination of vaccines gave a 31% level of protection in trials among 16,000 heterosexuals aged 18-30. Doubts had been raised about whether the finding was signific
A Ugandan MP has proposed creating an offence of aggravated homosexuality to be punishable by death. Ruling party MP David Bahati wants the death penalty for those having gay sex with disabled people, under-18s or when the accused is HIV-positive. Homosexual acts are already illegal, but the Anti-Homosexuality Bill pro
At the age of 14, Nolizwi Sinama set off from her aunt s home to a neighbouring village. She thought she had been sent on a routine chore. In fact, she was on her way to be married to a 42-year-old man. Her aunt and brother had arranged the marriage, taking three cows as a bride price, or ilobolo as it is known in
Women s football is being used in Zimbabwe to confront the stigma associated with HIV and Aids. A total of 16 women s teams now take part in competitions for players who have openly declared that they are HIV positive. But despite the courage of the women involved, there has been much resistance. ARV Swallows, base
David Furnish, the partner of Sir Elton John, has unveiled an Aids memorial in Brighton which shows two intertwined figures soaring upwards. The 11ft (3.3m) bronze sculpture, by Romney Mark Bruce, had run into financial difficulties but was finished after support from the local community. Mr Furnish and Sir Elton are l
Children as young as four are to become the youngest in Scotland to be given sex education lessons under a new curriculum from Glasgow City Council. Lessons begin in P1 with children being taught about body parts and conclude in S6 with classes on sexually transmitted infection, especially HIV and Aids. However, the Sc
Two ex-officers in Zambia s air force are suing the military, saying they were tested and treated for HIV without their knowledge. Stanley Kingaipe and Charles Chookole claim they were dismissed for being HIV positive - claims the air force denies. Mandatory HIV screening is not legal in the military, and the governmen
Minority communities in Jersey will no longer get targeted Aids information and support because of government funding cuts, a charity has said. The States Business Plan included a reduction in funding for Acet, an HIV awareness charity. The funding cut put Acet in a difficult and painful situation, the charity director
Falling prices and increased testing have led to a marked rise in the number of people in the poorest parts of the world receiving treatment for HIV. The number of people on antiretrovirals had risen by 1m by the end of 2008, a 36% increase from the previous year, the World Health Organisation reports. But despite the
An experimental HIV vaccine has for the first time cut the risk of infection, researchers say. HIV researchers say the results from a large trial in Thailand offer renewed optimism that an effective HIV vaccine is possible. What is different about this vaccine? For more than 20 years, the field of HIV vaccine research
An experimental HIV vaccine has for the first time cut the risk of infection, researchers say. The vaccine - a combination of two earlier experimental vaccines - was given to 16,000 people in Thailand , in the largest ever such vaccine trial. Researchers found that it reduced by nearly a third the risk of contracting H
It is no surprise that Thailand has held the largest ever trial of an HIV vaccine. The South East Asian country has long been at the forefront of the battle against HIV and Aids. I did this for others, said 33-year-old electrician Thanad Yomha. It s for the next generation . Thanad was one of more than 16,000 Thais
Vancouver, host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics, is regularly rated as one of the best places in the world to live in. But it does not feel that way in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood of the city, described by some as the worst slum in Canada . It s a sewer of human misery, says Dr Rob Gordon, director of the Sc
No dangerous chemicals have found in blood samples from the victims of recent needle attacks in China s Xinjiang region, state media have said. Rumours had been rife that the needles contained radioactive substances, poison or even HIV. Blood samples from 250 reported victims were examined in a Beijing lab, said state-
A 24-hour hotline aimed at cutting the number of discarded needles and other drug waste on the streets of Dundee has been launched. Tayside Police said the service, operated in partnership with the city council, would lead to the rapid removal of drugs paraphernalia. The new line replaces a former arrangement which inv
Kenya has banned a brand of condoms weeks after Zambia did the same after tests concluded that they leak. The condom brand known as Hot, which is manufactured in the UK, featured in a Kenyan TV report where its strength was tested - and found wanting. Officials announced the ban after their tests also revealed we
A project backed by North Lanarkshire council aimed at empowering young women in Malawi is to be extended to all primary schools in the African country. Charles Fawcett, a retired deputy head teacher from Coatbridge, has played a key role in setting up and supporting Mothers Groups and Girls Go for Health initiatives.
A project aimed at empowering women in Malawi , and supported by a Scottish council, is to be rolled out across the African country. North Lanarkshire Council has been working with women in the Luchenza area to increase levels of education, combat HIV and tackle extreme poverty. It has been championing the work of
The UN children s agency says child mortality is decreasing, but the rate of decline is not enough. A new report says more than eight million children under five died last year with pneumonia and diarrhoea the two leading causes of death. Unicef says 40% of under-five deaths take place in just three countries -
A graphic Aids-awareness TV advert which features an Adolf Hitler lookalike having sex has been condemned by HIV charities. It will be shown on German TV next week ahead of World Aids Day in December. The German charity behind the film says Aids has killed 30 million people worldwide, and it wants to shake people up by
Two powerful new antibodies to HIV have been found which could aid development of a vaccine, researchers say. Researchers, led by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), say the discovery reveals a potential new Achilles heel in the virus s defences. The antibodies are the first of their type to be identified
A councillor in Manchester revealed he was HIV positive during a vigil remembering those who have lost their lives after contracting the virus. Councillor Paul Fairweather, who has campaigned for gay rights for many years, told festival-goers at the end of the city s Pride celebrations. Thousand of people attended the
There has been a small rise in the number new cases of people with HIV and Aids in Cumbria, latest NHS figures have revealed. In 2008, 23 new cases were recorded in the county, compared with 17 cases in the previous year. Of the new cases, 61% were contracted through heterosexual sex. Health experts are warning of the
More than 100 people are spending the night sleeping rough at Vale Castle in Guernsey to raise money for charity. The Abandoned event has been organised to gives islanders a chance to experience what it is like to be homeless. Those taking part will use cardboard boxes to create a home for the night at the castle.
People with conditions such as HIV, TB and malaria should not rely on homeopathic treatments, the World Health Organization has warned. It was responding to calls from young researchers who fear the promotion of homeopathy in the developing world could put people s lives at risk. The group Voice of Young Science Ne
Pop star Annie Lennox has unveiled a stone memorial in Edinburgh to honour the city s links with Nelson Mandela and his fight against HIV/Aids. The Eurythmics singer is a UK ambassador for the former South African president s Aids charity 46664. The stone will bear the works It s in our hands to win the fight against H
Governments have not responded effectively to the huge pandemic of HIV/Aids, according to pop star Annie Lennox. The former Eurythmics singer was one of the leading attractions at this year s Festival of Politics at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Ms Lennox said HIV was having a devastating impact on Africa.
A warning about the dangers of using illegal tattoo artists has been issued by a Cheshire council. Council officers in Halton are checking reports of unlicensed tattooists operating out of their own homes or offering to visit clients in theirs. Environmental health officers said all tattoo artists have to be registered
Singer Annie Lennox is due to speak out about her work in the fight against HIV/Aids. The former Eurythmics star is one of the leading attractions at this year s Festival of Politics at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Ms Lennox, whose hits include 1984 and Sweet Dreams, will speak about efforts to stop the spread
A priest has walked along an 80ft (24m) high wire to re-create a stunt by 19th Century French tightrope walker Charles Blondin and raise money for charity. Father Jerome Lloyd, 43, walked on a wire without a safety harness on Hove beachfront, while wearing his traditional soutane and saturno. He held on to the shoulder
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has demanded an end to widespread sexual abuse in war-ravaged eastern DR Congo, during a visit to the country. Mrs Clinton spoke out during a tour of a crowded refugee camp in the eastern city of Goma. Earlier, following talks with Congolese President Joseph Kabila, she said there
Scientists say they have decoded the entire genetic structure of HIV-1 - the main cause of Aids in humans. They hope this will pave the way to a greater understanding of how the virus operates, and potentially accelerate the development of drug treatments. HIV carries its genetic information in more complicated structu
Gorillas have been found, for the first time, to be a source of HIV. Previous research had shown the HIV-1 strain, the main source of human infections, with 33m cases worldwide, originated from a virus in chimpanzees. But researchers have now discovered an HIV infection in a Cameroonian woman which is clearly linked to
A new sexual health centre, which offers HIV testing in one hour, has opened in Nottingham city centre. The facility, on Barker Gate, is run by the Terrence Higgins Trust and funded by the NHS, city and county councils. It will offer a weekly clinic, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. The
A sex offender from Devon who breached an order banning him from contacting people over the age of 60 has failed in a bid to reduce his latest jail term. Derek Francis Hornett, of Crossways, Whitestone, Exeter, was jailed in 2005 for three years for knowingly infecting an 82-year-old Paignton woman with HIV. In May, Ho
A growing number of women in the west of Scotland are injecting themselves with an unlicensed tanning drug, according to the local health board. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said pharmacies have reported requests from women for needles to inject Melanotan. The drug is a synthetic hormone that encourages the body to pr
More HIV/Aids patients in Africa could be treated if funds were switched from expensive laboratory testing to local care in villages, research suggests. Results from a six-year clinical trial of 3,500 people showed that lab tests of how anti-retroviral drugs work and side-effects do little to prolong life. Money saved
A woman from Liverpool who has dedicated her life to treating terminally ill patients in Africa has been awarded an honorary doctorate. Dr Anne Merriman set up the charity Hospice Africa, which works with cancer and HIV or Aids patients in sub-Saharan Africa. She said initially only paracetamol was given for pain relie
A week after giving birth to her sixth child, Christine Achan walked 60 km (37 miles) from her village in northern Uganda to get life-saving anti-retroviral drugs to stop her and her baby becoming sick with Aids. Doctors say it is villagers like her that the results of Africa s largest and longest running clinical test
HIV rates among gay men in some African countries are 10 times higher than among the general male population, says research in medical journal the Lancet. The report said prejudice towards gay people was leading to isolation and harassment, which in turn led to risky sexual practices among gay communities. But the risk
India s Supreme Court has refused to put on hold a landmark court judgement decriminalising gay sex in the country. The court said the Delhi high court ruling had no penal consequences , and asked the government to make clear its views on the issue within two months. The 3 July ruling faces two challenges by people who
Zeba Raman is a 28-year-old Pakistani sex worker. Born into the profession in Karachi s red light district of Napier Road, she plies her trade all over the city. Quote: I did not know that precautionary measures should be taken during sex -- Nadia, sex worker She is celebrating the launch of an initiative to promote he
Circumcising men who already have HIV does not protect their female partners from the virus, a study in Uganda has found. Circumcision is known to protect men from acquiring HIV. But the research, from the Lancet, showed no benefit in those who already had the virus and was stopped early because of the continued risk t
A charity which helps families bereaved through cot death is among the good causes to benefit from a 3.9m pound Big Lottery Fund windfall. Support services for people living with HIV and Hepatitis will also benefit from the grants, as will the Royal National Institute for Deaf People. A total of 11 Scottish projects wi
Widows in Nepal are protesting against a decision by the Nepalese government to offer a cash incentive to men for marrying them. The incentive was announced in the government s annual budget earlier this week - it is a lump sum of 50,000 Nepali rupees ($641). Nepal has a large number of widows because of the bloody
Drug firms must allow the generic production of their HIV medication if the deaths of millions of people are to be avoided, British MPs warn. The All Party Parliamentary Group on Aids wants to see a patent pool in which firms would give up their rights in exchange for a royalty fee. They describe a treatment timebomb
Experts believe women are naturally programmed to be the weaker sex when it comes to fighting off HIV. It is well known that HIV progresses faster in women than in men with similar levels of HIV in the blood. Now a US research team has found that a receptor molecule involved in the first-line recognition of HIV respond
A UK activist has spoken about his role in pushing the US government to overturn a law which bans people with HIV from visiting the country. Paul Thorn, 38, an expert on HIV and TB, was stopped from speaking at the Pacific health summit in Seattle after admitting his HIV status on his visa entry form. He was moved to w
Gay rights activists in India say a ruling by the Delhi High Court decriminalising homosexuality in the country is a landmark. The judgement overturns a 148-year-old colonial law which described a same-sex relationship as an unnatural offence . VIKRAM DOCTOR, WRITER AND GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST The ruling is a huge step
A court in the Indian capital, Delhi, has ruled that homosexual intercourse between consenting adults is not a criminal act. The ruling overturns a 148-year-old colonial law which describes a same-sex relationship as an unnatural offence . Homosexual acts were punishable by a 10-year prison sentence. Many people in Ind
Rwanda has strongly denied reports that its parliament is considering a draft law which would forcibly sterilise people who are mentally disabled. Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, deputy speaker of parliament, was responding to a call by US-based activists Human Rights Watch to scrap the proposed law. He also told the B
The Stonewall uprisings 40 years ago brought the gay rights movement to the forefront of American culture. Writer and historian David Carter assesses what progress has been made since that pivotal moment and how far the quest for equal rights has to go. The end of this month marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall
A common immunosuppressive drug may have the ability to boost the power of vaccines, research suggests. Rapamycin is commonly give to transplant patients to stop their bodies rejecting donor organs. In tests on mice and monkeys, scientists found it enhanced the response of their immune system to experimental vaccines.
Haemophiliacs have protested outside the health secretary s constituency office in Greater Manchester as part of a fight for compensation. The protesters say they want the government to take responsibility for a scandal over contaminated blood. They say at least 2,000 people have died since they were given infected NHS
One in four South African men questioned in a survey said they had raped someone, and nearly half of them admitted more than one attack. The study, by the country s Medical Research Council, also found three out of four who admitted rape had attacked for the first time during their teens. It said practices such as gang
A new drive to contain the spread of HIV/Aids in Laos is forcing officials to recognise a marginalised group - transgender men known as katheoy . The BBC s Jill McGivering went to meet some of them in the capital, Vientiane. Khom was born male. But she has thought of herself as female since she was about nine years
Unplanned pregnancies among Nigerian teenagers and young women have risen despite improvements in educational levels, a report found. In 2003, 16% of pregnancies among girls and women aged 15-24 had been unintended, compared with 10% in 1990. The study from the New York-based Guttmacher Institute said low use of contra
Proposals to tackle teenage pregnancies in Wales have been unveiled with plans for better sex education to be taught. The assembly government s plan also aims to cut the rates of sexually transmitted infections and highlight the dangers of unprotected sex. A new health advisory board would be created along with better
Italy and France have been accused of reneging on promises to increase aid to African nations. Anti-poverty group One, set up by rock star Bono, said Italy had actually cut aid to Africa despite making ambitious pledges at a 2005 economic summit. The Italian government acknowleged it had missed its aid targets.
Some governments around the world are putting politics before the lives of Zimbabwe s children, British charity Save the Children UK told the BBC. It says they are withholding funding until there is true political reform. There are an estimated 1.5 million orphans in Zimbabwe, the highest number per head of population
South Africa s HIV epidemic has levelled off at an infection rate of 10.9% for those aged two or older, according to a new study. The survey also suggests the rate of infection in children and teenagers could be falling. This could be partly attributed to increased use of condoms, it says. But the survey warned that th
New South African President Jacob Zuma has promised to create half a million jobs this year in his first state of the nation address. He said fighting poverty was his priority, a week after South Africa officially announced it was facing its worst recession in 17 years. We must act now to minimise the impact of this do
In a city where about 40 murders take place every weekend, it may not come as a big surprise that four prostitutes have been killed on the same stretch of road in Caracas in recent months. But when you find out that all four were transsexuals or transgender, it changes the picture somewhat. The bodies were reportedly f
Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa are being denied access to much-needed medical care, says the aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres. MSF says it has many reports of refugees who have been raped and injured being rejected by hospital staff or charged exorbitant fees. The group describes the situation as a failure of t
A mobile phone based health project is helping the Peruvian military to keep disease at bay. The initiative, dubbed Alerta DISAMAR, has allowed doctors in the navy to report disease outbreaks and ask for help with treatment. The scheme was set up following the deaths of two Peruvian sailors in 2001 from Malaria and is
A couple from East Yorkshire who adopted an African orphan with HIV are setting up a charity in her name to help other youngsters like her. Natalie and Ian Westwell took in five-year-old S bahle after being struck by the plight of youngsters at a children s home in South Africa . The couple, from Roos, now want to
A London NHS trust has become the first in the country to offer an HIV saliva test that provides definitive results on the spot in 20 minutes. The test uses a toothbrush to pick up HIV antibody markers from the gum line. Barts and the London NHS Trust hope more people will seek testing if the need to give blood and wai
Victims of the contaminated blood scandal have accused the government of treating them with contempt. Thousands of UK people - mainly those with haemophilia - were infected with HIV and hepatitis C during the 1970s and 1980s after using blood products. An inquiry had called for an overhaul of the victim pay-out system,
Scientists who have mapped HIV s spread across Europe say holidaymakers infected abroad are largely to blame. By analysing samples from 17 European countries, the international team tracked the movement of the virus around the continent. Their map shows Greece ,
South African cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro has decided to detach the notorious shower he depicts in sketches on President Jacob Zuma s head. His latest cartoon shows Mr Zuma in his office with the shower hovering above - rather than attached to - his head. The cartoonist said he wanted to give the presidency a chance t
A private corridor is being created at a new sexual health clinic as part of a 9m pound renovation to stop embarrassed patients from being spotted. The one-stop-shop in the former Chalmers Hospital building in Lauriston Place is being refurbished including a three-storey extension to open in 2010. Patients are so worri
Millions of children s lives are being put at risk each year because aid agencies and governments make wrong choices about health care priorities. This is the conclusion of a new report from the charity WaterAid. It says that diarrhoea caused by poor sanitation is killing many more children than HIV/Aids, tuberculosis
South African opposition leader Helen Zille has been labelled a racist by the governing ANC s Youth League for a lacerating attack on the president. The Western Cape premier was quoted by the Sowetan newspaper as saying President Jacob Zuma had put his three wives at risk of contracting HIV. She reportedly lashed out a
Too many young people are unaware of the risks of HIV, Unicef has warned. Those aged 16 to 24 account for 10% of all new diagnoses in the UK and young men who have sex with men are most at risk, a report said. More strategies to encourage young people to practise safe sex and have better access to sexual health clinics
US President Obama s administration has announced a $63bn health plan to fight Aids and other illnesses overseas. If approved by Congress the plan would be an extraordinary step to save the lives of men, women and children, said Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew. The six year initiative would continue the work oversee
People living with HIV could soon monitor their own condition at home using a hand-held device, similar to ones used by diabetics. Scientists at three of London s largest research centres have been granted 2m pounds to develop a hi-tech, finger prick blood-testing gadget. The device s tiny mechanical sensors - microcan
One of Wales top sexual health doctors has warned that some patients with HIV are being denied treatment by GPs for everyday illnesses. Dr Olwen Williams told BBC Wales Dragon s Eye that some GPs referred HIV patients to hospitals instead of treating common complaints themselves. More than 1,000 people in Wales live wi
Primary pupils must be taught about sex education and healthy living, as well-being lessons become compulsory in both primary and secondary schools. A report from Sir Alasdair Macdonald has examined how personal, social and health education (PSHE) should become part of the curriculum in England. Schools will still deci
It was New Year s Eve, the last night of 1980, when Eric Sawyer was infected with HIV. Within a couple of weeks he began feeling sick. His doctors couldn t figure out what was wrong. It would take over three years before anyone would identify the mysterious and deadly illness that was affecting so many gay men througho
The number of pregnant women with HIV has risen to an all-time high in Scotland, latest figures have shown. Statistics from Health Protection Scotland found 27 women were identified as HIV positive last year, up from 22. More than 100 people living in Scotland were diagnosed with the virus in the first three months of
We have never had anything like this in Tajikistan since Soviet times, a shopkeeper in the capital Dushanbe told me, neatly summing up the sense of crisis felt by many in Tajikistan. The landlocked country is one of the poorest states in the region. It was plunged into a five-year civil war after the break-up of the S
A singer from the German girl band No Angels arrested on suspicion of infecting a partner with HIV has been released from custody. Prosecutors say Nadja Benaissa, 26, had unprotected sex with three men without informing them she was infected, and that one later tested positive himself. Ms Benaissa s lawyers said she sh
Senegal s court of appeal has quashed January s convictions of nine men for homosexuality and ordered their immediate release. They were sentenced to eight years in jail after being found guilty of indecent conduct and unnatural acts . The men - who part of an anti-HIV/Aids group - were arrested in December at a flat i
A singer from the German girl band No Angels has been arrested on suspicion of infecting a partner with HIV, a prosecutor s office has said. Nadja Benaissa is suspected of having unprotected sex with three men without informing them she was HIV-positive, German media reported. The 26-year-old singer was arrested on Sat
When I arrived here, I saw people with HIV being carried all day to get to the clinic, Paul Williams recalls. There were no testing services, no education, no treatment and certainly no monitoring of treatment. People just died. That was the situation in Bwindi, Uganda , three years ago. Dr Williams, formerly a GP in
A Ugandan spy who set up a bogus charity and embezzled thousands of dollars of funding meant for Aids patients has been jailed for 10 years. Teddy Sseezi Cheeye, 51, took $56,000 (38,000 pounds) from the Global Fund charity, which aims to prevent HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. He set up an NGO, the Uganda Centre for Ac
Bill Law, Reporter, BBC Radio 4: Crossing Continents
You would think there would be no reason for joy or hope in a country with the highest HIV/Aids prevalence rate in the world, a place where nearly half of all girls and women have experienced sexual violence at some time in their life. In Swaziland , 42% of women are HIV positive and almost half of all deaths of childr
A body which represents the four main churches in Londonderry has said it is keen to work with a HIV support group to raise awareness of the condition. Liam Milligan from the Churches Trust was speaking after an awareness event in Derry on Tuesday which was attended by only one member of the clergy. Kieran Harris of NI
A public inquiry into how people were infected with hepatitis C and HIV from contaminated blood has said that extra compensation is not within its remit. Thousands of Scots, including haemophiliacs, were given contaminated blood in the 1970s and 1980s before screening was introduced in 1991. It has been described as on
Swishing a wildebeest tail and wearing a fez-like hat adorned with goat s gall bladders, Amanda Gcabashe seems an unlikely figure for a web-savvy African healer. But from her plush home in Johannesburg s northern suburbs, she is the face of a modern sangoma, as a traditional healer is known in South Africa
Gay men are being warned about their HIV risk after latest figures show high rates of new diagnoses. The Health Protection Agency estimates revealed nearly four in 10 of the 7,370 cases last year were in gay men - twice the number of a decade ago. Recent studies have suggested high numbers of gay men are engaging in un
One of the world s most prestigious medical journals, the Lancet, has accused Pope Benedict XVI of distorting science in his remarks on condom use. It said the Pope s recent comments that condoms exacerbated the problem of HIV/Aids were wildly inaccurate and could have devastating consequences. The Pope had said the c
A former health secretary has told the BBC that the problem of cancer in Africa is like a steam train coming down the track . Alan Milburn has helped set up an organisation called AfrOx, which is trying to tackle the issue. He compared the challenge of trying to get good cancer care in Africa to the fight in previous d
Circumcision should be routinely considered as a way to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, argue US experts. They spoke out after research found circumcision significantly cut the risk of infection with herpes and the cancer-causing human papillomavirus. Circumcision is known to sharply reduce the risk
Tuberculosis is a major concern in Central Asia, and many people die from the disease. The situation is further aggravated by the spread of HIV and poverty. The British Red Cross has been running successful TB treatment projects in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan . On World TB Day, five patients at the projects s
One in four TB deaths is HIV-related, twice as many as previously recognised, experts say. Co-infection remains a major challenge and more efforts are needed to spot and treat the two conditions in tandem, says the World Health Organization . HIV and tuberculosis services must be joined up if we are to achieve global d
Police in Paris made 11 arrests following clashes between groups polarised by Pope Benedict XVI s views over condom use in Africa. Youths in favour of the Pope fought pro-condom activists staging a protest outside Notre Dame Cathedral as worshippers left after Sunday mass. Last week the Pope said condoms were not the a
A Roman Catholic archbishop says failure by the Pope s Vatican advisers has contributed to controversy surrounding the pontiff. The Archbishop of Cardiff, Peter Smith, said the Pope s message was not very satisfactory at the moment . Several EU states have criticised Pope Benedict XVI for saying condom use could increa
Pope Benedict XVI is making his first papal visit to Africa - the continent worst hit by HIV/Aids. He has said that handing out condoms is not the answer and instead preaches marital fidelity and abstinence. Readers of the BBC News website have been sending in their views. Below are some of your comments: Only a mad
Pope Benedict XVI, who is making his first papal visit to Africa, has said that handing out condoms is not the answer in the fight against HIV/Aids. The pontiff, who preaches marital fidelity and abstinence, said the practice only increased the problem. A Christian can never remain silent, he said, after being greeted
Robert Pigott, BBC Religious Affairs Correspondent
Pope Benedict XVI is a man of enormous authority. When he says don t use condoms - even to prevent the spread of Aids it has a significant impact among tens, even hundreds of millions of people. Getting on for a fifth of Africans are Roman Catholic. The Church has been growing more quickly in Africa than anywhere else,
Several EU states have criticised Pope Benedict for saying that the use of condoms could endanger public health and increase the problem of HIV/Aids. The Pope argued that distribution of condoms aggravated the problem, rather than helping to contain the virus, as he began a visit to Africa this week. France s foreign m
The US capital is suffering an epidemic of HIV/Aids worse than some African nations, with 3% of over-12s infected, the city s department of health says. Its report suggests the hardest-hit sections of the population are black men, and people aged between 40 and 49. The infection rate puts Washington DC on a par with
Installing ultraviolet lights could reduce the spread of tuberculosis (TB) in hospital wards and waiting rooms by 70%, research suggests. The move could potentially save many lives globally, particularly where hospital patients are crowded together. TB infects more than nine million, and kills nearly two million people
Nearly half of Indian brides wed before they are 18-years-old, the legal age for marriage since 1978, a survey by the Lancet medical magazine says. Carried out from a geographical and social cross-section of Indian society, the survey says that a total of 44.5% were married by the time they were 18. It says that women
Researchers have identified a cheap, commonly-used compound that, applied vaginally, can stop monkeys being infected with a primate version of HIV. The discovery, by the University of Minnesota, raises hopes of a similar microbicidal treatment to block HIV transmission in humans. Several microbicides have been tested,
Doctors have warned that plans to relax data sharing rules could damage patient confidentiality. A group of eight leading medical groups have urged ministers to re-think the Coroners and Justice Bill, currently working its way through parliament. The organisations, including the British Medical Association, said they h
A former prison officer who swallowed the blood of an intravenous drug user while breaking up a fight has won a legal battle to sue for damages. Edward Pratt, 46, from Fife, is seeking £300,000 from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) over the incident at Glasgow s Barlinnie jail in 1997. Scottish Ministers sought to hav
A male suspect has been arrested by police after complaints that a man with HIV had unprotected sex with a number of women. Devon and Cornwall Police said the women live in the east Devon area. The women told officers they had had unprotected sex with the man, who had failed to disclose his HIV status. A 39-year-old ma
A woman known as the Angel of Burundi has been awarded one of France s highest honours for humanitarian work. Marguerite Barankitse has spent 14 years caring for 10,000 orphans who were the victims of war and HIV/Aids. She also offers a place for women and child refugees returning to Burundi to rebuild their lives.
HIV is evolving rapidly to escape the human immune system, an international study has shown. The Nature study highlights just how tough it could be to develop a vaccine that keeps pace with the changing nature of the virus. The researchers showed HIV was able to adapt rapidly to counter human genes controlling immune s
Eleanor Bradford, Health correspondent, BBC Scotland
Scots who were infected with deadly viruses through contaminated blood are calling for a Scottish inquiry to have more powers. Lawyers acting for hundreds of victims said an independent inquiry, set up by the Scottish Government, would only have the power to call witnesses in Scotland. As the blood supply was contamina
A public inquiry has condemned the failings that led to thousands of people being infected with HIV and hepatitis C from contaminated blood. The independent privately-funded inquiry called the use of contaminated blood products to treat patients with haemophilia a horrific human tragedy . The report suggested UK author
Chinese officials have said that HIV/Aids was the leading cause of death last year, compared with other infectious diseases. It is thought to be the first time this has happened. A report by the country s state media said HIV/Aids had led to the deaths of almost 7,000 people in the first nine months of 2008. The numb
Jason Palmer, Science and technology reporter, BBC News, Barcelona
Three foundations have announced their intention to join in a mobile health effort to use mobile technology to provide better healthcare worldwide. The UN, Vodafone, and the Rockefeller Foundation s mHealth Alliance aims to unite existing projects to improve healthcare using mobile technology. The alliance will guide g
One of the first attempts to use gene therapy to treat HIV has produced promising results in clinical trials. When the therapy was tested on 74 patients, it was shown to be safe and appeared to reduce the effect of the virus on the immune system. In theory, one treatment should be enough to replace the need for a lifet
When Dr Justin Varney started out in his medical career he was advised to become a GP, not because his skills were better suited to this particular branch of medicine, but because he was gay. His tutors felt that a career in paediatrics, the area he was interested in at the time, would be inappropriate because of his s
New multi-million pound laboratories that research vaccines for major diseases are opening in Oxford. The Jenner Institute Laboratories at the University of Oxford house scientists looking into malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and bird flu. Professor Adrian Hill said the new 5m pounds facility left them well placed to take o
It is 0400 at Jakarta s main HIV hospital and Dendy Hikmah is waiting for the doctor. Appointments are running late. Dendy sits in the overcrowded waiting room and flicks through his medicine file - anti-retroviral treatment, methadone, anti-depressants. A few years ago, Dendy would never have imagined himself here.
For 20 years Chrissie Semple carried the hepatitis C virus without knowing it. She had become infected after a blood transfusion in Germany following a Caesarean section for her youngest daughter. Recent statistics show there are about 100,000 people like Chrissie who are unsuspecting carriers of hep C. Doctors onl
A woman who wrongly believed she had the Aids virus took a lethal overdose of paracetamol tablets, an inquest has heard. Alison Flower, 45, who lived with her father in Cardiff, was suffering from a delusional disorder that she was suffering from a serious illness. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Helen Chubb told the Cardif
The Vatican has condemned President Obama s move to restore US funding for family planning clinics abroad that give advice on or carry out abortions. One Vatican official warned against the arrogance of those in power who think they can decide between life and death. Another official said it dealt a blow to groups figh
The United States is one of the biggest supporters of family planning programmes worldwide - so this major change to its funding policy will make a huge difference, especially across Africa and others parts of the developing world. The lifting of the ban will dismay American anti-abortion groups who say taxpayers doll
Two prominent Iranian Aids doctors have been jailed for a total of nine years for their part in an alleged coup plot. Brothers Arash Alaei and Kamyar Alaei were accused of being key elements in a plan Iran said was backed by the CIA. The prison sentences were imposed after a secret trial and have provoked strong protes
The number of people in Cumbria with sexually transmitted diseases has risen, health chiefs have revealed. In the first six months of 2008, 13 new cases of HIV and Aids were recorded in the county, compared with 17 cases in the whole of 2007. Of the 13 cases, 12 were contracted through heterosexual sex. Health experts
A Scots doctor who helped to fight Aids in Africa until it claimed his own life is being officially recognised. A twinning agreement between the Borders General Hospital near Melrose and St Francis Hospital in Zambia will honour the efforts of Dr Sandy Logie. He took early retirement from the BGH in 1993 to carry out v
The jailing in Senegal of nine gay men for eight years over indecent conduct and unnatural acts has been condemned by an international gay rights group. Homosexual acts are illegal in Senegal but the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) told the BBC it was shocked by the ruling . The judg
US researchers say they have harnessed the power of gold nanoparticles to devise a better way of delivering drugs to treat diseases such as cancer. The fledgling system could release a number of drugs in a specific part of the body at desired intervals, the MIT team wrote in the journal ACS Nano. The device makes use o
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