FDA to decide on anonymous frozen semen policy WASHINGTON -- A U.S. Food & Drug Administration panel recommended that the FDA abandon a proposed rule that would have required all semen donations to be frozen for at least six months before being used, Reuters reported. Advisers to the FDA suggested that the agency
Almost half of the people infected with the AIDS virus in the United States carry a strain that resists one or more of the drugs used to treat it, according to a new study released last week. AIDS experts say the findings are not new, since drug-resistant strains of the virus have been documented previously, but the fi
Researchers say many HIV cases are drug resistant WASHINGTON -- A majority of all U.S. patients infected with HIV have an infection that resists one or more of the drugs used to treat it, researchers reported Dec. 18, according to Reuters. Researches said drug-resistant HIV had spread even faster than feared, and anti-
Congress this week approved separate appropriations bills that increased funding for the federal Ryan White AIDS CARE program and put school districts on notice that they could lose federal education funds if they discriminate against Boy Scout troops that bar gays from their membership rolls. A House-Senate conference
Cycling AIDS drugs can reduce side effects, cut costs WASHINGTON (AP) -- An on-and-off medication cycle in which people with AIDS take a powerful drug combination for a week and then stop for a week may be able to control HIV, reduce side effects and cut costs in half, a study shows. Researchers at the National Institu
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) -- The 12th annual International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseased in Africa opened Sunday, with experts from around the world gathering to confront two immediate issues in the fight against AIDS in Africa: reducing the cost of drugs for those already infected and findi
Slowing drugs for some HIV patients may be safe CHICAGO (AP) -- Symptom-free HIV patients can safely hold off taking AIDS drugs longer than previously thought, two new studies suggest. When antiretroviral drugs first became available in the mid-1990s, their dramatic effects prompted many doctors to recommend immediate
Study: Blood tests can improve HIV drug regimen LONDON (AP) -- New research indicates that performing a blood test after six days of new medication, instead of the typical four weeks, could get HIV patients onto the best drug cocktail more quickly, sparing them unnecessary side effects and reducing the virus ability to
ATLANTA -- While the number of reported syphilis cases in the United States hit an all-time low last year, outbreaks of the disease have been seen among gay men in a handful of large cities, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. And two counties in the South -- Harris County, Texas and Fulton C
ATLANTA -- With the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention at the helm of the investigation into recent anthrax cases, some AIDS activists are wondering how the war on bioterrorism could affect the fight against AIDS. In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States , the new buzzword is biot
Mass. board OKs HIV-positive transplant patient BOSTON (AP) -- A state board ruled Nov. 14 that a man with HIV and end-stage liver disease should be covered by Medicaid for a liver transplant, siding with activists and some scientists who argued HIV wouldn t harm his chances of surviving the procedure. Despite conflict
D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams s liaison to the gay community said she secured the release of public documents from the city s AIDS office on November 21, three weeks after the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance informed Williams it planned to take legal action against the city in an effort to obtain the documents. In a N
ATLANTA -- A report from the federal government criticizes nearly $700,000 in funding and two provocative AIDS prevention programs in San Francisco and is prompting a larger review of all AIDS programs funded through the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. AIDS activists defended the two programs -- Booty Cal
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- South Africa plans to boost spending to fight the AIDS pandemic over the next three years, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel told Parliament. The provincial government spent $430 million this year on the fight against the AIDS virus, which infects an estimated 4.7 million South Africans. Th
Study: Men in San Fran less afraid of HIV SAN FRANCISCO -- Gay and bisexual men in San Francisco don t find HIV as threatening as they once did, ads for AIDS drugs are seen as glamorizing life after infection, and there is increased acceptance of unprotected sex, a study by the University of California at San Francisco
BEIJING (AP) -- China recorded 5,616 new cases of AIDS infection in the first nine months of this year, more than in all of last year, a state newspaper said Saturday. That raised the known number of people in China with the HIV virus to 28,133, the China Youth Daily said. Last year, some 5,201 new cases were reported,
AIDS activist Martin Delaney said the approval of the AIDS drug Viread is exactly what we had hoped for. FDA approves AIDS drug for all patients FOSTER CITY, Calif. (AP) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new pill to treat HIV, the first such move this year. In addition to approving the pill Viread
There s a wealth of information about poppers, but it s difficult to find a consensus about whether the drug is dangerous. In The Stonewall Experiment: A Gay Psychohistory, author Ian Young outlines the interesting and often controversial history of video head cleaner. In the book, published in 1999, Young courageously
Mixing the blue pill with the little brown bottle can be lethal, but it can also be exhilarating. That s why the mixture of Viagra and poppers is gaining popularity among gay men. And now, some health officials are sounding an alarm: On Monday, a Board of Supervisors panel in San Francisco discussed an ordinance requir
Wayne Shields noted that improving awareness among health practitioners can increase lesbians use of health care services. WASHINGTON -- The latest issue of Health & Sexuality magazine, published by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, is focused on lesbian health concerns. The issue was developed
Us Helping Us has purchased a building at 3636 Georgia Avenue, NW. Never before has a black gay AIDS organization owned a building in this city, noted executive director Ron Simmons. The new property has 61,000 square feet of space. Us Helping Us, an AIDS service organization for black gay men, recently purchased a bui
Study: depression connected with perimenopause NEW ORLEANS -- Two new studies have offered new information about perimenopause. Researchers of the Harvard Medical School in Boston reported at the 12th annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society in New Orleans that a history of depression is associated with a
Asia-Pacific officials pledge to fight against AIDS MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Government ministers from more than 30 nations in the Asia-Pacific region concluded a conference Wednesday by committing themselves to the fight against the AIDS epidemic. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the 33 ministers
AIDS activists are urging the U.S. Senate to come into agreement with the House of Representatives following a decision by a Senate committee Oct. 11 to approve $37 million less than the House for the Ryan White CARE Act program for the fiscal year 2002 budget. The Ryan White program, created by Congress in 1990, helps
The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation announced Oct. 11 that they have withdrawn as beneficiaries of the annual California AIDS Ride, saying they were unable to reach an agreement on production expenses and financial controls with the private firm that produces the event. The tw
Officials with America Online, the nation s largest Internet provider, say they have no plans to shut down any gay chat rooms despite fears about the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among participants using the Internet to arrange sexual encounters. We have no plans to do so, we have never been asked to do so,
Ore.: Doctors must report names of HIV+ persons PORTLAND, Oregon - Doctors in Oregon are now required to report to state health officials the names of people who test positive for HIV, the Oregonian reported. The new policy, which was delayed twice in the past nine months because of concerns about confidentiality, was
Maryland gay law association seeks applicants BALTIMORE -- The Maryland Lesbian and Gay Law Association has announced the formation of its Judicial Selections Committee to interview applicants for the Maryland courts at the trial and appellate levels, according to the organization. According to MLGLA chair Mark Scurti,
After a disappointing AIDS Walk and decreasing monetary donations, Whitman-Walker Clinic is looking to cut $1 million from its 2002 fiscal year budget, which includes a hiring freeze, possible staff furloughs and layoffs, and the possibility of capping the number of clients served in the coming months. Prior to the Sat
As officials with America Online and the San Francisco Public Health Department debate the best way to respond to STD outbreaks traced to chat rooms, an increasing number of HIV educators say they are taking their message to the Internet. Without designating specifically how, I think absolutely there is strong evidence
AIDS increases risk of cancers not related to disease ALBANY, N.Y. -- Suppression of the immune system in patients with HIV increases the risk of some types of cancer that are not specifically related to AIDS, according to a report published in the Sept. 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, Reuters reporte
Ron Simmons of Us Helping Us said a unique identifier system will make little difference to low-income people. (by Clint Steib) D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) introduced a bill before the D.C. Council Sept. 19 that calls for prohibiting the city from using all or a portion of a person s Social Security
Ariz. group experiments on new AIDS vaccine PHOENIX (AP) -- An Arizona group is beginning experiments this month to determine whether a new vaccine could protect HIV-infected people from developing full-blown AIDS. It has a lot of promise, but we don t know if it s going to work, said Dr. Louis Kirby, president and fou
New AIDS studies published in two respected journals this month sparked both concern and calls for caution from gay activists. A mathematical model decried by one AIDS activist predicts a large number of drug-resistant HIV strains in San Francisco by 2005. Jeff Graham of AIDS Survival Project said, it s important to ke
It s the kind of list people don t want to see their name on. But it is also a list that, once people land on it, they really want to top: the waiting list for a liver transplant. Because the overall health of a patient is among the factors that determine who gets to the top of that list, fewer than 40 HIV-positive pat
AIDS Action, a leading national AIDS advocacy organization, recently hired Harriet C. Hattie Babbitt as its new executive director. Babbitt, who replaces Claudia French, began in her new position Sept. 17. French recently moved to Denver to become the executive director of the Gill Foundation. Babbitt, 53, served for t
Chicago reports surge in syphilis among gay men CHICAGO -- The Chicago Department of Public Health recently asked gay men and anyone with symptoms of syphilis to be tested and treated for the sexually transmitted disease after a spike in syphilis infection among gay men in the area was identified, the Chicago Tribune r
A simple but arresting message, AIDS Kills, written over a picture of an African American child, is sure to catch drivers attention as they make their way down Alabama s roads. And that s exactly what the Alabama Health Department is hoping for. We didn t just want to announce the fact that we have a public health cris
ATLANTA - In contrast to a report by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, a new study shows receptive oral sex carries a very small risk of HIV transmission. The study is being conducted by researchers at the University of California at San Francisco and was presented at the second National HIV Prevention
ATLANTA - Information presented at the second National HIV Prevention Conference raised as many questions as it answered. Doctors, counselors and AIDS activists gathered in Atlanta last week to discuss HIV prevention methods and the current state of the epidemic, prompting some critics to accuse them of scare-mongering
Health warning on shellfish issued following deaths LOS ANGELES (AP) - County health officials issued a warning to people with weakened immune systems and chronic diseases to avoid eating raw shellfish after two deaths were linked to a rare bacteria found in oysters. Two men have died in Los Angeles County of Vibrio vu
ATLANTA - Passionate speeches from national leaders in the fight against HIV inspired a crowd of thousands of AIDS educators, researchers and doctors at the second National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta this week. Their message was clear: New studies show the decline of full-blown AIDS cases has stagnated and pr
Study: Same-sex domestic violence increases SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Incidents of domestic violence in gay male and lesbian relationships rose 29 percent nationally last year, according to a report released in July. There were 4,048 reports of domestic violence among lesbian, gay male, bisexual, and transgender couples nat
ATLANTA - More than 2,000 AIDS educators, researchers, and doctors will gather in Atlanta next week for the only HIV/AIDS conference dedicated exclusively to prevention efforts. This meeting is so important because it really provides an opportunity for all the individuals involved in the prevention field to come togeth
The D.C. Department of Health s HIV/AIDS Administration is now accepting applications from nonprofit agencies in D.C. to provide housing and assistance for people living with AIDS. The HAA has about $3.5 million available, with most of the money set aside for tenant-based rental assistance and transitional housing, but
Food & Friends recently expanded its service area to provide nutrition counseling and meals to people living with AIDS in Washington County, Md., and opened a community distribution center there. This route expansion was developed in response to the growing need to deliver services to people living with HIV and AID
SALZBURG, Austria - The Salzburg Social Democrats accused Bishop Andreas Laun of being intolerant for reportedly telling the magazine News that gay people have a much shorter life expectancy because of hepatitis , AIDS, and other gay diseases. The South African Press Association reported that Laun, the second-highest-r
Researcher Samuel Baron found that two chemicals in three sexual lubricants appear to kill HIV cells. Research shows some sexual lubricants kill HIV GALVESTON, Texas - In preliminary laboratory studies, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch have found what could prove to be a slick new weapon in the bat
NIH report: Condoms may not prevent STD spread WASHINGTON, D.C. - A National Institutes of Health report released July 20 shows that latex condoms can reduce the spread of HIV and gonorrhea, but there is not enough evidence to say for certain that they protect against other sexually transmitted diseases, the Washington
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson plans to renew the charter for the 35-member Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS that President Clinton created in 1995 and which was scheduled to go out of business this month, according to Scott Evertz, director of the White House National AIDS Policy Offi
A D.C. man trained as a computer specialist filed a lawsuit in federal court on July 3 charging the D.C. Corporation Counsel s office, the city s legal arm, with discrimination and retaliation based on his status as a person with AIDS. Plaintiff Wayne Harrell charges in his suit that in 1998 his supervisor refused his
Scott Evertz, the openly gay director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, took time Wednesday, June 6, to address the monthly meeting of the staff of Whitman-Walker Clinic. The Clinic is the primary nonprofit HIV/AIDS service provider in the metropolitan area.
Scott Evertz, the openly Gay director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, told a gathering of nearly 150 members and guests of the Log Cabin Republicans on May 5 that President Bush is strongly committed to addressing the AIDS epidemic.
MONDAY, APRIL 9 - President George W. Bush today named Scott H. Evertz, president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Wisconsin, to become director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy Coordination, making him the Bush administration s first openly Gay appointee. Evertz, 38, is a professional fundraiser for no
President Bush s fiscal year 2002 budget reportedly calls for $1.8 billion in funds for the Ryan White CARE Act program - the same amount that Congress approved for the program in the current fiscal year, according to budget documents leaked to the press this week. Although the president is scheduled to formally releas
During the past several years, the number of Gay male, Lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clients receiving health-related services from Whitman-Walker Clinic has increased, just as it has nearly every year since a group of Gay volunteers founded the Clinic in 1973 as a Gay community health facility, officials said. Bu
D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams proposed budget for fiscal year 2002 calls for increases in funds for the city offices that investigate discrimination and police abuse, while leaving unchanged the level of funds the city allocates for AIDS programs.
The pharmaceutical companies of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck announced this month that they will allow easier access to their AIDS medications, despite their participation in an ongoing lawsuit against a South African law that seeks to make AIDS medications more available. This is not about profits and patents; it s
The D.C. Administration for HIV/AIDS made a mistake by using government funds to purchase and distribute a 15-page pamphlet that urges readers to follow the example of Jesus Christ and Christian principles as a means of addressing the AIDS epidemic, a city official said last week. Leila Abrar, communications director f
The D.C. Department of Health on Jan. 19 issued its long-awaited plan for keeping track of city residents who test positive for HIV through a numerical coding, or unique identifier, system. Ronald Lewis, the deputy health director and head of the city s Administration for HIV/AIDS, is credited with completing the uniqu
Spanish researchers report in the Feb. 24 issue of the British medical journal The Lancet that almost one in four patients who began taking a protease inhibitor and two nucleoside analogs (a standard recommended treatment for HIV infection in recent years) developed, within 24 months, some type of problem with metaboli
NEW YORK - The weather forecast warned of perhaps the fiercest winter storm in decades. But a doom-and-gloom forecast of another - that thousands, even millions, of people with HIV would die prematurely without access to life-prolonging medicines - prompted dozens of protesters to converge on midtown Manhattan on Monda
African American AIDS activists observed National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness and Information Day in Washington, D.C., last Friday with a two-hour news conference and candlelight vigil at Howard University. Organizers designed the events to draw more attention to a story that began unfolding about 20 years ago.
President George W. Bush this week proposed a budget for next year that calls for a $2.8 billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health, the agency that oversees the federal government s AIDS research programs - thus retaining a bipartisan plan adopted by Congress and the Clinton administration in 19
Cornelius Baker has been on the frontlines of fighting the AIDS epidemic for as long as there s been a war against the disease. He s lobbied governments, led national groups, served on advisory committees, and today heads one of the nation s most respected Gay community clinics serving people with HIV. He knows the pol
Lesbian and bisexual women are engaging in sexual behaviors that may increase their risk for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, including having unprotected sex with both males and females, according to a study conducted by researchers at Brown University School of Medicine. The study, Sexual Risk in Lesbians and B
HEP VIRUS WARNING: The Dec. 22 issue of the journal AIDS warns that patients with HIV who have had chronic hepatitis are at two to three times greater risk of developing severe liver problems while using protease inhibitors. Meanwhile, a report in the Jan.1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests that initiation
The annual AIDS retrovirus conference begins in Chicago this weekend and, thus, the annual pre-conference news leaks began in earnest last week. Hoffman-LaRoche and Trimeris pharmaceuticals announced Monday that they have more good data showing their fusion inhibitors are both effective and safe. One drug, T-20, was gi
Funding for the top national AIDS organizations has increased since 1998, the last time the Blade did a survey of national AIDS groups, but so has the need for services among people living longer with HIV/AIDS. And during the past two years, some national AIDS groups have disappeared, while new ones have emerged in res
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