As syphilis infections continue to rise in the Washington, D.C. area, the Department of Health is collaborating with other health organizations to encourage more residents to get tested for the disease. According to figures from Whitman-Walker Clinic, between 2001 and 2002, new syphilis cases diagnosed at Whitman-Walke
Abbott raises AIDS drug price more than 400 percent NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. (AP) - Abbott Laboratories Inc. is hiking the U.S. price of an important AIDS drug more than fourfold, citing its sharp increase in treatment value and the costs of improving its formulation. The company informed doctors, AIDS groups and pharmacie
ATLANTA - Gay health advocates want to use the Internet as a tool in their prevention efforts against syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases that gay men are increasingly acquiring through sex that began with Web-based hook-ups. The federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention on Dec. 19 highlighted t
A gay employee with the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration has filed a lawsuit charging that officials at HAA and the D.C. Department of Health retaliated against him for testifying at a City Council hearing in May that HAA is plagued by gross mismanagement. Michael Snoddy, a public health analyst at HAA since 1998, alleges
For many commuters in the Washington, D.C. area, the morning radio show Haber & Erin on WWZZ 104.1 FM is a pleasant distraction from their morning commute. Whether it s interviewing Survivor castaways or just talking about their families, the co-hosts of the popular show - Brett Haber, Erin Carman and J.C. Fernande
Georgia Native Roy Simmons played for the New York Giants from 1979- 83, and with the Washington Redskins from 83 to 85, including during the team s Super Bowl XVIII victory in 1984. Nicknamed Sugar Bear by his former teammates for his warmth and generosity, Simmons hid his sexual orientation from most everyone until
The D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration has reduced the funding for a Whitman-Walker Clinic HIV prevention program targeting gay and bisexual white men from $440,000 this year to $200,000 in 2004. HAA officials said the budget cut for the program, which is funded mostly by the federal government, is needed to comply with a ne
David Reznik said he cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a second partner to AIDS. Having lost his first partner, Eric White, in 1994, Reznik, chief of Dental Services at Grady Health System in Atlanta, remembers all too well the painful trial of the tragedy. When AZT failed,
ATLANTA - An Atlanta Falcons player angered some listeners of a popular morning radio show Monday when he made disparaging comments about AIDS on World AIDS Day. Defensive end Patrick Kerney issued an apology on Wednesday, two days after questioning why there isn t also a World Cancer Day and saying sarcastically, Peo
Study: 1 in 3 gay people have not been tested for HIV WASHINGTON - Only 35 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered adults report that they have ever been tested for HIV, a newly released study reported. Most heterosexual adults have never been tested for the AIDS virus, in spite of worldwide attention to th
In a new effort to battle D.C. s AIDS crisis, District health officials announced on Monday a plan to install 50 condom dispensers in government buildings, including the departments of motor vehicles, public works and human services. This is a real victory for prevention here in the District but at the same time I wish
President Bush has quietly put in place a gay official at the Department of Health & Human Services as deputy director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, as well as a former White House domestic policy staff member as the office s director. Bush administration sources said this week that Christopher
Officials with Cirque du Soleil, criticized recently for firing a gay HIV-positive gymnast, said it s too early to judge the company that delivers popular shows across the country, according to Ren‚e-Claude M‚nard, a Cirque spokesperson. The reasons that motivated our decision have nothing to do with discrimination, b
The D.C. Council approved by voice vote on Tuesday a city contract that calls for giving a network of mostly small pharmacies the exclusive right to provide anti-retroviral AIDS drugs to low-income District residents. The Council’s action reversed a Nov. 4 vote in which it rejected the contract on grounds that the phar
Ky. school officials yank safe-sex brochures GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) - Scott County High School administrators told an HIV and AIDS services group to remove brochures about safe sex at a student health fair, group members said. Cathy Cox, executive director of Lexington-based AIDS Volunteers, Inc., said group members were
Don t be fooled by changing demographics. Whatever happens, AIDS will always be associated with gay men and we should never forget that. I USED TO object to World AIDS Day, Dec. 1. Why, after all, should there be one day devoted to calling attention to this epidemic? Shouldn t every day be World AIDS Day? But indiffere
Experimental AIDS vaccine fails major test in Thailand SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An experimental AIDS vaccine tested in Thailand on some 2,500 drug users failed, biotechnology company VaxGen Inc. announced last week. The poor results were widely expected after the Brisbane-based company announced in February that a much lar
AIDS activists and officials from former President Ronald Reagan s administration still passionately disagree over whether his administration adequately addressed AIDS from 1981-1989, when the epidemic first emerged and escalated. Gay people must never forget that Ronald Reagan was as evil to us as Hitler was to the J
The D.C. Council drew praise from some AIDS activists and outrage from the city s AIDS office when it voted 9-4 on Nov. 4 to reject a contract that would give a network of mostly small, neighborhood pharmacies the exclusive right to provide AIDS drugs to low-income residents. Council members who opposed the contract sa
A gay rights group has filed a discrimination complaint against the U.S. State Department on behalf of a man who says he was turned down for a Foreign Service job because he is HIV positive. The complaint marks the second time in the past year that Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund has represented someone reje
NEW YORK - For those who are HIV-positive and born outside the United States , the newly created Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services has uncompromising guidelines. For some, remaining in this country - or even arriving - is next to impossible. The law in the U.S. is that those that are HIV-positive are ina
Chicago ends meningitis vaccination program for gays CHICAGO - Workers with the Chicago Department of Public Health ended an emergency meningitis vaccination program Sunday after giving more than 14,000 vaccinations in a week, the Chicago Tribune reported. Officials said they hope they have curbed the bacterial meningi
Chicago offers free meningitis shots to gay men after deaths CHICAGO (AP) - The Chicago Department of Health has begun offering free inoculations against bacterial meningitis to gay and bisexual men on the city s North Side. The free vaccinations began Sunday in response to a recent cluster of meningitis cases, which h
The D.C. AIDS service group Food & Friends announced this week it has discontinued its Tour de Friends AIDS bike ride following the release of financial figures showing that nearly 90 percent of the money it raised went to cover overhead expenses. Figures released by Food & Friends show that the June 19-22 cycl
Condoms don t work Uncircumcised men absorb HIV easier Oral sex is risky, even for the receiving partner THREE BIG HEADLINES screamed warnings this month about new variables that can put people at risk of catching HIV. But these scary stories are each either not new or not accurate. Dangerous condoms: Colombian Cardi
NEW YORK - Celebration was in the air at last weekend s Lavender Law Conference held at Fordham University s law school in Manhattan. The conference, sponsored by the National Lesbian & Gay Law Association, was the first since the historic Lawrence vs. Texas Supreme Court case that invalidated the nation s sodomy l
It s been almost a half-century since most educated people rejected ancient teachings about sex, but the major world religions don t seem to have noticed. ORGANIZED RELIGION HAS largely failed gay people, but we re not alone. The willful refusal of the world s major faiths to update their theology from religious texts
Uncircumcised men at higher risk for HIV: study LOS ANGELES | Uncircumcised men are eight times as likely to become infected with HIV than circumcised men, according to a study of nearly 2,300 men in India , Reuters reported. The inner surface of the foreskin does not have the same protective layer as the outside, a re
Gay health care providers are feeling the stress from an increased number of uninsured clients seeking services, while also coping with a decline in private donations, hospital closures, a nursing shortage and flat funding for many programs. Michael Cover, deputy executive director of public affairs at the Whitman-Walk
HIV-positive guys owe more to sex partners than assumptions about HIV status. If you know you re positive, you have an obligation to tell. A FORMER SAN Francisco health commissioner was recently jailed for hiding his HIV status from his boyfriend, who became infected with the AIDS virus. Ronald Hill s arrest has alread
In 30 years of being an out, proud gay man, including a long relationship with a poz mate, I ve never had an STD. It s called frottage. RECENTLY A NUMBER of gay luminaries, including none other than Harvey Fierstein, have decried rising HIV infection rates and a gay male culture that celebrates being positive. Harvey i
Senate confirms ex-Lilly executive as AIDS coordinator WASHINGTON (AP) | The Senate confirmed a former chief executive officer of Eli Lilly & Co. last week to be the White House s coordinator in the international battle against AIDS. Randall Tobias, former CEO of the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company, will
STD fighters go online to battle spread of disease CHICAGO | Across the nation, health officials fighting sexually transmitted diseases have begun in earnest to use the Internet to reach people who have been exposed to STDs, the Chicago Tribune reported. More people than ever hook up for casual sex with others they mee
Jackie knows her nephew is abusing crystal methamphetamine. After dating a drug addict for five years who eventually died from an overdose, she recognizes the same pattern of addictive and destructive behavior in her nephew: paranoia, deceit and depression. She has discovered an empty bag with flecks of a white substan
A new Louisiana-based study found that only one in four people tell their casual sex partners that they are HIV-positive, raising questions about the responsibility for disclosure and the legal ramifications of having sex without disclosing a positive status. Seventy-four percent of the study participants told their ma
The Whitman-Walker Clinic on Sept. 15, withdrew its appeal of a decision by the D.C. Department of Health to choose the Arlington-based Care Pharmacies, Inc., over the clinic for a five-year, $3.7 million contract to set up a network of pharmacies for people with HIV. Whitman-Walker spokesperson Michael Cover said the
Patients call Canada s legal marijuana disgusting OTTAWA (AP) - Some of the first patients to smoke Canada s government-approved marijuana say it is disgusting, and they want their money back. Health Canada, the federal health department, started selling marijuana in July to bring relief to patients suffering from AIDS
Low AIDS funding levels combined with an increased need for services are a train wreck waiting to happen, said Pat Hawkins, associate executive director for policy and external affairs at the Whitman-Walker Clinic. The U.S. Senate earlier this month voted down $400 million in additional Ryan White Care Act funds for fi
For more than a decade, Leonard P. Matlovich s tombstone has been used as an unofficial memorial of sorts for gay veterans. Matlovich, who died of AIDS in 1988, was the first soldier to contest the U.S. military s ban on gays in court. His headstone, a black granite slab adorned with two pink triangles, tells the story
Illinois man mistakenly told he was HIV-positive sues laboratory EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A hardware salesman is suing a medical laboratory that mistakenly told him he was HIV-positive. Brett Bareford, 45, of Granite City was wrongly informed he was HIV-positive after he submitted blood samples for testing during a ph
Crystal methamphetamine helped Jack, a 36-year-old D.C. man who asked to remain anonymous, cope with his HIV-positive status. The drug was a pure escape from reality. It increased a level of selfishness that he had never known and left him a man with a huge ego and no-self confidence. His personality, once under contro
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gay rights groups are concerned that a controversial measure designed to eliminate racial classification in the state of California would have a devastating effect on gay men and lesbians of color. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force is intensifying its efforts to help defeat the Racial Priva
SAN FRANCISCO - A controversial gay AIDS activist has played a key role in lobbying Congress to get the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to audit controversial sex workshops conducted by an AIDS group because he claims the classes have yet to prove effective at fighting new HIV infections. Michael Petrelis,
The Whitman-Walker Clinic announced this week that it plans to initiate a major restructuring to offset a decline of $3.5 million in the last two years in private support from individuals, corporations and foundations. Steve Owen, Whitman-Walker s chief financial officer, said the clinic is committed to serving its cli
Study: One-step HIV test may be cheaper, less wasteful A new study suggests that a quick, readily available test for the AIDS virus may not only be faster but also cheaper than standard tests, Health Behavior News Service reported. The one-step test offers results in 30 minutes, while traditional tests may take weeks t
The D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration is rolling out a new program for people who receive Ryan White Emergency CARE Act funds aimed at making it easier to receive health care from multiple service providers. The program, called XPRES, is being praised by some while others are concerned the program s new ID cards will compro
In the past few months, three transgendered women in Houston have died after receiving illegal silicone injections from people without medical licenses. In Florida, a transgendered woman was sentenced to five years in prison earlier this summer for her involvement in the similar death of a transgendered woman several y
A gay man with HIV has filed a lawsuit challenging the State Department s policy of refusing to hire people with HIV for Foreign Service jobs, charging that the policy violates a federal law prohibiting disability discrimination. Lorenzo Taylor, 47, an Arlington, Va., resident and a longtime federal employee, charges t
For nine years, crystal methamphetamine was a totally manageable drug for Carlos, a 35-year-old D.C. man who asked to remain anonymous. His use was limited to the weekends to attain a high that he shared on the dance floor or at small parties with friends. One of his favorite activities was taking a bump of crystal on
Calif. leaders cite disease risks, urge end to sale of spermicide SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - State lawmakers, health officials and some national health groups are calling on condom makers to stop using a spermicide they say may actually increase the risk of AIDS and urinary tract infections. Citing several peer-reviewed
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that emergency medical technicians with the D.C. Fire Department engaged in disability-related discrimination by refusing medical treatment for two gay men injured in a 1996 gay bashing attack. United States District Court Judge Richard W. Roberts ruled on Aug. 8 that th
U.S. delegation tours AIDS-ravaged Africa SOWETO, South Africa (AP) - The unemployed, HIV-positive South African woman sobbed as she told her story to a U.S. Senate delegation seeking to learn more about the AIDS epidemic ravaging sub-Saharan Africa. I can t afford medicine, it s too expensive. I know with your help my
The District of Columbia HIV/AIDS Administration could not explain why the per capita incidence of AIDS diagnoses in the District is higher than in any other major cities, with officials claiming that another report would be needed before they could reach any conclusions. Other experts cited governmental failure, a hig
HIV prevention group faces third government review WASHINGTON (AP) - For the third time in a year, the federal government is examining the books of a group that promotes the use of condoms to fight AIDS and whose leaders have criticized the Bush administration s support for abstinence-only sex education. Auditors from
ATLANTA - Three-quarters of Canadian gay men in relationships lasting longer than one year are not monogamous, according to a limited study presented during the American Sociological Association conference held in Atlanta this week. Barry Adam, a gay professor at the University of Windsor in Canada , last
President Bush last week named Dr. Joseph O Neill, the gay director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, as deputy coordinator and chief medical officer of the newly created Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator at the State Department. The move marks the second time the president has moved the head of hi
Mexican government to expand subsidies for AIDS drugs MEXICO CITY (AP) - The government will foot the bill for medications for all Mexicans with AIDS, President Vicente Fox said last week. About 10,000 Mexican AIDS patients who can t afford to pay for their own treatment already receive government funding for medicatio
New Orleans charity hospitals face cuts, may close HIV clinic NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Officials at the two charity hospitals in New Orleans are considering the closure of nine operating rooms, an HIV clinic and 20 psychiatric beds to meet $40 million in mandated budget cuts, according to a published report. The cuts are par
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Budget cuts announced last week by Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) will likely have an impact on health services targeting the region s gay and lesbian population, from HIV and AIDS treatment options to smoking cessation programs, according to sources. Faced with a budget shortfall he blamed on excess
CDC unveiling system for collecting data to detect recent HIV ATLANTA (AP) - The government is unveiling a new surveillance system to better track HIV infections, scrapping an existing method that doesn t indicate how recently patients were infected. The new system no longer relies on AIDS cases data submitted by state
NEW YORK - When City Council member James Davis was gunned down in the chamber of the New York City Council on July 23, people initially saw it as the work of a deranged political opponent. Othneil Askew fired repeatedly at Davis until he himself was shot by a police officer. He died instantly, leaving behind unanswere
ATLANTA - HIV diagnoses among gay and bisexual men have increased by 17.7 percent since 1999, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention at the 2003 National HIV Prevention Conference. The conference, held July 27-30 in Atlanta, also saw a groundswell of protests against the CDC s re
Local results from the recent National HIV Testing Day show significant interest in a new, 20-minute HIV test now being offered by health clinics around the country and locally at the Whitman-Walker Clinic. Of 380 patients who were tested by Whitman-Walker on June 27, all but four opted for the new rapid test, boosting
The Whitman-Walker Clinic and Us Helping Us, two D.C. AIDS service groups that carry out government funded HIV prevention programs, are among 211 community-based organizations across the country that could lose funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention next year, the Associated Press reported t
For Matthew Cusick, working for the popular circus troupe Cirque du Soleil was to be a dream come true. It was the end of March, and in a matter of days he was set to begin performing in their Las Vegas show, Mystere. He had been training and performing for the role for months and was in the midst of costume fittings a
New U.N. health chief pledges to boost fight against AIDS GENEVA (AP) - The new head of the United Nations health agency took office Monday, pledging to intensify the fight against AIDS and other global killers. World Health Organization director-general Dr. Jong-wook Lee also said he wanted to improve international mo
ATLANTA - The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is contributing $500,000 in grants to researchers who use the Internet to survey men who have sex with men about their sex habits, particularly when it comes to HIV/AIDS issues. Grants range from $125,000 to $250,000 each, and are earmarked for approximately fo
The percentage of new AIDS cases among Washington, D.C. residents is higher than in any other major U.S. city, including Baltimore, San Francisco and New York, according to findings in a new report issued by the District s HIV/AIDS Administration. Data from 2001 reveals that D.C. diagnosed 678 AIDS cases, or about 119
The Whitman-Walker Clinic is contesting a decision by the city to reject its bid for a contract to set up a network of pharmacies for people with HIV that could have exceeded $3.7 million in revenue over five years. In a 17-page legal protest filed July 14 before the city s Contract Appeals Board, the clinic accuses th
Thompson: Congress will allocate $2 billion this year for AIDS PARIS (AP) - Secretary of Health & Human Services Tommy Thompson said Tuesday he is confident lawmakers will approve at least $2 billion this year to launch President Bush s emergency AIDS relief plan for the developing world. Bush announced in his Stat
The White House this week, in response to Blade inquiries, denied that the Bush administration is considering disbanding the Office of National AIDS Policy and insisted that the president definitely plans to retain the office. Scott McClellan, the new White House press secretary, declined to comment on reports that Dr.
ATLANTA - Emtriva, a once-daily antiretroviral drug that reduces viral load in people affected with HIV, gained FDA approval earlier this month, nearly 14 years after it was first developed. The drug was invented by three scientists from Emory University, and is already available through the pharmaceutical company
RICHMOND, Va. - A member of Virginia s House of Delegates is being criticized by gay rights activists for a fiery newspaper column he wrote attacking the Supreme Court for its decision in Lawrence v. Texas and wondering if Virginia schools will now be required to teach fisting to 14-year-olds. Bob Marshall, a Republica
AIDS funding cuts in Mass. concern service providers WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - The state s nearly 40 percent cut in AIDS spending over the last few years could lead to a rise in the infection rate and a spike in the death rate in a few years, service providers say. The state spent $51.1 million on HIV/AIDS programs durin
Unconfirmed reports that President Bush plans to appoint the openly gay head of the White House AIDS office to a job at the newly created global AIDS program at the State Department has raised speculation about the president s commitment to domestic AIDS programs, gay rights and AIDS, activists said. In a July 2 ceremo
Experts propose international program to find AIDS vaccine WASHINGTON (AP) - A crash program to develop an AIDS vaccine may be the only way to reduce a worldwide death toll that could reach 70 million by 2020, according to some of the world s leading researchers. Twenty-four scientific leaders advanced a formal proposa
FDA approves first single pill protease inhibitor WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food & Drug Administration approved the first once-a-day protease inhibitor to treat AIDS on June 20. Reyataz requires just a once-daily dose of two pills, taken with food, unlike the other six protease inhibitor s already on the market, whi
A D.C. advisory panel of health care professionals decided last month to recommend that the city delay subsidies for low-income people for a new AIDS drug that prolongs the lives of patients who no longer can benefit from other drugs. The panel, the Drug Advisory Committee for the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration, postpone
The D.C. Department of Health is conducting a nationwide search for a new leader of the city s AIDS office after the D.C. Council waged one of its most aggressive oversight hearings into the inner workings of the office, known as the HIV/AIDS Administration. Health Department director James Buford announced the change
More funding needed to reach HIV prevention goal, study says NEW YORK - AIDS researchers say the U.S. government needs to increase HIV prevention funding now, or it will have to pay a much larger amount in medical costs later, according to Reuters. An additional $383 million per year is needed for HIV prevention now to
Traveling a 330-mile route over four days from Raleigh, N.C., to Washington, D.C., more than 960 riders will participate in the first annual Tour de Friends next weekend to raise money for AIDS services organizations. The event, whose main sponsor is the D.C. AIDS group Food & Friends, has replaced the D.C. AIDS ri
Gay men more likely to have sex without disclosing HIV status: study NEW YORK - Those who engage in unprotected sex face a big risk, according to a new study that suggests more than 10 percent of American men and women who are HIV-positive and sexually active fail to disclose their status before engaging in high-risk s
Bush signs $15 billion global AIDS funding legislation WASHINGTON - President Bush on Tuesday signed into law a $15 billion bill to curb the spread of AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean. Additionally, the president announced that he plans to nominate a global AIDS coordinator, who will have the rank of ambassador. Ameri
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. ignored pressures from the White House drug office and signed legislation that significantly reduces criminal penalties for people with AIDS and others who smoke marijuana to mitigate their pain. The law, which takes effect Oct. 1, will allow individuals using mari
As Earl Fowlkes gears up for D.C. s 13th annual Black Pride celebration this weekend, the energetic leader of the event is ready but jokingly acknowledges that he could use another week. There s always little things to do like getting posters together and running small errands, said Fowlkes, president of the Black Lesb
The U.S. Senate last week passed a $15 billion bill to curb the spread of AIDS in Africa and voted for a separate domestic economic reform package that includes $10 billion for struggling state Medicaid programs, the nation s largest providers of HIV/AIDS care. The AIDS bill recommends that 55 percent of the funds go t
In the aftermath of Sen. Rick Santorum s disparaging remarks about gay sex, the Log Cabin Republicans, a national gay GOP group, met on May 9 with senior White House officials as part of their annual three-day convention. About 200 LCR members met with three White House officials: Dr. Joseph O Neill, the openly gay Whi
Global AIDS Fund in need of cash, congressional study says WASHINGTON (AP) - An international fund that is a key to the Bush administration s $15 billion plan to fight global AIDS is threatened by a lack of money, according to a congressional report made public last week. The report by the General Accounting Office, th
House passes $15 billion global AIDS legislation WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $15 billion bill May 1 that would more than double U.S. contributions to the worldwide fight against AIDS. Supporters, led by President George W. Bush, said the money could bring relief to millions of people wi
AIDS Action, a 16-year-old advocacy group that AIDS activists have long viewed as their national voice in Washington, faces a rapidly deteriorating financial condition and has alienated many other AIDS organizations, according to an internal review prepared for the group s board of directors. Interviews with individual
Bush prods Congress for action on global AIDS bill WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush called on Congress Tuesday to pass in the next month a five-year, $15 billion initiative to turn the tide against AIDS worldwide, saying the disease threatens to destabilize whole regions of the globe. Fighting AIDS on a global scale i
A D.C. Council committee last week reduced the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration s budget by $1 million for fiscal year 2004, claiming the agency fails to spend between $7 million and $9 million each year in funds earmarked for HIV grants and contract management. A staff member for the Council s Committee on Human Services,
Patients in developing world get recycled HIV drugs NEW YORK -- A group called AIDS for AIDS takes HIV medications donated by patients in the United States and Canada and distributes them to people with HIV in the developing world, Reuters Health reported. The recycled drugs come from patients who died, changed their
Christian-themed AIDS brochure pulled from use in Fla. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- State health officials pulled a Christian-themed AIDS brochure from circulation April 4 after the ACLU of Florida complained that tax money was used for pamphlets with Biblical passages. ACLU Director Howard Simon said the brochures -- tit
MIAMI -- Syphilis infections among gay men were 43 percent higher in January and February in Fort Lauderdale s Broward County than the same time period last year, according to Florida health officials. Miami-Dade County cases were up 30 percent over the same period. Howard Sommers, acting director of the sexually trans
A former official with the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration was charged in federal court April 2 with conspiracy to launder money in connection with the Washington Teacher s Union scandal. Federal prosecutors charged Michael W. Martin, 43, a HAA operations director who resigned from his post last month, with conspiracy to
Gay, bisexual men continue using spermicide despite risks ATLANTA - Up to one-third of gay and bisexual men continue to use nonoxynol-9 during anal sex, despite repeated warnings that the spermicide doesn t prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and may boost the risk of HIV infection, according to a new s
Organizers of two upcoming bicycle rides seeking to raise money for non-profit groups that deliver free meals to homebound people with HIV stressed this week that the events are not in competition. One, which is set to travel 140 miles from Rehoboth Beach, Del., to Baltimore, is scheduled for May 17-18. The other, set
T cells pivotal in mapping progression of HIV to AIDS, study says NEW YORK -- T cells uninfected with HIV in sooty mangabey monkeys that are infected with the disease do not die, which could offer new explanations on how AIDS progresses, according to Reuters Health. When a person becomes HIV-positive, the progression t
Landlords began sending eviction notices to as many as 80 District residents with AIDS earlier this year after a non-profit housing group and the city s AIDS office failed to reach an agreement over a contract to provide funds to pay the rents. The D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration announced last week that it averted the th
HIV/AIDS remains sixth-leading killer in U.S., CDC says ATLANTA -- Deaths from HIV/AIDS dropped four percent between 2000 and 2001, though HIV remains the sixth leading cause of death for people ages 25 to 44, according to a preliminary report from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The disease kills Afr
Viagra under fire over allegations it feeds rise in disease SAN FRANCISCO -- Jeffrey Klausner, the city s director of sexually transmitted disease prevention, is challenging drug giant Pfizer , Inc. over its $1.7 billion-a-year Viagra sales, alleging that the impotence drug contributes to unsafe sex that fuels a rise i
Advertisements for AIDS medications depicting athletic men scaling mountains have been replaced in recent years by portrayals of HIV-positive people such as Earvin Magic Johnson that some activists say are more realistic. A new Harvard study also suggests no ill health effects on patients taking advertised drugs, as co
Black publications address growing HIV/AIDS epidemic LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Newspapers, magazines and television networks with predominantly black audiences began an unprecedented public awareness campaign in recent weeks, running stories and ads in a coordinated attempt to educate people about AIDS. The Los Angeles-based
A new AIDS drug that promises to save the lives of AIDS patients who no longer can benefit from existing drugs is so expensive that some states may not be able to offer it to low-income people who lack medical insurance, according to state health officials. News of the unusually high price for the drug Fuzeon has place
The Whitman-Walker Clinic has warned D.C. area doctors that a drug resistant skin infection that has surfaced among gay men across the country could be transmitted, among other ways, through sharing drug paraphernalia used to inhale drugs through the nose. In a Feb. 28 e-mail alert sent to doctors who treat gay men in
AIDS program not obscene, federal health official says SAN FRANCISCO -- Federal health reviewers cleared Stop AIDS Project workshops that were criticized by an Indiana congressman as potentially obscene and appearing to promote sexual activity, according to the Associated Press. Officials with the Centers for Disease C
BRISBANE, Calif. -- VaxGen Inc. announced Sunday that the first AIDS vaccine ever tested among a large number of people failed to protect against HIV infection, and claims by company officials that the vaccine was more effective among blacks and other minority groups were quickly attacked by critics. This is at be
Rare case of HIV infection between two women reported NEW YORK -- Two researchers reported a rare case of HIV infection that resulted from sexual contact between two women, Reuters Health reported. I think that we touched the tip of an iceberg, in the sense that the general thought is that this doesn t happen at all,
BOSTON -- Scientists and AIDS advocates who attended last week s 10th Conference on Retroviruses & Opportunistic Infections reported an overall hopeful tone sparked by a range of new treatment options for HIV. The pipeline of new drugs has an impressive number of candidates in it. This is something we haven t seen
BOSTON -- The growing spread of HIV among gay men who frequented bathhouses for sex in the 1970s and 1980s could be mirrored in today s Internet chat rooms, according to a study presented at last week s 10th Conference on Retroviruses & Opportunistic Infections in Boston. Of the 84 percent of survey participants wh
Black nondisclosers less likely to know HIV status ATLANTA -- Young black men who have sex with other men are more likely than their peers to be closeted, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and these nondisclosers are less likely to know that they are HIV-positive, Reuters Health reported. T
Leaders of AIDS service organizations nationwide said positive results next month of a large-scale study by a company working to develop the first vaccine to prevent HIV transmission could pose major challenges for the populations they serve. One reason for the anticipated challenges are recent news reports that the U.
Whitman-Walker Clinic and the National Association of People with AIDS are advising people with HIV infection and AIDS to be aware of the risks they face if they are asked to receive a smallpox vaccination. The AIDS service groups recently issued statements noting that individuals who live or work with people with HIV
Dozens of gay men in Los Angeles and San Francisco have contracted a severe bacterial skin infection resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The skin infections, called Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA, have until recently str
Many of the country s national and local AIDS organizations, formed in the 1980s as outspoken critics of the government s handling of the AIDS epidemic, now receive millions of dollars in federal and state government funds. In what some view as an ironic turn of events, a growing number of AIDS activists are expressing
New WHO leader to make global AIDS fight a top priority GENEVA -- A little-known tuberculosis expert from South Korea was selected last week as director-general of the World Health Organization , promising to channel more resources to those worst hit by AIDS and other scou
The executive director of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS -- who embarrassed the White House by nominating a Christian activist to the panel who called AIDS the gay plague -- was abruptly transferred to a job outside the White House last week. Patricia Funderbunk Ware, a conservative Christian activist wi
President Bush this week submitted a proposed fiscal year 2004 budget to Congress that calls for spending $16 billion for domestic AIDS programs, a 7-percent increase in domestic AIDS spending over the 2003 budget. But the fine print in the telephone book-sized budget document reveals that the Bush proposal appears to
Whitman-Walker Clinic became a testing site in January for the Study to Help the AIDS Research Effort (SHARE), and currently is recruiting up to 120 men here to take part in the study. Until recently, the AIDS-related study at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore required gay and bisexual men who participate
Skin infection among gay men viscously resistant to treatment LOS ANGELES - An emerging epidemic of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as staph, is striking gay men in the area, leaving them with severe boils, deep abscesses and widespread surrounding inflammation, according to the Los Angeles Times. The painf
The Senate and a key subcommittee in the House of Representatives earlier this month declined to approve the level of funding President Bush requested for his abstinence-only programs aimed at preventing the spread of AIDS and curtailing teen pregnancy. Gay Republican activist Carl Schmid said the development suggests
A Christian activist who referred to homosexuality as a deathstyle and called AIDS the gay plague withdrew his nomination to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS last week after the White House said President Bush strongly disagrees with such views. Jerry Thacker, a Pennsylvania marketing consultant who runs a
Drug giant turns to NBA great in first-of-its-kind ad campaign NEW YORK -- As competition among makers of AIDS drugs increases, GlaxoSmithKline is launching a new ad campaign using America s best-known HIV carrier, basketball legend turned businessman Magic Johnson. The first-of-its-kind campaign is designed to spread
$8 million federal grant to bolster microbicide research PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh was awarded nearly $8 million from the National Institutes of Health to research a potential barrier to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to the Associated Press. Every 10 years, someone reports that there will
A fundamentalist Christian appointed in secret last month by the Bush administration to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS has called homosexuality a death style and uses the Internet to promote lectures in which he tells how Christ can rescue the homosexual. Jerry Thacker, a Pennsylvania marketing consultan
International AIDS fight gets high-profile attention in U.S. WASHINGTON -- The State Department is seeking sizable budget increases to fight the global AIDS epidemic, further evidence that Secretary of State Colin Powell has given high priority to the struggle against the disease, according to the Associated Press. The
An official with the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration is under investigation by the FBI for allegedly receiving as much as $120,000 from the Washington Teacher s Union as part of a scheme in which former WTU leaders are suspected of diverting more than $2 million in union funds for their personal use. According to an FBI a
LOS ANGELES -- In the early days of the epidemic, when it wasn t necessarily fashionable to be involved in the fight against AIDS, Herb Ritts was donating signed photographs of his work to help groups raise money for the cause. Part of his greatness was his willingness to use his prominence in the world of art and fash
Virginia rejects same-sex partner loan policy: The Virginia Housing Development Authority considered but decided against repealing its policy of barring same-sex and other unmarried couples from eligibility to apply for low-interest home financing loans. The VHDA s 10-member board of commissioners was poised to make th
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