HIV prevention chief named

In 2005, Grace Cathedral's Forum program erroneously listed Dr. Grant Colfax as "director" of HIV prevention at the San Francisco Department of Public Health when it invited the AIDS researcher to discuss what was driving the spread of HIV among young people

In announcing Colfax's hire, Deputy Director of Health Barbara Garcia noted that he "brings a high level of expertise in both prevention and substance abuse research."

He will also continue to see patients at San Francisco General Hospital's AIDS Ward 86 half a day per week. His current salary of $168,896 will remain the same.

"All my research has been focused on HIV prevention. I think they have always been closely tied in my mind and my work has always been focused on prevention work," said Colfax, who is HIV-negative and lives with his partner of eight years in Sausalito.read more

Uganda: Put HIV/Aids On the CHOGM Agenda

THE Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) involves more than 50 nations to be represented mostly by heads of state. It is the first time Uganda is hosting the meeting. It is an opportunity for all the visitors to see what they have been hearing about Uganda and its efforts to curb HIV/Aids.

It is imperative for all practitioners in the field of HIV/Aids to prepare good practices, strategies, approaches and cases that have made our fight a success story. This should involve exhibiting clear strategies that can capture the attention of the visitors who may be impressed and commit more resources to the struggle.

Uganda's strength has been the emphasis on the ABC (abstaining, being faithful and using condoms) approach, clear and comprehensive programmes on HIV counselling, free HIV extensive care, support and treatment, vaccines trials and research and most importantly, the unrelenting political will and commitment.
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HIV & AIDS - A HUMAN APPROACH

A ten days workshop on management of patients with AIDS and HIV was inaugurated at Army Hospital (R&R) Delhi Cantt today. This is being attended by delegates from various Military and Civil Hospitals.

The theme of the workshop, “Call of the Century – Global threat from HIV, a human approach to management of patients with HIV & AIDS” will focus on the role of Nursing Officers in understanding the innate attributes of human behaviour to formulate strategies for prevention, control and management of HIV/AIDS. Lt Gen J Jayaram, Director General Health Services (Armed Forces) inaugurated the training programme. Maj Gen Shashi Bala, Additional Director General Military Nursing Service and Maj Gen O P Mathew, Comdt Army Hospital (R&R) were present at the inaugural ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest, Lt Gen J Jayaram, intimated that prevalence of HIV and AIDS amongst Armed Forces if far lesser than the civil. He advised the delegates on the need to develop good communication skills to unravel the cultural, social and personal values and beliefs of each patient which will help in formulating further effective prevention and control measures against HIV/AIDS.read more

Trade unions are playing a role in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases

Trade Unions are playing a very big and important role in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases throughout the world; a fight in the workplace as well as outside the workplace.

Prevention is scaling up and treatment is beginning to become more widely available. But we have a long and difficult road ahead of us and a long journey to travel together before we begin to contain the pandemic of HIV/AIDS. The role of the trade unions and their members, I believe, is critical. I would like to congratulate the trade union movement for its leadership in this area and for focusing attention on the challenge of HIV/AIDS. But I believe there is much more that we can do. Let me make four suggestions.

First, mobilize to demand and to support workplace programmes of prevention and treatment.Secondly, I would encourage trade unions to press for membership of the Country Co-ordinating Mechanisms, the CCMs.Thirdly, trade unions must ensure that national legislation prevents and penalizes discrimination on the grounds of HIV status.read more

Malawi registered 30,000 HIV positive births last year

The National Aids Commission (Nac) has revealed that last year nearly 30,000 Malawian babies were born with HIV, the virus that transmits Aids.

National Coordinator for Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMCT), Michael Elia confirmed that this staggering figure was a result of the lack of specific interventions against mother to child transmission.

Elia said that the ministry of health has put in place some interventions to help change the situation this year.

The ministry of health is on a campaign to encourage all pregnant women to go for HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) to safeguard their lives and that of their unborn babies. read more

Journalists and inventors rally against HIV/AIDS

Vietnamese journalists concerned about the country's HIV/AIDS epidemic launched an organisation that looks to educating the public about the disease, in Hanoi on August 15.

The competition aims to encourage ways of publicising the severity of the disease and encourage behavioural change by the community towards HIV/AIDS carriers and ways to reduce the impact of the virus on the country.

Meanwhile, the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Department reported that 130,000 people have been infected with HIV by the end of July. 26,000 people have full blown AIDS and 14,000 have died.read more

Army hospitals to handle AIDS more humanely

By IANS, [RxPG] New Delhi, Aug 16 - The doctors and nursing staff of army hospitals need to handle patients suffering from Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome - more sensitively and with a human face, Lt. Gen J. Jayaram, director general of the Armed Forces Medical Services - said Thursday.

He said the armed forces hospitals are taking help from National AIDS Control Organisation -, several NGOs and the Army Wives Welfare Association - in handling the health menace.

Maj. Gen. Shashi Bala, additional director general of the Military Nursing Service -, said that all hospitals need 'a human approach for the management of patients with HIV/AIDS'.

She also appealed to the nursing community of the armed forces 'to become fluent in the language of AIDS and handle patients with extreme sensitivity'read more

Innovation Day encourages bright ideas on HIV/AIDS prevention

The Viet Nam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control and World Bank yesterday launched Viet Nam Innovation Day, which this year has the theme of ‘Stop AIDS: keep the promise’.

Participation in the day’s activities is open to all organisations and individuals including local agencies and NGOs operating in the country.

Innovation Day will also spotlight ways to more effectively carry out HIV/AIDS prevention and boost care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS, especially against stigma and discrimination.

In another iniative, the Viet Nam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control and Viet Nam Journalists’ Association yesterday opened a club for Vietnamese journalists reporting on HIV/AIDS issues and prevention work.read more

South Africa: Minister Has Reversed HIV Gains -- TAC

As condemnation of President Thabo Mbeki's decision to sack former deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge intensified yesterday, Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) chairman Zackie Achmat accused Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang of having swiftly overturned gains the AIDS lobby group had made during her seven months of sick leave.

During the minister's long absence, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ncguka had instructed the health department to negotiate an agreement on the Westville prison case, which centres on HIV-infected prisoners' rights to treatment, and the Mathias Rath case, which centres on unregistered HIV medicines, he said. The minister and her director-general, Thami Mseleku, had subsequently reversed those instructions, he said.

The deputy president and Madlala-Routledge have been credited as the driving forces behind SA's new strategic AIDS plan, approved by the cabinet in March. However, Achmat said while Mlambo-Ngcuka had also urged officials to finalise a new policy for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV that would replace single- dose nevirapine with a more effective regimen combining two drugs, this initiative had also been scuppered by the minister.read more

Nigeria: MTN Bonds With Communities in HIV Care

Again living up to its billing as Nigeria's leading Telecommunications Company, MTN Nigeria has launched a 21 day program with its communities. Known as 21 days of Y'ello Care.

The initiative is aimed at giving MTN staff an opportunity to volunteer their services in supporting community upliftment activities. MTN staff will physically participate in various activities such as clearing of drainages, tree planting, cleaning of public places and traffic control.

Other initiatives will include visits to hospitals and orphanages as well as career and counseling visits to high schools. In addition, MTN staff will enlighten the community about HIV/Aids while also visiting and interacting with people living with HIV/Aids.read more

BULGARIA TO APPLY FOR HIV/AIDS PREVENTION FUNDING

Bulgaria can apply for funding extension of six years before the Global Fund for Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The funding would be for of HIV prevention activities from 2009 to 2015, Focus news agency reported.

The funding extension would be possible due to the high results achieved by the National Programme for Prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Bulgaria is the only country in the South-Eastern Europe which received three consecutive A category marks from the Fund over the past two years.
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HIV is 'double hit' to brain

“It’s a double hit to the brain,” added collaborator Marcus Kaul, who is also of the Burnham Institute and UCSD. “The HIV protein both causes brain injury and prevents its repair.”

Physicians first recognized that HIV infection could lead to a profound form of dementia—most commonly in those with an advanced stage of the disease—early on. The success of antiretroviral therapies in keeping the “viral load” down has helped to reduce the severity of the dementia in recent years.

Nonetheless, the prevalence is rising as HIV-infected people are living longer. The anti-HIV drugs don’t infiltrate the brain well, allowing for a “secret reservoir” of virus, Lipton explained. Such persistent exposure of the central nervous system to HIV is a major risk factor for the development of HIV-associated dementia.
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Kenya's HIV Prevalence Decreases

Alloys Orago, director of Kenya's National AIDS Control Council, on Monday at a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya, released new statistics that show a significant decline in HIV prevalence and new HIV cases, the East African Standard reports. Orago said that Kenya is one of three African nations that recently has made significant progress in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs.

The country recorded 55,000 new HIV cases in 2006, compared with 60,000 in 2005 and 85,000 in 2004.HIV prevalence in urban areas is about 8.3%, compared with 4% in rural areas. In addition, deaths from AIDS-related causes decreased from 120,000 in 2003 to 85,000 in 2006.

Orago attributed the decrease in AIDS-related deaths to increased access to antiretroviral drugs, adding that antiretrovirals have prevented about 57,000 deaths from AIDS-related illnesses since 2001 (East African Standard, 8/14). read more

ITF and IMHA join to condemn HIV discrimination at sea

Through the statement and the position it lays out the ITF and IMHA aim to increase their support for international and national commitments to protect the rights and dignity of seafarers and all people living with HIV/AIDS. The IMHA and ITF consider HIV as a workplace issue that should be treated like any other serious illness/condition on board a vessel.

We believe that HIV/AIDS should not be considered to be a condition that poses a threat to public health in relation to shipping because, although infectious, HIV cannot be transmitted by casual contact or the mere presence of a person with HIV. HIV is transmitted through specific behaviour which is almost always private. The occupational exposure risks of HIV infection at sea are slight and limited to the treatment of injuries and to procedures undertaken by the small number of healthcare staff working on large vessels. There are well established precautions to avoid these risks. Sexual or blood borne transmission are not likely routes for transmission of infection in the normal course of work at sea.

There should be no discrimination against seafarers on the basis of real or perceived HIV status. HIV infection is not a cause for termination of employment at sea and persons with HIV related illness should be able to work for as long as medically fit in an available, appropriate workplace. Any travel or work related restriction should only be imposed on the basis of an individual interview/examination.read more

AIDS interferes with stem cells in brain

A prominent problem in AIDS is a form of dementia that robs one’s ability to concentrate and perform normal movements. Scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have discovered how HIV/AIDS disrupts the normal replication of stem cells in the adult brain, preventing new nerve cells from forming.

The Burnham team focused on the determining the effect of a protein associated with AIDS, called HIV/gp120, which plays a key role in the pathogenesis of AIDS dementia.
In initial work with cell cultures in Petri dishes, the researchers methodically ruled out the possibility that HIV/gp120 would be inducing the death of stem cells and determined instead that HIV/gp120 was acting by inhibiting stem cell proliferation. Next, they confirmed these results in a special mouse strain bred to express HIV/gp120 in its brain.

This mouse model for AIDS dementia mimics several features of the disease process found in humans. They observed a significant decrease in the number of proliferating stem cells in the brains of HIV/gp120-mice compared with similar tissue from normal, wild-type mice.read more