SIR GEORGE ALLEYNE SEEKS MEDIA PARTNERSHIP ON HIV/AIDS

As all we know,media in our life play an important role,and then what about the use in dealing with HIV?

Sir George Alleyne, UNAIDS special envoy to the Caribbean on HIV/AIDS and former Director of the Pan American Health Organization, brought his concerns about the serious need for public alertness on the issue of HIV/AIDS directly to the media.

“Why I think it’s important to engage with the Media,” Sir Alleyne said at the start, “the Media has a social responsibility in the context of disseminating the best possible data and disseminating credible information.” Sir Alleyne’s entreaties were in lock step with Dr. Ferdinand’s who said, “Often the Anti-retroviral medications are not sought because of the fear of discrimination.” The fear, she disclosed, is entrenched to the degree that persons believing themselves afflicted with the virus would, if they could afford, seek medical help abroad.

Sir George Alleyne, above all, was exceedingly clear-cut in his wishes when he said, “Some organizations that should know better still engage in the stigmatization and discriminatory practices and that is why I encourage the Media to help in reducing the stigma of HIV/AIDS.read more

Research Shows Abstinence-Only Programs Have No Effect on HIV Prevention

A new study published in The British Medical Journal shows that abstinence-only programs are ineffective in preventing HIV and pregnancy. The research involved 13 trials with the participation of 15,940 American youths.

According to the report, the trials evaluated biological outcomes (incidence of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy) and behavioral outcomes (unprotected or protected sex, number of partners, how early students had sex the first time). When compared with control groups, abstinence-only programs had no significant effect on decreasing (or increasing) the risk of contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases and on becoming pregnant. It demonstrated no effect on delaying when youths first had sex, or reducing the risk of dangerous sexual behaviors.read more

US official heaps praise on SA HIV/Aids plan

The visiting US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt, has praised South Africa's plan to fight Aids but urged better implementation.

Leavitt said the US hopes to increase its spending to fight Aids in SA ,which has already reached $750-million (about R5,6-billion) to date.

Corresponding this, the whole world, I think,should unify to against the disease.read more

Model suggests only 9% of new HIV infections due to those with acute HIV infection

Whether HIV infection due to unawareness?There a new view about this,
Only a small proportion of new, sexually transmitted HIV infections in the United States are due to people with acute, undiagnosed HIV, according to a mathematical model published in the July 31st edition of AIDS.

Dr Steven Pinkerton from the Center for AIDS Intervention Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin calculated that, although the majority of new HIV infections were due to people who were unaware of their HIV infection status, fewer than 9% of new infections originated in people with acute HIV infection. read more

Circumcision may cut HIV risk among some groups of US men

Circumcision could cut the risk of heterosexual HIV transmission in the United States- especially in some groups such as black and Hispanic men, according to a new evidence review.

The potential impact of adult male circumcision on HIV transmission rates in the US is hard to predict, say the researchers writing in PLoS Medicine.

Experts highlight findings from a study of men attending a Baltimore sexually transmitted infection clinic, which found that whilst circumcision was not associated with a protective effect throughout the whole clinic population, it was associated with a reduced risk of infection among men known to have had unprotected sexual intercourse with HIV-positive female partners. The risk reduction was approximately 55%, although the confidence intervals of this estimate were wide (0.22–0.97) (Warner 2007). read more

BET Networks’ Award-Winning Rap-It-Up HIV/AIDS Campaign Partners With City of Baton Rouge to Host a Women’s Health Conference On Tuesday, August 21

WASHINGTON.- BET Networks’ renowned national HIV/AIDS public awareness initiative, Rap-It-Up, partners with the Office of the Mayor’s HIV/AIDS Task Force of Baton Rouge for a Rap-It-Up Women’s Health Conference. The goal of the event is to raise HIV/AIDS awareness, as well as discuss and share vital information to the public about HIV prevention.

BET Networks’ Rap-It-Up Campaign strives to educate young adults about the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS in the Black community, and to also encourage and promote a positive and healthy lifestyle. Disturbing statistics presently rank the state of Louisiana twelfth among fifteen states with the most African Americans estimated to be living with AIDS, and ranks the state third among the fifteen states accounting for most new AIDS cases among African Americans according to a June 2007 Kaiser Family Foundation study.read more

SAfrican study backs drugs over food against HIV

CAPE TOWN, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Neither food nor food supplements are alternatives to drug therapy in treating people with HIV/AIDS, South Africa's top scientific advisory panel said on Tuesday, amid a controversy over the nation's AIDS policies.

The inter-disciplinary scientific panel, which advises the government on health policies, began studying nutritional influences on the human immune system in October 2005, focusing on the virus that causes AIDS and tuberculosis (TB).

"The panel has concluded that no food, no component made from food, and no food supplement has been identified in any credible study as an effective alternative to appropriate medication," said Prof Barry Mendelow, chairman of a 15-member panel from the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).read more

HIV :: UN urges Asia-Pacific nations to scale up domestic funds for AIDS response

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has warned that countries in Asia and the Pacific will face serious difficulties in sustaining their response to the disease unless they become less reliant on external donors and commit more national funds to their AIDS programmes.

It's reported,there are existing an extremely lack of resources pouring into AIDS project in Asia-Pacific regions. While this regions' HIV ratio haven't obvious decrease. And if you want to get a great progress you have to improve self-power and help the HIV project from the inner,e.g.tax,financial etc., adjustment.I believe when the people of Asia-Pacific regions see this news they will pay more attention about this. read more