State sued over teacher who forced pupil to take HIV test

A Mpumalanga woman is suing the Education Department for R500 000 after a school teacher allegedly forced her daughter to have HIV tests without the family’s consent.

The family alleges the privacy of their 16-year-old daughter, Thoko, and the confidentiality of her HIV tests results were violated when the school teacher allegedly ordered the epileptic girl to undergo the tests.
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HIV teacher shamed

How many differences existed in our life?Why some of us are discriminated for we caught diseases? It's absolutely unfair.While it really existed around us.There is a real story about a teacher:

Recently, a Napwa member at the Northern Academy High School in Polokwane was reportedly treated shabbily by other teachers at a workshop on August 6.

According to Napwa, the teacher who lives in Seshego but works at the school, was called names and some teachers refused to share a table with her.

It's reluctant to all of us, including her,to catch the disease.She is lonely enough after catching disease. Why we didn't be sympathetic to her,instead,discriminated her for no reason of disqualifying but having disease.This story largely attracts my meditation and shocks my heart.I appeal to consensus to pay a lot attention.read more

Chopper rumbles into HIV battle

AIDS Vancouver, with the help of Vancouver Chopper, is launching a custom chopper raffle to spread the word about HIV/AIDS.

"There is a misconception by the public that AIDS is either cured or it is not a problem in Canada," said William Booth, executive director of AIDS Vancouver. "The infection rate is actually on the rise." read more

HIV testing urged for all moms-to-be

The state might require that all pregnant women be tested for HIV.
The N.C. Commission for Public Health, which makes the rules for medical practitioners in the state, voted Wednesday to recommend requiring testing of all women in their third trimester if they have not already been tested.

Testing also will be required on newborns when they are brought to a medical facility and their HIV/AIDS status is unknown.

The virus is transferred from mother to child during birth, so testing for the virus before labor offers a chance to prevent transmitting the disease to the child.read more

Ingham Co. Health Dept. amends HIV document

The Ingham County Health Department has amended a document, formerly called a "contract," offered to those who test positive for HIV after a recent outcry from within the HIV support community.

State law requires those who test positive for HIV to inform current and future partners about the test, but it does not require a signature, nor does it place a time limit or deadline on when the HIV positive person must notify partnersread more

RAPE-SUSPECT HIV TESTS OK'D

August 24, 2007 -- ALBANY - Rape suspects can be forced to undergo HIV testing under a new law signed by Gov. Spitzer.

The measure gives rape victims the option of forcing an indicted suspect to be tested under a court order, with the results provided to the victim and the suspect.

Victims of sexual assault have a right to information that impacts their health, ability to receive timely treatment and peace of mind," Spitzer said. read more

AIDS Vaccine Field Moves Toward Larger-scale Efficacy Trials: Volunteers?

Science Daily — Leading researchers from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (USMHRP) presented final results from a collection of independent studies reexamining the medical criteria for including African volunteers in AIDS vaccine trials.


The findings, presented at the AIDS Vaccine 2007 Conference in Seattle, suggest that many healthy Southern and East Africans have, in the past, been excluded from participating in trials based on laboratory reference ranges that were developed for Western populations and may not be appropriate locally. Implementation of the results of the studies should improve participation of African volunteers in clinical trials for new drugs and vaccines against emerging infectious diseases currently ravaging Africa, including AIDS, TB and malaria, and enable clinicians to better monitor and define adverse events in trials.read more

HIV Prevention Services To Expand To Injecting Drug Users

UNAIDS, UNODC and WHO today announced an initiative to expand HIV prevention services to injecting drug users (IDUs) at the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP).

The initiative, “Prevention of Transmission of HIV Among Drug Users in SAARC Countries”, aims to assist governments and communities to reduce the spread of HIV among drug users and their regular sex partners in SAARC countries.

The project will scale up prevention and care programmes, including drug substitution treatment and safer practices, using outreach to provide drug users with referral to services, clean needles and syringes, voluntary confidential HIV counselling and testing and condom promotion. read more

HIV :: Nutrition is not a substitute of treatment of HIV, AIDS, TB

The South Africa Department of Health has noted the study into the role of nutrition with regard to the management of HIV and AIDS and TB that was released by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) yesterday.

The study of such challenging areas as feeding options for mothers with HIV would have added value in the scientific inquiry of the relationship between HIV and AIDS and nutrition.

The findings of the study actually reaffirm the policy position of the Department. It confirms that in addition to the two infectious diseases - TB and HIV - South Africa is also facing a challenge of macronutrient deficiencies (overt hunger) and/or micronutrient deficiencies ("hidden hunger").

To deal with the latter, the Department of Health promotes good nutrition through consumption of balanced diet. The Department also provide nutritional and vitamin supplementation to address the challenges of micronutrient deficiencies. These are just some of the programmes aimed at promoting good health and improve nutritional status of our population.read more

HIV :: Bhutan offers free condoms to check growing AIDS cases

After 118 men were found to carry the AIDS virus, the country's public health department is out on a massive campaign to educate people on HIV and the use of condoms.

Bhutanese men can now step on to shops, restaurants, bars and discotheques and collect the free condoms.

"Bhutanese men and teenagers must use the free condoms to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases which are on the rise," said Sonam Phuntsho, the department's joint director (Information and Communication Bureau).read more

Clinic Closure Forces HIV Patients to Look for Alternative Sources

Some people living with HIV/AIDS in Maryland have been "forced to look elsewhere" for treatment and other support services following the closure of the Washington, D.C.-based Whitman-Walker Clinic's Takoma Park, Md., facility in September 2005, the Washington Post reports.


According to the Post, some HIV-positive people living in the area are trying to find new resources for prescriptions, case management, emergency food vouchers, and mental health and nutrition counseling. read more

HIV :: Unsafe sex No 1 cause for new HIV infections in China

Unsafe sex has for the first time surpassed drug abuse through injections as the No 1 cause of new HIV infections in China and the deadly disease is spreading faster from high-risk groups to the general public, the government said.

Injected drug use ranked second, accounting for 48.6 per cent of the total. Nevertheless, drug abuse was the dominant transmission route for the 650,000 people living with HIV, according to official figures.
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Health commission urges HIV testing for all pregnant women

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Health officials are suggesting that all pregnant women in North Carolina be tested for the virus that causes AIDS.

The North Carolina Commission for Public Health voted this week to recommend requiring the tests for all women who are about to deliver their babies. Women who come to a medical facility to deliver would be tested if their HIV/AIDS status is unknown.read more