High-risk behaviors could lead to HIV epidemic in Afghanistan

In a report that is among the first to describe the prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis B and C viruses in Afghanistan, a researcher from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine voiced concerns that increasing injection drug use and accompanying high-risk behavior could lead to an HIV epidemic in Afghanistan. read more

UNICEF and Family Health International: Together on HIV and AIDS

Who:
Alan Court, Director of Programme Division, UNICEF
Dr. Albert Siemens, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FHI.

What:
Ceremonial signing of Memorandum of Understanding

When:
Tuesday, 4 September 2007 at 12:00 Noon

Where:
UNICEF House, Danny Kaye Visitors Centre
Three UN Plaza (44th Street between First and Second Avenues)

Why:
UNICEF and Family Health International have agreed to join forces to reach out to more women and children with quality HIV/AIDS programmes within the framework of the global campaign “Unite for children, Unite against AIDS” and the global goal of universal access to services.
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HIV self-tests ineffective in high-risk individuals

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a study conducted at two major HIV centers in Singapore, rapid HIV self-tests were used improperly, or the results were interpreted incorrectly, by individuals at risk for HIV infection or those who were already infected.

The major problem was collecting an adequate blood sample, Dr. Vernon J. Lee of Tan Took Seng Hospital in Singapore and co-investigators report in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. In addition, a significant number of study subjects were unable to interpret results or interpreted them incorrectly.

Lee's team tested the Abbott Determine HIV 1/2 test in 350 subjects, 88 of whom were known to be HIV-positive. Before testing, 90 percent said the test steps were easy to understand and the instructions were easy to read and follow.read more

Uganda: U.S. Aids Fund Targets Circumcised Males

THOUSANDS of Ugandan men could benefit from circumcision as a means to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids, thanks to a US fund to fight the pandemic in Africa.

President George Bush set up the fund a few years ago.

The Washington Post, a US daily reported last week that the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) - a $15 billion anti-Aids effort - would begin investing significantly in making circumcision available to African men seeking to protect themselves from HIV infectionread more

New HIV test

More than 20 drugs are currently available for treating HIV. Because HIV genes mutate so easily and the virus reproduces so rapidly, most people who are infected have many different forms of the virus in their bodies.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have developed a highly sensitive test for identifying which drug-resistant strains of HIV are harbored in a patient's bloodstream. The test may provide physicians with a tool to guide patient treatment by predicting if a patient is likely to become resistant to a particular HIV drug, said one of its developers, Dr. Feng Gao. Drug resistance is one of the most common reasons why therapy for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, fails. read more

13 Rape Victims Now HIV Positive ?Obi

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, yesterday said13 of the secondary school girls raped by miscreants are now HIV positive.

The governor ordered for theprovision of science laboratoriesas well as ten computers in allthe secondary schools.Obi said the rehabilitation of aclassroom blocks in each of the100 secondary schools wouldbe in partnership with the hostcommunities and stakeholders.read more

Frightening AIDS statistics revealed

Papua New Guinea now faces a devastating HIV/AIDS epidemic and it is estimated that by the year 2010, 70% of all hospital beds nationwide will be occupied by HIV/AIDS patients.

Dr Pantumari warned that HIV/AIDS would soon take a terrible toll on the people and the economy if effective action was not taken to prevent the virus from spreading.

Dr Pantumari said the PNG Government had itself estimated that if the epidemic was left to run at the present rate of increase, 70% of the hospital beds or more could be occupied by AIDS patients in the next three years.read more

UN AIDS site target of new 'vulnerability scan' attack

Hackers compromise a United Nations’ Asia Pacific AIDS information site using an emerging malicious technique which scans for multiple vulnerabilities.


Researchers at Websense have warned that the ‘Youandaids HIV/AIDS portal for Asia Pacific’ - a division of the UN AIDS initiative became the target of new hacker technique yesterday.read more

Double M Band to debut 'Time To Care' at AIDS Walk

ST. PETERSBURG - Tampa Bay’s own Double M Band will debut a new track from its forthcoming CD at AIDS Walk St. Petersburg on Saturday, Sept. 8.

In its tenth year, Double M Band features lead vocalist Mario Jooste, lead keyboardist Michael Monrad and guitarist Josh Rasmussen. Double M Band will be featured live onstage to kick off AIDS Walk this year, including a performance of “Time to Care,” a song written especially for the event.
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Schools chief endorses AIDS curriculum

FORT PIERCE — St. Lucie County Schools Superintendent Michael Lannon recommended Tuesday that the school board adopt a proposed sex education curriculum that puts a greater focus on AIDS and begin using it this school year.

His proposal would call for the school board to vote on the issue in December and, if approved, for the curriculum to be taught in schools by January.

Called Get Real About AIDS, the curriculum would be primarily for high school students, but aspects of it could be used in middle school. Lannon's proposal calls for students to begin learning about diseases such as AIDS in seventh grade. Eighth-graders would be the first to learn about condoms.read more

Many HIV patients living without access to health care

Barb went two years without treatment for AIDS/HIV because she said she had no insurance and could not afford the drugs.

More than 6,000 people are living with HIV in Wisconsin ?more than at any time in the history of the AIDS epidemic. More than two-thirds live in severe poverty, and 40 percent have no health insurance, said Michael Gifford, chief operating officer for AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin.

“I wouldn’t be able to afford my drugs if I had to pay the $600 a month premium for insurance,” she said.
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AIDS Healthcare Foundation Applauds Tourism Council for Naugle Removal

US' Largest HIV/AIDS Healthcare Provider Calls Mayor Naugle's
Characterization of Broward County's HIV/AIDS Epidemic 'Misinformed and
Irresponsible'

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AIDS
Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today applauded the move by Broward County
commissioners to remove Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle from the Tourist
Development Council over his recent homophobic comments related to the
HIV/AIDS epidemic in Broward. Commissioners, upset by the negative impact
the Mayor's comments have had on tourism in the area, ousted the Mayor by
unanimous vote earlier this evening after repeated warnings asking the
Mayor to cease his attacks on the gay community which have included the
unfounded accusation that rampant gay sex in public restrooms has been
fueling Broward County's HIV/AIDS crisis.read more

HIV awareness campaign

HUBLI: There are several social and non government organisations working for the welfare of the HIV-affected. And now, a few HIV positive people have joined together to form a community-based organisation (COB) to work for their welfare.

The organisation conducts house visits, personal and family counselling, treatment and adherence counselling. It also conducts nutrition and positive speakers training. The network refers people living with HIV to the Anti-Retrovial Therapy (ART) centres. Recently, Jeevanmukhi conducted 慞romote Access to Treatment?campaign in Hubli to promote access for the HIV positive to treatment.
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WHO unveils strategy to curb AIDS/TB

Brazzaville, Congo - The World Health Organisation (WHO) Tuesday in Brazzaville, Congo, unveiled a strategy to control tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in Africa, an official source disclosed here.

The strategy, developed by the WHO Regional Bureau for Africa, highlights key interventions for enhancing the collaboration between tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS control programmes, and for reducing the tuberculosis burden among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

It is based on seven key points, including development of the collaboration mechanism between programmes to control tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, promotion of the prevention, screening and curing these two diseases, greater access of TB patients to HIV/AIDS screening services and integration of control measures in joint interventions between TB and AIDS. read more

HIV AFFECTED CHILDREN

A study was conducted by UNICEF on children affected by HIV in consultation with Government at the state and national level.

The study titled ‘Barriers to services for children of HIV positive parents in six high prevalence states’ focused on the factors that impede the children from acceptance among the community members, limit their access to services like education, health and social welfare. The study also gathered opinion of key services providers in health, education and social welfare departments for solutions to overcome the stigma and discrimination faced by the children. read more