DC Launches Multimedia HIV Testing Campaign On August 29, DC officials launched a $225,000 multimedia campaign encouraging residents to get an HIV test, The Associated Press reports. Advertisements—which can already be seen on television—feature people holding up signs that read, “Ask for the Test.”
HIV-Positive Miami Man Sentenced 15 Years for Biting Police Officer After threatening to kill a Miami police officer with HIV and then biting him, Johnson Jamerson was sentenced to 15 years in prison, The Miami Herald reports. Jamerson was convicted in June of attacked officer Matthew Hall while trying to break from a police bus bound for jail.
Gates Foundation Announces New Director of HIV Programs Stefano Bertozzi, MD, an expert in health economics, has been named the new HIV director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s global health program, reports The Seattle Times.
August 28, 2009
San Francisco Officials Delay HIV/AIDS Funding Cuts
San Francisco health officials have postponed cutting contracts with AIDS service organizations (ASOs) until mid-October, according to the Bay Area Reporter.
Study: Black Churches Could Help HIV Prevention
A study presented at the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference found that HIV-risk reduction programs for inner-city black youth can be convincing when churches administer them, Pediatric Supersite reports.
Kenneth Cole and Bloomingdale’s Raise Funds for amfAR
Kenneth Cole is partnering with Bloomingdale’s and amfAR on the “Fashionable Fundraiser in Black and White” to raise awareness and funds for AIDS service organizations across the country, The Washington Times reports.
August 27, 2009
Brazil Confronts New Difficulties With HIV/AIDS The global health community has recognized Brazil for its successful efforts in fighting HIV/AIDS within its borders, but the country is facing new difficulties, CNN reports.
California HIV/AIDS Group Struggles After Budget Cuts Sierra HOPE, a nonprofit group that helps people living with HIV/AIDS, has had more than a third of its budget slashed for the current fiscal year, The Union Democrat reports.
Ex-Drug Dealers Now Sell HIV Prevention in DC A Washington, DC-based nonprofit program has recruited former drug dealers as HIV counselors in an effort to reach areas within the nation’s capital that are disproportionately affected by the virus, The Washington Post reports.
South African Scientists Decry Country’s HIV/AIDS Policies On August 24, South African scientists challenged the country’s governing party to revamp the country’s spotty HIV/AIDS and public health policies, The New York Times reports. Their assessment was laid out in six papers published online by The Lancet, an international medical journal.
Helene Gayle to Head Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS Helene Gayle, MD, president and chief executive officer of international charity CARE USA, has been appointed to chair the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, Reuters reports. Gayle, the former president of AIDS research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will advise President Barack Obama on fighting the epidemic.
Magic Johnson: Black Churches Must Join Fight Against AIDS
At the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta, basketball Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who has been HIV positive for nearly 20 years, said that black religious leaders need to get more involved in HIV/AIDS prevention and care, the Southern Voice reports.
August 24, 2009
Obama Launches National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions
President Barack Obama announced August 21 the launch of the National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions, a series of nationwide events hosted by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) that will allow the public to actively participate in the promised formation of a national HIV/AIDS strategy.
HIV-Positive Vietnamese Students Shunned From School After two years of lobbying by the Ho Chi Minh City orphanage, the An Nhon Dong Elementary School in Vietnam granted permission for 15 HIV-positive children to attend classes on August 17. However, Time reports, parents shunned the students and refused to let their HIV-negative children interact with them.
August 21, 2009
Study: No Evidence That HIV Worsens Swine Flu Mortality Risk, Complications Obesity and diabetes are the two main underlying conditions associated with death in people with H1N1 virus (swine flu), according to a new study published in the August 20 edition of Eurosurveillance as reported by aidsmap.com. The authors, from the French Institute of Public Health, do not cite HIV as a mortality risk factor.
Miss Universe Contestants Compete in Condom Olympics In anticipation of the Miss Universe 2009 pageant on Sunday, August 23, contestants took part in the Condom Olympics earlier today. Participants tossed water-filled condoms and blew into condoms until they burst—contests that illustrated the strength of the prophylactics.
South Carolina Sex Offender Allegedly Exposes Minor to HIV A registered sex offender in Georgetown, South Carolina, was arrested August 19 for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old and exposing him to HIV, reports NBC affiliate WCBD.
August 20, 2009
CDC: U.S. Life Expectancy Climbs to 78; AIDS-Related Deaths Drop 10% Americans are living longer than ever—nearly 78 years—according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and reported in The New York Times. The newly released data cover 2007; life expectancy was 77.7 in 2006.
Miami Veteran Sues Feds After Contracting HIV in VA Mishap A 55-year-old Miami veteran claiming to have contracted HIV from unsterilized equipment during a 2008 colonoscopy at a local Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital is suing the federal government for $20 million in damages, The Miami Herald reports.
16 Porn Companies Accused of Endangering Workers by Nixing Condoms Two foundations plan to file complaints against 16 California-based porn production companies, claiming that they are violating workplace safety laws by not requiring their employees to wear condoms, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Parents Refuse HIV Testing for Children in Burkina Faso, West Africa Health officials estimate that thousands of at-risk children in the West African country Burkina Faso are undiagnosed because their parents refuse to have them tested for HIV/AIDS, IRIN PlusNews reports.
Annie Lennox Wants to Be Scotland’s HIV Ambassador for Women and Children Annie Lennox, Scotland-born recording artist and AIDS activist, offered to serve as an ambassador for women and children living with HIV in her birth country during a speech at the Festival of Politics in the Scottish Parliament chamber this week, reports The Herald.
August 18, 2009
New Report Highlights HIV Concerns in Nevada As of 2008, about 8,000 people were living with HIV in Nevada, according to a report released August 17 by state health officials, as reported by kolotv.com.
With No Available Food, Positive Ugandans Abandon HIV Treatment HIV-positive people in eastern Uganda are abandoning antiretroviral (ARV) medication because they don’t have the food required to take with the drugs, IRIN PlusNews reports. Health officials are concerned that these people will face drug resistance and die unless food becomes available. A prolonged dry spell has withered crops and left thousands without food.
Miami-Dade Doctors Found Guilty of Medicare Fraud
Walter Proano and Manuel Barbeite, MD, were found guilty of prescribing unnecessary HIV medication and scamming Medicare out of $19.5 million, The Miami Herald reports.
August 17, 2009
Veterans Affairs Now Offers Routine HIV Tests As of Monday, August 17, the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) will now offer routine HIV tests to veterans receiving medical care through its facilities, The Associated Press reports. Under the policy, veterans must verbally consent to the test and may decline if they wish.
Bruce Flannery, Activist on HIV and Other Issues, Dies at 54 Bruce Flannery, an activist who lobbied for legislation and policies to help those living with HIV, died Friday, August 14, due to complications from open-heart surgery, reports the Philadelphia Daily News. He was 54 years old.
AIDS Might Account for as Much as 61% of Deaths in South Africa AIDS-related deaths have been miscalculated in South Africa and could be responsible for as much as 62 percent of deaths in that country, according to a University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, study reported on by the Harare Tribune.
August 14, 2009
Alabama Lifts Work Release Ban for HIV-Positive Prisoners While Alabama had been the only state barring HIV-positive prisoners from entering work release programs, the state Department of Corrections has lifted the ban, allowing these prisoners to hold free-world jobs, earn money, wear plain clothes and work without correction staff supervision, The Associated Press reports.
Misdirected, Limited Funding in Asia and the Pacific Hinders HIV Efforts The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is concerned that the limited financial resources available for HIV initiatives in Asia and the Pacific have gone toward ineffective programs, reports The Jakarta Post.
HIV-Positive People a Priority for Swine Flue Vaccines in the U.K. According to plans released by the U.K. Department of Health, people living with HIV will be some of the first ones in the United Kingdom to be vaccinated for the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, AIDSmap reports.
Funding Cuts Force a California AIDS Group to Lay Off Half Its Staff Pacific Pride—an AIDS service organization in Santa Barbara, California, that also provides services for LGBT people—has had to lay off almost half its staff as a result of funding cuts from the state government, the Santa Barbara Independent reports.
Global Fund Urges G20 to Increase HIV/AIDS Funding The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is encouraging emerging global powers—such as China, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa—to become bigger aid donors as a result of the global financial crisis, Reuters reports.
August 12, 2009
Utah Researchers Make Progress on “Molecular Condom” Scientists at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City are developing a unique vaginal gel, dubbed a “molecular condom,” which could be tested on humans in the next few years, the Deseret News reports.
Study: Trafficked Women in Southeast Asia at Greater Risk for HIV A many as a quarter of a million women and girls in Southeast Asia—mainly between the ages of 12 and 16—are forced into the sex trade, putting them at risk for violence and a higher likelihood of contracting HIV, reports Reuters. These victims are often raped, locked up, forced to take drugs and alcohol and denied food, water and medical care.
HIV Physicians Are Cautious About Health Reform While supportive of President Barack Obama’s ongoing health reform efforts, a significant proportion of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) has expressed concerns about issues ranging from increased patient caseloads to the possibility of rationing HIV treatment and care.
Minnesota Man Arraigned for Not Disclosing HIV Status Jessie Allen Tuff, an HIV-positive man from Duluth, Minnesota, is accused of not telling his girlfriend about his status before having sex with her, The Associated Press reports. Tuff faces a misdemeanor charge of knowingly transmitting a communicable disease.
UNAIDS: Taboo, Sexism in Asia Increase HIV Risk Among Women Advocates say that gender inequality and a “culture of silence” around the issue of sex and sexuality have contributed to more than 1.5 million women in Asia contracting HIV and continue to put 50 million more at risk of infection, reports Agence France-Presse.
August 10, 2009
Hillary Clinton More Than Doubles Angola’s HIV/AIDS Funding On her recent trip to Angola, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton signed an agreement with Angolan health officials to more than double U.S. HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention funding to the sub-Saharan African country from $7 million to $17 million, The Associated Press reports.
Human Rights Advocates Decry HIV Criminalization in Africa AIDS advocates and human rights groups are criticizing the so-called African Model Law on HIV/AIDS, which criminalizes HIV/AIDS exposure and transmission, allAfrica.com reports. Such groups claim the laws hinder HIV prevention and treatment efforts on the continent.
August 07, 2009
Bill Clinton and Drugmakers Announce Cheaper HIV, TB Meds for Developing Countries On August 6, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Matrix Laboratories Ltd. announced a partnership to lower the cost of second-line HIV therapy, which will benefit those living with drug-resistant forms of the virus in developing countries, Reuters reports.
California AIDS Activists Protest Schwarzenegger’s AIDS Cuts Several hundred AIDS activists rallied in front of San Francisco’s Civic Center on August 5 to protest Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decision to cut $82 million in state AIDS funding, according to the Bay Area Reporter.
Illinois HIV Services Survive Budget Cuts Illinois Governor Pat Quinn was able to salvage nearly all state funding for HIV services for the 2010 fiscal year, the Windy City Times reports.
August 06, 2009
Researchers Crack HIV Genome Structure U.S. researchers have decoded the structure of the HIV genome, which could help develop new antiretroviral therapy, Agence France-Presse reports.
DC Receives Higher Marks on AIDS “Report Card” Washington, DC, health officials scored higher in its fifth “report card” issued by the DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, showing a marked improvement in fighting HIV/AIDS in the city by bolstering testing, funding needle exchange programs and keeping detailed data on the number of people living with the virus, The Washington Post reports.
Minnesota’s Only Needle Exchange Program Closes Doors
After a decade of service, Access Works!—Minnesota’s sole needle exchange drop-in center—was forced to close its Minneapolis storefront doors on July 24 due to economic hardship and federal anti-drug policies, reports The Minnesota Independent. The organization plans to maintain its website and nonprofit status.
August 05, 2009
DC Offers STI Tests for All High School Students Washington, DC, school officials have announced that all public high schools in the city will offer screenings for sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the coming school year, expanding a pilot program that revealed an increase in STI prevalence among young people, The Washington Post reports.
Judge Revises HIV-Positive Pregnant Woman’s Jail Time On August 4, U.S. District Judge John Woodcock resentenced Quinta Layin Tuleh, a pregnant, HIV-positive woman, to 114 days, or time served, for possessing a false Social Security card and work permit, the Bangor Daily News reports.
HIV-Positive Man Arrested in Craigslist Sex Sting Thomas Doucette, an HIV-positive Las Vegas Valley man, has been charged with intent to engage in sexual conduct with a child, Fox affiliate KVVU Las Vegas reports.
August 04, 2009
Boston Launches Teen-Focused Safer-Sex Campaign
In response to increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among Boston youth, health officials are introducing a safer-sex campaign incorporating teen-friendly modes of communication such as Facebook, YouTube and cable channels, The Boston Globe reports. (Watch video.)
23% of Positive Women Are Not Getting Tested for Cervical Cancer Despite being at greater risk for cervical cancer, nearly one in four HIV-positive women in the United States has not had a Pap smear to detect cervical cancer in the past year, Reuters reports.
HIV Program Helps Lessen Stigma Among China’s Migrant Workers China’s migrant workers are less inclined to discriminate against someone who is HIV-positive thanks to a three-year educational campaign launched by the International Labour Organization and the U.S. and China labor departments, Agence France-Presse reports.
August 03, 2009
DC Officials Work to Preserve Needle Exchange Funding In 2007, Congress lifted a 10-year-old ban on using tax dollars to fund Washington, DC, needle exchange programs, but a restrictive House amendment could essentially reinstate the ban, The Washington Post reports. The 2010 federal appropriations bill would prevent the city from providing funding to any such program that distributes needles within 1,000 feet of schools, day care centers, pools, arcades or other locations where children convene.
New HIV Strain Is First to Be Transmitted From Gorillas A new HIV strain—known as HIV-1, group P—has been discovered in an African woman, Bloomberg reports. Originally from Cameroon, the 62-year-old woman currently resides in Paris. She has no AIDS-related symptoms.
