NJ Needle Exchange Arrives—With Empty Pockets The state of New Jersey approved needle exchange pilot projects this morning in four HIV-ravaged cities: Atlantic City, Camden, Newark and Paterson.
Green Thumbs Up
In a discovery that may lead to new forms of HIV treatment, researchers at Purdue University have found a way to prevent a similar virus from reproducing in plants.
New York Fights AIDS
The New York State Department of Health has awarded $2.9 million to 16 community-based organizations in order to fight HIV/AIDS among minority communities in the state.
Gellin’ Against HIV and Herpes A microbicide gel currently in clinical trials may be effective in thwarting the transmission of both HIV and the HSV-2 genital herpes virus, according to Australian researchers at last week’s International AIDS Society conference in Sydney.
July 30, 2007
Plane Talk About Privacy
Under an agreement just signed between the European Union and the United States, airlines must provide personal information on passengers traveling to the U.S. from Europe, including details about their race, religion, political affiliations, sexual orientation and health.
China Bans AIDS Activist Meeting Chinese officials have banned a meeting planned for 50 Chinese and foreign AIDS activists that was scheduled for early August, reports the Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ).
4 Days, 3 Nights, Unlimited Condoms Chinese hotels, resorts and public showers have been ordered to provide condoms and display AIDS prevention pamphlets.
Buffalo Women Get Tested Several prominent black and Latina women in western New York State made a public showing of taking HIV tests yesterday during a church service in Buffalo, NY.
July 27, 2007
San Francisco vs. HIV Funding Cuts Last night (July 26), some 100 AIDS healthcare providers and community members in San Francisco met to discuss recent budget cuts to the city’s HIV/AIDS funding—and to bat around plans for a new prevention model for a city where about 20,000 people are living with HIV.
Condoms for Old Folks New York City’s Department of Aging has begun passing out free condoms and AIDS information to elderly residents in an attempt to minimize infections in a population often perceived not to be at risk for HIV.
Question About Sex? Text It Indonesians will be able to ask sexual health questions by cell phone when a new question-and-answer text messaging service gets underway in the sprawling Muslim country.
Bad Drugs in Zimbabwe The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe has announced a surge of unauthorized antiretroviral drug-selling in certain areas of the country, through venues such as flea markets and hair salons.
July 26, 2007
Summer Camp Sued for Barring Positive 10-Year-Old A New York state summer camp wouldn’t let a 10-year-old boy join a week-long basketball training in 2004 because he has HIV, according to a lawsuit filed last month by the boy’s mother.
Tonsils May Help Transmit HIV A new analysis from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research in Maryland claims the tonsils are more susceptible to HIV infection than any other oral area.
Witch Murders in Papua New Guinea In the past year, about 500 women in Papua New Guinea have been attacked or murdered by mobs of people claiming they are witches who have cursed the Pacific island nation’s younger generation with AIDS.
Libya Protests Bulgarian Pardons The Libyan government is protesting Bulgaria’s decision to pardon five nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting more than 400 Libyan children with HIV.
July 25, 2007
My AIDS is Acting Up Something Fierce Among the gritty, smart-ass characters in the animated TV series Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World (on Logo Tuesdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific times; 9 Central) is a 50-year-old, HIV-positive paraplegic named “Chuck” who uses his HIV status as a punchline every chance he gets.
Sugar Daddies Drive HIV in Uganda Sex between older men and younger women in Uganda is partly to blame for girls’ high HIV infections, according to a new report, which found infection rates among young women aged 15 24 are four times as high as rates among young men that age.
Mississippi Living Positive Mississippians who are down on their luck will have a chance at stable housing following a pledge by Mississippi State Department of Health STD/HIV Bureau Director Craig Thompson for $200,000 per year to support a four-year long-term housing pilot program.
A Third of Positive Aussies Are Underfed About a third of HIV positive Australians don’t have access to nutritious foods, and half say they have trouble paying for food.
July 24, 2007
Study Says HIV Fight Is In Your Genes Some people seem to have a genetic advantage in suppressing their HIV viral load and progressing more slowly to AIDS, according to a new study published July 19 online by the journal Science.
Implanting Microchips to Track Positive People Health advocates are opposing a new bill in the Indonesian province of Papua that would require HIV positive people to be implanted with a tracking microchip in the hopes of stopping the spread of the virus.
Flu Vaccine Crucial Amid HIV HIV positive patients shouldn’t pass on their flu shots, according to recent studies that emphasize the importance of influenza and measles vaccinations for HIV positive patients.
Just in From Sydney: A Push For Early Treatment
Researchers at the 4th annual International AIDS Society meeting have been discussing plans for a new study that will determine if early treatment — starting patients on antiretrovirals when their CD4 counts hit the 500 level, as opposed to waiting for the current warning level of 200 or lower — might help HIV positive patients lower their risk of developing diseases that aren’t typically associated with HIV.
July 23, 2007
Tammy Faye Dies at 65 Televangelist, talk show host, one-time Surreal Life housemate and AIDS pioneer Tammy Faye Messner died Friday morning from lung cancer at the age of 65.
IAS Conference Down Under Day two at the 4th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis in Sydney, Australia featured research linking crystal meth to low CD4 counts among positive people and good news about PrEP for serodiscordant couples trying to get pregnant.
Nuts About Betel-Flavored Condoms A contraceptive-maker in India has created condoms that taste like betel nut and tobacco and are intended to go up against more traditional strawberry or mint rubbers on the market.
What If Your CD4s Were “Normal”? A recent study found that HIV positive people may be able to achieve CD4 counts that are similar to HIV negative people if they stay on combination drug therapy for long enough and their viral loads are suppressed below 50 copies/milliliter.
July 20, 2007
Elton John Grantees in Nepal Asked to Halt HIV Work Local health officials in western Nepal have asked HIV educators to stop treatment and prevention programs for sexual minorities and to “find something better to do,” according to Nepali LGBT group Blue Diamond Society.
Pelosi Blocks AIDS Funding Cut House Democrats led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi blocked a Republican attempt Wednesday to cut $6.3 in federal AIDS funds going to San Francisco and two neighboring counties.
Mandela Says Mind Your Elders Nelson Mandela celebrated his 89th birthday yesterday by launching a new group of global figures called the Elders to take on international crises such as AIDS.
FDA Declines Serostim Approval for Lipo The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declined this week to approve Serostim for the treatment of HIV-associated adipose redistribution syndrome (HARS)—the accumulation of fat associated with lipodystrophy.
July 19, 2007
When Free Treatment Has a Pricetag So-called “free” HIV treatment in developing countries often requires patients to fork over payments for tests, medical care and other services, according to a report by the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition.
1 in 4 Zimbabwe Kids Is an AIDS Orphan Nearly one in four Zimbabwean children is an AIDS orphan—having lost one or both parents to AIDS—up from 14% in 1999, according to a new national survey.
Study: Computer Surveys Cut Risky Behavior People with HIV who took a computer survey on whether their behavior puts others at risk for HIV infection were likely to reduce any such risky behavior, according to a study in the journal AIDS Care.
Bill Clinton in the DR Former President Clinton stopped by a hospital in the Dominican Republic this week to visit HIV positive children as part of an eight-day global tour of projects sponsored by the Clinton Foundation.
July 18, 2007
New Yorkers Say U.S. Health Care Is Sicko Some 150 New Yorkers gathered last night at Saint Bartholomew’s Church on Park Avenue to brainstorm about making single-payer health care a U.S. reality.
Death Sentences Lifted in Libya The Libyan High Judicial Counsel yesterday commuted the death sentences of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of deliberately infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.
Another Sign That Arafat Died of AIDS In a TV interview picked up by the ubiquitous YouTube, a Palestinian leader has confirmed that it was AIDS that killed former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in 2004, according to Israel Today.
Puerto Rico Cleans House Puerto Rico’s Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila yesterday unveiled a plan to overhaul the island’s AIDS treatment program, which has been in crisis since the U.S. federal government halted payments last year due to suspected mismanagement of funds.
July 17, 2007
No Thanks, Bono Africa’s intellectual elite is urging Bono and other American and European activists to stop showering the AIDS-ravaged continent with assistance and invest in local projects instead.
Human Trials for an HIV Vaccine Atlanta-based GeoVax Labs, Inc. has announced the start of two new human trials for an AIDS vaccine, beginning a month earlier than expected.
Chinese AIDS Advocates Honored Qingdao University Professor Zhang Beichuan and Vice Minister of Health Wang Longde and were honored today for their work fighting AIDS in China.
Nothing to Bragg About An HIV-positive soldier at Fort Bragg in North Carolina has been charged with knowingly transmitting HIV to a teenage boy he met in an online chat room.
July 16, 2007
Surgeon General Nominee Draws Fire
The HIV Medicine Association and other groups are voicing strong opposition to President Bush’s surgeon general nominee, James Holsinger, whose Senate confirmation hearing was held Thursday.
India: Ladies, Don’t Trust Your Men Indian cabinet member Renuka Chowdhury warned Indian women today not to trust their husbands, urging them to always wear condoms to protect themselves from HIV.
Chinese Inmates With HIV Get Some TLC A special division in Qingliu prison has been created to cater to HIV-positive male inmates from China’s southeastern Fujian Province.
Olive You Too
Researchers at the University of Granada and in Hospital Carlos III in Madrid have found that an acid found in olive skin prevents an HIV enzyme—serin protease—from spreading to uninfected cells.
July 13, 2007
Diaphragms Don’t Protect Against HIV Using a diaphragm along with a male condoms during sexual intercourse does nothing to cut the HIV risk, says a new study.
When He Can’t Afford a Mistress... Zimbabwe’s economic crisis may have helped reduce the rate of HIV in part because men are unable to pay the costs of extramarital affairs, the Washington Post reports.
Dupont Circle Honors “The Dressers” A public art piece to honor the caretakers of people with HIV and AIDS is under construction in Washington D.C.’s Dupont Circle Metro station.
World Bank Spends Less on AIDS The World Bank’s spending on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health initiatives dropped from $2.7 billion in 2003 to $1.5 billion in 2006, according to a report by Washington, D.C.-based watchdog Gender Equity.
July 12, 2007
Senator in Prostitution Scandal Opposes Condoms A New Orleans brothel is claiming Senator David Vitter (R-LA) was a client just days after his July 9 apology to supporters for using a Washington, D.C. escort service.
Stigma by the Numbers A new project to count and classify individual stories of HIV stigma is beginning to paint a portrait of discrimination around the world.
HIV 101 Comes to India’s Prisons The United Nations has launched India’s first HIV/AIDS awareness programs for drug users in three of the country’s prisons in Mumbai, New Delhi and Punjab.
Syphilis Jumps in NYC Following a decline last year, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has announced a rise in the number of syphilis cases among New Yorkers during the first three months of 2007.
July 11, 2007
The Silencing of a Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona,
who served as surgeon general from 2002 to 2006, accused the Bush
administration yesterday of muzzling him on key issues, including stem
cell research and contraception, when his recommendations conflicted
with the Bush administration’s political views.
Libyan Court Upholds Death Sentences
Libya’s Supreme Court has upheld death sentences against the five Bulgarian nurses and the
Palestinian doctor who were convicted in 2004 of infecting over 400
children with HIV.
40 U.S. Women Try VivaGel Forty sexually active HIV-negative American women between the ages of
18 and 24 are participating in a two-week trial to test the
effectiveness of VivaGel, a vaginal microbicide gel for preventing transmission of HIV and genital herpes.
Miners Dig for HIV Answers
HIV is on the rise among miners throughout the world, with one in three living with HIV in Anglo America’s South Africa mining operations.
July 10, 2007
No Positive Toddlers in the Pool? An HIV-positive two-year-old and his foster parents made headlines last week after the child was banned from a public pool and shower at the Wales West RV Park in Silver Hill, Alabama.
Sign the Sydney Declaration In preparation for the 4th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention later this month in Australia, the IAS has released the Sydney Declaration, which calls for more resources to fund global AIDS research.
NYC AIDS Program Under Fire New York City’s Comptroller, William Thompson Jr., is criticizing the city’s HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) for failing to get housing, employment and benefits to HIV positive New Yorkers in a timely manner.
A Health Insurance Debut in India A private insurance company announced it will be the first in India to issue health coverage for people with HIV.
July 09, 2007
Activist Ferd Eggan Dies Ferd Eggan, longtime leader of the HIV/AIDS, queer and other social justice movements, died in Los Angeles on July 7 at age 60 after a six-month bout with liver cancer, complicated by HIV and hepatitis C infections.
A Mental Health Moment Two new British studies found that mental and physical health problems among people with HIV—which can be associated with poor treatment adherence and unprotected sex—often go unreported.
Women’s Summit Delivers 10-Point Plan
More than 1,500 AIDS activists, health workers, celebrities and lawmakers participated in the first-ever International Summit on Women's Leadership on HIV and AIDS, which ended Saturday with a 10-point plan to address gender disparities.
HIV Crossroads in El Salvador The Salvadoran government has launched a new HIV/AIDS awareness campaign amid widespread reports of anti-HIV stigma and problems with treatment access.
July 06, 2007
Prezista and Etravirine Meds Win Big in Studies Results from several ongoing studies show that two HIV meds, etravirine (TMC-125), as well as Prezista (darunavir) boosted with Norvir (ritonavir) , can outperform such other drugs as Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) in treatment-experienced patients.
Brit Virgins Forgo Safe Sex Over 25% of people polled in Great Britain said they hadn’t used a condom the first time they had sex, according to a study by condom maker Durex that included 25 other countries.
Condoms: A New Family Value Thailand’s health minister is developing a “family condom” campaign to get condoms out to married couples and all family members.
Widening HIV’s Cancer Risk HIV positive people have a greater risk than their negative counterparts of developing 20 types of cancer, according to a study by scientists at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
July 05, 2007
When to Start Treating Positive Kids? A South African clinical trial was significantly altered when it found that survival rates are better among HIV-positive children who begin treatment immediately, as opposed to delaying based on CD4 cell counts.
Ladies Demand Female Condoms Women from across Africa attending the World Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) conference in Nairobi this week report that they have difficulty obtaining female condoms in their native lands.
Laura Bush Demands Condoms, Too In a CNN interview earlier this week First Lady Laura Bush said she would support a repeal of her husband’s AIDS policy requiring that one-third of all U.S. international HIV prevention funds go towards abstinence only education.
British Youth Flunk AIDS Quiz Twenty % of British 18 to 24 year olds surveyed by Great Britain’s Terrence Higgins Trust mistakenly believed there is a cure for HIV.
July 03, 2007
Medical Marijuana Legal in New Mexico A New Mexico state law legalizing medicinal marijuana use for people living with HIV and other conditions took effect July 1.
India’s Positive Population: Who’s Counting? Reputable new estimates expected this week from the Indian government may put the nation’s HIV-positive population at 3.5 million, vs. the 5.7 million previously estimated by UNAIDS.
British Teens Talk HIV Two British teenagers discussed life with HIV during an extraordinarily candid weeklong BBC documentary.
Could Surgical Slips Cause Hep C and HIV? The New York Times reports on the risk of surgeons who have HIV or hepatitis infecting patients during medical procedures.
July 02, 2007
South Carolina’s $3.5 Million Save South Carolina lawmakers increased the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) budget from $500,000 to $4 million last week, overriding a veto from Governor Mark Sanford.
When Men Won’t Let Women Use Condoms Nearly all the HIV-positive women who reported having unsafe sex in a U.S. study published in the June issue of American Journal of Public Health said their male sex partners pressured them not to use condoms.
Young Jamaicans Ignore HIV Risk Jamaica’s young people understand HIV risks, but continue to engage in risky behavior because of strong peer pressure and a low sense of self-worth, according to an article in the Jamaica Gleaner.
Neurosyphilis Among Gay and Bi Men A severe form of syphilis known as neurosyphilis has been detected among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
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