U.S. Appeals Court Upholds Health Care Reform Law
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that it was constitutional for Congress to require all Americans buy health insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. health care reform, The New York Times reports.
HHS to Collect Sexual Orientation Data by 2013 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will begin collecting health data on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, according to an HHS statement.
Swaziland Could Run Out of HIV Meds in Two Months Swaziland Health Minister Benedict Xaba told parliament that state hospitals will run out of antiretroviral (ARV) medications in two months, The Washington Post reports.
June 29, 2011
Alert Health Inc. to Permanently Close in Miami The Miami-based nonprofit Alert Health Inc., which provides preventive health services for chronic diseases such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, will permanently close June 30 because of funding constraints, according to an Alert Health statement.
Believers in AIDS Conspiracies 50% Less Likely to Use Condoms A new study shows that young South Africans who believe in AIDS conspiracy theories, such as the claim that HIV was engineered by scientists, are 50 percent less likely to use condoms, PlusNews reports.
June 28, 2011
HIV/AIDS Advocate Allen Huff Dies HIV/AIDS advocate Allen Anthony Huff died June 9 at his home in Texas, The Houston Chronicle reports.
ViiV Gives $1.5M to 82 Projects Worldwide for Children The Viiv Healthcare Positive Action for Children Fund has awarded about $1.5 million in small grants to 82 projects in 21 countries, according to a ViiV statement.
June 27, 2011
June 27 Is National HIV Testing Day
June 27 is the 17th annual National HIV Testing Day. Founded in 1995 by the National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA), this awareness day urges all Americans to get tested for HIV at least once a year.
HHS to Collect LGBT Data in Federal Health Surveys
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is committed to collecting LGBT data through federal national health surveys, the Washington Blade reports.
1 in 5 HIV-Positive New Yorkers Don’t Know Their Status
Despite media campaigns and free condoms to convince New Yorkers to get tested for HIV and practice safer sex, thousands still remain unaware they have HIV and are too scared to find out, Metro New York reports.
June 23, 2011
More Americans "Very Concerned" About Getting HIV The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has conducted its eighth national survey of Americans’ attitudes toward HIV/AIDS, according to a KFF statement.
Pennsylvania Bill Makes It a Crime to Expose Police to HIV
A bill in Pennsylvania criminalizing the attempt to expose police officers to communicable diseases such as hepatitis B or HIV passed the state’s House of Representatives, The York Dispatch reports.
WHO Debuts Guidelines on MSM, Transgender HIV Prevention The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first guidelines on the prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people, according to a Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) statement.
Heterosexuals in Africa Misunderstand Anal Sex HIV Risk
A new study shows that the omission of anal sex in HIV prevention programs for heterosexuals in Africa is being interpreted to mean that unprotected anal sex is safe, PlusNews reports.
June 21, 2011
HIV Fear After Man Urinates in Oregon Reservoir The city of Portland, Oregon, flushed 8 million gallons of water from its reservoir after a security camera caught a man urinating in it, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
IAS, NIH Launch New Round of Grants for HIV Research The International AIDS Society (IAS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for AIDS Research have launched a new round of grants for their joint research program, Creative and Novel Ideas in HIV Research (CNIHR), according to an IAS statement.
HIV Cases on the Rise in Japan Health departments in Japan are reporting a record high number of HIV cases, IPS News reports.
amfAR Gives $1M for Second Round of HIV Cure Grants
A second round of funding for the amfAR Research Consortium on HIV Eradication (ARCHE) totals more than $1 million, according to a statement from amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.
Follow-up Trials for Vaginal Tenofovir Gel to Begin Soon The Follow-on African Consortium for Tenofovir Studies (FACTS)-a vaginal microbicide follow-up to the CAPRISA 004 study-is expected to begin later this summer, The New Age reports.
Massachusetts Revises Teen Sex-Ed Website After Complaints The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has made content changes to a sexual education website after complaints it used graphic sex language and downplayed the risks of abortion, The Boston Herald reports.
Montel Williams Partners With California Medical Marijuana Dispensary Montel Williams, a former talk-show host who is living with multiple sclerosis (MS), has partnered with Sacramento, California, medical marijuana providers in opening a new dispensary, The Sacramento Bee reports.
June 16, 2011
DC Releases HIV Report; AIDS Rate Climbs Among Older Adults Washington, DC, Mayor Vincent C. Gray and the District’s Department of Health (DOH) released the District of Columbia HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Epidemiology Report 2010 Update, according to a DOH press release.
AIDS Advocates Ask Obama Administration for Increased ADAP Funding A group of HIV/AIDS organizations, state representatives and individuals wrote a letter to President Barack Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asking them to increase funding to the failing AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP) throughout the country, BusinessWire reports.
White House Releases National Prevention Strategy for Health, Wellness
The National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council—a.k.a. the National Prevention Council, which is part of the Obama Administration—has released The National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy in order to increase the health and wellness of Americans, according to a Health and Human Services press release.
Florida Man Charged With HIV Transmission Is Released
Daniel Hay Lewis—the Florida man who in May was charged with criminal transmission of HIV, grand theft and assault on an officer—tested HIV negative and was released from jail preceding trial, The Florida Independent reports.
Advocates Ask CDC to Stand Against HIV Criminalization A coalition of advocates has published an open letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asking the CDC to take a stance against HIV criminalization, according to a statement by the Center for HIV Law & Policy.
All Sexually Active MSM in U.S. Should Get Frequent HIV Tests Regardless of risk, sexually active gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States should be tested for HIV every three to six months, according to a study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and reported by aidsmap.
Panel Faults Intercourse Judge for Condoms in Acorns A state judicial panel has
accused Isaac H. Stoltzfus, 58, a district judge in Intercourse, Pennsylvania,
of violating standards of conduct in 2010 when he handed women acorns that had
been hollowed out and stuffed with condoms, LancasterOnline.com reports.
More Prisoners to Get Access to Condoms in Australia Victoria has become one of
the last Australian states to provide condoms to prisoners in order to prevent sexually
transmitted infections, The Age reports.
June 09, 2011
"We Can End the AIDS Epidemic," Declare Researchers, Activists An international coalition of scientists and activists launched a common declaration—“We Can End the AIDS Epidemic”—on the eve of the United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, according to a statement from the United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS (AVAC).
HRSA’s Updated Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care Is Online The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has updated its comprehensive Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care, which explains how physicians, dentists and nurse practitioners can best manage the long-term care of people living with HIV/AIDS, according to a statement by HRSA, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
June 08, 2011
June 8 Is National Caribbean-American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Wednesday, June 8, is National Caribbean-American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the sixth annual observance to promote HIV awareness, education and testing throughout Caribbean-American communities.
World Leaders at U.N. High-Level Meeting on AIDS to Set New Policies The United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS will take place June 8 to 10 in New York City to reaffirm current pledges to the global AIDS response and adopt a new Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, according to the U.S. Department of State.
Increased HIV Programs for MSM Could Slow Global Epidemic Providing better HIV prevention and treatment to men who have sex with men (MSM) in low and middle-income countries would significantly slow the global epidemic, according to a World Bank study conducted in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Activists Rally to Pressure U.N. AIDS Meeting for Aggressive Goals Hundreds of activists rallied at Bryant Park in New York City then marched to the United Nations in efforts to pressure world leaders at this week’s U.N. High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS to announce aggressive targets for fighting global AIDS, the Housing Works blog reports.
June 07, 2011
Medicaid Expands Coverage for People With HIV The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are allowing states to apply for more than 1,000 Medicaid projects that would provide support for people living with HIV, according to CMS.
New Global HIV Cases Fell 25% From 2001 to 2009 There has been a 22-fold increase in people receiving antiretroviral medications since 2001, and the global rate of new HIV infections declined by nearly 25 percent between 2001 and 2009, according to a report released by the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
June 06, 2011
New Initiative Integrates HIV in Community Health Centers The AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETC) National Center for HIV Care in Minority Communities (NCHCMC) has launched an initiative to integrate HIV services into the primary care services at 24 community health centers, according to a HealthHIV statement.
U.S. Joins Partnership to Combat Sexual Violence in South Africa U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced a public-private partnership to provide greater access to medical, legal and psychological care for survivors of sexual assault in South Africa, according to a State Department statement.
HIV Meds Don’t Fight Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Counter to research published in 2009, chronic fatigue syndrome might not be linked to infection with xenotropic murine leukemia virus (XMRV), according to two studies published by the journal Science and reported by The New York Times.
June 05, 2011
June 5 Marks 30 Years of AIDS The first public account identifying AIDS was published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on June 5, 1981.
UNAIDS Executive Director Speaks at Vatican Conference Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, told a Vatican conference that comments made by Pope Benedict XVI on condoms and HIV prevention had “opened up a new space for dialogue,” The Associated Press (AP) reports.
June 02, 2011
LA City Council Wants a State Law to Enforce Condoms in Porn On May 25, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to ask state and county officials for legislation that would empower the city to make condom use a condition of getting a film permit on porn sets, Daily News Los Angeles reports.
Safe-Sex Ad With Gay Couple Is Pulled From Australian Bus Shelters Australian HIV activists criticized the firm Adshel for pulling from Queensland bus shelters a safe-sex ad featuring two fully clothed gay men hugging, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reports.
Injection Drug Use Spreads HIV in Afghanistan Afghan health officials are concerned about growing HIV infection trends among the country’s injection drug users, according to The National and Abu Dhabi Media.
June 01, 2011
AIDS Care Opens Expanded Adult Health Program in Rochester
AIDS Care has opened its Adult Day Health Program in Rochester, the first program in the state outside New York City to offer health care and supportive services to adults living with HIV/AIDS, the Fairport-East Rochester Post reports.
"Godfather of Rap" Gil Scott-Heron Dies Gil Scott-Heron, a recording artist renown for infusing biting political critiques into spoken-word poetry in songs such as “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” died May 27 at age 62, The Associated Press reports.
Hundreds of activists rallied at Bryant Park in New York City then marched to the United Nations in efforts to pressure world leaders at this week’s U.N. High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS to announce aggressive targets for fighting global AIDS, the Housing Works blog reports.
