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 September 30, 2008
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More Grandparents Care for AIDS Orphans Than Ever
The number of AIDS orphans left in the custody of their grandparents has doubled worldwide, reports The Press and Journal. Half of the world’s 15 million AIDS orphans are being cared for by a grandparent, according to Help the Aged, a United Kingdom-based international charity that advocates for disenfranchised elderly people.
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U.S. OKs Visas for HIV-Positive Visitors
HIV-positive foreigners can now get visas to visit the United States, Agence France-Presse reports. The new regulations also speed up and streamline the visa process.
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September 29, 2008
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Sheryl Lee Ralph Speaks Out for People With HIV
Sheryl Lee Ralph is a diva on a mission. Her one-woman show, Sometimes I Cry, raises public awareness of HIV/AIDS. Her September 27 performance at the Columbia Heights Educational Campus in Washington, DC, blended memoirs, dramatized oral histories and personal stories she has collected from women affected by AIDS, The Washington Post reports.
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AIDS Awareness Remains Low in China
Misinformation and stigma about HIV/AIDS still pervade throughout China, according to recent research conducted by Beijing’s Renmin University and reported by Agence France-Presse.
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September 26, 2008
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PEPFAR Suspends Buying Ranbaxy HIV Drugs
HIV medications produced by generic Indian manufacturer Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. will not be purchased under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) until the company resolves U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) violations at two of its plants, Bloomberg reports.
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TGI Friday’s Fined for Firing HIV-Positive Employee
Carlson Restaurants, owner of the TGI Friday’s chain, has been fined a $5,000 penalty for allegedly firing an employee at its Alexandria, Virginia, location because he is HIV positive, the Southern Voice reports.
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South Africa Replaces Controversial Health Minister
AIDS activists sang outside the home of Barbara Hogan, South Africa’s newly appointed health minister, on September 25 as they toasted to the dismissal of her predecessor, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, BBC reports. Tshabalala-Msimang had been dubbed “Dr. Beetroot” for advocating nutritional supplements—not antiretroviral (ARV) medications—to treat HIV/AIDS.
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September 25, 2008
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North Carolina Offers Routine HIV Tests to All Prisoners
All inmates in North Carolina prisons will be tested for HIV as part of their routine intake screening starting November 1, The News & Observer reports. For current inmates, HIV tests will become a part of their annual physical.
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Stricter Punishments for Illegal Blood Suppliers in China
In an attempt to crack down on illegal blood-buying rings, Chinese authorities passed on September 23 an amendment that clarifies the range of punishments for those who collect and supply illegal blood, The Associated Press reports.
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HIV Awareness Campaign to Launch in Washington, DC
District of Columbia Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced plans on September 24 to launch a large-scale “social marketing” campaign on HIV in an effort to highlight the seriousness of the epidemic and reduce it, The Washington Post reports. The city has signed a five-year contract with a marketing firm to help spread the news and erase the stigma attached to the virus.
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September 24, 2008
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Renowned AIDS Specialist Receives “Genius” Fellowship
Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, an infectious-disease specialist, won a “Genius” Fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation for developing new ways to treat AIDS and tuberculosis more effectively among disadvantaged populations, The New York Times reports.
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Activists Rally at U.N. for Release of Iranian HIV Doctors
Human rights advocates gathered September 22 outside the U.N. headquarters in New York City to protest the detainment of two Iranian physicians, who have been held in a high-security prison in Tehran since late June, The Washington Post reports.
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September 23, 2008
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Will Renewed Interest in U.S. HIV/AIDS Inspire Action?
An analysis of increased attention from politicians on domestic HIV/AIDS was published by the National Journal on September 20. The weekly political magazine covered the heightened interest following the release of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report placing U.S. HIV incidence 40 percent higher than previously estimated.
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Africa Gets Canadian HIV Meds After Four-Year Delay
The first batch of Canadian-manufactured HIV medications will be shipped to Africa this week, four years after the government established Canada’s Access to Medicine Regime, a program to get cheaper medications to people living with HIV in developing countries, The Canadian Press reports. Generic manufacturer Apotex Inc. is expected to send a drug shipment to Rwanda on September 24.
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Alleged Drug Shortage in Swaziland Causes Political Unrest
While protestors in Swaziland claim there is a shortage of antiretroviral (ARV) medications and other drugs in the country’s public health facilities, health officials insist that the problem has been resolved, IRIN//PlusNews reports.
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September 22, 2008
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Politicians Urge Bush for Final Repeal of HIV Travel Ban
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has yet to remove HIV from its list of communicable diseases of public health significance, the Los Angeles Times reports. On July 30. President George W. Bush eliminated the federal law restricting HIV-positive people entering the United States, but HHS still has the authority to forbid it. Lawmakers and advocacy groups are urging Bush to take steps to ensure that the HHS travel ban is lifted as soon as possible.
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World Food Programme Ends HIV/AIDS Support in Uganda
While it is unclear when their decision will be effective, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced it will end its food aid and HIV/AIDS support in Uganda, China View/Xinhua News Agency reports.
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UNAIDS Asks China to Assist HIV-Infected Blood Donors
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) director Peter Piot said September 18 that China should compensate the thousands of people infected with HIV through government-supported blood trading and be given access to top-of-the-line anti-AIDS drugs, reports Agence France-Presse.
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September 19, 2008
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First-ever HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day
The first-ever HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day was marked on September 18, 2008. Sponsored by the AIDS Institute, the day acknowledged the rising number of people living with the virus over the age of 50, Newsweek reports.
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Prevention Awareness at United States Conference on AIDS
The United States Conference on AIDS (USCA)—the largest gathering of HIV/AIDS experts in the country—takes place September 18-21 in Fort Lauderdale, prompting South Florida health advocates to showcase ways in which they are crossing language and cultural barriers to spread HIV awareness among minority communities, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.
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September 18, 2008
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HIV Risk for Nearly 700 Dialysis Center Patients
Nearly 700 patients at New York City’s Life Care Dialysis Center were notified by officials from the city’s health department to get tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C after an inspection of the facility revealed poor infection control practices, WCBS reports.
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Concern Over New HIV Infections in Hong Kong
Rates of new HIV infections are increasing among Hong Kong’s men who have sex with men (MSM), according to Raymond Ho Lei-ming, senior medical officer of the city’s Centre for Health Protection. To counter this trend, he advised bolstered condom use, improved prevention campaigns and increased testing, reports Hong Kong’s The Standard.
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Simultaneous HIV/TB Treatment Cuts Deaths
According to a South African study, taking antiretroviral (ARV, ART) drugs and tuberculosis (TB) treatment at the same time decreases death rates when compared with delaying HIV treatment until after TB treatment is completed, aidsmap.com reports.
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September 17, 2008
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FDA Bans Drug Imports From Indian Manufacturer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the import of more than 30 generic medications—including HIV meds—produced by Indian pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy, citing safety concerns in two of its factories, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
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September 16, 2008
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Sex-for-Fish Trade Fuels Spread of HIV in Kenya
A new generation of young Kenyans is being exposed to HIV in fishing communities, where young women offer their bodies to fishermen and middlemen in exchange for fish to sell, IRIN/PlusNews reports.
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Ghana’s President Praises President Bush for PEPFAR
In a speech opening a state visit to the United States on September 15, Ghana’s President John Kufuor praised U.S. President George W. Bush’s support in the fight against HIV, malaria and other diseases in Ghana through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). He wished the U.S. commander in chief a happy retirement when his second term ends in January 2009, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
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September 15, 2008
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Jolie-Pitt Foundation Funds Ethiopian AIDS and TB Center
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt donated $2 million through their Jolie-Pitt Foundation to the Global Health Committee, which will establish a center for children in Ethiopia affected by HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, MSNBC.com/Access Hollywood reports.
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Child Mortality Declines Worldwide in 2007
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 9 million children around the world in 2007 died before the age of 5, declining slightly from 2006, Reuters reports. However, child deaths remain disproportionately high in poor countries compared to wealthier ones.
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September 12, 2008
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Obama Promises a National AIDS Strategy in 2009
In response to a series of written questions posed by the Washington Blade, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama discussed equal rights issues within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community and his proposed strategy to increase domestic HIV/AIDS relief efforts.
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Anti-Sex Trafficking Law May Increase HIV in Cambodia
Cambodia’s health officials are concerned that potential failure of its aggressive campaign to distribute condoms and provide sexual education to sex workers could cause the country’s new HIV infections to reach levels not seen in the country for more than a decade, Agence France-Presse reports.
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Most New U.S. HIV Infections Among MSM, African Americans
The majority of new HIV infections occur among gay and bisexual men, with African American people being the group most at risk, The New York Times reports. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released detailed demographic breakdowns on September 11 based on CDC data released in August. The previous data showed that new HIV infections in the United States were 40 percent higher than previously estimated.
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September 11, 2008
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HIV/AIDS Groups Seek $200 Million Increase for Prevention
Seventy HIV/AIDS groups are calling for a $200 million increase for HIV prevention programs in a letter to Rep. David Obey (DWis.), chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, and Rep. James Walsh (RN.Y.), ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.
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1.5 Million Female Condoms for Indian Sex Workers
In four Indian states this year, the National AIDS Control Organization will boost a pilot project it began in 2007 to include 1.5 million female condoms to be marketed to female sex workers, Hindustan Times reports.
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September 10, 2008
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Positive Man Gets 5 Years in Prison for Unprotected Sex
An HIV-positive man in London, Ontario, in Canada has been sentenced to five years in prison for having unprotected sex with a female partner without disclosing his HIV status, The London Free Press reports. The woman remains HIV negative.
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Depression Common Among AIDS Orphans in Rwanda
Depression is common in Rwanda among teenage and young adult orphans who are primary caregivers for younger children, according to a recent survey reported in The New York Times. Tulane University researchers, working with Rwanda’s national school of public health, surveyed 539 orphans ages 12 to 24 who care for others and found that 53 percent of them met the criteria for depression.
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“HIV POZ” Vanity Plate Allowed for Positive California Man
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on September 9 allowed HIV-positive Santa Clara resident Julien Pierre to place “HIV POZ” on his vanity license plate, a request that was initially denied in June, The Mercury News reports.
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September 09, 2008
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U.N. Chief Links Increased Literacy With Health
In his message for International Literacy Day, observed September 8, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for well-defined policies and increased investment to help people boost literacy skills, reports Xinhua News Network.
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Iran’s Detainment of 2 Doctors Hinders HIV Fight
The June arrest and detainment of two Iranian physicians—brothers and HIV/AIDS specialists Arash Alaei and Kamyar Alaei—by Iranian authorities has been a major setback in fighting the virus in the Middle-Eastern country, the Boston Globe reports.
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Swaziland King’s Extravagant Birthday Raises HIV Concerns
Swaziland’s king Mswati III and his 13 wives are intent on spending millions to celebrate the country’s 40 years of independence and, coincidentally, the king’s 40th birthday. However, many of the country’s citizens are outraged and refuse to join in the festivities, reports the United Kingdom’s Sky News.
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September 08, 2008
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Journalists Learn to Reduce HIV/AIDS Stigma
In an effort to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma, international media development nonprofit Internews Network has trained and mentored more than 1,000 local journalists on covering the epidemic, PNN Online reports.
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Virginia School Gets $100 Million for Microbicide Research
The East Virginia Medical School’s Contraceptive Research and Development (CONRAD) program in Arlington was awarded $100 million, the largest grant in the school’s history, by the U.S. Agency for International Development to create a product that prevents the transmission of the virus that causes AIDS, reports The Virginia Pilot.
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Rent Closes on Broadway After 12 Years
Broadway said farewell to the celebrated rock musical Rent on September 7,The Associated Press reports. The final show was dedicated to Jonathan Larson, who wrote the book, lyrics and music for this story of life in New York’s East Village, complete with artists, street drugs and AIDS (lead characters took AZT, one of the early HIV medications, onstage).
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| September 05, 2008
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September 04, 2008
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STD Risk Not Limited to Sexual Intercourse
Doctors are being urged to inform patients that sexual activities other than intercourse—such as oral sex——carry some degree of risk for transmitting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, Reuters reports. Researchers from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently published their findings in the journal, Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Fergie Funds HIV Prevention for Young Adults
Pop star and M·A·C spokesperson Fergie announced 11 new grants yesterday from the M·A·C AIDS Fund, which will be geared toward HIV prevention among people ages 15 to 24, a group that accounts for half of new infections worldwide, MarketWatch reports. The $2.3 million M·A·C AIDS Fund Global Youth Prevention Initiative is funded solely from sales of the singer’s VIVA GLAM VI Special Edition Lipglass.
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September 03, 2008
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U.S. Adoptions of Foreign Positive Children Increasing
An increasing number of American families are adopting HIV-positive children from Ethiopia, The Associated Press (AP) reports. According to the sub-Saharan African country’s U.S. embassy, Americans have adopted 25 positive Ethiopian children so far this year, up from seven the previous fiscal year.
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Zimbabwe Lifts Foreign Aid Ban, But Problems Remain
Zimbabwe’s government on August 29 ended its ban on support from aid groups, which it imposed in June under suspicion that the organizations were backing opposition to President Robert Mugabe during a heated election season, The New York Times reports.
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California Bill to Require Coverage of Routine HIV Tests
A California bill that will require insurance companies to cover routine HIV testing in clinical and health care settings—the first of its kind in the nation—passed the state legislature in late August, MarketWatch reports. The bill now heads to Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing.
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September 02, 2008
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Latino Activists Criticize Revised U.S. HIV/AIDS Rates
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed in early August that the rate of HIV infections in the United States was 40 percent higher than previously estimated, Latino community leaders say that omitting Puerto Rico from the report dangerously underplays HIV/AIDS prevalence among Latino people, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
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Bon Jovi to Build Housing for Homeless With HIV/AIDS
Teaming with Newark Mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, rocker Jon Bon Jovi plans to build 51 special-needs housing units that will provide support services for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS, The Star-Ledger reports.
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Quarantine Idea Angers Positive People in the Pacific
People living with HIV in the Pacific Islands are calling out against comments made by heath expert Sitaleki Finau, MD, who suggested that it would be in the best interest of people living with HIV in the region to be quarantined from the rest of society, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. Dr. Finau is the director of health on Niue, an island in the South Pacific Ocean.
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