| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2004-10-04, 2:18 am |
| CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Thursday, September 23, 2004
The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides the follo=
wing information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scie=
ntific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmi=
tted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. The f=
ollowing summaries were prepared without conducting any additional resear=
ch or investigation into the facts and statements made in the articles be=
ing summarized, and therefore readers are expressly cautioned against rel=
ying on the validity or invalidity of any statements made in these summar=
ies. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other gover=
nment agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Repo=
rt (MMWR) articles, fact sheets and announcements. Reproduction of this t=
ext is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/STD/T=
B Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the=20
information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for ful=
l texts of the articles.
HEADLINES
NATIONAL NEWS
GEORGIA: =93State's Teen Centers Win Reprieve=94
GLOBAL: =93A Point Well Taken; One-Use Plastic Needles Would Limit Spread=
of Disease=94
NAVAJO NATION: =93Proposal Would Force Treatment of Communicable Diseases=
=94
UTAH: =93American Indian Center, Harm Reduction Project to Track HIV/AIDS=
Cases=94
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
SOUTH AFRICA: =93AIDS Up 6 Percent in South Africa, Seen Stabilizing=94
GLOBAL: =93UNICEF Seeks $1 Billion to Help AIDS Orphans=94
MEDICAL NEWS
EUROPE: =93Surveillance Systems for STIs in the European Union: Facing a =
Changing Epidemiology=94
NEWS BRIEFS
VIETNAM: =93Vietnam Reports over 83,400 HIV Carriers=94
GUINEA-BISSAU: =93More HIV/AIDS Cases Predicted in Guinea-Bissau in 2005=94
RUSSIA: =93International Space Station 10th Expedition Crew to Conduct Ex=
periment on AIDS Vaccine=94
UTAH: =93Zion Lodge Worker Treated for Tuberculosis=94
************************************************************
NATIONAL NEWS=09
************************************************************
GEORGIA:
=93State's Teen Centers Win Reprieve=94
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (09.23.04)::Craig Schneider
On Wednesday, a vote by the state Human Resources Board to continue =
funding Georgia's teen centers ended speculation that the 30 facilities m=
ight close. Each center will receive about $150,000 through the end of th=
e fiscal year in July.=20
But the board created new rules for the centers, 20 of which current=
ly dispense contraception while 10 do not. Local communities will now hav=
e more control over centers' activities, including whether they provide c=
ondoms. Half the centers' counseling time must be devoted to advocating a=
bstinence. County health boards will appoint local advisory boards compri=
sed of six to 10 parents who will set policy for the centers. Contracepti=
ves can be provided only in a clinical setting by a health-care professio=
nal. Teens will still be granted confidentiality.
Launched in 1997 to fight Georgia's high teen pregnancy rate, the ce=
nters offer physicals, immunizations, STD and pregnancy testing and contr=
aceptives. HRB had debated the centers' future for about a year and had d=
ecided to stop funding them in July. A decision to revisit the matter was=
followed by two monthlong reprieves prior to Wednesday's vote. Even afte=
r learning the centers could be funded with federal rather than state mon=
ey, the board remained divided over the centers' effectiveness and whethe=
r they should provide contraception.
Board member Monica Walters, who had objected to the centers' distri=
buting condoms, said HRB's decision resulted from compromise. =93I'm all =
for the teen centers. I just want them to send the correct message, and e=
mphasize abstinence.=94 Board member Dr. Iffath Hoskins objected to the n=
ew policy on contraceptives: She said some centers might not fit the defi=
nition of clinical settings, resulting in missed opportunities to help pr=
otect teens from STDs and pregnancy.
GLOBAL:
=93A Point Well Taken; One-Use Plastic Needles Would Limit Spread of Dise=
ase=94
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (09.22.04)::David Wahlberg
The hypodermic needle has delivered medicines to millions worldwide,=
but it also plays a role in spreading diseases. The World Health Organiz=
ation estimates that the 16 billion injections administered annually in d=
eveloping countries cause 21 million cases of hepatitis B, 2 million case=
s of hepatitis C and 260,000 cases of HIV.
=93It is perhaps the single largest man-made medical disaster of the=
20th century,=94 said CDC's Dr. Robert Chen. Now, Chen and Georgia Tech =
mechanical engineer Jonathan Colton are working to develop plastic needle=
s to replace stainless steel ones. They say a plastic needle could be mad=
e impossible to reuse simply by passing it over a lit candle. =93It's eas=
ier to disable a plastic needle than a steel needle, and it's easier to r=
ecycle the material,=94 Colton said.
While disposable plastic syringes have solved most injection contami=
nation issues in developed nations, their reuse has become the cheapest w=
ay to ensure adequate supplies in poor countries. After the development o=
f auto-disable syringes =97 which render themselves useless after a singl=
e injection =97 the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other groups be=
gan demanding them for immunization efforts.
But in developing nations, more than 90 percent of injections are fo=
r treatment, not vaccination, and up to half of these are unnecessary. In=
many places, patients believe that only injections provide =93real=94 me=
dicine =97 and doctors are often paid more for dispensing a shot than a p=
ill. Many of these used needles are discarded haphazardly by poorly funde=
d clinics.=20
Chen works for CDC's National Immunization Program. In 1999, while o=
n sabbatical at WHO in Geneva, he helped found the Safe Injection Global =
Network. Upon returning to Atlanta, he partnered with Colton to work on p=
lastic needles, which could prevent unsafe reuse and reduce the dangers o=
f improper disposal. In 2003, the two researchers received a $60,000 CDC-=
Georgia Tech =93seed=94 grant to develop their idea. Now they are using t=
heir public health and engineering skills to solve this global health pro=
blem.
NAVAJO NATION:
=93Proposal Would Force Treatment of Communicable Diseases=94
Associated Press (09.21.04)=20
The Navajo Nation Council's Ethics and Rules Committee has approved =
a proposal that expands an old tuberculosis commitment statute to cover o=
ther communicable diseases, including AIDS and syphilis, plus substance =
abuse and mental health problems. Navajos have fought to control rising s=
yphilis and AIDS cases on their reservation for years. Under the measure,=
affected tribal members who refuse treatment could be forced into it.
The rules committee passed the proposal 4-0 and sent it consideratio=
n by the full 88-member council in the fall; majority approval would send=
the measure to President Joe Shirley Jr. for signature or veto.
Under the proposed process, anyone could petition the family divisio=
n of a tribal court to have a judge order an individual =93to undergo fur=
ther medical evaluation and course of treatment=94 if a traditional peace=
making process of =93facilitating a healthy recovery plan is not a viable=
alternative.=94 The petition must include the type of illness or disorde=
r; a description of the individual's behaviors or actions that present th=
e likelihood of harm; and a statement of the least restrictive treatment.=
Petitioners must get a signed, notarized statement from at least two lic=
ensed or certified health care professionals confirming the problem and o=
ffering observations and solutions. At least one of the experts must have=
seen the patient in person.=20
The court may commit the person for up to five days for evaluation a=
nd schedule a hearing open only to participants in the case, including fa=
mily members. The patient would retain the right of legal help and indepe=
ndent expert medical evaluations. A judicially mandated treatment decisio=
n would require clear and convincing evidence. Treatment progress must be=
court-reviewed every three months, and the patient could request early r=
elease. =20
UTAH:
=93American Indian Center, Harm Reduction Project to Track HIV/AIDS Cases=
=94
Associated Press (09.22.04)
Suspecting that HIV/AIDS cases among Utah's Native American populati=
on may be underreported, health officials are hoping a new federal grant =
will allow them to get a more accurate picture of the epidemic. The India=
n Walk-in Center in Salt Lake City and the Harm Reduction Project receive=
d a $330,000 CDC grant to begin a two-year project in search of data refl=
ecting the extent of HIV/AIDS in Utah's Indian population.
Among the state's 30,000 Indians counted in the last census, just 10=
American Indians or Alaska Natives reported having HIV from 721 cases st=
atewide. Utah's 2,188 AIDS cases include 26 Indians or Alaska Natives, ac=
cording to 2004 statistics from the state Department of Health. Dena Ned,=
executive director of the Indian Walk-in Center, is concerned that Ameri=
can Indians may not be receiving life-saving information and services the=
y need to protect them from HIV/AIDS.
The two groups will partner to provide free HIV testing out of the W=
alk-in Center's downtown Salt Lake office, which serves urban Indians and=
tribal members who come into the city for services. The agencies hope to=
test 1,000 people a year for two years. Ned said center employees will a=
sk all clients if they would like to be tested, regardless of their risk =
factors for contracting HIV/AIDS. =93It's going to give us a realistic pi=
cture,=94 said Ned.
************************************************************
INTERNATIONAL NEWS=09
************************************************************
SOUTH AFRICA:
=93AIDS Up 6 Percent in South Africa, Seen Stabilizing=94
Reuters (09.23.04)
The number of South Africans infected with HIV rose to 5.6 million i=
n 2003 =97 up 6 percent from 5.3 million in 2002 =97 but a stabilizing in=
fection rate among the country's teenagers indicates the epidemic may be =
leveling off, the Department of Health said in a report released today. =93=
The findings of the 2003 antenatal survey show that the HIV prevalence ra=
tes remain high in South Africa,=94 the government report said, adding th=
at data suggested a =93slowly stabilizing=94 epidemic. The report was bas=
ed on a study of HIV and syphilis rates among a sample of 16,643 pregnant=
women attending antenatal clinics in the public health system in October=
2003.
According to the report, around 100,000 babies contracted HIV from t=
heir mothers in 2003, or more than 260 a day. About 28 percent of pregnan=
t women were HIV-positive, up from 26.5 percent in 2002. The Health Depar=
tment said an estimated 3.1 million South African women carried HIV, comp=
ared to 2.4 million men.=20
However, =93Stability observed particularly amongst teenagers and th=
e non-significant difference between the national figures for HIV prevale=
nce for 2002 to 2003 all point to an epidemic in stabilization phase,=94 =
the report noted. HIV prevalence was found to be highest among people age=
s 25 to 29, while only a marginal increase in infections was detected amo=
ng people under age 20 =97considered to be the best barometer of the infe=
ction rate.=20
GLOBAL:
=93UNICEF Seeks $1 Billion to Help AIDS Orphans=94
Agence France Presse (09.22.04)
UNICEF plans to launch a six-year campaign to raise $1 billion to ta=
ckle the projected increase in the number of AIDS orphans, the agency's H=
IV/AIDS advisor Peter McDermott said Wednesday. =93Our target is to reach=
10 million orphans and assist them to get access to schools, have food, =
and meet other needs,=94 McDermott said. There are currently 15 million A=
IDS orphans worldwide; that number is expected to swell to 18 million by =
the end of the decade.=20
UNICEF officials are attending a three-day meeting in Cape Town with=
their counterparts from UNAIDS and the UN World Food Program to draft an=
action plan to assist AIDS orphans worldwide. Officials from 17 African =
countries are also attending the meeting. According to UNICEF, about 12.3=
million AIDS orphans live in sub-Saharan Africa; in 2003 alone, 5.2 mill=
ion children in the region lost one or both parents to AIDS.
The devastating effects of the pandemic are being exacerbated by dro=
ught in southern African countries like Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. =
=93Unfortunately during the times of drought and economic crisis, familie=
s are being put under stress to cope with the problem of orphans,=94 note=
d Sydney Mhishi, Zimbabwe's acting permanent secretary for public service=
, labor and social services.=20
=93HIV/AIDS is eroding the structure of the extended family, which h=
as acted as a safety net for orphans,=94 said Swaziland education Ministe=
r Constance Simelane. Even so, Roeland Monasch, UNICEF monitoring informa=
tion officer, said extended families are still caring for 90 percent of A=
frica's AIDS orphans and vulnerable children.
************************************************************
MEDICAL NEWS=09
************************************************************
EUROPE:
=93Surveillance Systems for STIs in the European Union: Facing a Changing=
Epidemiology=94
Sexually Transmitted Infections (08.04) Vol. 80: P. 264-271::C.M. Lowndes=
; K.A. Fenton
In the current study, researchers sought to characterize the nature,=
content and performance characteristics of existing national sexually tr=
ansmitted infection (STI) systems in the European Union and Norway and to=
facilitate collection of corresponding data. The cross-sectional survey =
used a structured questionnaire.=20
The researchers found that case reporting by either clinicians or la=
boratories is the mainstay of EU surveillance systems for bacterial STIs.=
Coverage of case reporting varies from less than 10 percent to greater t=
han 75 percent, and lack of and/or heterogeneity in case definitions affe=
ct the relative sensitivity and specificity of reporting systems. Conside=
rable variations are also found in STI treatment sites; the patients acce=
ssing services; and in partner notification practices, STI screening prac=
tices, and STI laboratory diagnostic tests used, affecting the representa=
tiveness of the data reported and the sensitivity of surveillance systems=
for determining the accurate number of STI cases.=20
The heterogeneous nature of current EU surveillance systems complica=
tes direct comparisons of STI incidence rates across Europe, the research=
ers reported. There is a need for standardized case definitions for repor=
ting and increased coverage of mandatory reporting systems. Definition of=
standardized minimum datasets and use of sentinel and enhanced surveilla=
nce systems to supplement universal case/laboratory notification data cou=
ld add to the understanding of the distributions and determinants of STIs=
throughout Europe. It would also assist in more effective public health =
responses, they added.=20
In the context of the changing epidemiology of STIs, the researchers=
concluded, systems for detecting and monitoring localized outbreaks of b=
acterial STIs such as syphilis and antimicrobial-resistant gonorrhea, as =
well as prevalence monitoring systems for asymptomatic STIs (e.g. chlamyd=
ia and other viral STIs), are needed.
************************************************************
NEWS BRIEFS =09
************************************************************
VIETNAM:
=93Vietnam Reports over 83,400 HIV Carriers=94
Xinhua News Agency (09.22.04)
By August 2004, more than 83,400 HIV-positive Vietnamese were detect=
ed in 93 percent of the country's districts, the local newspaper Youth re=
ported Wednesday. Of those cases, 13,124 progressed to AIDS, 7,455 people=
died of AIDS-related illnesses, and 56 percent were drug addicts. To slo=
w the epidemic, Vietnam will spend 80 billion dong (US$5.1 million) for H=
IV/AIDS prevention programs this year, of which 10 billion dong (US$637,0=
00) will be used to purchase AIDS medicines. Vietnam plans to reduce the =
HIV/AIDS infection rate among its 81 million population to below 0.3 perc=
ent by 2010 and keep the rate level after 2020.
GUINEA-BISSAU:
=93More HIV/AIDS Cases Predicted in Guinea-Bissau in 2005=94
Xinhua News Agency (09.22.04)
Around 43,000 people ages 15-25 in Guinea-Bissau are HIV-infected, a=
nd health authorities estimate there will be 50,000 new HIV cases in 2005=
, Odete Semedo, the West African nation's minister of public health, said=
Wednesday at the opening of an AIDS prevention conference in Bissau. As =
in most other African countries, AIDS is the most critical public health =
problem facing Guinea-Bissau, which has a population of 1.3 million, Seme=
do said. A 2003 study found that nearly two-thirds of Guinean men did not=
use a condom during their last sexual encounter and one-third of them ob=
jected to practicing safe sex. The survey also found that 6 out of every =
100 pregnant women attending health centers in 2003 were HIV-positive, Se=
medo said.=20
RUSSIA:
=93International Space Station 10th Expedition Crew to Conduct Experiment=
on AIDS Vaccine=94
ITAR-TASS (09.23.04)::Yelena Zubtsova
Today at a press conference in Star City, cosmonauts revealed that t=
he crew of the 10th main expedition to the International Space Station wi=
ll conduct experiments in orbit to develop an AIDS vaccine and prepare fo=
r interplanetary flights. =93The vaccine experiment with proteins from wh=
ich the anti-AIDS medicine is planned to be produced will be one of the m=
ost important components of our scientific program,=94 said flight engine=
er Salizhan Sharipov. Lift-off for the six-month expedition to the statio=
n is scheduled for Oct. 11.=20
UTAH:
=93Zion Lodge Worker Treated for Tuberculosis=94
Associated Press (09.22.04)
Jeff D'Arpa, manager of Zion Lodge in Zion National Park, confirmed =
that an employee of the lodge has been hospitalized for TB treatment. The=
employee had been in the hospital for about two weeks before the TB case=
was confirmed, he said. The patient's family members, friends and co-wor=
kers have been notified and are being tested, said Pat Thomas, nursing di=
rector for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.
************************************************************
The Prevention News Mailing List is maintained by the National Prevention=
Information Network (NPIN), part of the Centers for Disease Control and =
Prevention's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention. Regular post=
ings include the Prevention News Update, conference announcements, curren=
t funding opportunities, select articles from the Morbidity and Mortality=
Weekly Report series and announcements about new NPIN products and servi=
ces.
To join the PreventioNews listserv, send a blank e-mail to prevention-new=
s-subscribe@cdcnpin.org. For instructions on how to remove yourself from =
the listserv, send a blank e-mail to prevention-news-unsubscribe@cdcnpin.=
org.
You can also join or leave the PreventioNews listserv from the NPIN Web s=
ite at: http://www.cdcnpin.org/scripts/prevention_news.asp.
Back issues of the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update can be found at =
http://www.cdcnpin.org/scripts/locates/LocateNews.asp. You can search for=
back issues in the Prevention News Update Database at http://www.cdcnpin=
..org/news/.
We'd like to know what you think of the Prevention News Update. Please ta=
ke a minute to send an e-mail with your comments to update-feedback@cdcnp=
in.org. With your help, we will continue to improve this service to bette=
r meet your information needs.
Please send all other e-mail inquiries to info@cdcnpin.org.
**This message may be copied and distributed; however, it may not be dist=
ributed for profit.**
************************************************************
You are currently subscribed to prevention-news as: ssah-submit@ezmort.co=
m
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-prevention-news-1356515G@listm=
anager.aspensys.com
***********************************************************
For AIDS/HIV+ resources, visit the s.s.a.h+ website at :
http://www.webcom.com/benny/ssah/ssah+.html
***********************************************************
|