| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2004-10-04, 2:18 am |
| CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Friday, October 01, 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
UNITED STATES: =93Most Gay Men with HIV Practice Safer Sex - US Study=94
CALIFORNIA: =93Governor Vetoes Plan=92s Canadian Drugs, Offers Alternativ=
e=94
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
SOUTH AFRICA: =93Democratic Alliance Concerned About HIV/AIDS Troops=94
SOUTH AFRICA: =93Six Percent of Woolworths=92 Staff Infected=94
SOUTH AFRICA: =93Cellphones Join Battle Against HIV/AIDS=94
MEDICAL NEWS
UNITED STATES: =93Reproductive Health: Cultural, Economic, Social Factors=
Influence Hispanics=92 Need for Services=94
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: =93Stuck on Prevention; A Needle Exchange Program A=
ims to Give Users a Better Shot at Survival=94
FLORIDA: =93Group Enlisting Churches in AIDS Battle=94
NEWS BRIEFS
MAINE: =93State Seeks Comments on Managing HIV Care=94
TAJIKISTAN: =93AIDS Global Fund Allocates $8 Million to Tajikistan to Fig=
ht AIDS=94
RUSSIA: =93Expert Concerned over Growing AIDS Victims in Russia=94
REPUBLIC OF KOREA: =93AIDS Prevention Awareness Hits Korea=94
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NATIONAL NEWS=09
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UNITED STATES:
=93Most Gay Men with HIV Practice Safer Sex - US Study=94
Reuters (09.30.04)::Paul Simao
According to a new CDC study released Thursday, most HIV-infected ga=
y and bisexual men in the United States are taking steps to avoid transmi=
tting the virus.=20
The study was conducted between May 2000 and December 2002 in 16 sta=
tes; it surveyed 1,923 people, all of whom were gay or bisexual men diagn=
osed with HIV for longer than 12 months.=20
Thirty-one percent had abstained from sex with men in the previous y=
ear. Among those who were sexually active, 43 percent reported only one p=
artner. The men were 3.5 times more likely to use a condom when having se=
x with an uninfected partner. However, about 14 percent of the men did no=
t use a condom the last time they had insertive anal intercourse with an =
uninfected partner. Twenty-five percent did not use a condom the last tim=
e they had sex with a person of unknown HIV serostatus.
=93These findings underscore the need to help HIV-positive individua=
ls maintain safer behaviors over the long run,=94 said the CDC report. CD=
C has made diagnosing and treating people with HIV the key element of its=
HIV prevention strategy. Men who have sex with men account for a majorit=
y of the estimated 950,000 US HIV cases.=20
The report, =93High-Risk Sexual Behavior by HIV-Positive Men Who Hav=
e Sex with Men - 16 Sites, United States, 2000-2002,=94 was published in =
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Update (2004;53(38):891-894).
CALIFORNIA:
=93Governor Vetoes Plan=92s Canadian Drugs, Offers Alternative=94
Associated Press (09.30.04)::Tom Chorneau=20
On Thursday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed three bills that woul=
d have made it easier for Californians to buy cheaper prescription drugs =
from Canada. One measure would have authorized the state to buy such drug=
s for multibillion-dollar state programs serving prison inmates and recip=
ients of Medi-Cal, California=92s health program for the poor and disable=
d. Two other measures would have required the state to create Web sites w=
here residents could shop Canadian pharmacies for drugs. In his veto, whi=
ch was anticipated, Schwarzenegger said the bills were flawed and complic=
ated by safety and free trade issues.
=93The governor missed the opportunity to demonstrate that he places=
the well-being of Californians before big business and big profits,=94 s=
aid Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
=93We all would like to see low-income uninsured residents have acce=
ss to more affordable medicines, but measures such as this, oversimplify =
the complex safety, trade, supply and pricing issues involved in this mar=
ketplace,=94 read Schwarzenegger=92s veto statement. As an alternative, t=
he governor said he is negotiating with drug firms on a voluntary program=
that would offer lower prices to poor residents.=20
However, many of the drug firms have not agreed to a price cut for p=
oor residents, said Kim Belshe, state Health and Human Services secretary=
.. Belshe suggested the plan would, if implemented, offer residents saving=
s comparable to Canadian drug prices. That route has not worked in other =
states, countered Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access, a =
labor and consumer coalition.
In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom has posted on the city=92s Web =
site advice to Californians on how to purchase prescription drugs from Ca=
nada. The information is the same as what would have appeared on the stat=
e=92s Web site, had Schwarzenegger not vetoed state Sen. Deborah Ortiz=92=
bill, SB1149. =20
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS=09
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SOUTH AFRICA:
=93Democratic Alliance Concerned About HIV/AIDS Troops=94
Business Day (09.30.04)::Wyndham Hartley
A high number of HIV-infected soldiers may be compromising the South=
African National Defense Force=92s battle-readiness, Rafeek Shah, defens=
e spokesperson for the Democratic Alliance party, said Wednesday. Shah=92=
s statements followed a report by Jane=92s Defence Weekly that SANDF lack=
s the operational capacity to carry out its peacekeeping tasks in neighbo=
ring countries.=20
=93Previously, we raised the concern that the battle-readiness of th=
e SANDF is severely compromised by the fact that, according to the SANDF =
itself, around 23 percent of its troops are HIV-positive,=94 Shah said. =93=
This statistic, apart from the human cost it represents, is particularly =
devastating in the light of the fact that HIV-positive troops are legally=
precluded from participating in United Nations operations.=94
Shah added that news of an internal defense probe was further cause =
for alarm. The investigation is looking into allegations that fraudulent =
medical certificates had been issued to HIV-positive soldiers. =93Evidenc=
e from a Chinese hospital in Kindu in the Democratic Republic of Congo re=
veals that a shocking number of SANDF members have tested positive for HI=
V,=94 he said. =93This reveals the perception that all is not well with t=
esting procedures at the SANDF.=94=20
Recently, Defense Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and Gen. Siphiwe Nyanda, S=
ANDF=92s chief, briefed Parliament=92s defense committee on the military=92=
s readiness in a meeting that was closed to the public and the press. Com=
mittee chairperson Kader Asmal said it was common knowledge that SANDF wa=
s =93stretched=94 in some areas, but concerns such as diseases and ailmen=
ts in the ranks are being addressed.=20
SOUTH AFRICA:
=93Six Percent of Woolworths=92 Staff Infected=94
Business Day (09.29.04)::Tamar Kahn
Approximately 6 percent of food and clothing retailer Woolworths=92 =
13,500 employees in South Africa are HIV-positive, company medical consu=
ltant Dr. Tony Davidson told a seminar on HIV/AIDS and business hosted by=
Metropolitan AIDS Solutions. And according to the most recent actuarial =
assessments, HIV prevalence among Woolworths=92 workers is expected to pe=
ak in 2007 at 10.9 percent, said Davidson, =20
Davidson told conference attendees that HIV/AIDS=92 annual cost to =
the company, headquartered in Western Cape, was running at R12.6 million =
(US$1.95 million) and would increase to R23.8 million (US$3.68 million) b=
y 2007. However, HIV/AIDS is not expected to significantly impact Woolwor=
ths=92 market, which is mainly in the upper-income bracket, Davidson said=
.. That is because households with higher income levels are expected to ha=
ve lower HIV prevalence rates than poor households.=20
Woolworths=92 has implemented an HIV/AIDS program that includes free=
medicines for its full-time workers, a decision that was made =93because=
it was the right thing to do,=94 not because it was cost effective, said=
Davidson. =93The benefits of antiretroviral therapy are apparent for the=
next five years, but then we move into a scenario that is at best cost-n=
eutral [when the number of people on treatment increase],=94 he said. In =
the past year, eight Woolworths=92 employees have died of AIDS-related il=
lnesses. Davidson said absenteeism at the company had remained constant f=
or the past three years.
SOUTH AFRICA:
=93Cellphones Join Battle Against HIV/AIDS=94
Business Day (09.29.04)::Tamar Kahn
The Hannan Crusaid treatment center, which has a caseload of 525 HIV=
patients in Cape Town=92s Guguletu township, is on the verge of becoming=
a paperless operation, thanks to an innovative application of cell phone=
technology. Cape-based Cell-Life has developed software and data managem=
ent systems that enable Hannan=92s caseworkers to monitor AIDS patients a=
nd detect problems before they become life threatening.=20
The center=92s 40 counselors have been trained to use cell phones eq=
uipped with a menu that allows them to capture data about patients=92 sym=
ptoms and pill taking as well as factors that could compromise their heal=
th, such as a shortage of food or lack of funds to pay for transportation=
to the clinic. =93With Cell-Life we can pick up patients who are having =
a hard time taking their pills, before they go into virological failure,=94=
said Dr. Catherine Orrell, the center=92s manager. The information is in=
stantly relayed over Vodacom=92s network to a central database, which can=
then be accessed by clinic staff over a secure connection.=20
Cell-Life was developed by engineering students at university of Cap=
e Town and Cape Tecknikon, with funding from Vodacom and the National Res=
earch Foundation. Currently, the software can only be used on Vodacom=92s=
cellular network, but talks are underway with MTN and Cell-C. The databa=
se is password-protected and protects patient identities and confidential=
ity by storing only a patient=92s unique number.=20
The software is also monitoring nearly 500 patients in KwaZulu-Natal=
province, said Cell-Life Project Leader Ulrike Rivett, and could branch =
out for use in other provinces.=20
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MEDICAL NEWS=09
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UNITED STATES:
=93Reproductive Health: Cultural, Economic, Social Factors Influence Hisp=
anics=92 Need for Services=94
AIDS Weekly (09.27.04)=20
Several articles in the July/August issue of Perspectives on Sexual =
and Reproductive Health (2004;36(4)) identify gaps in cultural sensitivit=
y and prevention programming and services for US Hispanics. =20
*Authors who interviewed pregnancy prevention practitioners found few pro=
grams were specifically designed for Hispanic youth, despite their higher=
pregnancy risk. Those interviewed stressed the challenge of balancing th=
e values guiding teen pregnancy prevention programs - including self-suff=
iciency and individual achievement - with Hispanic cultural traditions th=
at emphasize the family and parenthood roles. The authors recommended pra=
ctitioners should be able to speak Spanish and understand youth culture, =
gender roles, and family relationships in these communities.
*While Hispanic and white adolescents are almost equally likely to use fa=
mily planning services, Hispanics are far more likely to have already bee=
n pregnant before utilizing the services, researchers found. Hispanic ado=
lescents need to hear a clear message that contraceptive services are acc=
essible and should be used before a woman becomes pregnant, the authors r=
ecommended.
*In another study, 146 Hispanic couples were randomized into two interven=
tions, one a three-session risk-reduction program geared to address speci=
fic needs and characteristics of the Hispanic community, and the other a =
one-session pregnancy and STD prevention program. At three-month follow-u=
p, both groups reported a reduction in unprotected sex and increase in ef=
fective contraception and condom use. The study concluded the similar out=
comes suggest that bringing couples together for sexual and reproductive =
health might be sufficient for encouraging communication, shared decision=
-making, and behavior change.
*In a Durham, N.C., study, a quarter of 442 Hispanic migrants interviewed=
had used a sex worker=92s services during the previous year, researchers=
found. Of them, 93 percent reported always using a condom; but that prop=
ortion dropped significantly if the workers knew the sex worker well. The=
authors recommended targeting recent immigrants for information campaign=
s on condoms and the risks associated with commercial sex.
The above information was taken from =93Practitioners=92 Perspective=
s on Effective Practices for Hispanic Teenage Pregnancy Prevention=94 (P.=
142-149), =93A Comparison of Hispanic and White Adolescent Females=92 Use=
of Family Planning Services in California=94 (P.157-161), =93A Randomize=
d Study of a Pregnancy and Disease Prevention Intervention for Hispanic C=
ouples=94 (P.162-169) and =93Use of Commercial Sex Workers Among Hispanic=
Migrants in North Carolina: Implications for the Spread of HIV=94 (P.150=
-156).
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LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS=09
************************************************************
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:=20
=93Stuck on Prevention; A Needle Exchange Program Aims to Give Users a Be=
tter Shot at Survival=94
Washington Post (09.26.04)::Jose Antonio Vargas
Twenty-one people recently lined up outside a Winnebago at a street =
corner in the District of Columbia, where Ron Daniels offered them the ne=
edle-exchange services of Prevention Works!, a program that operates with=
private, local funding. By 5:30 p.m., Daniels had already collected over=
3,000 dirty needles from more than 80 addicts.
Some 9,856 District residents inject drugs, and an estimated 1 out o=
f 20 have HIV. The region has the highest AIDS incidence in large US citi=
es, according to local health officials. Many cases can be traced to shar=
ed IV drug needles, said Daniels, a former addict and the group=92s only =
full-time street employee. =20
At the Winnebago, clients are asked only for their first name, date =
of birth, and their mother=92s first name, which are then typed into a la=
ptop computer.
Meanwhile, Daniels or part-time health educators Henry Mallory and J=
ohn Turner package the clients=92 syringes and needles into bags. Brochur=
es on offer include =93HIV Mom-to-Be,=94 =93AIDS in the African American =
Community,=94 =93Hepatitis C=94 and =93S is for Speed, C Is for Cocaine.=94=
Shelves are stocked with bandages, alcohol pads, towelettes, lube, condo=
ms, dental dams, syringes, needles and vitamins. There are clothes, too, =
and food is provided on Tuesday and Thursday.=20
Daniels gives out his cell phone number for people who ask him for a=
dvice or referrals. He recently completed over 1,200 hours to become a ce=
rtified addiction specialist - only 20 hours were necessary. To get a nee=
dle, clients have to hand over a dirty one. Last year, Daniels helped dis=
tribute 360,143 clean syringes to 3,180 clients. =20
The budget for Prevention Works! is $393,000, =93the most ever spent=
in this city for needle exchange,=94 said Executive Director Paola Barah=
ona, the program=92s other full-time employee. =20
FLORIDA:=20
=93Group Enlisting Churches in AIDS Battle=94
Orlando Sentinel (09.30.04)::Debbie Barr
No Longer Bound is a nonprofit ministry of Mount Pleasant Missionary=
Baptist Church that provides youth services and an HIV/AIDS outreach, ed=
ucation and prevention program for under-served black people in Orlando. =
NLB scored a victory for AIDS awareness during a recent =93It=92s Better =
to Know!=94 event when it brought in Bishop Samuel L. Green to take an HI=
V test in the church pulpit. The event was in partnership with the Health=
care Ministry of St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church, where Green=
is senior pastor.=20
=93The response was unbelievable,=94 said Fannie Walker Spivey, NLB=92=
s executive director, adding that the ministry ran out of HIV test kits.
The ministry also incorporates messages about HIV education and abst=
inence from unproductive and high-risk behaviors into its youth programs,=
said Spivey. Among its youth programs are the summer Youth Employment Se=
rvices program for teens ages 14-17; a Juvenile Mentoring Program for you=
ths ages 7-17; and an annual spring-break camp.
The HIV/AIDS education arm of the ministry received CDC funding in 1=
999 in response to the fast increase in the cases among blacks in the com=
munity. The Florida Department of Health=92s =93Closing the Gap=94 progra=
m, individual and corporate donors, and county agencies also support NLB.
The incidence of reported HIV among blacks in Florida is still growi=
ng, with one in 46 blacks affected, said Spivey. Through June 30, blacks =
comprised 49 percent of Orange County cases, according to Florida Departm=
ent of Health data. The number would be higher if it included the jail po=
pulation, she said.
=93Our goal is to get people to know their status early,=94 said Spi=
vey. =93If they happen to be positive, we can get them into care and trea=
tment so that they can live a longer and more productive life. It=92s bet=
ter to know than not to know.=94 =20
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NEWS BRIEFS =09
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MAINE:=20
=93State Seeks Comments on Managing HIV Care=94
Bangor Daily News (09.30.04)
The Maine Bureau of Health is soliciting participation and comments =
for a public HIV/AIDS hearing that will help guide the bureau in planning=
Ryan White-funded services. The hearing will be held Wednesday, Oct. 13,=
1-4 p.m. For more information, telephone the AdCare Educational Institut=
e of Maine Inc., 207-626-3615. =20
TAJIKISTAN:=20
=93AIDS Global Fund Allocates $8 Million to Tajikistan to Fight AIDS=94
ITAR-TASS (09.30.04)::Galina Gridneva; Valery Zhukov
On Thursday, Tajikistan=92s national AIDS director said the Global F=
und to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria has approved more than $8 million for t=
he country=92s AIDS fight. The aid is well timed, said Amirdzhon Mirzoyev=
, as the country=92s number of patients has passed an estimated 300 in re=
cent months. In addition to transmission by drug users, Mirzoyev is conce=
rned about migrants who return infected from Commonwealth of Independent =
States, jeopardizing their family. Tajikistan plans to establish a networ=
k of laboratories and modern anonymous testing and treatment clinics, he =
said. =20
RUSSIA:=20
=93Expert Concerned over Growing AIDS Victims in Russia=94
ITAR-TASS (09.30.04)::Eduard Vasilyev
Some 292,000 HIV-infected people have been registered in Russia this=
year, an increase of 50,000 over last year, Vadim Pokrovsky, Russia=92s =
premier AIDS expert, said at an international AIDS conference that began =
Thursday in Suzdal. The actual number infected may exceed official figure=
s by four times, said Pokrovsky, who noted that 7 percent of youths are i=
nfected in Togliatti. More than 10 international delegations are attendin=
g the conference. =20
REPUBLIC OF KOREA:
=93AIDS Prevention Awareness Hits Korea=94
Korea Times (10.01.04)
On Thursday, the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention ann=
ounced plans to broadcast TV ads for condoms in October to promote their =
use against AIDS. Health centers around the country will supply condoms t=
o anyone who requests them, the agency said; it will also hire public rel=
ations experts for a national campaign to warn the population of the dang=
er of AIDS and other STDs. Between 1985 and 1994, 410 Koreans became infe=
cted with HIV. As of the first half of 2004, 302 Koreans had contracted H=
IV, bringing the total number to 2,842.
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