| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2004-10-05, 7:09 pm |
| CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Tuesday, October 05, 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: =93House Boosts Abstinence-Only Funding=94
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
SOUTH AFRICA: =93Apartheid Government Had AIDS Plan for South Africa =97 =
de Klerk=94
SOUTH AFRICA: =93Third of Harmony Employees May Have HIV =97 Report=94
KENYA: =93Kenyan Company Signs Agreement with German Company to Make Drug=
to Combat AIDS, HIV Transmission from Mother to Child=94
MADAGASCAR: =93Poverty Forcing Madagascan Girls into Prostitution=94
MADAGASCAR: =93Churches Hamper Condom Campaign in Madagascar=94
MEDICAL NEWS
NIGERIA: =93Knowledge of AIDS and HIV Risk-Related Sexual Behavior Among =
Nigerian Naval Personnel=94
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
ARIZONA: =93University of Arizona Conference to Address Global AIDS Chall=
enges=94
NEWS BRIEFS
OKLAHOMA: =93Report Criticizes Teen Lifestyles=94
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: =93United States to Supply Aid for HIV/AIDS Medicine=94
RUSSIA: =93Tuberculosis Amounts to Epidemic in Russia Region=94
UGANDA: =93Uganda Receives $70 Million for HIV/AIDS Projects=94
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NATIONAL NEWS=09
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UNITED STATES:
=93House Boosts Abstinence-Only Funding=94
Washington Times (10.04.04)::Cheryl Wetzstein
The House of Representatives' appropriation bill includes a 49 perce=
nt funding increase for abstinence education grants, but it is unclear wh=
en, or whether, the additional funds will be available. Congressional aid=
es say the Senate has not passed its appropriation bill for the Departmen=
t of Health and Social Services and is not likely to do so until after th=
e November election. The House appropriation would boost funding for the =
abstinence program, known as Special Projects of Regional and National Si=
gnificance, from $70.5 million in fiscal 2004 to $105 million in fiscal 2=
005.=20
Leslee Unruh, president of the Abstinence Clearinghouse in Sioux Fal=
ls, S.D., called the increase =93pretty exciting=94 and said it and other=
abstinence grants are =93making an impact.=94 A recent CDC report gives =
abstinence part of the credit for a 53 percent decline in teen births fro=
m 1991 to 2001, Unruh said. Still, she said her group's goal is funding p=
arity: She estimated that abstinence education receives just $1 for every=
$12 spent on programs promoting condom use.=20
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said Congress must =93begin to repeal so=
me of this abstinence-only madness.=94 She is lead sponsor of a bill that=
would allocate $100 million annually for comprehensive sex education. Ca=
lifornia's refusal to take federal funds that must be spent on abstinence=
education have cost it $46 million, Lee said.
According to the Sexuality Information and education Council of the =
United States, a federal study has shown that teens who sign virginity pl=
edges tend to delay intercourse for 18 months =97 but not until marriage =
=97 and are far less likely to use condoms or birth control when they do =
initiative sexual activity.=20
A Heritage Foundation study says that teens who sign virginity pledg=
es are less likely to become pregnant, give birth as teens, or be sexuall=
y active in high school or as young adults.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS=09
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SOUTH AFRICA:
=93Apartheid Government Had AIDS Plan for South Africa =97 de Klerk=94
Reuters (10.04.04)
A detailed plan by South Africa's last white government to fight HIV=
/AIDS was shelved by the country's new black leaders because it was taint=
ed by apartheid, former President F.W. de Klerk told a group of pharmaceu=
tical wholesalers Monday. =93That action plan, as [with] so many other go=
od action plans and policy documents, was left on the shelf to gather dus=
t, because understandably, let me say understandably, there was a wish on=
the side of the ANC [African National Conference] to reinvent the wheel,=
=94 the South African Press Association quoted de Klerk as saying.=20
=93Anything which came from the apartheid era was somehow or other c=
ontaminated. Because of allowing a very good action plan, which was alrea=
dy prepared, to gather dust, we've lost years in the fight against AIDS,=94=
de Klerk told the gathering. He did not go into detail as to what the pl=
an encompassed. Earlier this year, de Klerk resigned from the former apar=
theid National Party when it merged with the ANC.
De Klerk's comments appear likely to stoke the flames of the ongoing=
debate over AIDS in South Africa, where it is estimated that more than 5=
million of the country's 45 million people are HIV-infected. The ANC, wh=
ich came to power in 1994, has been repeatedly criticized for doing littl=
e to control the epidemic. De Klerk noted that few South Africans in the =
1980s could conceive of the toll AIDS would take on their country.=20
=93The disease has already reduced life expectation from 63 years in=
1990 to only 47 now,=94 said de Klerk, adding that an estimated 28 perce=
nt of South Africa's sexually active population is HIV-positive. =93Many =
of these people will die within the next 10 years and will leave behind t=
hem more than a million orphans.=94
SOUTH AFRICA:
=93Third of Harmony Employees May Have HIV =97 Report=94
Business Day (10.04.04)::John Fraser
Gold producer Harmony, in its annual report issued last week, estima=
ted that up to one-third of its local workforce may be HIV-infected. The =
AIDS epidemic in South Africa =93poses risks to Harmony in terms of poten=
tially reduced productivity and increased medical and other costs,=94 the=
company said, adding it expects =93the impact of HIV/AIDS on our cash co=
sts will be in the range of $2 to $5 per ounce.=94=20
=93We expect that significant increases in the incidence of HIV/AIDS=
infection and HIV/AIDS-related diseases among our workforce over the nex=
t several years may adversely impact on our operations and financial stat=
us,=94 the report said.
Based on input from different labor organizations, Harmony used a co=
mputer model that estimated HIV prevalence in its workforce at 33.9 perce=
nt in 2004, falling to 24.8 percent in 2010. Incapacitation due to HIV/AI=
DS was expected to climb from 1.61 percent of its workers in 2004 to a pe=
ak of 3.26 percent in 2011.=20
Harmony negotiated a price for highly active antiretroviral therapy =
of 554 rand (US$85) per month, down from 1,000 rand (US$153) per month. A=
s of Aug. 24, 2004, 514 employees were receiving treatment through the co=
mpany program.
Harmony said its =93healthiest workforce campaign=94 is =93well on t=
he way=94 toward its goal of =93achieving the healthiest workforce possib=
le=94 and providing health care =93equivalent to private hospital standar=
ds for all employees.=94=20
=93The project consists of different task teams that align, implemen=
t and closely monitor initiatives in the following focus areas: HIV/AIDS,=
occupational health, tuberculosis, nutrition, hostel facilities, sports =
and recreation and management of employees waiting to leave the company's=
service due to ill health,=94 Harmony said.
KENYA:
=93Kenyan Company Signs Agreement with German Company to Make Drug to Com=
bat AIDS, HIV Transmission from Mother to Child=94
Associated Press (10.01.04)::Tom Maliti
A Kenyan company has reached an agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim =
to make generic versions of the AIDS drug nevirapine, it was announced Fr=
iday. Cosmos Ltd. signed the voluntary license agreement with the German =
pharmaceutical company to produce nevirapine for sale in Kenya, Burundi, =
Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, said Prakesh Patel, Cosmos' managing directo=
r. =93We will start producing nevirapine within two to three weeks,=94 Pa=
tel added.
Boehringer Ingelheim spokesperson Judith von Gordon said Cosmos will=
be expected to produce nevirapine to be used in combination therapy trea=
tments and to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. Two South African=
companies, as well as an Egyptian maker, already produce generic version=
s of nevirapine under license from Boehringer Ingelheim. Von Gordon said =
the company negotiated the deal so that the drug could be produced more c=
heaply and be more affordable in the local market. =93They produce, for e=
xample in South Africa or Egypt, the drug at a cheaper price than we can =
here in Germany,=94 she said. =93This is a really big step forward to giv=
ing patients access to cheaper drugs.=94
Patel said it is not clear how much the Cosmos version of nevirapine=
will cost but it would certainly be competitive compared to the drug's g=
lobal pricing. Von Gordon added that Cosmos will pay a royalty of less th=
an 10 percent to manufacture nevirapine to cover additional costs incurre=
d by Boehringer Ingelheim. =93There is no profit involved,=94 she noted.=20
In May 2002, Boehringer Ingelheim donated 1 million doses of nevirap=
ine =97 worth about $436,000 =97 to Kenya for use in public hospitals ove=
r the next five years. That donation still stands, said von Gordon.
=20
MADAGASCAR:=20
=93Poverty Forcing Madagascan Girls into Prostitution=94
Reuters (10.04.04)::Tim Cocks
Of Madagascar's thousands of sex workers, UNICEF estimates 30-50 per=
cent are under age 18 =97 a greater proportion than in Cambodia =97 with =
many driven to the work by economic insecurity. =93The majority of them a=
re 15 to 16, but there are some as young as 12,=94 said Valerie Taton, UN=
ICEF's child protection officer for Madagascar.=20
Most people in the island nation live as subsistence farmers; about =
75 percent of the 17 million population live on less than $1 a day. In th=
e past year, Madagascar's inflation has averaged 17 percent, pushing more=
people into crushing poverty, say economists.=20
=93Prostitution is not an organized business in Madagascar, like in =
Cambodia or Thailand,=94 Taton said. =93What you have is very poor famili=
es who encourage the girls to find a rich husband. So they go out to look=
for a man with money. That's how it starts.=94=20
Madagascar's HIV prevalence is comparatively low for the region, but=
it is increasing from the World Health Organization estimate of 1.1 perc=
ent.
Children's rights groups say the country is a destination for sex to=
urists. The government is initiating an anti-sex tourism campaign targeti=
ng international clients. And this month, UNICEF will launch a radio dram=
a to show young girls alternate ways to avoiding poverty. =93We want to t=
ell them the reality is not always how they imagine,=94 said Taton. =93Of=
ten they don't end up marrying a rich man. They get STDs, they get pregna=
nt, some have abortions,=94 she said. =20
MADAGASCAR:=20
=93Churches Hamper Condom Campaign in Madagascar=94
Agence France Presse (10.01.04)::Patrick Mercier
The use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS is being promot=
ed in Madagascar by the government and international groups, but oppositi=
on from church leaders is stymieing their efforts.=20
=93I am firmly opposed to the use of the condom as a means of fighti=
ng AIDS, because it promotes promiscuity,=94 said Armand Razafimahefa, fo=
rmer head of the country's Protestant Church. =93I agree with the cardina=
l on this,=94 he added, referring to Cardinal Gaetan Armand Razafindratan=
dra, the Madagascar bishop who has frequently spoken against condom use. =
=93Why not spend this money to find a vaccine for AIDS, instead of promot=
ing condoms? There's lots of money involved,=94 said Razafimahefa.
A National Institute of Statistics survey conducted between November=
and March revealed only 2 percent and 4 percent of sexually active women=
and men, respectively, used a condom during their last sexual interactio=
n. The 7,000 people surveyed were respondents who knew about the existenc=
e of HIV/AIDS.
In 2003, the nongovernmental Population Services International distr=
ibuted 11 million condoms to Madagascar at a subsidized 500 francs (five =
US cents) per condom, said Lalah Rambeloson, PSI's Madagascar operations =
director. =93But some outlets refuse [to accept the condoms] or throw the=
m away because of religion,=94 he added.
The National Committee for the Fight Against AIDS recently dubbed th=
e condom =93Fimailo,=94 which means =93it's good but be careful=94 in the=
local language. =93We want to counter the demonization attempts and make=
it something people use a lot,=94 said the committee's executive secreta=
ry, Fenosoa Ratsimanetrimanana. The campaign also enlisted top-selling po=
p musicians to spread the word.
=93Science is not the province of the church or cardinal's, just as =
theology is not my province,=94 UNAIDS head Peter Piot said in a March vi=
sit to the nation. =20
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MEDICAL NEWS=09
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NIGERIA:=20
=93Knowledge of AIDS and HIV Risk-Related Sexual Behavior Among Nigerian =
Naval Personnel=94
BMC Public Health (06.04) Vol. 4; No. 24: doi:10.1186/1471-2458-4-24::Ugb=
oga Adaji Nwokoji; Ademola J. Ajuwon
Nigeria's HIV epidemic continues to grow, and Nigerian military pers=
onnel are at increased HIV risk. While the sexual risk-related behavior o=
f Nigerian police has been studied, less is known about their naval count=
erparts. The current study describes the knowledge of AIDS and sexual ris=
k behavior of naval personnel stationed in Lagos, Nigeria.
In 2002, 480 naval personnel (mean age 34 years) completed a 70-item=
questionnaire about AIDS awareness and sexual behavior. Researchers also=
conducted group discussions and more extensive interviews of four key in=
formants to gain insights into the context of sexual risk behavior and fe=
edback about realistic HIV prevention interventions.
Out of a potential 10 points on AIDS knowledge, the respondents scor=
ed a mean 7.1 points. More than half =97 52.1 percent =97 of respondents =
believed an AIDS cure was available in Nigeria, and 25.3 percent believed=
HIV infection could be acquired by sharing personal items with an HIV-in=
fected person. The participants' had a mean of 5.1 lifetime sexual partne=
rs.=20
Nearly a third, 32.5 percent, had had sexual contact with a female s=
ex worker, and 19.9 percent of the sailors had used a sex worker's servic=
es during the preceding six months. In terms of sexual risk, 41 percent o=
f those who had sexual contact with a female sex worker did not use a con=
dom during the most recent encounter. Sailors who had been transferred ab=
road reported significantly more risky sexual behaviors than others.=20
During discussions and interviews, researchers found that key inform=
ants believed that sex with multiple partners is a persisting tradition i=
n the era of AIDS because many sailors presume AIDS affects only foreigne=
rs. The authors found the use of alcohol influenced sexual risk behaviors=
and that some sailors believe traditional medicine protects them against=
HIV infection.
Many naval personnel report high-risk sexual behavior that may incre=
ase their risk of acquiring and spreading HIV, the authors conclude. Nava=
l personnel live and freely interact with the civilian population and are=
a potential bridge for HIV's spread into the general population. Feasibl=
e HIV prevention interventions include a sustained education program, con=
dom promotion, and changes to policies covering transferals of naval pers=
onnel, the authors concluded. =20
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LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS=09
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ARIZONA:=20
=93University of Arizona Conference to Address Global AIDS Challenges=94
Arizona Daily Wildcat (University of Arizona) (10.01.04)::Monica Warren
The university of Arizona chapter of the Student Global AIDS Campaig=
n is hosting a free conference Oct. 9-10 to empower students as advocates=
in the global AIDS fight. =93The mission of our organization is to make =
student voices heard in the government,=94 said Lauren Giesecke, a member=
of the UA chapter and national SGAC. The national group was founded in 2=
001 by Harvard college and Kennedy School of Government students and has =
75 nationwide chapters, said Healy Thompson, national SGAC's coordinator.
Conference participants will learn about AIDS activism; how to effec=
tively deal with the government; and future student involvement in SGAC, =
the group said. SGAC's mission is to educate members of the government, d=
evelop prevention programs that teach safe sex, and raise awareness about=
the global AIDS orphan crisis and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and =
Malaria, said Thompson.
Giesecke said Arizona students could be a key influence in the globa=
l AIDS fight, since Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) chairs the House Subcommitte=
e on Foreign Operations and can affect how US foreign aid is spent. =93[K=
olbe] told us the actions of our group have had an impact on him,=94 said=
Giesecke. =93He's a really good person to have as a global AIDS advocate=
..=94
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NEWS BRIEFS =09
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OKLAHOMA:
=93Report Criticizes Teen Lifestyles=94
Daily Oklahoman (10.01.04)::Jim Killackey
Findings from a survey of 1,400 high school students in 36 school di=
stricts across Oklahoma indicate that adolescents routinely engage in ris=
ky behavior that can jeopardize their health. The results, released Thurs=
day, were especially critical of teenagers' sexual, drinking and smoking =
activities. Fifty percent of state high school students said they have ha=
d sexual intercourse; the national average is 46.7 percent. Though many t=
eens said they engaged in sex with multiple partners, few used condoms. D=
r. Gordon Deckert, state Board of Health member, said at least three acti=
ons are urgently needed: =93getting serious=94 about instructing teens on=
safe sex, reducing teenage cigarette use, and cracking down on illegal s=
ales of alcohol to minors. =20
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
=93United States to Supply Aid for HIV/AIDS Medicine=94
Miami Herald (10.05.04)
The United States will give the Dominican Republic $28 million over =
the next three years to help the Caribbean country purchase HIV/AIDS medi=
cines, President Leonel Fernandez said Monday. Around 228,000 of the Domi=
nican Republic's 8.8 million population, or about 2.6 percent, are HIV-in=
fected. Many of those infected do not get treatment due to the social sti=
gma associated with HIV/AIDS and the high cost of medicines. Fernandez sa=
id the US aid will help give HIV patients more access to treatment.=20
RUSSIA:=20
=93Tuberculosis Amounts to Epidemic in Russia Region=94
ITAR-TASS (10.05.04)::Valentin Pavlov
The TB rate in the southern Siberian Altai republic has reached 2.2 =
percent, above the threshold of an epidemic, Rimma Borovkova, a senior of=
ficial at the regional TB clinic, said today. Borovkova attributed the ex=
tent of TB's spread to the region's low living standards and its large nu=
mber of prisons. Altai's TB rate is 419 cases per 100,000, compared to 27=
0 cases per 100,000 in the rest of Russia. =20
UGANDA:=20
=93Uganda Receives $70 Million for HIV/AIDS Projects=94
Reuters (10.01.04)
An official with Uganda's Finance Ministry announced recently that t=
he nation is receiving a $70 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight =
AIDS, TB and Malaria. The funding will be used to buy antiretroviral drug=
s (ARVs) and for =93activities to prevent the spread of the virus, provid=
e seed money to people living with HIV/AIDS and to monitor drug resistanc=
e to ARVs,=94 said Mary Muduuli, the ministry's deputy secretary who sign=
ed the agreement for Uganda. The grant increases the Global Fund's total =
appropriation to Uganda to more than $270 million. The government says so=
me 1.2 million Ugandans have HIV, and doctors say about 100,000 need drug=
treatment. =20
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