| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2004-10-18, 7:11 pm |
| CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Monday, October 18, 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
KANSAS: =93HIV Rate Soaring Among Latinos=94
TEXAS: =93Prejudices Still Hinder AIDS Awareness, Treatment=94
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
UNITED KINGDOM: =93Why Sex Advice Is Not Reaching the 'Promiscuous 10 Per=
cent'=94
MEDICAL NEWS
UNITED KINGDOM: =93Declining Prevalence of STI in the London Sex Industry=
, 1985 to 2002=94
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
SOUTH CAROLINA: =93Senior Sexuality Is No Longer a Secret=94
OHIO: =93LifeCare Picks Up AIDS Meal Program=94
MARYLAND: =93Former Maryland Schools Head Returns to Serve World's Kids=94
NEWS BRIEFS
UNITED STATES: =93AIDS Awareness Campaign Launched=94
GLOBAL: =93World Bank Chief Warns that Terrorism, War in Iraq Diverting A=
ttention from Efforts to Combat Poverty=94
EUROPE: =93EU Lifts Libya Arms Ban but Presses Tripoli over Medics=94
CALIFORNIA: =9320th AIDS Walk Tops $3 Million=94
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NATIONAL NEWS=09
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KANSAS:
=93HIV Rate Soaring Among Latinos=94
Wichita Eagle (10.16.04)::Christina M. Woods
On Friday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported =
that HIV infections among the state's Latinos are outpacing all other eth=
nic groups. New HIV cases among Hispanics are being diagnosed at twice th=
e rate of African-American cases, the department said, and the HIV infect=
ion rate among Latinos is more than four times the rate among Caucasians.=
=20
Despite the growth in new HIV cases among Latinos in Kansas, state h=
ealth department statistics show that African Americans in Kansas still h=
ave the highest rate of HIV cases. Roughly 66 of every 100,000 black peop=
le in the state have HIV, compared to 44 of 100,000 Hispanics and approxi=
mately 10 per 100,000 Caucasians. However, the department said that if th=
e trend in new Latino HIV cases continues, Hispanics will replace blacks =
as the group with the highest HIV rate.=20
Health department officials said the increase in new HIV diagnoses a=
mong Hispanics in Kansas is not solely due to a Hispanic population incre=
ase in the state. Over the past decade, according to census figures, Kans=
as's Hispanic population has grown from less than half of a percent to 7.=
6 percent of the state's people.=20
Denial, poverty and substance abuse are among the risk factors for H=
IV infection, according to CDC. National and local organizations are work=
ing to address the issue. Facilities such as Hunter Health Clinic in Wich=
ita provide free or reduced-fee HIV testing. At Hunter, about 2,400 Hispa=
nics test for HIV annually. The clinic serves more than 10,000 patients a=
year. Hunter also has an outreach program providing HIV/AIDS information=
at events and venues such as fiestas, general health fairs, gay bars and=
drug rehabilitation centers.
Local and national health groups are encouraging Latinos to practic=
e safer sex, take precautions when handling blood and bodily fluids, avoi=
d sharing needles or syringes and be tested regularly.
TEXAS:
=93Prejudices Still Hinder AIDS Awareness, Treatment=94
Dallas Morning News (10.16.04)::Mercedes Olivera
Friday was National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, but AIDS experts say =
much more needs to be done to educate Latinos on HIV prevention. Last yea=
r, Latino men comprised 29 percent of all AIDS cases in Texas, while Lati=
na women made up 18 percent. And in Dallas County, which is leading the s=
tate in new HIV infections, Latinos made up 16 percent of 868 new HIV cas=
es.
Health experts agree that many Latinos still have not received enoug=
h information about how HIV is spreading in their community. And the stig=
ma attached to HIV/AIDS causes many infected Latinos to go to great lengt=
hs to hide their diagnosis from their families and friends, said Edgar Ca=
rmona, who does outreach for the AIDS Interfaith Network. =93Their first =
concern is that they will be judged by their relatives and they are afrai=
d of rejection,=94 said Carmona. To avoid being questioned by their famil=
ies, some patients hide their medications =97 which typically need refrig=
eration =97 in their cars, he added.
Immigrants who travel in search of work are a particular challenge f=
or health workers. Richard Olivarez of AIDS Services of Dallas said many =
of his clients are undocumented workers who, while alone, begin to engage=
in behaviors, such as heavy drinking, that can lead to risky sexual acti=
vity. An unsuspecting spouse might get infected by her partner, which cou=
ld have been prevented through HIV education, said Olivarez.
In addition, undocumented workers who find out they are HIV-infected=
do not qualify for public financial assistance programs and have limited=
resources and information about how to receive help with their utilities=
or rent.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS=09
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UNITED KINGDOM:
=93Why Sex Advice Is Not Reaching the 'Promiscuous 10 Percent'=94
Guardian (London)(10.14.04)::Sarah Boseley
Last Thursday, public-health experts claimed that a reluctance to en=
gage with the =93promiscuous 10 percent=94 in society is at the heart of =
a sexual-health crisis. Because of the protests of a minority who oppose =
education and discussion about sex, according to experts, rarely are men =
or women seen with condoms on TV, in films, or in magazine ads. Meanwhile=
, sexual behavior is regularly depicted on television without a sexual he=
alth dimension. =20
Although chlamydia rates are rising and syphilis has returned, the h=
ealth issues associated with having more than one partner are not address=
ed, according to Mark Bellis, director of the Centre for Public Health in=
Liverpool, and colleagues. In their article in the Journal of Epidemiolo=
gy and Community Health, Bellis and colleagues said because of a fear of =
enraging people who opposed open discussion of sexual issues, especially =
in schools, =93the promiscuous 10 percent=94 =97 who most need education =
=97 are being neglected.
Bellis and coauthors define =93the promiscuous 10 percent=94 as thos=
e =93who have multiple sexual partners,=94 who =93may have started sex ea=
rly in life.=94 The article said that by age 14, one in 10 young people h=
ave begun having sex, and that those who start young are less likely to u=
se condoms, are more likely to become pregnant earlier and to have more s=
exual partners. Among adults, the researchers noted, approximately one in=
10 women and one in eight men have had at least two partners concurrentl=
y in the past year.
Bellis and colleagues claimed that the failure to address this sexua=
lly active core results in 10 percent of sexually active adults suffering=
from STDs, and 13 percent of the population having visited a genito-urin=
ary medical clinic, often the first place sexually active patients get re=
levant sexual health information. The article, =93The Promiscuous 10%?=94=
appeared in Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (2004;58(11):88=
9-892).
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MEDICAL NEWS=09
************************************************************
UNITED KINGDOM:=20
=93Declining Prevalence of STI in the London Sex Industry, 1985 to 2002=94
Sexually Transmitted Infections (10.04) Vol. 80; No. 5: P. 374-376::H. Wa=
rd; S. Day; A. Green; J. Weber
In the current case-control study, researchers compared women who fi=
rst attended a sex-work clinic between 1996 and 2002, and those first att=
ending such a clinic between 1985 and 1992, in order to describe key chan=
ges in the industry and assess their implications for sexually transmitte=
d infection (STI) risk. The main outcome measures were reported condom us=
e and prevalent STI.
The setting for this study of 1,050 female sex workers was a special=
ist clinical service based in a London genito-urinary medicine clinic. Fi=
eldwork was conducted in west London.
Over the study period, the proportion of foreign-born sex workers si=
gnificantly increased, from 25 percent to 63 percent, and women entered t=
he work at an older age (median 20 years to median 24 years). Condom use =
increased, except for oral sex. The proportion of reported previous STI d=
ecreased significantly among participants (80 percent compared with 32 pe=
rcent) and acute STI prevalence decreased from 25 percent to 8 percent. Y=
ounger age, younger age at first sex work, being new to sex work, and inc=
onsistent condom use were associated with acute STI. In multivariate anal=
ysis, unprotected sex with clients was the only significant risk.
=93Major restructuring of the sex industry, including the shift to a=
primarily migrant workforce, has been associated with a steep decline in=
acute STI, undermining popular assumptions that migrant sex workers are =
central to the ongoing STI epidemic,=94 researchers concluded. =93We attr=
ibute the decline in acute STI to an increase in safer sex.=94 =20
************************************************************
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS=09
************************************************************
SOUTH CAROLINA:
=93Senior Sexuality Is No Longer a Secret=94
Greenville News (10.05.04)::Mike Foley
According to public health experts, many seniors are not used to usi=
ng condoms for pregnancy and disease protection, and have not been concer=
ned with sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS. Ralph Car=
bone, a disease intervention specialist with the South Carolina Departmen=
t of Health and Environmental Control, said older people are increasingly=
contracting syphilis, herpes and other STDs including hepatitis C and HI=
V.=20
Carbone cited 90 syphilis cases, many among older men, in Anderson C=
ounty this year. Carbone, who has been in Greenville County for 18 years,=
said the average age for syphilis cases has risen into the 40s. And late=
ly, he has seen cases among people much older.
Dr. John Schrank, a physician with Infectious Disease Associates of =
Greenville, said he has seen an upsurge in the number of men and women ov=
er 50 who contract HIV, because seniors think of it as a disease contract=
ed by young, sexually active people.
Schrank said doctors may overlook HIV, especially since symptoms may=
not surface for as long as ten years. =93[HIV] can mimic other diseases,=
=94 he noted. =93There can be weight loss, or failure to thrive, and the =
doctors may think it's a malignancy or something else.=94
The upswing in STDs among the elderly began before Viagra received F=
DA approval in 1998, but experts believe that Viagra and similar drugs ha=
ve increased sexual intimacy among those age 50 and over. A new drug call=
ed Intrinsa, designed to increase women's libido, is currently under FDA =
review.
OHIO:
=93LifeCare Picks Up AIDS Meal Program=94
Columbus Dispatch (10.15.04)::Encarnacion Pyle
On Thursday, Project Open Hand Columbus announced that it is merging=
with LifeCare Alliance, which has delivered meals to Franklin County res=
idents who are disabled, chronically ill or elderly for 32 years. Shrinki=
ng financial support forced POH to begin considering linking with social-=
services agencies that would complement its mission. Last year, the group=
's budget dropped from $250,000 to $188,000, resulting in the layoff of t=
wo of its three staff members.=20
=93LifeCare won out because it already does food through Meals on Wh=
eels,=94 said David Todd, board chair of POH. =93We always hoped that we =
would someday find our own kitchen and our own space. But we never dreame=
d we'd become part of a family,=94 Todd said about the merger.
=93By our two organizations working together, we're more than either=
of us were before,=94 said LifeCare's board chair Hugh C. Cathey. LifeCa=
re, which also runs homemaker, home-health aide and visiting nurse progra=
ms, has an annual budget of $12.5 million.
Under the merger, LifeCare will begin making enough frozen meals per=
week to serve POH's 200 clients three days a week. LifeCare already prep=
ares more than 5,000 meals weekly in its kitchen. POH's 150 volunteers wi=
ll continue to deliver the meals to its clients. The 11-member POH board =
will remain intact and will serve as an advisory group to the program und=
er LifeCare. The board will also be expected to raise money for the progr=
am, which will retain its name Project Open Hand.
According to the Columbus AIDS Task Force, around 2,400 people in Fr=
anklin County have HIV/AIDS.
MARYLAND:
=93Former Maryland Schools Head Returns to Serve World's Kids=94
Associated Press (10.17.04)::Mike Bowler
As the new president and COO of the Baltimore-based International Yo=
uth Foundation, David W. Hornbeck presides over a 14 year-old philanthrop=
ic organization that awards money to youth programs in 53 countries throu=
ghout the world. Hornbeck, who served 12 years as Maryland state schools =
chief and six as superintendent in Philadelphia, said the plight of kids =
in urban US cities is not dissimilar to those children face in developing=
countries.=20
=93It's an incredibly complex endeavor,=94 said Hornbeck. =93But the=
substance of good education, health and school-to-work programs is the s=
ame in Montgomery County and Philadelphia as it is in Tanzania, Thailand =
or Turkey.=94
IYF distributes the money it raises from multinational corporations =
to its partners, public and private organizations run by locals that serv=
e children and young people. Such =93on-the-ground=94 administration is c=
ritical, said Hornbeck. =93A US citizen doesn't go to Africa to urge youn=
g men to use condoms. That advice has to come from a young African man,=94=
he said.=20
=93The beauty of this,=94 explained Hornbeck, =93is that the infrast=
ructure is already there, with million of members virtually everywhere in=
the world. And these organizations have the value of being trusted. When=
a boy comes home with a merit badge for a project on AIDS, his parents a=
re much more likely to show interest.=94
Some of the projects IYF is working on include encouraging safe sex =
in Namibia; promoting equity for girls in Afghanistan; getting technology=
to middle school students in the Philippines; helping homeless youth in =
the Netherlands; and addressing widespread unemployment among young peopl=
e in the West Bank and Lima, Peru.
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NEWS BRIEFS =09
************************************************************
UNITED STATES:
=93AIDS Awareness Campaign Launched=94
Miami Herald (10.16.04)::Fred Tasker
On Friday, US Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona marked National Lat=
ino AIDS Awareness Day by announcing a new national campaign of public se=
rvice announcements that promote HIV prevention and testing. The Departme=
nt of Health and Human Services will produce five radio spots and two tel=
evision spots for the campaign, said Carmona. =93From 1999-2002 in the 29=
US states with long-standing reporting, HIV diagnoses among Hispanics in=
creased 26 percent,=94 he said. =93Hispanics are more than three times as=
likely as whites to be diagnosed with AIDS, and AIDS is currently the th=
ird leading cause of death for Hispanics ages 35-44.=94 Carmona said the =
PSAs will publicize the National Hispanic HIV hot line, 800-344-7432, and=
the Web site of HHS's Office of Minority Health at www.omhrc.gov.
GLOBAL:
=93World Bank Chief Warns that Terrorism, War in Iraq Diverting Attention=
from Efforts to Combat Poverty=94
Associated Press (10.15.04)::Anthony Mitchell
Speaking Friday at the African Development Forum in Addis Ababa, Eth=
iopia, World Bank chief James Wolfensohn said that terrorism and the war =
in Iraq are diverting attention from efforts to aid the world's poor. =93=
Indeed the single statistic that tells it all is that in this last year, =
the world spent $900 billion on military expenditure and $50- to $60-bill=
ion only on development,=94 said the bank chief. He warned that the world=
may not enjoy peace and stability without addressing poverty in Africa, =
and said that HIV/AIDS is the biggest threat to governance in Africa. The=
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said that per capita=
growth in half the countries of sub-Saharan Africa is falling by 0.5-1.2=
percent each year as a direct result of AIDS.
EUROPE:
=93EU Lifts Libya Arms Ban but Presses Tripoli over Medics=94
Agence France Presse (10.11.04)
The European Union recently agreed to lift an 18-year-old arms embar=
go on Libya, citing the country's renunciation of weapons of mass destruc=
tion and movement toward =93responsible government.=94 However, EU foreig=
n ministers voiced continuing concern over the death sentences hanging ov=
er five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian medic convicted last May of =
knowingly injecting hundreds of children with HIV-tainted blood. The mini=
sters stated that they =93insisted that Libya resolves remaining EU conce=
rns, notably the case of the Bulgarian and Palestinian medical workers.=94=
The EU has protested the sentences and accused Libya of violating the ri=
ghts of the accused. The EU's ministerial statement also expressed =93dee=
p sympathy with those infected with HIV=94 in the tainted-blood episode.
CALIFORNIA:
=9320th AIDS Walk Tops $3 Million=94
Los Angeles Times (10.18.04)::Erika Hayasaki
Thousands of people attended the 20th Annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles o=
n Sunday. The event helped raise more than $3 million for HIV/AIDS progra=
ms in Los Angeles County. Organizers estimated that more than 25,000 walk=
ers registered for the event, even though it rained Sunday morning. Event=
founder Craig Miller noted that mostly gays and lesbians supported the f=
irst AIDS walk, but since then =93support from everyone else has increase=
d.=94
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