| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2004-10-26, 7:26 pm |
| CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Wednesday, October 20, 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
MICHIGAN: =93Parents Shape Sex education in Michigan=94
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
EUROPE: =93Seven European Countries Demand Push on AIDS Vaccine=94
ECUADOR: =93UN Warns of Out-of-Control AIDS Problem in Ecuador's Pacific =
Coast Region=94
LESOTHO: =93In Lesotho, Women Hope for Control of Their Lives=94
MEDICAL NEWS
CANADA: =93The Cost of Inaction on HIV Transmission Among Injection Drug =
Users and the Potential for Effective Interventions=94
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
NEW YORK: =93City Students Found Less Likely to Indulge in Risky Behavior=
s=94
NEW YORK: =9370 Attend Conference for Latino AIDS Awareness Day=94
NEWS BRIEFS
SCOTLAND: =93HIV Figures Reach Record Number=94
CHINA: =93Nigeria Plans Sex education to Check HIV/AIDS=94
ERITREA: =93HIV Infection Rate in Eritrea Worrying, UN Says=94
CHINA: =93Yao Ming Joins Magic in HIV/AIDS Messages=94 =20
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NATIONAL NEWS=09
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MICHIGAN:
=93Parents Shape Sex education in Michigan=94
Detroit News (10.17.04)::Margarita Bauza
Michigan school districts that choose to teach sex education must co=
mply with a new state law designed to give parents more oversight in what=
their children learn. The law, sponsored by state Sen. Wayne Kuipers (R-=
Holland), requires schools to cover abstinence, adoption, and legal conse=
quences of underage sex but does not require they cover contraception. Th=
e law also stipulates that parents co-chair the committee that reviews a =
district's sex education curriculum and that a majority of committee memb=
ers are parents whose children attend schools in the district.=20
Many districts report they have been teaching abstinence or abstinen=
ce-only classes for years, so the new law will not significantly alter th=
eir approach. Others are concerned that discussions about contraception w=
ill disappear from curricula and put students at a disadvantage when they=
decide to have sex, as some studies cited by comprehensive sex-education=
advocates show. Failure to comply with the new law could put districts' =
state funding at risk.
=93We were hearing from a significant number of people that [abstine=
nce] was not being taught,=94 said Kuipers. =93We wanted to teach kids th=
at it's OK to say no and to equip them with the skills they need to say n=
o.=94
Sue Kattula, a parent committee member at Warren Consolidated School=
s, said the law will have little effect in her district, which has an abs=
tinence-only curriculum. But she is uncomfortable with the mandate that t=
eachers must cover the legal age to have sex, which is 16 in Michigan. =93=
If you're telling kids to wait until they get married to have sex and if =
you're not covering sex in class, how are you going to bring that subject=
up?=94 she asked. Parent Sharman Spieser views the new law as an attempt=
to restrict information. =93I really would like my child to get [informa=
tion] from trained educators and for his education to be as broad as it c=
an be,=94 said Spieser.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS=09
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EUROPE:
=93Seven European Countries Demand Push on AIDS Vaccine=94
Agence France Presse (10.19.04)
In Paris, health ministers or representatives from Britain, France, =
Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, plus a representative =
of the European Union's Commission, issued a joint call for better lab co=
ordination in the search for an AIDS vaccine. The ministers sidestepped t=
he question of committing more money to the effort.
The ministers called for =93strengthening collaboration in efforts d=
eveloped by research capacity=94 and for =93working together to attain a =
critical mass=94 to push prototype vaccines through the lengthy, costly p=
rocess of clinical trials. The statement described an AIDS vaccine as =93=
an absolute necessity.=94 Commission representative Octavi Quintana Trias=
said the EU executive is =93ready to make an effort=94 on extra funds, b=
ut that EU members must also contribute.
The meeting, hosted by French Health Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy,=
aimed to forge a single European view before a Group of Eight meeting in=
Washington on Thursday. The G8 meeting will focus on the Global HIV Vacc=
ine Enterprise, which is designed to increase collaboration and cooperati=
on in scientific research.
According to the not-for-profit International AIDS Vaccine Initiativ=
e, annual spending on vaccine research runs approximately $650 million, l=
ess than 1 percent of total spending on health product development in the=
HIV/AIDS fight. IAVI said $1.2 billion annually is needed to diversify t=
he number of vaccines in early-stage development and fund promising candi=
dates through the three-phase trial for safety and effectiveness.
In the past 23 years, only one vaccine has ever completed the entire=
three-phase process, and it was not effective. More than 30 vaccine cand=
idates are in trials today, but many are basically the same design. IAVI =
said a wider approach is urgently needed in case the design is a failure.
ECUADOR:
=93UN Warns of Out-of-Control AIDS Problem in Ecuador's Pacific Coast Reg=
ion=94
Associated Press (10.19.04)::Gonzalo Solano
AIDS is spreading rapidly in Ecuador's most-populated province and c=
ould become a national epidemic if left unchecked, UNICEF representative =
Paul Martin warned Tuesday. =93In 10 or 15 years, if there isn't importan=
t prevention work, we are going to have a frightening epidemic, starting =
on the coast and spreading to the entire country,=94 Martin said. =93In c=
ertain zones on the coast in Guayas the levels of AIDS infections are app=
roaching levels reached 10 years ago by Africa and the Caribbean,=94 he n=
oted.
Ecuador's Health Ministry said there are between 4,800-5,000 reporte=
d AIDS cases in the country of 12 million, but that unreported cases coul=
d be as high as 50,000. According to Mauricio Valdez, the UN's coordinato=
r in Ecuador, =9380 percent of the cases are on the coast in Guayas,=94 w=
hich includes Guayaquil, the country's largest city with 3.3 million peop=
le.
In recent years, there has been a feminization of HIV/AIDS in Ecuado=
r, said Miguel Machuca, a Pan American Health Organization representative=
.. =93In Ecuador's case, the situation is becoming more alarming because o=
f the predominance of infections in women and children. This means the ep=
idemic is advancing out of control,=94 Machuca said.=20
Martin said UNAIDS has budgeted $14 million to fight HIV/AIDS in Ecu=
ador, but there lacks an expenditure to cover =93the slowness on the Ecua=
dorian side to define the role of programs to fight this epidemic.=94
LESOTHO:
=93In Lesotho, Women Hope for Control of Their Lives=94
Chicago Tribune (10.17.04)::Laurie Goering
In traditionally male-dominated Lesotho, women must have their husba=
nds' permission to take out a loan, open a bank account, have surgery, ta=
ke contraceptives, or run for public office. Women cannot own or inherit =
property or run a company. Until recently, women had no legal right to re=
fuse sexual relations.
Half of Lesotho's young women have HIV, according to human-rights an=
d humanitarian organizations. AIDS deaths have orphaned one child in 10. =
Unemployment is more than 40 percent, partly because of the difficulty fo=
r women to get loans and open businesses.
The Law Reform Commission's =93equality in marriage=94 bill is desig=
ned to address some of the problems, but has moved slowly toward becoming=
law. Written in 2000, the bill awaits Cabinet approval before it can be =
voted on by the legislature. The bill would give women control of propert=
y, inheritance, and their bodies.
In response to widespread rape and the burgeoning AIDS crisis, Lesot=
ho passed the Sexual Offenses Act last year. Under the law, rapists must =
take HIV tests and men who rape while knowingly HIV-positive can face the=
death penalty. Other rapists face a minimum sentence of 10 years.
Lesotho's efforts reflect a growing tendency in Africa to rethink wo=
men's roles, in part as a response to the continent's AIDS crisis. Accord=
ing to the United Nations, young women in Africa are two- to four-times m=
ore likely to contract HIV than young men. Male promiscuity is socially a=
cceptable across much of the continent, and women have little power to re=
fuse sex or demand condom use. A recent study by the South African Medica=
l Research Council found that the only risk factor for 60-80 percent of H=
IV-positive women in southern Africa was sleeping with their husbands.
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MEDICAL NEWS=09
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CANADA:
=93The Cost of Inaction on HIV Transmission Among Injection Drug Users an=
d the Potential for Effective Interventions=94
Journal of Urban Health (12.01.04) Vol. 81; No. 4: P. 655-660::Laura M. K=
uyper; Robert S. Hogg; Julio S.G. Montaner; Martin T. Schechter; Evan Woo=
d
The estimated and potential medical costs of treating HIV-infected p=
atients in high HIV prevalence urban areas have not been well defined, ac=
cording to researchers. In the current study, the authors estimated the t=
otal medical cost of HIV disease among injection drug users in Vancouver,=
British Columbia, assuming stable and increasing HIV prevalence.=20
The researchers estimated total medical costs by multiplying the ave=
rage lifetime medical cost per person by the number of HIV-infected indiv=
iduals. Based on empirical data, they assumed the cost of each HIV infect=
ion to be $150,000 (Canadian), and HIV prevalence estimates were derived =
from the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study and external data sources. =
Using Monte Carlo simulation methodology, the researchers performed sensi=
tivity analyses to estimate total medical cost, based on the assumption t=
hat HIV prevalence remained stable at 31 percent and under a scenario in =
which prevalence increased to 50 percent.
Based on current HIV prevalence levels, expected medical expenditure=
s were estimated at $215,852,613, the authors reported. =93If prevalence =
rises to 50% as reported in other urban centers, the median estimated med=
ical cost would be approximately $348,935,865. This represents a differen=
ce in the total costs between the two scenarios of $133,083,253. Health p=
lanners should consider that predicted medical expenditures related to th=
e HIV epidemic among injection drug users in our setting may cost an esti=
mated $215,852,613. If funding cannot be found for appropriate prevention=
interventions and the prevalence rises to 50%, a further $133,083,253 ma=
y be required,=94 concluded the researchers.
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LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS=09
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NEW YORK:
=93City Students Found Less Likely to Indulge in Risky Behaviors=94
New York Times (10.20.04)::Susan Saulny
On Tuesday, New York City health and education officials released fi=
ndings based on a youth risk behavior survey of nearly 7,500 students at =
randomly selected city high schools. The city-sponsored survey used CDC-d=
eveloped questions and is considered among the largest and most extensive=
survey of its type, officials said.
Students in the city's public high schools use condoms more consiste=
ntly than teenagers nationwide, and they are less likely to smoke marijua=
na and binge drink, the report stated. However, 25 percent of city studen=
ts surveyed still engage in sexual behavior that puts them at risk for ST=
Ds and pregnancy, according to the survey, and experimentation with drink=
ing or sex often begins before high school, at age 13 or younger. Citywid=
e, 48 percent of high school students reported being sexually active, dow=
n from 51 percent in a 2001 survey.=20
Dr. Lorna Thorpe, deputy commissioner of the city's Department of He=
alth, said the current 2003 survey reached nearly six times the number of=
students questioned during the last 2001 citywide survey in 2001.=20
Adrienne Verrilli, spokesperson for the Sexuality Information and Ed=
ucation Council of the United States, said the survey gave reasons to be =
encouraged as well as concerned. =93We're able to really see a snapshot o=
f the kids in New York City, and to their credit, they have less sexual a=
ctivity than in 2001 and their condom use is significantly higher than yo=
ung people across the nation,=94 she said. However, borough-by-borough re=
sults that highlighted certain patterns of risky behavior, she added, sho=
uld serve as =93a real wake-up call.=94
The report concluded that substance abuse programs should begin befo=
re high school and that all adolescents should have access to sex educati=
on and reproductive health services.
NEW YORK:
=9370 Attend Conference for Latino AIDS Awareness Day=94
Journal News (Westchester County, N.Y.) (10.16.04)::Desiree Grand
On National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, Oct. 15, roughly 70 people ga=
thered in Mount Vernon for the Sixth Annual Latino/a Regional Conference.=
The Lower Mid-Hudson Latino HIV/AIDS Network, made up of 14 agencies com=
mitted to educating the public on the disease, presented the all-day conf=
erence.
The conference offered workshops on health insurance, treatment adhe=
rence and support systems. Wilfredo Morel, chair of the network, said the=
conference could combine information on treatment and prevention because=
so many Westchester agencies were represented. Participants included peo=
ple with HIV/AIDS, health-care providers and members of the clergy.
According to CDC, in 2002 Hispanics accounted for more than 8,000 =97=
or about 20 percent =97 of the more than 42,000 new AIDS diagnoses natio=
nwide. Hispanics have the second-highest diagnosis rate after blacks, sai=
d CDC.
Victor Alvarez, program director of the advocacy group Living Togeth=
er, said issues including cultural differences, mistrust of authority and=
misinformation contribute to rising HIV rates among Latinos. He said mak=
ing sure people put HIV/AIDS education into practice and leave behind mis=
conceptions are crucial to stopping the spread of the disease.
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NEWS BRIEFS =09
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SCOTLAND:
=93HIV Figures Reach Record Number=94
BBC News (10.20.04)
The number of people diagnosed with HIV in Scotland has reached the =
highest quarterly total on record, Scottish officials said recently. Figu=
res for July-September 2004 show 105 people were diagnosed with HIV. The =
Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health said the main caus=
e of the increase was more testing. Figures show the total number of peop=
le diagnosed with HIV in Scotland this year is 274, compared to annual to=
tals for 2003 and 2002, respectively, of 258 and 250. The annual average =
in the 1990s was between 150-180. During the most recent quarter, 35 diag=
noses occurred among men who have sex with men and 33 among men and women=
likely to have contracted HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. According to SCIEH,=
the total number of AIDS cases in Scotland is 1,235; 853 AIDS deaths hav=
e been reported.
CHINA:
=93Nigeria Plans Sex education to Check HIV/AIDS=94
Xinhua News Agency (10.19.04)
With an increasing HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 5.8 percent, the Nige=
rian government said Tuesday it would introduce sex education in schools =
to help stop the disease's spread. Babatunde Oshitumehin, chair of Nigeri=
a's National Action Committee on HIV/AIDS (NACA), said the curricula was =
aimed at influencing behavioral change among students who know about HIV/=
AIDS but still indulge in risky behaviors due to a =93low perception of t=
he risk of infection.=94 NACA has also begun a program to educate the gen=
eral public through cellphones, and has trained university graduates in a=
UNICEF-sponsored National Youth Service Corp program on the fundamentals=
of HIV/AIDS. The graduates and selected university professors will stren=
gthen the campaign in schools and other social arenas.
ERITREA:
=93HIV Infection Rate in Eritrea Worrying, UN Says=94
Agence France Presse (10.16.04)
The latest figures show Eritrea's national HIV prevalence rate is 2.=
4 percent, Dominique Mathiot, UNAIDS country program adviser, said recent=
ly. =93We are worried by this rate because above 1 percent means the epid=
emic is generalized. The rate for pregnant women here is above 5 percent =
and in any country the HIV prevalence rate can within three years increas=
e from 2 percent to 12 percent,=94 he said, adding that due to government=
efforts, the prevalence seems to have currently stabilized. The country =
has increased free, anonymous HIV testing, and conducted prevention campa=
igns among the armed forces and UN peacekeeping soldiers, according to UN=
AIDS. Mathiot noted that limited cross-border mobility has also helped co=
ntrol the spread of HIV/AIDS.
CHINA:
=93Yao Ming Joins Magic in HIV/AIDS Messages=94 =20
South China Morning Post (10.15.04)::Eva Woo
On Oct. 14, Chinese television stations began showing a series of pu=
blic service announcements to promote HIV/AIDS awareness that feature bas=
ketball celebrities Yao Ming and Magic Johnson. The release of the PSAs c=
oincided with the mainland's first NBA game between Yao's Houston Rockets=
and the Sacramento Kings, according to the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research C=
enter, one of the sponsors of the PSAs. The four short ads feature Yao an=
d Johnson playing basketball together, embracing and sharing a meal =97 s=
howing that HIV/AIDS cannot be spread through casual contact.
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