| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2005-05-18, 6:00 pm |
| CDC/NPIN Logo <http://www.cdcnpin.org/scripts/index.asp>
Monday, May 16, 2005
The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides
the following information as a public service only. Providing synopses
of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other
sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC
endorsement. The following summaries were prepared without conducting
any additional research or investigation into the facts and statements
made in the articles being summarized, and therefore readers are
expressly cautioned against relying on the validity or invalidity of any
statements made in these summaries. This daily update also includes
information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background
on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets
and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however,
copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of
the articles abstracted below for full texts of the articles.
National News
"UNITED STATES: Congressional Panel Opens Inquiry into
Use of Foster Kids in AIDS Drug Trials"
"OHIO: Microbicides Could Reduce AIDS Transmission to
Women"
International News
"AFRICA: African AIDS Crisis Pushes Christian Leaders to
Debate New Outlooks for Faith"
"INDIA: Report: India's HIV-Positive Seek Potential
Partners by Placing Ads in Newspapers"
"BRAZIL: Doctors Without Borders Criticizes Brazil for
Not Breaking AIDS Drug Patents"
Medical News
"CAMEROON: Use of Male Condoms During and After
Randomized, Controlled Trial Participation in Cameroon"
Local and Community News
"MARYLAND: A New Focus on Students' Sex Ed; Subjects
Tailored to Grade Level"
News Briefs
"SINGAPORE: Singapore Activists Distribute Condoms at
Indonesian Ferry Points to Curb HIV"
"AFRICA: African Finance Ministers Meet in Nigeria to
Fight Poverty, AIDS"
"PHILIPPINES: HIV Infections Pick Up Alarmingly in the
Philippines: Official"
"CALIFORNIA: News in Brief from California's North
Coast"
_____
National News
UNITED STATES: "Congressional Panel Opens Inquiry into Use of
Foster Kids in AIDS Drug Trials"
Associated Press (05.13.05):: John Solomon
On Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee's subcommittee
on human resources will hear testimony as to "whether adequate
protections are in place" to protect foster children used in federal
research.
The Associated Press recently detailed the use of foster
children, mostly poor or minority, in federally funded AIDS drug studies
since the late 1980s. Often, this occurred without assigning an
independent advocate, a protection provided in federal law and required
by certain states. While receiving cutting-edge treatment at government
expense, in some cases extending their lives, the children were also
exposed to risks without the benefit of an advocate to protect their
interests.
"This hearing will explore issues surrounding the placement of
foster children in clinical drug trials, including under what conditions
participation is permitted," said subcommittee Chairperson Rep. Wally
Herger (R-Calif.). "We are concerned about recent allegations involving
the enrollment of foster children in such trials," Herger added. "This
hearing will help us assess whether there is any substance to these
allegations and if so, what response is appropriate."
Back to Top Back to Top
OHIO: "Microbicides Could Reduce AIDS Transmission to Women"
Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (05.11.05):: Regina McEnery
The Washington, D.C.-based Global Campaign for Microbicides
(GCM), which builds awareness and political support for microbicide
research, launched a Cleveland chapter - its ninth in the United States
- with a forum at Case Western Reserve University. AIDS activists and
researchers attended the forum, which featured the Cleveland-area
premiere of "In Women's Hands: A Film on Women, HIV and Hope," focusing
on women in the developing world.
GCM is lobbying for a Senate bill that would create a separate
center for microbicide research within the National Institutes of Health
and boost public spending for this research. Currently, only about 2
percent of the NIH AIDS budget is devoted to microbicides. Ideally,
women could topically apply such a product before intercourse to prevent
transmission of HIV and other STDs.
About 50 microbicides are in the drug development pipeline, with
five in advanced phases of clinical trials, according to GCM's Bindiya
Patel. Case's Center for AIDS Research has developed a novel protein
that blocked HIV transmission in macaques, and scientists hope
eventually to test the compound on humans.
According to Patel, more than half of new HIV infections in the
developing world occur in women, the majority of whom were infected by
their husbands. In 2003, 58 percent of the 26.6 million people with
HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa were women.
Earl Pike, executive director of the AIDS Taskforce of Greater
Cleveland, said a number of microbicides are also being tested for
rectal use. "So there is significant hope that whatever application can
be found for vaginal microbicides can also reduce HIV transmission among
gay and bisexual men during anal intercourse," Pike said.
Back to Top Back to Top
International News
AFRICA: "African AIDS Crisis Pushes Christian Leaders to
Debate New Outlooks for Faith"
Associated Press (05.12.05):: Brian Murphy
At a recent global conference in Greece on Christian mission,
participants discussed how the ravages of HIV/AIDS in Africa could
reshape religious views and practices there. The pandemic has forced
many churches to grapple with the sensitive subjects of sexuality and
death, and it has put some Roman Catholics at odds with church hierarchy
over the Vatican's opposition to condoms. Some pastors and scholars
believe the coming decades may push African churches to reorder basic
theology, placing social assistance and health care above traditional
preaching and evangelism.
This could, in turn, promote cooperation between Catholic and
Protestant denominations and stir a new movement in the faith, some
leaders say. "We have pastors who are spending more time burying members
of their congregation than ministering to them," said Jacinta Maingi,
who runs an HIV/AIDS program and conducts seminars around Africa with
religious leaders.
A March UN study predicted that more than 80 million Africans
could die of AIDS by 2025 and HIV infection could soar to 90 million,
more than 10 percent of the continent's population, without expanded
prevention programs and better access to drugs. Maingi urged an "AIDS
theology" that allows patients to remain within their faiths.
"Messages like 'AIDS is God's punishment for sin,' are still
very much present," said the Rev. Johannes Petrus Heath, a South
Africa-based Anglican who operates a confidential network for African
religious leaders with HIV. "Our Gospel and the teachings of Jesus are
teachings of holistic inclusion. But [the faith] has had 2,000 years of
perfecting the doctrine of exclusion. We hope to use AIDS and HIV to
bring back that core of inclusion to Christianity."
Back to Top Back to Top
INDIA: "Report: India's HIV-Positive Seek Potential Partners
by Placing Ads in Newspapers"
Associated Press (05.11.05)
A growing number of HIV-infected men and women in India are
seeking partners through newspaper and Web site advertisements that
acknowledge their health status, according to a recent report in the
Indian Express newspaper. D.M. Saxena, additional project director of
Gujarat State AIDS Control Society, said that during the past few years,
HIV-positive people have come to be better accepted in society.
According to government figures, India has more than 5 million
people with HIV/AIDS, the second-highest number of infections after
South Africa. Experts say the official estimate leaves out people who
have HIV without knowing or reporting it.
H. Raj, who runs a matrimonial service, said some people do not
mind advertising their HIV status but prefer not to reveal their
identity before they meet potential partners. "Being HIV-positive is not
[as] much a taboo as it was earlier," Raj said. "But we don't directly
give away names or addresses, but put the contact numbers of some close
relatives."
Back to Top Back to Top
BRAZIL: "Doctors Without Borders Criticizes Brazil for Not
Breaking AIDS Drug Patents"
Associated Press (05.10.05)
On May 10, Doctors Without Borders said Brazil's government has
failed to keep its pledge to break patents on expensive foreign HIV/AIDS
drugs. In March, the government threatened to break patents on four
medications if manufacturers did not agree to let Brazil produce generic
equivalents or buy the drugs at discounted prices by April 4. That
deadline passed without agreement, and the government did nothing.
"The lack of action on the part of Brazilian authorities is
incomprehensible. On the international level, Brazil has publicly
defended using the flexibilities included in the World Trade
Organization's TRIPS agreement," said a Doctors Without Borders
statement signed by 107 other nongovernmental organizations.
"But when it comes to transforming this bold posture into acts
that benefit the Brazilian population, the government resembles a
toothless tiger," the statement said.
TRIPS, the WTO's intellectual property agreement, lets
governments grant licenses allowing them to manufacture generic versions
of patented drugs.
The Brazilian government, which provides free HIV/AIDS drugs to
anyone who needs them, said the cost of newer drugs is driving expenses
up and endangering the program. The drugs in question - Abbott's
combination pill of lopinavir and ritonavir, Merck's efavirenz, and
Gilead Science's tenofovir - will cost Brazil $169 million this year, 67
percent of the government's budget for imported AIDS medications, said
the Health Ministry.
In recent years, Brazil has obtained price reductions from
pharmaceutical manufacturers by threatening to break patents. Merck has
lowered the price for efavirenz four times, but the government says that
is not enough. A press officer at the Health Ministry's AIDS program
said breaking patents is a delicate procedure and Brazil does not want
pharmaceutical companies to stop supplying the drugs before generic
equivalents can be manufactured.
Back to Top Back to Top
Medical News
CAMEROON: "Use of Male Condoms During and After Randomized,
Controlled Trial Participation in Cameroon"
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Vol. 32; No. 5: P. 300-307
(05.05.05):: Emelita L. Wong, DrPH; Ronald E. Roddy, MPH; Heidi Tucker,
MPH; Ubald Tamoufe, MSc; Kelley Ryan, BA; Falimatou Ngampoua, BA
The current study evaluated patterns of long-term use of male
condoms among partners of 966 Cameroonian women who received instruction
on condoms and STD testing and treatment in eight intensive, monthly
counseling sessions. The researchers used an interrupted time-series
design. Participants reported condom use and other covariates at
enrollment in the study, then monthly for six months during the
randomized, controlled trial, and at approximately 14 months after the
trial.
Consistent condom use, the researchers found, began decreasing
while the women were still receiving counseling. Every month in the
trial was associated with an odds ratio of 0.96 (95 percent confidence
interval [CI], 0.94-0.99) of consistent condom use and dropped
substantively after the trial with a 0.39 (95 percent CI, 0.26-0.59)
odds ratio in a logistic regression analysis. As each month passed, the
incidence of unprotected sex increased by 3 percent (95 percent CI, 1-4
percent) with no statistically significant change during the condom use
follow-up survey. Condom use in a coital act was 0.84 (95 percent CI,
0.78-0.92) less likely during the follow-up survey than during the
trial.
"Only a few women sustained consistent condom use throughout the
study period and for more than one year after," the investigators
concluded. "It is important to continue documenting the impact of condom
promotion in a rigorous manner and to identify content and delivery of
counseling that will lead to sustained condom use beyond the
intervention period."
Back to Top Back to Top
Local and Community News
MARYLAND: "A New Focus on Students' Sex Ed; Subjects Tailored
to Grade Level"
Washington Post (05.12.05)
Nationwide, 89 percent of the country's estimated 20 million
public school students in grades 7-12 take sex education, according to a
2000 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Without national
guidelines, however, what students learn can vary widely from state to
state and school system to school system.
In Montgomery County, Maryland, health education begins in
pre-kindergarten and continues through high school, with different
topics introduced at varying grade levels. Earlier this month, a federal
judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the school system
from teaching a new sex-education curriculum for eighth and 10th grades.
Two groups, Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum and Parents and
Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, sued the district, charging that the new
curriculum was biased.
The curriculum would have allowed teachers to initiate
discussion about homosexuality at the eighth-grade level and to show
10th-grade students a seven-minute video that includes information on
how to put on a condom.
Educators in Montgomery County have addressed contraception
since the 1970s and condom use since 1984. However, it was only in the
early 1990s that teachers were allowed to show various contraceptive
devices such as condoms. Parents must give permission for high school
students under age 18 to take two health education units: family life
and human sexuality, and AIDS prevention.
While the Bush administration has supported abstinence-only
education programs, the Kaiser survey found that 81 percent of parents
back an approach that includes an abstinence message and information
about how to prevent unplanned pregnancies and the spread of STDs.
Course outlines of Montgomery County public schools' health
education curriculum can be found at
www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/health.
Back to Top Back to Top
News Briefs
SINGAPORE: "Singapore Activists Distribute Condoms at
Indonesian Ferry Points to Curb HIV"
Associated Press (05.15.05)
On weekends, Singapore HIV/AIDS activists hand out condoms at
the ferry terminals where local men depart for Indonesia in search of
prostitutes, according to AIDS Singapore Executive Director Paul Toh.
Toh said his group distributes up to 500 condoms each weekend to men
heading toward the islands of Batam or Bintari, 45-minute ferry rides
from Singapore. Toh said the condoms protect the men as well as the sex
workers. Citing a 2003 Indonesian survey, the Straits Times newspaper
said that on any weekend, roughly 600 Singapore men head to Batam for
sex. New HIV infections in Singapore rose by 28 percent last year, to
311.
Back to Top Back to Top
AFRICA: "African Finance Ministers Meet in Nigeria to Fight
Poverty, AIDS"
Associated Press (05.14.05):: Daniel Balint-Kurti
On Saturday, African finance ministers assembled in Abuja,
Nigeria, for a two-day conference of the UN's Economic Commission for
Africa. Officials said the continent is unlikely to meet the Millennium
Development Goals of halving poverty and boosting the fight against
HIV/AIDS by 2015. Delegates asked developed nations to double financial
aid to $50 billion and to forgive billions of dollars in debt, actions
supported by Britain's Commission for Africa report. Prime Minister Tony
Blair hopes the report's recommendations will be adopted at a July G-8
meeting in Scotland. France, Germany, and Italy support establishing an
International Finance Facility to leverage money for Africa by issuing
bonds on global capital markets. Japan and the United States do not back
the idea.
Back to Top Back to Top
PHILIPPINES: "HIV Infections Pick Up Alarmingly in the
Philippines: Official"
Agence France Presse (05.12.05)
On May 12, Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit reported that new
HIV/AIDS infections in the Philippines have risen to twice the rate of
the 1990s. Since 2000, on average, 20 people have contracted HIV each
month, up from roughly 10 cases per month in the 1990s, the minister
announced. The world's 12th most populous state, the Philippines has
more than 84 million people. This year through March, the health
department documented 2,250 HIV infections, about 30 percent of which
are AIDS cases. Sixty-nine percent of newly infected patients are ages
20-39; 63 percent are males. Of the total, 33 percent had worked abroad,
as roughly 10 percent of the country's people do through temporary job
contracts.
Back to Top Back to Top
CALIFORNIA: "News in Brief from California's North Coast"
Associated Press (05.12.05)
On May 11, the Santa Rosa school board approved a proposal,
effective July 1, to allow birth control pills and condoms to be
dispensed at Elsie Allen High School's health clinic. A two-year
contract between the school board and Southwest Community Health Center,
which administers the clinic, says staff may prescribe and distribute
contraceptives including the patch, the morning-after pill, and
Depo-Provera. The teen pregnancy rate in southwest Santa Rosa is among
the highest in the state, said Naomi Fuchs, Southwest's executive
director. Orlean Koehle, president of the state chapter of Eagle Forum,
a nationwide pro-family movement, said schools should educate students,
not provide family planning services; she favors abstinence-only sex
education.
Back to Top Back to Top
_____
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 postings include the Prevention News Update, conference
announcements, current funding opportunities, select articles from the
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report series and announcements about new
NPIN products and services.
To join the PreventioNews listserv, send a blank e-mail to
prevention-news-subscribe@cdcnpin.org
<mailto:prevention-news-subscribe@cdcnpin.org> . For instructions on how
to remove yourself from the listserv, send a blank e-mail to
prevention-news-unsubscribe@cdcnpin.org
<mailto:prevention-news-unsubscribe@cdcnpin.org> .
You can also join or leave the PreventioNews listserv from the
NPIN Web site 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 take a minute to send an e-mail with your comments to
update-feedback@cdcnpin.org <mailto:update-feedback@cdcnpin.org> . With
your help, we will continue to improve this service to better meet your
information needs.
Please send all other e-mail inquiries to info@cdcnpin.org
<mailto:info@cdcnpin.org> .
**This message may be copied and distributed; however, it may
not be distributed for profit.**
---
You are currently subscribed to prevention-news as: ssah-submit@ezmort.com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-prevention-news-1356515G@listmanager.aspensys.com
|