Gospel Song Gives Voice to AIDS Awareness

The Rev. James Favorite, senior pastor of Tampa’s Beulah Baptist Institutional Church, serves as chair of the local chapter of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA).

Ten years ago, Favorite said the idea of speaking about sexuality and HIV/AIDS from the pulpit was “not even a consideration.” But the disease became more personal when a church member came to Favorite a few years ago concerned about her HIV-positive son, who was afraid of dying and going to hell. Favorite counseled them about God’s grace, and he began to rethink his own approach to the disease.

“Before we can save the soul, we have to save the life,” Favorite said. “That means education. That means prevention. That has to be our first priority.”

NBLCA trains local pastors on ministering with love and without condemnation, said Favorite. So far, roughly 35 area clergy have taken the course. Another is scheduled for July.

Like Favorite, Carlton Burgess felt compelled to act against HIV/AIDS. The songwriter-composer, founder of the Burgess School of the Arts in Ybor City, recruited three friends to sing with him on an inspirational, pop-influenced gospel recording, “Love Never Gives Up.” Proceeds from the “Carlton Burgess & Friends” CD benefit HIV/AIDS charities.

“When I wrote the lyrics, I got very emotional, very tearful, remembering all the great people with so much talent who have lost their lives to [AIDS],” said Burgess. “For those who are still living with it, we have to love them unconditionally. We can’t be judgmental; we can’t throw away people in our society who are dealing with it.”

For more information about the July NBLCA training, telephone 813-251-5591. To view a video about Burgess’ initiative, visit http://www2.tbo.com/news/2011/jun/24/2/local-composer-advocates-for-those-with-60214-vi-23041.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Allegheny General Hospital Refines Emergency Room HIV Screening Program

Allegheny General Hospital has initiated a routine HIV screening program for most patients in its emergency department. AGH partnered with the Pennsylvania Expanded HIV Testing Initiative (PEHTI), part of CDC-funded national efforts to identify infections earlier by making the test part of routine health care.

AGH launched its program in December, and hospital staff members are refining the process. The test is offered to patients ages 13-64 in accordance with the recommendations of CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Those who decline receive information about HIV, the importance of testing and venues that offer it.

Results from the rapid oral fluid-based tests are given to patients before discharge. Patients with positive results are provided a confirmatory blood test and referral to AGH’s Positive Health Clinic for the results, counseling and needed care.

In 2007, 32.3 percent of HIV diagnoses were made within a year of progression to AIDS, according to a CDC study of states with robust surveillance systems. Boosting the proportion of earlier diagnoses can help patients access more effective and less costly therapy, as well as prevent onward transmissions.

Allegheny County is second only to Philadelphia County among the highest-risk areas for HIV/AIDS in Pennsylvania, according to the state Department of Health.

“Over the years we’ve had so many people come through the Emergency Department and be diagnosed with late-stage AIDS,” said Mary Gallagher, Positive Health’s manager. “In many cases, the people were involved in medical care, but nobody ever tested them for HIV.”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Factors Associated with Refusal of Rapid HIV Testing in an Emergency Department

HIV testing studies in the emergency department have found rates of testing refusal of 40 percent to 67 percent, noted authors of the current study. Walensky and colleagues examined factors associated with refusal to undergo routine rapid HIV testing in an academic ED in Boston.

Of the 1,959 subjects offered HIV testing by an HIV counselor, 577 (29 percent) refused. Data from a self-administered survey were used to determine independent correlates of refusal.

Participants more likely to refuse testing included women, those with annual household incomes of $50,000 or greater, those reporting no HIV risk behaviors, those previously tested, those who did not perceive a need for testing, and participants enrolled during the morning hours.

Adjusting for other factors, a history of prior HIV testing was associated with a 20 percent increase in testing refusal. Perceived risk for HIV may be tied to refusal. Perception of risk may be influenced by nonclinical factors, as the proportion who perceived a need for testing was low (16 percent), and nearly 15 percent who perceived a need nonetheless refused testing. Low self-perceived need for testing was the strongest independent correlate for test refusal, with more than a two-fold increased risk.

As the trial was conducted at one site, it may not be generalizable to other EDs, the authors cautioned. However, “our findings demonstrate that routine HIV screening programs may not fully or equally engage all groups, including women, patients with higher incomes, and participants who did not perceive a need for HIV testing,” they concluded. “Increased educational efforts to convey the rationale and benefits of universal screening may improve testing uptake among these groups. In addition, the modification of routine HIV screening programs to offer testing during hours of lower test refusal may increase testing rates.”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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HIV Is Top Health Concern in District

More than one-third of District residents identify HIV/AIDS as the top health concern locally, shows a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post.

African Americans, who are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, were much more likely to rank the disease as a top issue for them and their families. More than 44 percent of African-American residents said they were personally concerned about becoming infected, compared with 10 percent of white residents, the poll found. Sixty-five percent of blacks said they feared a family member might contract HIV, while only 8 percent of whites said the same.

The District’s overall infection rate of more than 3 percent is classified as an epidemic under CDC and World Health Organization standards. Three-quarters of residents with HIV/AIDS are African-American; 17 percent are white; and 5 percent are Hispanic, according to the city’s latest epidemiology report.

This disproportionate impact is reflected in survey responses. Almost seven in 10 blacks reported the spread of HIV/AIDS as a problem in their communities, compared with just half of whites. Citywide, 58 percent of residents acknowledged knowing someone who is living with or has died from the disease. Nationwide, that figure is 41 percent, according to a Kaiser survey.

The poll of 1,342 District adults was conducted by telephone from May 10 through May 31. The overall margin of error is roughly 3.5 percent, including 4 percent for the black sample and 6 percent for the white sample.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Champions of Change: HIV/AIDS - 30 Years of Activism on the Frontlines

Last year, the president announced the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. This strategy focuses on combinations of evidence-based approaches to decrease new HIV infections in high-risk communities, improve care for people living with HIV/AIDS, and reduce health disparities. Also, the administration increased domestic HIV/AIDS funding to support the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and HIV prevention, and to invest in HIV/AIDS-related research.

“But as the president has said, ‘government cannot take on this disease alone.’ That is why, as part of the Champions of Change initiative, the White House invited nine inspiring HIV/AIDS advocates for a roundtable discussion to meet with administration officials including Office of National AIDS Policy Director Jeffrey Crowley, [Department of Health and Human Services] Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard Koh, and key staff from HHS, [the Department of Justice] and [the Department of Housing and Urban Development]. ...

“As someone living with HIV, this is very personal for me. We stand on the shoulders of many that are now gone, and those who continue to fight today. The ‘Champions’ that we met with are living examples of both the progress and challenges we have faced over the past 30 years. We are making progress - the number of new infections has declined among infants born with HIV and injection drug users, but we are now seeing rising infections in gay and bisexual men. Re-engaging the public, particularly the LGBT community, in prevention education and fighting stigma is crucial.

“This anniversary is an opportunity to recommit ourselves to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS. We owe it to those that are no longer with us, and those like these ‘Champions’ and the thousands like them that are fighting every day. We also owe it to the next generation. We invite you to learn more about the work of these Champions for Change in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”

The author is deputy director of the White House Office of Engagement. Champions for Change is a weekly White House initiative highlighting Americans who are making an impact in their communities and helping the nation meet the challenges of the 21st century. Visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/champions/fight-aids.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Man Contends Illinois Jail Denied Him HIV Drugs

Last week, the state Department of Corrections began investigating allegations that a man was denied his prescribed HIV drugs while held in jail for a week in Bureau County.

On Sept. 29, Arick Buckles, a Chicago HIV/AIDS outreach worker, was booked into the Bureau County Jail in Princeton on an outstanding warrant for passing bad checks. During the week he was held, Buckles said he asked repeatedly for his HIV drugs, as did friends and a minister who contacted BCJ on his behalf. He said he was told he could not have his own pills brought to him because they were stored in a day-by-day organizer and not in their original containers. Buckles said he experienced diarrhea, fatigue, and light-headedness without the three-pill combination.

Bureau County uses a private firm, Peoria-based Advanced Correctional Healthcare, to provide jail medical services. Under its contract, the county is responsible for the cost of inmates’ HIV drugs.

A nurse’s notes mention notifying the state’s attorney of the cost of Buckles’ medicines, more than $2,000 a month. After one week in jail, Buckles said a sheriff’s deputy came to tell him he was being released because the county could not afford his treatment. Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson did not respond to repeated AP requests for comment.

Illinois requires that jails provide medical care, including prescription drugs. BCJ violated Buckles’ right to medical treatment, says a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union. Poor HIV treatment is a common problem in jails, particularly because of the high cost, said ACLU attorney John Knight, who is awaiting BCJ’s response and has not ruled out a lawsuit.

Buckles said he wants to ensure future inmates receive better care. “I’m interested in them correcting what they did wrong,” Buckles said.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Ruling: L.A. County Needn't Mandate Condoms in Porn

Courts cannot compel Los Angeles County health officials to mandate condom use during the production of adult films, the Second District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles ruled on June 16. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) filed suit in 2009 to compel such action after reports that a female adult-film performer acquired HIV. The heart of the porn industry is located within the county.

“We cannot compel another branch of the government to exercise its discretion in a particular manner,” the three-member panel wrote, upholding a lower court’s dismissal on that basis.

“The department continues to support both state legislation to expand requirements of the adult-film industry to include mandatory condom use, and the use of [state workplace safety] regulations to regulate practices in the adult-film industry that expose performers to unnecessary and preventable occupational risks of acquiring and transmitting” STDs, said Sarah Kissel, a county health spokesperson.

Though California law does not require condom use on porn sets, state workplace safety officials have begun drafting rules specific to the industry. AHF has been campaigning for officials to enforce existing rules relating to universal workplace precautions against infectious diseases.

“The county of Los Angeles has the duty to protect public health, one of the highest responsibilities of local government,” said Tom Myers, AHF’s general counsel and chief of public affairs. “It simply cannot ignore this duty and blithely sit by while thousands of people, both inside and outside the industry, contract STDs.” Attorney Brian Chase said AHF intends to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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One Session of Transtheoretical Model-Tailored Condom Use Feedback: a Pilot Study Among At-Risk Women

The authors introduced their research by noting the “urgent need” to enact interventions to curb the spread of STDs, particularly HIV. “Consistent condom use is an effective preventive strategy, yet especially among those at highest risk, condom use remains too low,” they wrote.

This study describes changes in condom use and stages of condom use during a two- to three-month time period following a single session with an interactive multimedia computer-delivered Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-tailored expert system, which was originally designed for at-risk adolescents. The intervention gave immediate TTM-tailored feedback to diverse urban women based on their stage of condom use and other TTM variables.

Previous work had found the system acceptable. In the current study, 89 percent of women returned for a second session two to three months later, further demonstrating the system’s utility.

“After just one feedback session, 21 percent of women not using condoms at baseline started using condoms consistently at follow-up, with a trend for a relationship to baseline stage of condom use,” the authors concluded. “These results support further randomized controlled research on the reach and efficacy of computer-based TTM-tailored and individual condom use interventions.”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Methadone Saves over 7,000 Drug Users from HIV Infection in China

China’s Ministry of Health said Thursday that more than 7,000 HIV infections have been avoided as a result of methadone maintenance treatment. The use of methadone as a substitute for heroin in drug treatment has been legal in China since 2004, and the HIV infection rate among people undergoing MMT has declined ever since, the ministry said.

China now operates 708 methadone clinics, providing MMT to more than 300,000 addicts, said Wu Zunyou, director of the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention at the country’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The infection rate among users receiving MMT was 1 per 100 in 2005; it now stands at 0.38, Wu said. Among registered users not undergoing MMT, the rate is between 2.07 and 9.96 per 100, he said.

Methadone clinics are common in the southwestern provinces that border international drug-trafficking routes, including Yunnan and Guangxi. A single dose of methadone costs about 10 yuan (US $1.50).

Wu said MMT has helped reduce China’s heroin consumption by 41.8 metric tons. In addition, approximately 7,500 program participants have obtained jobs.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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HIV Testing Project Discovers 18,000 New Cases

CDC initiative to expand HIV testing and link those infected to care resulted in more than 18,000 new diagnoses, the agency reported Thursday. Launched in 2007, the three-year, $111 million Expanded HIV Testing Initiative operated in 25 jurisdictions with high HIV prevalence. Health departments chosen as EHTI partners were required to target at least 80 percent of efforts on opt-out HIV screening in high-morbidity clinical settings; they had the option of directing up to 20 percent of efforts toward innovative testing programs for high-risk populations, such a social networking approaches for men who have sex with men (MSM).

In the program, 2.8 million HIV tests were conducted, and 29,503 (1.1 percent) were positive, including 18,432 previously undiagnosed cases. Blacks were a particular focus of EHTI, representing about 60 percent of those tested and 70 percent of the new diagnoses. Nearly three-quarters of those newly diagnosed were men. In the screening, men were more than twice as likely as women to test HIV-positive.

Clinical settings comprised at least 75 percent of testing venues and 90 percent of all tests. About 30 percent were emergency departments, 21 percent STD clinics, and 17 percent community health centers. Community-based organizations conducted about 10 percent of tests, and their rate of positivity was about twice that found in medical settings.

Of those testing positive: 93 percent received their results; 78 percent were linked to medical care; and 83 percent were referred to partner notification services.

EHTI is now expanding to include 30 states and cities with about $50 million in annual support for targeted testing, said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. EHTI will focus on African Americans, Hispanics, injection drug users, and MSM.

“It is the job of the health care system to make HIV testing as routine as cholesterol screening,” Mermin said.

The full report, “Results of the Expanded HIV Testing Initiative - 25 Jurisdictions, United States, 2007-2010,” was published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2011;60(24):805-810).

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Lawsuit Seeks to Block San Francisco Vote on Circumcision Ban

A lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Francisco Superior Court seeks to block a local ballot measure that would ban the circumcision of male children. The action’s plaintiffs comprise five Jews, three Muslims, the Anti-Defamation League, the local chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and two physicians who regularly perform the procedure. Jews and Muslims alike practice circumcision as a religious rite.

If approved, the ordinance would prohibit the circumcision of any male under age 18; violators would be subject to a fine of up to $1,000 or up to one year in jail. There would be no exemption for religious circumcision. Backers of the ban say the procedure is dangerous and painful, and parents should not be able to force it upon infant boys. City officials last month confirmed that organizers had gathered enough signatures for the measure to be decided by voters in the Nov. 8 election.

The plaintiffs contend the measure contravenes a state law that prohibits local governments from restricting medical procedures. They also say it violates their constitutional rights and is out of step with the city’s tradition of cultural and religious tolerance.

Studies in Africa have shown that male circumcision reduces the risk of female-to-male HIV transmission by up to 60 percent, and international health organizations have launched campaigns to promote the procedure. The US rate of circumcision is nearly 80 percent, compared to the global average of 30 percent.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Memphis Family Planning Services Intact

Planned Parenthood of Memphis (PPM) is expected to continue providing family planning services to low-income patients under Title X on a month-by-month basis until the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) determines if it can take over the program or secure new providers.

Last month, the state Legislature ended its session with a push to halt the flow of federal Title X funding to Planned Parenthood in Tennessee. The program provides birth control and health care services, including STD testing and treatment and cancer screenings.

For several years, Planned Parenthood has received more than half of Shelby County’s allocation under Title X, for about $748,000 this year. Shelby and Davidson have been the only counties in the state to share services with local Planned Parenthood agencies. On June 10, Davidson agreed to take over all its services and funding. SCHD Director Yvonne Madlock also agreed, but under two conditions: that the county not be held to a specific caseload of patients, and that the county be allowed to subcontract with providers if needed.

“We are not in the position of continuing [the full level of services now provided by Planned Parenthood] immediately,” said Harvey Kennedy, Shelby’s chief administrative officer. At the same time, it is important that the county serve the needs of low-income patients under Title X, said Kennedy.

Joan Carr, a PPM spokesperson, said the agency will continue to provide family planning services on a monthly basis and will bid on any subcontracts offered under a competitive process.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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HIV Seroadaptation Among Individuals, Within Sexual Dyads, and by Sexual Episodes, Men Who Have Sex with Men

Seroadaptation refers to sexual behavior to reduce the risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV, based on knowing one’s own serostatus as well as that of one’s partners. In the current study, the team measured the prevalence of seroadaptive behaviors among MSM recruited through time-location sampling across three perspectives: by individuals (n=1,207 MSM), among sexual dyads (n=3,746 partnerships), and for sexual episodes (n=63,789 episodes) in the preceding six months.

When considering the consistent behavioral pattern of individuals, seroadaptation was more common than 100 percent condom use (adopted by 39.1 percent vs. 25.0 percent of men, respectively). Among sexual dyads, 100 percent condom use was more common than seroadaptation (33.1 percent vs. 26.4 percent, respectively).

“Considering episodes of sex, not having anal intercourse (65.0 percent) and condom use (16.0 percent) were the most common risk reduction behaviors,” the authors reported. “Sex of highest acquisition and transmission risks (unprotected anal intercourse with a HIV serodiscordant or unknown status partner in the riskier position) occurred in only 1.6 percent of sexual episodes.”

The authors concluded, “In aggregate, MSM achieve a high level of sexual harm reduction through multiple strategies. Detailed measures of seroadaptive behaviors are needed to effectively target HIV risk and gauge the potential of serosorting and related sexual harm reduction strategies on the HIV epidemic.”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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New Website Aims to Help Inform Aboriginal Canadians on Sexual Health Issues

On Tuesday in Vancouver, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada kicked off its annual clinical meeting and National Aboriginal Day by announcing a new website devoted to aboriginal sexual health.

“All cultures have their own take on reproductive health, having children, family life. Each culture has its own sort of special importance and ceremony around it, and so this will provide a place where non-aboriginals but also aboriginals can learn more about cultural practices,” said Dr. Sandra de la Ronde, co-chair of the society’s aboriginal health initiatives committee.

The homepage of the website, http://www.aboriginalsexualhealth.ca, features a medicine wheel, a symbol of interconnectedness and the cycle of life. The site targets rural as well as urban aboriginals.

“There are many rural and remote aboriginal communities that don’t have ready access to health care personnel that are there in their communities, but they’ll still be able to access this information via the Internet, because it’s becoming a more important tool to reach the rural and remote populations,” said Dr. Don Wilson, committee chair and a member of the Heiltsuk Nation from northern British Columbia.

Actor Adam Beach, who grew up on the Dog Creek First Nations reserve at Lake Manitoba, is featured in videos uploaded to the site. In them, the TV and film star talks about the importance of sexual health and education.

Canada has three main aboriginal groups: Inuit, Métis, and First Nations. “We’ve tried to take some representative examples from some communities and from some well-known aboriginal people to convey the necessary information in these domains,” noted Wilson.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Sexual Health an Issue for Boomers

STDs are on the rise among older Americans, prompting an increased emphasis on treatment and prevention for this population.

An Orlando Sentinel analysis of data provided by CDC found that reports of syphilis and chlamydia among those age 55 and older increased by 43 percent from 2005 to 2009. The spike in the two STDs during these years was even more pronounced in communities with large numbers of retirees: 87 percent in Maricopa and Pima counties in Arizona; 60 percent in South Florida.

Experts cite multiple factors for the rise, including healthier seniors living longer lives and socializing more; medications like Viagra and hormone-replacement therapy, which facilitate sex; and the fact that most older people missed out on the safe-sex messages directed at the young. A study by Indiana University researchers found that US men age 50 and older reported the lowest levels of condom use.

Joanne Williams, director of the Baltimore County Department of Aging, oversees 20 senior centers and takes a proactive approach to STD prevention. Her agency receives health education funding from the state, and she dedicates a portion of the money to promoting safe sex and STD testing.

Anna Fowlkes works to get the word out, too. Five years ago, the 64-year-old Baltimore widow and grandmother tested positive for HIV. Today, she shares her experiences with groups of seniors and shows a brief video she produced, entitled “Senior Dating: Older, Wiser, Safer.”

Experts say physicians need to move beyond their assumptions about their older patients’ sex lives. “Removing age-based profiling with respect to STD screenings is a good idea,” said Dr. Stacey Lindau, a University of Chicago OB-GYN and the author of a New England Journal of Medicine study on sex and senior citizens.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Rate of Sexually Transmitted Diseases High in Ohio Region

Hamilton County’s syphilis rate is almost nine times that of the nation’s, according to a new regional health report, while its gonorrhea and chlamydia rates are respectively double and triple the overall US rates.

In 2010, county syphilis incidence was 32 cases per 100,000 residents, compared to 2 for the state and 3.6 for the nation. In 2009, the county had 171 cases, up from 70 the previous year. Health officials in southwest Ohio are trying to determine the cause of the increase and urging residents to get tested.

The Cincinnati Health Department lacks the personnel and budget to follow up with people who do not return for positive chlamydia or gonorrhea tests, said Larry Holditch, CHD’s medical director.

“The main reason is volume,” Holditch said. “You’re talking about 6,300 cases of chlamydia and 2,500 cases of gonorrhea. You’d have to hire 100 staff. There’s just not the money or staff to do the follow up.”

State law does not allow expedited partner therapy, or presumptively treating STD patients’ partners who do not present for testing. While CHD gives partner referral cards to patients with chlamydia or gonorrhea, “We don’t get a huge return on that,” Holditch said. CHD does follow up with all patients testing positive for syphilis and HIV, and with their partners, he added.

Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital Medical Center now asks all teen patients for their cell phone number when they visit its emergency department or teen health center. Nurses use text messages to notify teens testing positive that they need to get treated and bring in their partners, said Jill Huppert, a hospital pediatric and adolescent gynecologist.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Internet More Useful than Parents in Sex Education, Some Teens Report

About 40 percent of teens recently surveyed rated the Internet more useful than parents for sexual health information, and nearly one-quarter ranked it above their high school sex education classes.

The teens, who were polled last year at a pediatric emergency department in southwestern Ontario, averaged 79 percent for correct answers to questions about STD prevention. On the topic of contraception, however, their answers were correct only 43 percent of the time. The 200 youths ages 14-17 surveyed came from rural and urban areas, private, public, religious, and secular schools, and all reported having completed secondary school sex education requirements.

Almost 40 percent overestimated the efficacy of male condoms for contraception when used alone, and 27 percent mistakenly linked mutual masturbation, oral sex, and anal sex to conception. Roughly 60 percent did not know Canada’s legal age of consent - 16 - and only about 30 percent correctly identified as sexual assault all four scenarios describing such attacks.

“I think we have to be careful about what conclusions we draw,” said Dr. Maya Kumar, who conducted the survey with University of Western Ontario colleagues. “At this point, all we can say is that a fairly good cross-section of Ontario students who’ve completed the minimum [sexual health] requirements that the Ontario government feels is necessary have shown that they have some fairly serious deficiencies in knowledge.”

“Teenagers are relying on the Internet as a source of sexual information, and now we have a responsibility to make sure that the information they get is accurate and of good quality,” Kumar said.

Ontario’s Education Minister, Leona Dombrowsky, welcomes the research, said spokesperson Mike Feenstra.

Kumar hopes similar studies will be conducted to assess the strengths and weaknesses of sex education across Canada.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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HIV Guidelines to Help Homosexuals, Transgender People

The World Health Organization released “the first global public health guidelines” focusing on men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender persons. WHO’s 21 recommendations are designed to help health care workers and policymakers overcome anti-homosexual discrimination and provide LGBT communities with HIV testing, counseling, and lifesaving treatment.

“This is the first time that WHO, as a UN agency together with other partners, is putting this forward,” said Dr. Gottfried Hirnschall, director of the HIV/AIDS department at WHO. “It is sensitive but it is right to the point and is really critical for the epidemic.”

The report notes that more than 75 countries worldwide criminalize same-gender sexual activity. “And transgender people lack legal recognition in most countries,” it says.

Particularly in Western nations, HIV infections among MSM and transgenders are surging again. Homosexual men are 20 times more likely to be HIV-infected than heterosexual men, and rates are even higher in Mexico, Thailand, and Zambia. HIV infection rates among transgender people range from 8 percent to 68 percent, depending on the country.

“It is difficult to respond with even the best of interventions that we have available to us if individuals run the risk of violence, of ridicule, of other forms of humiliation on their way to accessing services,” noted George Ayala, executive officer of the San Francisco-based Global Forum on MSM and HIV.

To access the full WHO report, visit http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/guidelines/msm_guidelines2011/en/index.html.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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More Survive, but It's 'No Way to Live'

Three decades ago, Dr. Michael Gottlieb, an immunologist at the University of California-Los Angeles, and the late Dr. Joel Weisman of Sherman Oaks were the first to report a rare form of pneumonia among five area gay men, identifying a condition that would become known as AIDS.

“I had no idea that five cases would later turn into 25 million deaths worldwide,” said Gottlieb.

The early years of the epidemic were “a sad time,” Gottlieb recalled. “I remember when Sherman Oaks Hospital became a hospice. I remember handsome men whose faces had been disfigured by Kaposi’s sarcoma.”

Paul Bedard has been living with HIV for nearly 30 years. But the West Hollywood painter takes 42 pills a day, and the physical and mental side effects from treatment can seem overwhelming. “Sometimes I think, ‘This is no way to live,’” he said. “It’s been a challenge.”

Bedard said he is angered by the perception among young people that the disease is easily treatable. “I talk to young people who go to the sex clubs and they don’t protect themselves. I tell them, ‘Don’t be foolish. It’s still a death sentence.’ But when you’re dealing with the young, they don’t think about death,” said Bedard, who has had two heart attacks, undergone seven angioplasties, experienced kidney failure, and lives with diabetes.

According to Gottlieb, the growing number of infections among black and Latino communities, and youths’ ignorance of the facts about HIV/AIDS, show there is much work to do. “I understand after 30 years there’s going to be passion fatigue in the public for HIV/AIDS, but it’s foolish for the public to put it on the back burner,” he said. “We don’t hear about HIV/AIDS anymore except for on anniversaries.”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!

HIV/AIDS Is an Issue We Cannot Afford to Ignore

“HIV/AIDS is not solely an individual concern. It is a family issue that we can’t afford to ignore. It affects not only the person living with the virus, but the entire family and, ultimately, our entire community. This is especially true in California, which has among the highest infection rates of any state in the nation.

“National HIV Testing Day is Monday, a good reminder to turn our attention to the ways HIV/AIDS affects our families as well as our community. ...

“By race and ethnicity, African Americans are severely and disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS in the United States, according to the CDC. African Americans represent roughly 13 percent of the US population; however, they account for almost half of people living with HIV as well as nearly half of new infections each year. There is no scientific evidence that demonstrates that African Americans are more susceptible to HIV infection, and efforts to prevent HIV transmission are equally effective in the African-American population as in other populations.

“HIV/AIDS is both preventable and treatable. Early diagnosis and proper care help people with HIV/AIDS live longer and healthier lives and prevent them from spreading the disease. Yet, one in five Americans living with HIV today does not know it.

“The CDC identifies stigma as a major contributor to the spread of HIV.

To learn more about HIV, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at: http://www.cdc.gov.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!

NAACP Sponsors Roundtable Forum on AIDS/HIV in Black Community with Local Pastors

The local NAACP branch hosted a June 10 roundtable discussion in Fort Lauderdale on the impact of HIV/AIDS in the black community.

The event, held at the Mizell Center, is part of an NAACP 10-city informational tour funded by a Gilead Sciences Foundation grant. The tour’s goal is to get input from the faith community on the development of an HIV/AIDS resource guide tailored to African Americans. Other cities participating in the study include: Baltimore, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Houston - communities with disproportionately high rates of HIV/AIDS among blacks.

Marsha Ellison, president of the Fort Lauderdale/Broward Branch of the NAACP, said it is critical for the black community to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Though she sees clergy members as an essential part of the battle against the epidemic, fewer than 10 attended the roundtable.

“I think that there are a lot of ministers who want to do more but face conflicts within morality issues. I think that some may feel if you speak out against it or talk about prevention, they may be seen as endorsing immoral behavior,” said Ellison. “None of us are doing enough because our children, our community is dying at an alarming rate.”

Adora Obi Nweze, president of the NAACP Florida State Conference, challenged faith leaders to become more involved. Churches “really will need to help us take the leadership in our community; number one, for them to move forward - to be educated on the real issues - and then, for them to come together to help develop strategies on how we get the word out on what is true and what is false in the community,” said Nweze.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!

The Hepatitis C Epidemic Among HIV-Positive MSM: Incidence Estimates from 1990 to 2007

In the current study, the authors estimated hepatitis C virus incidence among HIV-infected men who have sex with men, 1990-2007, using data from 12 cohorts from the Concerted Action on Seroconversion to AIDS and Death in Europe Collaboration. Estimates were based on standard incidence methods and methods for interval-censored data, taking into account that routine HCV data collection began in different calendar years in the cohorts.

Of 4,724 MSM with an HCV test included, 124 (4 percent) had only positive test results, 2,798 (93 percent) had only negative and 92 (3 percent) had both. HCV incidence in 1990 ranged from 0.9 to 2.2 per 1,000 person-years, depending on the analysis strategy. Incidence increased through 1995, when it ranged from an estimated 5.5 and 8.1 per 1,000 person-years. Substantial increases occurred from 2002 on, with incidence ranging between 16.8 and 30.0 per 1,000 person-years in 2005 and between 23.4 and 51.1 per 1,000 person-years in 2007.

“Our data support phylodynamic findings that HCV incidence had already increased among HIV-infected MSM from the mid-1990s,” the authors concluded. “However, the main expansion of the HCV epidemic started after 2002. Incidence estimates obtained from cohort studies may help identify changes in the spread of important infections earlier and should guide routine testing policies to minimize further disease burden.”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Annual HIV Testing for MSM May Not Be Enough

Sexually active men who have sex with men may benefit from HIV testing more than once a year, perhaps every three to six months, a new CDC report suggests.

CDC recommends HIV testing at least annually for sexually active MSM. Current guidelines use risk behaviors to identify MSM who should be tested more frequently. However, self-reported risk behavior may not be helpful in determining who needs the more frequent testing, the new study found. In it, MSM reporting high-risk behaviors were no more likely to be newly HIV-infected than those without these reported risks.

Researchers in 2008 collected cross-sectional behavioral risk data and conducted HIV testing among a venue-based sample of MSM in 21 US cities with high AIDS prevalence. Overall, 7,271 eligible MSM were included in the analysis (44 percent white; 25 percent Hispanic; 23 percent black; mean age 34 (range: 18-85)). Of the 7,271 participants, 4,453 (61 percent) had tested HIV-negative during the past 12 months. Among these 4,453, 7 percent (15 percent of blacks; 7 percent of Hispanics; 3 percent of whites) nonetheless were found to be HIV-infected when tested by CDC.

Of 3,672 high-risk MSM who tested HIV-negative in the past 12 months, 7 percent were HIV-infected when tested by CDC, compared with 8 percent of those not reporting high-risk factors. After adjusting for time since the most recent test, HIV prevalence remained similar for the two groups, the study noted.

A possible under-reporting of previous positive HIV test results or over-reporting of recent testing could potentially have skewed the proportion of new MSM infections higher, the researchers observed. They further advised that, given venue-based sampling and the high-risk cities surveyed, the data may not represent all MSM generally.

The full report, “HIV Testing Among Men Who Have Sex with Men - 21 Cities, United States, 2008,” was published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2011;60(21):694-699).

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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The AIDS Fight Continues

“AIDS was a terrifying epidemic for the gay community in the 1980s. While it doesn’t command the headlines it once did, fear and uncertainty remain.

“Ceremonies commemorating the 30th anniversary, held [June 5] at the Desert AIDS Project (DAP) in Palm Springs, were appropriate and moving. CEO David Brinkman said positive HIV tests are 300 percent higher here than the national average.

“‘That shows there’s an alarming spread in this region of California,’” he said of [HIV].

“It is no longer a young man’s disease. [DAP’s] youngest client is 12. Its oldest is 80. It is no longer considered ‘the gay disease.’ In Africa, 12 million children are orphaned because of AIDS.

“There was excitement recently about Timothy Ray Brown, a carrier of HIV with leukemia who was reportedly cured through a blood stem-cell transplant. That gives us hope, but it was a radical and rare procedure. Truth is, a cure for AIDS remains a distant dream.

“Even with medical advances, two AIDS patients die each month in the Coachella Valley. Support of [DAP] is still important.

“Education and prevention are the best way to stop the spread of AIDS.

“As Brinkman put it, ‘The thing to know is that this horrific virus is entirely preventable for most people with a 25-cent condom.’”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Amid AIDS Crisis, Some Hope

New HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the District dropped by nearly 50 percent from 2007 to 2009, according to preliminary data from the D.C. Department of Health. The department noted last year the first-ever decline in new AIDS cases, as well as a drop in new HIV diagnoses, suggesting prevention efforts are starting to work, health officials said. They attributed a 60 percent decline in new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in injection drug users to expanded needle-exchange services.

Because the District has been moving to a more accurate reporting system, health officials cautioned the data are still preliminary and cannot yet be used to characterize “a substantial change in the District’s epidemic,” the report said.

More than 3 percent of District residents over age 12 had HIV/AIDS in 2009, the highest prevalence for any US city.

“The picture in D.C. - we have a serious epidemic, but we’re making strides in combating the disease,” said Gregory Pappas, senior deputy health director. The time between diagnosis and care has shortened from a year on average to three months, he said.

A pilot HIV testing program launched in October at the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Southwest Washington is proving successful, Pappas said. However, many residents are still not being offered HIV screening by their primary care doctors, he noted.

Some physicians are ruling out HIV screening of older patients, Pappas said. Nonetheless, new AIDS cases among adults age 50 and older grew from 19 percent of cases in 2005 to 26 percent in 2009. Nearly three-quarters of people with HIV/AIDS are over 40.

Hispanics in their 20s and 30s had a disproportionate number of AIDS cases, and Hispanics and seniors tended to seek treatment later, the report found. The health department said it is also targeting young substance abusers.

For the mayor’s response and a link to the full report, visit: http://newsroom.dc.gov/show.aspx/agency/doh/section/2/release/22050.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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New HIV/AIDS and Toxoplasmosis Data Have Been Reported by Researchers at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences

A report, "Eccentric target sign in cerebral toxoplasmosis: neuropathological correlate to the imaging feature," is newly published data in Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

According to recent research published in the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, "Cerebral toxoplasmosis remains one of the most common focal brain lesions in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Diagnosis is a challenge because on cranial imaging it closely mimics central nervous system lymphoma, primary and metastatic central nervous system (CNS) tumors, or other intracranial infections like tuberculoma or abscesses."

"A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) feature on postcontrast T1-weighted sequences considered pathognomonic of toxoplasmosis is the 'eccentric target sign.' The pathological correlate of this imaging sign has been speculative. Herein we correlate the underlying histopathology to the MR feature of eccentric target sign in a patient with autopsy-proven HIV/AIDS-related cerebral toxoplasmosis," wrote G.G. Kumar and colleagues, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences.

The researchers concluded: "The central enhancing core of the target seen on MRI was produced by a leash of inflamed vessels extending down the length of the sulcus that was surrounded by concentric zones of necrosis and a wall composed of histiocytes and proliferating blood vessels, with impaired permeability producing the peripheral enhancing rim."

Kumar and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Eccentric target sign in cerebral toxoplasmosis: neuropathological correlate to the imaging feature. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2010;31(6):1469-72).

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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National Prevention Strategy Released

Last week, U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and the National Prevention Council released the National Prevention Strategy (NPS), a comprehensive plan that will help increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life. The NPS includes actions that public and private partners can take to help Americans stay healthy and fit and improve our nation’s prosperity. The NPS outlines four strategic directions, all of which are highly relevant to the mission and programs of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Those four strategic directions are:

> Building Healthy and Safe Community Environments: Prevention of disease starts in our communities and at home; not just in the doctor’s office.

> Expanding Quality Preventive Services in Both Clinical and Community Settings: When people receive preventive care, such as immunizations and cancer screenings, they have better health and lower health care costs.

> Empowering People to Make Healthy Choices: When people have access to actionable and easy-to-understand information and resources, they are empowered to make healthier choices.

> Eliminating Health Disparities: By eliminating disparities in achieving and maintaining health, we can help improve quality of life for all Americans.

To help achieve these goals, the NPS identifies evidence-based recommendations that are most likely to reduce the burden of leading causes of preventable death and major illness. The NPS’s seven priority areas are tobacco free living, preventing drug abuse and excessive alcohol use, healthy eating, active living, injury and violence-free living, reproductive and sexual health, and mental and emotional wellbeing.

The release of the NPS signals an exciting time for public health in general, and in the prevention of HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB, specifically. The NPS creates an important new strategic framework to comprehensively address the nation’s prevention priorities, including those relevant to NCHHSTP programs, across all aspects of government and society.

Of particular importance to our work together is the inclusion of "Reproductive and Sexual Health," as one of the targeted priorities of the NPS. This priority is an important step in reinforcing the importance of sexual health to one's overall health outcomes.

The NPS notes that, “healthy reproductive and sexual practices can play a critical role in enabling people to remain healthy and actively contribute to their community,” and also that, “access to quality health services and support for safe practices can improve physical and emotional well-being and reduce teen and unintended pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted diseases.”

The comprehensive set of prioritized prevention efforts for reproductive and sexual health include the following: increase use of preconception and prenatal care, provide effective sexual health education—especially for adolescents, support reproductive and sexual health services and support services for pregnant and parenting teens, and enhance early detection of HIV, viral hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections and improve linkage to care.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation looks forward to sharing more information with you about the NPS as it becomes available. To view the National Prevention Strategy, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org/additionaltopics.html.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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New HIV Cases Hit Record Number in Japan as Funds Are Cut

The number of new AIDS cases in Japan rose to a new high of 469 last year, mostly among men who have sex with men, according to last month’s report by the Health and Welfare Ministry. The 1,075 new HIV diagnoses last year were also an increase, 54 more than in 2009. A leading complaint from activists is that the government is reluctant to do much analysis with this data.

“The problem is a tendency to view the issue as a foreign one, leading to the denial of an effective national solution,” said Abbey Freu, a counselor at the grassroots AIDS Network Yokohama (ANY). “Japanese authorities release statistics based on tests, a system that creates a false sense of security because the figures are small. The result is less public awareness that has pushed HIV and AIDS to remain an underground issue.”

Though diagnoses increased, uptake of free HIV testing actually declined, from 150,000 in 2009 to 130,000 last year. Condom use has declined by about two-thirds from what it was a decade ago, experts said. The government, however, has announced it is slashing funds to HIV/AIDS organizations.

More needs to be done at the nongovernmental level, said Dr. Tsuneo Akaeda, a gynecologist and leading advocate against youth STDs/HIV. “AIDS awareness is a key prevention strategy and this can be done successfully, starting with peer counseling in schools led by teachers and parents,” Akaeda said, though this has yet to happen.

“Sex is a taboo subject in Japanese society,” said Akaeda. “Naturally, HIV testing is something people dread in this kind of society because it will lead to social ostracism.”

To work within social constraints, ANY combines its prevention information with awareness and defense against sexual predators, Freu said.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!

India Sees Cut in New HIV Cases but Battle Not Over

While new HIV infections there have declined in recent years, disease-related stigma in socially conservative India remains widespread, hampering prevention efforts and causing unnecessary suffering.

“I was working as a cook and doing well for myself, but my life changed forever in 2008 when I was found to be HIV-positive,” said one New Delhi resident. His wife and one of their three daughters also have HIV, and the youngest likely does too, but the four-month-old will have a definitive test only at 18 months.

“My wife is illiterate and we have three children to take care of,” he said, fighting back tears. “The government does take care of our medical expenses, but we need to have some source of livelihood. I don’t know when our life clock will stop ticking. I shudder to think what will happen to our children.”

Between 2001 and 2009, new HIV infections in India dropped 50 percent, according to a 2010 UNAIDS report. An estimated 2.3 million people with HIV/AIDS live in India. But stigma and lack of awareness and testing could mean many infections go undiagnosed.

“Fifty percent reduction [in new infections] is a very good figure,” said Charles Gilks, the UNAIDS coordinator in India. “The challenge now is to ensure that the progress and momentum are maintained. There should be no reduction in political commitment, otherwise the epidemic will rebound.”

First-line antiretroviral drugs have been free and widely available through India’s public health system since 2004, but second-line ARVs, while also free, are limited to just a few centers nationally. A proposed trade agreement with the European Union could affect India’s generic drug industry, driving up prices of some of the world’s cheapest AIDS medicines.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Findings Prompt More Research into Anti-HIV Gel

On Tuesday, South African and US officials announced a bilateral initiative to support a Phase III trial of a microbicide that contains the AIDS drug tenofovir.

The Technology Innovation Agency, which is licensing the African rights to the microbicide from the US research group CONRAD, plans to manufacture and distribute the product, if proved effective, with the local firm Cipla Medpro.

The confirmatory Phase III trial seeks to build on the results of a study of 900 women from two sites in KwaZulu-Natal province. That trial showed that a gel containing 1 percent tenofovir, used before and after sex, reduced HIV transmission risk by 39 percent. In addition, the microbicide halved the risk of acquiring herpes, an STD that increases vulnerability to HIV.

However, those results had a wide margin of error, and HIV protection efficacy was estimated to range from 6 percent to 60 percent, said professor Helen Rees, protocol chair of the Follow-on African Consortium for Tenofovir Studies (FACTS), which hopes to build on last year’s study and satisfy regulators of the microbicide’s safety and efficacy.

FACTS is being funded by $18 million from the US Agency for International Development and 70 million rand (US $10.2 million) from the South African Department of Science and Technology.

Pharmaceutical imports are the fifth-largest contributor to South Africa’s trade deficit, so the government is eager to see more of these goods produced domestically.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Letter Spurs Colleges to Update Rules on Sexual Misconduct

Education officials in Virginia and across the country have been given updated guidance concerning their roles in addressing sexual violence against students. An April 4 letter from the US Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office (CRO) reminds all institutions that receive federal funds - from public school districts to higher-education institutions - of their responsibilities under Title IX, which bars gender-based discrimination.

In December, the University of Virginia began a review of its policies toward sexual-misconduct offenses and proposed several changes. Under the revisions, the university would expand “sexual misconduct” to include any unwelcome sexual behavior, such as stalking, cyberstalking, recording or transmitting sexual images, voyeurism, and the “knowing transmission” of an STD. The university is taking comments on the proposed new guidelines, which it hopes to implement this summer. In response to the CRO letter, U.Va. is changing its evidentiary standard, from the current requirement of “clear and convincing evidence” to “a preponderance of the evidence.”

Officials from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Commonwealth University said recently they would make any necessary changes based on the CRO directives.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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49 Percent of 12th-Grade Students Reported Being Sexually Active: Time to Have 'The Talk?

Parents should begin talking about sexual health matters with their children from an early age, especially when they ask questions, experts say.

About 49 percent of 12th-graders are sexually active, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (NCPTUP), citing the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. However, the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth found 33 percent of female teens received no instruction about contraception before they first had sex.

“Parents should disabuse themselves of this notion that it is a one-time talk,” said Bill Albert, chief program officer for NCPTUP. “It is and should be an 18-year conversation.”

The conversations should be tailored to the child’s age, graduating from discussions about anatomy to middle-school topics about acting respectfully toward peers, said Leslie Montgomery, director of education at Planned Parenthood of Indiana.

“If your child does come to you and asks a question, the most important thing at that point is to avoid having that shocked expression on your face, and answer in a matter-of-fact tone,” Montgomery said.

Parents’ influence over children’s decisions about sex is greater than that of the youths’ peers, Albert said. Children can accept, “‘Please delay having sex; but if you do have sex, use contraception,’” he said.

Parents who believe teens should save sex for marriage should share and foster those values early, noting that contraception reduces - not eliminates - risks, said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association.

“What they need to do is give their young person enough tools to be safe,” said Dr. J. Dennis Fortenberry, pediatrics professor at Indiana University School of Medicine and an adolescent-medicine specialist.

“We need to treat sex as something different than drugs, alcohol, and other risk behaviors,” said Dr. Margaret Blythe, adolescent-medicine specialist at Riley Hospital for Children in Indiana. “It is a part of our lives, and it should be a healthy part.”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Riverside HIV Dental Care Expanding

Area health officials are making it easier for under- and uninsured Riverside County HIV/AIDS patients to access dental services. Thanks to an agreement between Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the Riverside County Public Health Department’s dental clinic in Rubidoux will provide this care through Feb. 29, 2012. About five appointments per week will be reserved for HIV patients, said Victoria Jauregui Burns, director of Riverside County’s HIV/AIDS program.

The Riverside health department will receive about $88,000 for the dental program. The money comes from a grant San Bernardino County was awarded to provide HIV/AIDS services, including dental and health care, said Burns.

The agreement means local patients can now see a dentist closer to where they live, instead of having to go to the Social Action Community Health System Clinic in San Bernardino or Desert AIDS Project (DAP) in Palm Springs. “There has not been a provider in western Riverside County,” said Burns. “There’s going to be access to dental care on this side of the county.”

DAP CEO David Brinkman said he expects the Rubidoux clinic will boost access to care. “We have about 600 patients in [dental] care. I bet there are another 600 who could use dental care,” he said. “Most of them don’t have insurance, and access to dental care is hard to come by.”

Qualifying patients must meet the program’s financial conditions. Services will be free for those earning less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level, below $2,723 per month for a one-person household. Patients with higher incomes will be charged on a sliding scale.

HIV-positive persons wishing to schedule an appointment should telephone 951-358-6037.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Short Message Service Reminder Intervention Doubles STI/HIV Retesting Rates Among MSM

In the current study, researchers evaluated the effect of a short message service (SMS) reminder system on STI retesting rates among men who have sex with men (MSM).

The SMS program began at a large Australian sexual health clinic in late 2008, offering three to six monthly reminders to HIV-negative MSM reporting high-risk sexual behavior. The authors compared HIV-negative MSM who had tested between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2010, who received SMS reminders (n=714), with both a non-SMS group that had tested in the same period (n=1,084) and a pre-SMS (n=1,753) cohort.

HIV/STD retesting rates were compared within nine months for each group. Baseline characteristics were compared, and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association of SMS with retesting rates, as well as to control for any imbalances in the study groups.

In the SMS group, 64 percent retested within nine months, compared with 30 percent of non-SMS participants (p<0.001) and 31 percent of pre-SMS patients (p<0.001). Adjusted for baseline differences, retesting was 4.4 times more likely (95 percent confidence interval 3.5 to 5.5) in the SMS group than in the non-SMS group, and 3.1 times more likely (95 percent CI 2.5 to 3.8) than in the pre-SMS group.

“SMS reminders increased HIV/STI testing among HIV-negative MSM,” concluded study authors. “SMS offers a cheap, efficient system to increase HIV/STI retesting in a busy clinical setting.”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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Jews, Muslims to Use Same Ancient Ritual Against AIDS in South Africa

South Africa is getting assistance in battling its HIV/AIDS epidemic thanks to a delegation of Jewish and Muslim mohels, who will help train health care providers in performing male circumcisions, the Israeli Ma’ariv daily reported Monday.

Male circumcision is an ancient practice in both religions. The Old Testament calls for “Brit Mila,” the Hebrew term for the procedure, on a male’s eighth day of life. In recent years, several studies have shown that male circumcision can reduce the risk of female-to-male HIV transmission by around 60 percent. Studies also show it lowers the chances of contracting some other diseases.

In 2008, eight medical organizations launched the Abraham Operation, in which physicians travel to African countries hard-hit by AIDS and teach local caregivers how to perform the procedure. Jerusalem AIDS Project is one of the groups supporting the project.

Israeli providers acquired experience in circumcising adult males following an immigration wave from the former Soviet Union during the 1990s. Many men requested the procedure in order to enter the Jewish covenant.

The new delegation will travel to South Africa in the coming months, focusing its efforts on Zulu tribe providers. Nurses and midwifes will be instructed on infant male circumcision. However, South African law currently does not allow for the procedure in infants for any reason. An upcoming conference in Durban is expected to address this hurdle and promote new legislation that will allow for infant circumcision.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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