Six Recommended Measures to Prevent Hepatitis C for Young Injection-Drug Users

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have come up with six measures to prevent hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission among injection drug users. The measures resulted from the “U Find Out” (UFO) study, a 16-year UCSF injection drug use research project funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Australian Government Department of Health and Aging.

After examining various data sources, the researchers estimated 31,000 new HCV diagnoses occurred per year and pinpointed six areas for focusing prevention efforts. Although syringe exchange has worked, the researchers found that the virus lived a long time on surfaces and could contaminate drug-injection equipment in addition to syringes. As a result, they approved of expanding needle exchanges across the country, but recommended that all needle exchanges provided clean preparation equipment as well as the usual needles and syringes. The researchers also recommended HCV screening, testing, and counseling; risk reduction through interventions targeting the social and relational environment of injecting; interventions that provided breaks from or completely ended drug use; development of models to guide new hepatitis C treatments and vaccines; and combined interventions to end HCV risk and injecting drug use.

The study also examined behaviors associated with users’ attempts to complete substance abuse programs. Although the injectors often failed the programs, the study showed that the more they tried to quit or take breaks from drugs, the higher the chances that they would succeed eventually. The researchers highlighted the value of taking breaks from drugs to reduce the risk of transmission and help end drug use, and disapproved of treatment programs that permanently banned injectors who failed as not being conducive to reducing disease exposure risks or ending the drug use.

The full report, “Injection Drug Use and Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Young Adult Injectors: Using Evidence to Inform Comprehensive Prevention,” was published in a supplement to the journal Clinical Infectious Disease (2013; 57 [Suppl 2]: S32–S38).

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.

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Class Claims Dating Sites Disclose Statuses

SuccessfulMatch.com customers have filed a class action suit against the dating Web site conglomerate for posting their HIV and STD statuses on multiple other Web sites, thus violating confidentiality promises. The suit alleges that SuccessfulMatch lured HIV- and STD-infected clients to join its PositiveSingles.com dating site by promising that the site would keep their profiles anonymous and would not share personally identifiable information. Although the PositiveSingles dating site home page emphasized customers’ privacy, the claimants charged that SuccessfulMatch shared personal information entered in the PositiveSingles.com site with thousands of other Web sites operated by SuccessfulMatch.

The suit also stated that SuccessfulMatch set up all its Web sites with identical formats and falsely promised that each Web site was “unique” and “exclusive.” Claimants charged that SuccessfulMatch designed its Web sites’ forms so that most members never saw the Terms of Service, and members could not print out the Terms of Service. Customers could obtain a copy of the Terms of Service only by personally contacting SuccessfulMatch.com and requesting it. The Terms of Service provisions gave Successful Match.com the right to share all profiles in PositiveSingles.com, gave SuccessfulMatch the rights to all information entered in the site, and gave the conglomerate permission to share the profiles.

The suit seeks class certification, restitution, declaratory judgment, a permanent injunction against the defendant’s business plan and collection of fees, and compensatory and punitive damages.

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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Durex Sponsors Sex Health Awareness Party

Last week, Durex Condoms sponsored the Durex Easy Connect Party at the Galileo Lounge in Nairobi, Kenya, as a part of their mission to encourage young people around the world to be more responsible regarding their sexual activities.

Many prominent Nairobi celebrities attended the event, which was part of the world’s largest youth-focused HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaign. According to Richard Perreira, Reckitt Benckiser country manager and event speaker, the campaign’s goal is to achieve an HIV-free generation while “revolutionizing sex-education.”

The initiative also reaches audiences through street theater and trains DJs as peer educators to relay safe sex messages through their music.

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.

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Raising Funds to Fight HIV/AIDS: Bartenders, Boxers and Briefs

Bill’s Filing Station’s annual Bartenders, Boxers and Briefs took place recently and raised close to $10,000 for Tuesday’s Angels, a local non-profit that provides assistance to financially needy individuals with HIV/AIDS.

A few hundred people showed to attend the annual event where bartenders from local bars come out to model clothing items and then auction them off to raise money.

Some of the bars that sent bartenders include Rosie’s, Alibi, Ramrod, Monkey Business, Bill’s Filing Station, Scandals, Sidelines Sports Bar, Rumors, and Boardwalk. Pride Factory provided the apparel for the bartenders.

“The most important thing about this event, is the camaraderie, which brings most of the bars in our community together for one event,” said Vice President Tuesday’s Angels Chuck Nichols. “It’s not often that an event occurs in Fort Lauderdale where you have so many participating businesses. This is a win-win situation, everything all of the money they collected goes to Tuesday’s Angels. Every dollar we get goes to our clients, there is absolutely no overhead.”

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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Hepatitis C on Rise Due to Heroin Use

New York’s Erie County attributes the sharp increase in hepatitis C cases they have recorded since 2006 to needle sharing among heroin users. Many of the cases involve teens and young adults.

Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein stated, "We found out that a lot of kids are using. They were using heroin, sharing needles." She added that many of the infected youth came into the city from the suburbs to purchase drugs, and sometimes resorted to exchanging sex for drugs if they did not have enough money.

According to the Renaissance Center, an alcohol and drug dependency treatment center, many youth turn to heroin because of the high price of prescription drugs. The center also has seen a major increase in prescription drug use among their 12–20-year-old patients, from 15 percent using to 75 percent throughout the last 15 years. "Heroin use has skyrocketed and it's not just right now; it’s been going on and we are seeing it much more with the kids. We are seeing more needle use with the kids," said program supervisor Jodie Altman.

Evergreen Health Services reported that 9,000 people currently participate in its needle exchange program. Service providers also have noted an increase in young adults from the suburbs. "Those kids are taking 10 needles out of here for four kids for the next week. That's not enough needles. So we know there is sharing going on," said Brendan Orrange, a harm prevention counselor at Evergreen.

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.

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Rapid Test Allows for Earlier Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Children

A new test called Xpert MTB/RIF detected approximately two thirds of TB cases found by the current culture test in significantly less time. Generally, a preliminary diagnosis requires the examination of a sample of lung secretions under a microscope to determine if it contains TB bacteria. In addition, a sample is sent to a laboratory to be cultured and identified; a lab culture test can take as long as six weeks to show a positive result. Children have less infectious bacteria than adults, which increases the level of difficulty in detecting the bacteria under a microscope or growing a culture.

In a study sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers in South Africa collected approximately 1,500 samples from approximately 400 children who presented at a primary care clinic with TB symptoms. Trained clinical staff with special equipment collected samples of secretions from the children’s lungs, nasal passages, or both. The researchers compared results from the Xpert MTB/RIF test with the microscope detection test and laboratory culture test. Of the 30 TB cases detected by culture, the Xpert test diagnosed 19 (63 percent) positive cases while microscopic examination only detected 4 cases (13 percent). Adding a second test with additional samples improved detection rate for both tests.

Xpert MTB/RIF results were available in an average of 24 hours compared with more than two weeks for the culture test. Results indicated that ease and timeliness of diagnosis with the Xpert MTB/RIF were important for clinics in resource-limited countries where equipment for traditional tests might not be available. The test also identified strains of TB resistant to rifampicin, which helped clinicians determine the right treatment. This is particularly important for countries where drug-resistant strains are common. The Xpert MTB/RIF test was 99-percent accurate in identifying children who did not have TB.

NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases funded the development of the Xpert MTB/RIF test and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development funded the Xpert MTB/RIF testing examined by this study.

The full report, “Rapid Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in African Children in a Primary Care Setting by Use of Xpert MTB/RIF on Respiratory Specimens: A Prospective Study,” was published online in the journal Lancet Global Health (2013; doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(13)70036-6).

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.

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Group Combats HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia with Community Conversations

Holding peer-led discussion groups in communities has contributed to a significant drop of HIV/AIDS transmission in Ethiopia. KMG-Ethiopia, a community-based advocacy organization, initiated community conversations to halt cultural practices that often lead to HIV/AIDS and other sexual health issues. According to KMG, practices such as female genital mutilation and forced marriage fuel HIV/AIDS.

According to KMG, “Young women are given away to men who are much older than themselves. Young women in these communities do not have a choice. This harmful practice violates young women’s rights to choice and freedom of association and puts them at risk of HIV and AIDS.”

By asking communities to elect peers for facilitator training, KMG said there are now 50 peer-led community conversations throughout Ethiopia that discuss basic facts about AIDS, relationship power structures, and negotiating condom use.

Ethiopia’s HIV transmission rates have dropped by 90 percent between 2001 and 2011, the largest drop in all African countries. Additionally, the country has seen a 53-percent drop in AIDS-related deaths, from 113,825 to 53, 831 people from 2005 to 2011. Due to KMG’s success, the government has recently added community conversations into its HIV/AIDS prevention strategy.

Persuading communities to let go of their traditions can be difficult, but after a trip to observe the Ethiopian community conversations, Michel Sidibé, executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, noted that during the discussion groups, people would change their opinions about taboos and misunderstandings surrounding sex, HIV, and age-old practices like arranged marriages.

Dr. Moustapha Gueye, who first developed the method, took the idea to the United Nations Development Program, which then reached out to KMG to run a trial program in Ethiopia. KMG Founder Bogaletch Gebre won the first African Development Prize, sponsored by the Belgium-based King Baudouin Foundation, for her work on this project.

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.

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'Street Challenge' Obstacle Course Brings New Energy to San Diego's Largest HIV/AIDS Fundraiser

The 24th annual AIDS Walk, Run & Street Challenge San Diego has added the Street Challenge 5K obstacle course as a new element for this year’s event, scheduled for September 29 in Balboa Park.

The obstacle course will be located at the park’s Marston Point and will feature obstacles intended to test participants’ strength, endurance, agility, and quick thinking.

The run will have three stages that will begin at 9:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 10:00 a.m., respectively. Event planners also are encouraging participants to wear costumes, which obstacle course judges will rate. Judges will select one individual and one team to receive the “Best Dressed” trophy.

The fundraiser, a program of the San Diego LGBT Community Center, is San Diego’s largest one-day HIV/AIDS fundraiser and raised approximately $400,000 for 10 local agencies last year.

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.

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New Peer-Led Intervention Helps Individuals with HIV Adhere to Their Treatment Plans

HIV-infected persons who have peer educators are more likely to adhere to their medical treatment plans, according to researcher Maithe Enriquez, associate professor at the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing. Adhering to medication regimens allows HIV-infected individuals to live long, healthy lives, but previous studies indicated that only half get medical care or follow their treatment plans.

“Being ‘peered’ is different from being doctored, nursed or counseled,” Enriquez said. “The peer educators in the intervention also have HIV, which gives them insider perspectives. Perhaps, the belief that only those living with HIV can truly understand what it’s like to live with the disease contributes to the meaningful connections between the educators and the patients struggling to adhere to treatment.”

Enriquez evaluated 15 peer educators’ insights into their roles in patients’ treatment progress. She found that peer educators felt they provided patients with more than just education about medical adherence; they also acted as role models, motivators, and advocates. Peer educators worked with the patients to recognize and overcome barriers that prevent them from taking medicines and going to medical appointments. The peers and patients set goals and develop strategies to help the patients defeat their challenges.

Enriquez believes peer-led interventions potentially can enhance HIV care and HIV-related health outcomes. “The encouraging thing about HIV care is that patients can remain healthy if they are engaged in their care, and their viral loads decrease, which makes them less likely to spread the virus to others,” Enriquez said. “Adherence to care and engagement in care go hand in hand. Having HIV is not a death sentence if patients follow their treatment plans.”

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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AIDS United Receives $25,000 Grant from Walgreens

Walgreens Pharmacy has selected AIDS United as its “charity of choice” to receive a $25,000 contribution from United Healthcare. Walgreens recently received United Healthcare’s third annual “Shining Light: Leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility” Award, which included the $25,000 donation to be given to the recipient’s charity of choice.

United Healthcare selected Walgreens for its “HIV Centers of Excellence” program, which created more than 700 HIV-specialized pharmacies that brought together patients, healthcare providers, communities, and health departments across the United States and Puerto Rico.

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.

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Two Upcoming Events in Lexington Will Offer Education About HIV/AIDS Prevention

Lexington, Ky., has noted a startling increase in both heroin use and new HIV cases. According to Hope Center’s HIV Project Director Amber Cronen, the rise in reported HIV cases was due to an increase in intravenous drug use in the area.

Hope Center offers shelter and recovery programs for homeless and addicted men and provides risk assessments, prevention counseling, and free HIV testing, made possible by a five-year federal grant.

To help remind people of the dangers of HIV infection, center representatives and volunteers will be available on August 3 at the 13th annual Family Fun Resource Fair at Shiloh Baptist Church at 237 E. Fifth Street in Lexington. Staff will provide information about HIV/AIDS and prevention as well as health screenings from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The center also will sponsor “Hope in the City” on August 18 in Douglass Park from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at 726 Georgetown Street in Lexington.

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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Natividad Says Surgical Scopes Might Not Have Been Properly Cleaned, Offers Free HIV and Hepatitis Tests

Officials at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, Calif., reported that a routine safety audit revealed inconsistent documentation by staff of equipment disinfection during an 18-month period. Although staff might have properly cleaned the center’s flexible endoscopes throughout this time period, the hospital lacked proper supporting documentation and, therefore, has opted to take extra precautions. Officials have notified 897 patients that they might have been exposed to infections during endoscopies of the colon, upper gastrointestinal tract, and lungs on the days under investigation. Additionally, the hospital has offered these patients free HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C testing. So far, no one has tested positive for infection.

The hospital also reported the matter to state and federal health officials and has retrained staff in response to state direction. Chief Medical Officer Gary Gray commented that the risk of infection was very low. The hospital set up a call center to respond to patients’ questions. Patients may call (831) 772–7899 Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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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OraSure Founders Reunite for New Project

Two founders of Bethlehem, Pa.-based OraSure Technologies, maker of the OraQuick HIV test, will work together to create a TB test. In 1988, Sam Niedbala and Mike Gausling partnered with two other friends to form what would become OraSure.

Niedbala's new company, TB Biosciences, recently announced it received $1.5 million from a group of investors led by Originate Ventures, the venture capital fund co-founded by Gausling. TB Biosciences is working on a means of diagnosing the disease using antibodies found in the blood of patients with active TB. Niedbala believes that developing an improved TB test is part of the larger fight against HIV because so many HIV-positive individuals actually died of TB.

According to TB Biosciences, preliminary trials indicated a 90-percent accuracy rate for the company’s technology, which the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine has developed throughout the past two decades. "This would be a major breakthrough in tuberculosis testing and could go a long way to saving many lives each year," said Frank Rimalovski, executive director of the NYU Innovation Venture Fund.

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.

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At Least 1,400 Students, Staff at Lee High Should Get TB Tests, Health Officials Say

Fairfax County, Va., public health officials will offer free TB screening beginning August 3 to all 1,400 faculty, staff, and students of Lee High School, in response to public concern regarding recently diagnosed TB cases. Last spring, three Lee High students tested positive for active TB. In June, the Fairfax County Health Department asked 400 students and 30 staff members who had been in close contact with the TB-infected students to undergo TB testing. Approximately one week later, the health department expanded testing to 60 additional possible contacts from other Fairfax County schools. The screening identified an undisclosed number of additional latent TB cases—a noncontagious form of the bacterial infection—that could progress to active TB if left untreated. The department has tested close to 300 people since the outbreak.

Typically, approximately 1 percent of US-born residents would test positive for latent TB; approximately 5 percent of the recently tested US-born Lee High group received a positive test result, according to Fairfax County Health Director Gloria Addo-Ayensu. Spokesperson Glen Barbour stated that incidence among the foreign-born Lee High group tested for TB was comparable to the worldwide TB rate, which ranged from 5 to 33 percent. Jane Moore, director of TB control and prevention for the Virginia Department of Health, reported that Virginia health departments investigate 5–10 TB cases in schools annually. One-third of Virginia’s TB cases in 2012 occurred in Fairfax County. Northern Virginia, home to a diverse immigrant population and many US residents who work internationally, accounted for more than half of all Virginia TB cases.

The Fairfax County Health Department scheduled the August 3 testing for all Lee High students, staff, and faculty to alleviate community concern and to identify all TB cases before school reconvened on September 3.

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.

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Mold Toxins Tied to AIDS Epidemic

A new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and colleagues has examined the impact of aflatoxins on the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Aflatoxins are poisons produced by aspergillus fungi that can be found on damp grains, nuts, and beans, usually in hot humid climates. Federal law limits the allowable amount of these highly dangerous toxins in food to 20 parts per billion. High doses of aflatoxins can be deadly; exposure even to low doses could cause liver cancer. Aflatoxins also have been found to be immunosuppressive, possibly causing increased immunosuppression in HIV-positive individuals.

Because African countries rely heavily on several crops that develop aspergillus, researchers investigated the association between aflatoxins and HIV. They measured the blood levels of aflatoxins and the disease in 314 HIV-positive Ghanaians who had never been on antiretroviral therapy. Results showed that higher aflotoxin levels in participants’ blood often coincided with higher HIV blood levels, even for individuals with high levels of CD4 blood cells. These participants with high CD4 blood cells had not been infected long and were not eligible to begin antiretroviral therapy, under World Health Organization guidelines. Researchers believed that aflatoxins either produced proteins that contributed to HIV reproduction or reduced the number of white blood cells in some way, making the virus’s attack on the immune system more powerful.

The full report, “Association Between High Aflatoxin B1 Levels and High Viral Load in HIV-Positive People,” was published online in the World Mycotoxin Journal (2013; doi 10.3920/WMJ2013.1585).

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.

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East Asian Students Less Sexually Active but Sexually Risky, UBC Study Shows

A new study by the University of British Columbia (BC) School of Nursing found that language barriers might be putting the sexual health of some new Canadians at risk. According to Yuko Homma, a post-doctoral fellow and the study’s lead author, East Asian high school students in this province were less likely to be sexually active, but those who were active engaged in riskier sexual behavior. Study authors suggested that language and cultural barriers might be preventing parents from speaking frankly with their children about sex.

“In BC, there is a growing population of East Asians, particularly Chinese and Koreans. East Asian student health impacts general Canadian health,” said Homma. She would like to see more culturally appropriate sex education taught in both English and the students’ first language. The province’s Ministry of Education mandates sex education as part of its health and career education curriculum.

While research indicated that sexual activity had become more common among North American adolescents, only 10 percent of East Asian adolescents in BC reported having sexual intercourse. However, seven out of 10 sexually active East Asian youth reported high-risk behavior, according to the study. The report used 2008 data from the provincial Adolescent Health Survey and responses from nearly 30,000 students in grades 7–10 from China, Korea, and Japan. The majority of these students are first-generation immigrants. More than half of respondents spoke their native language at home, which researchers noted might indicate closer ties to more traditionally conservative cultures. “I hate to make generalizations,” said Kristen Gilbert, a senior educator at Options for Sexual Health agency, “but it’s common for me to have Asian students in the class who are surprised by the information, even basic reproductive biology.”

According to Saleema Noon, an independent Vancouver-based sex educator, “I think it comes down to religion and culture ... Most of us didn’t learn much from our own parents, and we live in a culture that’s so much more sexually open than Asia.” She continued that, in an “ideal world,” schools would translate educational material into several languages and send it home to parents as well. Sex remained a taboo topic for many families, but Noon noted that attitudes were slowly changing.

The full study, “Sexual Health and Risk Behavior Among East Asian Adolescents in British Columbia,” was published online in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality (2013; doi:10.3138/cjhs.927).

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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Drug to Treat HIV/AIDS Side Effect Mired in Lawsuit

Napo Pharmaceuticals has filed a lawsuit against Salix Pharmaceuticals that has delayed availability of the drug Fulyzaq, which the two firms partnered in 2008 to develop. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Fulyzaq in 2012 for the prevention of “excessive” diarrhea, a common side effect of HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Salix announced in May that the company was working with FDA to expedite Fulyzaq distribution, and stated in June that the drug was available from Walgreens Specialty Pharmacies. However, many doctors treating HIV-infected people reported that their patients were unable to obtain Fulyzaq at Walgreens or any other pharmacy, according to Napo’s legal representative.

Until the legal issues are settled, patients with excessive gastrointestinal adverse reactions to ART will continue to suffer. One such individual is a Washington, DC, resident who reported that he has lived with HIV since the 1980s. He noted that ART successfully reduced his viral load to virtually undetectable levels, but he still had “severe intestinal and bowel issues” because of his drug regimen.

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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Thousands Join AIDS Walk in Golden Gate Park

More than 25,000 participants raised over $2.5 million in the 10-kilometer AIDS Walk San Francisco on July 21. More than 700 teams participated and Gap Inc., a top fundraising team, raised over $70,000.

Since the walk began 26 years ago, it has raised $80 million. The walk benefits the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which distributes funds among Bay Area groups that provide services such as free HIV screenings, sterile needle exchange, and healthcare for people with HIV/AIDS.

A Kaiser Family Foundation 2013 report indicated that in 2011, California reported more HIV diagnoses than any other state and that HIV infection among gay and bisexual men was still increasing nationally.

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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Solano AIDS Coalition to Hold HIV/AIDS Events Saturdays in Downtown Vallejo

Each Saturday morning through November from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, volunteers from the Solano AIDS Coalition will be available in downtown Vallejo, Calif., at Sacramento and Georgia Streets to help individuals make quilt squares in memory of loved ones lost to HIV/AIDS.

According to Quilt Project Event Organizer Isabel James, individuals can create a quilt square at the booth or take a square home, decorate it, and bring it back. Individuals also can request that volunteer artists make a quilt square for them in honor of a loved one.

The coalition is seeking volunteers as well as donations for the quilt project, including all supplies needed to create the squares. Project volunteers will assemble the squares into a quilt that will be displayed and may become part of The Names Project–AIDS Memorial Quilt.

For further information, contact Solano AIDS Coalition Director Maria Saucedo at (707) 450–5861.

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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$30,000/Year to Treat 1 California Prisoner with HIV/AIDS

The California Assembly currently is considering a bill that would allow prisoners to have condoms in their cells. California Health Care Services said that the cost to treat one patient for HIV/AIDS is nearly $30,000 per year, not including the cost of staff, diagnostic studies, and other expenses.

A pilot study undertaken at Solano State Prison from November 2008 to 2009 examined whether it was more inexpensive to provide inmates with condoms versus the cost of providing treatment to inmates with HIV/AIDS. It cost $.65 per condom, or approximately $220,000 to provide inmates at all 33 prisons with condoms.

According to Joyce Hayhoe, director of legislation and communications for California Health Care Services, the condom program would pay for itself by preventing just three cases of HIV/AIDS. Opponents argue that taxpayers should not pay for condoms so that inmates can have sex behind bars, especially since it is illegal for them to engage in intercourse. Currently, the California prison system is treating 1,055 inmates for HIV/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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Sacramento County One of State's Hotbeds for Sexually Transmitted Diseases

In 2012, Sacramento County registered the third highest gonorrhea rate among California’s 58 counties, and the fourth highest chlamydia and syphilis rates. The county also reported approximately 10,000 STD cases. State officials explained that new cases have increased since 2008 due to budget cuts that reduced their ability to track STD sources, thus affecting their prevention efforts. Also, they believed that smartphones were making it easier for young people to meet and have sex.

State data indicate that Sacramento County’s chlamydia rates increased by 27 percent and its gonorrhea rates increased by 8 percent from 2008 to 2011; syphilis rates increased by 16 percent from 2010 to 2011. Youth ages 15–29 have been hardest hit. According to Dr. Miriam Shipp, Sacramento County’s STD controller, the crisis was statewide, nationwide, and even international. Nearby El Dorado, Placer, and Yolo counties also had increases of the same three diseases in 2012, but their totals were significantly lower than Sacramento’s.

The public health department has planned a prevention campaign to provide free STD test kits to women younger than 25 who request them. The department will mail the test to a residence and allow the recipient to check for the results on the Internet. The county also provides free condoms by mail when it receives requests via www.teensource.org. However, none of these efforts has reduced STD rates.

Dr. Cassius Lockett, Sacramento County’s chief epidemiologist, noted that STDs generally affected individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, those who do not use condoms consistently, and individuals living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. He mentioned that African Americans were four times more likely than whites to contract chlamydia and that the disease most affected young African-American women. State officials traced the prevalence of STDs in the county by ZIP code, ethnicity, age, and gender; results showed higher figures in south Sacramento, Oak Park, Florin, and Del Paso Heights. When Lockett mapped clinic locations that screened and treated STDs, he found most of these clinics downtown, where there are fewer STD cases.

According to Raquel Simental, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood, Sacramento had no state- or federally funded STD prevention program. Planned Parenthood runs an education program in schools to teach the dangers of unsafe sex, and will go to any classroom that welcomes them, but Simental noted that more needs to be done to reach sexually active youth.

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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Multiple Risky Behaviors Commonly Occur Among People with HIV

Data collected from the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems study cohort found that substance use, unprotected sex, and nonadherence to medication regimens were common among HIV-positive people receiving care. The study evaluated substance use behaviors and health consequences among people with HIV. Researchers found that substance use increased high-risk behaviors as well as decreased complete adherence to medication treatments, and concluded that prevention programs need to address these issues.

These conditions could harm current healthcare strategies because of “the assumption that if more HIV-infected people are tested and enrolled in care, treatment will decrease the community viral load,” said Matthew J. Mimiaga, ScD, MPH, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of the study. “Our results support regular screening for [drug use] in primary care settings where HIV-infected patients are treated. Specifically, they support US Public Health Service guidelines that focus on the need for comprehensive HIV-related care that incorporates screening for substance use and mental health as well as referrals to [medical] services.”

The study included 3,413 patients from four cities. The participants comprised 84-percent men and 46.2-percent from minority racial/ethnic groups. Although 76.7 percent of the patients were receiving HIV medication at the time of the study, only 30.6 percent were fully adhering to their regimens. More than one-third of the group reported engaging in anal sex in the past six months, and more than half of these reported engaging in unprotected sex. Of the 19 percent of patients who reported engaging in vaginal sex in the previous six months, 46 percent reported engaging in unprotected sex.

The full report, “Substance Use Among HIV-Infected Patients Engaged in Primary Care in the United States: Findings From the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems Cohort,” was published online in the American Journal of Public Health,” (2013; doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.301162).

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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Thailand's MSM Face Alarming HIV Rates

Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that HIV prevalence among Thai men who have sex with men (MSM) increased from 17 percent in 2003 to 29 percent in 2011, based on a survey of 4,800 MSM clients tested for HIV at Bangkok’s Silom Community Clinic between 2005 and 2011. The study estimated a 12-percent HIV infection rate among MSM ages 15 to 21. Fewer than 43 percent of MSM study participants reported ever having previous HIV screening. Thailand’s National AIDS Management Centre estimated that 41 percent of all new HIV cases in 2012 occurred among MSM.

As a result, the Thai government has begun to redirect HIV prevention funding. In 2009, only 1 percent of Thai government HIV prevention resources targeted MSM, compared with 8 percent in 2011, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS. However, external donors still funded more than 90 percent of HIV prevention activities, with nongovernmental and community-based groups implementing most programs among high-risk groups. The Thai government also was considering the use of antiretroviral therapy for pre-exposure prophylaxis with high-risk groups.

HIV Foundation Thailand President Nikorn Chimkong reported that casual sex Web sites and gay nightlife venues fostered the HIV epidemic among young Thai MSM. Outreach programs could provide counseling and condoms at party venues, but it was difficult to reach the target population with behavior change messages through social media, according to Alex Duke, program manager at Population Services International Thailand (PSI). PSI was developing ways to complement peer-based interventions with social media and Web sites.

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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Facing Sequestration, Senate Appropriates Funding for HIV

Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 sequestration and budget cuts threatened HIV research, prevention, and care even though lower HIV funding would result in “small deficit reduction benefits,” according to Kali Lindsey, director of legislative and public affairs for the National Minority AIDS Council. amfAR: The Foundation for AIDS Research estimated that sequestration would eliminate AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) funding for more than 15,000 HIV-infected people, cause loss of housing for 5,000 households, eliminate 460 research grants, and cut HIV prevention services. Funding cuts for CDC’s HIV prevention programs would total $64.7 million, with $27.6 million less for HIV prevention and $2.4 million less for HIV adolescent and school health programs. The AIDS Institute estimated that sequestration and budget cuts have reduced federal government domestic HIV/AIDS spending by $375 million.

In response to ADAP funding shortfalls, the Obama Administration transferred $35 million in emergency funding to cover medications for HIV patients in 2013. On July 11, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies passed an FY14 spending bill that would increase Ryan White HIV/AIDS program spending by $51 million more than FY13 levels, provide an additional $47 million for ADAP, increase National Institutes of Health research funding, and maintain CDC HIV prevention funding at $755 million. Only four percent of domestic HIV spending targeted prevention.

In contrast, the US House of Representative’s budget recommended an additional $1.1 billion in funding cuts for domestic HIV/AIDS response. It was not clear how the Senate and House of Representatives would resolve the difference in their budget reduction approaches.

HIV advocates outlined research breakthroughs that would not have been possible without federal funding: progress in HIV vaccines, pre-exposure prophylaxis, development of microbicides, treatment as prevention, prevention of vertical transmission, and research into voluntary circumcision for prevention. In 2012, the United States supplied 70 percent of HIV prevention research worldwide.

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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Youths Take Free HIV Test in Public in NN

TeenAIDS-Peer Corps Founder John Chittick, recently set up impromptu HIV test centers using OraQuick kits in two locations in Newport News, Va.

At City Center, one participant allowed Chittick’s HIV prevention advocacy group to videotape her test; another participant requested anonymity.

TeenAIDS offers testing to anyone in the target age group of 24 and younger who wants it. The group provides information on how to find confirmatory testing and counseling to anyone who tests positive.

Chittick also explained that his group would not record any test that was “starting to go positive,” but he would take aside any such individual for private consultation. When notified that they were on private property at City Center, the group asked to complete the test in progress and then moved on to the Doris Miller Center, their second site.

Chittick’s methods of public testing and videotaping have caused concern in some cities, but so far no one has charged him with doing anything illegal.

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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HPV Vaccine Found to Help with Cancers of Throat

Study results indicate that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that prevents women from acquiring the strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer also seems to protect them from throat cancer caused by HPV infection acquired during oral sex. At present, HPV causes approximately 70 percent of oropharyngeal cancers, compared with 16 percent in the 1980s.

Researchers studied 5,840 sexually active 18–25-year-old Costa Rican women who had received either the HPV vaccine Cervarix or placebo. At the end of four years, each participant provided a mouthwash gargle sample that collected throat cells. Results showed that only one participant who had received the HPV vaccine was infected with the HPV-16 or HPV-18 viruses that cause cancer, while 15 women who had received placebo vaccine were infected.

Dr. Rolando Herrero, head of prevention for the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and the lead author, listed the limitations of the study, including the absence of men from the study and the fact that participating women were given baseline tests to make sure they had no cervical infections but were not tested for throat or anal infections because the study’s initial focus was cervical cancer. Additionally, researchers collected only one oral sample, so they did not know if any participants had persistent infections; and some people clear HPV on their own, so only a small number might lead to cancer. Herrero also noted that four years was not long enough to know how many cancers would develop. Researchers would have to wait 20 years or more to know for sure, but ethical guidelines required that all participants get regular examinations and that their physicians destroy any suspicious lesions before they turn cancerous. Herrero surmised that men would get the same protection from an HPV vaccination as the women because the vaccine produces identical antibody levels in both sexes.

Dr. Marshall R. Posner, medical director for head and neck cancer at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, commented that the large discrepancy in infection rates between the control group and the vaccinated participants suggested the data were very reliable; however, he noted that no one knew the length of the vaccine’s protection or if re-vaccination was necessary.

The full report, “Reduced Prevalence of Oral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) 4 Years After Bivalent HPV Vaccination in a Randomized Clinical Trial in Costa Rica,” was published in the journal PLOS One (2013; doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0068329) .

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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Bill to Lift Ban on HIV Organ Donation Passes House Committee

The US House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee has approved H.R. 698, the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, which—if approved by the full House—would lift a ban on HIV-infected organ donation to HIV-infected recipients. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) sponsored the bill, which the US Senate passed in June.

If the HOPE Act becomes law, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Organ Procurement Transplant Network (OPTN) would develop and implement research standards for HIV-infected organ transplants. If research established that positive-to-positive transplantation did not endanger the safety of the organ transplantation network, the HHS Secretary would be able to permit the transplants. The bill also would require the Secretary to direct OPTN to develop positive-to-positive transplantation standards that would sustain the organ transplant network’s safety.

Implementation of the HOPE Act could shorten transplantation wait times for both HIV-infected and uninfected people. More than 100,000 US residents currently are waiting for transplants; each year 50,000 more applicants join the waiting list. Positive-to-positive transplantation could save approximately 1,000 HIV-infected people waiting for liver and kidney transplants each year.

In 2011, CDC recommended research on positive-to-positive transplantation. The bill also has the support of the United Network for Organ Sharing and more than 40 other patient and medical advocacy organizations.

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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Condom Use in Accra High – GNA Survey

Patronage of condoms in Accra and its environs increases dramatically during the weekends and festive periods as compared to week days.

A survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency on the usage of condoms indicated that the recent hype that the product provides safety against sexually transmitted diseases had change the negative perception about its usage.

The survey revealed that patronage in the past was low as the use of condom was considered as immoral because it promoted sexual promiscuity.

However, the perception has changed due to recent publicity that focuses on the safety that condoms provide to users.

The survey uncovered different brands of condoms, including; Durex, Pleasure, Tiger, Contempo, Rough Ridder, Romantic, Champion, Inno, Kiss, Ghanzi, Fiesta, Cheers, Cobra, Protector Gold, Hitman, Gold Circle, Move, Guard, Man United, Chelsea, Pleasure Guard, Be Safe, Barcelona, Preventive and Adanzi.

The prices of condoms on the market ranges from Gh₵0.30 to Gh₵20.00 per pack at most of the shops GNA visited.

At the Jinlet Pharmacy at Tesano, Mrs Vincentia Aberful, told the GNA that: “due to the high publicity on the usage of condoms for safe sex and protection, customers boldly come to buy the product these days”.

She said the price of the condoms was based on the quality, texture and brand names, adding the purchases were based on customer’s financial situation, satisfaction required and other personal experiences.

Mrs Aberful appealed to pharmacists to educate customers on proper usage of condoms to help to reduce unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases”.

Mrs Beatrice Assanful at the Avenue Chemist noted that there were a few people who “still feel shy when they come to the store to buy condoms, especially when the one attending to them is a female. They prefer to buy from male pharmacist”.

At the Tesano Shell Station Mart, Miss Riclla Nyame, said the demand for condoms goes up during Valentine, Christmas and public holidays.

“My customers mostly purchase Rough Ridder and Kiss because of the publicity and affordability”, she said.

At Adabraka, Ms Lawrencia Acquaye a pharmacist at the Accra Chemist, said: “condoms are highly patronized by both the young and old. People walk in to buy irrespective of who is at the counter.

She said: “At times some women even walk in to buy….everyday is a market day for the sale of condoms, but weekends are special”.

GNA survey also revealed that the female condoms are not in the market due to low patronage when Ms Acquaye said: “I sell male condoms because the female condoms are not well patronized and they are no more in the system”.

Madam Grace Corpson, a pharmacist at the Frontline Pharmacy at Adabraka, said champion condoms, popularly known as CD, is the lowest priced condom on the market.

Ms Evelyn Larbi, also at Frontline Pharmacy explained that most people prefer the male condoms to the female ones “so we have stopped selling the female condoms”.

Ms Irene Inkoom, a pharmacist at Pardox Pharmacy at Adjie Kojo Klagon in the Tema municipality, said: “We have stopped selling female condoms here because people don’t buy them and it is very difficult for us to get on the market these days”.

Mr Michael Mensah, a pharmacist and owner of ST. Michael Herbal and Diagnostic Center, said: “even ladies who occasionally come here to buy male condoms don’t buy the female condoms, so I have stopped selling them’’.

Sometimes some customers feel shy so they write the name of the type of condoms they want to buy on a paper and send children to buy for them. All the same the condom business is doing well.”

GNA also visited the La Road Total Filling Station Mart, La Goil Filling Station, Mokat Chemist, and Dayden Pharmacy.

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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