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Many poor HIV/AIDS patients in Kenya are struggling with food security issues that threaten their health, experts say. Annual inflation in Kenya is about 20 percent, and wages have not kept pace. Staple food prices in 2011 were almost twice their 2009 levels, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported.
Kenyan patients say antiretroviral therapy can cause nausea, fatigue, and diarrhea at first, especially if the pills are taken without food, said Kate Greenaway, a nutritionist with Catholic Relief Services. At a CRS clinic in the Mathare slum, some patients are delaying treatment, and about a quarter of the 1,555 patients on therapy are skipping doses, said Valerian Kamito, a clinic nurse.
“They say they cannot take them on an empty stomach,” Kamito said. Before food prices rose, “it was very rare,” he said.
The clinic gives 400 of its patients food so they can continue treatment, but most take the meals home to share with their families, says Kamito. The program’s waiting list is long, and the financial crisis means there is no money to expand it. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria has no funding for new or expanded programs until 2014.
About 20 percent to 30 percent of HIV patients in developing countries will drop out in the first two years of treatment, said Nils Grede, deputy chief of the World Food Program’s nutrition and HIV/AIDS unit.
“Barriers to continue the treatment ... are often related to poverty,” Grede said. “You don’t have the money to pay for the bus, you don’t have enough food, so you spend your time on trying to make sure that your family eats.”
“People adhere much better to drug regimens when there is food,” Greenaway said. “But in poor families, that might mean mothers who want to stay strong have to decide whether to take something from their children’s plates.”
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!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
British Columbia: Aggressive Strategy Lowers the Number of New HIV Cases and AIDS Deaths
Science Magazine named as last year’s scientific “Breakthrough of the Year” an international study showing that early initiation of HIV treatment greatly reduced the risk of onward transmission. In British Columbia, where researchers pioneered the treatment-as-prevention strategy, new HIV/AIDS cases are continuing to decline, recent data show.
“We’re particularly pleased to see our treatment-as-prevention strategy has taken off big-time,” said Dr. Julio S.G. Montaner, director of the British Columbia Center for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, which helped develop the approach. The province searched aggressively for at-risk populations, encouraging HIV testing among them and early treatment for those infected. Vancouver also supports a supervised injection center where drug users can receive medical care and testing.
Testing is increasing, so the decline in new cases is not due to fewer tests; also, syphilis rates are stable, suggesting condom use has not increased, Montaner said. The lack of donor support for treatment-as-prevention in poor countries with extensive epidemics is frustrating, he added.
The study referenced by Science involved a clinical trial of 1,763 serodiscordant couples on four continents. It found the early initiation of antiretroviral therapy reduced by 96 percent the chance of an infected partner passing on the virus.
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!
“We’re particularly pleased to see our treatment-as-prevention strategy has taken off big-time,” said Dr. Julio S.G. Montaner, director of the British Columbia Center for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, which helped develop the approach. The province searched aggressively for at-risk populations, encouraging HIV testing among them and early treatment for those infected. Vancouver also supports a supervised injection center where drug users can receive medical care and testing.
Testing is increasing, so the decline in new cases is not due to fewer tests; also, syphilis rates are stable, suggesting condom use has not increased, Montaner said. The lack of donor support for treatment-as-prevention in poor countries with extensive epidemics is frustrating, he added.
The study referenced by Science involved a clinical trial of 1,763 serodiscordant couples on four continents. It found the early initiation of antiretroviral therapy reduced by 96 percent the chance of an infected partner passing on the virus.
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!
Georgia State Cutting HIV Prevention Staff
Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH) has informed 20 employees in health districts across the state they will likely lose their jobs at the end of the month, as nearly $4 million in federal HIV prevention funds will shift to metropolitan Atlanta.
CDC is strategically focusing prevention efforts on major urban areas with concentrated HIV epidemics. In 2009, of the more than 40,000 Georgian living with HIV/AIDS, two-thirds were in metro Atlanta.
But Patrick O’Neal, director of the health protection division of GDPH, and other health officials are worried the move will hurt the state.
“When we have cuts like this, there seems to always be a somewhat disproportionate impact on those rural areas and that really troubles us,” said O’Neal, noting that two nurses whose jobs may be cut also monitor other infectious diseases in their districts. “Eliminating those positions not only is going to be a real problem in terms of HIV prevention efforts, but it also is going to pose a real challenge to the district to identify outbreaks of anything else that may be occurring.”
At least one staffer has been transferred to a job focusing on STD prevention, and officials are trying to save other jobs as well, O’Neal 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!
CDC is strategically focusing prevention efforts on major urban areas with concentrated HIV epidemics. In 2009, of the more than 40,000 Georgian living with HIV/AIDS, two-thirds were in metro Atlanta.
But Patrick O’Neal, director of the health protection division of GDPH, and other health officials are worried the move will hurt the state.
“When we have cuts like this, there seems to always be a somewhat disproportionate impact on those rural areas and that really troubles us,” said O’Neal, noting that two nurses whose jobs may be cut also monitor other infectious diseases in their districts. “Eliminating those positions not only is going to be a real problem in terms of HIV prevention efforts, but it also is going to pose a real challenge to the district to identify outbreaks of anything else that may be occurring.”
At least one staffer has been transferred to a job focusing on STD prevention, and officials are trying to save other jobs as well, O’Neal 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!
Louisiana ADAP Waiting List, Wait Longer
In the last six months, 2,682 low-income HIV-positive Louisiana residents have received help accessing their medications through the state AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Thanks in part to an infusion of $3 million in federal funds, the state has moved 936 people from the waiting list into ADAP during the past 16 months. However, as of Dec. 21, 596 state residents were still waiting for ADAP’s help, according to the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD).
“It’s a really big problem,” said Tim Young, executive director of the Baton Rouge-based HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two. Indeed, according to NASTAD, only three other states - Florida, Virginia, and Georgia - have longer ADAP waiting lists than Louisiana.
DeAnn Gruber, administrative director of the Louisiana Office of Public Health STD/HIV Program, said the state created its ADAP waiting list in June 2010, when it became clear there was not enough money to care for current clients and enroll new ones. At one time, more than 2,000 people were waiting for help.
Gruber said many people on the list get help from pharmaceutical companies’ charity programs, though she acknowledged this is not a long-term solution. Young believes, however, that “some go without.”
Gruber said she hopes the state will be able to move more patients from the waiting list into ADAP in the new 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. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
“It’s a really big problem,” said Tim Young, executive director of the Baton Rouge-based HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two. Indeed, according to NASTAD, only three other states - Florida, Virginia, and Georgia - have longer ADAP waiting lists than Louisiana.
DeAnn Gruber, administrative director of the Louisiana Office of Public Health STD/HIV Program, said the state created its ADAP waiting list in June 2010, when it became clear there was not enough money to care for current clients and enroll new ones. At one time, more than 2,000 people were waiting for help.
Gruber said many people on the list get help from pharmaceutical companies’ charity programs, though she acknowledged this is not a long-term solution. Young believes, however, that “some go without.”
Gruber said she hopes the state will be able to move more patients from the waiting list into ADAP in the new 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. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Activists Collect Ballot Signatures for Condom Measure
Today in front of the Van Nuys office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will kick off a petition drive asking county voters to mandate condom use in the pornography industry.
The ballot measure would “require producers of adult films to obtain a public health permit from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and pay a permit fee” to fund enforcement; it is modeled after health permit requirements for tattoo shops, massage parlors, and bathhouses. AHF qualified a similar measure for the city’s June ballot; however, it faces a legal challenge.
AHF President Michael Weinstein said the county Board of Supervisors has “steadfastly refused” to protect porn performers by taking action against producers who do not use condoms in filming. “The county has a primary responsibility of protecting the public health,” he said. “So we will take it to the voters.”
Yaroslavsky’s district includes the San Fernando Valley, home to the multibillion-dollar porn industry. Last February, the supervisor said the state, not the county, is responsible for acting to protect adult film performers. If law enforcement is empowered to conduct sting operations, “all you’ve got to do is make one or two arrests and the rest of the ... industry will understand pretty quickly that there’s a risk.”
But Weinstein pointed out the county’s role in protecting workers from other occupational health hazards. He noted fire departments supervise film crews using pyrotechnics, and workers building skyscrapers are required to wear safety harnesses.
To qualify for the November 2012 election, more than 200,000 signatures will be needed by June 5.
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 ballot measure would “require producers of adult films to obtain a public health permit from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and pay a permit fee” to fund enforcement; it is modeled after health permit requirements for tattoo shops, massage parlors, and bathhouses. AHF qualified a similar measure for the city’s June ballot; however, it faces a legal challenge.
AHF President Michael Weinstein said the county Board of Supervisors has “steadfastly refused” to protect porn performers by taking action against producers who do not use condoms in filming. “The county has a primary responsibility of protecting the public health,” he said. “So we will take it to the voters.”
Yaroslavsky’s district includes the San Fernando Valley, home to the multibillion-dollar porn industry. Last February, the supervisor said the state, not the county, is responsible for acting to protect adult film performers. If law enforcement is empowered to conduct sting operations, “all you’ve got to do is make one or two arrests and the rest of the ... industry will understand pretty quickly that there’s a risk.”
But Weinstein pointed out the county’s role in protecting workers from other occupational health hazards. He noted fire departments supervise film crews using pyrotechnics, and workers building skyscrapers are required to wear safety harnesses.
To qualify for the November 2012 election, more than 200,000 signatures will be needed by June 5.
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!
Young Women's Use of Reproductive Health Services Declines
A new study shows a decline in reproductive health care use among US females ages 15-24 in recent years.
The researchers, led by Kelli Stidham Hall of Princeton University’s Office of Population Research, examined data on 4,421 young female participants in the National Survey of Family Growth. The team found an 8 percent drop in the women’s reports of Pap tests, screenings for STDs and pregnancy, and other OB-GYN services from 2002 to 2006-08. By comparison, reproductive health care use among young women increased between 1995 and 2002, the team noted.
While declines were seen among all demographic and socioeconomic groups, economically disadvantaged women were the least likely to have received care. Factors that may have contributed to the downturn in use include: a reduction in public-sector clinics serving low-income women; increasing unemployment and decreasing rates of health insurance coverage; changes to screening guidelines that call for fewer Pap tests; and legislation that has increased mandatory parental participation in adolescent sexual and reproductive health care.
“Our findings may be a reflection of changing social, economic, and political contexts in which reproductive services were needed and provided over the last decade,” wrote the team.
“Determinants of and Disparities in Reproductive Health Service Use Among Adolescent and Young Adult Women in the United States, 2002-2008,” was published online ahead of print in the American Journal of Public Health (2011;doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300380).
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 researchers, led by Kelli Stidham Hall of Princeton University’s Office of Population Research, examined data on 4,421 young female participants in the National Survey of Family Growth. The team found an 8 percent drop in the women’s reports of Pap tests, screenings for STDs and pregnancy, and other OB-GYN services from 2002 to 2006-08. By comparison, reproductive health care use among young women increased between 1995 and 2002, the team noted.
While declines were seen among all demographic and socioeconomic groups, economically disadvantaged women were the least likely to have received care. Factors that may have contributed to the downturn in use include: a reduction in public-sector clinics serving low-income women; increasing unemployment and decreasing rates of health insurance coverage; changes to screening guidelines that call for fewer Pap tests; and legislation that has increased mandatory parental participation in adolescent sexual and reproductive health care.
“Our findings may be a reflection of changing social, economic, and political contexts in which reproductive services were needed and provided over the last decade,” wrote the team.
“Determinants of and Disparities in Reproductive Health Service Use Among Adolescent and Young Adult Women in the United States, 2002-2008,” was published online ahead of print in the American Journal of Public Health (2011;doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300380).
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!
Vancouver Crack Addicts Given Free Pipes in Bid to Curb Disease
In December, Vancouver began an eight-month trial project to improve the health of crack cocaine smokers in the troubled Downtown Eastside neighborhood. The use of crack has surged locally, said Trudi Beutel, a spokesperson for Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA).
VCHA aims to distribute 60,000 harm-reduction kits through five distribution centers as part of the broader, $60,000 (US $59,429) trial. The project seeks to quantify the number of crack smokers in Vancouver, to learn more about crack addiction, and to engage users and offer services including detoxification, Beutel said.
The kits contain glass pipes that are heat-resistant and shatterproof: Experts say this should reduce mouth injuries that can make smokers more susceptible to diseases, including HIV and hepatitis B and C. In addition, the kits contain mouthpieces, filters, alcohol swabs, screens, and push sticks. These items have been offered in the past separately; this is the first time they have been combined in a single kit, Beutel said.
“What this boils down to is it’s about disease prevention,” Beutel said. “It’s about preventing more communicable diseases, which land these people in hospital on a frequent basis and clog up emergency rooms.”
The five distribution centers - Washington Needle Depot, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), Portland Hotel Society, Lookout Shelter, and Drug and Alcohol Meeting Support for Women - have agreed to report data throughout the trial.
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!
VCHA aims to distribute 60,000 harm-reduction kits through five distribution centers as part of the broader, $60,000 (US $59,429) trial. The project seeks to quantify the number of crack smokers in Vancouver, to learn more about crack addiction, and to engage users and offer services including detoxification, Beutel said.
The kits contain glass pipes that are heat-resistant and shatterproof: Experts say this should reduce mouth injuries that can make smokers more susceptible to diseases, including HIV and hepatitis B and C. In addition, the kits contain mouthpieces, filters, alcohol swabs, screens, and push sticks. These items have been offered in the past separately; this is the first time they have been combined in a single kit, Beutel said.
“What this boils down to is it’s about disease prevention,” Beutel said. “It’s about preventing more communicable diseases, which land these people in hospital on a frequent basis and clog up emergency rooms.”
The five distribution centers - Washington Needle Depot, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), Portland Hotel Society, Lookout Shelter, and Drug and Alcohol Meeting Support for Women - have agreed to report data throughout the trial.
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!
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