Wednesday, July 23, 2008

• CDC To Release Revised HIV/AIDS Estimates Next Month

CDC To Release Revised HIV/AIDS Estimates Next Month
[Jul 23, 2008]

      CDC on Tuesday announced that it will release new estimates of annual HIV incidence in the U.S. in the Aug. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Reuters reports. "These new incidence estimates are based on direct measurement of new HIV infections and will provide the clearest picture to date of incidence," the agency said (Fox, Reuters, 7/22).

CDC for more than 10 years reported that 40,000 new HIV infections occur annually in the U.S. and said that the HIV epidemic in the U.S. is stable. In recent years, the agency has developed new testing technology and has updated its methodology to yield more accurate data (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 12/3/07).

When announcing the release of the new data, CDC said, "These more precise estimates are possible now only because of breakthrough technology developed by CDC that can distinguish recent from long-standing HIV infections." The agency added that because the system is new, it had to "receive rigorous scientific review." In addition, the "process took longer than we anticipated, but, in the end, it had produced estimates that are more reliable and scientifically sound than would have occurred without the independent review," CDC said (Reuters, 7/22).


A new CDC fact sheet on HIV/AIDS surveillance is available online.

Email this story to a friend	Link to this story.
Print this story.	Save this story in my saved links.

Washington Post Examines HIV/AIDS Among Hispanics in U.S.
[Jul 23, 2008]

      HIV/AIDS among the Hispanic community in the U.S. is reaching what some public health experts are calling a "simmering public health crisis," the Washington Post reports.

According to the Post, Hispanics account for about 14% of the U.S. population but represented 22% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2006. However, the 22% figure includes data from only 33 states and Puerto Rico, so the actual percentage could be higher, the Post reports (Connolly, Washington Post, 7/23). According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's statehealthfacts.org, Hispanics living in Washington, D.C., have the highest rate of new HIV/AIDS cases nationwide -- about 109.2 cases per every 100,000 people (Constable, Washington Post, 7/23). In addition, as many as one in four Hispanic men who have sex with men who live in major U.S. cities are HIV-positive.

According to the Post, language difficulties, cultural barriers and legal issues associated with immigration make the Hispanic community unique in terms of providing HIV prevention, education and treatment. Only two of 17 CDC programs target Hispanics, but the agency has implemented a Spanish-language hotline, confidential testing sites and other initiatives aimed at addressing HIV/AIDS among the Hispanic population. "Hispanics are overrepresented in this epidemic, and we need to target our efforts to them," CDC epidemiologist Kenneth Dominguez said.

Frank Galvan of the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science said that the U.S. needs to "make a dent" in reducing HIV/AIDS among Hispanics or the epidemic "will continue to spread to other populations." Oscar De La O, president of the Hispanic service group Bienestar, said U.S. officials "need to stop downplaying or ignoring what's happening among" Hispanics. De La O added that he is concerned U.S. immigration policies toward HIV-positive people will create "another underground in which [HIV-positive] people cannot access treatment but will not leave the country."

According to the Post, the "nexus of AIDS and migration" will "gain fresh prominence" next month at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. "Migrants tend to be lonely, separated from their family or partners," Dominguez said, adding, "They do not have health insurance. They may turn to drugs or alcohol. All of these put a migrant at higher risk."

This Post story also profiles Hispanics affected by HIV/AIDS in the U.S. The article was supported by a Kaiser Family Foundation mini reporting fellowship (Connolly, Washington Post, 7/23). In addition, a second Post article profiled the group La Clinica del Pueblo and its efforts to provide HIV education and prevention to Hispanics living in the district (Constable, Washington Post, 7/23).

Kaisernetwork.org is the official webcaster of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. Click here to sign up for your Daily Update e-mail during the conference.

Email this story to a friend	Link to this story.
Print this story.	Save this story in my saved links.

International AIDS Conference Announces Speakers for Mexico City Event
[Jul 23, 2008]

      The XVII International AIDS Conference on Monday announced some of the world leaders, researchers and advocates who will participate in next month's conference in Mexico City, Bangladesh's New Nation reports (New Nation, 7/22). About 25,000 people are expected to participate in the conference, which will take place from Aug. 3 to Aug. 8. Speakers at the conference include:

• Mexican President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa;
  
  
• Mexican Secretary of Health Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos;
  
  
• United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon;
  
  
• Director-General of the World Health Organization Margaret Chan;
  
  
• UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot;
  
  
• Advocate Mony Pen;
  
  
• Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Denzil Douglas;
  
  
• Former President of Botswana Festus Mogae;
  
  
• First Vice-President of Spain Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega;
  
  
• Youth advocate Keren Gonzalez;
  
  
• Former U.S. President Bill Clinton;
  
  
• President of the Carso Health Institute and Senior Fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Julio Frenk;
  
  
• NIAID Director Anthony Fauci;
  
  
• Mark Harrington of the Treatment Action Group;
  
  
• Vuyiseka Dubula of the Treatment Action Campaign; and
  
  
• Frika Chia Iskandar of the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (AIDS 2008 release, 7/21).
  

Clinton Announces Africa Trip Ahead of AIDS Conference
In related news, Clinton on Tuesday announced that he will travel to Africa ahead of the AIDS conference to promote HIV/AIDS and malaria programs run by the Clinton Foundation, AFP/Google.com reports. Clinton said that he will begin the trip next week with visits to Ethiopia, Liberia, Rwanda and Senegal, where he will meet with local officials and foundation staff. He added that on his way back to the U.S., he will attend the Mexico City AIDS conference. "This year, I am excited to take our work to the next level with new projects that will make a tremendous difference in turning the tide of HIV/AIDS, improve lives and help people work toward a brighter future," Clinton said (AFP/Google.com, 7/22).

Kaisernetwork.org is the official webcaster of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. Click here to sign up for your Daily Update email during the conference.

Email this story to a friend	Link to this story.
Print this story.	Save this story in my saved links.

Sexual Taboos Hampering HIV/AIDS Efforts in Pakistan, Study Says
[Jul 23, 2008]

      Taboos about sex in Pakistan make it difficult to address HIV/AIDS and are hindering efforts to curb the spread of the disease, according to a study published recently in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, the New York Times reports. According to the study, seven times as many men as women are reported to be living with HIV in Pakistan, and UNAIDS says that at least 85,000 people are HIV-positive in the country. The study, conducted by researchers from two universities in Pakistan, says that although India and Bangladesh have similarly conservative Muslim cultures, those two countries have more openly addressed HIV/AIDS.

Many people in Pakistan believe that HIV/AIDS is not an issue in Muslim countries because Islamic law forbids sex outside marriage, the researchers said, adding that sex education therefore is rare in the country. In addition, sexual relationships between men and networks of male sex workers do exist, according to the study. Specialized subcultures of hijiras and zenanas are now a "highly stigmatized group" of men who dress as women and are the receptive partners in anal sex, the researchers wrote, adding that there are areas where it is traditional to use young boys as sex partners. According to the study, the use of condoms, which cannot be displayed in stores, is low, and some sex workers believe that HIV is "divine punishment" for their actions (McNeil, New York Times, 7/22).

The study is available online.

Email this story to a friend	Link to this story.
Print this story.	Save this story in my saved links.

ILO Calls on Middle Eastern Countries To End Discrimination Against People Living With HIV/AIDS, Proposes Code of Practice
[Jul 23, 2008]

      The International Labour Organization recently called on some Middle Eastern countries, including the United Arab Emirates, to end discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, The National reports. ILO in partnership with UNAIDS and the International Organization for Migration also proposed a code of practice for governments in dealing with migrant workers who become HIV-positive.

Currently, UAE law requires all migrant workers arriving in the country to undergo an HIV test before visas are issued. Those who are found to be HIV-positive are deported. In addition, anyone planning to marry, undergo surgery at a government hospital, start a new job or has tuberculosis must be tested for HIV, and those who test positive are reported to the police. Khawla Mattar, an employment rights specialist for ILO, said the new guidelines encourage UAE officials to abandon the practice of automatically deporting expatriates who are living with HIV/AIDS. Under the proposal, titled "HIV and International Labour Migration," officials are encouraged to "ensure there is no discrimination on the grounds of HIV status in the context of entry requirements, immigration, employment or reintegration procedures." The proposal also urges health care officials to ensure that "labor migrants and their families have the same access as nationals to gender-, language- and culture-sensitive HIV services."

According to The National, the call from ILO comes in light of research from the United Arab Emirates University, which found that young people in the country have "alarming" knowledge gaps about HIV/AIDS and a widespread "fear and intolerance" of people living with the disease. A survey of first-year students at UAE University found that more than 50% believed HIV could be spread through food, 62% said it could be spread by sharing a comb or brush, and 91% said the virus could be spread through a mosquito bite. One-third of the students surveyed knew there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. In addition, more than 50% of the survey participants thought people living with HIV/AIDS should live apart from the rest of society, 73% thought children with the disease should not be allowed to attend school and almost all the participants said that people entering the UAE should be tested for HIV.

"This is a pretty serious problem," Peter Barss, an associate professor of community health at UAE University, said, adding that the students "believe [HIV] can be transmitted through casual contact, which means they would likely have an undue fear." Barss said, "I can only assume the students were not receiving valid information." He added, "People need to understand [HIV/AIDS]. If you bring in new legislation, you need to know what people actually believe" (Reinl/Todd, The National, 7/20).

Email this story to a friend	Link to this story.
Print this story.	Save this story in my saved links.

Australia, Fiji Establish Coalition To Address Impact of HIV/AIDS on Business
[Jul 23, 2008]

      The Fiji Australia Business Council and UNAIDS on Monday agreed to a partnership under which they will develop a business coalition in Fiji to strengthen the private sector's response to HIV/AIDS, the Fiji Times reports (Fiji Times, 7/22). According to FABC President Caz Tebbutt Dennis, the business coalition will help companies develop policies such as voluntary HIV/AIDS testing among workers. According to Tebbutt Dennis, the economic loss from HIV/AIDS in Asia is about $10 billion and could increase to $24 billion in the next few years if adequate steps are not taken to address the disease (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 7/21).

Steven Vete, development subregional coordinator for UNAIDS' Asia Pacific Leadership Forum on HIV, said, "The involvement of private sector leaders is crucial if we are to succeed in reversing the tide of HIV in the Pacific. It is crucial for a number of reasons: At the global level, nine out of 10 people living with HIV are adults in their most productive years. Two out of three people living with HIV go to work every day. In the Pacific, the majority of the people infected with HIV are between 15 and 44 years, meaning the loss of breadwinner is devastating for the family" (Fiji Times, 7/22).

Dennis added, "HIV and AIDS is an issue for business worldwide, not just because there is an expected corporate social responsibility aspect to this global epidemic and a need for business leadership, but because HIV and AIDS affects the most important asset of all business -- work force" (Fiji Times, 7/21).

According to PACNews, UNAIDS has provided assistance to the Training Productivity Authority of Fiji to develop a training course to offer to businesses. In addition, the International Labour Organization is working with Fiji's Tripartite Forum on implementing the Employment Relation Promulgation, which makes it compulsory for employees to implement HIV programs in the workplace (PACNews, 7/21).

Also under the agreement, Australia will spend 188 million Australian dollars, or about $183 million, on programs to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in 2008 and 2009. Australia's HIV Ambassador Murray Proctor said Australia is a strong advocate for business involvement in curbing the impact of HIV/AIDS. According to the Fiji Times, there are 256 confirmed cases of HIV in the country, up from 182 in December 2004 (Fiji Times, 7/22).

Email this story to a friend	Link to this story.
Print this story.	Save this story in my saved links.

AP/Google.com Examines Debate Over Needle-Exchange Programs in Bexar County, Texas
[Jul 23, 2008]

      The AP/Google.com on Tuesday examined a debate in Bexar County, Texas, over whether needle-exchange programs should be legalized to help curb the spread of HIV. Currently, anyone in possession of drug paraphernalia can be prosecuted, regardless of their intentions.

About one year ago, the state Legislature authorized Bexar County to establish a pilot needle-exchange program. State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D) said lawmakers hoped to use the pilot program to consider passing a statewide program during the 2009 legislative session. However, District Attorney Susan Reed in August 2007 said anyone in possession of drug paraphernalia would be breaking the law. State Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) earlier this year backed Reed, saying people who possess drug paraphernalia could be prosecuted because the law does not specifically exempt them (White, AP/Google.com, 7/22). Abbott's opinion meant that Bexar County officials did not move forward with the planned needle-exchange program, which would have been the first in Texas (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 5/6).

Bill Day -- who co-founded the Bexar Harm Reduction Coalition and who was charged with possession of needles while distributing them to injection drug users in San Antonio -- said, "I am really angry. Every day we're not out here, someone is getting HIV." Day said that in the six months before he stopped distributing needles, he would get back more than 10,000 used needles monthly from IDUs. He added that if he is able to return to distributing needles, it will take months before he is able to regain the trust of IDUs.

Richard Wolitski, acting director of CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, said three major reviews of needle-exchange programs have shown that they "decrease HIV transmission and do not increase the use of illegal drugs." Wolitski added that the programs serve as ways for IDUs to enter treatment programs.

However, David Murray, chief scientist for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said recent research indicates that the programs do not reduce injection drug use. "When it comes to the distribution of needles, we know that it carries an enablement of continued drug use," Murray said, adding, "And we fear, the evidence is strong, that it does not succeed in its effort to control the contagion" of disease. In addition, Murray said needle-exchange programs do not address the central issues of the HIV/AIDS problem, which include high-risk behavior associated with drug use, such as sexually transmitted infections and multiple sexual partners. Murray said that funding treatment programs is a better alternative to curbing injection drug use.

Reed said that the cases against Day and two associates cited with him are on hold until the Legislature meets next year. McClendon, whose amendment created the pilot program, said it was never lawmakers' intention to subject anyone to prosecution. "To me it seems quite shortsighted that our state lags so far behind in this important concept of preventing such diseases," McClendon added (AP/Google.com, 7/22).

Email this story to a friend	Link to this story.
Print this story.	Save this story in my saved links.

-------------------------------------------------------
EDITORIAL STAFF:
Jill Braden Balderas, managing editor, kaisernetwork.org
Vince Blaser, associate editor, Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report
Beth Liu, senior web writer, kaisernetwork.org
Kimberley Lufkin, senior editor, Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report
Kate Steadman, web writer, kaisernetwork.org
Simone Vozzolo, senior web producer, HealthCast
Justyn Ware, editorial specialist-multimedia, Kaiser Daily Reports
Amanda Wolfe, editor-in-chief, Kaiser Daily Reports
Francis Ying, web producer, HealthCast
Emily Picillo, Christopher Rottler, staff writers, Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report
Alyssa Mitchell, Emily Picillo, Michael Pogachar, copy editors, Kaiser Daily Reports
--------------------------------------------------------
SYNDICATION AND OUTREACH STAFF:
Shari Lewis, online communications associate, Kaiser Family Foundation
Sahar Neyazi, communications associate, Kaiser Family Foundation
Robin Sidel, communications officer, online activities, Kaiser Family Foundation
--------------------------------------------------------
Larry Levitt, editor-in-chief, kaisernetwork.org; vice president, Kaiser Family Foundation
--------------------------------------------------------
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For questions about kaisernetwork.org including calendar, Daily Reports or syndication/outreach, Contact Us
DAILY REPORTS PHONE: 202-266-5856, FAX: 202-266-5700; KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION PHONE: 202-347-5270
To manage your email subscription: www.kaisernetwork.org/email
For questions about your email subscription: subscriptions@kff.org
The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------