GLOBAL: Obama Seeks a Global Health Plan Broader than Bush’s AIDS Effort

Wed, 06 May 2009 - http://www.nytimes.com/

On Tuesday, President Obama announced plans to expand the global AIDS effort launched by President George W. Bush to include other preventable and treatable diseases. Obama asked Congress to spend $63 billion over the next six years on the broader global strategy. As part of that request, the White House is seeking $51 billion to combat AIDS, TB and malaria and $12 billion for other illnesses. Obama’s budget proposal calls for $7.4 billion for HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB in 2010 - an increase of $366 million over the current year. During the campaign, Obama promised to increase the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) “by $1 billion a year in new money over the next five years” and pledged to provide “$50 billion by 2013 to fight the pandemic.” On Tuesday, the White House said the president will meet that goal, but over six years instead of five. “We continue to support PEPFAR,” said Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew. “We’re saying we want to take what we know works and expand it because we can make a big difference in the world.” The announcement was not well-received by some AIDS advocacy groups. “They are expanding the mandate, but not expanding the pie,” said Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance. “To me, this is a betrayal of trust.” Officials at the Infectious Diseases Society of America, which represents specialists in the field, called the increase “meager,” noting that poor nations are cutting their health budgets due to the global economic crisis. The new approach appears to closely reflect the thinking of Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a health policy expert and brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. In a commentary published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year, Emanuel and Colleen C. Denny noted PEPFAR “fails to address many of the developing world’s most serious health threats.” “By extending funds to simple but more deadly diseases the US government could save more lives, especially young lives, at substantially lower cost,” they wrote.

UTAH: Gonorrhea, Chlamydia Cases on the Rise in Utah

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 - http://www.ap.org/

An increase in cases among young white women is contributing to an overall jump in chlamydia and gonorrhea in Utah, according to state health officials. Utah’s increase in chlamydia is consistent with a national trend and may be the result of stepped-up screening efforts, according to CDC. The total number of US chlamydia cases in 2007, 1.1 million cases, was a record. Chlamydia - with 5,721, cases Utah’s most frequently reported communicable disease in 2007 - rose 50 percent from 2003 to 2007. Gonorrhea, the fourth most frequent with 821 cases in 2007, nearly doubled during the same four years. More than 85 percent of all of the state’s chlamydia cases in 2007 were reported in Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah counties. Statewide, women ages 15 to 24 accounted for more than 70 percent of all chlamydia cases. Men accounted for 58 percent of the state’s cases of gonorrhea during 2007. During the previous four years, most of Utah’s gonorrhea cases were diagnosed among men between the ages of 20 and 29. The increase in chlamydia and gonorrhea has caught the attention of state officials and sparked discussion of educational efforts to address it. The Utah Department of Health is launching an informational campaign about STDs and has established a Web site, www.catchtheanswers.com, to answer the most common questions about the diseases.

EGYPT: Viral Time Bomb Set to Explode

Tue, 05 May 2009 - http://www.ips.org/

Egypt has the highest hepatitis C prevalence in the world, the legacy of a 1960s-era campaign to eradicate a water-borne parasite that went tragically wrong. The tartar-emetic injections given to rural Egyptians cured bilharzia but spread hepatitis C virus (HCV). “At that time, bilharzia treatment was administered intravenously. There were no disposable syringes, so once the needle got infected, [HCV] spread quickly from one person to another,” said Dr. Refaat Kamel, a prominent surgeon and tropical disease specialist. Millions were infected before the World Health Organization-sponsored campaign was shut down in 1982. Only in the 1990s did scientists realize the country’s high HCV prevalence was a consequence of the mass treatment campaign. The virus has continued to spread due to improper blood screenings and poor hygiene practices. “There is a laxity in precautions in Egypt,” said Kamel. “People are careless or ignorant where blood is involved, and this has facilitated the transmission of HCV.” A national survey released last month shows 8 million to 9 million Egyptians, more than 10 percent of the population, have been exposed to HCV, and roughly 5.5 million are chronically infected. In some rural areas, more than half the adult population carries HCV antibodies. Each year, an estimated 30,000 Egyptians die of HCV-related liver failure, a number that is set to climb as the disease progresses in those infected during the 1964-1982 anti-bilharzia campaign. “We expect the number of mortalities will peak in 2012,” said Dr. Wahid Doss, head of the National Committee for the Control of Viral Hepatitis (NCCVH). A two-year-old treatment program has provided free interferon shots for 47,000 HCV patients, said Doss. NCCVH is also stepping up programs to control infection in health care settings and raise public awareness of the virus, he said.

AUSTRALIA: An Increase in Overseas Acquired HIV Infections Among Heterosexual People in Western Australia

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 - http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/164.htm

A recent increase in the number of heterosexually acquired HIV infections among non-Aboriginal persons has been noted in Western Australia (WA) but not in other jurisdictions of the country, the authors wrote. In this study, they set out to describe the epidemiological features of this increase. Newly diagnosed HIV infections among non-Aboriginal WA residents reported to the Department of Health from 2002 to 2006 were the subject of a descriptive analysis. Outcomes included demographics, exposure categories, and place of HIV acquisition. In all, 258 new HIV diagnoses were reported among non-Aboriginal WA residents during the period. The number of reports rose from 41 in 2002 (2.2 cases per 100,000 population) to 66 cases in 2006 (3.4 cases per 100,000 population). Forty-two percent (n=107) of the cases were acquired heterosexually; these cases increased from 12 in 2002 to 36 in 2006. Males accounted for 64 (60 percent) heterosexually acquired cases; females accounted for 43 (40 percent). Most (89 percent) of the male cases acquired HIV overseas, usually in countries other than their region of birth. Southeast Asia was the most common place of reported HIV acquisition for males. Fifty-six percent of the female cases acquired HIV overseas, chiefly in their region of birth (83 percent). For females, sub-Saharan Africa was the most common place of HIV acquisition. “There has been a recent increase in heterosexually acquired HIV infections among male and female WA residents, many of whom reported acquiring HIV overseas,” the authors concluded. “Safe sex campaigns in WA should continue to reinforce safe sex messages among people traveling overseas.”

UGANDA: Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy and Increased Use of Contraceptives Among HIV-Positive Women During Expanding Access to Antiretroviral Therapy in Mbarara, Uganda

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 - http://www.ajph.org

The current study examined whether prevalence of contraceptive use among HIV-positive women varied according to use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in Mbarara, Uganda. Data from a cross-sectional survey of 484 HIV-positive women (ages 18-50) attending Mbarara University’s HIV clinic between November 2005 and June 2006 were used. Forty-five percent of the women were receiving HAART. Multivariate logistic regression was used to study the association between HAART use and contraceptive use. In total, 45 percent of the women were sexually active in the previous three months, of which 85 percent reported using contraceptive methods. Of these, 84 percent reported using barrier contraceptive methods. Compared to women not receiving HAART, those receiving it were more than twice as likely to use contraceptive methods (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.64; 95 percent confidence interval [CI]=1.07, 6.49) and more than three times as likely to use barrier contraceptive methods (AOR=3.62; 95 percent CI=1.54, 8.55). “Our findings support the need for increased attention to better integration of reproductive health and HIV and AIDS services for women who are HIV-positive,” the authors concluded.

NEW JERSEY: Lawmakers Plead to Keep Bergen’s Free HIV Testing Clinic

Fri, 01 May 2009 - http://www.northjersey.com/

Three state legislators are asking Bergen County to reconsider closing its only free HIV testing center, the Bergen County Counseling Center (BCCC) in Hackensack. In a letter to county Executive Dennis McNerney, State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), and Englewood Assembly members Valerie Huttle (D) and Gordon Johnson (D) contended the move could jeopardize current federal funding for HIV programs in Bergen and Passaic counties. “This is an important program for people who don’t have other places to go,” Weinberg said. “I don’t understand why or how this decision was made.” Although about $4 million in federal Ryan White HIV funding is dependent on the county’s “maintenance of effort,” the county’s defunding of the center would not likely place those funds at risk, said Larry Ganges, assistant commissioner of the state health department’s HIV/AIDS services division. “I really don’t think if this scenario plays out this money will be in jeopardy,” he said. “Nor do I think a penalty will be imposed by the feds.” “This could definitely jeopardize the Ryan White money,” Weinberg said. “The federal government perceives any decrease in dollars negatively,” said Catherine Correa, director of the Ryan White Grants division at the Paterson Department of Human Services. The county intends to save $104,000 by closing the center. Free HIV testing would be taken up by the North Hudson Community Action Program, said Brian Hague, county spokesperson. NHCAP would also receive $106,000 in state funding that currently goes to operate the BCCC, he added.

IRAN: Nearly 20,000 Infected with HIV in Iran: Report

Sun, 03 May 2009 - http://www.afp.com/english/home/

Quoting health ministry data, the ISNA news agency reported on Sunday that Iran logged more than 1,000 new HIV cases since December. At least 19,435 Iranians are known to have HIV, including 1,875 who have progressed to AIDS. Males accounted for 93.3 percent of cases. By age group, the largest proportion of cases, 40.2 percent, was among persons ages 25 to 34. Intravenous drug use was the chief route of infection, resulting in 77.5 percent of cases. Sexual transmission accounted for 13.1 percent, while 0.9 percent of infections were transmitted from mother to baby. The health ministry believes Iran actually has 80,000 HIV cases. And because 60 percent of Iran’s population of nearly 71 million is under age 30, the ministry expressed concern that sexual transmission of the virus could reach epidemic levels.

CANADA: AIDS Educators Seek High Schoolers

Wed, 06 May 2009 - http://news.therecord.com

The AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, and Area is seeking high school students who wish to become “HIV 101” facilitators and help educate their fellow students about AIDS. Training will be provided, and the student-educators will begin work in the fall. For more information, telephone Lynn at 519-570-3687 ext. 313 or e-mail volunteer@acckwa.com.

WISCONSIN: STD Clinic Moving Back to Racine Health Department

Mon, 04 May 2009 - http://www.journaltimes.com

The Racine STD clinic is returning to the Health Department beginning next week. The service had been provided by the Medical College of Wisconsin as part of the Racine family medicine program it operated but is now closing. At the clinic, a nurse practitioner will provide STD exams and treatments. In addition to walk-in service during clinic hours, Mondays from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m., the department offers rapid-result HIV testing by appointment at other times. The clinic is held in room 4 of City Hall, 730 Washington Ave. Patients who can do so are asked to pay a $10 fee. For more information, telephone 262-636-9498.