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Front Page: New Study Says HIV Could Be Eliminated in Decade

CitizenSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

HIV could theoretically be eliminated in the next 10 years if all people living in countries with high infection rates get tested and treated regularly, according to a new mathematical model. Skepticism remains since assumption, and not data, supports the conclusion. — AP
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker will head a planned Obama White House economic recovery panel. In yet another press conference today, Obama will introduce the members of the panel, intended to bring job growth and stability to the system. — The Huffington Post

Protesters in Thailand have shut down the country's major airport, leading Thailand’s army commander to urge Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to step down and call elections. — The New York Times
A UK man was sentenced to life in prison yesterday, after subjecting his two daughters to rape, 19 pregnancies, and nine children. The case mirrors charges against the Austrian father Josef Fritzl. — CNN

HIV-Positive Teen Bullied at School, Sues School District

LibertySugar — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:00:28 -0800

While at school, a 14-year-old HIV-positive girl confronted hateful notes left on her locker, was told by her soccer coach that the team could use her HIV status to scare the other teams, and endured name-calling on a regular basis.

The AP reports that the ridicule became so harsh that the girl left school. Now being homeschooled, she has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that school officials did nothing to stop the crippling bullying.

This isn't the first time this exact Indianapolis school district has faced a controversy surrounding a student with HIV/AIDS. During the 1980s, Ryan White, a young boy who contracted HIV from a blood transfusion, successfully won the right to attend school in the district. Federal law guarantees a child with HIV/AIDS the right to confidentiality, and prohibits discrimination against them in schools, among other things.

Do you think the school should do more to help this teen go to school in peace, or is there no way to fight the stigma and control the actions of others?

Source

Countries Make Spreading HIV a Crime — Good Law?

LibertySugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:30:53 -0800

A rising number of nations are implementing laws that make it a crime to spread HIV. Thirty-two US states criminalize passing on the disease, and in some countries, intentional transmission leads to life in prison.While such a harmful action may seem like it warrants some legal attention, activists worry that these laws could force the epidemic underground or deter people from getting treatment, thus having the unintended consequence of spreading the disease. Last spring, a Texas jury handed down a 35-year prison sentence for the crime of assault with a deadly weapon after an HIV-positive man spit into the eye and mouth of a police officer. Most of you said that the sentence was too extreme, since saliva does not pass on HIV. What do you make of laws that punish people who actually do transmit HIV to another person? Source

Countries Make Spreading HIV a Crime — Good Law?

Good law. Spreading HIV is as harmful as, or more harmful than, other illegal actions.

Bad law. If you're having sex, it's your duty to assess your risk for contracting HIV.

Good idea, bad law. It could make the problem worse by pushing HIV underground.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Obama to Lift Ban on Abstinence-Plus AIDS Prevention

LibertySugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:01:59 -0800

Barack Obama has plans to put US global AIDS policy on a different path, leaving abstinence-only requirements for funding in the dust. The co-chair of his advisory committee for women's health said that the president-elect is committed to "changing the policies so that family-planning services — both in the US and the developing world — reflect what works, what helps prevent unintended pregnancy, reduce maternal and infant mortality, prevent the spread of disease."

Conversely, on the first day of his presidency, George W. Bush reinstated the "Mexico City Policy," which denies US funding to international groups that perform abortions, provide counseling or referral for abortions, or lobby to make abortion available. The gag order applies to those who use non-US funding to support abortions, too. As a result, many organizations in Africa lost funding, thus, losing means to provide contraception to prevent pregnancy and the transfer of HIV.

Barack Obama's step away from abstinence-only programs and toward a more inclusive approach still keeps US policy a far cry away from teaching sex-ed to kindergartners. Do you think lifting the gag order is the best way to stop the global spread of HIV/AIDS?

Source

Briefing Book! Chinese AIDS Attitudes Often Misguided

LibertySugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:00:00 -0800

AIDS: Forty-eight percent of Chinese would not share a meal with someone with AIDS? Misconceptions around AIDS contributes to stigma in China. — Shanghaiist
Obama Administration: Reader beware? In the transition name game, reported cabinet appointments aren't always done deals. — Talking Points Memo
Food: How much do Americans spend on food each day? Find out! — SavvySugar
Global Warming: Obama's only one man? President-elect got caught on tape during debate prep asserting colorfully that he alone can't solve global warming. — 23/6
McCain: McCain at ease after loss? The day after the election Obama faced global crises, McCain faced a barbecue. — Politico

Source

Front Page: Strike Kills Taliban Leader, Protesters Attack UN in Congo, AIDS Treatment Should Start Sooner

CitizenSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:00:26 -0700

Strike Kills Taliban Leader:
An missile strike thought to be from the US has killed 20, including a top Taliban commander in Pakistan. Mohammed Omar was killed when the missile, fired from a pilotless drone, hit his compound in South Waziristan. Omar fought with the Taliban in the late 1990s. The US has launched an increasing number of missile strikes from Afghanistan against suspected militants.

Protesters Attack UN in Congo:
Thousands of protesters attacked the UN headquarters in eastern Congo today rallying against the UN peacekeeping force that has been unable to protect residents from rebel attacks that have forced tens of thousands to flee. Thousands of refugees continued to flee as protesters threw rocks at the UN compound.

AIDS Treatment Should Start Sooner:
A new study recommends that people who have the AIDS virus should start treatment sooner than current guidelines suggest. Delaying treatment until the immune system is badly damaged almost doubles the risk of dying in the next few years. There was a 70 percent improvement in patients who started therapy early. Approximately 56,000 Americans are infected with HIV every year.

Source

High School Establishes HIV-Testing Center After Exposure

CitizenSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Normandy High School in St. Louis, MO, sent notes home with students this week warning them of a potential outbreak of HIV. The county health department traced a positive test back to the high school and determined that several students may have been exposed, the first time such an investigation had led to a school, according to officials. The understandably frightening newsletter, much more serious than the "head lice" letters of yore, has caused a panic.

The health department spokesman said, "There is concern, but we really don't want to raise alarms here. This is not some major new outbreak or method of transmission, and there's no evidence to suggest it was deliberately being spread." Despite his efforts at reassurance, speculation over who has it is rampant. The school is establishing a testing center, though the mostly sexually-active student body is split over whether to get tested, many are opting to even though according to one student, "most of them know to use condoms."

The school fears the stigma of the publicity with one junior saying, "But now people are going to say, 'He goes to Normandy, he has AIDS.'" Currently about five percent of HIV cases in St. Louis are diagnosed to teenagers. Is transparency and testing in the school the safest and smartest idea? What about privacy implications? How did we make the jump from head lice to HIV?

Source

Study Pegs Beginning of AIDS — 100 Years Ago

CitizenSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:00:11 -0700

Despite assertions that AIDS is a government conspiracy (recently by Rev. Jeremiah Wright) a new study released in the journal Nature yesterday, pinpoints the origin of the disease 100 years ago. The new finding shifts the origination back in time from the previous estimation of 1930. Though the 100 year finding isn't a huge shift, researchers say, "It means the virus was circulating under our radar even longer than we knew." It wasn't widely recognized by US public health officials until 1981.

Scientists say that HIV morphed from a chimpanzee virus, likely in southeast Cameroon, jumping to humans probably in the butchering process. Tellingly, the new "birthdate" of the disease coincides with the rise of cities in Africa, a proximity of humankind that allowed infected people to pass it along. This study used 100 modern samples to create a family tree, traceable back to the samples' last common ancestor.

Source

Mexico Fights AIDS by Fighting Stereotypes

LibertySugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:58 -0700

Mexico has one of the lowest HIV-infection rates in all of Latin America, at 0.3 percent of the adult population. Unfortunately, the low rate doesn't apply to sex workers or men who have sex with men. Fifteen percent of gay men in Mexico are infected, and sex workers, whose profession is legal in Mexico, often must decide between using protection or making more money without, either way gambling with their survival.

NPR recently spoke with those trying to improve the situation in Mexico by reducing the stigma. They say it's hard to get sex workers to talk about protection, since an environment of poverty and distrust makes them suspect that those offering condoms want something in return.

As for helping the gay community, Mexico has launched TV and radio ads directed at reducing homophobia. As a result of discrimination, men who have sex with men are sometimes excluded from HIV prevention and care services. Hopefully the example set by Mexico, which hosted the Worlds AIDS Conference last month, can help other countries provide care and prevention tools to populations at greater risk of infection.

Source

Mexico's Prisoners Struggle and AIDS Drops in Malawi by 75%

CitizenSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:30:02 -0700

While acceptance is growing in the United States, homosexual relationships in Mexico are still very taboo. Because of the stigma, Mexican prisoners with HIV or AIDS is really not a topic for discussion either, including prevention. In fact, many prison administrators deny that sex among inmates exists apart from specifically dedicated conjugal visits.

The prisoners certainly tell a different story. “We are a population of men, and it’s normal for men to have sex with whoever is around.” Ignorance and denial of this prison reality means that no scientific surveys of AIDS rates among prisoners exist. In fact, official statistics place the number of HIV-positive inmates in the capital’s prisons at a mere 62. There is no testing of the prisoner population and in many cases, convicts think that it is spread by mosquitoes, kisses, or even shared toothbrushes.

To find out what they're doing about it, and how similar methods have triumphed in Malawi,