Source: BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest
Rwanda last week came one step closer to becoming the first nation to use a WTO procedure designed to allow developing countries to import cut-price copies of patented medicines, when Canadian patent authorities issued a compulsory licence authorising the generic production of a patented HIV/AIDS drug for export to the central African country.
"This is big step forward in finally getting at least one affordable medicine from Canada to a developing country in need," said Richard Elliott, Executive Director of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. However, noting that it had already been three years since Canada introduced a legal system for making such exports possible, he said "it's also a wake-up call" about the need to simplify the process to make it more efficient and effective.
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) cleared large generic pharmaceutical company Apotex to manufacture and deliver 260,000 packs of Apo-Triavir at cost to Rwandan health authorities. This would be enough to treat 21,000 AIDS patients for a year.
Rwandan WTO delegate Edouard Bizumuremyi told Bridges he was delighted with the development and said Rwanda had been "waiting for this."
The authorisation follows Rwanda's July notification to the WTO that it wanted to import that quantity of the medicine from Canada (see BRIDGES Weekly, 25 July 2007), becoming the first country to try to import generics under a WTO procedure criticised as too complex to be effective. (...)
Click here to read the entire article.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
New journal received: AIDS Patient Care and STDs, Vol. 21, no 8, August 2007
Free access to this issue! Case Report: Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with Disseminated Mycobacterial Infection in Patients with AIDS
Felipe Francisco Tuon, Grace Carvajal Mulatti, Walkyria Pereira Pinto, Francisco Oscar De Siqueira Franca, Ronaldo Cesar Gryschek
pp. 527-532.
Full Text PDF
TORO: Ninety-Six-Week Virologic and Immunologic Response and Safety Evaluation of Enfuvirtide with an Optimized Background of Antiretrovirals
Jacques Reynes, Keikawus Arastéh, Bonaventura Clotet, Calvin Cohen, David A. Cooper, Jean-François Delfraissy, Joseph J. Eron, Keith Henry, Christine Katlama, Daniel R. Kuritzkes, Jacob P. Lalezari, Joep Lange, Adriano Lazzarin, Julio S.G. Montaner, Mark Nelson, Mary O' Hearn, Hans-Jürgen Stellbrink, Benoit Trottier, Sharon L. Walmsley, Neil E. Buss, et al.
pp. 533-543.
Full Text PDF
Utility of Repeat Genotypic Resistance Testing and Clinical Response in Patients with Three Class Resistance and Virologic Treatment Failure
Sheila M. Badri, Oluwatoyin M. Adeyemi, Blake E. Max, Bala N. Hota, David E. Barker
544-550.
Full Text PDF
Attitudes and Perceptions of AIDS Clinical Trials Group Site Coordinators on HIV Clinical Trial Recruitment and Retention: A Descriptive Study
William D. King, Donna Defreitas, Kimberly Smith, Janet Andersen, Lisa Patton Perry, Toyin Adeyemi, Jennifer Mitty, Jan Fritsche, Carrie Jeffries, Melvin Littles, Margaret Fischl, Gregory Pavlov, Donna Mildvan, Underrepresented Populations Committee of the Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group (AACTG)
pp. 551-563.
Full Text PDF
Adherence, Drug Use, and Treatment Failure in a Methadone-Clinic–Based Program of Directly Administered Antiretroviral Therapy
Gregory M. Lucas, B. Anna Mullen, Mary E. McCaul, Paul J. Weidle, Shannon Hader, Richard D. Moore
pp. 564-574.
Full Text PDF
Characteristics of a Sample of Men Who Have Sex with Men, Recruited from Gay Bars and Internet Chat Rooms, Who Report Methamphetamine Use
Scott D. Rhodes, Kenneth C. Hergenrather, Leland J. Yee, Emily Knipper, Aimee M. Wilkin, Morrow R. Omli
pp. 575-583.
Full Text PDF
The Effect of Perceived Stigma from a Health Care Provider on Access to Care Among a Low-Income HIV-Positive Population
Janni J. Kinsler, Mitchell D. Wong, Jennifer N. Sayles, Cynthia Davis, William E. Cunningham
pp. 584-592.
Full Text PDF
Inequality and Unwillingness to Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS: A Survey of Medical Professionals in Southeast China
Guoxi Cai, Kazuhiko Moji, Sumihisa Honda, Xiaonan Wu, Konglai Zhang
pp. 593-601.
Full Text PDF
Antiviral Briefs
pp. 602-605.
Full Text PDF
Drug Developments and STD News
pp. 606-608.
Full Text PDF
George Michael cuts HIV interview
Source: BBC News
Pop star George Michael has asked for an interview in which he discusses his fears of having HIV to be removed from a forthcoming BBC programme. The BBC has confirmed the interview will no longer feature in the documentary, Stephen Fry: HIV and Me.
Michael's former partner, Anselmo Feleppa, died of an Aids-related illness in 1995.
"On reflection, he felt it was too close and too personal a journey," said a spokesman for the singer, 44.
He added: "It was too personal for Anselmo's family to revisit."
'No tests'
When the documentary was launched in July, the BBC revealed details of Michael's interview.
"George says he does not believe in tests," said producer Ross Wilson. "He says he finds the wait for results too harrowing and that he hasn't had a test since at least 2004 due to his fears it might be positive."
The two-part programme will examine how HIV is spreading and show Fry taking an HIV test himself. Michael is still set to appear in this year's festive edition of Catherine Tate's BBC comedy programme. (...)
Pop star George Michael has asked for an interview in which he discusses his fears of having HIV to be removed from a forthcoming BBC programme. The BBC has confirmed the interview will no longer feature in the documentary, Stephen Fry: HIV and Me.
Michael's former partner, Anselmo Feleppa, died of an Aids-related illness in 1995.
"On reflection, he felt it was too close and too personal a journey," said a spokesman for the singer, 44.
He added: "It was too personal for Anselmo's family to revisit."
'No tests'
When the documentary was launched in July, the BBC revealed details of Michael's interview.
"George says he does not believe in tests," said producer Ross Wilson. "He says he finds the wait for results too harrowing and that he hasn't had a test since at least 2004 due to his fears it might be positive."
The two-part programme will examine how HIV is spreading and show Fry taking an HIV test himself. Michael is still set to appear in this year's festive edition of Catherine Tate's BBC comedy programme. (...)
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
HIV sequences cannot prove guilt
Source: NewScientist News Service
People infected with HIV might well want to know who gave it to them - but the genetic sequence of their virus won't tell them.
The virus is now routinely sequenced in each infected person to uncover drug-resistance genes, but virus sequences have also been used in several high-profile court cases by lawyers seeking to show who infected whom. This has led some HIV carriers to wonder if they might be able to do the same.
"The data won't work for that," warns Deenan Pillay of University College London - because HIV evolves too fast. This means that even though the viruses from two people may look similar, other local viruses may even be more alike. Analysing them can't show whether A infected B or vice versa, whether it went through a third person or whether both were infected by another person (BMJ, DOI: 10.1136/bmj.39315.398843.BE).
However, the British database - now the world's largest collection of viral sequences from a national epidemic - could answer other important questions. For example, it could tell us whether certain strains tend to spread among certain risk groups, or where the super-spreaders of HIV are.
From issue 2621 of New Scientist magazine, 19 September 2007, page 5
People infected with HIV might well want to know who gave it to them - but the genetic sequence of their virus won't tell them.
The virus is now routinely sequenced in each infected person to uncover drug-resistance genes, but virus sequences have also been used in several high-profile court cases by lawyers seeking to show who infected whom. This has led some HIV carriers to wonder if they might be able to do the same.
"The data won't work for that," warns Deenan Pillay of University College London - because HIV evolves too fast. This means that even though the viruses from two people may look similar, other local viruses may even be more alike. Analysing them can't show whether A infected B or vice versa, whether it went through a third person or whether both were infected by another person (BMJ, DOI: 10.1136/bmj.39315.398843.BE).
However, the British database - now the world's largest collection of viral sequences from a national epidemic - could answer other important questions. For example, it could tell us whether certain strains tend to spread among certain risk groups, or where the super-spreaders of HIV are.
From issue 2621 of New Scientist magazine, 19 September 2007, page 5
New book in the library: HIV Reference Manual
Cairns, Gus (ed.) HIV reference manualLondon, NAM Publications, 2007
C 200 HIV 2007
"HIV is more than a medical condition and the HIV Reference Manual is your guide to understanding the complex picture of HIV. It explains the wider interplay of social cultural, economic and legal factors that impact on people living with HIV and those working to support them" (From: http://www.aidsmap.com/cms1230954.asp).
Key topics include:
- benefits - helping people with HIV understand their entitlements
- the epidemiology of HIV
- HIV and the law – major update on confidentiality, disclosure and medical professional standards and immigration law
- HIV in 2007 – updated analysis of the UK and global
- HIV statistics
- helping people get the most out of the services available
- how HIV status affects asylum applications – the rights of asylum seekers explained, including rights to medical treatment on the NHS
- the impact of HIV on the communities most affected
- the latest prevention research – new technologies and strategies, including the debate on circumcision
- quality of life – how HIV may impact upon mental health rights under the Disability Discrimination Act
- women & HIV
New Issue of AIDS Care: Vol. 19, no 7, August 2007
AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-medical Aspects of AIDS/HIVIn this issue:
Original Articles
Is AIDS chronic or terminal? The perceptions of persons living with AIDS and their informal support partners
pp. 835 – 843
Authors: C. P. Hoy-Ellis; K. I. Fredriksen-Goldsen
Abstract
Gender relations in the context of HIV/AIDS in rural South Africa
pp. 844 – 849
Authors: Catherine Ndinda; Ufo Okeke Uzodike; Chiweni Chimbwete; Robert Pool
Abstract
To determine factors in an initiation of a same-sex relationship in rural China: using ethnographic decision model
pp. 850 – 857
Authors: W. C. W. Wong; T. S. K. Kong
Abstract
The social epidemiology of HIV transmission among African American women who use drugs and their social network members
pp. 858 – 865
Authors: M. Miller; C. T. Korves; T. Fernandez
Abstract
Coping with AIDS-related bereavement in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
pp. 866 – 870
Author: C. Demmer
Abstract
Local understanding of an HIV vaccine and its relationship with HIV-related stigma in the Dominican Republic
pp. 871 – 877
Authors: C. Barrington; L. Moreno; D. Kerrigan
Abstract
Health-seeking behaviour for sexually transmitted infections and HIV testing among female sex workers in Vietnam
pp. 878 – 887
Authors: A. D. Ngo; E. A. Ratliff; S. A. McCurdy; M. W. Ross; C. Markham; H. T. B. Pham
Abstract
Knowledge and attitudes of nursing students toward patients living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV): A Turkish perspective
pp. 888 – 894
Authors: H. A. Bekta; Ö. Kulakaç
Abstract
Using the theory of planned behaviour to understand the motivation to learn about HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescents in Tigray, Ethiopia
pp. 895 – 900
Authors: H. Gebreeyesus Hadera; Henk Boer; W. A. J. M. Kuiper
Abstract
HIV-related traumatic stress symptoms in AIDS caregiving family dads
pp. 901 – 909
Authors: R. G. Wight; K. P. Beals; D. Miller-Martinez; D. A. Murphy; C. S. Aneshensel
Abstract
Care centre visits to married people living with HIV: An indicator for measuring AIDS-related stigma & discrimination
pp. 910 – 915
Authors: D. A. Green; S. Devi; L. S. Paulraj
Abstract
Comprehension of sexual situations and its relationship to risky decisions by young adults
pp. 916 – 922
Authors: V. L. Patel; N. A. Yoskowitz; D. R. Kaufman
Abstract
Quality of life in HIV-positive Brazilians: application and validation of the WHOQOL-HIV, Brazilian version
pp. 923 – 930
Authors: R. R. Zimpel; M. P. Fleck
Abstract
Sex work and risk behaviour among HIV-negative gay men
pp. 931 – 934
Authors: G. Prestage; L. Mao; F. Jin; A. Grulich; J. Kaldor; S. Kippax
Abstract
Return to post-test counselling by out-of-treatment injecting drug users participating in a cross-sectional survey in north Vietnam
pp. 935 – 939
Authors: A. Bergenstrom; V. Go; L. V. Nam; B. T. Thuy; D. D. Celentano; C. Frangakis; V. M. Quan
Abstract
Characteristics of bisexually active men in the Seropositive Urban Mens' Study (SUMS)
pp. 940 – 946
Authors: A. O'Leary; D. W. Purcell; R. H. Remien; H. E. Fisher; P. S. Spikes
Abstract
Contact the library to request copies of articles.
New Strategy Could Dramatically Slow The Spread Of HIV
Source: Science daily
Giving a daily antiretroviral pill to people to prevent HIV could profoundly slow the spread of the infection in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is a full-blown epidemic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers report.
Published by the Public Library of Science in the Sept. 19 issue of PLoS One, the findings are based on a mathematical model developed by the researchers to predict the public-health impact of pre-exposure chemoprophylaxis (PrEP) -- an HIV prevention strategy that uses antiretroviral drugs, currently given in combination to treat HIV-positive individuals, to stop the infection from occurring in the first place.
Through the model, the research team predicts that PrEP, targeted to those at highest behavioral risk, could have a major impact on public health, potentially preventing 3.2 million cases of HIV in southern sub-Saharan Africa alone in 10 years. Sub-Saharan Africa, the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS global epidemic, contains almost 63 percent of the world's HIV-infected population, totaling about 22.4 million adults.
Click here to read the entire article.
The article plublished in PLoS One is available here
Giving a daily antiretroviral pill to people to prevent HIV could profoundly slow the spread of the infection in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is a full-blown epidemic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers report.
Published by the Public Library of Science in the Sept. 19 issue of PLoS One, the findings are based on a mathematical model developed by the researchers to predict the public-health impact of pre-exposure chemoprophylaxis (PrEP) -- an HIV prevention strategy that uses antiretroviral drugs, currently given in combination to treat HIV-positive individuals, to stop the infection from occurring in the first place.
Through the model, the research team predicts that PrEP, targeted to those at highest behavioral risk, could have a major impact on public health, potentially preventing 3.2 million cases of HIV in southern sub-Saharan Africa alone in 10 years. Sub-Saharan Africa, the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS global epidemic, contains almost 63 percent of the world's HIV-infected population, totaling about 22.4 million adults.
Click here to read the entire article.
The article plublished in PLoS One is available here
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Voluntary HIV-screening for all adult male inpatients at hospitals
Source: Channel News Asia
By Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 18 September 2007
SINGAPORE: By year's end, all adult male patients admitted to hospitals will be asked if they would like to take a HIV-screening test.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Tuesday he is also changing the Infectious Diseases Act soon so that no one will be able to claim ignorance of one's HIV-positive status as defence against charges of high-risk behaviour.
He said: "All individuals who engage in high-risk sexual behaviour must go for regular HIV-testing. The Infectious Diseases Act makes it an offence for someone who is HIV-positive to have sex without informing his sexual partner of his HIV status. I will soon come to this House to amend the Act to clarify that ignorance of one's HIV status will not be a defence for those who engage in high-risk sexual behaviour."
There are 3,338 known HIV-infected patients in Singapore, with 278 infected in the first eight months of this year. But what is worrying, Mr Khaw said, is the prevalence of undiagnosed HIV.
Click here to read the entire article
By Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 18 September 2007
SINGAPORE: By year's end, all adult male patients admitted to hospitals will be asked if they would like to take a HIV-screening test.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Tuesday he is also changing the Infectious Diseases Act soon so that no one will be able to claim ignorance of one's HIV-positive status as defence against charges of high-risk behaviour.
He said: "All individuals who engage in high-risk sexual behaviour must go for regular HIV-testing. The Infectious Diseases Act makes it an offence for someone who is HIV-positive to have sex without informing his sexual partner of his HIV status. I will soon come to this House to amend the Act to clarify that ignorance of one's HIV status will not be a defence for those who engage in high-risk sexual behaviour."
There are 3,338 known HIV-infected patients in Singapore, with 278 infected in the first eight months of this year. But what is worrying, Mr Khaw said, is the prevalence of undiagnosed HIV.
Click here to read the entire article
Friday, September 14, 2007
Number of Partners Doesn't Explain Gay HIV Rate
Source: HealthDay News
Gay, straight men equally prone to unprotected sex, research shows
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- The HIV epidemic among gay men can't be explained by their number of sexual partners, U.S. researchers report.
More than half the new HIV infections diagnosed in the United States in 2005 were among gay men, a team at the University of Washington, Seattle, noted. In addition, as many as one in five gay men living in cities may be HIV-positive.
But the sexual behaviors of gay and heterosexual men in the United States may not be as different as most people think, the researchers said. In fact, two surveys found that most gay men have a similar rate of sex with unprotected partners compared to straight men or women.
"Just because gay men continue to have much higher levels of HIV, we can't jump to the conclusion that that means that they are promiscuous or that prevention messages aren't working," said lead researcher Steven Goodreau, an assistant professor of anthropology.
In the study, Goodreau and a colleague, Dr. Matthew R. Golden, analyzed data from two large population-based surveys. Using those figures, they estimated how many sex partners gay men and straight men and women have, and what number of gay men have either insertive or receptive anal sex, or both.
The report is published in the Sept. 12 online edition of Sexually Transmitted Infections. (Access to abstract)
Click here to read the article.
Gay, straight men equally prone to unprotected sex, research shows
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- The HIV epidemic among gay men can't be explained by their number of sexual partners, U.S. researchers report.
More than half the new HIV infections diagnosed in the United States in 2005 were among gay men, a team at the University of Washington, Seattle, noted. In addition, as many as one in five gay men living in cities may be HIV-positive.
But the sexual behaviors of gay and heterosexual men in the United States may not be as different as most people think, the researchers said. In fact, two surveys found that most gay men have a similar rate of sex with unprotected partners compared to straight men or women.
"Just because gay men continue to have much higher levels of HIV, we can't jump to the conclusion that that means that they are promiscuous or that prevention messages aren't working," said lead researcher Steven Goodreau, an assistant professor of anthropology.
In the study, Goodreau and a colleague, Dr. Matthew R. Golden, analyzed data from two large population-based surveys. Using those figures, they estimated how many sex partners gay men and straight men and women have, and what number of gay men have either insertive or receptive anal sex, or both.
The report is published in the Sept. 12 online edition of Sexually Transmitted Infections. (Access to abstract)
Click here to read the article.
New issue of the Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social services (Vol. 6, no 3)
The Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services provides a forum in which social workers and other professionals in the field of HIV/AIDS work can access the latest research and techniques in order to provide effective social, educational, and clinical services to all individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. From best practices and advice on case management to evaluations of the impact of various legislation and social policy decisions, this journal will keep you at the forefront of the field! In this issue:
Attitudes, Knowledge, Behavior in the Context of HIV/AIDS Stigma
pp. 1 - 4
Nathan L. Linsk PhD, Dorie J. Gilbert PhD
Opening Up Windows When Clients Keep Closing Doors: Key Elements in Engaging HIV-Positive Individuals in Prevention Interventions
pp. 5 - 28
Sheri B. Kirshenbaum PhD, Rogerio M. Pinto PhD, Jacqueline Correale MPH et all.
Understanding Motivations for Sex Among Detained Youth: Implications for HIV Prevention Programs
pp. 29 - 41
Dexter R. Voisin PhD, Laura F. Salazar PhD, Richard A. Crosby PhD, Ralph J. DiClemente PhD
Extending the Use of the 40-Item HIV-Stigma Scale to Older Adults: An Examination of Reliability and Validity
pp. 43 - 54
Charles A. Emlet PhD, ACSW
The Impact of HIV-Related Stigma on HIV Care and Prevention Providers
pp. 55 - 73
Michael Reece PhD, MPH, Amanda E. Tanner PhD, MPH, Stephen E. Karpiak PhD, Kate Coffey PhD, MSc
Guyanese Health Care Providers' HIV-Related Experiences, Attitudes, and Readiness to Provide Care
pp. 75 - 96
Cynthia Cannon Poindexter MSW, PhD
A Comparison of Grief Reactions in Cancer, HIV/AIDS, and Suicide Bereavement
pp. 97 - 112
James A. Houck PhD
Contact the library to request copies of articles.
Peru blood banks face HIV crisis
Source: BBC News
Dozens of blood banks in Peru have been closed after at least four people were infected with the HIV virus through contaminated transfusions.
The government said all 240 of the country's facilities would be thoroughly screened, amid what is being described as a national emergency. The patients were all infected at a hospital in the port city of Callao. Officials insisted Peru's blood banks met international standards and urged people to continue giving blood.
"We do not want people to panic, what we have to do is be more careful, strengthen our care [of patients]," said Health Minister Carlos Vallejos.
Public alarm
The crisis was prompted after 44-year-old Judith Rivera contacted the media earlier this week to say she had been infected with HIV during a routine operation. Mrs Rivera, a mother of four, said she was taking legal action to claim compensation.
"What is done is done, as they say, and a life has no price tag," she said during a news conference.
Health officials later revealed that three other patients had been infected with the virus after having blood transfusions at the same hospital - one of them a child aged 11 months.
The Washington-based Pan American Health Organization says its latest figures show that up to a quarter of the blood in Peru's banks is not properly screened. In a further blow to the health system, officials also confirmed that 30 patients who attended a dialysis treatment centre had been infected with Hepatitis C. The BBC's Dan Collyns, in Lima, says Peruvians are alarmed and are avoiding public hospitals. He says the government's response to the crisis is unlikely to restore public confidence in the country's flagging health service.
Dozens of blood banks in Peru have been closed after at least four people were infected with the HIV virus through contaminated transfusions.
The government said all 240 of the country's facilities would be thoroughly screened, amid what is being described as a national emergency. The patients were all infected at a hospital in the port city of Callao. Officials insisted Peru's blood banks met international standards and urged people to continue giving blood.
"We do not want people to panic, what we have to do is be more careful, strengthen our care [of patients]," said Health Minister Carlos Vallejos.
Public alarm
The crisis was prompted after 44-year-old Judith Rivera contacted the media earlier this week to say she had been infected with HIV during a routine operation. Mrs Rivera, a mother of four, said she was taking legal action to claim compensation.
"What is done is done, as they say, and a life has no price tag," she said during a news conference.
Health officials later revealed that three other patients had been infected with the virus after having blood transfusions at the same hospital - one of them a child aged 11 months.
The Washington-based Pan American Health Organization says its latest figures show that up to a quarter of the blood in Peru's banks is not properly screened. In a further blow to the health system, officials also confirmed that 30 patients who attended a dialysis treatment centre had been infected with Hepatitis C. The BBC's Dan Collyns, in Lima, says Peruvians are alarmed and are avoiding public hospitals. He says the government's response to the crisis is unlikely to restore public confidence in the country's flagging health service.
European researchers develop method of calculating short-term risk of HIV disease progression
Source: AIDSMAP
A new HIV risk score can accurately calculate the short term risk of HIV disease progression, according to researchers who have tested it in a cohort of 5150 HIV-infected people. The research is published in the September edition of AIDS.
The researchers hope the scoring system – which will soon be available on the web – will make treatment decisions easier for both patients and clinicians.
Other prognostic HIV scores have been developed but have tended to be designed to predict long-term clinical progression in patients before they have started antiretroviral therapy. They have also not used routinely measured lab values.
The new tool, called the EuroSIDA risk score, has been designed to be used in people already on anti-HIV treatment and calculates the risk of disease progression in the short-term, for example three, six or twelve months. (...)
Click here to read the entire article
A new HIV risk score can accurately calculate the short term risk of HIV disease progression, according to researchers who have tested it in a cohort of 5150 HIV-infected people. The research is published in the September edition of AIDS.
The researchers hope the scoring system – which will soon be available on the web – will make treatment decisions easier for both patients and clinicians.
Other prognostic HIV scores have been developed but have tended to be designed to predict long-term clinical progression in patients before they have started antiretroviral therapy. They have also not used routinely measured lab values.
The new tool, called the EuroSIDA risk score, has been designed to be used in people already on anti-HIV treatment and calculates the risk of disease progression in the short-term, for example three, six or twelve months. (...)
Click here to read the entire article
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
New Issue of AIDS Education and Prevention (Vol. 19, no 4, August 2007)
In this issue:Focusing HIV Prevention on Those Most Likely to Transmit the Virus
Authors: Gary R. West, Amy L. Corneli, Kim Best, Katie M. Kurkjian and William Cates Jr.
pp. 275-288
Abstract
Interaction of Cognitive Performance and Knowing Someone Who Has Died from AIDS on HIV Risk Behaviors
Authors: Mary M. Mitchell, S. Geoff Severtson and William W. Latimer
pp. 289-297
Abstract
HIV–Related Communication and Perceived Norms: An Analysis of the Connection Among Injection Drug Users
Authors: Melissa A. Davey–Rothwell and Carl A. Latkin
pp. 298-309
Abstract
Changes in Sexual Behavior during a Safety and Feasibility Trial of a Microbicide/Diaphragm Combination: An Integrated Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis
Authors: Greg Guest, Laura Johnson, Holly Burke, Reathe Rain-Taljaard, Lawrence Severy, Claire von Mollendorf and Lut Van Damme
pp. 310-320
Abstract
Current Sexual Activity and Risky Sexual Behavior in Older Men With or At Risk for HIV Infection
Authors: Nina A. Cooperman, Julia H. Arnsten and Robert S. Klein
pp. 321-333
Abstract
Sexual Behaviors of Individuals With HIV Living in South India: A Qualitative Study
Authors: A.K. Sri Krishnan, Ellen Hendriksen, Snigda Vallabhaneni,
pp. 334-345
Abstract
Structural Violence Against Kothi–Identified Men Who Have Sex with Men in Chennai, India: A Qualitative Investigation
Authors: Venkatesan Chakrapani, Peter A. Newman, Murali Shunmugam,
pp. 346-364
Abstract
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
AIDS Vancouver rides a custom chopper to 'Spread The Word'
There is no cure for HIV disease and infection rates continue to increase. There were 420 positive HIV test results in Vancouver in 2005 bringing the total to 12,342 since 1989.That's why AIDS Vancouver and Vancouver Custom Chopper are launching the AIDS Vancouver Custom Chopper Raffle to help spread the word about HIV disease.
"We all have a responsibility to protect ourselves and others," said William Booth, executive director for AIDS Vancouver. "Don't ask don't tell doesn't work."
Of the 2,500 Canadians that will test positive for HIV this year 1,300 won't know where they contracted the infection according to AIDS Vancouver's national statistics.
"The demand for care and support services is greater than we can meet," Booth said. "We are only getting resources for delivering support programs but not for prevention. Yet if we invested more resources for prevention we would need much less for services."
A United Nations Population Fund report released globally last month states there is an estimated 30 per cent HIV prevalence rate in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside- the same as Botswana.
"We wanted to make this chopper special for AIDS Vancouver," Teather said. "AIDS is a horrible disease and it's affecting our young people so we want to help AIDS Vancouver in the work they are doing to fight this disease."
The prize motorcycle is a 2007 Phantom Chopper designed by Vancouver Chopper owner Troy Teather and comes with an 88 cubic inch Harley Davidson engine, a Berrie Dale original stitch-leather seat and a 70's throwback James Brown paint theme.
"While we have made tremendous progress over the years, increasing awareness must remain a top priority in the fight against HIV/AIDS," said Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan. "This is why it is so important to 'Spread The Word.' There is a risk of complacency associated with the success we have achieved."
For More Information or to set up interviews please contact John Pigeon at 604-987-9699 or by email at johnp@vancouverchopper.com
Click here for the downloadable form to order tickets.
Drug deaths too high in Downtown Eastside: study
Source: CTV News
VANCOUVER -- A report on illegal drug use in Vancouver says deaths were down in Vancouver and the rest of B.C. for 2006.
However, residents of the Downtown Eastside don't fare well in the report from the Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use. It says residents there have seven times the provincial rate of drug-induced deaths and a 33 per cent higher death rate than the rest of the province.
Vancouver's rate of newly diagnosed hepatitis C cases declined from 2006 and new cases of HIV were down from 2005 in connection to intravenous drug use. The report also says the weight of ecstasy seized by police in 2005 is over 40 times that seized in 2002.
The group says the study was done to provide policy makers and community leaders with better information to help develop harm reduction and prevention techniques to reduce drug use.
VANCOUVER -- A report on illegal drug use in Vancouver says deaths were down in Vancouver and the rest of B.C. for 2006.
However, residents of the Downtown Eastside don't fare well in the report from the Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use. It says residents there have seven times the provincial rate of drug-induced deaths and a 33 per cent higher death rate than the rest of the province.
Vancouver's rate of newly diagnosed hepatitis C cases declined from 2006 and new cases of HIV were down from 2005 in connection to intravenous drug use. The report also says the weight of ecstasy seized by police in 2005 is over 40 times that seized in 2002.
The group says the study was done to provide policy makers and community leaders with better information to help develop harm reduction and prevention techniques to reduce drug use.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Recent acquisitions on Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Barlow, David. Sexually transmitted infections : The factsOxford, Oxford University Press, 2006
B 700 BAR 2006 (Click on call number to borrow this book!)
"With all the attention heaped upon the most deadly sexually transmitted infection of all (HIV), other non-fatal forms of infection have been somewhat neglected, and even overlooked in sexual education. However, incidences of STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea have been dramatically and silently rising in many parts of the world in recent years - though receiving far less attention. It is now recognized that this is a major public health issue, affecting thousands of people, irrespective of background, education or social class. Providing essential information on all the main forms of sexually transmitted infections, the book delivers essential, accessible, pragmatic, information that should be read by all adults."
Canadian guidelines on sexually transmitted infections
Ottawa, ON, Public Health Agency of Canada, 2006
B 700 CAN 2006
Available online: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/std-mts/sti_2006/pdf/sti2006_e.pdf
Sutton, Amy L. (Ed.) Sexually transmitted diseases sourcebook : Basic consumer health information about Chlamydial infections, Gonorrhea, Hepatitis, Herpes, HIV/AIDS, Human papillomavirus, Pubic lice, Scabies, Syphilis, Trichmoniasis, Vaginal infections and other sexually transmitted diseases, including facts about risks factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections; along with updates on current research initiatives, a glossary of related terms and resources for additional help and information.Detroit, USA, Omnigraphics, 2006
Call number: B 700 SEX 2006
Sexually Transmitted Infections : A guide for people with HIV
London, UK, Terrence Higgins Trust, 2005
Available online
This booklet explains some of the specific issues about STIs relevant to people with HIV. It explains how STIs might impact on their health, and on the risks of HIV transmission. It also gives guidance on screening and treatment.
HIV & sexLondon, UK, NAM, 2006
Available online.
"This booklet is an introduction to sexual health for people with HIV. It is in two broad sections. The first looks at how having HIV might affect the way you regard sex.The second section explains why sexual health is important and the steps you can take to protect your own and other people's sexual health. This booklet is not intended to replace discussion with your doctor. However, it might help you to decide what questions you would like answered."
All these publications are available in the library. Visit us or contact us to borrow them.
Uganda: Country's Invisible Cure for HIV/Aids
Source: AllAfricaJohn Donnelly
Kampala
HALFWAY through The Invisible Cure, author Helen Epstein writes about finding a long- forgotten document in a small research library in Canada. Reading through the paper, Epstein says, "I felt as though a small stick of dynamite had gone off in my head."
Epstein had unearthed a rare copy of a detailed study on the sexual behaviour of Ugandans in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period that coincided with the country's historic drop in HIV rates. In short, Epstein knew, the research done by Maxine Ankrah, an African-American academic, would give invaluable insights into what had halted the epidemic - insights that could then be applied to other countries with high rates of H.I.V. and Aids.
Before Epstein's discovery, Ankrah's research seemed destined for oblivion. A United Nations Aids researcher had read it, failed to understand its significance or to credit it and, Epstein recounts, wrongly concluded that an increase in condom use was responsible for the decrease of the HIV rate in Uganda. In reality, according to three later analyses of Ankrah's study, the primary reason for the decline was completely different: substantial numbers of Ugandans had ended affairs and remained faithful to one partner
Uganda has long been a focal point in the contentious world of Aids policy. But sometimes a bolt of clarity shoots out of the blue, as it did for Epstein when she read Ankrah's paper - and as it will for readers of this book who yearn for insights on how a deadly virus now infects an estimated 25 million Africans and has killed untold millions more. Reading The Invisible Cure is like travelling into remote and hard-to comprehend territory with an unblinking and sure-footed guide. (...)
Click here to view the complete text of this book review.
The Invisible cure is also available in the library. Use our catalogue to borrow it.
Alcohol consumption linked to HIV disease progression, study shows
Source: Science daily
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found a link between alcohol consumption and HIV disease progression in HIV-infected persons.
Alcohol use is common among HIV-infected persons, and its impact on HIV disease progression has been examined in in-vitro, animal and human studies. Alcohol may adversely affect immunologic function in HIV-infected persons by various mechanisms, including increased HIV replication in lymphocytes.
Researchers assessed CD4 cell counts, HIV RNA levels [viral load], and alcohol consumption in 595 HIV-infected persons with alcohol problems. The relation of HIV disease progression to alcohol consumption was studied using longitudinal regression models controlling for known prognostic factors, including adherence and depressive symptoms, and stratified by antiretroviral therapy (ART) use. Among subjects who were not on ART, heavy alcohol consumption was associated with a lower CD4 cell count. Among subjects who were on ART, heavy alcohol consumption was not associated with a lower CD4 cell count or higher HIV viral load. "
Alcohol use in patients with a prevalent disease such as HIV, can have important public health consequences," said lead author Jeffrey Samet, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine at BUSM and chief of General Internal Medicine at Boston Medical Center. "HIV-infected persons who drink alcohol heavily and are not on ART might decrease their risk of disease progression if they abstain from alcohol use."
Researchers further noted that there is extensive evidence about the efficacy of a brief intervention for unhealthy alcohol use in nondependent drinkers in medical settings and of the efficacy of psychosocial and pharmacologic treatments for alcohol dependence. "Although limited evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of intervention for alcohol problems specifically in people with HIV, its implementation among HIV-infected populations seems to be a worthwhile goal," according to senior author Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, professor of medicine at BUSM, director of the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit at Boston Medical Center, and associate director of the Boston University School of Public Health Youth Alcohol Prevention Center.
The study appears in the August issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Contact the library to request a copy.
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found a link between alcohol consumption and HIV disease progression in HIV-infected persons.
Alcohol use is common among HIV-infected persons, and its impact on HIV disease progression has been examined in in-vitro, animal and human studies. Alcohol may adversely affect immunologic function in HIV-infected persons by various mechanisms, including increased HIV replication in lymphocytes.
Researchers assessed CD4 cell counts, HIV RNA levels [viral load], and alcohol consumption in 595 HIV-infected persons with alcohol problems. The relation of HIV disease progression to alcohol consumption was studied using longitudinal regression models controlling for known prognostic factors, including adherence and depressive symptoms, and stratified by antiretroviral therapy (ART) use. Among subjects who were not on ART, heavy alcohol consumption was associated with a lower CD4 cell count. Among subjects who were on ART, heavy alcohol consumption was not associated with a lower CD4 cell count or higher HIV viral load. "
Alcohol use in patients with a prevalent disease such as HIV, can have important public health consequences," said lead author Jeffrey Samet, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine at BUSM and chief of General Internal Medicine at Boston Medical Center. "HIV-infected persons who drink alcohol heavily and are not on ART might decrease their risk of disease progression if they abstain from alcohol use."
Researchers further noted that there is extensive evidence about the efficacy of a brief intervention for unhealthy alcohol use in nondependent drinkers in medical settings and of the efficacy of psychosocial and pharmacologic treatments for alcohol dependence. "Although limited evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of intervention for alcohol problems specifically in people with HIV, its implementation among HIV-infected populations seems to be a worthwhile goal," according to senior author Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, professor of medicine at BUSM, director of the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit at Boston Medical Center, and associate director of the Boston University School of Public Health Youth Alcohol Prevention Center.
The study appears in the August issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Contact the library to request a copy.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Food 'no substitute' in HIV fight
Source: BBC News
Scientists in South Africa say they have found no evidence that healthier eating is a substitute for medical drugs when treating HIV/Aids and TB. This follows an exhaustive study on the links between nutrition and treatment. South Africa's health minister has faced ridicule in the past for stressing the benefits of beetroot, garlic and potatoes in fighting HIV. South Africa has one of the world's highest HIV infection rates and has increased the rollout of Aids drugs.
Controversy
The researchers say that scientific evidence about conditions in South Africa was urgently needed. The report by the Academy of Science of South Africa concludes that no food has been identified as an effective alternative to appropriate medication in fighting HIV/Aids and tuberculosis. It acknowledges that nutrition is important for general health, but is not sufficient to contain either the HIV/Aids or the TB epidemic. It says a well-fed population on its own will not resist HIV/Aids without anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs.
Controversial Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has been criticised for over-emphasising the importance of nutrition, and under-playing the role of ARVs. But the government has now adopted a comprehensive approach and about 280,000 people were on ARV treatment at the end of March this year. However, that is still well short of the estimated 800,000 who are thought to need ARVs in South Africa.
Scientists in South Africa say they have found no evidence that healthier eating is a substitute for medical drugs when treating HIV/Aids and TB. This follows an exhaustive study on the links between nutrition and treatment. South Africa's health minister has faced ridicule in the past for stressing the benefits of beetroot, garlic and potatoes in fighting HIV. South Africa has one of the world's highest HIV infection rates and has increased the rollout of Aids drugs.
Controversy
The researchers say that scientific evidence about conditions in South Africa was urgently needed. The report by the Academy of Science of South Africa concludes that no food has been identified as an effective alternative to appropriate medication in fighting HIV/Aids and tuberculosis. It acknowledges that nutrition is important for general health, but is not sufficient to contain either the HIV/Aids or the TB epidemic. It says a well-fed population on its own will not resist HIV/Aids without anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs.
Controversial Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has been criticised for over-emphasising the importance of nutrition, and under-playing the role of ARVs. But the government has now adopted a comprehensive approach and about 280,000 people were on ARV treatment at the end of March this year. However, that is still well short of the estimated 800,000 who are thought to need ARVs in South Africa.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
New issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs, Vol. 21, no 7, July 2007
In this issue:Case Report: An Uncommon Presentation of HIV-Related Lymphoma
pp. 443-446.
Abstract
Merkel Cell Carcinoma and HIV Infection: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
pp. 447-451.
Abstract
Global Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with HIV Infection: Concordance and Differences in Estimates According to Three Risk Equations (Framingham, SCORE, and PROCAM)
pp. 452-457.
Abstract
Tobacco Addiction and HIV Infection: Toward the Implementation of Cessation Programs. ANRS CO3 Aquitaine Cohort
pp. 458-468.
Abstract
Risk Factors for Grade 3–4 Liver Enzyme Elevation in HIV and Hepatitis C Coinfected Patients on Combination Antiretroviral Therapy
pp. 469-478.
Abstract
Hepatitis C Infection Is Associated with Lower Lipids and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in HIV-Infected Men
pp. 479-491.
Abstract
Disclosure of Positive HIV Serostatus by Men Who Have Sex with Men to Family and Friends Over Time
pp. 492-500.
Abstract
Posttraumatic Stress and Trauma History in Adolescents and Young Adults with HIV
pp. 501-508.
Abstract
Experiences and Perceptions of Patients with 100% Adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy: A Qualitative Study
pp. 509-520.
Abstract
130 Canadian doctors call on Prime Minister to support InSite
Source: CNW Group
VANCOUVER, Aug. 21 /CNW/ - The executive directors of PHS Community Services Society (PHS), one of the operators of Canada's only supervised injection site, have responded to yesterday's comments by Minister of Health Tony Clement by pointing to a commentary published today, supported by 130 doctors and scientists, that states the treatment of substance abuse is being judged by "an entirely different standard than the treatment of other common conditions".
The commentary by respected University of Toronto research scientist, Stephen Hwang, was published today in Open Medicine and says that the current uncertainty over InSite's future is "an alarming example of a recent trend towards the increased politicization of science".
"In a series of peer-reviewed research articles, the supervised injection facility in Vancouver has been shown to provide a number of benefits, including reduced needle sharing, decreased public drug use, fewer publicly discarded syringes, and more rapid entry into detoxification services by persons using the facility," the commentary reads.
The commentary, Science and Ideology: A Call for Action, can be read in full here:
http://www.communityinsite.ca/Commentary%20-%20Science%20and%20Ideology_CMAJ-1.htm
"This commentary reflects our view that any judgment on InSite should be a health issue, not a political issue," said Liz Evans, executive director of PHS. "This latest academic commentary, and its high-level of support from the scientific community, adds to the overwhelming consensus that InSite saves lives and improves public safety in our communities."
A total of 24 peer-reviewed papers have been published over the last few years in prestigious medical journals including the Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the British Medical Journal, stating that InSite has reduced public injections, overdose fatalities, and the transmission of blood-borne infections, like HIV and Hepatitis C.
On Friday, PHS and two addicted people who use InSite issued a statement of claim in the BC Supreme Court that questions the need for its current exemption from the Federal Government of Canada to continue to operate.
"We would rather not be in court on this issue, but we see this as an opportunity to get some much-needed clarification on the future of InSite," said Mark Townsend, executive director of PHS. "We need to be able to operate on a long-term basis, so that we can move past this recurring debate and focus on continuing to save lives."
VANCOUVER, Aug. 21 /CNW/ - The executive directors of PHS Community Services Society (PHS), one of the operators of Canada's only supervised injection site, have responded to yesterday's comments by Minister of Health Tony Clement by pointing to a commentary published today, supported by 130 doctors and scientists, that states the treatment of substance abuse is being judged by "an entirely different standard than the treatment of other common conditions".
The commentary by respected University of Toronto research scientist, Stephen Hwang, was published today in Open Medicine and says that the current uncertainty over InSite's future is "an alarming example of a recent trend towards the increased politicization of science".
"In a series of peer-reviewed research articles, the supervised injection facility in Vancouver has been shown to provide a number of benefits, including reduced needle sharing, decreased public drug use, fewer publicly discarded syringes, and more rapid entry into detoxification services by persons using the facility," the commentary reads.
The commentary, Science and Ideology: A Call for Action, can be read in full here:
http://www.communityinsite.ca/Commentary%20-%20Science%20and%20Ideology_CMAJ-1.htm
"This commentary reflects our view that any judgment on InSite should be a health issue, not a political issue," said Liz Evans, executive director of PHS. "This latest academic commentary, and its high-level of support from the scientific community, adds to the overwhelming consensus that InSite saves lives and improves public safety in our communities."
A total of 24 peer-reviewed papers have been published over the last few years in prestigious medical journals including the Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the British Medical Journal, stating that InSite has reduced public injections, overdose fatalities, and the transmission of blood-borne infections, like HIV and Hepatitis C.
On Friday, PHS and two addicted people who use InSite issued a statement of claim in the BC Supreme Court that questions the need for its current exemption from the Federal Government of Canada to continue to operate.
"We would rather not be in court on this issue, but we see this as an opportunity to get some much-needed clarification on the future of InSite," said Mark Townsend, executive director of PHS. "We need to be able to operate on a long-term basis, so that we can move past this recurring debate and focus on continuing to save lives."
HIV denialists spread misinformation online: Consequences could be deadly
Source: Science Daily
The Internet is serving as a fertile medium for "HIV denialists" to spread false ideas about HIV/AIDS, which could have terrible public health consequences, say scientists in a policy paper in PLoS Medicine.
"It may seem remarkable that, 23 years after the identification of HIV, there is still denial that the virus is the cause of AIDS," say Tara Smith (University of Iowa College of Public Health) and Steven Novella (Yale University School of Medicine). But with the arrival of the Internet, HIV denialist organizations such as "Reappraising AIDS" have reignited their campaign to spread misinformation.
There is a consensus in the scientific community that HIV is the cause of AIDS, based upon over two decades of robust research. Deniers must therefore reject this consensus, say Smith and Novella, "either by denigrating the notion of scientific authority in general, or by arguing that the mainstream HIV community is intellectually compromised."
It is therefore not surprising, they say, that much of the newer denial literature on the Internet reflects a basic distrust of authority and of the institutions of science and medicine. Distrusting mainstream medical practitioners, many HIV deniers turn to unproven "alternative" medicines in search of treatment.
Many members of the general public do not have the scientific background to critique the assertions put forth by these groups, say Smith and Novella. Those who believe the false information spread by HIV denialists could end up putting themselves at risk of HIV infection (e.g. by abandoning safe sex), while those who are already infected could end up seeking unproven, ineffective remedies.
"The effect of denial groups on public perception of HIV infection is an area ripe for careful research," they say "as this denial can have lethal consequences."
Citation: Smith TC, Novella SP (2007) HIV denial in the Internet era. PLoS Med 4(8): e256. (available here)
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Public Library of Science.
The Internet is serving as a fertile medium for "HIV denialists" to spread false ideas about HIV/AIDS, which could have terrible public health consequences, say scientists in a policy paper in PLoS Medicine.
"It may seem remarkable that, 23 years after the identification of HIV, there is still denial that the virus is the cause of AIDS," say Tara Smith (University of Iowa College of Public Health) and Steven Novella (Yale University School of Medicine). But with the arrival of the Internet, HIV denialist organizations such as "Reappraising AIDS" have reignited their campaign to spread misinformation.
There is a consensus in the scientific community that HIV is the cause of AIDS, based upon over two decades of robust research. Deniers must therefore reject this consensus, say Smith and Novella, "either by denigrating the notion of scientific authority in general, or by arguing that the mainstream HIV community is intellectually compromised."
It is therefore not surprising, they say, that much of the newer denial literature on the Internet reflects a basic distrust of authority and of the institutions of science and medicine. Distrusting mainstream medical practitioners, many HIV deniers turn to unproven "alternative" medicines in search of treatment.
Many members of the general public do not have the scientific background to critique the assertions put forth by these groups, say Smith and Novella. Those who believe the false information spread by HIV denialists could end up putting themselves at risk of HIV infection (e.g. by abandoning safe sex), while those who are already infected could end up seeking unproven, ineffective remedies.
"The effect of denial groups on public perception of HIV infection is an area ripe for careful research," they say "as this denial can have lethal consequences."
Citation: Smith TC, Novella SP (2007) HIV denial in the Internet era. PLoS Med 4(8): e256. (available here)
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Public Library of Science.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Canadians want to ramp up global AIDS initiatives: poll
Source: CBC News
Most Canadians want the federal government to help increase access to treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS in developing countries, according to an Ipsos-Reid poll released Friday. Ninety-one per cent of those surveyed said that it's "very important" (46 per cent) or "somewhat important" (45 per cent) that the federal government should help facilitate access to drugs and medical treatments.
Residents of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba were most likely to believe this is important, accounting for 93 per cent of the responses. Forty-eight per cent of respondents felt that current spending on HIV and AIDS outside of Canada is too little, while 43 per cent said the government spends "the right amount."
Stephen Lewis, board chair of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, told CBC.ca that the poll highlights a large divide between the views of Canadians and their politicians. He spoke at a press conference in Toronto announcing the results of the Ipsos-Reid poll.
"I've never fully understood that. The G8 governments have always had this extraordinary disconnect between what obviously the public feels about the issue and what the politicians express or do on the issue. I don't know what that means," he said. "Does it mean that the budget is more important than human well-being? How do they go to Africa for their photo ops and then they come back and it's business as usual?"
Lewis used the press conference to lobby the federal government for more aid. "We are calling on Canada to provide five per cent of the global [AIDS] fund, which is $900 million over the next three years."
Read the rest of the article
More information here: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=3596
Most Canadians want the federal government to help increase access to treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS in developing countries, according to an Ipsos-Reid poll released Friday. Ninety-one per cent of those surveyed said that it's "very important" (46 per cent) or "somewhat important" (45 per cent) that the federal government should help facilitate access to drugs and medical treatments.
Residents of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba were most likely to believe this is important, accounting for 93 per cent of the responses. Forty-eight per cent of respondents felt that current spending on HIV and AIDS outside of Canada is too little, while 43 per cent said the government spends "the right amount."
Stephen Lewis, board chair of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, told CBC.ca that the poll highlights a large divide between the views of Canadians and their politicians. He spoke at a press conference in Toronto announcing the results of the Ipsos-Reid poll.
"I've never fully understood that. The G8 governments have always had this extraordinary disconnect between what obviously the public feels about the issue and what the politicians express or do on the issue. I don't know what that means," he said. "Does it mean that the budget is more important than human well-being? How do they go to Africa for their photo ops and then they come back and it's business as usual?"
Lewis used the press conference to lobby the federal government for more aid. "We are calling on Canada to provide five per cent of the global [AIDS] fund, which is $900 million over the next three years."
Read the rest of the article
More information here: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=3596
Rare blood virus found in almost 4 in 1,000 in Nunavut
Source: CBC News
Almost four in every 1,000 people in Nunavut may have a rare, incurable yet preventable virus called HTLV-1, a research report prepared for the Nunavut government has found. Known as the Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type One, HTLV-1 is transmitted through sexual intercourse, breastfeeding, blood-to-blood contact and needle sharing. In less than five per cent of those infected, it can cause cancer of the blood and disorders affecting the bladder, legs and nervous system.
The overall prevalance rate of the virus in the territory is still low at 3.7 for every 1,000 people. But health officials are stressing the importance of safer sex practices and testing, said Dr. Geraldine Osborne, Nunavut's associate medical officer of health
"It's a concern as much as any sexually transmitted disease — as much as hepatitis C, hepatitis B, all these other viruses that are here that are preventable," Osborne told CBC News.
The study, which had its final report published in July, was prepared by the Public Health Agency of Canada and Nunavut Health and Social Services.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Almost four in every 1,000 people in Nunavut may have a rare, incurable yet preventable virus called HTLV-1, a research report prepared for the Nunavut government has found. Known as the Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type One, HTLV-1 is transmitted through sexual intercourse, breastfeeding, blood-to-blood contact and needle sharing. In less than five per cent of those infected, it can cause cancer of the blood and disorders affecting the bladder, legs and nervous system.
The overall prevalance rate of the virus in the territory is still low at 3.7 for every 1,000 people. But health officials are stressing the importance of safer sex practices and testing, said Dr. Geraldine Osborne, Nunavut's associate medical officer of health
"It's a concern as much as any sexually transmitted disease — as much as hepatitis C, hepatitis B, all these other viruses that are here that are preventable," Osborne told CBC News.
The study, which had its final report published in July, was prepared by the Public Health Agency of Canada and Nunavut Health and Social Services.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
bioLytical Gains Support of BC Persons with AIDS Society and AIDS Vancouver in HIV Testing and Awareness Campaign
Source: bioLytical Laboratories
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 9, 2007) - bioLytical today announced the added support of the BC Persons with AIDS Society and AIDS Vancouver for the inaugural Test Your Commitment Campaign. Through the campaign bioLytical hopes to bring increased awareness to HIV and the ease of being tested. Running August 10th at the Vancouver Art Gallery and August 11th at Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, the Test Your Commitment campaign will feature live demonstrations of the INSTITM kit, the only Health Canada approved rapid HIV test for point-of-care testing. At 60 seconds for a reading, the INSTITM HIV test is the fastest HIV diagnostic test in the world.
Upon consultation with local HIV/AIDS community groups, including BC People With AIDS Society (BCPWA) and AIDS Vancouver, bioLytical agreed the public would be best served with an HIV awareness and education campaign. 15,000 Canadians are HIV positive and do not know it.
Community organizations raised concerns that testing public venues would risk confidentiality of test results. As an alternative solution, it was decided to showcase the INSTITM kit through live testing of public personas and local celebrities. While the focus of the campaign will be on the importance of getting tested for HIV, actual testing will be encouraged in private point-of-care facilities across the province. AIDS Vancouver will be on hand supporting the event by providing educational support and information.
"These community organizations work directly within HIV communities and are an invaluable source of knowledge and insight into events such as this," comments Carl Roy, CEO bioLytical, "We appreciate their concerns and recognize the importance of confidentiality."
BCPWA Society and AIDS Vancouver recognize the benefits the INSTITM kit offers in terms of increasing the accessibility of HIV testing. Both groups believe the INSTITM kit, when applied together with confidential care and counselling, will benefit HIV/AIDS education, prevention and care.
"The INSTITM kit provides a welcome advancement in addressing the HIV epidemic," says Paul Lewand, Chair of BCPWA. "Being able to obtain HIV test results in just 60 seconds makes HIV testing much more accessible and convenient. The rapidity of the test could translate to greater numbers being tested and becoming aware of their HIV status. The sooner HIV positive people are aware of their status, the sooner they can implement an appropriate care and treatment regime, and the sooner they can take steps necessary to avoid further infections."
"AIDS Vancouver welcomes new opportunities to increase public education and awareness about HIV disease. Combined with proper standards for client-confidentiality, informed consent and counselling, the point of contact test kit has potential to be an extremely useful tool for health care providers," comments William Booth, Executive Director, AIDS Vancouver. "We appreciate that bioLytical recognizes the importance of collaborating with community-based organizations such as AIDS Vancouver, who provide care and support services for individuals living with HIV disease."
Currently in British Columbia, the INSTITM test is only available at limited locations. Though approved for use by all point-of-care facilities, the provincial healthcare system has yet to cover the cost of the kit under the current healthcare plan. It is hoped that B.C. will follow the example of the Ontario government and offer the test free of charge as part of the provincial healthcare system. Such government funding would alleviate supply demands on individual clinics and physicians.
ABOUT THE BRITISH COLUMBIA PERSONS WITH AIDS SOCIETY
The British Columbia Persons With AIDS Society (BCPWA Society), a non-profit, consumer-driven organization is in its 20th year of operation, is dedicated to empowering persons living with HIV disease and AIDS through mutual support and collective action. As western Canada's largest AIDS organization, with a membership of more than 4,400 HIV+ individuals, the Society provides support and advocacy services, treatment information, and volunteer opportunities to its diverse membership.
ABOUT AIDS VANCOUVER
AIDS Vancouver was founded in 1983 as one of the first AIDS service organizations in Canada. For the past 20 years, AV has been at the forefront of community response to the epidemic here in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Their 28 paid staff and 300 volunteers strive to provide a comprehensive and integrated range of health promotion, education, and support services.
ABOUT INSTITM HIV-1 RAPID ANTIBODY TEST
The INSTITM HIV-1 Rapid Antibody Test is a rapid, in-vitro, qualitative test for the detection of antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in human whole blood, serum or plasma. The test is capable of providing results in 60-seconds and is intended for use as a screening assay by trained personnel in medical facilities, clinical laboratories, emergency care situations, and physicians' offices.
ABOUT BIOLYTICAL LABORATORIES
bioLytical Laboratories (Inc.) is a leading developer and manufacturer of diagnostic tests for global health care markets. bioLytical is a privately owned company with headquarters and a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in Richmond, British Columbia, with offices in United Kingdom and Uganda, Africa. For more information about bioLytical and INSTITM, please visit www.biolytical.com.
This news release is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an advertisement, solicitation or offering of securities of bioLytical Laboratories. The statements made in this news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations.
For more information, please contact
Smith Biotech
Amanda Smith, BSc.
Media Contact for bioLytical Laboratories
(778) 846-4116
Email: amanda@smithbiotech.com
or
Media Contact for AIDS Vancouver
Arthur Yee
(604) 893-2241
(604) 893-2211 (FAX)
Email: arthury@aidsvancouver.org
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 9, 2007) - bioLytical today announced the added support of the BC Persons with AIDS Society and AIDS Vancouver for the inaugural Test Your Commitment Campaign. Through the campaign bioLytical hopes to bring increased awareness to HIV and the ease of being tested. Running August 10th at the Vancouver Art Gallery and August 11th at Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, the Test Your Commitment campaign will feature live demonstrations of the INSTITM kit, the only Health Canada approved rapid HIV test for point-of-care testing. At 60 seconds for a reading, the INSTITM HIV test is the fastest HIV diagnostic test in the world.
Upon consultation with local HIV/AIDS community groups, including BC People With AIDS Society (BCPWA) and AIDS Vancouver, bioLytical agreed the public would be best served with an HIV awareness and education campaign. 15,000 Canadians are HIV positive and do not know it.
Community organizations raised concerns that testing public venues would risk confidentiality of test results. As an alternative solution, it was decided to showcase the INSTITM kit through live testing of public personas and local celebrities. While the focus of the campaign will be on the importance of getting tested for HIV, actual testing will be encouraged in private point-of-care facilities across the province. AIDS Vancouver will be on hand supporting the event by providing educational support and information.
"These community organizations work directly within HIV communities and are an invaluable source of knowledge and insight into events such as this," comments Carl Roy, CEO bioLytical, "We appreciate their concerns and recognize the importance of confidentiality."
BCPWA Society and AIDS Vancouver recognize the benefits the INSTITM kit offers in terms of increasing the accessibility of HIV testing. Both groups believe the INSTITM kit, when applied together with confidential care and counselling, will benefit HIV/AIDS education, prevention and care.
"The INSTITM kit provides a welcome advancement in addressing the HIV epidemic," says Paul Lewand, Chair of BCPWA. "Being able to obtain HIV test results in just 60 seconds makes HIV testing much more accessible and convenient. The rapidity of the test could translate to greater numbers being tested and becoming aware of their HIV status. The sooner HIV positive people are aware of their status, the sooner they can implement an appropriate care and treatment regime, and the sooner they can take steps necessary to avoid further infections."
"AIDS Vancouver welcomes new opportunities to increase public education and awareness about HIV disease. Combined with proper standards for client-confidentiality, informed consent and counselling, the point of contact test kit has potential to be an extremely useful tool for health care providers," comments William Booth, Executive Director, AIDS Vancouver. "We appreciate that bioLytical recognizes the importance of collaborating with community-based organizations such as AIDS Vancouver, who provide care and support services for individuals living with HIV disease."
Currently in British Columbia, the INSTITM test is only available at limited locations. Though approved for use by all point-of-care facilities, the provincial healthcare system has yet to cover the cost of the kit under the current healthcare plan. It is hoped that B.C. will follow the example of the Ontario government and offer the test free of charge as part of the provincial healthcare system. Such government funding would alleviate supply demands on individual clinics and physicians.
ABOUT THE BRITISH COLUMBIA PERSONS WITH AIDS SOCIETY
The British Columbia Persons With AIDS Society (BCPWA Society), a non-profit, consumer-driven organization is in its 20th year of operation, is dedicated to empowering persons living with HIV disease and AIDS through mutual support and collective action. As western Canada's largest AIDS organization, with a membership of more than 4,400 HIV+ individuals, the Society provides support and advocacy services, treatment information, and volunteer opportunities to its diverse membership.
ABOUT AIDS VANCOUVER
AIDS Vancouver was founded in 1983 as one of the first AIDS service organizations in Canada. For the past 20 years, AV has been at the forefront of community response to the epidemic here in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Their 28 paid staff and 300 volunteers strive to provide a comprehensive and integrated range of health promotion, education, and support services.
ABOUT INSTITM HIV-1 RAPID ANTIBODY TEST
The INSTITM HIV-1 Rapid Antibody Test is a rapid, in-vitro, qualitative test for the detection of antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in human whole blood, serum or plasma. The test is capable of providing results in 60-seconds and is intended for use as a screening assay by trained personnel in medical facilities, clinical laboratories, emergency care situations, and physicians' offices.
ABOUT BIOLYTICAL LABORATORIES
bioLytical Laboratories (Inc.) is a leading developer and manufacturer of diagnostic tests for global health care markets. bioLytical is a privately owned company with headquarters and a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in Richmond, British Columbia, with offices in United Kingdom and Uganda, Africa. For more information about bioLytical and INSTITM, please visit www.biolytical.com.
This news release is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an advertisement, solicitation or offering of securities of bioLytical Laboratories. The statements made in this news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations.
For more information, please contact
Smith Biotech
Amanda Smith, BSc.
Media Contact for bioLytical Laboratories
(778) 846-4116
Email: amanda@smithbiotech.com
or
Media Contact for AIDS Vancouver
Arthur Yee
(604) 893-2241
(604) 893-2211 (FAX)
Email: arthury@aidsvancouver.org
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Pfizer wins U.S. approval for new HIV drug
Source: Reuters
Pfizer Inc (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday that U.S. regulators approved its AIDS drug, Selzentry, the first in a new class of oral HIV medicines. Selzentry is the first drug designed to keep the HIV virus that causes AIDS from entering healthy immune cells. Older AIDS medicines attack the virus itself. The drug, also known as maraviroc, blocks the CCR5 co-receptor that serves as a main doorway for the HIV virus into immune cells.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Selzentry for use in patients who have tried other medicines and for those for whom a diagnostic test has confirmed their HIV strain is linked to the CCR5 receptor. About 50 percent to 60 percent of patients who have been treated with other AIDS drugs meet that definition, the FDA said.
Selzentry will come with a "black box" warning, the strongest for prescription drugs, about the risk of liver toxicity, the FDA said. The drug's label also will mention the possibility of heart attacks under a list of warnings and precautions, the agency said.
The most common problems reported in studies of patients who took Selzentry included cough, fever, upper respiratory tract infections, rash, abdominal pain and dizziness.
Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, expects Selzentry to be available next month.
In the company's studies, about 45 percent of patients who took maraviroc had their HIV virus suppressed to undetectable levels. The same was true for 23 percent who got a placebo. All patients also were treated with a cocktail of the best available drugs and had tried other regimens.
Click here to read the entire article
Pfizer Inc (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday that U.S. regulators approved its AIDS drug, Selzentry, the first in a new class of oral HIV medicines. Selzentry is the first drug designed to keep the HIV virus that causes AIDS from entering healthy immune cells. Older AIDS medicines attack the virus itself. The drug, also known as maraviroc, blocks the CCR5 co-receptor that serves as a main doorway for the HIV virus into immune cells.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Selzentry for use in patients who have tried other medicines and for those for whom a diagnostic test has confirmed their HIV strain is linked to the CCR5 receptor. About 50 percent to 60 percent of patients who have been treated with other AIDS drugs meet that definition, the FDA said.
Selzentry will come with a "black box" warning, the strongest for prescription drugs, about the risk of liver toxicity, the FDA said. The drug's label also will mention the possibility of heart attacks under a list of warnings and precautions, the agency said.
The most common problems reported in studies of patients who took Selzentry included cough, fever, upper respiratory tract infections, rash, abdominal pain and dizziness.
Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, expects Selzentry to be available next month.
In the company's studies, about 45 percent of patients who took maraviroc had their HIV virus suppressed to undetectable levels. The same was true for 23 percent who got a placebo. All patients also were treated with a cocktail of the best available drugs and had tried other regimens.
Click here to read the entire article
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Study helps explain how HIV becomes AIDS
Finding could help scientists seeking therapies to block virus progression
Source: University of California Irvine, Calif., July 31, 2007
A new UC Irvine study sheds light on how HIV develops into AIDS and suggests a possible way to block the deadly transformation.
UCI biologist Dominik Wodarz has shown for the first time that the development of AIDS might require HIV to evolve within a patient into a state where it spreads less efficiently from cell to cell. This counters the current belief that AIDS develops when the virus evolves over time to spread more efficiently within a patient, ultimately leading to the collapse of the immune system.
The study also finds that multiple HIV particles must team up to infect individual cells, called co-infection, in order for deadly strains to emerge and to turn the infection into AIDS. If just one virus particle infects a cell, the deadliest strains may not be able to evolve, stopping HIV from progressing to AIDS. By keeping more than one HIV particle from infecting a cell, scientists might be able to ward off AIDS, the study suggests. AIDS killed more than 17,000 people in the United States in 2005.
“If this is true, a new approach to therapy could be to block the process of co-infection in cells,” said Wodarz, who used a mathematical model to draw his conclusions. “This would prevent deadly HIV strains from emerging and the patient would remain healthy, despite carrying the virus.”
The study appears online July 31 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/content/l7237342p6683318/ (access to full-text restricted)
Click here to read to complete press release
Source: University of California Irvine, Calif., July 31, 2007
A new UC Irvine study sheds light on how HIV develops into AIDS and suggests a possible way to block the deadly transformation.
UCI biologist Dominik Wodarz has shown for the first time that the development of AIDS might require HIV to evolve within a patient into a state where it spreads less efficiently from cell to cell. This counters the current belief that AIDS develops when the virus evolves over time to spread more efficiently within a patient, ultimately leading to the collapse of the immune system.
The study also finds that multiple HIV particles must team up to infect individual cells, called co-infection, in order for deadly strains to emerge and to turn the infection into AIDS. If just one virus particle infects a cell, the deadliest strains may not be able to evolve, stopping HIV from progressing to AIDS. By keeping more than one HIV particle from infecting a cell, scientists might be able to ward off AIDS, the study suggests. AIDS killed more than 17,000 people in the United States in 2005.
“If this is true, a new approach to therapy could be to block the process of co-infection in cells,” said Wodarz, who used a mathematical model to draw his conclusions. “This would prevent deadly HIV strains from emerging and the patient would remain healthy, despite carrying the virus.”
The study appears online July 31 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/content/l7237342p6683318/ (access to full-text restricted)
Click here to read to complete press release
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
New study points to need for better HIV education among inmates
Source: CBC News
Published: Monday, July 30, 2007 | 5:29 PM ET
Canadian Press: KRISTINE OWRAM
TORONTO (CP) - Offenders who are admitted to Ontario remand facilities are 11 times more likely to be infected with HIV and 22 times more likely to be infected with hepatitis C than members of the general population - numbers that point to the need for better education and preventive measures among inmates, a new study suggests.
The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, indicates injection drug use is by far the most important risk factor in the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C among inmates of Ontario's remand facilities.
"This shows the importance of education, because in some cases, there were people who knew they were infected and still were engaging in behaviours that would transmit the infection," said Liviana Calzavara, one of the authors of the study. Calzavara, who is deputy director of the HIV Social, Behavioural and Epidemiological Studies Unit at the University of Toronto's department of public health sciences, added that one-third of the inmates who tested positive for hepatitis C weren't aware they were infected. "This study draws attention to issues around education for individuals in terms of how to avoid it, how to avoid transmitting it to others and treatment that is available that would limit the health effects," she said.
This is particularly important because inmates tend to spend relatively short periods of time in remand centres - an average of 32 days - before moving on to somewhere else, said Calzavara. The study found that 56,000 adult and young offenders are admitted to remand facilities in Ontario each year, where they await the outcome of legal proceedings, serve sentences under 60 days, or await transfer to provincial or federal jails. This means there are significant opportunities for transmission of diseases to other populations through high-risk behaviours such as injection drug use or unsafe sex, said Calzavara.
Click here to read the complete article.
The study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal is available HERE.
Published: Monday, July 30, 2007 | 5:29 PM ET
Canadian Press: KRISTINE OWRAM
TORONTO (CP) - Offenders who are admitted to Ontario remand facilities are 11 times more likely to be infected with HIV and 22 times more likely to be infected with hepatitis C than members of the general population - numbers that point to the need for better education and preventive measures among inmates, a new study suggests.
The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, indicates injection drug use is by far the most important risk factor in the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C among inmates of Ontario's remand facilities.
"This shows the importance of education, because in some cases, there were people who knew they were infected and still were engaging in behaviours that would transmit the infection," said Liviana Calzavara, one of the authors of the study. Calzavara, who is deputy director of the HIV Social, Behavioural and Epidemiological Studies Unit at the University of Toronto's department of public health sciences, added that one-third of the inmates who tested positive for hepatitis C weren't aware they were infected. "This study draws attention to issues around education for individuals in terms of how to avoid it, how to avoid transmitting it to others and treatment that is available that would limit the health effects," she said.
This is particularly important because inmates tend to spend relatively short periods of time in remand centres - an average of 32 days - before moving on to somewhere else, said Calzavara. The study found that 56,000 adult and young offenders are admitted to remand facilities in Ontario each year, where they await the outcome of legal proceedings, serve sentences under 60 days, or await transfer to provincial or federal jails. This means there are significant opportunities for transmission of diseases to other populations through high-risk behaviours such as injection drug use or unsafe sex, said Calzavara.
Click here to read the complete article.
The study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal is available HERE.
Monday, July 30, 2007
China bans AIDS rights meeting, group says
Source: Reuters
BEIJING, July 29 (Reuters) - China has banned AIDS activists from holding a meeting on the rights of people with the disease, one of the organisers said on Sunday, citing official fears over foreign involvement in the sensitive subject.
The conference would have brought together 50 Chinese and foreign experts and activists to discuss how to press the legal rights of people with HIV/AIDS.
But government authorities told the New York-based Asia Catalyst group to cancel the meeting planned for early August in Guangzhou near Hong Kong in the south, said Sara Davis, one of the organisers.
"Authorities informed us that the combination of AIDS, law and foreigners was too sensitive," Davis told Reuters. There were no plans to reschedule the meeting, she said.
Phone calls to government spokesmen in Guangzhou and Beijing were not answered on Sunday.
China has become increasingly open about AIDS in recent years, facing up to an epidemic once stigmatised as a disease of the West.
The nation had 203,527 officially registered cases of HIV/AIDS by the end of April, up from 183,733 at the end of October 2006. Of the latest figure, 52,480 had progressed to full-blown AIDS. But the United Nations estimates the true number of HIV/AIDS cases in the country to be around 650,000.
Nowadays, Beijing backs campaigns to educate citizens on avoiding infection, and victims infected through reckless commercial blood collection in rural Henan province have been given free medicines. But officials in the one-party state remain wary of local activists and foreign groups pressing legal claims of infected citizens or raising official complicity in the spread of the disease. Henan has informally blocked patients from suing officials over tainted blood.
The meeting co-organised with China Orchid AIDS Project, a Beijing-based group, had invited several experts from South Africa, India, the United States, Canada and Thailand. Planned topics included discrimination, blood safety and setting up a legal aid center for people with HIV/AIDS.
"Protecting legal rights is key to any successful fight against AIDS," said Davis in an emailed statement about the cancellation. "China has passed laws protecting those rights, and people with AIDS need assistance in order to exercise them."
In May, China barred a prominent AIDS and environmental activist couple from leaving the country, accusing them of endangering national security. Earlier in the year, Henan officials tried to stop Gao Yaojie -- a doctor who helped expose the rural AIDS epidemic there -- from going to Washington to collect a human rights award. They let her go after an international outcry.
BEIJING, July 29 (Reuters) - China has banned AIDS activists from holding a meeting on the rights of people with the disease, one of the organisers said on Sunday, citing official fears over foreign involvement in the sensitive subject.
The conference would have brought together 50 Chinese and foreign experts and activists to discuss how to press the legal rights of people with HIV/AIDS.
But government authorities told the New York-based Asia Catalyst group to cancel the meeting planned for early August in Guangzhou near Hong Kong in the south, said Sara Davis, one of the organisers.
"Authorities informed us that the combination of AIDS, law and foreigners was too sensitive," Davis told Reuters. There were no plans to reschedule the meeting, she said.
Phone calls to government spokesmen in Guangzhou and Beijing were not answered on Sunday.
China has become increasingly open about AIDS in recent years, facing up to an epidemic once stigmatised as a disease of the West.
The nation had 203,527 officially registered cases of HIV/AIDS by the end of April, up from 183,733 at the end of October 2006. Of the latest figure, 52,480 had progressed to full-blown AIDS. But the United Nations estimates the true number of HIV/AIDS cases in the country to be around 650,000.
Nowadays, Beijing backs campaigns to educate citizens on avoiding infection, and victims infected through reckless commercial blood collection in rural Henan province have been given free medicines. But officials in the one-party state remain wary of local activists and foreign groups pressing legal claims of infected citizens or raising official complicity in the spread of the disease. Henan has informally blocked patients from suing officials over tainted blood.
The meeting co-organised with China Orchid AIDS Project, a Beijing-based group, had invited several experts from South Africa, India, the United States, Canada and Thailand. Planned topics included discrimination, blood safety and setting up a legal aid center for people with HIV/AIDS.
"Protecting legal rights is key to any successful fight against AIDS," said Davis in an emailed statement about the cancellation. "China has passed laws protecting those rights, and people with AIDS need assistance in order to exercise them."
In May, China barred a prominent AIDS and environmental activist couple from leaving the country, accusing them of endangering national security. Earlier in the year, Henan officials tried to stop Gao Yaojie -- a doctor who helped expose the rural AIDS epidemic there -- from going to Washington to collect a human rights award. They let her go after an international outcry.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Early treatment of HIV-infected infants with ART significantly reduces mortality
Source: AIDSMAP
Theo Smart, Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Treating HIV-infected infants with antiretroviral therapy (ART) as early as possible, within the first six to 12 weeks of life — rather than waiting until they show signs of immunological or clinical deterioration — dramatically decreases their risk of early death, according to findings from the Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy (CHER) trial, a South African study presented today at a late-breaker session of the 4th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Treatment and Pathogenesis in Sydney.
“Starting ART before 12 weeks of age reduces early mortality by 75%,” said Dr Avy Violari of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, who, along with Dr Marc Cotton from Cape Town, led the study.
After only 32 weeks of follow-up, the difference between early and deferred treatment was so profound that the study’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) called for the deferred ART arm of the study to be terminated, and urged that infants who weren’t already on treatment “should be urgently recalled and assessed for ART.”
Click here to read the article.
Theo Smart, Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Treating HIV-infected infants with antiretroviral therapy (ART) as early as possible, within the first six to 12 weeks of life — rather than waiting until they show signs of immunological or clinical deterioration — dramatically decreases their risk of early death, according to findings from the Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy (CHER) trial, a South African study presented today at a late-breaker session of the 4th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Treatment and Pathogenesis in Sydney.
“Starting ART before 12 weeks of age reduces early mortality by 75%,” said Dr Avy Violari of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, who, along with Dr Marc Cotton from Cape Town, led the study.
After only 32 weeks of follow-up, the difference between early and deferred treatment was so profound that the study’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) called for the deferred ART arm of the study to be terminated, and urged that infants who weren’t already on treatment “should be urgently recalled and assessed for ART.”
Click here to read the article.
Zimbabwe: Scientists Start Human Trials of Revolutionary HIV Treatment
Source: AllAfrica (Published in The Herald - Harare)
25 July 2007
SYDNEY.
Scientists have begun human trials of a revolutionary HIV treatment that genetically modifies people's cells to halt the virus, a conference of international experts in Sydney was yesterday. US professor John Rossi said the world-first trials began recently at the City of Hope hospital in California, the culmination of research that began in the early 1990s.
"We have already enrolled our first patient, who will be infused with his own genetically modified blood stem cells and we will enrol four more patients after him," said Rossi, the head of the hospital's molecular biology division.
The process, known as intra-cellular immunity, involves changing the genetic information in the human cells, known as T-cells, that the HIV virus normally locks into and infects before replicating and spreading. A piece of genetic material is introduced into the cells that makes then recognise HIV as a threat, stimulating the body's natural cellular defence mechanism to prevent the HIV cell from replicating.
"Our approach has been to take blood stem cells and T-cells out of patients that are HIV infected and introduce into these cells genes that produce products that inhibit HIV replication," Rossi told the International Aids Society conference in Sydney. "This would be long-term, this is a permanent modification of these cells, so that as long as these cells persist in the patient, they will have resistance to the HIV infection."
Rossi said the ultimate goal of the research was to either completely control the HIV virus or reduce its presence in patients to such an extent that they needed fewer drugs to survive.
"It's a landmark trial in many ways and we're very excited about being the first people in the world to do this," he said.
25 July 2007
SYDNEY.
Scientists have begun human trials of a revolutionary HIV treatment that genetically modifies people's cells to halt the virus, a conference of international experts in Sydney was yesterday. US professor John Rossi said the world-first trials began recently at the City of Hope hospital in California, the culmination of research that began in the early 1990s.
"We have already enrolled our first patient, who will be infused with his own genetically modified blood stem cells and we will enrol four more patients after him," said Rossi, the head of the hospital's molecular biology division.
The process, known as intra-cellular immunity, involves changing the genetic information in the human cells, known as T-cells, that the HIV virus normally locks into and infects before replicating and spreading. A piece of genetic material is introduced into the cells that makes then recognise HIV as a threat, stimulating the body's natural cellular defence mechanism to prevent the HIV cell from replicating.
"Our approach has been to take blood stem cells and T-cells out of patients that are HIV infected and introduce into these cells genes that produce products that inhibit HIV replication," Rossi told the International Aids Society conference in Sydney. "This would be long-term, this is a permanent modification of these cells, so that as long as these cells persist in the patient, they will have resistance to the HIV infection."
Rossi said the ultimate goal of the research was to either completely control the HIV virus or reduce its presence in patients to such an extent that they needed fewer drugs to survive.
"It's a landmark trial in many ways and we're very excited about being the first people in the world to do this," he said.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Fighting Drug Resistance In Hepatitis C Virus
Aource: Science Daily
Researchers at McGill University have found a clue in developing new drug candidates to fight the hepatitis C virus (HCV) by identifying a defence mechanism in the virus similar to resistance found in HIV.
“If you understand the biochemical mechanisms of drug resistance, you may be able to develop drugs in the test tube that are more capable of doing their job in the clinic,” says Dr. Matthias Götte, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at McGill and a recipient of a national career award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Antiviral therapies commonly employ inhibitors, compounds that block enzymes from reproducing the virus. The infection eventually subsides as a result. However, a defence mechanism previously identified in HIV works when the virus enzyme “excises” inhibitors, removing them and allowing the virus to continue multiplying.
In their study, to be published in the August issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (AAC) but already available online, Götte and colleagues experimented with a promising class of inhibitors, called nucleoside analogues, to see whether hepatitis C uses a similar defence mechanism. They found that some of these inhibitors are efficiently excised, while others remain attached and block a crucial virus enzyme. Understanding how some nucleoside analogues counteract excision may enhance their function as drugs.
Since hepatitis C infection is a major cause of severe liver damage and liver cancer, further research is needed urgently, says Götte. There are an estimated 200 million hepatitis C-positive people worldwide. Approximately 1 per cent of Canadians are infected with the virus, some 250,000 people.
Several factors have held back the development of better treatment to fight HCV. People often carry the infection unknowingly because symptoms arise much later as compared with HIV. Tests for patient infection were only made comprehensive in the early nineties, and the tools required for advanced drug design were not available until recent years.
“Treatment success depends largely on the strain of virus causing infection, and the current hepatitis C therapy is often thwarted by the most common strain. The success rate is much lower than seen in HIV drug treatment,” says co-author Megan Powdrill, a graduate student who worked on the study. Dr. Claudia D’Abramo, a former graduate student, and Dr. Jérôme Deval, a former postdoctoral fellow, are also co-authors of the paper.
Götte’s group is taking lessons from HIV therapy and drug development to boost research on HCV. His group and colleagues from Gilead Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company in California, recently experimented with a drug called tenofovir. Unlike AZT, another major anti-HIV drug, tenofovir counteracts excision in HIV by forming an inactive complex with the enzyme. This paper will also be published in the August issue of AAC. “Although the formation of a similar complex with hepatitis C inhibitors is not evident,” said Götte, “this adds to our understanding of how viral resistance can be overcome.”
This research was funded by the Cancer Research Society, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the National Canadian Training Program in Hepatitis C (NCRTP-HepC) and the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ).
Researchers at McGill University have found a clue in developing new drug candidates to fight the hepatitis C virus (HCV) by identifying a defence mechanism in the virus similar to resistance found in HIV.
“If you understand the biochemical mechanisms of drug resistance, you may be able to develop drugs in the test tube that are more capable of doing their job in the clinic,” says Dr. Matthias Götte, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at McGill and a recipient of a national career award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Antiviral therapies commonly employ inhibitors, compounds that block enzymes from reproducing the virus. The infection eventually subsides as a result. However, a defence mechanism previously identified in HIV works when the virus enzyme “excises” inhibitors, removing them and allowing the virus to continue multiplying.
In their study, to be published in the August issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (AAC) but already available online, Götte and colleagues experimented with a promising class of inhibitors, called nucleoside analogues, to see whether hepatitis C uses a similar defence mechanism. They found that some of these inhibitors are efficiently excised, while others remain attached and block a crucial virus enzyme. Understanding how some nucleoside analogues counteract excision may enhance their function as drugs.
Since hepatitis C infection is a major cause of severe liver damage and liver cancer, further research is needed urgently, says Götte. There are an estimated 200 million hepatitis C-positive people worldwide. Approximately 1 per cent of Canadians are infected with the virus, some 250,000 people.
Several factors have held back the development of better treatment to fight HCV. People often carry the infection unknowingly because symptoms arise much later as compared with HIV. Tests for patient infection were only made comprehensive in the early nineties, and the tools required for advanced drug design were not available until recent years.
“Treatment success depends largely on the strain of virus causing infection, and the current hepatitis C therapy is often thwarted by the most common strain. The success rate is much lower than seen in HIV drug treatment,” says co-author Megan Powdrill, a graduate student who worked on the study. Dr. Claudia D’Abramo, a former graduate student, and Dr. Jérôme Deval, a former postdoctoral fellow, are also co-authors of the paper.
Götte’s group is taking lessons from HIV therapy and drug development to boost research on HCV. His group and colleagues from Gilead Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company in California, recently experimented with a drug called tenofovir. Unlike AZT, another major anti-HIV drug, tenofovir counteracts excision in HIV by forming an inactive complex with the enzyme. This paper will also be published in the August issue of AAC. “Although the formation of a similar complex with hepatitis C inhibitors is not evident,” said Götte, “this adds to our understanding of how viral resistance can be overcome.”
This research was funded by the Cancer Research Society, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the National Canadian Training Program in Hepatitis C (NCRTP-HepC) and the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ).
Monday, July 23, 2007
New HIV infections outpace treatment
Source: Boston.com
By Meraiah Foley, Associated Press Writer | July 23, 2007
SYDNEY, Australia --Access to life-extending HIV/AIDS drugs in developing countries has improved during the past three years, but new infections still dramatically outpace efforts to bring treatment to patients, health officials said Monday.
Three years ago, fewer than 300,000 people in the developing world were receiving the anti-retroviral drugs that help treat the virus. Last year, 2.2 million people in developing countries received the drugs, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"However, for every one person that you put in therapy, six new people get infected. So we're losing that game, the numbers game," Fauci told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
In many parts of the developing world where the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still growing exponentially, effective prevention strategies -- such as condom distribution, needle exchanges and basic education about the disease -- reach less than 15 percent of the population.
"The proven prevention modalities are not accessible to any substantial proportion of the people who need them," said Fauci, one of the keynote speakers at the Fourth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Sydney, Australia, which runs through Wednesday.
"Although we are making major improvements in the access to drugs, clearly prevention must be addressed in a very forceful way," he added.
According to recent World Health Organization statistics, only 28 percent of the world's HIV/AIDS patients are receiving anti-retroviral drugs.
Dr. Brian Gazzard, chairman of the British HIV Association, said that while great advances have been made in extending access to anti-retrovirals, the disease is still running rampant in parts of Asia and Africa.
"The HIV epidemic is essentially uncontrolled, uncontrolled in Africa, uncontrolled completely in Asia right now," he told reporters at the conference, which has drawn 5,000 delegates from 133 countries. "The epidemic still is in an exponential growth phase ... and I think that is likely to continue."
By Meraiah Foley, Associated Press Writer | July 23, 2007
SYDNEY, Australia --Access to life-extending HIV/AIDS drugs in developing countries has improved during the past three years, but new infections still dramatically outpace efforts to bring treatment to patients, health officials said Monday.
Three years ago, fewer than 300,000 people in the developing world were receiving the anti-retroviral drugs that help treat the virus. Last year, 2.2 million people in developing countries received the drugs, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"However, for every one person that you put in therapy, six new people get infected. So we're losing that game, the numbers game," Fauci told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
In many parts of the developing world where the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still growing exponentially, effective prevention strategies -- such as condom distribution, needle exchanges and basic education about the disease -- reach less than 15 percent of the population.
"The proven prevention modalities are not accessible to any substantial proportion of the people who need them," said Fauci, one of the keynote speakers at the Fourth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Sydney, Australia, which runs through Wednesday.
"Although we are making major improvements in the access to drugs, clearly prevention must be addressed in a very forceful way," he added.
According to recent World Health Organization statistics, only 28 percent of the world's HIV/AIDS patients are receiving anti-retroviral drugs.
Dr. Brian Gazzard, chairman of the British HIV Association, said that while great advances have been made in extending access to anti-retrovirals, the disease is still running rampant in parts of Asia and Africa.
"The HIV epidemic is essentially uncontrolled, uncontrolled in Africa, uncontrolled completely in Asia right now," he told reporters at the conference, which has drawn 5,000 delegates from 133 countries. "The epidemic still is in an exponential growth phase ... and I think that is likely to continue."
Thursday, July 19, 2007
New issue of AIDS Care received (Vol. 19, no 6, July 2007)
AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-medical Aspects of AIDS/HIVIn this issue:
The impact of HIV treatment on risk behaviour in developing countries: A systematic review
pp. 707 – 720
Abstract
Prevalence of HIV and factors associated with risk behaviours among Chinese female sex workers in Hong Kong
pp. 721 – 732
Abstract
Investigating factors associated with uptake of HIV voluntary counselling and testing among pregnant women living in North Uganda
pp. 733 – 739
Abstract
Adherence to antiretroviral therapy in a context of universal access, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
pp. 740 – 748
Abstract
It's not just what you say: Relationships of HIV dislosure and risk reduction among MSM in the post-HAART era
pp. 749 – 756
Abstract
Self-monitoring of behaviour as a risk reduction strategy for persons living with HIV
pp. 757 – 763
FREE ACCESS
Adherence to antiretroviral therapy in children: A comparative evaluation of caregiver reports and physician judgement
pp. 764 – 766
Abstract
A continuum-based outcome approach to measuring performance in HIV/AIDS case management
pp. 767 – 774
Abstract
What is a missed dose? Implications for construct validity and patient adherence
pp. 775 – 780
Abstract
The social and economic impact of parental HIV on children in northern Malawi: Retrospective population-based cohort study
pp. 781 – 790
Abstract
Differences in HIV disclosure by modes of transmission in Taiwanese families
pp. 791 – 798
Abstract
Participatory communication and HIV/AIDS prevention in a Chinese marginalized (MSM) population
pp. 799 – 810
Abstract
Paediatric HIV/AIDS disclosure: towards a developmental and process-oriented approach
pp. 811 – 816
Abstract
Acceptability of PRO2000 Vaginal Gel among HIV un-infected Women in Pune, India
pp. 817 – 821
Abstract
Are sexual partners met online associated with HIV/STI risk behaviours? Retrospective and daily diary data in conflict
pp. 822 – 827
Abstract
Psychiatric morbidity in HIV-infected children
pp. 828 – 833
Abstract
Contact the library to request copies of articles.
HIV patients build normal immune strength in study
Source: Reuters
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - AIDS drug cocktails may be able to restore the ravaged immune systems of some people infected with HIV, researchers reported on Wednesday.
Immune cells known as CD4 T-cells returned to normal levels in an ideal group of patients, picked because they responded optimally to a combination of at least three AIDS drugs, the researchers reported in the Lancet medical journal.
The human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS, plunders the immune system, leaving people vulnerable to a range of infections that may prove fatal.
AIDS is incurable, but doctors try to prop up the immune system with life-extending drug therapy aimed at reducing the amount of virus in the body.
The study involved 1,835 HIV-infected people drawn from a larger study involving more than 14,000 patients from across Europe, Israel and Argentina.
"I think it's very encouraging that if people can respond to treatment well enough and can suppress the virus for long enough, we have sufficient evidence to say their CD4 counts can return to normal," Dr. Amanda Mocroft of Royal Free and University College Medical School in London, one of the researchers, said in a telephone interview.
"Our previous understanding was that there was a plateau in CD4 counts so that CD4 counts would stop increasing after a sufficiently long time taking combination therapy," she added.
Mocroft said not all HIV patients respond as well to these drugs, and many, particularly in the hardest hit regions like sub-Saharan Africa, do not have access to them.
"This is sort of the best-case scenario, if you like, that we can identify a group of patients who we would expect to have a normal CD4 count with sufficient treatment," Mocroft said.
These patients were chosen because they responded well to the treatment, with the drugs suppressing the virus to very low levels. They were tracked for about five years.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said doctors who care for HIV-infected patients have noticed this restoration of normal levels of CD4 cells in some of them. Fauci credited Mocroft's team for documenting this phenomenon in a systematic way.
CD4 cells, a type of white blood cell, help protect the body from infection. But HIV targets CD4 cells, using them to create more copies of the virus, thus undermining the immune system.
After initial infection, a person can produce more CD4 cells to take the place of those attacked by HIV. But in time, the body cannot make enough, increasingly weakening the immune system.
Although it is impossible to eradicate the virus with existing drugs, it is possible to keep it at extremely low levels in some people with the right combination of drugs.
The AIDS virus infects close to 40 million people globally, most of them in Africa. It has killed more than 25 million.
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - AIDS drug cocktails may be able to restore the ravaged immune systems of some people infected with HIV, researchers reported on Wednesday.
Immune cells known as CD4 T-cells returned to normal levels in an ideal group of patients, picked because they responded optimally to a combination of at least three AIDS drugs, the researchers reported in the Lancet medical journal.
The human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS, plunders the immune system, leaving people vulnerable to a range of infections that may prove fatal.
AIDS is incurable, but doctors try to prop up the immune system with life-extending drug therapy aimed at reducing the amount of virus in the body.
The study involved 1,835 HIV-infected people drawn from a larger study involving more than 14,000 patients from across Europe, Israel and Argentina.
"I think it's very encouraging that if people can respond to treatment well enough and can suppress the virus for long enough, we have sufficient evidence to say their CD4 counts can return to normal," Dr. Amanda Mocroft of Royal Free and University College Medical School in London, one of the researchers, said in a telephone interview.
"Our previous understanding was that there was a plateau in CD4 counts so that CD4 counts would stop increasing after a sufficiently long time taking combination therapy," she added.
Mocroft said not all HIV patients respond as well to these drugs, and many, particularly in the hardest hit regions like sub-Saharan Africa, do not have access to them.
"This is sort of the best-case scenario, if you like, that we can identify a group of patients who we would expect to have a normal CD4 count with sufficient treatment," Mocroft said.
These patients were chosen because they responded well to the treatment, with the drugs suppressing the virus to very low levels. They were tracked for about five years.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said doctors who care for HIV-infected patients have noticed this restoration of normal levels of CD4 cells in some of them. Fauci credited Mocroft's team for documenting this phenomenon in a systematic way.
CD4 cells, a type of white blood cell, help protect the body from infection. But HIV targets CD4 cells, using them to create more copies of the virus, thus undermining the immune system.
After initial infection, a person can produce more CD4 cells to take the place of those attacked by HIV. But in time, the body cannot make enough, increasingly weakening the immune system.
Although it is impossible to eradicate the virus with existing drugs, it is possible to keep it at extremely low levels in some people with the right combination of drugs.
The AIDS virus infects close to 40 million people globally, most of them in Africa. It has killed more than 25 million.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
New UNAIDS publication: Improving confidentiality and security of HIV information
Source: UNAIDS
In middle-and lower-income countries there is a push to improve patient management and the monitoring and evaluation of HIV services. To do this, all information systems, either paper-based or electronic, need to allow for relatively easy access to information. To ensure that patient confidentially is not compromised in the process, new guidelines have been released.
The ‘Interim Guidelines on Protecting the Confidentiality and Security of HIV Information’ offer information on data transfer, guiding principles, even disposal of information all to help maintain patient confidentiality.
Developed through a special workshop supported by UNAIDS and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), international health professionals and people living with HIV reviewed existing materials that could then be adapted to middle- and lower-income countries.
The new guidelines provide definitions, guiding principles and technical recommendations for the maintenance of privacy, confidentiality and security in working with HIV-related information.
The "Interim Guidelines on Protecting the Confidentiality and Security of HIV Information" are available in the library and online.
In middle-and lower-income countries there is a push to improve patient management and the monitoring and evaluation of HIV services. To do this, all information systems, either paper-based or electronic, need to allow for relatively easy access to information. To ensure that patient confidentially is not compromised in the process, new guidelines have been released.
The ‘Interim Guidelines on Protecting the Confidentiality and Security of HIV Information’ offer information on data transfer, guiding principles, even disposal of information all to help maintain patient confidentiality.
Developed through a special workshop supported by UNAIDS and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), international health professionals and people living with HIV reviewed existing materials that could then be adapted to middle- and lower-income countries.
The new guidelines provide definitions, guiding principles and technical recommendations for the maintenance of privacy, confidentiality and security in working with HIV-related information.
The "Interim Guidelines on Protecting the Confidentiality and Security of HIV Information" are available in the library and online.
HIV test gives results in just 60 seconds
Source: The Globe & Mail
KEITH LESLIE - Canadian Press
TORONTO -- Ontario has become the first jurisdiction in North America to offer HIV tests that provide results in just 60 seconds and will double the number of sites across the province where anonymous tests are available, Health Minister George Smitherman announced yesterday.
It will cost about $350,000 a year to have the HIV tests available at 50 sites, which Mr. Smitherman said is a small price to pay - especially when it eliminates the agonizing three-week wait patients currently endure for results.
"I'm a gay man, and I'm one of those that has experienced that gut wrenching three-week wait," he said. "Everybody remembers that wait, and accordingly, you can't put a price on it."
The entire process with the new tests, which involves taking a drop of blood along with pre- and post-test counselling, takes about 20 minutes.
The tests will be available at anonymous testing sites, sexually transmitted disease clinics and community health centres across the province, including 24 new sites in northern and rural Ontario, but not through family doctors. "This is an initiative that is linked to the anonymous testing sites," Mr. Smitherman said.
"If we look at the profile of HIV and AIDS, we really appropriately have to tailor our initiatives to reducing barriers for those at-risk communities."
With faster HIV-test results, patients who need treatment will get it faster, Mr. Smitherman said.
It's estimated that 30 per cent of people who are HIV positive are unaware of their status - up to 15,000 Canadians - and Mr. Smitherman said the 60-second point of care tests may help convince those reluctant to be tested to actually go to a clinic.
(...)
Click here to read the article
KEITH LESLIE - Canadian Press
TORONTO -- Ontario has become the first jurisdiction in North America to offer HIV tests that provide results in just 60 seconds and will double the number of sites across the province where anonymous tests are available, Health Minister George Smitherman announced yesterday.
It will cost about $350,000 a year to have the HIV tests available at 50 sites, which Mr. Smitherman said is a small price to pay - especially when it eliminates the agonizing three-week wait patients currently endure for results.
"I'm a gay man, and I'm one of those that has experienced that gut wrenching three-week wait," he said. "Everybody remembers that wait, and accordingly, you can't put a price on it."
The entire process with the new tests, which involves taking a drop of blood along with pre- and post-test counselling, takes about 20 minutes.
The tests will be available at anonymous testing sites, sexually transmitted disease clinics and community health centres across the province, including 24 new sites in northern and rural Ontario, but not through family doctors. "This is an initiative that is linked to the anonymous testing sites," Mr. Smitherman said.
"If we look at the profile of HIV and AIDS, we really appropriately have to tailor our initiatives to reducing barriers for those at-risk communities."
With faster HIV-test results, patients who need treatment will get it faster, Mr. Smitherman said.
It's estimated that 30 per cent of people who are HIV positive are unaware of their status - up to 15,000 Canadians - and Mr. Smitherman said the 60-second point of care tests may help convince those reluctant to be tested to actually go to a clinic.
(...)
Click here to read the article
Monday, June 25, 2007
New video: HIV Positive voices
HIV Positive Voices: An Inside Look at the AIDS Epidemic in Baltimore, Maryland, was produced by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs and Stuart Productions. It was awarded Best Documentary Under 30 Minutes at the Second Annual New York AIDS Film Festival.
This film is the story of four people who each represent a different form of HIV transmission. Their stories are gripping. Their lives difficult. But their outlook is positive.
HIV Positive Voices shows the devastating effect of what it is like to live with HIV and cope with the social stigma, rigorous treatment regimen and related health problems. It also shows that it is possible to live a productive and positive life even if you are HIV positive. The film is accompanied by a discussion guide that helps viewers understand and process the various aspects of the film. Each of the four people profiled in this Emmy Award winning documentary represents a different mode of HIV transmission. They have courageously chosen to speak out about their HIV status, and become positive voices for awareness, compassion and prevention.
Rickeena Free is a 15-year-old girl who contracted HIV perinatally from her mother. Rickeena maintains a positive, yet pragmatic, attitude about her infection as she and her mother educate others about HIV prevention and living with HIV.
David Waller contracted HIV/AIDS through injection drug use. This mode of transmission accounts for the majority of new HIV/AIDS cases in Baltimore. David served 20 years in prison for crimes related to his drug use. Now drug free, he has started a new life with a supportive family.
Kimberly Smolen learned she was HIV-positive when she donated blood following a successful run in the New York City marathon. She traces her infection back to a college boyfriend. Kimberly turned her life around after a self-destructive period that included drug addiction and homelessness.
Keith Barmer struggled to accept his HIV-positive status after his uncle raped him as a teenager. His life spiraled downward with drug Addiction and other risky behaviors. Now openly gay, Keith views his HIV status as an opportunity to help others either prevent HIV or live with HIV in a positive manner.
Contact the library to borrow this video.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
New Journal issue received: AIDS Education and Prevention, Vol. 19, no 3, June 2007
In this issue:Effectiveness of Antenatal Group HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services in Rural India
Authors: Deepti Gupta, Dekey Lhewa, R. Viswanath, S. Mini Jacob, S. Parameshwari, R. Radhakrishnan, Kristy Seidel, Lisa M. Frenkel, NM Samuel and Ann J. Melvin
Page start: 187
Abstract
Measurement of Stigma in People with HIV: A Reexamination of the HIV Stigma Scale
Authors: Janice Yanushka Bunn, Sondra E. Solomon, Carol Miller and Rex Forehand
Page start: 198
Abstract
Association Between Exposure to an HIV Story Line in The Bold and the Beautiful and HIV–Related Stigma in Botswana
Authors: Ann O'Leary, May Kennedy, Katina A. Pappas–DeLuca, Marlene Nkete, Vicki Beck and Christine Galavotti
Page start: 209
Abstract
The Relationship of Stigma to the Sexual Risk Behavior of Rural Men Who Have Sex with Men
Authors: Deborah Bray Preston, Anthony R. D'Augelli, Cathy D. Kassab and Michael T. Starks
Page start: 218
Abstract
Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of an HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Attitudinal Instrument
Authors: Carlos S. Zometa, Robert Dedrick, Michael D. Knox, Wayne Westhoff, Rodrigo Simán Siri and Ann Debaldo
Page start: 231
Abstract
Injection Drug Users' Strategies to Manage Perceptions of Personal Risk: How Do IDUs See HIV as Having Affected Them?
Authors: Katherine Clegg Smith, Tiffany Lefevre Lillie and Carl Latkin
Page start: 245
Abstract
Replicating a Teen HIV/STD Preventive Intervention in a Multicultural City
Authors: Diane M. Morrison, Marilyn J. Hoppe, Elizabeth A. Wells, Blair A. Beadnell, Anthony Wilsdon, Darrel Higa, Mary Rogers Gillmore and Erin A. Casey
Page start: 258
Abstract
Contact the library to request copies of articles.
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