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AIDS Affects us all
Needle exchange is
not enough: lessons from the Vancouver injecting drug use study. AIDS. 11(8):F59-F65, July
11, 1997. Design: IDU who had injected
illicit drugs within the previous month were recruited through street
outreach. At baseline and semi-annually, subjects underwent serology
for HIV-1 and HCV, and questionnaires on demographics, behaviours
and NEP attendance were completed. Logistic regression analysis was
used to identify determinants of HIV prevalence. Conclusions: Despite having the largest NEP in North America, Vancouver has been experiencing an ongoing HIV epidemic. Whereas NEP are crucial for sterile syringe provision, they should be considered one component of a comprehensive programme including counselling, support and education.
Who Does AIDS Affect the Most 8-25-2006 Black Women are 68% of the Entire US AIDS Infected People Currently Why are these people the
most vulnerable of society? When their ancestors came to the US in
boats as slaves they were at the hands of their masters of the plantations.
Their treatment was something that many were ashamed of. Their own
families didn't even talk about it when they knew that they were being
abused sexually. Why, because it was a shame on them and their families.
Not all families were treated in that manner. Those who were, were
also threatened with death, and the banishment of their brothers or
fathers or entire families if they were known to tell someone. Their own families didn't
even talk about it when they knew that they were being abused sexually.
Why, because it was a shame on them and their families. Not all families
were treated in that manner. Those who were were also threatened with
death, and the banishment of their brothers or fathers or entire families
if they were known to tell someone. In todays’ world, with
the recognition of sexual diversity, there are many black homosexual
men. However, having said that because their society does not accept
them, they lead double lives. One as a straight man and the other
as a gay man. Many times they don’t tell their women that they
are having sex with men, so if they have the AIDS virus or HIV, they
don’t tell. This type of behavior spreads the disease even more
to unsuspecting women. Who's to blame for this
double standard you ask me? Well, most of the blame goes to the individual
men, however, there is much blame to go around. If you look at the
individual families where shame is an arm band, they do not use good
communication skills to begin with. If you look harder you will see
a community which has been marginalized since the first days that
they were born. When you have such a marginalization, people end up
in desperate situations, using drugs, being abused by family members,
fighting each other and depression, and societies other ills as well. Good people will tell you
that the black communities are strong church people. Yes, that is
true, however, there is much more blame there, in the pulpits, because
their ministers have not prepared, nor taught them anything about
this type of sexual behavior, or problem. It is simply put a “Silent
Problem” which is costing thousands of lives everyday. I can hear some of those
Baptist Ministers, and Pentecostal Ministers shouting at the sky about
Jesus, while they are handling snakes during their services, yet no
mentions have been made about that personal beast the AIDS virus as
a result of promiscuous sexual behavior. In the past I have never
heard of one black minister who actually addressed the days important
issues. All they seem to do is shout how good the Lord is, but not
how to take care of one another. The black male has long been considered
a good sexual partner, although not a long term one. Jails are filled with black men whose penchant for trouble has overshadowed their good sensibilities. Many of the men in jails are having sexual relations with one another, yet the American Federal Justice system would rather not give them preventive measures against sexual diseases, rather let them kill themselves slowly, then take it home to their girlfriends who wait for them and then they are both killed by the disease in the end. There are needle exchange programs that work in places like Baltimore, Maryland and Seattle Washington for drug users. currently there are 83 cities that provide these programs. They do help, but the programs are not enough, there also needs to be psychological, and job programs. How much does needle exchange cost? According to King County
in Seattle Washington, How much misery and wrongful deaths do we have to watch because the current president of the US, and his administration just doesn’t care about people. What George Bush doesn’t think about is the misery a person has to go through when they have AIDS in the end. I wish he would be taken on a forced vacation to a hospital where people are in the last stages of the disease, just so he could see what happens. “The Term Dereliction of Duty”comes to mind when I think about President George Bush, in many ways. Youth and HIV/AIDS Young people and HIV: the
evidence is clear - act now! The 2001 UN General Assembly
Special Session on AIDS adopted universal access goals for young people:
by 2010, 95% of young people to have access to the information, skills
and services that they need to decrease their vulnerability to HIV. However, despite these commitments,
young people (15-24 years) remain at the centre of the AIDS pandemic
in terms of transmission, vulnerability and impact, with an estimated
4-5,000 people in this age group acquiring HIV every day. Over 80 studies were reviewed,
from different developing countries and settings. The interventions
have been classified in a way that makes the evidence easy for policy
makers and programme managers to understand and use. From the mass of evidence
available, the effectiveness of different types of interventions have
been graded as: The review makes recommendations
for policy makers, programme managers and researchers. This publication will be
as important for NGOs as it is for governments. NGOs frequently have
very limited resources and are often working in a politically charged
environment. Steady, Ready, GO! will help advocates move beyond opinions
and moral judgements to scientific fact, and provide much needed information
to young people themselves. “With 40% of all new
adult HIV infections occurring among young people aged 15-24, more
investment in comprehensive HIV prevention efforts for young people
is absolutely critical. We need youth-specific HIV prevention programmes
to be based on what has been proven to work and tailored to countries'
individual epidemics and realities,” said Purnima Mane, UNAIDS
Director of Policy, Evidence and Partnerships. Among the interventions
that should be widely implemented because they have been classified
as GO! or Ready are: The review was carried out under the auspices of the UNAIDS Inter-agency Task Team on Young People, in which WHO has been working with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UNAIDS Secretariat and key UNAIDS co-sponsors, notably UNFPA and UNICEF. |
World Aids Day 2009 Human Rights Watch:World AIDS Day: Punitive Laws Threaten HIV Progress According to the World Aids Campaign:12-1-2009 (New York) - HIV prevention efforts - and the promise of antiretroviral therapy as prevention - are being undermined by punitive laws targeting those infected with and at risk of HIV, Human Rights Watch said today on the eve of World AIDS Day. More than two million AIDS related deaths reported globally in 2008 - two million children under the age of 15 now live with HIV. New figures released by the World Health Organization and UNAIDS estimate the number of new HIV infections have declined each year by about 17% from 2001 to 2008, but for every five people infected, only two start treatment. Monitoring AIDS Treatment
by Physical Symptoms is Effective Result is almost as good as
therapies based on advanced laboratory tests, a new study finds When millions of HIV-infected people in poor countries began receiving advanced drug therapies, critics worried that patient care would suffer because few high-tech laboratories were available to guide treatments. But according to a study being published today in The Lancet, these concerns are as yet unfounded. In fact, the study indicates that when clinicians use simple physical signs of deteriorating health -- such as weight loss or fever -- these doctors can provide therapies almost as effective as those relying on the most advanced laboratory analysis. "The results of this
study should reassure clinicians in Africa and Asia, who are treating
literally millions of people without these laboratory tests, that they
are not compromising patient safety," said a coauthor of the paper,
Dr Charles Gilks, who is the Coordinator of Antiretroviral Treatment
(ART) and HIV Care at WHO in Geneva. "In fact, the outcome of their
treatment is almost as good as of those patients in the USA and Europe
where laboratory-guided treatment is the norm." The aim of the study was to
look at the medium and long-term consequences of different approaches
to monitoring antiretroviral therapy in a resource-limited setting:
using clinical signs and symptoms alone as recommended in WHO guidelines;
or more sophisticated and costly but far less accessible immunological
and virological load tests. The scientists used a model that had been
tried and tested in London, and shown accurately to predict the course
of the epidemic in the UK over 20 years, but with various changes to
reflect realities on the ground. According to the study authors,
survival rates for individuals assessed for clinical symptoms alone
were almost identical to survival rates for those who underwent laboratory
monitoring. The 5-year survival rate was 83% for individuals monitored
for viral load, 82% for CD4 (a critical immune component) monitoring,
and 82% for clinical monitoring alone. Corresponding values over a 24-year
period were 67%, 64% and 64% respectively. Although the survival rate
was slightly higher with viral load monitoring, study authors pointed
out it was not the most cost-effective strategy in the poorest countries.
The study also examined whether clinical observation alone was effective
in determining when to switch patients from WHO-recommended first-line
treatments to more costly second-line medicines. Again, diagnosis based
on an assessment of clinical symptoms was almost as effective as those
relying on expensive laboratory tests. Study authors concluded that
for patients on the WHO first-line regimen of stavudine, lamivudine
and nevirapine, the benefits of CD4 count or viral load monitoring were
only modest at best. The study, conducted by a prominent group in the United Kingdom working with WHO scientists, employed mathematical models which were designed to identify emerging problems and problems that might appear after long-term use of ART. But more work must be done. The study is based on mathematical projections and not on real-world patients. While there is little real-world data yet available because these drugs have been used for such a short time in these countries, the little existing information does support the findings. Other studies are ongoing and more results should be available soon. Latino AIDS Commission to Honor Dr. Mathilde Krim May 13,2008 On May 13, the Latino AIDS
Commission will honor leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS at their
annual gala, Cielo Latino. amfAR Founding Chairman Dr. Mathilde Krim
will accept the Fuerza Award for her commitment to stopping the spread
of HIV/AIDS. Cielo Latino is the largest annual national fundraiser for the Latino community in its fight against HIV/AIDS. In its 13th year, Cielo Latino is a prominent and highly visible platform for leaders in business, government, entertainment and the media to showcase their philanthropy for AIDS. Thursday, May 13th, 2008 Inaugural Dubai Event
Raises $3 Million to Support amfAR's AIDS Research Programs and Raise
Awareness about HIV/AIDS Gala Event Presented by the
Dubai International Film Festival and Sponsored by Dubai Pearl; Hewlett-Packard
Company and Alfiya Kuanysheva Were Grand Patrons. Dubai, UAE, December 11, 2007 - Sharon Stone, Michelle Yeoh, Kenneth Cole, Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Paulo Coelho, Gloria Estefan, Dana Fuchs, Christian Louboutin, and Dita Von Teese came out to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS last night at amfAR's inaugural Cinema Against AIDS gala in Dubai. The event, which was presented by the Dubai International Film Festival, raised $3 million for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Dubai Pearl was the event’s sponsor, and the grand patrons were Hewlett-Packard Company and Alfiya Kuanysheva. Among other guests who attended
the gala at the Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa were Abdul
Majid al Fahim (chairman of Dubai Pearl), Abdulhamid M. Juma (chairman
of the Dubai International Film Festival), Pooja Batra, Kabir Bedi,
Akbar Khan, and Sarah Shahi. Later in the program, amfAR
Chairman Kenneth Cole recognized the vision of the Dubai International
Film Festival and thanked the organizers for joining amfAR as a partner
in the fight against HIV/AIDS. He then introduced amfAR Global Fundraising
Chairman Sharon Stone, who spoke about the importance of remembering
that HIV/AIDS affects everyone. Stone began the live auction by raising
bids to $55,000 for a custom Louis Vuitton Vanity Case that she designed. Five-time Grammy Award-winning
Cuban-American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan provided a surprise
performance, singing her hit “Cuts Both Ways.” During a break
in the auction, Across the Universe star Dana Fuchs performed “The
Rose.” Celebrity portraitist Brian Olsen then created a one-of-a-kind
Marilyn Monroe portrait during the event, which was later auctioned
off for $200,000. Estefan closed the evening’s
festivities by joining Dana Fuchs and Sharon Stone to sing the Beatles’s
“Let It Be”. A fireworks display and an after-party featuring
DJ Mateo ended the evening. Other highlights of the auction: The Trench of Stars by Ottavio
Fabbri, a fabulous limited edition crystal-encrusted silk trench coat,
sold for $10,000. amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy. Since 1985, amfAR has invested $260 million in its programs and has awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide. Senator Hillary Clinton on World AIDS Day 2007 "Today, on World AIDS Day we are reminded that AIDS is not just an African problem, an Asian problem, or an American problem. It's not someone else's problem. It's a problem of our common humanity, and we are called to respond, with love, with mercy, and with urgency. And though we have made progress on many fronts, there are still 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS around the world, and here in America, HIV infection rates are rising among gay men and African Americans. The disease is taking a disproportionate toll on other communities of color, and it is an outrage that HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death of black women between the ages of 25 and 34. The time for action and leadership is now.
Scaling up HIV Prevention Global HIV incidence may have peaked, but calls for scaling up prevention have not diminished. The number of new infections worldwide remains high (4.1 million in 2005) with some regions previously unscathed experiencing rising incidences of HIV. 2 The number of patients presenting late at health facilities with advanced HIV/AIDS is also a cause of concern. In general, there is a growing sense of frustration that global efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS are being outpaced by the spread of the pandemic. 3 Consequently, calls have been made for a more pragmatic approach to containing the disease, with routine and mandatory testing gaining increasing attention. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently proposed a new approach for HIV testing in adults, adolescents and pregnant women under which testing will be routinely offered in all health-care settings. No signed consent from patients would be required under this new proposal; the general consent for medical care would be considered sufficient to encompass consent for HIV testing .4,5 Former US President Bill Clinton has also lent support for mandatory HIV testing in countries where the prevalence rate is 5% or higher .6 Political support for mandatory testing has been seen in countries like India, where the state government of Goa has proposed mandatory premarital testing, and in China, which plans to test all workers in the tourism industry. HIV Medicine Association HIV Medical Provider Medicare
Part D Survey The American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) and the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) recently conducted a survey of their HIV medical provider members to obtain information on how Medicare’s new prescription drug benefit, also known as Part D, has affected HIV care today. Medicare has historically been an important source of health insurance coverage for people with HIV/AIDS, and stands to play an even greater role as a result of the new prescription drug benefit. As of January 1, 2006, all people on Medicare were given access to the new Part D benefit and people with Medicaid and Medicare coverage were automatically enrolled in the new program. INTRODUCTION By now most Americans are
familiar with the dramatic improvements in the treatment of HIV infection
that have reduced mortality due to the disease by nearly 80 percent.
What was once almost always considered a fatal diagnosis; HIV disease
can now be managed with consistent and reliable access to a combination
of medications known as highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
medications. These medications are critical
to the health and well-being of patients infected with HIV/AIDS; however,
successful viral suppression demands strict adherence to a complex drug
regimen that requires multiple doses of three or more highly expensive
medications daily. In addition, antiretroviral medications are simply
not interchangeable with one another due to individual physiological
factors and differences in toxicity, efficacy, drug interactions, and
potential drug resistance. As a result, it is critical that people with
HIV/AIDS maintain unhindered access to all of the FDA-approved medications
available to treat the disease and its complications. Beyond viral suppression,
people with HIV disease often must contend with opportunistic complications
and serious co-occurring conditions such as hepatitis C and mental illness. The Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) has recognized that these concerns make the
HIV-infected population particularly vulnerable and has included antiretrovirals
as one of six protected drug classes for which Part D plans are required
to cover “all or substantially all drugs” available. Specifically,
the formulary guidance in effect during our survey period required drug
plans to cover all drugs available in the antiretroviral class available
on January 1, 2006 and prohibited plans from applying utilization management
techniques such as prior authorization to these drugs with the exception
of enfuvirtide (Fuzeon). Given these complex interactions
among payors, patients, plans, and providers, the HIVMA and AAHIVM conducted
a joint survey of their memberships to ascertain how the Medicare Part
D program is working for HIV medical providers and their patients living
with HIV/AIDS. Included below is a summary of the survey findings as
well as recommendations for improving the Medicare drug benefit to help
alleviate ongoing implementation issues. SURVEY METHODOLOGY Due to the design limitations
of the survey, the results and conclusions (while highly illustrative)
cannot be generalized to the entire population of our memberships or
to all HIV medical providers. The following data are based
on the 452 respondents that indicated that they see HIV patients with
Medicare Part D coverage. Graph # 1: Percentage of Survey
Respondents Reporting Problems Filling Part D prescriptionsPriorAuthorizationNot
onformulary Unaffordablecost-sharingEnrollmentproblemsQuantitylimits
on Rx377 participants (86% of surveyrespondents) reported that their
Medicare patients had problem sfilling prescriptions under Part D.This
chart indicates the percentageof those 377 who reported thesespecific
problems. People with HIV/AIDS experienced
lapses in medications due to Part D problems. Some drug plans are requiring
prior authorization for antiretrovirals. While our findings are limited
by the relatively small pool of respondents, the numerous challenges
and negative outcomes raised warrant further attention. Some issues
such as the burdensome prior authorization processes should be addressed
administratively by CMS; while others such as formulary inadequacies
and prohibitive cost sharing require the U.S. Congress to intervene
legislatively. Nearly 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries
have HIV/AIDS. Their lives depend on consistent and affordable access
to these medications. We must do everything we can to ensure the health
and well-being of this most-vulnerable population. FOR MORE INFORMATION
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"AIDS is more than a health issue" according to new UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibe and should be seen as a political opportunity to spark changes in society to talk more about issues like human rights, homophobia and sex education.
The AIDS Quilt Opened in 1992 in WAshington, D.C. Photo by Diane Knaus
Sharing Needles Makes the AIDS Virus Numbers of Infected People Go Up According to Dr. Jeffrey Laurence is amfAR's senior scientific consultant for programs,A substantial portion of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., much of Eastern Europe, and Asia is driven by injection drug use—specifically by users sharing contaminated equipment. Contaminated syringes account for 17 percent of new HIV infections in the U.S. and 10 percent of new cases worldwide. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that two out of three such infections could be prevented if drug users had access to clean needles and “works,” the paraphernalia injection drug users use he claims. December 1 is World
AIDS Day Graphics Supplied by the U.N. DS Keep The Promise
The AIDS epidemic is a global emergency that affects people in every country on earth. UNAIDS estimates that, by the end of 2005, a total of 25 million people had died of AIDS since it was first recognised in 1981. In 2005 alone, some 38.6 million people were living with HIV, 4.1 million people were newly infected and 2.8 million people lost their lives. Treatment of HIV-1 infection Formulation Marks The First
One Capsule, Once Daily Protease Inhibitor Dosing Option for Use With
Ritonavir In Appropriate Patients - PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 20
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY)
today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
granted approval of a new 300 mg single capsule formulation of REYATAZ®
(atazanavir sulfate) for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults
as part of combination therapy. Taken once daily along with ritonavir
and food as part of a anti-HIV drug regimen, the REYATAZ 300 mg single
capsule formulation can replace two REYATAZ 150 mg capsules for: patients
who have previously received anti-HIV medicines, patients who will
be receiving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, and patients who have
never taken anti-HIV medicines that require SUSTIVA® (efavirenz)
as part of their anti-HIV drug regimen. The REYATAZ single capsule
formulation will be available in the United States within seven business
days.REYATAZ is an anti-HIV drug that blocks the action of the HIV
protease enzyme, which is needed for the virus to multiply. REYATAZ
is a prescription medicine used in combination with other medicines
to treat people who are infected with HIV. REYATAZ has been studied
in 48-week trials in both patients who have taken or have never taken
anti-HIV medicines. REYATAZ does not cure HIV, a serious disease,
or help prevent passing of HIV to others. Since REYATAZ was initially
approved by the FDA in 2003, approximately 129,000 patients in the
United States have been treated with the drug. Bristol-Myers Squibb
will continue to produce the currently available REYATAZ 200 mg, 150
mg, and 100 mg once-daily capsules. REYATAZ does not cure HIV
or help prevent passing HIV to others. REYATAZ should not be taken with the following medicines: ergot medicines, Versed®, Halcion®, Orap®, Propulsid®, Camptosar®, Crixivan®, Mevacor®, Zocor®, rifampin, St. John's wort, AcipHex®, Nexium®, Prevacid®, Prilosec® or Protonix®. Viagra®, Levitra®, Cialis®, Vfend®, Advair®, Flonase®, or Flovent® should not be used while taking REYATAZ without first speaking with a healthcare provider. This list of medicines is not complete. The use of all prescriptions and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, herbal supplements, or other health preparations should be discussed with a healthcare provider. Prevention Takes Center Stage at International
AIDS Conference August 29, 2006 - The theme
was “Time to Deliver,” but the message at the XVI International
AIDS Conference was as much about preventing new infections as it
was about treating people already living with HIV/AIDS. The week-long
conference, in Toronto August 13-18, was the largest ever held, bringing
together close to 30,000 delegates from around the world. “Just as no government organization can win the fight against AIDS alone, prevention, care, and treatment are intertwined,” said former U.S. President Bill Clinton. “And we cannot realize universal treatment, let alone stop AIDS, unless we also see prevention as a part of a mutually dependent strategy.” Putting Prevention in the
Hands of Women “Gender inequality
is driving the pandemic, and we will never subdue the gruesome force
of AIDS until the rights of women become paramount in the struggle,”
said Stephen Lewis, U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. For this reason, HIV prevention
technologies that women could control, such as microbicides, have
emerged as critical components of the fight against this epidemic.
Five different microbicides are currently being tested in late-phase
trials on thousands of women in Africa. Results of those clinical
trials will be announced in 2008. In other news, researchers also
conducted a small safety trial of a vaginal ring that surrounds the
cervix and slowly releases an antiretroviral compound while it is
in place. Dr Joe Romano, of the International Partnership for Microbicides,
reported that the ring is safe and releases the drug so that it covers
the cervix, vagina, and introitus, all of which bodes well for further
development of this technology. Treatment as Prevention Dr. Julio Montaner, director
of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, gave a
presentation demonstrating how highly active antiretroviral therapy
(HAART) could be used to reduce transmission of HIV. “This is not HAART
instead of prevention,” he said. “This is HAART to enhance
prevention.” Data from British Columbia
showed that after highly active antiretroviral therapy became widely
used in 1996, new HIV infections dropped while syphilis rates—also
a sexually transmitted infection—continued to rise. “We cannot afford to
ignore the prevention value of HAART, or how it can synergize with
traditional prevention methods and some of the newer methods that
have been explored,” Montaner said. Debating the Merits of Male
Circumcision Male circumcision has also
emerged as a potentially promising HIV prevention method ever since
a South African study last year showed that the procedure might reduce
the risk of HIV acquisition in heterosexual men by as much as 60 percent.
Two major trials of male circumcision are currently under way in Kenya
and Uganda, with results expected in 2007 and 2008. The World Health
Organization and UNAIDS are awaiting the results of these trials before
deciding on any broad-scale implementation of the procedure. But these trials do not
test for variables of cultural and ethical values, say some experts.
In public health, there are many interventions—such as quarantine
for infectious diseases—that are effective but are not implemented
because of human rights concerns, said Gary D. Dowsett, of La Trobe
University in Melbourne, Australia, during an amfAR-sponsored presentation
on HIV among men who have sex with men. On the Road to Mexico City
in 2008 The next International AIDS
Conference will take place in Mexico City, in a part of the world
that is grappling with not just the health repercussions of HIV, but
also the socio-political dimensions of the epidemic. “Latin America is faced
with many challenges in its response to HIV—an urgent need for
prevention” and “a lack of infrastructure to ensure access
to antiretrovirals,” said Luis Soto Ramirez, regional International
AIDS Society representative in Mexico. “We will talk at AIDS
2008 about human beings, each of whose life has equal value: whether
you are gay or straight, sex trade worker or stay-at-home mom, black
or white, mestizo or native, rich or poor, young or not so young.” UN AIDS Actions On 2 June 2006, Governments injected new momentum into the fight against AIDS. At a High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, they adopted a Political Declaration, in which they committed themselves to a range of actions vital to our struggle. They pledged to tackle the causes and forces that propel this epidemic, most especially by promoting gender equality, the empowerment of women and the protection of girls. They also stressed the
need to respect the full rights of people living with HIV. They
called for strengthened protection for all vulnerable groups -- whether
young people, sex workers, injecting drug users or men who have sex
with men. They called for provision of the full range of HIV prevention
measures, including male and female condoms and sterile injection equipment.
And they called for the full engagement of the private sector
and civil society, including people living with HIV. It is my hope that with the Declaration, world leaders have finally placed on record the personal commitment and leadership needed to win the fight against AIDS -- the greatest challenge of our generation, and of the next. Only if we meet this challenge can we succeed in our other efforts to build a humane, healthy and equitable world. Only if we win this fight can we reach the Millennium Development Goals, agreed by all the world’s Governments as a blueprint for building a better world in the twenty-first century. Johns Hopkins Hospital New Report on AIDS drug Early results from a large
study of HIV-infected people in rural Uganda show that seven out of
10 who got free, emergency access to antiretroviral drugs successfully
suppressed the AIDS virus in their blood to nearly undetectable levels.
The findings are being presented by researchers at Johns Hopkins and
the Rakai Health Sciences Program who are leading the study. Access to the drugs, provided at a reduced cost of less than $400 per year to Ugandan aid organizations, comes from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), inaugurated in January 2003. PEPFAR currently provides free access to drug therapy for approximately 400,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa infected with HIV, treatments that can cost upwards of $12,000 per year in the United States. See Health Page for additional info According to the Henry J.
Kaiser Foundation Since the first cases of what would later become know as AIDS were reported in the United States in June 1981, approximately 1.5 million people in the U.S. have been infected with HIV, including more than 500,000 who have already died. This updated fact sheet presents an overview of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S., including a snapshot of the epidemic, key trends and current cases, and the U.S. government response. The Top Ten Cities Having the Largest Numbers of AIDs cases in 2003 are:New York,California,Florida,Texas,New Jersey,Illinois,Pennsylvania,Puerto Rico,Gerogia, and Maryland. Women account for the top rising AIDS diagnoses rising from 8% in 1985 to 27% in 2003. 2001 (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- In a blow
to critics of syringe-exchange programs, a new UC Davis study shows
that the controversial programs do reduce injection drug users' HIV
risk. The study appears in the July 27 issue of AIDS. UC Davis researchers scoured the medical
literature from 1989 to 1999 for studies examining the impact of exchange
programs on HIV risk. The search turned up 42 published studies, most
of them conducted in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and
the Netherlands. Twenty-eight of the studies concluded that syringe-exchanges
reduce HIV risk among injection drug users. Of the remaining 14 studies, two found
that the programs increase HIV risk, and 12 concluded the programs either
have no effect or a mixture of both positive and negative effects. "If you exclude the studies that took
place in communities where clean syringes are also available from pharmacies,
28 out of the 29 studies remaining show that syringe exchange is protective
against either HIV risk behavior and/or HIV seroconversion," Gibson
said. Syringe-exchange programs in communities
where clean needles can be obtained from other sources can be expected
to appear less effective than programs that constitute a community's
only source of clean syringes, Gibson argues. Researchers call this effect "dilution
bias." A program to provide free fluoride supplements to children
who already drink fluoridated water, for example, might have no impact
on tooth decay rates. But the same program, implemented in a population
with no alternate source of fluoride, would decrease those rates. Another possible explanation for the negative
and equivocal study findings is that syringe-exchange programs, while
helpful, may not be sufficient to prevent spread of HIV among injection
drug users in all communities. Among the 28 positive studies, beneficial
effects were often substantial. Studies of syringe exchanges in San
Francisco; Portland, Ore.; Tacoma, Wash.; and Baltimore all concluded
that the programs decreased needle sharing among injection drug users
ranging from 16 percent to 72 percent. In a different type of study,
researchers compared overall HIV seroconversion rates among injection
drug users in cities with and without syringe exchanges. Seroconversion
rates decreased 5.8 percent a year in the cities with the programs,
but increased by 5.9 percent a year in the cities without them. Perhaps the most direct evidence supporting
needle exchange comes from studies in the early 1990s of an exchange
program in New Haven, Conn. When injection drug users exchanged used
syringes for new ones in that program, researchers tested the returned
syringes for HIV. They found that as the volume of syringes exchanged
grew, the time it took for the syringes to return to the exchange fell
substantially--meaning used, potentially infectious syringes spent less
time in the community. As a result, in the first three months of the
program's operation, the percentage of HIV-infected syringes dropped
by about a third, from 67 percent to 44 percent. Injection drug use now accounts for nearly
one-third of new AIDS cases in this country. When drug users' sexual
partners are included, injection drug use accounts for up to three-quarters
of new HIV infections. The infection spreads via shared use of injection
equipment and other drug paraphernalia, as well as through unprotected
vaginal and anal intercourse. The world's first needle exchange program
was established in Amsterdam in 1984 by the local Junky Union and was
soon taken over by the Amsterdam Municipal Health Service. Other European
countries, Great Britain and Australia soon followed suit. Yet the programs have remained controversial.
In the 1980s, recipients of grants from the National Institute on Drug
Abuse were banned from conducting research into needle exchange. Such
research may be awarded federal grants today, but a congressional funding
ban still prevents any federal support of exchange programs themselves. In recent years, critics of syringe exchange
have seized on the two negative studies to bolster their opposition.
Both studies were conducted in Canada, in settings where pharmacies
also dispensed syringes. However, the Montreal researchers reported
last year at a San Francisco AIDS meeting that more recent data show
no relationship between syringe exchange participation and HIV seroconversion. Both the Montreal and Vancouver studies
were conducted at sites where drug users had legal access to syringes
both from pharmacies as well as syringe exchange, making it difficult
to assess the impact of syringe exchange in the two cities. To settle the still-simmering debate over
syringe-exchange programs, Gibson says future studies should more rigorously
deal with confounding factors, including dilution bias. The research was funded with grants from
the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental
Health, and the United States Public Health Service. WHO The world health report: Working
together for health Treating people with HIV/AIDS In December 2003, WHO and
UNAIDS launched the "3 by 5" initiative. Three years later,
access to HIV treatment has increased three-fold, but major challenges
still remain. In June, 2006, 1.65 million people were receiving treatment
in low- and middle-income countries, in comparison with 400 000 in December
2003. Sub-Saharan Africa was the first to benefit from the expansion
of treatment. Several lessons learnt from the effort to expand treatment
have provided us with valuable guidance for the continuation of efforts
towards universal access to treatment. In August 2006, the Sixteenth
International AIDS Conference put the accent on the balance between
prevention, treatment and care. In the words of Dr Anders
Nordström, WHO Acting Director-General, on World AIDS Day, "The
AIDS epidemic provides us with clear evidence that even some of the
most complex health and development problems can be successfully addressed.
To see this positive pattern repeated everywhere will take greater political
will and more resources. …We do not just need more. We need to
commit to clear sightedness about what is working and what is not -
and quickly apply that knowledge." This year, WHO welcomed the
launch of UNITAID, the International Drug Purchase Facility established
by Brazil, Chile, France, Norway and the United Kingdom. UNITAID is
an innovative funding and resource-mobilization mechanism. Its purpose
is to guarantee reliable and sustainable supplies of drugs and diagnostics
for the most common diseases. Does male circumcision reduce
the risk of HIV infection? Several trials under way in Kenya, South
Africa and Uganda appear to show that circumcision does reduce risk.
In the light of these findings, WHO and UNAIDS will shortly be organizing
a broad consultation to examine the results of the trials and their
implications for countries and for AIDS control. All children worldwide have
the potential to grow the same New international Child Growth Standards for infants and young children were published by WHO. They provide guidance for the first time about how every child in the world should grow. The new standards prove that differences in children's growth to age five are more influenced by nutrition, feeding practices, environment and health care than by genetics or ethnicity. It took WHO almost 10 years to develop the new standards, the previous ones having been in existence since the 1970s. 1970s. The World AIDS Programm Says Keep The Promise The fight against AIDS is
over twenty five years old. Throughout this struggle, campaigners have
galvanized action and protested against inaction. In the current era,
national leadership on AIDS is being supported as never before. AIDS
organisations are proliferating. Campaigners still speak out on a multitude
of issues – yet one overarching campaign, the World AIDS Campaign,
links their concerns at the global level. The World AIDS Campaign fights to ensure that campaigning voices, north and south, continue to be heard. The World AIDS Campaign works to create solidarity and collaboration between campaigners, ensuring impact at the local and international level. The AIDS sector is now huge, spending billions of dollars a year. Yet this effort can not afford to lose the energy, innovation or public awareness campaigners bring. The World AIDS Campaign will
protect and support the voices of campaigners worldwide. The most visible aspect of
the work undertaken by the World AIDS Campaign is World AIDS Day, a
day of global shared action and awareness on AIDS. However, our work
does not stop here. Throughout the year the World AIDS Campaign works
to connect and strengthen campaigning voices across the globe. The primary campaigning objective of the World AIDS Campaign, from 2005 to 2010 is to make sure policymakers keep their promises on AIDS. Accountability is also the specific theme we are promoting for World AIDS Day 2006. The theme for World AIDS Day next year may change. It will once again be selected through consultations with partners. Yet for the World AIDS Campaign our underlying objective will remain centred on accountability, and the slogan, Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise. will continue to guide our work.
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