Global News Post: HIV/AIDS

HIV Infections in India Drops By 56 Pct

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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- India is among the few countries that have made significant reductions in HIV infections amid extensive interventions for control of the epidemic, which seems to be stabilising now.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulan Nabi Azad said HIV infections have declined by 56 per cent during the last decade to 120,000 in 2009 from 270,000 in 2000.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">New evidence from the latest round of HIV Sentinel Surveillance shows further decline in the HIV Prevalence among general population as well as high-risk groups, he said at the inaugural ceremony of the HIV Vaccine Symposium in New Delhi.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">One of the successful interventions of the National AIDS Control Programme has been the Targeted Interventions (TIs), whose main objective is to improve health-seeking behavior of high-risk groups and reducing their vulnerability and risk to acquire Sexually Transmitted and HIV infections.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">There are 1,821 Targeted Interventions providing prevention services covering 81 per cent Female Sex Workers, 80 per cent Injecting Drug Users, 64 per cent Men having sex with Men, 40 per cent Migrants and 57 per cent Truckers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Besides the domestic programme, India has been providing around 80 per cent of global antiretroviral (ARV) drug demand. Vaccines have been frequently cited as one of the most equitable low-cost, high-impact public health measures. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Historically, vaccines have impacted significantly the spread of infectious diseases such as smallpox, polio, measles, and yellow fever.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The eradication of smallpox was an outstanding display of concerted global action in a war against microbial invaders. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The progress in expanding polio and measles vaccination efforts and their elimination from many regions further demonstrated that vaccines are among the most powerful public health tools. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Azad said that India is committed to new forms of partnership with low-income countries through innovative support mechanisms and South–South cooperation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He hoped that this joint venture would collectively shape the future of India’s inputs into the global HIV vaccine development attempts. -- NNN-BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

HIV Infections in India Drops By 56 Pct

NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- India is among the few countries that have made significant reductions in HIV infections amid extensive interve...

HIV/AIDS: Growing Old with HIV

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzp5wTQCJ7GC5a61U0S3UNnyOYMFRmploLpBBJrJaXxQK7272H3P2im15V3JDHFBsG2UYme8TT2KYvmjlQ_2N0fF-eLkfX9nqvX0ErS6qIQfdBi2nNHTwHztVpOYyDN8QG5USx-xaUzg/s1600/200805227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzp5wTQCJ7GC5a61U0S3UNnyOYMFRmploLpBBJrJaXxQK7272H3P2im15V3JDHFBsG2UYme8TT2KYvmjlQ_2N0fF-eLkfX9nqvX0ErS6qIQfdBi2nNHTwHztVpOYyDN8QG5USx-xaUzg/s1600/200805227.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Photo: </span><a href="http://www.irinnews.org/photo"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Keishamaza Rukikaire/IRIN</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">An estimated three million people in sub-Saharan<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Africa aged 50 and older are HIV-positive - 14 percent<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">of all infected adults (file photo)<o:p></o:p></span></div></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">WASHINGTON DC (PlusNews) - It's hard enough dealing with the aches and pains that usually come with getting older, but when you're HIV-positive, ageing brings more chronic illnesses and even more medication; many health systems are not ready to cope with this relatively new phenomenon.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Data on ageing with HIV is largely restricted to the developed world and very little is known about older Africans living with virus, despite the high caseload in this region. A July 2012 supplement of the medical journal, AIDS, notes that an estimated 3 million people in sub-Saharan Africa aged 50 and older are HIV-positive - 14 percent of all infected adults. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Joel Negin, a researcher at the University of Sydney School of Public Health and one of the supplement’s co-authors, said this was because most demographic and health surveys use 49 years as their endpoint for data collection. Speaking at the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington DC on 25 July, Negin warned that the global research and policy community could no longer afford to neglect this older age group. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Old but not cold <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"We need to start talking about [the fact that] sex doesn’t end at 50 and address [our] ageist assumptions about sexual behaviour," he said. Older adults accounted for 15 percent of new cases of HIV in the United States in 2005. The South African government has included men over 50 as one of the most at-risk populations after the latest national HIV prevalence survey revealed that infection among men and women aged between 50 and 60 was over 8 percent - higher than among men in the 20-24 age groups. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"The thinking is that women over 50 are not able to engage sexually and don't have feelings. I'm still sexually active, and of course other women are… When you go to a clinic, especially in the rural areas… you are seen as a grandmother… The healthcare provider is wondering what is happening to this granny, why would she be coming to the clinic for an STI [sexually transmitted infection] or a condom because you are supposed to have stopped having sex at that age," said 55-year-old Dorothy Onyango, the executive director of Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya (WOFAK). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Nils Daulaire, the director of the Office of Global Health Affairs in the United States Department of Health and Human Services, said not only do older people still have sex, but it is mostly not safe sex and is frequently with multiple partners. As a result of being left out of HIV awareness campaigns, older people often did not know enough about HIV and preventing it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Not for sissies" <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">HIV-positive people may also be at greater risk of certain illnesses associated with old age - studies suggest they may contract them sooner - but health systems in developing countries are still grappling with the burden of HIV/AIDS and are not equipped to deal with this added dimension. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A higher number of bone fractures and osteoporosis, a dramatic rise in the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, as well as higher levels of depression, suicide and frailty are some of the long list of ailments that confront older adults living with the virus. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"It's so early in the research that it's very hard to separate which of these problems are associated with side effects from medication - not just antiretrovirals (ARVs) but other medicines that HIV patients may be taking - or which are direct biological effects of the virus itself over time, and are due to the misalignment of the immune system," said Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, a think-tank. "Ageing - it ain’t for sissies," she added. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the developed world, worries about money, increasing ill-health and feelings of loneliness or isolation are common among older people with HIV. John Hock, an Australian activist who has been living with HIV for over 30 years, said those diagnosed at the start of the epidemic may have been forced to give up work due to ill health, and many stopped making provision for old age because they did not expect to live that long. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Money is an even greater concern for older Africans living with the virus. Ruth Wayeru, now 65, was diagnosed with HIV when she was 48; in her home country of Kenya, only first- and second-line ARVs are freely available.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wayeru told delegates that "Once the second-line says 'no' to your body, there is nothing else to do but start arranging your funeral," because the cost of third-line medicines is prohibitive and out of reach for pensioners.</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Mangal","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

HIV/AIDS: Growing Old with HIV

Photo: Keishamaza Rukikaire/IRIN An estimated three million people in sub-Saharan Africa aged 50 and older are HIV-positive - 14 percent ...

Govt. to Circumcise 4.2 Million Ugandan Men By 2015

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">By Violet Nabatanzi<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">KAMPALA (NNN-NEW VISION) -- The Ugandan government is planning to circumcise 4.2 million men aged between 15 and 49 by 2015 as it regards this group is vulnerable to the HIV/ AIDS pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Speaking during a meeting on safe male circumcision and elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (EMTCT) here Monday, the acting programme manager of Uganda's STD/AIDS control project, Dr. Joshua Musinguzi, said if the scale of circumcision was increased, it would reduce HIV infections.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He emphasized that circumcision was not a single intervention in the prevention of HIV/AIDS, but part of a comprehensive package. Other interventions included abstinence, faithfulness and condom usage, dubbed the ABC approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">"Circumcision is part of a major package that we are promoting in the country," Dr. Musinguzi said. The meeting, organized by the Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders on HIV/AIDS in Africa, attracted officials from the Ministry of Health, the United Nations AIDS agency (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The main aim was to empower local government leaders with appropriate knowledge and skills in safe male circumcision and EMTCT, which are the major components of the current national HIV response.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The state minister for local government, Alex Onzima, said although circumcision was proven to be an effective HIV-prevention strategy, there was still a knowledge gap, myths and cultural misconceptions at the local government level.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">"Engagement of local leadership in advocacy and community awareness is critical in enhancing the uptake of safe male circumcision and EMTCT services in the local governments," Onzima said. -- NNN-NEW VISION<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Govt. to Circumcise 4.2 Million Ugandan Men By 2015

By Violet Nabatanzi KAMPALA (NNN-NEW VISION) -- The Ugandan government is planning to circumcise 4.2 million men aged between 15 and 49 b...

NEPAL: HIV-positive children, orphans neglected

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQgt3lh8jMJ8mQ2F5uYXh9co7eJr21UZP6knni5fm27gediVSRWeiamDnTo7Hob7a3-aSLWqo7RN-S-SjBWyDbjezjmAlI4iMu6iu4QqrdvUxw_R387s7X3F8LudLOoMaJtbVIk_eqRs/s1600/201103021645360958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQgt3lh8jMJ8mQ2F5uYXh9co7eJr21UZP6knni5fm27gediVSRWeiamDnTo7Hob7a3-aSLWqo7RN-S-SjBWyDbjezjmAlI4iMu6iu4QqrdvUxw_R387s7X3F8LudLOoMaJtbVIk_eqRs/s400/201103021645360958.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Photo: <a href="http://www.irinnews.org/photo.aspx"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">David Swanson/IRIN</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There are close to 5,000 children under 14 years of age <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">living with HIV in Nepal today (file photo)<o:p></o:p></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">RAKAM (PlusNews) - In the village of Rakam in Dailekh District, about 700km northwest of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, 12-year-old Ravi* is living with HIV and has no idea if he will finish his education.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"I feel weak all the time. My uncle is tired of hearing my complaints," he told IRIN. Barely six when he lost his parents to AIDS-related illnesses, he now lives with his father's brother and family, who are struggling to support him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It is proving a challenge. They can't even afford the bumpy eight-hour bus journey to the nearest city of Surkhet for his CD4 count test, which measures immune strength.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">According to the National Centre for AIDS and sexually transmitted disease (STD) Control (NCASC), there are close to 5,000 children under 14 years of age living with HIV in Nepal today, but local NGOs and health workers estimate the real number to be much higher. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"There could be many more orphans and children living with HIV, but the government of Nepal has failed to pay any attention to their plight. Supplying medicines is not enough," said AIDS activist Deepa Bohara, the coordinator for NGO Parivartan ko Lagi Pahuch (Access for Change). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There are as many as 15 HIV-positive orphans and children in Dailekh alone, the group reported. "We are extremely worried about the welfare of these children. We hope to get enough government support to help them," said Khagendra Jung Shah, chief of the Dailekh District Hospital. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">His office can only provide life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs - there is no separate budget to give these children any social support. Moreover, there are no programmes to sponsor their education, pay for medical expenses or offer psychosocial counselling. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dailekh is one of the poorest districts in the country, with most people living on less than US$1 per day, according to government figures. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Stigma remains high in Nepal, and HIV-positive orphans sometimes face neglect from relatives after their parents die. In one extreme case six months ago, a five-year-old orphaned HIV-positive child (name withheld upon request) died of exposure after his relatives forced him to sleep in the barn out of fear that he would infect the other children. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"I don't fear dying from AIDS, but constantly worry about the day when my mother dies and I will be alone in this world," said Ashim *, 10, who lives with his HIV-positive mother. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"We are extremely worried, not only about the orphans, but also those whose HIV-positive parents are alive. What happens after their parents die?" said another health worker, Sushil Bikram Thapa from Nepal STD and AIDS Research Centre, a local NGO. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">According to the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control in the Ministry of Health and Population, there are more than 50,000 adults and children living with HIV, and an estimated overall prevalence of 0.30 percent in the adult population (15-49 years old). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">*Not his real name <o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

NEPAL: HIV-positive children, orphans neglected

Photo: David Swanson/IRIN There are close to 5,000 children under 14 years of age living with HIV in Nepal today (file photo) RAKAM (Pl...

Uganda: Government Plans Circumcision School Camps

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">KAMPALA (NNN-NEW VISION) -- The Ugandan Government is studying ways under which it will set up circumcision camps or clinics in schools for boys who are willing to be circumcised.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Education ministry’s permanent secretary Francis Xavier Lubanga told New Vision that when arrangements are done, the ministry will send circulars to all schools in the country about the issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Schools will also be instructed to communicate to the parents on how the programme will be conducted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For children below the age of consent, written consent of the parents will be required,” Lubanga explained.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He also said the education ministry would partner with the health ministry. Citing an incident where 13 students of Teso College Aloet, were recently suspended after they sneaked out of school to get circumcised, Lubanga said the number of students in need of circumcision across the country may be high.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lubanga, however, said the students must go through a proper counseling session to advise them on the care, treatment, risks and benefits before they get circumcised.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Circumcision should be done in an organised, systematic and clear manner.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That is why we will soon come out with the details on how this will be handled,” he explained. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Research has proved that male circumcision can protect one against acquiring HIV. Health experts say it must be used alongside other protective measures. -- NNN-NEW VISION<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Uganda: Government Plans Circumcision School Camps

KAMPALA (NNN-NEW VISION) -- The Ugandan Government is studying ways under which it will set up circumcision camps or clinics in schools for...

For HIV-Positive S. Africans, Urban Gardens Change Lives

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">By Emilie Iob from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Johannesburg</st1:place></st1:city><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivf_mmxebzUpA9Hn2QjpW7wq_hGhWHSDmQ7O9F-4YQvqUon_UxjxibcRICIAWF3b1ajOmiBsYMciAdc41OLvogcj5wnm6rTsSs30ZV0UfSXXreFs2m9Qs1Iwfj0ELxAz4_63gjR1Hdfgo/s1600/potatoes+and+gardeners-1+480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivf_mmxebzUpA9Hn2QjpW7wq_hGhWHSDmQ7O9F-4YQvqUon_UxjxibcRICIAWF3b1ajOmiBsYMciAdc41OLvogcj5wnm6rTsSs30ZV0UfSXXreFs2m9Qs1Iwfj0ELxAz4_63gjR1Hdfgo/s1600/potatoes+and+gardeners-1+480.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Photo: VOA - E. Iob A lot of different veggies are<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">cultivated in the communal garden: potatoes,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">tomatoes, onions, beans,and also corn.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div></td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">South   Africa</st1:country-region></st1:place>, 18% of adults are estimated to be HIV positive or have AIDS.  It is one of the highest infection rates in the world. In the large sprawling townships, poverty often prevents those with the virus from strengthening their immune systems with proper medication and diet.  But this is changing - thanks to a new trend: city gardens. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Life changer<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">As she delicately digs out potatoes from the ground, Annah Mogoathe chats with the other women. It's 1:00 p.m. and the summer sun is shining at its peak over the township's community garden. Annah takes a pause. Just one year ago, she wouldn't have the energy to work like that. She's HIV positive.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"The garden has made a big change in my life. I was weak before, and now I'm strong," Mogoathe declares. "The food I grow and eat from the garden make me stronger and healthier."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">We are in Ennerdale, a township 30 km south of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Johannesburg</st1:place></st1:city>. Here, about 50 people come every day to grow vegetables in the garden next to the community center. This is a relatively new idea here … and most say a life-changer for residents who are HIV positive. It all started thanks to Lettie Ngubeni, the director of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Osizweni</st1:placename>  <st1:placetype w:st="on">Community Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>. She decided to transform the dumpster into a communal garden, and teach people how to grow vegetables.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“We decided that we must encourage the beneficiaries to plant, to do gardens," Ngubeni explains, "because most of them are vulnerables, they don't have income to go and buy vegetables, always.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Healthy food <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Portia Ncengwa comes twice a week to buy veggies at <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Osizweni community center. She hopes that <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">when she gets better, she will also be able to come <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">work at the communal garden. (VOA Photo - E. Iob)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div></td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A balanced diet is essential for people with HIV - a virus that attacks the immune system and causes AIDS.  But when living in the city - although the access to clinics is relatively easy - finding a nearby market with affordable healthy food is difficult. So when Ngubeni came up with her idea of a city garden, it took her some time to convince people.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“It’s not our culture," she notes. "And it was difficult, first, when we started to change the mind-set of the people. You know in this place, the culture is that you buy, instead of doing the gardens."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">But little by little, more people saw the value. Now, HIV and non HIV positive people work side-by-side in the garden, and every day, on a table by the entrance, fresh veggies are being sold to the community. Portia Ncengwa lives nearby. She is HIV positive, and comes twice a week. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“It's cheaper because maybe there, I can get potatoes for 3 Rands [$.39], then when I go to Shoprite, I get potatoes for 7 Rands or 8 Rands [$.92]," Ncengwa explains. "So it's much less transport for me, and much less: I can get potatoes, tomatoes, onions, beetroots for 10 or 11 <st1:place w:st="on">Rands</st1:place>  [$1.45].”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Benefits <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MqFSeDhak77mDuihxbfmuYWKmKMjSQno7zzx9ys1-p7DPtFnW1wV06McdMTFlFO0vMzYC2ih7jeaiICPXzDQZur_I_hOeFBk7kIL_tLv_BBswA7u4vOBz3kyynoydIQB-Iq8OZhpCh8/s1600/ladies+picking+up+tomatoes+480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MqFSeDhak77mDuihxbfmuYWKmKMjSQno7zzx9ys1-p7DPtFnW1wV06McdMTFlFO0vMzYC2ih7jeaiICPXzDQZur_I_hOeFBk7kIL_tLv_BBswA7u4vOBz3kyynoydIQB-Iq8OZhpCh8/s1600/ladies+picking+up+tomatoes+480.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Women gardeners working together at<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">the communal garden. (VOA Photo - E. Iob)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">With the help of the Ministry of Agriculture, the community center trains people to garden every Thursday. They are taught water management, rhythm of the season, and they can ask questions. About 250 people have already benefited from the program. They were given "starter packs", which included tools and seeds, to encourage them to start cultivating a little plot in their backyard. They say no backyard is too small for a garden.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Kneeling down in his garden, Moussa Pitso grows carrots, greens, beetroots, onions, spinach, and more. He was a pioneer, one of the first to have his own garden. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Thanks to the garden, I can now feed my family," Pitso says. "Before, I couldn't. It has completely changed my life, but the community at large also benefit from it. They took example from me and made their own garden.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Under the curious eyes of his seven children, Pitso intends to instill in them, over the years, all the benefits of gardening and prove to them that you don't need to be wealthy to eat healthy.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> ---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

For HIV-Positive S. Africans, Urban Gardens Change Lives

By Emilie Iob from Johannesburg Photo: VOA - E. Iob A lot of different veggies are cultivated in the communal garden: potatoes, tomatoe...

UN Hails Zimbabwe’s Efforts in Fighting HIV and AIDS

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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">HARARE (NNN-NEW ZIANA) -- The United Nations has hailed Zimbabwe for its policies and approach in fighting the HIV and AIDS pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">At 13.7 per cent, Zimbabwe has the lowest prevalence rate in the Southern African Development community (SADC) region and up to 420,000 people are accessing anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Speaking at the launch of the Zimbabwe Parliamentarians against HIV (ZIPAH) movement here last Thursday, UNAIDS country co-ordinator Tatiana Shoumulina said despite southern Africa being the epicenter of the pandemic, Zimbabwe had made significant strides in curbing HIV and AIDS.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span>“Zimbabwe is considered the best in mobilizing internal resources to fight HIV/AIDS. You might all agree with me that the AIDS Levy has gone a long way in this regard," she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She added that the UN was "committed to support and stand by you in your efforts". <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span>"We are confident that Zimbabwe will achieve its objectives,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">SADC Parliamentary Forum Secretary-General Essau Chiviya stressed the need for an all-encompassing regional approach in the fight against the epidemic. "If we managed to achieve liberation in the region as a result of combined regional efforts the same approach will surely not fail against HIV and AIDS," he said. -- NNN-NEW ZIANA<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

UN Hails Zimbabwe’s Efforts in Fighting HIV and AIDS

HARARE (NNN-NEW ZIANA) -- The United Nations has hailed Zimbabwe for its policies and approach in fighting the HIV and AIDS pandemic. At ...

AFRICA: Snake Oil Salesmen And Dodgy HIV "Cures"

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Ubhejane - the traditional medicine which was said to help<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">HIV-positive people boost their immune system<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Photo: <a href="http://www.plusnews.org/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Kanya Ndaki/PlusNews</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NAIROBI/JOHANNESBURG</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (PlusNews) - <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b><i>Uganda</i></b></st1:place></st1:country-region><b><i>'s National Drug Authority recently arrested sales representatives of a company selling a drug that purports to cure HIV; the firm's owners are not licensed to sell medicine and are being sought by the police. <o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The drug, known as Virol ZAPPER, was being sold in 37ml liquid doses, each costing about US$210; patients were advised to take 10 drops daily. It was being advertised on local radio and TV stations as a miracle cure for HIV. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The sale of such "cures" is a profitable racket for charlatans willing to take advantage of desperate HIV-positive people; here is a collection of some dodgy treatments that have made the news in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> over the years: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Tanzania - In 2011, tens of thousands of people from all over East Africa flocked to the tiny village of Loliondo in Tanzania seeking a cure for several diseases, including diabetes, tuberculosis and HIV. Ambilikile Mwasapile, a former Lutheran pastor, was charging 500 Tanzanian shillings - about $0.33 - for a cup for his concoction. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Several sick people died in the queues, which at their peak numbered 15,000 people. Studies are being conducted to determine the properties of Mwasapile's treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">South Africa</span></i></b></st1:country-region><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> - A 2008 <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Cape</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">High Court</st1:placename></st1:place> judgment ruled that clinical trials of multivitamins in the treatment of HIV/AIDS by controversial vitamin salesman Matthias Rath were unlawful, and stopped them. The court also prohibited Rath from publishing any more advertisements claiming that his product, VitaCell, cured AIDS, pending further review by the Medicines Control Council. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Rath, who had been operating in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South   Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region> since about 2004, claimed his multivitamins treated AIDS, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, bird flu and numerous other illnesses. Rath ran numerous advertisements aimed at convincing HIV-positive people to take his high-dose multivitamins rather than ARVs, available free-of-charge through the public health system, which he claimed were "toxic". <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Kenya - In 2008, the government warned HIV-positive people in the country's eastern <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Coast</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Province</st1:placetype></st1:place> to reject herbal "cures" peddled by fake herbalists who claimed their concoctions contained unique ingredients that could boost the immune system and even cure HIV. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">An estimated 80 percent of Kenyans use traditional healers either exclusively or in conjunction with western medicine; the government is drafting regulations to stop fraudulent herbalists from practising. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Gambia - In 2007, President Yahya Jammeh was roundly denounced by AIDS activists when he said he had found a cure for HIV/AIDS and began treating citizens. Shortly after his announcement, Jammeh expelled the most senior UN official in the country for questioning his "cure". <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The programme is still running, but more Gambians are choosing ARVs over Jammeh's treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Ethiopia - In 2007, thousands of HIV-positive patients flocked to Entoto, an ancient mountain north of the capital, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Addis   Ababa</st1:place></st1:city>, seeking a "holy water" cure for AIDS after local priests said they could cure HIV. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abune Paulos, later advised patients to continue with their ARVs even as they sought healing at Entoto.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Ubhejane - the traditional medicine which was said to help<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">HIV-positive people boost their immune system<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Photo: <a href="http://www.plusnews.org/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Kanya Ndaki/PlusNews</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> <b><i>S ão Tome and Principe - In 2007, questions were raised about Dorviro-Sida, or "Put AIDS to sleep" in Portuguese, an anti-AIDS herbal remedy produced by Amancio Valentim, president of the Association of Traditional Medicine of São Tome and Principe. Valentim claimed three tablespoons of the brownish syrup, taken every day before meals, could reduce the viral load and make patients feel better; he said four patients who had taken the drug for four years had tested negative for HIV. <o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">AIDS activists were concerned the drug could make HIV-positive people complacent about taking their ARVs, and the health ministry said it did not support Valentim's treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">South Africa</span></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> - In 2006, a clinic in <st1:country-region w:st="on">South Africa</st1:country-region>'s east coast city of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Durban</st1:place></st1:city> began to sell "ubhejane" - a herbal mixture believed to treat HIV/AIDS. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The controversial traditional medicine received vast media coverage, mainly due to the backing it received from influential political figures such as the former health minister, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, and provincial health officials. Ubhejane, a dark brown liquid sold in old plastic milk bottles, had not undergone any clinical trials to test its efficacy. All that the tests confirmed was that it was not toxic. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">But HIV-positive patients were far more willing to accept the traditional medicine as an effective remedy, flocking to the clinic to buy a full course of the herbal remedy that retailed at R374 ($40). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Uganda - In 2006, the Ugandan government banned the use of a popular anti-AIDS herb remedy known as "Khomeini", after tests found it provided no cure. Iranian Sheikh Allagholi Elahi claimed the drug - which contained olive oil and honey and cost $1,650 per dose - could cure HIV/AIDS and TB in three weeks. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Studies by experts in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Uganda</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Kenya</st1:country-region></st1:place> found that while patients had gained weight due to the nutritional content of the drug, it was incapable of curing HIV. ---</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">IRIN<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

AFRICA: Snake Oil Salesmen And Dodgy HIV "Cures"

Ubhejane - the traditional medicine which was said to help HIV-positive people boost their immune system Photo: Kanya Ndaki/PlusNews N...

HIV/AIDS: Ten big stories in 2011

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3_c2wHUntClP_voeMqT9ZIVjp93rc0rEI97itUOngOKxB5LnfUAZ1O6PfZgMy469kpYH8a3FwCcs5UCF1YSd0b-TBV3pUBi2hg1Y8jz7sfC02IrHirrO-LESbOL9Dpx8jlaTZBL-X4s/s1600/HIV-AIDS+turned+30+in+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3_c2wHUntClP_voeMqT9ZIVjp93rc0rEI97itUOngOKxB5LnfUAZ1O6PfZgMy469kpYH8a3FwCcs5UCF1YSd0b-TBV3pUBi2hg1Y8jz7sfC02IrHirrO-LESbOL9Dpx8jlaTZBL-X4s/s400/HIV-AIDS+turned+30+in+2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: <o:p></o:p></span></span></i><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/medapt/430305167/" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: right; text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: xx-small;">MedAPT/Flickr</span></i></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">HIV/AIDS turned 30 in 2011<o:p></o:p></span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NAIROBI/JOHANNESBURG (PlusNews) - It's been a roller coaster of a year in HIV and AIDS. AIDS turned 30 in 2011 and with new evidence of the effectiveness of HIV treatment as prevention, experts are increasingly talking about "the end of AIDS". At the same time, however, funding for HIV has become ever more uncertain, jeopardizing efforts to put new, life-saving science into action.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">IRIN/PlusNews brings you 10 HIV-related stories that made headlines in 2011:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">AIDS turns 30 </span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">- The first case of HIV was reported in 1981, and 2011 was a year of reflection on the growth of the epidemic and progress made in the fight against it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In 30 years, an estimated 30 million people have died, another 34 million are living with the virus and an estimated 7,000 new infections occur every day. An estimated 6.6 million people were on treatment globally by December 2010, but some nine million people who qualified for antiretroviral (ARVs) did not receive them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">ARVs as Prevention</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> - The little pills that turned HIV from a death sentence into a chronic condition could now help us prevent new HIV infections. In May, the HPTN 052 study, a large, randomized controlled trial, found that earlier initiation of HIV treatment led to a 96 percent reduction in HIV transmission to the HIV-uninfected partner.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Activists have called on the UN World Health Organization (WHO) to rapidly develop guidelines on the use of ARVs as prevention.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">AIDS funding</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> - In November, poor funding forced a board meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Accra</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Ghana</st1:country-region></st1:place>, to cancel its 11th round of funding, which was to fund programmes from 2011 to 2013. The international financing mechanism is responsible for about 70 percent of HIV treatment in developing countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Earlier in the year, the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS released a report showing that funding fell from US$7.6 billion in 2009 to $6.9 billion in 2010 - the first time funding has dropped in more than a decade of tracking HIV/AIDS spending. Between 2002 and 2008, spending rose more than six-fold before levelling off in 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Disappointing prevention trials</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> - In April, a three-country study, known as FEM-PrEP, was halted after daily doses of the ARV Truvada, used as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), failed to prevent HIV infection in the women participating.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In September, the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the Vaginal and Oral Interventions to Control the Epidemic (VOICE) study - which aimed to test the safety, effectiveness and acceptability of the daily use of one of two different ARV tablets or of a vaginal gel - recommended that women assigned to the tenofovir tablet should discontinue use because the study would be unable to show a difference in effectiveness between the drug and a placebo.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In November, on the recommendation of the DSMP, the VOICE trial discontinued the use of the tenofovir-containing gel - and a control placebo gel - on the grounds that it was not effective in preventing HIV in the women participating in the trial.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Gaffe-prone politicians</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> -</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In November, South African media reported that Helen Zille, premier of the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Western Cape</st1:place></st1:state> and leader of the Democratic Alliance, while addressing a wellness summit hosted by the Western Cape Health department, called for people who knowingly infected people with HIV to be charged with attempted murder. She also questioned why government should foot the bill for people who contracted HIV through "irresponsible behaviour" and urged the government to shift its focus from the treatment to the prevention of diseases.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">HIV activists in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region> were angered by Zille's remarks; rights organization Treatment Action Campaign called them "misleading and unscientific".<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Uganda's recently appointed health minister, Christine Ondoa, was in August berated by AIDS activists for comments she allegedly made in an interview with a local newspaper on 1 August. According to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Uganda</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s Observer newspaper, Ondoa claimed to know three people who had been cured of HIV through prayer. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The two join a long list of blunders by African leaders on the subject of HIV.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Anti-gay legislation in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place></span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> - As a new session of parliament began in May, MPs backing a tougher anti-gay bill - which includes a death penalty clause for repeat offenders - said they would persevere with it, despite President Yoweri Museveni's calls for them to drop it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In November, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nigeria</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s Senate voted to criminalize gay marriage, gay advocacy groups and same-sex public displays of affection. The bill must be passed by the House of Representatives and signed by President Goodluck Jonathan before becoming law, but AIDS activists have said it can only serve to drive gay Nigerians further underground and away from HIV prevention and care services.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Western countries have responded to the growth of anti-gay legislation; British Prime Minister David Cameron has threatened to withhold aid to countries violating the rights of their gay citizens, while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in December that the Obama administration would Use its foreign policy to combat efforts abroad to criminalize homosexual conduct. Following <st1:city w:st="on">Clinton</st1:city>'s speech, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Malawi</st1:place></st1:country-region> - which in 2011 arrested gay rights activist Gift Trapence - has said it will review its anti-homosexuality legislation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Threats to generic ARVs</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> - According to activists, the European Union (EU) in 2011 continued to push for tougher intellectual property rules in its negotiations with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> over the terms of a free trade agreement. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> - known as the 'pharmacy of the developing world' - produces the vast majority of the ARVs used in developing countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis is also back in the Indian courts, challenging patent laws aimed at preventing the extension of drug patents for minor changes in existing products, a practice known as "ever greening". If Novartis is successful, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> will be forced to grant more patents on drugs than they currently do, which will keep newer drugs out of reach of those who need them the most. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In March, UNAIDS released a policy brief to help countries make intellectual property rights work for them, amid growing concerns over access to Indian generics. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Contraception and HIV risk</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> - Helping women avoid unwanted pregnancies is an important part of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, so when a study conducted in seven African countries found that women who relied on hormonal shots - many African women use the contraceptive Depo-provera - to prevent pregnancy doubled their HIV risk, HIV programmers were left confused and disappointed. Published in The Lancet in October, the study also found that in women who were HIV-positive, using "the shot" doubled the chances that they transmitted HIV to their partners. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkN7JSB8piz3hXGUhLqG454kClkoFXrZeoXcdKJLI-NB9vlVyub1D881u8RFmu1lqADoZ37JF7tR8i82axyn_ZPajMlmQ8HnIc4Aad4jkD0yHvliEpNbI-wHAr5GseEZpE_3-CuAS-l0/s1600/The+UN+High-Level+Meeting+on+AIDS+in+June+adopted+a+declaration+to+end+mother-to-child+transmission+of+HIV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkN7JSB8piz3hXGUhLqG454kClkoFXrZeoXcdKJLI-NB9vlVyub1D881u8RFmu1lqADoZ37JF7tR8i82axyn_ZPajMlmQ8HnIc4Aad4jkD0yHvliEpNbI-wHAr5GseEZpE_3-CuAS-l0/s400/The+UN+High-Level+Meeting+on+AIDS+in+June+adopted+a+declaration+to+end+mother-to-child+transmission+of+HIV.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">The UN High-Level Meeting on AIDS in June adopted a declaration <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV</span> Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/5181910318/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">DFID</span></a> <o:p></o:p></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">According to Jared Baeten, one of the study's authors, previous studies have suggested that perhaps contraception can lead to microscopic thinning of the vaginal mucous membrane and changes to the genital tract, making it easier for HIV to establish itself. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">UNAIDS has called for more research and analysis ahead of a January 2012 meeting when WHO will review various st udies as it prepares to revise recommendations on HIV and contraception use. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Medicines Patent Pool</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> - In July, Gilead Sciences became the first pharmaceutical company to sign a licensing agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool. The patent pool was established in 2010 by the international health financing mechanism, UNITAID, and aims to stimulate innovation and improve access to HIV medicines through the negotiation of voluntary licences on medicine patents that enable generic competition and facilitate the development of new formulations. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The agreement allows for the production of several of Gilead's HIV medicines, including tenofovir and emtricitabine, as well as two integrase inhibitors, which block retroviral replication, cobicistat and elvitegravir (both still in development), and combinations that include these medicines. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The US National Institutes of Health was the first patent holder to join the pool when it licensed the life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV), darunavir, in October 2010. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">New HIV targets</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> - "Zero new infections, zero stigma and zero AIDS-related deaths" was the bold new goal set during the UN High-Level Meeting on AIDS in June. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The meeting concluded with the adoption of a declaration that seeks, by 2015, to double the number of people on ARVs to 15 million, end mother-to-child transmission of HIV, halve tuberculosis-related deaths in people living with HIV, and increase preventive measures for the "most vulnerable populations". <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The goal appeared within reach when in December US President Barack Obama pledged to provide HIV treatment to some six million people globally by 2013, an increase of two million on the previous target.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

HIV/AIDS: Ten big stories in 2011

Photo: MedAPT/Flickr HIV/AIDS turned 30 in 2011 NAIROBI/JOHANNESBURG (PlusNews) - It's been a roller coaster of a year in HIV and ...

India to Enact Law to Prevent Discrimination Against HIV Patients – Minister

<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSMmkLhtC6bnB-uoUnjyZhB469Vm4m1AIMeOKd1SnbOBIco29Si1B-tCvlUPnhEjCiiknayYz3BhfhjgN6ip6CojMpaJzdTBEqp0MiVsgjDrIBUjrvT70rqy-l8C17agLnWI5Q-rl744/s1600/l2011120137974-766903.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681208225195125266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSMmkLhtC6bnB-uoUnjyZhB469Vm4m1AIMeOKd1SnbOBIco29Si1B-tCvlUPnhEjCiiknayYz3BhfhjgN6ip6CojMpaJzdTBEqp0MiVsgjDrIBUjrvT70rqy-l8C17agLnWI5Q-rl744/s400/l2011120137974-766903.jpg" /></a></p><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; "> </span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; "><i><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad lighting the lamp at </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; "><i><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">the World AIDS Day Celebrations, in New Delhi on December 01, 2011. </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; "><i><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">The Chief Minister of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Delhi</st1:place></st1:city> Smt. Sheila Dikshit is also seen. PIB Photo<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; "><i><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">  <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">NEW DELHI</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""> (NNN-Bernama) -- The Indian government on Thursday has pledged to enact a law soon, to ensure that there is no discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients following complaints from activists, accusing that the government is not showing urgency is initiating such law. <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Health Minister Ghulan Nabi Azad said that his ministry will receive the draft of law from Law Ministry in next ten days, and will soon table it in Parliament. <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">However, he did not mention as to when the bill will be introduced in Parliament, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported Thursday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Azad was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the function to mark World AIDS Day here. The World AIDS Day is observed December 1 every year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Activists have been demanding the immediate passage of a law while expressing disappointment over the "apathy" shown towards HIV-infected people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">They have alleged that the government was not showing any urgency on the issue and appealed to it to pass the HIV/AIDS bill in the Winter Session. <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">A group of NGOs and Lawyers' Collective, a legal advocacy group that helped draft the HIV/AIDS bill, said the measure is very important in the light of the "large-scale" discrimination being faced by the HIV positive people in the country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">While, to create awareness about the HIV/AIDS, Azad said the government will soon start 'Red Buses' on the lines of 'Red Trains' which will be used for campaign purposes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">"Wherever trains can't reach, we will use the buses," he said, adding that the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Delhi</st1:city></st1:place> government will provide Rs1, 600 to Rs 2,000 financial assistance to HIV/AIDS children, and parents who are infected by it. -- NNN-BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "></div></div>

India to Enact Law to Prevent Discrimination Against HIV Patients – Minister

The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad lighting the lamp at the World AIDS Day Celebrations, in New ...

Reducing HIV Risk with Painless Male Circumcision

<div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><br></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">By Joe DeCapua<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""> <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">   <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Studies have shown that male circumcision greatly reduces the risk of HIV transmission. The World Health Organization is weighing approval of a new device that could make the procedure simple and painless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""> <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">The WHO and UNAIDS call male circumcision an important and effective strategy to help slow HIV infections. In a recent report, they said the potential exists to avoid 22 percent of HIV infections by 2025 in 14 countries in eastern and southern <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">However, to do that, 80 percent of the men between ages 15 and 49 would have to be circumcised. But if men believe the procedure involves needles, scalpels and pain, there could be a less than enthusiastic response to having it done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">The World Health Organization is now reviewing trial results of a new device call PrePex, which was used to circumcise more than 1,000 men in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rwanda</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">"Essentially, it's a device designed to compress the foreskin using two rings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">And that ultimately by squeezing the skin in a very non-painful way the blood supply to the skin begins to go away and the skin dies, which is what we want. <o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">And then it's able to, sort of, fall off," said Dr. Steven Kaplan, of <st1:state w:st="on">New York</st1:state>'s <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Weil</st1:placename>  <st1:placename w:st="on">Cornell</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Medical</st1:placename>  <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>, who is a urologist and co-investigator of the PrePex study.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Did he say non painful?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">"When blood supply to an area of skin is removed there's no pain because the nerve fibers also don't get blood supply. So that's why patients tolerate it because when you first think about it you say isn't that going to hurt? And the answer is no, because the blood supply goes away and therefore the pain goes away as well," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">From start to finish, it can take about a week, maybe less. No surgery is involved, no sharp objects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">The beauty of this is that this can be done in almost any environment. Does not require any anesthetic. Does not require any sterile environment. And that's what we believe will make this very, very useful and adaptable to large communities throughout the world and, here, particularly <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>," said Kaplan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Health professionals, not just doctors, can be trained to use PrePex.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Kaplan said it's long been known that removing the foreskin of the penis brings a number of health benefits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">"Various types of germs, the virus, bacteria, other types of sexually transmitted diseases, are sort of, if you will, hidden, kept under the foreskin because a lot of times it's not retracted. It's not well cleaned. It just becomes really almost an empty alleyway where all these bad bugs can hide," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Good results<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Rwandan Health Minister Dr. Agnes Binagwaho praised the PrePex device following the trial in her country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">"So, it was very successful. First of all, it proved that it was safe. It proved that it was efficient and it proved that it was superior to the surgical male circumcision," she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">During the trial, men in the PrePex study were kept in the hospital strictly for observation. The minister says men who had the new procedure were laughing and playing. Men who had the surgical procedure were not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Rwanda</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">'s HIV prevalence rate is 3 percent. But the results of a new survey are expected in about a month. The health minister said the goal is to circumcise about two million men.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">"We want to protect our men against the risk of HIV transmission by circumcising them. And, you know, when you protect men you also protect women. You also protect future children of those women," she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Binagwaho said it isn't just an issue for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rwanda</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but for the whole world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">"I think the line of men who want to be circumcised is bigger than the capacity to circumcise. Because for the time being, the official way to circumcise is the surgical circumcision," she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">PrePex is being developed by CircMedTech. The company says the device has been cleared for marketing in the European Union and hopes the World Health Organization will give its approval in early 2012. ---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div>  <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "></div></div>

Reducing HIV Risk with Painless Male Circumcision

By Joe DeCapua Studies have shown that male circumcision greatly reduces the risk of HIV transmission. The World Health Organi...