HIV Transmission

A new study of nearly 14,000 U.S. women reveals that those who are in physically abusive relationships are at higher risk for HIV infection.

The study, which appears in the May/June issue of the journal General Hospital Psychiatry, shows that “intimate partner violence,” which is physical or sexual assault of a spouse or partner, has become a significant public health concern around the world. While research on the problem has taken place in Africa and India, the new study is the first to look at the issue among a large number of women in the United States.

There must be something between Kerry Thomas and HIV. He had the "honor" of being the first man in Idaho convicted for knowingly spreading HIV. Now Kerry Thomas is charged again accused of committing the same crime: knowingly spreading HIV.

It appears that the former BSU player Kerry Thomas did not learn anything from his last conviction. Why would someone in his good mind knowingly spread HIV? Aren't people naturally good?

This time Kerry Thomas is charged on seven counts of knowingly transferring the HIV virus. Each count carries a maximum punishment of 15 years and a $50,000 fine.

A total of 435 new cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) were reported to the Hong Kong Department of Health (DH) last year (2008), the highest annual number ever recorded.

The figure showed a 5% increase compared to the 414 reported cases in the preceding year.

Reviewing the AIDS situation in Hong Kong at a press conference today (March 3), the CHP's Consultant (Special Preventive Programme), Dr Wong Ka-hing, said that sexual transmission had continued to be the major mode of HIV spread in Hong Kong.

HIV can adapt rapidly to evade immune system responses, and these mutations can be passed on in the wider population, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Nature, Reuters reports.

It is "important" that Uganda's Ministry of Health "conducts mass sensitization campaigns throughout the country to educate people about the benefits and limits of male circumcision" in preventing the spread of HIV, Joseph Matovu of Makerere University's School of Health writes in a New Vision opinion piece.

Some HIV/AIDS advocacy groups and physicians in Canada are calling for an end to recent criminal trials of HIV-positive people who allegedly exposed sexual partners to the virus knowingly, arguing that the criminalization of HIV transmission does more harm than good, the National Post reports.

The risk of an HIV-positive surgeon transmitting the virus to a patient is very low, according to a report published Friday in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Reuters Health reports. The report, conducted by M.J. Schwaber of the Israeli Ministry of Health and colleagues, examines the case of an Israeli heart surgeon who had practiced for about 20 years and performed about 150 operations each year.

Lian Lian (pseudonym) was tested HIV positive during the first trimester of pregnancy in her twenties. Feeling helpless at first, she was immediately referred to a designated hospital for comprehensive antiretroviral treatment and regular medical follow up. With the best care provided by doctors and nurses, the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission was largely reduced and she delivered a healthy baby boy. Holding her child, Lian Lian said, “The only thing I know at the moment is to protect my baby. The best gift I could give him is to cherish his life” .

Violence against women in northern Ghana increases their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, according to a study recently released by ActionAID Ghana, Public Agenda reports. For the study -- titled "Violence and HIV/AIDS: The Interface, Voices of Women in Northern Ghana" -- researchers led by Yaa Peprah Agyemang Amekudzi examined the association between violence against women and HIV/AIDS in six districts of northern Ghana.

Efforts to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS among drug users in China are being hindered by the government's treatment of the population, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Tuesday, Reuters reports. Drug addiction has received more funding and attention in China as injection drug use has become one of the main routes of HIV transmission in the country and "party" drugs have seen increased popularity, Reuters reports.