HIV Transmission

Implanting Microchips In Sexually Aggressive HIV-Positive People

ruzik_tuzik — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:29:42 -0600

An Indonesian bill that includes a bylaw requiring "sexually aggressive" people living with HIV/AIDS to be implanted with microchips is causing debate between some lawmakers, who argue that the bill is necessary to curb the spread of the virus, and advocates, who say the bylaw is discriminatory and a violation of human rights, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

India Women Unaware That Condoms Can Prevent HIV

ruzik_tuzik — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:36:08 -0600

About 35% of women in India's Karnataka state know that condoms can prevent HIV transmission, according to India's National Family Health Survey, the Times of India reports.

The survey indicated a need for increased access to HIV prevention and education and expanded access to female condoms, according to the Times. The NFHS survey also found that 12.3% of women and 32.6% of men in the state have comprehensive knowledge about HIV.

Philippines Should Pass Reproductive Health Bill

ruzik_tuzik — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:40:51 -0600

In hopes of developing a national policy on reproductive health to help curb the spread of HIV in the Philippines, the Girls, Women and HIV/AIDS Network recently called for the passage of a reproductive health bill in the House of Representatives, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

Comparing Antiretroviral Treatments Among HIV-Positive Mothers Receiving Nevirapine During Labor

ruzik_tuzik — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:17:37 -0600

A recent review of a clinical study funded by NIH comparing antiretroviral treatment regimens that contained either nevirapine or ritonavir-boosted lopinavir found that ritonavir/ lopinavir is more effective than nevirpaine among HIV-positive women who previously took a single-dose of nevirapine to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, South Africa's Business Day reports (Kahn, Business Day, 11/6).

Fears Of HIV Transmission Within Families Found

ruzik_tuzik — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:51:40 -0600

Despite ongoing efforts to educate the public about HIV, a new study by researchers from UCLA, the RAND Corp., Harvard University and Children's Hospital Boston has found that two-thirds of families with an HIV-infected parent experience fears about spreading HIV in the home.

The qualitative study is the first to interview multiple family members, including minor children, in families with an HIV-infected parent about their concerns over HIV transmission in the household. The findings will be published in the November issue of the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics.

Ugandan Bill Would Criminalize Deliberate Spread Of HIV

ruzik_tuzik — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:19:28 -0500

Advocates for people living with HIV/AIDS recently criticized a proposed law in Uganda that would criminalize the deliberate spread of the virus, the New Vision/AllAfrica.com reports. According to the advocates, lawmakers should drop the bill, which currently is being considered by the Parliamentary Committee on HIV/AIDS.

Study Estimates First Human HIV Infection 100 Years Ago

hareyan — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:24:10 -0500

An eight year study, published in scientific journal Nature, claims the HIV-1 virus that leads to AIDS could have infected humans around 1908 in Africa. Scientists found traces of the HIV-1 genome collected in 1960 from a woman who lived in Léopoldville, presently called Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An earlier study had also isolated the virus from a 1959 blood sample of a male from Léopoldville.

Uganda Mother-To-Child HIV Transmission Efforts Face Challenges

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:20:10 -0500

Mother-to-child HIV transmission rates remain high in Uganda, despite services made available by the government to prevent MTCT, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Government figures estimate 20,000 children contract the virus annually, accounting for 42% of all new cases in the country, according to IRIN/PlusNews. "The large and growing unmet need for pediatric HIV/AIDS (services) demonstrates that failure of our PMTCT programs to avert parent-to-child-transmission of HIV," Keith McKenzie, country representative for UNICEF, said.

Indian Women Abused By Husbands At Risk For HIV Infection

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:05:57 -0500

India is home to the third-largest number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in the world and, as in the U.S. and many African nations, the rate of infection among women continues to rise faster than that among men. In a new study, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that married Indian women who experienced physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their husbands were approximately four times more likely to become infected with HIV than married women who were not abused.

Poverty, Demography Contributing To HIV Spread In Sudan

ruzik_tuzik — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:38:47 -0500

Poverty and the movement of people displaced by war have contributed to an increase in the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Sudan, United Nations and Sudanese health officials said on Sunday, adding that a lack of data is hindering efforts to get an accurate picture of the disease in the country, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports. According to the officials, an estimated 1.6% of Sudan's 37 million people are living with HIV. However, the actual prevalence of HIV/AIDS likely is higher and improved surveillance would help determine that number, they added.