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Volume 2, Number 20
20 May 2002
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
Proposed
AIDS Bill Would Increase US Global Giving by $1 billion (news
article)
A politically diverse coalition of US senators plans to back legislation
that would more than double US payments for the fight against the
global spread of AIDS.
Jordan
Woman 'Wins Right to Divorce' (news article)
Women cannot divorce in most Muslim countries, but a Jordanian woman
has reportedly won the right to divorce her husband, in the first
such court ruling under a new law.
HIV Positive
Girl Made Ward of Court After Father Refuses to Allow Her Treatment
(news article)
The three year old is being allowed to live with her father, who
is understood to be cooperating with the authorities. She is expected
to remain a ward of court till she reaches 18, which means that
all parental decisions will be taken by the court.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Definition
and Measurement of Reproductive Health 
(research article)
In this short paper, the author uses an internationally agreed conceptual
definition of reproductive health and applies it to the development
and testing of practical indicators for use in the community. The
author proposes basic criteria for an interview-based tool to measure
reproductive health (as opposed to morbidity or mortality), adapting
methods from the health status measurement field.
Private
Parts -- Treatment for STIs in Uganda's Private Sector (research
summary)
Many people with STIs in Uganda seek treatment from private practitioners.
This study suggests that private practitioners can help improve
the management of STIs in rural areas. It also identifies unmet
training needs in appropriate STI treatment, counseling, and health
education.
Abnormal Uterine
Bleeding Associated with Hormonal Contraception (research article)
Abnormal uterine bleeding is a common but rarely dangerous side
effect of hormonal contraception. It is, however, a major cause
for the discontinuation of hormonal contraception and the resultant
occurrence of unplanned pregnancy. This article presents different
strategies to manage bleeding.
Condom
Distribution: A Cost-utility Analysis (PubMed abstract)
The authors conducted a cost-utility analysis of a social marketing
campaign in which 33 million condoms were made freely available
throughout Louisiana. Surveys among 275,000 African Americans showed
that condom use increased by 30 percent. The programme was estimated
to prevent 170 HIV infections. Over $33 million in medical care
costs were estimated to be averted.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
UNFPA
To Replace Condoms Shipped To Tanzania (press release)
UNFPA will replace a shipment of condoms intended for use in Tanzania
after a laboratory in the United States found defects in samples
submitted for testing.
Military
Test Kit for Sex Diseases (news article)
A portable tester kit allows for patients' DNA to be examined quickly
under battlefield conditions, with results available in 40 minutes.
Contraceptive
Usage Low in Ghana (news article)
There is the need to intensify efforts at encouraging patronage
of contraceptives.
Timing
of Intercourse Does Not Affect Odds of Birth Defects, Study Shows
(news article)
Despite a long-held circumstantial association between the aging
of gametes in the female reproductive tract before fertilization
and "major birth defects," research finds no connection
between the timing of conception and birth defects such as Down
syndrome.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
Cost
Study Favors Prevention Over Treatment in Africa (research summary)
A cost-effectiveness review of 24 HIV/AIDS studies in Africa finds
that "a strong economic case exists for prioritisation of preventive
interventions and tuberculosis treatment" versus antiretroviral
therapy.
Persistent
HIV-1 Infection of Natural Killer Cells in Patients Receiving Highly
Active Antiretroviral Therapy (research abstract)
Related News Article: Scientists Find New HIV
Hiding Place
Study results demonstrate that a subset of non-T cells with NK markers
are persistently infected and suggest that HIV infection of NK cells
is important for virus persistence. The properties of the virus
reservoir in these cells should be considered in attempts to further
optimize antiretroviral therapies.
Analysis
of a Library of Macaque Nuclear Mitochondrial Sequences Confirms
Macaque Origin of Divergent Sequences from Old Oral Polio Vaccine
Samples (research abstract)
Related News Article: More Evidence Refutes HIV
Link to Polio Vaccine
HIV / AIDS NEWS
Papua
New Guinea Faces AIDS Epidemic (news article)
Papua New Guinea is on the verge of an AIDS epidemic that could
wipe out 40% of the adult population within 20 years, according
to an Australian report. The report by the Australian Government's
aid agency AusAid says as many as 15,000 people out of the 4.6m
population are HIV positive.
AIDS
Epidemic May Hit Russian Growth (news article)
The World Bank warned that AIDS is threatening not only the health
of Russians but the health of the whole economy.
Company-trial Results Good for New T-20 HIV Drug
(news article)
An innovative drug that could offer hope to AIDS patients resistant
to current therapy has shown "extremely positive results"
in a second late-stage clinical trial.
Zambia:
A Third of All Graduating Teachers Die From HIV/AIDS (news article)
In Zambia, HIV is severely affecting the education system. At least
a third of the total number of graduates end up dying every year,
with the most affected age group between 20 and 35 years.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Ectopic
Pregnancy in Conakry, Guinea
(research article)
A review of medical files in two Conakry hospitals found that the
incidence of ectopic pregnancy increased between 1995 and 1999,
with tubal rupture occurring among
93% of the women admitted.
The
Contribution of Breast Milk to Toddler Diets in Western Kenya
(research article)
The nutritional role of breastmilk in the second year was inversely
related to the adequacy of the complementary diet. When the weaning
diet is inadequate for key nutrients because of low intake or poor
bioavailability, breast milk assumes greater significance in the
second year of life but does not guarantee adequate nutrient intakes.
Informed Choices?
Improving the Experience of Childbirth in Lebanon (research
summary)
Research in Lebanon finds that women are provided with very little
information during pregnancy and are given few options during the
birth of their child. Hospitals are not up to date with the best
methods in maternity care and evaluations of the impact of current
practices on maternal and infant health are rare.
Association
of a Woman's Own Birth Weight With Subsequent Risk for Gestational
Diabetes (research summary)
Related News Article: Mom's Own Birth Weight Linked
to Pregnancy Diabetes
A woman's own birth weight was strongly and inversely related to
her risk of gestational diabetes, suggesting that early life factors
may be important in the etiology of this disorder.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
Breast
Is Best -- For Mum Too (news article)
Most campaigns aimed at encouraging women to breastfeed stress how
good it is for the baby - but comb through the research papers on
how it benefits mothers, and you begin to wonder whether we don't
come out of it even better than the children.
Suffering
in Silence: The Isolated and Forgotten Victims of Obstetric Fistula
(news article)
Caused by complications during childbirth, obstetric fistula manifests
itself as a hole between a woman's vagina and her bladder, rectum,
or both, creating a constant leakage of urine or feces. Fistula
are still common in the developing world.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Impact of a Male
Motivation Campaign on Family Planning Ideation and Practice in
Guinea
(research report)
Before the program began, only 37 percent of the Islamic religious
leaders involved reported knowing that the Koran or Hadith favored
family planning. After the program, 93 percent reported knowing
that the Koran or Hadith favors family planning. The program evaluated
the responses of 98 religious leaders that attended conferences
on Islam and a variety of reproductive health topics
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Company Wins Canadian Approval for Hormonal Gel
(news article)
AndroGel, a hormonal treatment gel for men suffering from low testosterone,
will soon be marketed in Canada.
POPULATION RESEARCH
Sustainable Social
Development in a Period of Rapid Globalization: Challenges, Opportunities,
and Policy Options
Related News Article: ESCAP
Warns Low Fertility Could Lead to Poor Elderly
With the 65-and-over population of most Asia-Pacific countries
set to double by 2050 compared with 1995 figures, ESCAP warned of
"even greater social upheaval" from population "graying"
in the Asia-Pacific region than in the rest of the world.
Iran
Achieves Replacement-Level Fertility (research bulletin)
Having dropped from around 5 to just under 3 between 1989 and 1996,
Iran's total fertility rate has again plunged; this time to 2. Iran,
an Islamic country, has followed a unique and rapid path to replacement-level
fertility.
POPULATION NEWS
Life
Expectancy Is Consistently Underestimated, Say Researchers (news
article)
Life expectancy has increased by 40 years since 1840 and shows no
sign of having peaked, claim population researchers. But governments
have planned their health and social policies on projections of
life span that are wedded to the concept of maximum longevity.
Bangladesh:
Population Explosion Acerbates Problem of Unemployment (commentary)
The author of this commentary argues that the unemployment problem
in Bangladesh has gone beyond limit.
Kenya:
Landslides Blamed On Population Increase (news article)
The landslides in some parts of Kenya are due to an increasing population.
Human activities have accelerated degradation of the environment,
including soil erosion and loss of biological diversity.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Lifelong
Vegetarianism and Risk of Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Case-Control
Study Among South Asian Migrant Women Living in England (research
abstract)
Related News Article: Vegetarian Diet May Protect
Against Breast Cancer
Lifelong vegetarianism may be associated with a reduction in the
risk of breast cancer through its association with a higher intake
of vegetables and pulses. Although it is not possible to exclude
the possibility that lifelong meat abstention may also play a role,
the findings provide evidence that a diet rich in vegetables and
pulses, such as those typically found in South Asian diets, may
be protective against this cancer.
Taking
Cover: Women in Post-Taliban Afghanistan (briefing paper)
Afghan women continue to face serious threats to their physical
safety, including sexual violence, denying them the opportunity
to exercise their basic human rights and to participate fully in
the rebuilding of their country.
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Indian
Women Demand Justice for Gujarat Rape Victims (news article)
Thousands of women from across the Indian subcontinent took to the
streets of major cities Monday to demand justice for women hit by
religious rioting in the western state of Gujarat.
Moderate Drinking May Cut Women's Risk of Diabetes
(news article)
Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may help prevent healthy postmenopausal
women from developing diabetes as well as heart disease, new research
suggests.
The FGM
Debate Again! (opinion)
For years now, many health-related and other international organizations,
have been strategizing global campaigns against female genital mutilation,
but still the efforts have not been able to completely eradicate
the practice. This writer discusses the reasons why the harmful
practice persists.
YOUTH RESEARCH
Improving
Teenagers' Knowledge of Emergency Contraception: Cluster Randomized
Controlled Trial of a Teacher Led Intervention (research article)
After receiving a single lesson on emergency contraception the proportion
of boys and girls knowing the correct time limits for both types
of emergency contraception improved significantly. The intervention
did not change the pupils' sexual activity or use of emergency contraception.
African
Youths Take the Lead in HIV/AIDS Film Project (project summary)
Since 1997, almost 22,000 young people in Senegal, Burkina Faso,
and Mali have written screenplays on HIV/AIDS as part of a project
that allows youth in these West African countries to take the lead
in educating their peers and the public about HIV prevention and
about the epidemic's impact in their communities
Sexual
Activity and Condom Use Among Eastern European Adolescents: The
Study of Hungarian Adolescent Risk Behaviours (PubMed abstract)
Of 3,486 students in a random sample of public secondary schools
completing a self-administered questionnaire, 38 percent reported
ever having had vaginal intercourse. Condom use by those reporting
having had sex in the past five weeks was consistent in 40 percent.
YOUTH NEWS
HIV/AIDS:
UNICEF, Ethiopia Launch Youth Campaign (news article)
A large-scale HIV/AIDS counseling and testing program was launched
last week aimed at helping young people in the country's cities.
Move
to Stop Indian Child Marriages (news article)
The authorities in India are gearing up efforts to prevent child
marriages. Thousands of children, including babies, are married
despite laws designed to prevent such practices.
Nigeria:
Obasanjo Decries Uncensored Media Programs (news article)
President Olusegun Obasanjo has bemoaned the negative influence
of uncensored media programs on children as they tend to expose
them to violence, illicit drug use, early and promiscuous sexual
behavior.
Chinese
Children Receive Sex Education (news article)
Chinese children as young as 12 will receive sex education in a
pilot scheme in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. With the
proliferation of sexual diseases worldwide, in particular HIV and
AIDS, and complaining from the public about a lack of sexual awareness,
China is a facing the issue head on with the introduction of its
first series of textbooks on sex education.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
Malaria
in Pregnancy
(book review)
This book offers exciting new findings on the epidemiology and prevention
of malaria in pregnancy in high transmission areas of Africa and
new scientific avenues for research in controlling malaria.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
Guidelines for Using Antiretroviral Agents Among HIV-Infected
Adults and Adolescents: Recommendations of the Panel on Clinical
Practices for Treatment of HIV HTML
| PDF
This report, which updates the 1998 guidelines, addresses 1) usingtesting
for plasma HIV ribonucleic acid levels (i.e., viral load) and CD4+
T cell count; 2) using testing for antiretroviral drug resistance;
3) considerations for when to initiate therapy; 4) adherence to
antiretroviral therapy; 5) considerations for therapy among patients
with advanced disease; 6) therapy-related adverse events; 7) interruption
of therapy; 8) considerations for changing therapy and available
therapeutic options; 9) treatment for acute HIV infection; 10) considerations
for antiretroviral therapy among adolescents; 11) considerations
for antiretroviral therapy among pregnant women; and 12) concerns
related to transmission of HIV to others.
Reaching Youth Worldwide
This report details successful youth projects that have focused
on preventing reproductive health problems, developing healthy life
skills, and preserving the environment. Based on work conducted
over the past 15 years in more than 25 countries, researchers determined
that some of the most successful strategies begin by involving young
people in the development of the program.
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