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Volume 2, Number 39
30 September 2002
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
Investigation Fails
to Find Basis for US Fund Cutoff (news article)
A Knight Ridder Newspapers investigation of the Bush
administration's basis for cutting off $34 million
in funding this year to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
has found that the UNFPA has no desk or staff in China's
Sihui County, contradicting a symbolic reason the
administration used to justify the funding cut.
With AIDS Soaring,
China Should Welcome Activism (editorial)
"If you doubt the adage that AIDS is the world's
first political disease, consider the plight of Dr.
Wan Yanhai. An activist best known for exposing a
blood contamination scandal in China, the doctor disappeared
from Beijing's streets on Aug. 25 and was held for
nearly a month based on claims that he revealed state
secrets. He was released Friday."
India: Population
Stabilization Fund on Anvil (news article)
A National Population Stabilization Fund is likely
to be constituted soon, India's Health and Family
Welfare Minister said recently. He said money from
the fund would be in addition to the budgetary provisions
and would be given to the states depending on their
needs for achieving population stabilization.
Firms
'Must Wake Up to AIDS' (news article)
Business bosses gathered at the Commonwealth business
forum in London have been urged to take a leadership
role in tackling Africa's HIV/AIDS crisis. But a senior
policy advisor at UNAIDS says that many firms still
do not regard AIDS as their problem.
Heavy
Hand Hinders China's Anti-AIDS Drive (news article)
Tough government crackdowns on prostitution, drug
abuse, and gambling are being blamed for the authorities'
failure to raise HIV awareness in the sexually conservative
society and to step up prevention efforts in the battle
to contain China's growing AIDS epidemic.
Clinton
and Mocumbi Sign Memorandum on HIV/AIDS (news
article)
Mozambican Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi and former
US President Bill Clinton on Thursday signed a memorandum
of understanding under which the
Foundation established by Clinton is to assist the
Mozambican authorities in their struggle against the
AIDS epidemic.
Sex
vs. God in the Philippines (news article)
For centuries, the Philippines was the only predominantly
Roman Catholic nation in Asia, a position that has
had an effect on its family planning program and its
use of contraceptives.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Prolonged
Use of Oral Contraception Before a Planned Pregnancy
is Associated with a Decreased Risk of Delayed Conception
(research abstract)
Related news article: Former
Pill Users 'Get Pregnant Faster'
New research shows that women who take the Pill for
long periods of time get pregnant faster when they
decide to have a baby than women who have used the
contraceptive for less time or who have never used
it.
Unmet
Need for Contraception in the Developing World and
the Former Soviet Union: An Updated Estimate (research
article)
A total of 122.7 million married and unmarried women
have an unmet need in the developing world and the
former Soviet republics. The proportion of married
women in the developing world with an unmet need is
17%, lower than previously estimated because of a
declining trend in many countries that reflects growing
contraceptive use. The unmet need numbers reflect
the upward pressures of population growth acting against
the downward push of declining proportions with unmet
need.
Source
of Maternal and Child Health Care as an Indicator
of Ability to Pay for Family Planning (research
article)
Demographic and Health Survey data from eight developing
countries are used to determine the proportions of
women with children aged five or younger who practice
contraception and who purchase private health care
for themselves or their children. By assuming that
these women can also afford to purchase contraceptives,
the authors estimated how the private sources of contraceptives
and the government's family planning subsidies would
be affected if all those who could afford to pay for
their methods did so. In three countries--Indonesia,
the Philippines and Zimbabwe--the private-sector share
of the pill market would increase by 22 to 26 percent,
while the government's financial burden for family
planning would decrease by 3 to 7 percent, thereby
stimulating private sector participation and reducing
the stress on overtaxed government family planning
funding.
Impact
of Mass Media Campaigns on Intentions to Use the Female
Condom in Tanzania (research article)
Data on 2,712 sexually experienced men and women in
Tanzania, collected in an exit survey at outlets that
sell the female condom, were used to determine if
a mass media campaign promoting the female condom
had an impact on women's and men's intentions to use
this method. Results indicated that mass media exposure
significantly increased the likelihood that a man
or a woman would discuss use of the female condom
with a partner. In turn, discussion of the female
condom with a partner strongly influenced the intention
to use the female condom in the future. Peer educators
and providers had limited coverage, but they had a
stronger impact than the mass media on an individual's
intention to use the female condom.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
Burundi:
Religious Leaders Urged Not to Oppose Condom Use
(news article)
The Burundi government and civil society groups have
urged church leaders not to oppose the use of condoms
as a means of protection against the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The spread of AIDS has continued to increase despite
the position adopted by religious leaders, which recommended
sexual abstinence to the unmarried and marital fidelity
to couples.
Herpes
Drug May Prevent Virus Spread (news article)
For the first time, a drug widely used to treat genital
herpes has been shown to prevent its spread as well,
offering a new way of curbing an infection already
carried by one in five Americans.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
Common
Genetic Arrangements among Human Immunodeficiency
Virus Type 1 Subtype A and D Recombinant Genomes Vertically
Transmitted in Tanzania (PubMed abstract)
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtypes
A, C, and D are cocirculating in Tanzania, and large
numbers of recombinant genomes have been reported
from this region.The identification of subtype patterns
among intersubtype recombinant genomes from recently
infected individuals may reveal genetic determinants
of improved viral fitness or advantage for transmission.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
Proteins
May Block HIV Progression (news article)
In research that solves a 16-year medical mystery,
scientists have identified a group of proteins that
inhibit the progression of HIV in people who are resistant
to the virus that causes AIDS. The study, using a
new protein-identification tool, identified the proteins
in a disease-blocking substance, called CAF. Researchers
discovered in 1986 that CAF was secreted in the blood
of "long-term progressors," patients infected
with HIV who never get sicker and never develop full-blown
AIDS. But efforts to unlock the proteins in CAF have
failed, until now.
'Drug Holidays'
Not Beneficial for Fighting HIV (news article)
Despite hopes that taking regularly scheduled breaks
from combination therapy would train the immune system
to keep HIV under control, a new study fails to detect
any benefit of such drug holidays. Interest in drug
holidays is high because, although combination therapy
has been life extending for many people, the drugs
are expensive and can have serious side effects. In
addition, some people have a hard time sticking to
the complicated daily regimen of pills.
China:
Survey Finds AIDS Awareness Still Low (news article)
In big cities and small towns in China, the public
knows shockingly little about the rapid spread of
HIV/AIDS in their country, a recent survey has shown.
Some
Makers, Vendors Drop N-9 Spermicide on HIV Risk
(news article)
Originally developed as a detergent, N-9 has been
used for nearly 50 years as a vaginal cream that rapidly
kills sperm cells. Cautions issued on N-9 for at least
two years were reinforced over the summer, when the
World Health Organization and the CDC issued warnings
that N-9 has been found to be ineffective in stopping
HIV and other STDs.
Vanuatu
Confirms Its First AIDS Case (news article)
The government of the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu,
which had claimed to be AIDS-free, announced Thursday
it had its first confirmed case of the disease.
Ugandan
Thieves Steal AIDS Drugs (news article)
Police in Uganda have arrested 15 people after anti-AIDS
drugs donated by the US were stolen and then put on
sale.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Tuberculosis
in Children Dying with HIV-related Lung Disease: Clinical-pathological
Correlations (PubMed abstract)
The purpose of the study was to compare post mortem
histological, microbiological and biochemical findings
with clinical and radiological data generated ante
mortem in children infected with HIV dying from clinical
lung disease. Results showed that the diagnosis of
TB in children infected with HIV remains difficult.
Clinical and radiographic features are shared with
other opportunistic diseases. Case identification
strategies relying on clinical and radiographic findings
lead to overtreatment, particularly in children younger
than 1 year of age.
Maternal
Plasma Cellular Fibronectin Concentrations in Normal
and Preeclamptic Pregnancies: A Longitudinal Study
for Early Prediction of Preeclampsia. (PubMed
abstract)
The purpose of this study was to examine cellular
fibronectin levels throughout normotensive and preeclamptic
pregnancies and to analyze its predictive value for
the detection of preeclampsia within the second trimester
of pregnancy. The researchers concluded that in women
in whom clinical preeclampsia developed, endothelial
damage seemed to be present since early gestation.
Cellular fibronectin levels of >/=3.8 &mgr;g/mL
within 22 to 26 weeks of gestation may help in the
early detection of preeclampsia in healthy nulliparous
women.
The
Effect of Breastfeeding on Child Development at 5
Years: A Cohort Study (PubMed abstract)
Related news article: Breastfed
Kids Are Brighter: Study
Queensland researchers who studied almost 4,000 Brisbane
children found that, on the whole, those who were
breastfed had higher IQs, about eight IQ points higher--quite
a substantial advantage. The longer the mother breastfed,
the higher the intelligence of the child.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
West
Nile in Breast Milk Little Cause for Alarm (news
article)
The detection of particles of West Nile virus in breast
milk is unlikely to signal any new risk to infants,
and there is no reason that healthy mothers in areas
where the virus is circulating should stop nursing
their babies, according to a federal epidemiologist.
Breastfeeding
Does Not Protect Against Atopy (news article)
Breast feeding does not protect children against atopy
and may even increase the risk.
Monitoring
Test Can ID Pregnancy Complication Risk (Pre-eclampsia)
(news article)
A software program coupled with around-the-clock 48-hour
blood pressure monitoring can spot 93 percent of women
in the first trimester of pregnancy who are at risk
of developing a complication called preeclampsia,
according to Spanish researchers. What's more, the
test's accuracy increases to 99 percent by the third
trimester, they said.
Action
Urged Over Painful Births (news article)
Women are not being encouraged to move around during
labour, even though it would make giving birth easier
and less painful. The National Childbirth Trust said
40 percent of women are not advised to adopt a more
comfortable upright position instead lying on their
backs or sitting on their bottoms. Upright positions
are used by women around the world, but in the West,
women may not be encouraged to adopt them.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Risk
Factors for Genital HPV DNA in Men Resemble Those
Found in Women: A Study of Male Attendees at a Danish
STD Clinic (PubMed abstract)
The objective of this paper is to study the risk factors
for HPV infection in men and to compare them with
those found in women, including the study of whether
there are different risk profiles for oncogenic and
non-oncogenic HPV types. Results show that most risk
factors for HPV DNA detection in men resemble those
found in women. As in women, the risk factor profile
for the oncogenic HPV types was different from that
of the non-oncogenic HPV types.
Primary
and Secondary Syphilis Among Men Who Have Sex with
Men: New York City, 2001 (research article)
This report summarizes 2001 P&S syphilis data
for NYC and compares it with surveillance data for
1999 and 2000; findings indicate a substantial increase
in the number of syphilis cases among MSM. These data
suggest increases in high-risk sexual behavior among
some MSM and underscore the importance of coordinating
efforts between the MSM community public health officials,
and health-care providers to strengthen HIV-prevention
efforts.
When
the Client Is Male: Client-Provider Interaction from
a Gender Perspective (commentary)
Current guidelines for client-provider interaction
generally assume that the client is a woman. There
is little empirical evidence to suggest how or why
client-provider interaction should be modified when
the client is a man or a male-female couple. This
article examines the available literature and empirical
data to highlight benefits and potential pitfalls
in client-provider interaction when the client is
male, and it includes suggestions for provider training
to maximize benefits and reduce risks.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Bayer,
Glaxo Prepare to Market Erectile Dysfunction Drug
(news article)
When a drug's name is designed to conjure up thoughts
of men and life and its logo is a symbol of passion,
it can only mean one thing: the latest would-be Viagra
competitor has been christened.
New Warning with
Viagra (news article)
Taking Viagra within four hours of taking an alpha-blocker,
a group of drugs used to treat high blood pressure
and enlarged prostates, could cause fainting, according
to a new precaution listed on the impotence pill's
label.
Men's
Health More Vulnerable to Stressful Life Events
(news article)
Although stressful life events may affect the health
of both men and women, men are more vulnerable, according
to a recent study of nearly 3,000 people in Finland.
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POPULATION RESEARCH
Health
in the Americas, 2002 Edition 
(executive summary)
In spite of declining population growth rates in almost
every country, at the beginning of the 21st century
the Region's population is growing and is currently
76% urban. The population is also aging and presents
a morbidity and mortality profile that shows the coexistence
of communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases.
This document is in English and Spanish.
POPULATION NEWS
African
Countries Recognize Link Between Population and Development,
According to New Findings (press release)
Africa recognizes the close links between population
policies and development, according to the recent
findings of a panel of eminent persons appointed by
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. As a
result, many African countries are integrating population
factors into the development process.
UK:
Census Officials Plug Gap with 1 Million Invented
Citizens (news article)
Civil servants have "made up" personal details
for at least 1 million people and added them to the
results of the 2001 UK census, the first of which
are published next week. The Office of National Statistics
(ONS) is topping up the number of real people that
census-takers found on April 29 last year with "imputations"
about others. At least 2 percent of the UK's new official
population will be constructed using an experimental
technique. An expert on migration who has been on
an academic panel consulted by the ONS said, "We
have every reason to believe this produces a more
accurate picture of the UK population."
Japan:
Cloud of Population Decline May Have Silver Lining
(news article)
The Japanese nation of 127 million people long ago
earned the reputation of being densely populated.
This crowded image, however, is likely to change steadily
from 2006. In 2005, the nation's population will peak
at 127.51 million and then start to fall dramatically,
according to the latest report on long-term trends
issued by the National Institute of Population and
Social Security Research, a think tank under the Health,
Labor and Welfare Ministry.
Chinese Desire for
Sons May Result in 50 Million Bachelors (news
article)
Up to 50 million Chinese men may end up as bachelors
due to China's growing gender imbalance, a problem
which, if left uncorrected, could lead to serious
social repercussions.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
The
Association Between Female Genital Cutting and Correlates
of Sexual and Gynaecological Morbidity in Edo State,
Nigeria (research abstract)
Related news article: Female
Circumcision Does Not Reduce Sexual Activity
Circumcised women experience sexual arousal and orgasm
as frequently as uncircumcised women, according to
a study in Nigeria. The researchers also found no
difference in the frequency of intercourse or age
of first sexual experience between the two groups
of women. These findings remove key arguments used
to defend the practice, they say.
Soy
Intake and Other Lifestyle Determinants of Serum Estrogen
Levels Among Postmenopausal Chinese Women in Singapore
(research abstract)
Related news article: Diet
Rich In Soy Protein Lowers Estrogens Associated With
Breast Cancer
Consuming tofu and other soy-based foods significantly
lowers levels of a class of estrogens normally associated
with breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women, according
to a new study.
Active
and Passive Smoking and Risk of Breast Cancer by Age
50 Years among German Women (research abstract)
Data on lifetime active and passive smoking were collected
from 468 predominantly pre-menopausal breast cancer
patients diagnosed by age 50 years and 1,093 controls.
Compared with never active/passive smokers, former
smokers and current smokers were 1.2 and 1.5 times
more likely to have breast cancer, respectively. Among
never active smokers, ever passive smoking was associated
with an odds ratio of 1.6. At greatest risk were women
who had a high level of exposure to both passive and
active smoking.
Clinical
Outcomes Following Percutaneous Magnetic Resonance
Image Guided Laser Ablation of Symptomatic Uterine
Fibroids (research abstract)
Related news article: UK
Researchers Develop Novel Treatment for Fibroids
UK researchers have developed a novel method of treating
uterine fibroids that allows women to be treated under
local anaesthetic as outpatients.
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Many Women Wrong
About 'Morning After' Pill (news article)
Nearly half of women are misinformed about the "morning
after" contraceptive pill and believe it has
potentially dangerous side effects, according to British
researchers.
Ultrasound
Plus Mammography May Detect More Early Cancers
(news article)
Ultrasound exams can significantly increase the chance
of detecting breast cancer early in women with dense
breast tissue.
YOUTH RESEARCH
Trends
in Sexual Risk Behaviors Among High School Students:
United States, 1991- 2001
(research article)
Related news article: Fewer US Teens
Becoming Sexually Active: CDC
This report summarizes the results of the analysis,
which indicate that, during 1991-2001, the percentage
of US high school students who ever had sexual intercourse
and the percentage who had multiple sex partners decreased.
Among students who are currently sexually active,
the prevalence of condom use increased, although it
has leveled off since 1999. However, the percentage
of these students who used alcohol or drugs before
last sexual intercourse increased. Despite decreases
in some sexual risk behaviors, efforts to prevent
sexual risk behaviors will need to be intensified
to meet the national health objective for responsible
sexual behavior.
YOUTH NEWS
Taiwan:
Survey Finds Alarming Number of Youths Engage In Unsafe
Sex (news article)
A web site survey on the attitudes of Taiwan's e-generation
- mainly Internet users - towards sex showed that
a growing population of young people are having casual
sex with friends they meet on the Internet. The survey
also highlighted the dangers of insufficient condom
usage and frequent abortions by young people.
Vietnam
to Sell Condoms on University Campuses for First Time
(news article)
Vietnam is to start selling condoms in universities
in a bid to thwart the spread of AIDS. Plans call
for distributing more than 60 million government-subsidized
condoms on campuses over the next three years, said
Pham Song, chairman of the Family Planning Association.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
Promises
To Keep: The Toll of Unintended Pregnancies on Women's
Lives in the Developing World
(report) MS
Word
This new Global Health Council report is the first-ever
global analysis of the impact of unintended pregnancies
on maternal deaths in developing countries. The report
details more than 300 million unintended pregnancies
and the resulting deaths of nearly 700,000 women between
1995 and 2000, most of which could have been prevented
had basic reproductive health services been made available
to these women.
An
Assessment of the Quality of National Child Immunization
Coverage Estimates in Population-based Surveys
(working paper)
This study assessed the quality of child immunization
coverage estimates obtained in 101 national population-based
surveys in mostly developing countries. Included were
83 DHS and 18 MICS surveys. The authors conclude that,
although maternal recall data are known to be less
accurate than health card data, they found no major
systematic weaknesses in recall and they believe that
inclusion of recall data yields more accurate coverage
estimates.
Determinants
of Contraceptive Method Choice in Rural Tanzania between
1991 and 1999
(working paper)
Four pooled DHS data sets were used to examine the
determinants of contraceptive method choice in rural
Tanzania. The individual data was linked to facility
surveys conducted in the same communities so that
the impact of Tanzania's family planning program could
be examined. The results showed that contraceptive
use increased dramatically in the early years of the
period and then leveled off. The facility information
showed an initial substantial increase in facility
quality and then a leveling off and decline. Pharmacy
results ran counter to this prevailing trend.
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