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Volume 2, Number 17
29 April 2002
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
India
Considers Tourist AIDS Screening (news article)
India is considering monitoring foreign tourists for
HIV infection. The Indian health ministry has drawn
up a plan to insist that visitors from abroad declare
whether they are HIV-free on arrival.
Incentives
Fail to Halt Declining Birth Rates in Asian Countries
(news article)
Government policies, including monetary incentives,
encouraging two-child families in some countries are
not working.
Chileans
to Bishops: The Choice is not Yours to Make (news
article)
After a year of legal wrangling, Chilean women have
formally won the right to emergency contraception
in cases of rape, unprotected sex, or contraceptive
failure. But despite their victory, the contraceptive
itself remains out of reach of many women.
Spanish
Doctors Draw Up Advice on Ethics of Virginity Certificates
(news article)
Concerns that requests from immigrants for medical
certificates of virginity could soon become common
have led a political party to propose a new law in
the parliament of Andalucia. The party wants Andalucia's
health department to warn doctors that virginity certificates
are an invasion of a patient's privacy and that "doctors
must preserve [such privacy] as guaranteed by the
Spanish constitution."
South
Africa: Army's Ban on HIV-Positive Recruits to be
Tested in Court (news article)
Changing the South African army's contentious ban
on recruiting HIV-positive combat soldiers could be
seriously costly and compromise the army's effectiveness
as a force.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Jadelle
Levonorgestrel Rod Implants: A Summary of Scientific
Data and Lessons Learned from Programmatic Experience
(research report)
This monograph provides a comprehensive summary of
the clinical characteristics of the two-rod implants
as observed through clinical trials of the method.
It also provides lessons learned about how to provide
Jadelle, suggestions for practical ways to incorporate
Jadelle into family planning programs, as well as
a question-and-answer section designed to serve as
a counseling tool.
The
2001 Bethesda System: Terminology for Reporting Results of Cervical
Cytology (research article)
This article contains the 2001 Bethesda System terminology
for cervical cytology, reflecting important advances
in biological understanding of cervical neoplasia
and cervical screening technology since the introduction
of the Bethesda System.
2001
Consensus Guidelines for the Management of Women With Cervical Cytological
Abnormalities (research article)
Women with Pap smears reporting atypical squamous
cells of undetermined significance should be managed
using a program of two repeat cytology tests, immediate
colposcopy, or DNA testing for high-risk types of
human papillomavirus (HPV). Testing for HPV is the
preferred approach, a change from previous guidelines.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
Condoms
Help Check Iran Birth Rate (news article)
Iran is believed to be the only country in the world
where engaged couples cannot get a marriage license
unless they show that they have attended contraception
classes.
No
Condoms Please, We're Chinese (news article)
With the Chinese government's renewed determination
to check the spread of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted
diseases by all means, a challenge remains to "re-do"
the image of the condom into something more acceptable
in this sexually conservative country.
Researchers
Tell Dar How to Fight RTIs (news article)
Tanzanian health authorities should introduce routine
reproductive tract screening for the country's women,
many of whom suffer from multiple infections.
Docs
Don't Find STD Counseling Effective: Survey (news
article)
Many primary care physicians in the US believe that
counseling patients about sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs) does little good, new survey findings suggest.
As a result, many patients may be missing out on adequate
counseling about STD prevention and routine STD screenings.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
Autopsy
Findings in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected
Population Over 2 Decades: Influences of Gender, Ethnicity,
Risk Factors, and Time (research article)
Related News Article: HIV
Progression: Morbidity and Mortality Risk Vary by
Gender, Race
Significant gender- and ethnicity-related differences
in age of death occurred in this HIV-infected population,
and these differences were not explained by the frequencies
of diseases.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
Increasing
Manganese Levels Inhibit HIV (news article)
Scientists working with yeast have made the unexpected
discovery the metal manganese can block the replication
of HIV inside cells, a finding that could lead to
a whole new class of treatments for the virus that
causes AIDS.
International
Community Must Address Debilitating Effects of HIV/AIDS
in Areas of Armed Conflicts, UN Expert Meeting Finds
(press release)
When conflicts break out, social patterns are disrupted,
behaviors change, and large populations are often
displaced. Women and girls become more vulnerable
to sexual exploitation and gender violence--at a time
when health services and means of preventing infection
often become scarce or unavailable.
HIV/AIDS:
WHO Releases Guidelines for Developing World Treatment
(news article)
The World Health Organization announced its first
treatment guidelines for HIV/AIDS in poor nations
and endorsed the inclusion of AIDS treatments in its
essential medicines list (http://www.who.int/medicines/).
Kenyan
Woman Causes AIDS Panic (news article)
A 20-year woman dying of AIDS wants to make public
at her funeral the names of 20 men she claims she
slept. She wants the list of names to be made public
as a warning to those with multiple partners and those
having unsafe sex.
HIV/AIDS:
Disease Decimating Mozambican Teachers, Government
Says (news article)
The government estimates that 17% of its teachers
will die due to AIDS over the next decade.
Mbeki
Acknowledges Communication Problems on HIV/AIDS, Asks
South Africans to 'Take Responsibility' for Their
Sex Lives (news article)
President Mbeki urges South Africans to take the lead
in protecting their own health.
Global AIDS Fund Awards Grants
(news article)
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
on Thursday awarded its first batch of grants--worth
$378 million--to fight the world's deadliest diseases
in 31 countries.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Impact
of Lactational Performance on Bone Mineral Density
in Marginally-nourished Bangladeshi Women (research article)
Bone mineral density was negatively correlated with
the duration of lactational amenorrhea. The authors
recommend that all breastfeeding women should be given
calcium while breastfeeding to maintain good nutrition
of their bones.
Universal
Immunization of Infants with Low Doses of a Low-cost,
Plasma-Derived Hepatitis B Vaccine in South Africa
(research article)
A low-dose hepatitis B vaccine, one that is considered
affordable in most developing countries, was very
successful in controlling endemic hepatitis B infection
where the virus is predominantly spread by horizontal
transmission among infants and young children.
Cross-Sectional
Study of Morbidity, Morbidity-Associated Factors and
Cost of Treatment in Ngaoundere, Cameroon, With Implications
for Health Policy in Developing Countries and Development
Assistance Policy
(research article)
Adult smoking and poverty affect children's health.
The cost of hospitalization or long-lasting therapy
is beyond the means of most ordinary families. Diseases
with severe consequences for public health, like tuberculosis,
AIDS and malaria should have national programs with
free, decentralized examination and treatment. Access
to generic drugs is important. A major educational
effort is needed to improve public health.
Impact
of Daily Versus Weekly Hematinic Supplementation on
Anemia in Pregnant Women (research article)
Among 80 pregnant women in New Delhi, weekly iron
supplementation effectively treated anemia. Maternal
anemia during pregnancy is adversely associated with
fetal growth. Birth weight, crown heel length, head
circumference of the neonate, and placental weight
increased significantly with rise in maternal hemoglobin
levels.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
Bottle-fed
Babies Could Pass on Obesity Risk (news article)
Babies that are formula fed a high-carbohydrate diet
are more likely to grow up to be obese - and they
pass that increased risk onto their own offspring,
a rat study suggests.
Mom's
Exercise Does Not Affect Baby's Nursing (news
article)
Although nursing moms are often told that exercise
could make their milk temporarily taste "sour" to
their infant, a new report suggests that this may
not be true.
SIDS
May Be Linked to Infection (news article)
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, in which apparently
healthy babies die inexplicably in their cribs, may
be linked to infection with a common bacterium, preliminary
research suggests.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Men's
Reproductive Health Services Model (program model)
Based on an expert meeting, the model offers a range
of different services that clinics can choose to provide
to serve men's special reproductive health needs.
Using
Men as Community-based Distributors (CBD) of Condoms
(program brief)
This program summary assesses whether communities
accept males as CBD agents, whether males sell more
condoms than women do, and whether program managers
have to take special steps to incorporate men into
CBD programs.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Anti-Impotence Cream to Take on Viagra
(news article)
The world's first topical treatment for erectile dysfunction
has been unveiled in Hong Kong, giving an intriguing
new treatment option to impotence sufferers.
Testosterone
Tied to Mental Acuity in Old Men (news article)
A new study of the brain power of elderly men adds
ammunition to the theory that testosterone has a lot
to do with the mind's ability to work properly in
old age.
POPULATION RESEARCH
International
Migration: Facing the Challenge
(research report)
Migration is expected to increase in the 21st century,
with the majority of migration taking place among
less developed countries.
Caribbean
Countries "Pay" for Successfully Addressing Population
Issues (research article)
In a move that marks the Caribbean's success in various
spheres of socioeconomic activity, international funding
agencies are reducing their financial support for
the region's sexual and reproductive health programs.
The move could adversely affect the delivery of population
services, including those designed to stop the spread
of HIV/AIDS, unless alternate sources of funding are
found.
Unexplained
Differences in Sex Ratios at Birth in Europe and North
America (research article)
In Europe, significantly more male babies were born
in southern latitudes than in northern latitudes,
whereas the reverse was found in North America. The
researchers were unable to explain these findings,
which do not support a temperature related effect.
POPULATION NEWS
UNFPA:
Agency Head Outlines Demographic Challenges in Middle
East (news article)
"There is no doubt that demographics and population
are linked to political stability or instability,"
[UNFPA Executive Director] Obaid said, calling for
more attention to be focused on the young people of
the Middle East.
Why
Women Outlive Men (news article)
Population experts are worried about a growing number
of elderly widows because women live longer than men
yet they marry older men. According to the Uganda
Development Report 2001, on average, women live one
year longer than men.
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Women's
Health: Doctors' Federation Launches International
Fund (news article)
A new fund, Global Fund for Women's Health, aims to
help provide women around the world with emergency
obstetric care.
Kenya:
Rights Activists Decry Mungiki Circumcision Threat
(news article)
Women's human rights activists in Kenya have urged
the government to take action against recent threats
by a controversial sect to forcibly circumcise women
in central Kenya.
Nigeria:
New TV Series Focuses on Violence Against Women
(news article)
A new television series entitled 'Trauma,' focusing
on raising public awareness on domestic violence against
women, was launched in early April in Nigeria.
Walking,
Hormones Rejuvenate Older Women's Arteries (news
article)
A daily walk plus hormone replacement therapy can
restore older women's arteries to the same condition
they were in when they were 20 years old.
YOUTH RESEARCH
Social
Science Research Initiative on Adolescent Sexual and
Reproductive Health: Synopsis of On-going Research
(project abstracts)
This link provides a synopsis of various adolescent
reproductive health projects taking place throughout
the world. Research includes assessing youth sexual
risk behaviors, risk behaviours of vulnerable groups
such as migrants and refugees, and dual protection
use.
YOUTH NEWS
Focus
On the Virgin Myth and HIV/AIDS (news article)
Among the theories advanced to explain increasing
sexual violence against youth in South Africa is the
apparently accepted myth that sex with a virgin cleanses
one of HIV/AIDS. But that has ignited a renewed controversy
over whether the folk tale alone is behind the sexual
assaults against children that in some cases have
been literally babies.
Number
of Sexually Active Youth in Hong Kong Rose in Last
Decade, But Knowledge About Sex Decreased (news
article)
72.4% of boys and 83% of girls between the ages of
12 and 27 surveyed were aware that having multiple
sex partners could raise their risk of contracting
HIV, a decline of 16.3% and 14.4%, respectively, from
10 years earlier.
Report Finds no Evidence that Abstinence-only
Counseling Prevents Teen Sex, Pregnancy, Disease
(news article)
There still is no evidence whether programs that advocate
sexual abstinence prevent teen sex, pregnancy or disease,
the US government reported.
Related News Article: Experts
Duel Over Abstinence Programs
Researchers on both sides of the "abstinence-only"
debate weigh in with their opinions and research findings.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
Responding
to Cairo: Case Studies of Changing Practice in Reproductive
Health and Family Planning (executive summary)
This new book examines global efforts to translate
the commitments of the 1994 International Conference
on Population and Development conference in Cairo
into practice. The case studies in this book examine
past and present practice in a variety of settings,
highlighting changes. Drawn from 22 projects in 18
developing countries, they present the stories of
policymakers, program managers, health workers, health
advocates, and clients. The case studies document
some seminal changes in policy and practice that have
taken place.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
Coordinates
2002: Charting Progress Against AIDS, TB, and Malaria
(research and programmatic report)
With the right intervention at the right time, AIDS,
TB, and malaria can be prevented and treated. Many
interventions are not expensive and the prices of
others are rapidly falling. The challenge is taking
these interventions to a global scale.
Related Press Release: We
Can Beat AIDS, TB, and Malaria, UN Agencies Say
Willingness
to Pay Surveys: A User's Manual
(research report/how-to manual)
This manual provides guidelines to help program managers
set prices for reproductive health services.
HIV/AIDS Online Treatment info in Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and English
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