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Volume 2, Number 22
3 June 2002
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
China
Escalates Fight Against AIDS (news article)
Providing "comprehensive care" to thousands
of HIV/AIDS victims and curtailing the spread of the
virus are becoming urgent priorities in China because
the country is experiencing an annual rate of increase
of more than 50 percent.
Nigeria:
Revised Population Policy to Be Out Soon (news
article)
The revised draft policy is now in the ministry for
endorsement and will soon be passed on to the Federal
Executive Council for final approval, adoption, and
implementation.
London Mayor Decries HIV Discrimination
(news article)
London Mayor Ken Livingstone has told British companies
that it is time to end discrimination against people
with HIV/AIDS.
US: High Court Turns Down HIV Disability
Case (news article)
The US Supreme Court declined to review the case of
an Atlanta dental hygienist who was demoted for being
HIV-positive.
Man
Throws AIDS Infected Daughter Into Lagoon (news
article)
A 32-year old man is to stand trial for murder for
allegedly throwing his 10-month old daughter into
the lagoon because she was infected with HIV.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
The
Role of Disease-Specific Infectivity and Number of
Disease Exposures on Long-Term Effectiveness of the
Latex Condom (PubMed abstract)
The authors conclude that condom effectiveness for
decreasing STI risk is influenced by disease infectivity
and the number of exposures. Generalizations from
studies of relatively uninfectious STIs to highly
infectious STIs or from short-term studies to longer-term
situations will overestimate condom effectiveness.
Contraceptives
Do Not Boost Cervical Shedding of Herpes Virus
(research summary)
A prospective study in 200 Kenyan women contradicted
earlier suggestions that oral contraceptives may increase
cervical shedding of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).
Restoration
of Spermatogenesis by Lentiviral Gene Transfer: Offspring
from Infertile Mice (research abstract)
Related news article: Gene Therapy
Corrects Male Infertility in Mice
After treatments with the gene, mice that had previously
made no sperm were able to produce healthy offspring.
This research may eventually lead to treatments for
men with some types of fertility problems.
Lymphogranuloma
Venereum (research article)
Lymphogranuloma venereum is a systemic disease caused
by the L-serotypes of Chlamydia trachomatis. This
article discusses the pathophysiology, identification,
and treatment of this sexually transmitted disease.
The
Developing World, Women and Microbicide Trials: A
Few Dilemmas (keynote speech, Microbicides 2002
conference)
This speech discusses the challenges in developing
microbicide trials in developing nations, where language
barriers, lack of native words for epidemiological
concepts, mixed messages, and mistrust of researchers
must be overcome.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
Family
Planning Frontiers Will Be in Africa (news article)
By the middle of the twenty-first century, many of
the most successful national family planning programs
will almost certainly have disappeared, rendered obsolete
by their very success.
Malawi:
Sexy Billboards Get Citizens Hot Under the Collar
(news article)
The sight of a scantily clad woman on billboards has
aroused hot debate amongst the country's censorship
board and its clergy. The near naked image is being
used by a reproductive health non-governmental organization
to promote condoms, but the country's censorship board
complains that AIDS can't be fought by promoting casual
sex.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
Are
Trends in HIV, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis Worsening in
Western Europe? (research article)
HIV remains Europe's most important sexually transmitted
infection, yet complacency over HIV prevention may
have set in among individuals, populations, and some
governments in western Europe.
Evidence
of HIV-1 Adaptation to HLA-Restricted Immune Responses
at a Population Level (research article)
Related commentary: HLA
Leaves Its Footprints on HIV
New research provided evidence that HIV is able to
mutate crucial epitopes, thus enabling the virus also
to evade the host CTL immune response.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
Zimbabwe's
Declaration On Aids Drugs Praised (news article)
Zimbabwe received a round of applause for becoming
the first country to declare a national HIV/AIDS emergency,
giving it the right to ignore drug patents.
Hope in a Vial: Will There Be an
AIDS Vaccine Anytime Soon? (news article)
The journal "Scientific American" looks
at the race to find an AIDS vaccine.
Sexual Traditions Tied to African
Women's HIV Risk (news article)
Cultural norms surrounding sex and marriage help explain
why young women in sub-Saharan Africa are more likely
to have HIV compared with men their age.
African
AIDS Vaccine Programme Needs US$233 Million (press
release)
Part of the strategy of this program is the active
participation of African scientists and institutions.
One of the major obstacles for HIV vaccine research
on the continent is the inadequacy of research infrastructures.
Some of the US$233 million required will contribute
to building up regional facilities and strengthening
local expertise.
Latin American AIDS Activists Turn
on Brazil (news article)
The recent death of a Honduran woman of AIDS from
lack of medication has turned Latin American activists
against Brazil, for years the region's champion in
the global fight to guarantee AIDS drugs for all.
Low Turnout for Cheaper HIV/AIDS
Drugs in Nigeria Causes Concern (news article)
Lack of response is jeopardizing an ambitious program
by the Nigerian government to distribute cheap anti-retroviral
drugs to those suffering from HIV/AIDS, say health
workers. Fewer than 1,000 patients registered for
the program by mid-May.
HIV Linked to Increased Risk of Blood
Clots (news article)
People with HIV (at least those younger than 50 years
of age) may be at increased risk of potentially fatal
blood clotting called venous thrombosis.
Clues Found to Circumcision's HIV-Protective
Effect (news article)
Circumcision, or removal of the foreskin of the penis,
is known to reduce the risk of HIV infection. Now
researchers may understand why. The findings of this
study could help in the development of new therapies
to prevent the spread of the AIDS.
Angola:
Waking Up to HIV/AIDS (news article)
With four million displaced people, lots of soldiers
with weapons and no control, appalling poverty, high
unemployment, low education, crowded shantytowns,
lots of young women with no jobs, no education and
no possibility of earning an income except through
their only asset - their body - and lots of men willing
to pay for sex, Angola has the potential for an explosive
HIV epidemic.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Why
We Shouldn't Screen Pregnant Patients for BV (research
perspective)
The data currently available do not support the recommendation
that all pregnant women should be screened and treated
for bacterial vaginosis in order to prevent premature
labor and delivery.
Management
of Newborns Exposed to Maternal HIV Infection
(research article)
The management of infants whose mothers are infected
with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) involves
minimizing the risk of vertical transmission of HIV,
recognizing neonatal HIV infection early, preventing
opportunistic infections, and addressing psychosocial
issues.
Substantial
Reduction in Severe Diarrheal Morbidity by Daily Zinc
Supplementation in Young North Indian Children
(research article)
Zinc supplementation substantially reduced the incidence
of severe and prolonged diarrhea, the two important
determinants of diarrhea-related mortality and malnutrition.
This intervention also substantially reduced the proportion
of children who experienced recurrent diarrhea.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
Douching in Pregnancy Linked to Preterm
Birth (news article)
A new study shows that vaginal douching during pregnancy
is associated with an increased likelihood of preterm
delivery.
Simple
Jab Averts Pregnancy Danger (news article)
Women with pre-eclampsia who were given an injection
of magnesium sulphate had half the risk of developing
eclampsia compared to women who did not receive the
injection. This treatment is inexpensive, making it
especially suitable for use in low income countries.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Three
Surveys of HIV-1 Prevalence and Risk Factors Among
Men Working at a Sugar Estate in Malawi (PubMed
abstract)
The authors reviewed three independent surveys conducted
in 1994, 1997, and 1998. From 1994 to 1998, the percentage
of subjects with a history of STD decreased from 44
percent to 30 percent, and of HIV decreased from 24
percent to 21 percent. STDs were significantly associated
with prevalent HIV infection each year.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Two-Drug Combo Works Best for Prostate
Enlargement (news article)
Combination therapy reduced the risk of urinary retention
by 79% and cut the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia
progression by 67%. Single therapies reduced the risk
of BPH progression by 39% and 34%, respectively.
Viagra Alternative Shows Promise:
Report (news article)
An experimental drug for erectile dysfunction appears
to be safe and effective, and may offer an alternative
to Viagra.
Impotence Drug Works if Taken 36
Hours Before Sex (news article)
hours after taking a single dose of an experimental
drug called tadalafil.
POPULATION RESEARCH
World Contraceptive Use, 2001 (wall chart) PDF
| EXCEL
Most recent data compiled by the UN Population Division
on contraceptive use are presented with global, regional,
developing, and developed country population-weighted
averages.
POPULATION NEWS
Ukraine:
Population Down 500,000 Since Last Year, Census Reveals
(news article)
Ukraine's population dropped by nearly 500,000 people
to 48.4 million since last year's estimate and has
plummeted by 3 million people since a Soviet-era census
was conducted in 1989.
Education
for Women Effective Population Control (news article)
Sitting in her office, an Indonesian woman said that
her life was too full to bother with men and family.
"Of course I want a husband and children, but
later. Right now I'm more concerned with getting a
master's degree in economics," the 28 year-old
accountant said.
Effective
Population Policy Urged in Philippines (news article)
A local business group in the Philippines urged the
government on Monday to formulate an explicit and
effective population policy to slow down the population
growth in the country.
UNFPA-Supported
Surveys Find Declining Fertility and Mortality in
Nepal (press release)
Nepal's fertility and mortality rates are on a downward
trend, according to recently released preliminary
findings from the country's 2001 National Census and
its National Demographic Health Survey.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Oral
Contraceptive Use and Association With Glucose, Insulin,
and Diabetes in Young Adult Women: The CARDIA Study
(research abstract)
Subjects in this study were women (n = 1,940) in the
Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA)
study, a prospective observational study of African-Americans
and whites aged 18-30 years at enrollment in 1985-1986.
The authors conclude that current use of OCs is associated
with lower glucose levels in young African-American
and white women and may be associated with lower odds
of diabetes.
A
Sea Change in Diagnosing and Managing HPV and Cervical
Disease - Part I (research article/symposium discussion)
This article provides an overview of the workshops
that were held to update changes in Pap smear terminology
and guidelines on how to treat women with human papilloma-virus
related diseases, based on emerging scientific evidence.
Promoting
Condoms for Oral Sex: Impact on Pharyngeal Gonorrhea
Among Female Brothel-Based Sex Workers (PubMed
abstract)
The authors used the time-series design to compare
condom use and pharyngeal gonorrhea trends before
and after program intervention in 1996 and the pretest-posttest
matched control group design to determine the impact
of brothel interventions on sex workers in Singapore.
Consistent oral condom use increased significantly
from 42 percent in 1996 to 90 percent in 2000, with
a corresponding decline in pharyngeal gonorrhea (in
comparison with no significant changes before intervention).
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
No
Peace Plan Yet for Sri Lankan Women (news article)
A tentative peace has fallen on this island-nation,
and it seems the 20-year civil war is over. But a
much older war, waged by men against women, carries
on unabated with almost 50,000 cases of domestic violence
reported each year. Those with the power to help,
shun the issue. Police try to persuade women to drop
charges against their partners, and politicians have
rejected a proposal to include marital rape in the
Penal Code.
Combating
Trafficking in Asia through Poverty Reduction Initiatives
(press release)
A project in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal aims to
identify the extent and causes of such trafficking;
to assist countries to follow-up on commitments made
at global and regional meetings; and to recommend
how Asian Development Bank projects can reduce the
poor's vulnerability to trafficking.
Vaginal Vaccine May Prevent Recurrent
Infections (news article)
An experimental vaccine, administered as a suppository
inserted into the vagina, may be safe and effective
in warding off urinary tract infections in women who
suffer them repeatedly.
Tampons May Protect Against Endometriosis
(news article)
Women who use tampons or engage in sexual activity
during menstruation appear to have a lower rate of
endometriosis than women who do not.
YOUTH RESEARCH
Youth:
Vulnerable but Resilient (research article)
Better understanding of the sexual and reproductive
health needs of youth produces new initiatives and
allies. This article details various approaches being
used to help reach youth.
A
League Table of Teenage Births in Rich Nations
(research report)
The most up-to-date and comprehensive survey so far
of teenage birth rates in the industrialized world,
this report attempts a partial analysis of why some
countries have teenage birth rates that are ten or
even fifteen times higher than others.
YOUTH NEWS
Sexual
Exploitation: U.N. Envoy Cites Lack Of Political Will;
More (news article)
Opening an international conference on the sexual
exploitation of children at the University of Victoria
in Canada, U.N. special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa
Stephen Lewis last night said 1 million children around
the globe are annually forced into the sex trade.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
Facts
for Life (book)
One of the world's most widely-read books with over
15 million copies of previous editions in use in 215
languages, Facts for Life has helped to save the lives
of millions of children by putting lifesaving knowledge
about children's health into the hands of those who
need it most: parents, caregivers, health workers,
government officials, journalists and teachers. This
new edition has updated information on safe motherhood,
early childhood development, nutrition, HIV/AIDS and
other major causes of childhood illnesses and death.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
Science,
Medicine, and the Future: New Vaccine Development
(clinical review) (research article)
New developments in vaccine research include prophylactic
and therapeutic vaccines, development of vaccines
against infectious diseases, and new vaccine delivery
technology. A list of vaccines in development is provided,
broken down by age group and region in which people
would benefit.
Drawing
the Line: A Guide to Developing Effective Sexual Assault
Prevention Programs for Middle School Students
(guide)
This guide is designed to help readers create sexual
assault prevention programs likely to have a positive
impact on middle school students' attitudes and behaviors,
implement programs that involve entire communities,
measure the comprehensiveness of the sexual assault
prevention programs currently offered, and determine
how evaluation efforts will be designed and implemented.
The
Impact of Conflict on Women and Girls
(research report)
This report documents the discussions and outcomes
of a consultative meeting on the impact of armed conflict
on women and girls. The report looks at the impact
of conflict on reproductive health, gender-based violence
and its sexual dimensions (including trafficking),
the impact of peacekeeping operations on local populations,
and the local community's role in rehabilitation.
What
Influences the Private Provision of Contraceptives?
(technical paper)
Policymakers are increasingly concerned about the
ability of donors and government to keep pace with
rising demand for contraception in developing countries.
While the commercial private sector could potentially
contribute more, its current share varies widely.
Knowing whether and under what circumstances the private
sector could help close the anticipated contraceptive
security gap is an important policy question. This
paper reviews available evidence to identify factors
that may promote or hinder greater commercial sector
participation.
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