The Pop Reporter®
– Events – Archives – Subscribe – Modify Profile – Headline Sharing Program – The Pop Reporter en Espaņol (Spanish)
Volume 2, Number 23
10 June 2002
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
Family Planning Funds Will Trigger Bill Veto:
Bush (news article)
US President Bush has threatened to veto an emergency spending bill
now making its way through the US Congress if it includes language
requiring him to spend money appropriated last year for the United
Nations Population Fund.
Cambodian Lawmakers Say AIDS Legislation Unfairly
Singles Out Women (news article)
Female Cambodian lawmakers, aghast that legislation on AIDS prevention
singles out women for special education, said that it was promiscuous
Cambodian men who needed more information about the disease. Cambodian
men are notorious for frequenting brothels, even as the country's
HIV/AIDS infection rate has climbed to one of the highest in Asia.
South
Africa: Jail Sentences Possible for Illegal Circumcision School
Operators (news article)
New laws are in effect regarding circumcision in South Africa's
Northern province. Legislation includes the need for parental consent
for youth under 21, and a 10-year jail sentence for people forcibly
abducting people and taking them for circumcision.
India:
Doctors Protest Ban on Ultrasounds for Pregnant Women (news
article)
While the government had "noble intentions" in introducing
the new laws, it was taking a "serious gamble" with the
health of expectant mothers and their unborn babies by banning ultrasounds.
Pakistani Law Discriminates
Against Rape Victims (news article)
Imagine this scenario. A married woman is raped. When she attempts
to seek justice against her attacker, the police do not charge him
with a crime, but instead charge the woman with adultery and sentence
her to death by stoning.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Family Planning Logistics: Strengthening the Supply Chain (research
report) HTML
| PDF
Related press release: Contraceptive
Funding Faces Crisis in Developing Countries
The number of contraceptive users in developing countries is expected
to surge by more than a third within the next 13 years, reaching
764 million by 2015. Without more funding for contraceptives, many
couples will be unable to plan how many children to have and when,
or to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted
infections.
Barriers
to Accessing Free Condoms at Public Health Facilities Across South
Africa (PubMed abstract)
The authors studied the determinants of condom procurement at 12
health health facilities in four health regions. Potential barriers
to condom procurement included female gender and perceived risk
of HIV. The authors conclude that because barriers to condom procurement
vary from region to region, national-level interventions to promote
condom procurement and use may be less appropriate than specialised
interventions addressing locally relevant factors.
Contraceptive
Methods and Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Diseases in Tehranian
Women: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (PubMed abstract)
The authors studied the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors
in combined oral contraceptive (COC) users and non-users in Tehran
in 1999. No significant differences were observed in blood pressure,
cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL between COC users and non-users.
The authors conclude that the present findings reveal the safety
of COC pills in a group of Tehranian women.
Pharmacokinetic
Study of Different Dosing Regimens of Levonorgestrel for Emergency
Contraception in Healthy Women (research abstract)
This study found that women given emergency contraception with two
different doses of levonorgestrel 1.5 mg and two doses of .75 mg
have similar levels of the compounds in their blood. This outcome
may justify a clinical comparison of these two regimes.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
Family Jewels: CycleBeads Lets Women Track Their
Fertile Days (news article)
Each year there are more than 3 million unintended pregnancies in
the United States. Georgetown University's Institute for Reproductive
Health hopes to lower that number with CycleBeads, a color-coded
necklace that lets women track their fertile and infertile days.
Turkmenistan:
Contraceptive Use Increasing (news article)
While contraception may not be openly discussed, knowledge of contraceptive
methods in Turkmenistan is widespread, according to a new survey.
Norway Taxis Score with Free Condom Safe Sex
Drive (news article)
A Norwegian taxi firm is scoring an offbeat success for safe sex
by handing out free condoms to any client who asks.
Uganda:
Nadduli, RDC Split on Family Planning (news article)
In Uganda, a district commissioner and a district chairman have
opposing opinions on family size. One says to have many children,
while the other maintains that parents should only have as many
children as they can care for.
Non-Hormonal,
Reversible Male Contraceptive Could Be Available in India by Next
Year (news article)
RISUG (Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance) may become
widely available in India as soon as next year. RISUG is currently
in the final phase of human clinical trials in India.
Condom
Package to Show Proof of Consent (news article)
A new condom package aims to make clear that both parties consented
to sex so that there can be no accusation of rape afterwards. As
the couple remove the condom from the package together their fingerprints
are imprinted on it.
Abortions
Decline in Russia as More Women Turn to the Pill (newsletter
article)
The number of terminated pregnancies is down by around one third
compared with the early 1990s. That improvement began with the decision
of the Russian authorities to offer free contraceptive pills in
the 1990s.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
The Spread and Effect of HIV-1 Infection in sub-Saharan
Africa (review article)
A detailed analysis of HIV-1 epidemiology in sub-Saharan Africa
traces the spread of the virus to four factors: the subordinate
position of women, poverty and the breakdown of social services,
rapid urbanization, and war.
Highly
Active Antiretroviral Therapy and Tuberculosis Control in Africa:
Synergies and Potential 
(research article)
A decline in TB is unlikely to occur unless strategies to combat
HIV and TB simultaneously are implemented.
Micronutrients
and vertical transmission of HIV-1 (research abstract)
Although low serum vitamin A concentrations were shown to be associated
with an increased risk of vertical HIV transmission in prospective
cohort studies, randomized, placebo-controlled trials have reported
that vitamin A and other vitamin supplements do not appear to have
an effect on HIV transmission during pregnancy or the intrapartum
period. However, the ability of prenatal and postpartum micronutrient
supplements to reduce transmission during the breast-feeding period
is still unknown.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
Africa Launches Own AIDS Vaccine Initiative
(news article)
Africa launches a campaign for a fairer share of funding into the
development of an AIDS vaccine, saying it was unacceptable that
the world's poorest continent received so little attention. Though
more than 28 million Africans carry the virus that causes AIDS,
less than 2% of world research funding goes towards fighting the
unique strains of the disease in Africa.
Brazil Launches First Anti-AIDS Campaign for
Gays (news article)
Brazil launched its first anti-AIDS campaign aimed specifically
at homosexuals to fight a rising infection rate among young, gay
men.
New Technique for Treating HIV Infection Proposed
A natural defense strategy used by various species to ward off invaders
may one day help treat people infected with HIV, US researchers
report. it may be possible to use siRNAs against HIV to help prevent
the spread of the virus in an infected person.
United
Nations to Launch African Soap Opera With HIV/AIDS Prevention Messages
(news article)
The drama will air in English and Kiswahili over the radio in Kenya,
Tanzania, and Uganda and in English on television in 22 African
nations.
China
Faces "Disaster of Unimaginable Proportions," UNAIDS Says
(news article)
"We are now witnessing the unfolding of an HIV/AIDS epidemic
of proportions beyond belief, an epidemic which calls for an urgent
and proper, but currently yet unanswered, major response,"
the agency reportedly says.
Nigeria:
Islamic Cleric Accuses Europe of Over Blowing HIV/AIDS Scourge
(news article)
A Nigerian cleric has accused European countries of overblowing
the significance of HIV/AIDS in an effort to boost their market
for condoms. The introduction of condoms, he stated, was not only
a way to boost the economy of the Western world but also a means
to corrupt African society.
Malawi:
HIV/AIDS Makes Food Crisis Worse (news article)
HIV/AIDS is hitting the Southern African farm sector hard, with
stricken families struggling to produce enough food to survive.
The disease is no longer a health problem alone, but is having a
measurable impact on food production, household food security, and
rural people's ability to make a living.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Doctors
Face Quandary in Prescribing to Mothers-to-Be (research article)
When patients have asthma, epilepsy or migraines, medications are
available to provide effective control. But if pregnancy enters
the picture, all bets are off. Physicians who counsel pregnant women
on the risks posed by medications have it tough. There is very little
information available. It becomes a problem of trying to balance
the effects on a mother's health versus the potential adverse effect
on the fetus' health.
Effect
of Routine Zinc Supplementation on Pneumonia in Children Aged 6
Months to 3 Years: Randomized Controlled Trial in an Urban Slum
(research article)
Zinc supplementation substantially reduced the incidence of pneumonia
in children living in an urban slum of New Delhi, India who had
also received vitamin A.
Randomized
Trial of Postpartum Care After Hospital Discharge (research
abstract)
Harmful effects of short postpartum hospital stays include dehydration
and malnutrition of breastfed infants. Follow-up by nurses after
short postpartum hospital stays, in either the home or a hospital-based
clinic, of healthy infants discharged at <36 hours seems associated
with satisfactory infant breastfeeding outcomes.
Central
Nervous System Infection in Congenital Syphilis (research abstract)
Most infants with T. pallidum infection of the central nervous system
can be identified by physical examination, conventional laboratory
tests, and radiographic studies. However, the identification of
all such infants requires the use of additional tests, including
IgM immunoblotting and PCR assay. Currently, the most accurate lab
test to detect syphilis in a newborn requires a three-month incubation
period.
Related news article: New Congenital Syphilis
Tests for the Tiniest
Is
More Neonatal Intensive Care Always Better? Insights From a Cross-National
Comparison of Reproductive Care (research article)
Related news article: High
Level of Resources for Neonatal Intensive Care Does Not Give US
Better Outcomes
The United States has more neonatologists and neonatal intensive
care beds per person than the United Kingdom, Canada, or Australia
but higher rates of low birth weight and death among neonates. Infant
health outcomes may improve is better attention is paid to preconception
care and prenatal care rather than improving technologies.
Influence
of Placental Malaria Infection on Fetal Outcome in the Gambia: Twenty
Years after Ian McGregor (research article)
Placental malaria was associated with pre-term delivery, intrauterine
growth retardation, low birth weight, and stillbirth, confirming
that placental malaria infection have many adverse affects on the
infant.
Utilization
of Health Facilities and Trained Birth Attendants for Childbirth
in Rural Bangladesh: An Empirical Study (research abstract)
Delivery complications was the most significant factor determining
the use of modern health care resources for childbirth, followed
by parental education, and pre-natal care. Quick response to delivery
complications and improved access to hospitals and TTBAs can reduce
the risk of infant and maternal mortality and morbidity in rural
Bangladesh.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
Baby Formula Linked to 'Obesity Hormone' Levels
(news article)
Premature babies fed a nutrient-enriched formula have higher levels
of the "obesity hormone" leptin as teenagers than similar
children fed breast milk or standard formula, study findings indicate.
Breast-Feeding May Lower Odds of Childhood Obesity
(news article)
A large study from Scotland is adding new evidence that breast-fed
infants are less likely than their formula-fed peers to become obese
as children. Among the more than 32,000 young children researchers
followed, those who had been exclusively breast-fed in early infancy
were 30% less likely to be obese than those who had been strictly
formula-fed.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
HIV,
Syphilis and Heterosexual Bridging Among Peruvian Men Who Have Sex
With Men (PubMed abstract)
Among MSM in Peru, HIV and syphilis prevalence and HIV incidence
were high (18.5% and 16.0%, respectively), especially among cross-dressers.
The high prevalence of bisexuality and low rates of consistent condom
use, especially with female sexual partners, indicates potential
HIV transmission into the heterosexual population.
Poor
Semen Quality May Contribute to Recent Decline in Fertility Rates
(research abstract)
A remarkable decline in fertility rates in the industrialized world
has taken place over the last 100 years. The enormous social changes
of our societies play the major role in this decline, but can it
be attributed to changing social structures alone? A study in Denmark
attempting to find the answer found that 30% of 19 year-old males
had sperm counts in the subfertile ranging, suggesting that such
factors may also be contributing to low fertility levels.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Gene Linked to Testicular Cancer, Infertility
(news article)
Researchers have found a gene with one of the strongest links yet
to testicular cancer, the most common tumor in young men.
POPULATION RESEARCH
Period
Fertility in Russia Since 1930: An Application of the Coale-Trussell
Fertility Model
(research article)
This paper looks at the influence of external events on the level
and distribution of period fertility. Although none of the observed
crises in Russia succeeded in exerting a decisive influence on the
course of the fertility transition, political events often had profound
short-term effects.
How Long Do
We Live?
(working paper)
Related press release: How
Long Do We Live? Two Demographers Say Longevity is Exaggerated
Human longevity, one of the oldest and most important indicators
in demography, may be overestimated by up to a few years in contemporary
countries with high life expectancy.
Changing
Life Expectancy in Romania After the Transition (research abstract)
This is the first Romanian study that describes the evolution of
life expectancy after transition. Romania may at last be beginning
to follow the path of improving adult mortality seen in the early
1990s in some of its neighbors. It has, however, been unique in
eastern Europe in experiencing increasing childhood mortality. This
is attributable to an epidemic of pediatric AIDS, consequent on
the tragically inappropriate policies adopted in the 1980s.
POPULATION NEWS
Philippines
Population Growth Alarms Planners (news article)
In a statement last week, the country's main business group, the
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called on the President
to develop an "explicit and effective population policy."
Yet the president of the Philippines seems relatively unconcerned
about population growth: in a recent radio interview, Mrs. Arroyo
said she was not worried by forecasts that the country's population
would double in 29 years.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Intimate
Partner Violence and Physical Health Consequences (research
abstract)
Related news article: Partner Abuse Ups Risk of
Poor Long-Term Health
Women who had been physically or sexually abused by a partner at
some point in the past 20 years were more prone to health problems
such as headaches, back pain, sexually transmitted diseases, vaginal
bleeding, and urinary tract infections, the study found.
Addressing
Obstetric Fistulas
(fact sheets)
When people first learn about obstetric fistulas and their disastrous
effects, the usual reaction is to reject hearing more: the subject
is just too unpleasant. Rejection is exactly what happens to fistulas'
survivors. These fact sheets define fistulas, the continuum of care
for women who have obstetric fistulas, and the challenges of developing
programs to prevent and treat this tragic but fully preventable
health outcome. More information on obstetric fistulas is available
at http://www.developmentgateway.org/pop
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Emergency
FGM Rescue Operation Fails in Tanzania (news article)
Tanzania is one of many countries in Africa which has worked hard
to stop the practice of female genital mutilation in recent years.
But the government is finding it difficult to eradicate this traditional
practice, which is harmful to women's health and can even kill them.
Despite public campaigns and promised help of village elders, at
least 1,500 girls came under the knife at the end of last year in
one region alone.
Computers Help Gauge Women's Breast Cancer Risk
(news article)
Computers were as accurate as counselors at determining which women
might be likely to have inherited mutations of the so-called breast
cancer genes, based on the women's family histories.
Gene Pattern Predicts Uterine Cancer Relapse
Risk (news article)
Women who have a particular genetic pattern in endometrial cancer
cells may be more likely to relapse after treatment compared with
other patients, according to new research findings.
YOUTH NEWS
US Teen Birth Rate Drops for 10th Straight Year:
CDC (news article)
The birth rate among US teens has dropped to a new record low, according
to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There has been a 26% drop in the teen birthrate since the early
1990s, including a 5% decline from 2000 to 2001.
Missed Periods in Young Women an Osteoporosis
Risk (news article)
Young women who repeatedly miss their periods, and are not pregnant,
may be developing premature ovarian failure and should see their
doctors sooner rather than later, study findings suggest.
Pakistan:
Focus on Violence Against Children (news article)
One NGO is focusing on child sexual abuse in Pakistan, a problem
they believe is widespread. In addition to providing legal and psychological
counseling, the organization works with local schools in Islamabad
to find out the extent of the problem. It also raises awareness
of the issue by distributing pamphlets and drawing books to very
young children.
Signs of Sexual Abuse Hard to Read (news
article)
Several genital features of girls that have been interpreted as
red flags for sexual abuse may instead be a normal phase of development,
a new study has found.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
Contraceptive
Sterilization: Global Issues and Trends (book)
The continuing demand for sterilization, its convenience, its minimal
side effects, and its long-term contraceptive protection all guarantee
that quality sterilization services remain a crucial component of
comprehensive family planning services. "Contraceptive Sterilization:
Global Issues and Trends" depicts the current state of contraceptive
sterilization. It is the most comprehensive current source of information
about the worldwide practice of contraceptive sterilization.
Macroeconomics
and Health: Investing in Health for Economic Development (book
review)
This book makes a compelling case that a strong economy is the best
guarantee of a good health-care system and that a nation's good
health is the best guarantee of a strong economy.
Promoting
an Integrated Approach to Combat Gender Based Violence (training
manual review)
The manual promotes an integrated approach to combat gender-based
violence with governments, NGOs, private sector and international
organizations working together.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
Choosing
a Birth Control Method: An Interactive Program to Help You Choose
the Birth Control Method That's Right for You (web-based questionnaire)
This site offers provides recommendations on which methods may be
best suited for an individual answering 20 questions about lifestyle
choices and medical history. Once the questions are anonymously
submitted, a list of contraceptive options that best suit these
needs is generated. The program also offers a general descriptions,
effectiveness rates, side effects and approximate cost for each
contraceptive method.
Birth
Registration: Right from the Start
The births of more than 50 million babies go unregistered every
year. In legal terms, these children do not exist and their right
to an official name and nationality is denied. Their access to basic
services may be severely jeopardized and they may find themselves
more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. The effects can last
a lifetime, with the unregistered adult unable to vote, open a bank
account, or obtain a marriage license.
When you click on any link, your Internet browser will access a Web site not connected to "The Pop Reporter.®" Information accessed through these links and contained in this issue of "The Pop Reporter®" does not necessarily state or reflect the views of the Population Information Program, Johns Hopkins University, or the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
All links were verified at the date of posting. Your computer and/or network configuration regarding Java script, cookies, and other security issues may not allow you to view certain Web sites. Consult your computer technician if you are having problems.
Information & Knowledge for Optimal Health (INFO) Project
111 Market Place Suite 310, Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: 410-659-6300 Fax: 410-659-6266 Security & Privacy Policy