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Volume 2, Number 28
15 July 2002
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
Bush
Poised to Cut Funding to UN Population Fund (news
article)
President Bush is poised to reject the advice of his
own fact-finding team and cut off millions of dollars
to a United Nations family planning program that abortion
opponents contend supports forced abortions in China.
China:
Family Planning Policy Helps Reduce Poverty (news
article)
Nearly 220 million Chinese have shaken off poverty
during the past 20 years, thanks to the country's
family planning policy, according to Siri Tellier,
representative of the United Nations Population Fund,
in Beijing last week at a conference marking the 13th
World Population Day.
Peruvian Lawmakers Accuse Fujimori
of Genocide for Sterilization Program (news article)
A congressional subcommission recommended charges
of genocide against former President Alberto Fujimori
and several former health ministers Wednesday for
their role in a state-run sterilization campaign during
the 1990s. Foreign agencies such as the US Agency
for International Development and private organizations
may also be held responsible for assisting in the
health campaign.
Avoid
Using Criminal Law for HIV, Says New UNAIDS Report
(press release)
Countries should generally refrain from using criminal
law to deal with conduct that carries the risk of
HIV transmission, according to a new report released
by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Instead, they should use public health laws
accompanied by appropriate safeguards for human and
civil rights. The full report, "Criminal Law,
Public Health, and HIV Transmission: A Policy Options
Paper," is available in three languages: English
| French
| Spanish
Italy: Docs Won't Give Pill to Young
to Protest Law (news article)
Italian gynecologists have decided to stop prescribing
oral contraceptives to underage girls in protest against
what they say is unclear legislation that puts them
at risk of law suits.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Biphasic
Versus Triphasic Oral Contraceptives for Contraception
(Cochrane Review) (review abstract)
The reviewers state that available evidence is limited
and of poor quality. Given the high losses to follow-up
after randomization, these reports may be better considered
observational in nature. Even so, the biphasic pill
containing norethindrone was associated with inferior
cycle control compared with the triphasic pill containing
levonorgestrel.
Increasing Contraceptive Acceptance through Empowerment of Female
Community Health Volunteers in Rural Nepal (research article)
The purpose of this study was to enhance contraceptive
acceptance among currently-married women of reproductive
age (CMWRA) through empowerment training of female
community health volunteers. The implementation of
the intervention significantly increased the proportion
of CMWRA knowing at least one contraceptive method.
The use of modern contraceptives among the CMWRA from
none before the intervention increased to 52 percent
6 months following the intervention.
The
Evolution of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the
Ukraine (research abstract)
The authors reviewed annual notification rates of
infection per 10^5 population in three regions of
Ukraine and used as indicators for the spread of sexually
transmitted infections from 1994 to 2000. Detailed
results are provided; they conclude that STIs and
HIV are a common cause of morbidity in Ukraine.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
Scientists
Develop Female Contraceptive from Tobacco (news
article)
Indian scientists using genetic engineering have converted
the lowly tobacco plant into a potential source of
material for a novel female contraceptive. Researchers
in New Delhi, in collaboration with scientists from
Germany, have coaxed tobacco leaves to produce an
anti-body that targets a hormone called human chorionic
gonadotrophin that a woman makes immediately after
conception.
Consumer Group Fears Condom Rules
Will Cut Quality (news article)
New proposals being considered for manufacturing condoms
could reduce their safety and threaten global efforts
to curb the AIDS epidemic, a consumer watchdog group
warns.
Emergency
Pills Aren't All Bad (letter to the editor)
The author, Susan McIntyre, Coordinator of the International
Consortium for Emergency Contraception, writes to
clarify inaccurate information on potential health
risks associated with the use of emergency contraceptive
pills, which appeared in a previous article.
India:
No Family Planning Programme for 9% Couples (news
article)
The state health department's family planning programme
has not reached 9 percent of married couples in Gujarat
who say that they would have opted for family planning
methods if these were made available to them. This
finding comes from the National Family Health Survey
1998-99 report, which indicates that there is an 'unmet
need' for family planning in the state.
India:
Wonder Pill to Stop Pregnancy (news article)
An oral contraceptive will be launched in West Bengal,
which will help women avoid pregnancy if consumed
within 72 hours of unprotected coitus. The pack of
two pills, to be taken in a 12-hour gap, will reduce
the chance of pregnancy up to 98 percent.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
AIDS in Papua New Guinea: Situation in the Pacific (review article)
Over the last 7 years, HIV infection, probably the
highest in Port Moresby and mostly measured there,
has been rising in Papua New Guinea by about 60 percent
per annum. The authors conclude that this rise is
genuine and, if sustained, will infect 10 percent
of the adult population of Papua New Guinea in little
more than 12 years.
Update:
AIDS - United States, 2000 (data update)
As of December 31, 2000, an estimated 337,731 persons
in the United States were living with AIDS. Of these,
an estimated 41 percent were black, 38 percent white,
20 percent Hispanic, 1 percent Asians/Pacific Islanders,
and <1 percent American Indians/Alaska Natives.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
3
Million HIV/AIDS Sufferers Could Receive Anti-retroviral
Therapy by 2005 (press release)
In response to the urgent need to scale up access
to HIV/AIDS treatment, the World Health Organization
is joined by the International AIDS Society at the
XIVth International AIDS Conference to formally launch
new international guidelines for a public health response
to the treatment of AIDS in resource-poor settings.
AIDS Infections Up Among Young Women
(news article)
The AIDS pandemic is increasingly becoming one of
young women, scientists say at the 14th International
AIDS Conference in Barcelona. About half of all new
infections are in women and among people in their
late teens and early 20s, females account for nearly
two-thirds of new cases.
Experts Advise Safe Sex Even If Both
Partners HIV+ (news articles)
Couples who both carry HIV should still use condoms
when having sex because of the risk of contracting
another strain of the disease, according to Dr. Anthony
Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases.
Chileans
'Trading AIDS Drugs for Food' (news article)
Researchers in Chile say there is a growing problem
of people buying and selling AIDS drugs on the black
market.
Staggering Ignorance of HIV Revealed
in China (news article)
A major survey published Tuesday at the 14th International
AIDS Conference in Barcelona reveals an alarming degree
of ignorance about HIV/AIDS among Chinese people,
with one in six saying they had never heard of the
devastating disease that has claimed 25 million lives.
Caribbean
States, Drug Firms Reach Deal on Cheaper Medicine
(news article)
The 15 nations of the Caribbean Community have reached
an agreement with a group of major pharmaceutical
firms to receive discounts of up to 90 percent for
HIV/AIDS-related drugs. In the Caribbean region, which
has the world's second-highest HIV infection rate
in the world after sub-Saharan Africa, about 2 percent
of the population (some 500,000 people) are infected
with the virus, according to a regional AIDS task
force.
HIV Spreading Fastest in Former Soviet
Union (news article)
The HIV epidemic in the former Soviet Union is growing
faster than anywhere in the world and threatens to
spread from injecting drug users into the wider population
unless action is taken.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Breastfeeding in Botswana: Practices,
Attitudes, Patterns, and the Socio-cultural Factors
Affecting Them (research
article)
This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted
in four randomly selected districts of Botswana and
included 400 households. More than 85 percent of the
mothers were planning to continue breastfeeding for
18 months or more. Most obtained advice about breastfeeding
from health workers. The main reason for stopping
breastfeeding was that the mother was at work or school.
Factors
Associated with Maternal Mortality in Rural Guinea-Bissau.
A Longitudinal Population-based Study (research
abstract)
More than 15,000 women living in 100 clusters were
visited at six-monthly intervals over a period of
more than six years. For the purpose of reducing maternal
mortality, the authors conclude that the screening
approach of antenatal care is of limited value. Age
and parity should not be used routinely as selection
criteria for transfer of otherwise healthy pregnant
women to higher-level health institutions.
Preventing
Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission: The First Year of
Thailand's National Program (letter to the editor
abstract)
The author's describe Thailand's experience with implementing
a national program to prevent mother-to-child HIV
transmission.
Pathways to Infant Mortality in Urban Slums of Delhi, India: Implications for Improving the Quality of Community-and
Hospital-based Programmes (research article)
The authors performed verbal autopsies on 162 deaths
of liveborn infants to obtain insights into the processes
underlying infant deaths. They noted that inappropriate
healthcare practices were common among the practitioners
of modern and indigenous systems of medicine and registered
medical practitioners. The authors conclude that development
of home-based treatment regimens for young infants
and objective criteria for their hospitalization and
discharge should receive a high priority.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
Bangladesh:
Early Marriage Linked To High Maternal Mortality,
UNICEF Says (news article)
Early marriage and early child bearing are the leading
risk factors causing high maternal mortality rates
in Bangladesh, according to a report by UNICEF. According
to the study, maternal mortality in Bangladesh is
as high as 300 to 450 per 100,000 live births. Among
adolescent girls, the figure is 580 per 100,000 live
births.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Greed
Blamed for Death of Initiates (news article)
Greed, carelessness, and a lack of respect for custom
were some of the reasons for the spate of botched
circumcisions that had cost the lives of several young
men.
Wave of Husband Killings in Iran
(news article)
"Husband killing is a new phenomenon in Iran's
male dominated society. It means economic hardships
and social crises are reaching a crisis point,"
claims Mohammad Ahmadi, a sociologist. At least 20
Iranian women have been accused of murdering their
spouses since February.
UK:
Exponent of "male menopause" censured by
GMC (news article)
A London doctor who prescribed male hormones over
the internet was last week censured by the General
Medical Council for serious professional misconduct.
PSA
Screening Leads to Overdiagnosis, Study Says (news
article)
Routine screening for prostate cancer using the prostate
specific antigen (PSA) test is responsible for the
observed increased epidemiological incidence of the
disease, according to findings in a new report.
POPULATION RESEARCH
Modelling the Demographic Impact of AIDS (editorial)
This editorial examines the various demographic and
epidemiological projections used by agencies when
making projections of the AIDS epidemic.
Demographic Impact of AIDS in a Low-fertility Urban African Setting:Projection
for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (research paper)
In this study, demographic indicators from 1984 (the
start of the HIV epidemic in Ethiopia) to 2024, including
and excluding the HIV epidemic, were compared. The
prevalence of HIV is predicted to stabilize at 10
percent in adults, resulting in a total number of
people living with HIV at 200,000 and a cumulative
number of deaths due to AIDS at 50,000.
POPULATION NEWS
PCB-laced Cooking Oil Tied to Fewer
Male Births (news article)
Some Taiwanese men who were exposed to PCB-laced cooking
oil more than 20 years ago have been found less likely
to father a male child compared with non-exposed men
their age.
UK: More
Women Staying Childless (news article)
One in five women has not had a baby by the time she
is 40 years of age, according to a report by the Office
for National Statistics. The report also shows that
those with families are having far fewer children.
China
Talks about Sex, Health, Life (news article)
China has made progress in improving citizens' health
and reducing poverty, according to Yang Fukui, executive
vice-director of the China Family Planning Association.
He said that his association has attracted 83 million
members across China. "Women's positions have
greatly improved in society, and old sexist ideas
have been largely conquered," he said.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Risks
and Benefits of Estrogen Plus Progestin in Healthy
Postmenopausal Women: Principal Results From the Women's
Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial
(research article)
Researchers conclude that overall health risks exceeded
benefits from use of combined estrogen plus progestin
for an average 5.2-year follow-up among healthy postmenopausal
US women.
Related news article: HRT:
How Big is the Risk?
A major US study into the long-term effects of hormone
replacement therapy has been halted early because
the risks of heart disease and breast cancer clearly
outweighed the benefits.
Hysterectomy
Surveillance: United States, 1994-1999 (surveillance
summary)
The data in this summary demonstrate a limited but
significant increase in hysterectomy rates from 1994
through 1998, followed by a decrease in 1999. During
the study period, significant increases were observed
in the occurrence of leiomyomas as a primary diagnosis
for hysterectomy, whereas significant decreases occurred
in the reporting of cancer as a primary diagnosis.
Prevalence
and Risk Factors of Sexually Transmitted Infections
and Cervical Neoplasia in Women's Health Clinics in
Nicaragua (research abstract)
Nearly one out of five women in this study (n=1185)
attending women's health clinics in Nicaragua had
an STI, and one out of 13 a precancerous lesion of
the cervix.
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Mutilation Sparks Supermodel's Campaign
(news article)
Supermodel Waris Dirie was a five-year-old child of
the Somali desert when an old woman held her down
and circumcised her with a rusty blade, sewing up
her wounds with catgut and thorns. Now the internationally-renowned
beauty whose face has graced countless magazines has
turned her back on her lucrative career to campaign
against the centuries-old practice of female genital
mutilation, which has left her scarred for life.
UN
and WHO Consider Unsafe Abortion A Public Health Issue
(news article)
The World Health Organization and the U.N. Population
Division consider unsafe abortions a public health
issue. According to Iqbal Shah of the WHO's Department
of Reproductive Health, 70,000 women die annually
after an unsafe abortion and 5 million are temporarily
or permanently disabled. He called for greater access
to appropriate family planning methods to reduce the
problem.
YOUTH RESEARCH
Zambia's
HEART Program Evaluation Shows Youth Respond Positively
to AIDS Prevention Plan Promoting Abstinence (press
release)
Urging young people to abstain from sex in Zambia
may not appear to make sense in a country where 75
percent are sexually active, but an AIDS prevention
program sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International
Development shows young Zambians crave support for
their decision to abstain and prevent HIV/AIDS.
Report: Impact
of the HEART Campaign, Findings from the Youth Surveys,
1999 and 2000
Knowledge
on AIDS among Female Adolescents in Bangladesh:Evidence
from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey
Data
(research paper)
Of the 1,446 ever-married adolescents aged 10-19 years
included in the study, only one in six (17 percent)
had ever heard of AIDS. Multivariate analysis revealed
that knowledge on AIDS was strongly and positively
associated with education of female adolescents and
their husbands and varied significantly across different
parts of he country.
YOUTH NEWS
Fewer
US Babies Dying, Fewer American Teens Having Babies
(news article)
Life is improving for American children, at least
a little bit. Fewer babies died in the first year
of life, and fewer teenage girls had babies.
Sesame Street to Introduce HIV-positive
Muppet (news article)
Sesame Street will soon introduce its first HIV-positive
Muppet character to children of South Africa, where
one in nine people have the virus. The upbeat female
Muppet will join "Takalani Sesame" on September
30 for its third season on the South African Broadcasting
Corporation.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
Research
on Reproductive Health at WHO
(Biennial Report 2000-2001)
This report describes studies conceived and coordinated
by UNDP/ UNFPA/ WHO/ World Bank Special Programme
of Research, Development and Research Training in
Human Reproduction (HRP) and carried out during the
2000-2001 biennium by research groups belonging to
the HRP network.
Managing
Complications in Pregnancy and Childbirth: A Guide
for Midwives and Doctors (manual)
Published by the World Health Organization, this manual
is intended for midwives and doctors at the district
hospital who are responsible for the care of women
with complications of pregnancy, childbirth, or the
immediate postpartum period, including immediate problems
of the newborn.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
Stories
from the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona,
Spain,
- U.N., U.S. Say Number Of Orphans To Skyrocket
- Eastern European Epidemic Growing Fast
- Vaccine Initiatives Move Forward In Kenya, Brazil
11
July 2002, World Population Day UN Population Fund
Web Site
These modules, with the slogan "Empower, Protect,
Educate," urge specific actions in five categories--Equality,
Environment, Reproductive Health, Development, Reducing
Poverty--that will benefit women.
Related news article: UN
Focuses On Reproductive Health Care
Selected
Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use
(best practices)
The recommendations contained in this document are
the product of a process that culminated in a scientific
Working Group meeting convened by WHO and held in
London, 3-6 October 2001. The meeting brough together
33 participants from 16 countries to make selected
practice recommendations for contraceptive use in
response to 23 questions.
The State of Our Unions: 2002; Why Men Won't Commit: Exploring
Young Men's Attitudes About Sex, Dating and Marriage
(report)
This special essay from the National Marriage Project
at Rutgers University on young, not-yet married men's
attitudes on the timing of marriage finds that US
men experience few social pressures to marry, gain
many of the benefits of marriage by cohabiting with
a romantic partner, and are ever more reluctant to
commit to marriage in their early adult years. Available
evidence on marriage trends over the past four decades
indicates that marriage has declined dramatically
as a first living together experience for couples
and as a status of parenthood.
JHU/CCP Posters for XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain
Advance
Africa's Compendium of Best Practices
The Best Practices Compendium is part of Advance Africa's
systematic approach to identifying, collecting, and
disseminating information on proven, effective, evidence-based
practices and program models that are likely to help
managers strengthen and expand their programs.
Straight
Answers (interview)
Indu Kapoor, Director, Chetna, talks about reproductive
healthcare and tackling the population problem.
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