22 July 2002, PopReporter

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Volume 2, Number 29
22 July 2002

FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

US Will Withhold $34 Million for UN's Family Planning Effort (news article)
The United States will not pay $34 million it earmarked for UN family planning programs overseas, an initiative aimed at controlling population but one that conservative groups charge tolerates abortions and forced sterilizations in China.

Taiwanese Government Says Chinese Officials Order Abortions, Sterilizations for Chinese Women Married to Taiwanese Men (news article)
Chinese officials have ordered some Chinese women who are married to Taiwanese men visiting China to undergo abortions or surgical sterilizations if they have violated China's "one-child" policy, according to a Taiwanese government document, Taiwan's Taipei Times reports.

Bush Names Gay Physician Chief of AIDS Policy Office (news article)
Joseph O'Neill is taking over the helm of President Bush's office on AIDS policy.

Japanese Health Minister Recommends That IVF Be Covered by National Health Insurance (news article)
In an attempt to "boost" the nation's birth rate, Japanese Health Minister Chikara Sakaguchi recommended to a parliamentary committee that national insurance coverage include fertility treatments.

Politicians Accused of Condoning FGM (news article)
Politicians have been blamed of condoning female circumcision for fear of displeasing their supporters. A workshop attended by Marakwet leaders was told that politicians support the rite to protect their positions.

HIV/AIDS: NGOs Criticize Lack Of Political Commitment At Barcelona (news article)
Nongovernmental organizations attending the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain, voiced disappointment that the conference ended without any firm political commitment or new pledges to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

UK: Testing Plan Over HIV Nurse Fears (news article)
Currently, health workers do not have to undergo an HIV test before working in the UK. But, fears that hundreds of HIV-positive nurses may have come to work in the UK may prompt compulsory testing of all new health staff.

FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Strategic Assessment of Reproductive Health in the Dominican Republic (research report)
This report documents the findings of a strategic assessment of reproductive health in the Dominican Republic. This participatory study was designed to identify strengths, prioritize problems, and work with community, governmental, and nongovernmental stakeholders in order to develop recommendations for strategic interventions to improve reproductive health in the Dominican Republic.

A Framework to Assist Countries in the Development and Strengthening of National and District Health Plans and Programs in Reproductive Health (research report)
This framework gives managers and policy-makers suggestions that can assist in developing national plans to address priority reproductive health issues. Based on the experiences of country experts, it incorporates many different lessons learned. Attached to the framework narrative is an appendix outlining the available WHO reference documents, manuals, and assessment and intervention tools. These are generic guidelines and may need to be adapted to specific country and program needs. Each resource is accompanied by a brief description of its purpose and content.

Syphilis: Old Problem, New Strategy (research article)
Infectious syphilis is a disease of considerable public health importance, with overwhelming health effects if it is not treated. These include cardiovascular and neurological disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth and congenital syphilis. Further, concurrent infection with syphilis can facilitate transmission of HIV. Syphilis is most infectious through sexual contact during the primary or secondary stages, but transmission can also occur during the early latent stage. Syphilis is preventable and treatable with effective and inexpensive antibiotics. The possible resurgence of infectious syphilis, a disease previously believed to be close to eradication, is a matter of increasing global concern.

When Does It Make Sense to Consider Integrating STI and HIV Services with Family Planning Services? (research article) HTML PDF
The authors of this article contend that not all services should be integrated in all situations, and that even some potentially integrable services should sometimes be offered separately. At least three compelling factors argue against totally integrating STI and HIV services into family planning.

Venous Thromboembolism in Young Women: Role of Thrombophilic Mutations and Oral Contraceptive Use (research abstract)
Related news article: Gene Variants Interact with Pill to Raise Clot Risk
Birth control pills are known to slightly increase the risk of blood clots, but the risk is higher in women who have a variation in one or both of two genes involved in blood clotting, the results of a new Italian study suggest.

Inconsistent Use of Oral Contraceptives in Rural Bangladesh (PubMed abstract)
A total of 801 rural OC users were included in this study in rural Bangladesh. Multivariate analysis revealed that Muslim women were 60 percent more likely to be inconsistent OC users compared to their non-Muslim counterparts. Women who lacked knowledge about contraindications were 60 percent more likely to take the pill inconsistently than were women who had the knowledge. Women who were not visited by family planning workers or did not have access to mass media were 40 percent more likely to be inconsistent OC users

Son Preference and Fertility in China (PubMed abstract)
This paper examines the effect of son preference on the hazards of having a second and a third birth.

Contraceptive Use Behavior Among Never Married Young Women Who are Seeking Pregnancy Termination in Beijing (PubMed abstract)
This was a cross sectional study conducted in 1999 in Beijing, China. A total of 306 unmarried young women, aged 18 to 24 years, were interviewed. Only 13 percent of the young women insisted on contraceptive use, and almost an equal proportion occasionally (26 percent) or never used (27 percent) contraceptives. Among 224 women who had contraceptive use during the past 12 months, the methods used most often were condom (49 percent), withdrawal (28 percent), and the rhythm method (16 percent).

FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

What is NuvaRing? (patient information)
NuvaRing is a flexible combined contraceptive vaginal ring used to prevent pregnancy. NuvaRing contains a combination of a progestin and estrogen, two kinds of female hormones. You insert the ring in your vagina and leave it there for three weeks. You then remove it for a one-week ring-free period. After the ring is inserted, it releases a continuous low dose of hormones into your body.

Molecular "Spark of Life" Discovered (news article)
The molecule that triggers the fertilisation of a mammalian egg and prompts it to begin growing and dividing has been discovered. The identification of this "spark of life" is significant for work on infertility treatments, male contraceptives and cloning.

Abortion Pill Use in Germany on the Rise (news article)
The number of German women using the pregnancy-terminating drug mifepristone, also known as RU-486, increased by 21% over the previous year.

HIV / AIDS RESEARCH

Combat AIDS: HIV and the World's Armed Forces HTML PDF (research report)
Soldiers are both vulnerable to HIV and linked to the spread of HIV, particularly in situations of conflict. This publication outlines some of the reasons why and includes material from focus group discussions with soldiers in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and South-east Asia. It introduces some of the issues involved in, and approaches to working with, the military, including a section on HIV testing and on HIV prevention in the armed forces.

Isolation of a Human Gene that Inhibits HIV-1 Infection and is Suppressed by the Viral Vif protein (research article)
Related news article: Human Gene May Lead To Treatment To Block Infection
A gene, CEM15, was shown to stop the spread of HIV, but the virus usually disables the gene by using a small HIV protein called Vif.

Preventing HIV Infection, Promoting Reproductive Health (research report)
HIV/AIDS threatens to destroy a whole generation of leaders, workers, parents and youth, and to create a generation of orphans in the worst-affected countries. In many countries, the infection is creeping through the population, preparing to strike full-force. Prevention is about striking first. Reproductive health information, services and supplies enable people to avoid HIV infection and to protect themselves, their partners and their unborn children from this deadly virus.

HIV / AIDS NEWS

AIDS Drug Prices Drop Sharply but Unevenly in Latin America and Caribbean (press release)
Even with greatly reduced prices, many countries cannot afford to provide antiretroviral drugs to all in need. Out of at least 475,000 people in need in the region, only 170,000 currently have access to the drugs, mostly in Brazil. And the incidence of infection continues to increase.

African First Ladies Launch Historic Organization to Fight HIV/AIDS (press release)
In an unprecedented meeting, the First Ladies of 18 African countries will formally establish the "African First Ladies Organization Against HIV/AIDS."

HIV-Protective Gene May Boost Hepatitis C Infection (news article)
Patients with a gene variation that protects them from HIV infection may be more prone to developing the liver infection hepatitis C, German researchers report.

Senegal Study Finds Anti-HIV Treatment Effective (news article)
Findings from a preliminary study suggest that a drug combination that is the gold standard of HIV treatment in the developed world can help patients in developing countries as well.

Russia Struggles to Treat AIDS Patients (news article)
While the US spends between $10,000 and $15,000 per HIV patient annually, Russia manages $45 per reported AIDS case. Frustrated by a lack of money and resources, Russian doctors can do little to comfort the growing number of AIDS patients in their wards.

Fresh out of Conflict, Sierra Leoneans Face New War with Micro-sized, Formidable Foe: The HIV Virus (news article)
War-ravaged Sierra Leone finds itself on the brink of an HIV/AIDS epidemic: Five per cent of the population is infected; the health system has long since collapsed.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Interpretation of Rubella Serology in Pregnancy--Pitfalls and Problems (research article)
Rubella acquired in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is associated with a 90% risk of congenital malformations. Case studies show that results of rubella IgM assays conducted on serum samples from pregnant women should always be interpreted with caution. Any history of rash or contact with rash, previous rubella testing, and history of vaccination should be taken into consideration. Tests for rubella IgM are not indicated unless there is a history of rash in a pregnant woman or contact with a rubella-like rash. Unnecessary tests for rubella IgM may lead to problems in interpretation. Close collaboration between obstetricians and virologists is essential at all stages to avoid errors and unnecessary terminations and to decide whether prenatal diagnosis is indicated.

An Epidemiological Study of RSV in the Gambia (research article)
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is an important cause of acute lower respiratory infection among children ages two and under in the Gambia, leading to hospital admission. Morbidity is considerable and efforts at prevention worthwhile.

Pregnancy Complications and Maternal Cardiovascular Risk: Opportunities for Intervention and Screening? (research article)
Plentiful evidence now links low birth weight due to intrauterine growth restriction and increased risk of vascular disease in later adult life. This is considered to be partly the result of programming through fetal nutrition. In contrast, much less attention has been focused on the relation between adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, and intrauterine growth restriction, and the mother's subsequent health, and interesting data are now increasingly linking the maternal vascular, metabolic, and inflammatory complications of pregnancy with an increased risk of vascular disease in later life. This article summarizes the emerging evidence to support this fascinating concept, notes important areas for further research, and discusses potential practical implications.

Fetal Growth Restriction: An Evidence-Based Approach: Part II (research article)
Which small-for-gestational-age fetuses are at increased risk for irreversible perinatal complications and death? Having emphasized the importance of early diagnosis of FGR in Part I, the authors now focus on antepartum surveillance and assess the evidence for various management strategies.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

Nigeria: Minister Blames Fake Drugs, Poor Care For High Maternal Mortality (news article)
Nigeria's high maternal mortality rate is being aggravated by the prevalence of fake drugs and poorly trained health workers, said Nigeria's Minister of Women Affairs and Youth Development.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Semen Quality and Spermatozoal DNA Integrity in Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Case-Control Study (research article)
This study found that sperm concentration is reduced after treatment for cancer. However, the sperm that is produced seems to carry as much healthy DNA as those produced by a healthy population, suggesting that assisted conception can be considered as a treatment option for such men.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Insulin-Like Growth Factor I Pathway and Prostate Cancer (news article)
Levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 may predict the risk of developing advanced-stage prostate cancer, but their utility for identifying patients with incident cancer may be limited.

Pharaonic Fertility Myth Fades as Egyptian Men Line Up for Viagra (news article)
In a coffee shop in Cairo, the conversation over a game of chess turns to Egyptian men's libidos and the government's legalization of Viagra.

POPULATION NEWS

Pakistan Needs Sound Population Management Says President Musharraf (news article)
"Pakistan cannot be pulled out of the poverty trap with 3 million additional births every year. Efforts to bring down the birth rate must be pursued vigorously through sound population management," said President Pervez Musharraf.

Kenya's Population Growth Rate Set to Drop (news article)
Kenya's Population growth rate is to drop from the current 2.8 percent per annum to 2 percent annually by the year 2010. Measures are being taken to curb population growth rate as an indirect strategy of reducing high level poverty in the country.

Population of United Arab Emirates Climbs 7.4 Percent in 2001 (news article)
The UAE's population surged by nearly 7.4 percent in 2001 as more foreign workers streamed in and the government pushed ahead with a policy to encourage UAE nationals to have more children, according to official estimates. From around 3.24 million at the end of 2000, the country's population totaled nearly 3.48 million at the end of 2001.

More With Less Means Deeper Poverty (news article)
At current growth rates, the Philippine population would hit 85 million by 2005, growing at an average rate of 2.1 percent. This is way ahead of the average 1.4 percent growth in per capita gross national product. This simply means that there will be more people to feed with less available food. From a quality-of-life point of view, this translates to that dreadfully unpalatable phrase: deeper poverty.

Nigeria: What Fertility Has to Do With Number (news article)
The thought of having only one child is repulsive to Iyabo Akoka, who already has two sons and would want two daughters in future. Discussing the issue of declining fertility, which is being experienced all over the world, she exclaimed: "I am an African woman. How can I have only a child?"

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy and Risk of Ovarian Cancer (research abstract)
Related news article: Estrogen Hormone Therapy Ups Risk of Ovarian Cancer
Women who used estrogen-only replacement therapy, particularly for 10 or more years, were at significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer in this study. Women who used short-term estrogen-progestin-only replacement therapy were not at increased risk, but risk associated with short-term and longer-term estrogen-progestin replacement therapy warrants further investigation.

Benign Breast Pain in Women: A Practical Approach to Evaluation and Treatment (research abstract)
Researchers have found no clear hormonal or specific pathological processes that explain cyclical breast pain. Some investigations did find associations between breast pain and premenstrual syndrome, fibrocystic breast disease, and caffeine intake. Initial treatment with reassurance, a well-fitted brassiere, caffeine reduction, and primrose oil should be tried before prescribing pharmaceutical agents. Medications such as danazol, bromocriptine, and tamoxifen are effective, but often have side effects and contraindications.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

UK Experts: Continue Hrt Trial, Despite US Results (news article)
British scientists recommended on Friday that a major trial of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) involving up to 22,000 women continue despite a US study that showed the therapy increases the risk of breast cancer, stroke, blood clots, and heart disease. Britain's Medical Research Council said the committee in charge of the trial believed there were "no strong ethical or scientific reasons to stop the trial" and that there were "still important questions about the balance of risks and benefits from taking HRT long-term that have not yet been answered."

Breastfeeding Could Slash Breast Cancer Risk (news article)
Western women could reduce their breast cancer risk by nearly 60 percent if they returned to pre-industrial levels of fertility and breastfeeding. The new findings help explain why breast cancer, virtually unknown 200 years ago, is now a major killer.

Kenya: Workshop Told of Secret 'Cutting' of New Mothers (news article)
Traditional birth attendants secretly circumcise young women who give birth for the first time without their knowledge, a conference was told.

Women Should Take Health Steps Besides Hormone Replacement to Prevent Illness: WHO (press release)
Reacting to recent findings that cast doubt on the efficacy of certain forms of hormone replacement therapy for women, the WHO recommended safe preventive measures, such as quitting smoking and taking up exercise, for those at risk of bone loss and other diseases.

YOUTH RESEARCH

Youth Survey Question Bank (Web site/database)
Doing research on reproductive health or HIV/AIDS among youth in developing nations? This resource contains questions from youth studies carried out by researchers worldwide. Questions continue to be added, both to existing categories, and as new topics relevant to young people emerge. Users may select questions free of charge as they develop new data collection instruments, modifying them as appropriate for local conditions.

Report on the Interaction Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation of Displaced Children (research report)
This report discusses actions that humanitarian agencies should take to prevent the abuse of displaced children. Scarcity of relief supplies, exploitation of power, the vulnerability of the displaced, the lack of awareness of their rights, and weaknesses in training, monitoring, and accountability of UN and partner agencies have all contributed to the situation.

Drop in HIV and Syphilis Among Young Ethiopian Women (research summary)
Prevalence of HIV-1 infection and syphilis dropped substantially among 15- to 24-year-old women attending antenatal clinics at inner-city health centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

YOUTH NEWS

UN Concerned for Treatment of Detained Trafficked Girls in Guatemala (news article)
Two Special Rapporteurs from the UN have contacted the Guatemalan government concerned that foreign trafficked girls used for sexual exploitation in Guatemala are immediately jailed when rescued from brothels as if they were criminals.

Child Marriage Means Child Labor For Daughters (news article)
Although the age of marriage for women in India, particularly in urban areas, is rising to approximately 19 years of age, according to the 1998-99 National Family Health Survey, one-third of all adolescent girls are married by the age of 15.

US College Students Misjudge Scope of HIV Epidemic (news article)
Many US college students may underestimate the proportion of people with HIV who live in Africa, while overestimating the number living with the virus in the US, new survey findings suggest. They also feel that the US has a greater duty to provide drugs for treating HIV/AIDS to people in North America than to those with the disease in Africa.

BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS

This Man's Pill: Reflections on the 50th Birthday of the Pill (book review)
"This Man's Pill" is a memoir by Dr. Carl Djerassi, professor of chemistry at Stanford University. When he was 28 years old, Djerassi led a team of steroid biochemists at Syntex laboratories in Mexico to synthesize the oral progestational agent norethindrone (17-alpha ethynyl-19-nortestosterone). This accomplishment enabled the clinical development of oral contraceptive pills.

PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS

HIVTools Web Site
The HIVTools Web site provides up-to-date information on the HIVTools Research Group's activities, as well as the latest downloads for: HIVTools/UNAIDS costing guidelines; HIVTools mathematical models for estimating the impact of different HIV prevention interventions; publications and reports; and presentations.

Improving the Quality of Care for Women with Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension Reduces Costs in Tver, Russia (USAID-supported Study)
The Quality Assurance Project/Russia implemented a quality improvement demonstration project in 1998 at three hospitals in Tver Oblast, Russia. This study reports the results of that effort.

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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The INFO Project

Volume 2, Number 29 22 July 2002