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Volume 2, Number 31
5 August 2002
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
Chinese
Brides May Keep Virginity Secrets (news article)
The Chinese Health Ministry has passed new regulations stating that
the results of routine virginity tests during premarital medical
examinations for women must be kept private, according to state
media. Paradoxically, however, hospitals will be instructed to keep
a record.
Philippines
Pushing Natural Family Planning (news article)
The Philippine government plans to aggressively promote its "natural
population plan" to curb the country's galloping growth. The
Philippines has continued to shy away from vigorously promoting
modern methods of contraception amid strong opposition from the
influential Catholic Church.
China's
One-child Policy Fines Rise (news article)
The penalty for couples who have a second child without permission
in Guangdong Province will rise from twice combined income to eight
times, while peasants with extra children will be subject to an
annual social levy.
Peru's Apology
for Forced Sterilization Feared Part of a Strategy to Limit Family
Planning Options (news article)
Peru's Minister of Health issued an apology for the forced sterilization
of indigenous women during the presidency of Alberto Fujimori.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
How Much is
Enough? Estimating Requirements for Subsidized Contraceptives: Results
from a Ten-Country Analysis 
(research
report)
Calls for donors to significantly increase funding for procurement
and distribution of contraceptives rest on a key assumption: that
the current shares of demand met by public and private sector providers
will persist into the future. This implicitly assumes that the private
sector (and more importantly, the commercial sector) will not successfully
engage in strategies to increase its market share. Furthermore,
it implies acceptance of the relatively untargeted strategies that
characterize most public sector programs. Ensuring that subsidized
contraceptives reach those most in need and maximizing the use of
limited government budget and donor resources requires that we question
these untargeted approaches.
WHO Information Update: Considerations Regarding Reuse of the
Female Condom PDF
| Word
(information update/research brief)
Related press
release: WHO recommends use of a new male or female condom for
every act of intercourse where there is a risk of unplanned pregnancy
and/or sexually transmitted infection, including HIV. Since access
to female condoms may be limited and reuse of female condoms has
been reported, WHO has convened two consultations to address considerations
regarding such reuse. Based on these consultations, WHO does not
recommend or promote reuse of female condoms. Recognizing the urgent
need for risk-reduction strategies for women who cannot or do not
access new condoms, the consultation developed a draft protocol
for safe handling and preparation of female condoms intended for
reuse. This protocol is based on the best available evidence, but
has not been extensively studied for safety and has not been evaluated
for efficacy in human use.
The
Social Constructions of Sexuality: Marital Infidelity and Sexually
Transmitted Disease---HIV Risk in a Mexican Migrant Community
(research abstract)
The authors explore the social context of the migration-related
HIV epidemic in western Mexico. Through interviews, they discover
that the changing meanings of marital sex may make it harder to
convince young couples to use condoms as an HIV prevention strategy.
If the chain of heterosexual marital HIV transmission is to be interrupted
in this community, prevention programs must target men.
Effect of
Prenatal Exposure to Estrogen on Quality of Semen: Comparison of
Twins and Singleton Brothers (research note)
Higher prenatal concentrations of estrogen are not related to reduced
sperm counts in adulthood. The authors did not find lower sperm
counts in twin brothers: both the concentration and potency of estrogens
during pregnancy with twins are greater than for most environmental
estrogens.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
Uganda: Only 5 Million Women in Country Use Birth
Control Methods (news article)
Only 5.3 million women in Uganda who are either married or cohabiting
use family planning methods, about 22 percent of people in a sexual
union. This figure is expected to rise to 8.5 million by 2015.
Philippines
celebrates National Family Planning Day (news article)
August 1st is National Family Planning Day in the Philippines. To
celebrate the day, the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines
and the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement jointly sponsored
a roundtable discussion on "Medical, Legal and Religious Barriers
to Family Planning."
Company Won't Resume Norplant Sales (news
article)
Nearly 2 years after Wyeth pulled its implantable birth control
device Norplant from the market amid concerns that some lots might
not be effective, the pharmaceutical company has decided not to
resume sales.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
HIV Rate
Peaks at 40 Percent in Rural South African Mothers (research
summary)
As many as 40 percent of rural South African mothers have HIV infection,
as do 6 percent of their children.
Designing
HIV/AIDS Intervention Studies: An Operations Research Handbook
(research report)
This is a resource for HIV/AIDS researchers that can be used in
workshops and courses on research design and proposal development,
giving users the tools to develop and write a detailed operations
research (OR) proposal. By reviewing many key concepts and methods
essential for conducting HIV/AIDS field research studies, the handbook
also helps program administrators and health policymakers understand
how OR works and how to use research findings to improve HIV/AIDS
service delivery.
Human
Immunodeficiency Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cells in Human Breast Milk
(research abstract)
Breast milk contains HIV-specific major histocompatibility complex
class I-restricted CD8+ CTLs. Their presence suggests a role in
limiting transmission and could shed light on the rationale for
vaccine strategies.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
Roche Warns of Shortage of Revolutionary AIDS
Drug (news article)
A revolutionary AIDS drug could offer new hope to patients, but
demand for it is so great its manufacturer warned it may not be
able to supply the medication, called T-20, to all those who need
it.
Uganda
Hails HIV Success (news article)
Public education has been Uganda's secret weapon against AIDS, according
to the country's president.
Antiretroviral Use May Stamp Out HIV Epidemic
(news article)
Widespread use of antiretroviral drug combinations together with
a decrease in risky sexual behaviors could eradicate an HIV epidemic,
even in locations where as many as 30% of the population is infected,
according to researchers who created a mathematical model. However,
it would likely take 100 years.
Russia
on Brink of AIDS Explosion: Ignorance and Inaction Threaten Catastrophe
(news article)
Russia is on the brink of an AIDS catastrophe, experts say, that
could lead to infection rates rarely seen outside sub-Saharan Africa.
And the government is doing next to nothing to avert the disaster.
ASEAN,
Australia Launch New Forum, Issue Warning on Military (news
article)
Rising HIV rates among Asia's military forces could threaten countries'
sovereignty and security, according to a report. HIV is spreading
rapidly, particularly among armies and armed rebel groups, in Asia's
conflict areas. The spread is due in part to the fact that young
male soldiers, taken far from home by armed service, frequent prostitutes
with little access to condoms and health care, often contracting
HIV and spreading it to other areas as they are redeployed.
South
Africa: Births Grow By Only 1.8 Percent; AIDS Blamed (news article)
The number of new-born babies registered in South Africa last year
grew by only 1.82 percent from 2000.
Turkmenistan:
Focus on HIV/AIDS Awareness (news article)
While Turkmenistan enjoys one of the lowest HIV/AIDS prevalence
in the world today, a growing increase in sexually transmitted infections
and injecting drug usage makes the potential risk of its spread
real. Enhanced awareness, particularly among vulnerable groups and
the general public, must remain a key component of the government's
already existing prevention strategy, say local and international
experts.
Eager
Thailand Takes on Questionable Therapies (news article)
The Thai government is on the verge of approving an agent called
Remune as a monotherapy for HIV. The problem is that two phase 3
trials of Remune's ability to halt the progression of the disease
in patients taking antiretroviral medication were stopped prematurely
in Europe and the US when interim analysis showed that the compound
was unlikely to meet its clinical endpoint. Remune made no difference
in the time to increased viremia or decreased CD4+-cell count.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Impact
of Vaccine Shortage on Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular
Pertussis Vaccine Coverage Rates Among Children Aged 24 Months -
Puerto Rico, 2002 (research article)
Related news article: Impact of US Childhood Vaccine
Shortage Substantial
Last year's shortage of a routine childhood vaccine has left many
children in Puerto Rico vulnerable, with similar findings in the
United States possible, according to a survey by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
Genetic
Homogeneity of Measles Viruses Associated with a Measles Outbreak,
São Paulo, Brazil, 1997 (research article)
During a resurgence of measles in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1997,
>40,000 cases (peak incidence rate of 246/100,000 inhabitants)
and 42 measles-related deaths were reported. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase
chain reaction and nucleotide sequencing were used to analyze specimens
from patients who had typical clinical measles infection. Results
suggest that a single chain of transmission was responsible for
the outbreak.
Maternal
Asthma, Infant Feeding, and the Risk of Asthma in Childhood
(research abstract)
Related news article: Moms Who Breast-Feed Reduce
Infants' Asthma Risk
Controversy surrounds the issue of whether children with asthmatic
mothers should be breast-fed. This study found that risk of childhood
asthma increased if exclusive breast-feeding was stopped (other
milk was introduced) before 4 months. Exclusive breast-feeding for
less than 4 months was a significant risk factor for current asthma.
There was no interaction between breast-feeding and maternal asthma
status.
Antimicrobial
Factors in the Cervical Mucus Plug (research abstract)
Related news story: Cervical Plugs Give Fetus
Protection from Bacteria
Cervical mucus plugs were collected from healthy women at delivery.
Groups of plugs were randomly selected for electrolyte analysis,
antimicrobial activity assays against group B Streptococcus, Escherichia
coli, Candida albicans, and assays of known antimicrobial polypeptides.
Results found that cervical mucus plug is not only a mechanical
but also a chemical barrier to infection that ascends from the vagina.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
Kerala
Named World's First WHO-UNICEF "Baby-Friendly State"
(news article)
Kerala (India) is being rewarded for efforts to promote exclusive
breast-feeding of infants for six months and supplementary breast-feeding
beyond that age. The state began to promote the initiative in 1991
and has the country's lowest infant mortality rate, at 13 deaths
per 1,000 live births, compared with an Indian average of 63.
Failure to Lose Weight After Birth May Be Lasting
(news article)
Excessive weight gain and failure to lose weight six months after
pregnancy were identifiable predictors of long-term obesity.
Afghanistan: A Dearth of Maternity Care
(news article)
Childbirth is the leading cause of death for Afghan women, many
of whom have not seen the inside of a school or a hospital for years
and who have a life expectancy of just 46 years. About 90 percent
of women have their babies at home on their own. Recently, groups
of doctors went to Afghanistan to help train women as midwives.
Afghanistan:
Number of Malnourished Children Growing (news article)
UNICEF estimates that every second child in Afghanistan is currently
moderately to severely malnourished.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Semen
Alterations in HIV-1 Infected Men (research abstract)
An evaluation of semen among HIV-infected men found that several
alterations have taken place. Some of these anomalies might be related
to anti-retroviral treatments.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Male Hormones and Heart Disease (news article)
A reader writes: I know that men have more heart disease than women
and that athletes who use steroids can have heart attacks. Are male
hormones responsible for heart disease in ordinary men like me?
Genetics Help Explain Response to Childhood Abuse
(news article)
Boys who are abused as children have a greater than average risk
of developing certain behavior problems, and new research suggests
that there may be a genetic link.
Older Husbands Relied on by Wives Outlive Peers
(news article)
Elderly men who are the rock of their relationship may outlive their
peers who are not cited as a source of strength by their spouse,
according to researchers.
Fourth
Circumcision Initiate Dies in Limpopo (news article)
The number of initiates who have died following circumcision rituals
in Limpopo rose to four on Thursday when a 17-year-old boy died
after complaining of severe pain.
South
Africa: Fourth Circumcision Initiate Dies in Limpopo (news article)
The number of initiates who have died following circumcision rituals
in Limpopo rose to four on Thursday when a 17-year-old boy died
after complaining of severe pain.
New
Study: Sleep Apnea Linked To Decreased Libido (news article)
Male patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, the inability
to breathe properly during sleep, produce lower levels of testosterone,
resulting in decreased libido and sexual activity.
POPULATION RESEARCH
Population
Growth Continues to Hinder Nepal's Economic Progress (research
article)
Wedged between the world's two population billionaires, China and
India, Nepal is struggling with its own population pressures. The
country's 23 million people, most of whom make their living from
farming, have nearly run out of land to cultivate, while their numbers
continue to grow; poverty, the highest outside of Africa, persists;
and internal conflict is draining already scarce resources.
The
Empowerment of Women, Fertility, and Child Mortality: Towards a
Theoretical Analysis (research abstract)
This paper examines one avenue through which female autonomy impinges
on fertility and child mortality in developing countries. A simple
model is set out in which couples are motivated to have children
for old age security purposes. The decisions of a couple regarding
fertility and allocation of resources for the healthcare of their
children are made within a bargaining framework. An increase in
female autonomy translating into an increase in the relative bargaining
power or the threat point utility of mothers is shown to reduce
fertility and also to reduce child mortality rates. Paradoxically,
the increase in female autonomy within a household may increase
the disadvantage suffered by female children in that household with
respect to survival.
The Future
of Population in Asia (research report)
This comprehensive report summarizes and analyzes important population
and health issues in Asia. The publication is for policymakers,
political leaders, business leaders, research specialists, teachers,
and others with an interest in Asia and in global population issues.
The objective is to increase awareness of population trends in Asia
and their critical global social and economic implications.
POPULATION NEWS
Karachi: Gwadar
Plan Ignores Needs of Local Population (news article/opinion
piece)
The Gwadar master plan prepared by Nespak has totally underestimated
the population projections and needs of local population. According
to the proposed master plan, the population of Gwadar in year 2010
will be only around 135,000 and in 2030 it will be only around 500,000.
The author feels that the projected population growth is too low
for a new modern city, and that many interested partied and stakeholders
were ignored by the planning administration.
Japan's
Shrinking Population Leads to Multiethnic Weddings (news article)
If America's national myth involves a melting pot, Japan's has long
revolved around a near-classless mono-ethnicity. But with its population
shrinking, more people are concluding that marriage with a foreigner
is the best answer for their loneliness.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Effect on
Endometrium of Long Term Treatment with Continuous Combined Estrogen-Progestogen
Replacement Therapy: Follow Up Study (research article)
Long term treatment (for up to 5 years) with continuous combined
hormone replacement therapy containing estradiol 2 mg and norethisterone
1 mg daily was associated with neither endometrial hyperplasia nor
malignancy. In women who had complex hyperplasia during previous
sequential or unopposed regimens, the endometrium returned to normal
during treatment with continuous combined hormone replacement therapy.
These findings provide reassurance about the long term safety of
this continuous combined regimen in terms of the endometrium.
Curbside
Consultation: A Pregnant Woman Victimized by Physical Abuse
(clinical practice guidance)
A 27-year-old woman from Central America, 15 weeks pregnant, came
to my office with bruises on her face. It seemed obvious to me that
someone had attacked her. When I asked her what happened, she admitted
that her partner had beaten her. The patient did not want to press
charges because this man was her only source of support. (On an
earlier day, one of the office assistants had seen that man, drunk
in public.) I discussed a plan of action with her should he attempt
to hurt her again, and I urged her to meet with our social worker.
Still, I didn't feel that this was adequate intervention. What more
can I do to help such a patient, if she refuses to take action herself?
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Indonesia:
Surabaya's Prostitutes: Life on Edge of Society (news article)
Either they don't dare to go to the doctor or the doctor rejects
them." Officials don't recognize it yet, how important the
health issue, and especially the health of sex workers, will become
for Surabaya in the near future."
Grouchy? Type A? It Won't Affect Breast Cancer
Risk (news article)
Personality has no effect on breast cancer risk, according to a
large study of twins. While it has been suggested that there may
be a cancer-prone personality, study authors report that being extroverted,
neurotic or hostile or having a type A personality do not, individually
or in combination, increase a woman's risk of developing the disease,
which should help ease women's concerns.
Nun Study: Childbirth May Not Cause Incontinence
(news article)
Women who have never experienced childbirth are just as likely as
those who have given birth to develop urinary incontinence, a finding
that casts doubts on the theory that vaginal deliveries increase
the risk of incontinence.
Study Looks at Breast Cancer in Young Black Women
(news article)
Young African-American women who develop breast cancer appear to
be more likely to die from the disease than their white counterparts,
according to the results of a new study. The percentage of African-American
women who have their breast cancer detected while it is still in
an early stage, and therefore more treatable, has nearly doubled
during the 1990s.
Swedish Study Shows Mammography Saves Lives
(news article)
A new analysis of breast cancer data from Sweden shows that mammography
may reduce deaths from breast cancer by as much as 45 percent.
YOUTH RESEARCH
A Voz Dos Adolescentes
(Portuguese) (research report)
Related news article: Brazil:
UNICEF Releases Major Study on Youth
Brazil's youth are optimistic about their future but are worried
about the direction the country is heading, concludes a UNICEF survey
released this week in Sao Paulo. The comprehensive survey was compiled
from interviews with more than 5,000 Brazilian teenagers.
A Study of
the Effectiveness of AIDS Health Education Interventions among the
Adolescent Population of Singapore
(research article)
Most surveyed adolescents felt inadequately educated about HIV and
AIDS. This suggests the need to develop specific HIV/AIDS messages
and information to youth through various media to improve their
understanding of the illness, and prevention of it.
Lessons
Learned
(report)
This publication summarizes a selection of some of the lessons learned,
best practices, and success stories resulting from the experience
of over three years of implementation of reproductive health initiatives
in seven South and South East Asian countries.
Shotgun
Weddings a Sign of the Times in Japan (research article)
When it comes to creating a family, many young Japanese are dispensing
with tradition. No longer compelled to live by their parents' mores,
many are staying single longer and conceiving children before getting
married. A recent report by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor,
and Welfare sheds light on these trends with an analysis of contemporary
marriage patterns and with birth statistics for 2000.
YOUTH NEWS
In
Southern Africa, Teen Abstinence is 'Cool' (news article)
A program helps curb AIDS in Zambia, where 20 percent are diagnosed
as HIV positive.
Study: Birth Control Pill Does Not Make Teens
Fat (news article)
Birth control users reported being on the Pill for an average 28
months, yet their increases in weight, body mass index (a measurement
of weight in relation to height) and percent body fat was similar
to that of their peers.
Pakistani
Police Break Up Forced Marriage Deal (news article)
Pakistani police have intervened to cancel the forced marriage of
two teenage girls to elderly men under a deal brokered by a tribal
council to save the girls' relatives from the gallows.
Excess Weight in Teens Linked to Ovarian Cancer
(news article)
Women who are overweight as young adults may be more likely than
slender women to develop premenopausal ovarian cancer later in life,
new study findings suggest.
Middle
School Students in Beijing to Receive First Sex Education Books
in City (news article)
Middle school students in the Chinese capital of Beijing will soon
begin receiving new "complete and scientific" sex education
textbooks.
Teenager
Dies After Female Genital Mutilation (news article)
A fourteen-year-old girl died after undergoing circumcision in Freetown,
of Sierra Leone. Police are holding the woman who circumcised the
girl for questions, and she could be charged for murder or for manslaughter.
South
China AIDS Education Program Targets Teens (news article)
An unusual education program to provide AIDS prevention information
for young people is taking place in the small town of Leiping in
southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
A
Child's Eye: Indonesia Through the Eyes of a Child (book review)
This book consists of photographs taken by street and refugees children
aged between 10 and 18 years old in Jakarta, Sambas and Pontianak.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
Global
Estimates of Contraceptive Commodities and Condoms for STI/HIV Prevention
2000-2015: Technical Report 
As a prerequisite to success, developing countries must have access
to a ready supply of quality reproductive health commodities. To
meet the urgent needs that have arisen in some countries, especially
in sub-Saharan Africa, the UNFPA Commodity Management Unit has prepared
global estimates of contraceptives and condoms for STI/HIV prevention
programs based on certain hypotheses and assumptions that will be
validated once accurate information is made available.
The AIDS Pandemic
in the 21st Century
(Draft Report, July 2002) (USAID report)
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