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The Pop Reporter®

Volume 2, Number 46
18 November 2002

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FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

Sydney Summit a Step Back for Access to Medicines, But It Is Not the End of the Story (press release)
Trade ministers meeting in Sydney proposed a reform to WTO patent rules which supposedly allows poor countries to import cheap generic medicines but which in practice could be unworkable. This is a setback in the fight to put public health before corporate profit, but the battle is not over," said a spokesperson for Oxfam International. The major problem is that the country supplying cheap generic copies of drugs needed to combat AIDS, TB and any other disease, would have to agree to override the relevant patent.

AIDS in India: Money Won't Solve Crisis (press release)
"Bill Gates is right that the AIDS epidemic is poised to explode in India," said Joanne Csete, director of the HIV/AIDS program at Human Rights Watch. "But his generosity will be undermined if the Indian government doesn't do something about the widespread violence against people who are affected by the disease."

India: Two-child Norm Needs to be Reconsidered: UNFPA (news article)
The 'two-child norm' adopted by some states in the country violates the spirit of International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and needs to be reconsidered, according to Dr. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). "The two-child norm adopted by some Indian states needs to be reconsidered as it is a coercive way of controlling population," Obaid said.

WHO Strategic Approach to Improving Reproductive Health Care (policy brief)
A "systems framework" borrowed from modern management principles underpins WHO's strategic approach to improving family planning services and services dealing with other areas of reproductive health, such as reproductive tract infections (including sexually transmitted infections), maternal health, unsafe abortion, cervical cancer, and adolescent reproductive health.

Australia: Man Jailed Over Infecting Partner with HIV (news article)
The District Court in Perth has sentenced a 35-year-old man to seven years' jail for causing a woman grievous bodily harm by infecting her with HIV.

Zambia: HIV Positive People Should Be Isolated in Camps - Deputy Minister (news article)
Related news article: Zambian Minister Criticized for Suggesting Quarantining AIDS Patients (news article)
AIDS activists criticized a Zambian official for his proposal that everyone with HIV be forced into isolation camps. During a parliamentary debate Wednesday over a bill to form a National AIDS Council secretariat to coordinate Zambia's response to AIDS, Alex Chama, deputy minister for Luapula province, said, "[Those infected] are busy spreading the problem. It is not fair. They should be isolated to a specific camp until such time that they become negative."

South Indian State Pushes for Mandatory HIV Screening (news article)
The southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is seeking tough new laws to make it mandatory for couples wanting to marry to undergo HIV screening.

FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Evaluation of an Emergency Contraception Introduction Project In Kenya (PubMed abstract)
The Consortium for Emergency Contraception (EC) introduced Postinor-2, a progestin-only EC product, into Kenya as part of its work to expand access to EC in developing countries. Authors surveyed family planning clients and providers to assess the impact of these activities. Only one-fifth of women at the evaluation had heard of EC and almost half of the women expressed concerns about EC at baseline and evaluation. More research and experience using novel ways of informing women about EC in Africa is needed, and information needs to address women's concerns.

Comparative Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Safety of Two Regimens of Levonorgestrel for Emergency Contraception In Nigerians (PubMed abstract)
Emergency contraception was introduced in Nigeria over two decades ago, but few women have used this method even in emergency situations because of the side effects. To find an acceptable levonorgestrel regimen for emergency contraception in our community, the two-dose regimen 0.75-mg levonorgestrel 12 hours apart (group A) and the single dose 1.5-mg levonorgestrel (group B) were studied in 1118 volunteers. The pregnancy rates increased with delay in starting treatment and if further acts of unprotected sexual intercourse took place after treatment. It was concluded that both regimens were effective and safe.

Changing Fertility Rates in Developed Countries. The Impact of Labor Market Institutions (report)
During the last two decades fertility rates have sharply decreased in most developed countries, childbearing has been delayed and fertility rates and female participation rates across OECD countries have become positively correlated. In this paper the author shows that the flexibility of the market to accommodate women's exit and entry in the labor force and the effect that time-off has in lifetime expected income - in terms of forgone experience and/or delayed wage growth - and in its variance - in terms of the ability to find a stable job - explain those trends. The institutional features of labor markets affect not only the size of the opportunity cost of childbearing but also how it varies with age at childbirth and labor market attachment.

Recommendations for IUD Use (review article)
This review article focuses on five areas related to IUD use: Insertion of a copper-bearing IUD; menstrual abnormalities; pelvic inflammatory disease; pregnancy; and use of prophylactic antibiotics for copper-bearing IUD insertion.

FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

Two-in-One Gel: Microbicide and Contraceptive (news article)
A gel commonly used to thicken cosmetics may work as an antiretroviral microbicide and as a contraceptive, report researchers from Johns Hopkins University.

Sexologists Call for More Sexual Awareness Across Asia (news article)
If people have more sex, they will be happier and more motivated to work and, consequently, the economy will improve, Asian sexologists said at a conference Thursday while calling for more sexual education across the continent. "When the economy is down, sexual activity is lower as people get depressed and have less sex," said founder and president of the Asian Federation for Sexology. "Their quality of life will decrease, with an increase in family violence and divorce."

Doctors Test Easily Reversible Vasectomy (news article)
Vasectomy specialist Dr. Ronald Weiss of the University of Ottawa is conducting human trials in India of a painless reversible vasectomy. "It will lower the pH or make the area around it slightly acidic (to) help kill sperm," said Weiss. "The second thing is that it has a mild electrical charge that will also kill sperm." To reverse the process, the gel is simply flushed away, no surgery required.

South Africa: First Free Condoms Initiative (news article)
In an effort to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS, the Cape Town Unicity government and Intersite Property Management Services, have launched what is believed to be the city's first initiative for the installation of free condom dispensers - in the ablution facilities in Cape Town Railway Station.

Tanzania: Iringa Villagers Say Condoms 'Are Cold' (news article)
Mang'oto villagers in Makete District have refused to use condoms. Reason? The contraption is cold, and that is not conducive to satisfactory sex, they claim.

HIV / AIDS RESEARCH

Surveillance of HIV/AIDS-Related Attitudes and Perceptions Among the General Public in Hong Kong from 1994 to 2000 (research abstract)
This study monitored the trends of HIV/AIDS-related attitudes and perceptions including awareness, knowledge, self-perceived risk of HIV infection, and program evaluation among the general public in Hong Kong over a 7 year period. Over the study period, the level of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge has improved slightly for most of the studied items. However, the public seemed to be losing interest in HIV/AIDS-related issues and were not satisfied with the efficacy and adequacy of HIV/AIDS programs in Hong Kong.

Diffusion of HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Positive Attitudes, and Behaviors through Training of Health Professionals in China (PubMed abstract)
This study evaluated a training-of-trainers strategy to update HIV/AIDS knowledge and improve attitudes and behavior among health professionals and the public; researchers found that the strategy was cost effective for improving knowledge and attitudes and promoting condom use.

HIV / AIDS NEWS

Panel Posts HIV Rx Research Priorities in Poor Countries (news article)
An international panel convened by the Rockefeller Foundation offers its advice on antiretroviral research priorities for poor and developing countries.

New HIV Vaccine Holds Promise of Global Effectiveness (news article)
Clinical tests began last week of a novel vaccine directed at the three most globally important HIV subtypes. The vaccine incorporates HIV genetic material from subtypes A, B and C, which cause about 90 percent of all HIV infections around the world.

Equitable Access: Scaling Up HIV/AIDS Treatment in Developing Countries (news article)
For many years, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been caring for people living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries. Since 2001, MSF has been providing antiretroviral treatment to patients with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia, Cameroon, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda and Ukraine. Experience has demonstrated that providing effective treatment is not only feasible in resource-poor settings, but has concrete clinical benefits and dramatic effects on the lives of individuals and their communities. However, while we know that treatment is possible, scaling up to national level has only been successfully implemented in a handful of countries. It is time to scale up HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries.

South Africa: Test Kit to Determine HIV Status in Seconds (news article)
Eastern Cape Premier Makhenkesi Stofile has endorsed a saliva-based HIV test kit set to determine one's HIV status in approximately five seconds, in the privacy of one's home. Developed over three years by world-acclaimed scientist Edward Ayensu, the Gaifar Instant Screen Rapid Test is said to have been approved in many countries in Africa, including the US, China and Vietnam.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Effect of Iron Supplementation on Incidence of Infectious Illness In Children: Systematic Review (research article)
Concerns have been expressed that people who receive iron supplementation acquire more infections. In view of the widespread prevalence of iron deficiency in children and its adverse health consequences, researchers carried out a systematic review of 28 international randomized controlled trials to examine this question. On average, iron supplementation did not significantly increase the incidence of overall infectious illnesses, but the risk of acquiring diarrhea was 11% higher.

Reported Adverse Drug Events in Infants and Children Under 2 Years of Age (research abstract)
Related news article: Serious Adverse Events Associated With Perinatal Drugs
An average of 243 children under the age of 2 years die each year in the United States as a result of drugs used during the perinatal period. Seventeen drugs accounted for more than half of all cases of serious and fatal adverse events in children treated directly with them.

Pregnancy in the Sixth Decade of Life: Obstetric Outcomes in Women of Advanced Reproductive Age (research abstract)
Appropriately screened women aged 50 years or older can successfully conceive via oocyte donation and experience similar pregnancy rates, multiple gestation rates, and spontaneous abortion rates as younger recipients. During pregnancy, they appear at increased risk of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. A majority can expect to deliver via cesarean. However, there does not appear to be any definitive medical reason for excluding these women from attempting pregnancy on the basis of age alone.

Processing Speed in the 1st Year of Life: A Longitudinal Study of Preterm and Full-Term Infants (research article)
Related news article: Pre-Term Infants Slower Than Full-Terms at Processing Information
Although individuals vary widely, on average, pre-term infants are markedly slower at processing information -- including understanding what they see -- than full-term infants. New research shows this deficit in processing speed is already present in the first year of life and the gap in performance does not narrow with age.

Effect of Nitazoxanide on Morbidity and Mortality In Zambian Children With Cryptosporidiosis: A Randomised Controlled Trial (PubMed abstract)
Cryptosporidiosis in children in developing countries causes persistent diarrhea and malnutrition and is associated with increased mortality, but there is no effective treatment. Authors aimed to assess the effect of nitazoxanide--a new broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug--on morbidity and mortality in Zambian children with diarrhea due to Cryptosporidium parvum. The authors concluded that a 3-day course of nitazoxanide significantly improved the resolution of diarrhea, parasitological eradication, and mortality in HIV-seronegative, but not HIV-seropositive, children.

Effect of Interpregnancy Interval on Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth in Emirati Women, United Arab Emirates (research article)
This study found that a short interpregnancy interval is a risk factor for spontaneous preterm birth in Emirati women. The findings suggest that modification of this risk factor would reduce the risk of preterm birth.

Risk of Death Following Pregnancy in Rural Nepal (research article)
This study investigated the length of time following pregnancy during which the risk of mortality was elevated among women in rural Nepal. Findings suggest that the risk of mortality associated with pregnancy should be assessed over the first 12 weeks following pregnancy instead of over the firs 6 weeks.

HIV Testing Among Pregnant Women - United States and Canada, 1998-2001 (report)
Related news article: 'Opt-out' HIV Tests Could Reach More Pregnant Women
Two different approaches can help ensure that most pregnant women get an HIV test, a step that can reduce the risk of transmitting the virus from mother to child during or after birth.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

Female Supporters Help Mother, Baby in Pregnancy (news article)
New evidence suggests that doulas, women who provide support to expecting mothers during childbirth, can help both mother and baby.

Uganda: Maternal Deaths Worry Wabudeya (news article)
Uganda's maternal mortality rates are still high because of poor services at health centres or total lack of the services. Beatrice Wabudeya, the minister of state for primary health care, said "We still have a big problem because our maternal mortality rates are still embarrassingly high. They do not show any signs of coming down; something which is peculiar to Uganda and not other countries in Africa."

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Effect of Flaxseed Supplementation on Prostatic Carcinoma In Transgenic Mice (PubMed abstract)
Related news article: Flaxseed-Rich Diet Blocks Prostate Cancer Growth and Development In Mice
A diet rich in flaxseed seems to reduce the size, aggressiveness and severity of tumors in mice that have been genetically engineered to develop prostate cancer, according to new research from Duke University Medical Center. And in 3 percent of the mice the flaxseed diet kept them from getting the disease at all.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

New Prostate Surgery Met With Caution; Hype About Laparoscopic Procedure Worries Some Doctors (news article)
Men can decide to have their prostates removed laparoscopically, a new and much-debated surgical procedure that promises to dramatically reduce pain, blood loss, and the month-long convalescence typically associated with the standard operation. But the buzz about laparoscopic prostate surgery at medical meetings and on the Internet has alarmed some specialists, who say they fear that the procedure is being hyped and oversold.

Sperm Quality Low In Farming Region (news article)
A study has found the quality of semen significantly poorer in men from rural mid-Missouri than in males from urban areas, and its authors believe agricultural chemicals might explain the difference.

Men Can Get Breast Cancer, Too (news article)
A lot of men don't know they have breasts," says Samuelson, a 54-year-old health educator who lives in Ann Arbor, Mich. "They think they have 'pecs.' They think breast cancer is a woman's disease." But men can and do get breast cancer. About 1,500 cases of breast cancer in males will be diagnosed in the United States this year, and 400 men will die of the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Study Finds Sex Among Straight Black Men (news article)
Confirming the existence of hidden "down low" homosexuality in African-American communities, a new study found that 16 percent of poor Los Angeles-area black men who consider themselves straight have actually had anal sex with men.

Recognizing Men Abused by Women (commentary)
Since the 1970s, most domestic violence studies have shown that men and women are equally violent toward their spouses. It would seem that broadening outreach to a more diverse group of victims should be an unequivocally good thing for those concerned with domestic violence. But that's not the way many advocates see it.

POPULATION RESEARCH

Mortality Patterns in the Russian Federation: Indirect Technique Using Widowhood Data (research article)
The Russian mortality crisis of the early 1990s attracted considerable attention, but information on possible covariates of mortality is lacking, and concerns have been raised about the validity of official mortality data. To help elucidate the determinants of mortality, the authors examined whether indirect demographic techniques could be used to study mortality in countries such as the Russian Federation, where mortality data are inadequate, using input data independent from official vital statistics. Although the indirect estimates were imprecise (partly owing to the small population size of the study), and mortality in women was probably underestimated (owing to many factors, including poorer reporting by males and high male mortality), the authors state that their results are consistent with the mortality pattern observed in official mortality data.

Preliminary Results from the CSIS Aging Vulnerability Index (report)
The 2003 edition of The Aging Vulnerability Index, assesses the "vulnerability" of the developed countries to rising old-age dependency costs. In this first edition, the Index covers twelve countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

POPULATION NEWS

UAE Population Grows 19-Fold In Three Decades (news article)
The UAE's population has jumped nearly 19-fold since oil began flowing out of the desert land more than three decades ago to turn the small scattered oases into one of the most advanced cosmopolitan cities in the Middle East.

Russian Experts Overestimate Census (news article)
A top Russian official on Friday said preliminary results from last month's census show that Russia's population has not declined as drastically as experts predicted, Russian news agencies reported.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Going Along to Get Along: Female Sexual Submission in Urban China (report)
With a new national sample from urban China, this paper examines the conditions under which women submit to the sexual desires of their husband or other primary sexual partner. The paper draws on both on both essentialist (nature) and social constructionist (nurture) accounts of sexual behavior. The analysis concludes that both perspectives provide insights, with the following elements all shaping women's perceived sexual submission: women's levels of consciousness (indexed by education), bargaining (relative income, hitting, native community), relationship quality (men's intimacy and care in both daily life and during sex), and the woman's own values about sex and her level of interest in sex (feelings about whether sex is dirty, and frequent thoughts about sex).

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Drama Changes Attitudes Towards Genital Mutilation (news article)
Female genital mutilation continues to be practised in approximately 28 countries in Africa. Whilst considered by some cultures as an essential rite of passage to womanhood, opposition to the practice has largely come from outside these communities, with the United Nations pledging to eradicate it within three generations.

Female Circumcision Alive and Well in Singapore (news article)
In Singapore's small Muslim community, female circumcision involves nicking the prepuce, the skin covering the clitoris. It is markedly different from the practices of some Muslim communities in Africa and the Middle East that are decried by human rights activists as female genital mutilation.

New Cervical Cancer Early Detection Guidelines Released, (press release)
Related news article: Cancer group: Fewer Pap tests needed
Most women over 30 can skip the annual Pap test for cervical cancer, and instead safely have the check only every two to three years, the American Cancer Society said this week. Cervical cancer grows so slowly that women have plenty of time to be tested and have any preventive treatment, the organization advised.

Married Women Have the Best Sex (news article)
Two-thirds of married women say the best sex they've had is with their husband, compared to 13% who say it was when they were single and just 9% when having an affair, a survey by health magazine Top Sante said.

YOUTH RESEARCH

Developing an AIDS Prevention Intervention for Incarcerated Male Adolescents in Brazil (PubMed abstract)
The researchers report in this paper that Initial efforts at prevention based on commonly used approaches of providing information to guide future rational decisions generated limited participation. However, when they worked with the boys to develop interventions based on their interests and needs, using modalities such as music, hip-hop arts, graffiti, and helping them to create an AIDS prevention compact disk, they responded with enthusiasm.

YOUTH NEWS

More Teens Lose Virginity in June, December (news article)
Teens are much more likely to lose their virginity during the months of June and December than at any other time of the year, a new study has found.

Teaching Teens About Sex (feature article)
While virginity isn't exactly igniting most high school and college campuses with the same excitement as, say, a Saturday afternoon football pep rally, a growing number of adolescents are making the choice to postpone their first sexual experience until marriage, believing that doing otherwise may be risky business.

BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS

Promoting Reproductive Security in Developing Countries (book)
This book provides a comprehensive approach to developing and implementing reproductive health programs in the developing world. It fills a major gap in the literature by responding to the global need for a detailed guide to comprehensive reproductive health services. Promoting Reproductive Security in Developing Countries furnishes an innovative conceptual model - reproductive security - and offers an in-depth analysis of major reproductive health

Internally Displaced People: A Global Survey (book)
Today, at least 25 million people are displaced by conflicts, but unlike refugees these people remain in their own countries. Worldwide, they outnumber refugees by nearly two-to-one and they nearly always receive less protection and less aid. This book provides unique information and analysis on displacement in 48 different countries across the globe. It is essential reading for anyone interested in refugees and humanitarian affairs, including donors, advocates, aid workers, researchers and journalists.

PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS

Communication for Development Roundtable Report: Focus on HIV/AIDS Communication and Evaluation (report)
This report represents a number of different communications models and applications in the field. It highlights an emerging convergence in approaches and increasing efforts to build bridges between different types of activities, including Behaviour Change Communication, Communication for Social Change and Advocacy. You will also find examples of approaches to address young people's needs and gender issues, including community mobilization against gender-based violence and discrimination, and use of community media.

Asia and the Pacific: A Region in Transition (report)
This UNFPA publication gives an overview of the Asia and Pacific Region; provides a detailed analysis of some of the crucial issues facing the region - adolescent reproductive health, population aging, rising spread of HIV/AIDS, gender discrimination, gender-based violence, situations of crisis; and highlights UNFPA's core interventions and major initiatives in each of these areas.

A Plethora of IUDs: But How Safe, How Effective? (review article)
The fewer insertions a women undergoes, the lower her lifetime risk of pelvic inflammatory disease.

A Brief History of Modern IUDs (review article)
IUD technology has come a long way since the first plastic IUDs (the Lippes Loop, Margulies Spiral, Saf-T-Coil, and others) appeared on the scene in the 1960s.

Using ICTs for Health Care in Bangladesh (interview)
Health care is among the priority sectors in developing countries, including Bangladesh. Many people perish daily from infectious and other diseases due to poor health care conditions. There seems to be a great potential in using Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) to save human lives by improving health delivery and access to much needed medical knowledge. Can ICTs really make a difference in improving health in a country like Bangladesh?

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