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Volume 2, Number 47
25 November 2002
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
Lawmakers
from 70 Countries Gather at Canadian Parliament to Promote Reproductive
Rights (press release)
More than 100 parliamentarians from 70 countries met at the Canadian
Parliament to identify actions they can take to safeguard women's
reproductive rights, improve access to reproductive health services
(including family planning), reduce maternal mortality, and prevent
the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Zambia:
Parliament Passes AIDS Bill (news article)
The Zambian parliament passed an AIDS bill that establishes a national
council and secretariat to coordinate the previously fragmented
fight against the epidemic.
Argentina:
Better Reproductive Health (news article)
Despite strong opposition from the Catholic Church and after more
than a year of debate, the Argentine Senate passed a law granting
women free access to contraceptives and establishing campaigns to
prevent teenage pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases,
and breast and genital cancer.
Nigeria:
National Reproductive Health Policy Launched (news article)
In its continued efforts to improve the health and development of
her citizenry, Nigeria has developed the National Reproductive Health
Policy to provide the necessary guidance and framework for the promotion
and implementation of reproductive health programmes and activities
in the country.
Government
Extremists in Peru Further Undermine Reproductive Rights 
(policy
brief)
The Peruvian Ministry of Health refused to accept a five-year $24
million bilateral development assistance grant from the United Kingdom's
Department of International Development (DFID). This grant was intended
to improve reproductive health care services throughout the country
and follows by only a few weeks Peru's rejection of another bilateral
grant for reproductive health from Spain.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Do
Condoms Prevent Genital HPV Infection, External Genital Warts, or
Cervical Neoplasia? A Meta-analysis (PubMed abstract)
The authors found that among 27 estimates from 20 studies, there
was no consistent evidence that condom use reduces the risk of becoming
HPV DNA-positive. However, risk for genital warts, CIN of grade
II or III (CIN II or III), and ICC was somewhat reduced.
Opinions
of Imams About Family Planning and Their Use of Methods in Kayseri,
Turkey (PubMed abstract)
Findings in this study suggest that, contrary to common belief,
imams viewed family planning positively and used family planning
methods at a rate similar to that of the general public.
Information
Campaign and Advocacy Efforts to Promote Access to Emergency Contraception
in Mexico (PubMed abstract)
This paper describes a comprehensive model introduction effort that
included four components: provider training, public information
(through a dedicated hotline and website, free media, paid radio
and TV spots, participation in talk shows, and alternative media
channels), collaboration with the public sector to include EC in
the official family planning norms, and assistance to partner with
commercial firms to register a dedicated EC product.
Incidence
of Sexually Transmitted Infections among HIV-positive Sex Workers
in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (PubMed abstract)
In this cohort of HIV-positive sex workers the incidence of STIs
was high, despite their participation in a prevention program comprising
monthly STI treatment, counseling, and condom promotion.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
Male
Birth-control Pill Studied (news article)
Doctors at the University of Washington are renewing long-stymied
efforts to develop a birth-control pill for men, who haven't had
a new contraceptive product since the condom's invention centuries
ago.
Namibia Joins the League of Condom Producers in Africa (news article)
Namibia has become the second country in Africa, after South Africa,
to start producing condoms to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS.
Schering and Organon Developing
Male Hormonal Contraceptive for US and European Markets (news
article)
Pharmaceutical companies Schering AG and Organon said they aim to
produce a marketable hormone contraceptive for men in five to seven
years - a goal that has stumped researchers for decades.
Philippines:
More LGUs Turn to Vasectomy as Family Planning Method (news
article)
More and more local government units (LGUs) are turning to vasectomy
as an effective alternative method for couples who want to plan
their families.
China's
Largest City to Put Free Condoms in Public Places (news article)
China's most populous city, Chongqing, plans to distribute one million
condoms a year to achieve a condom usage rate of 50 per cent among
high-risk groups such as prostitutes and their clients.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
Generalizability
of Population-based Studies on AIDS: A Comparison of Newly and Continuously
Surveyed Villages in Rural Southwest Uganda (research abstract)
In the context of rural Uganda where there has been considerable
health education about AIDS, the additional attention to HIV infection
caused by this longitudinal study does not appear to have appreciably
affected the prevalence of HIV-1 infection.
Risk
of HIV Infection Attributable to Oral Sex Among Men Who Have Sex
with Men and in the Population of Men Who Have Sex with Men
(PubMed abstract)
Related news article: UCSF
Study Finds No Cases of HIV Transmission from Receptive Oral Sex
No cases of HIV transmission through unprotected receptive oral
sex were found by researchers at UCSF's Center for AIDS Prevention
Studies (CAPS). The study looked at men who have sex with men and
who exclusively practice oral sex as the receptive partner.
Gender
Inequalities, Intimate Partner Violence and HIV Preventive Practices:
Findings of a South African Cross-sectional Study (PubMed abstract)
Findings in this study indicate that discussion of HIV was significantly
positively associated with education, living in Mpumalanga Province,
the man being a migrant, the woman having multiple partners in the
past year and having no confidante. It was significantly negatively
associated with living in the Northern Province, the relationship
being poor, and there being a substantial age difference between
partners.
Association
of Cervical SIL and HIV-1 Infection Among Zimbabwean Women in an
HIV/STI Prevention Study (PubMed abstract)
The authors conclude that the introduction of national cervical
screening programme in HIV-1 endemic countries like Zimbabwe where
the highest burden of pre-malignant lesions is among HIV-1-infected
women needs careful planning because these women have other competing
health needs including high rates of opportunistic infections.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
Indian
Sex Educators Tackle AIDS (news article)
HIV and AIDS in India received high-profile coverage during the
recent visit by software tycoon, Bill Gates. But in the southern
city of Madras, one of the worst affected cities in India, work
has started on the ground to target the city's 75,000 or so street-dwelling
children.
Rising
Violence Against AIDS Patients in India: Rights Group (news
article)
A US human rights watchdog warned today that increasing violence
against HIV carriers in India was threatening to undermine the generosity
of international donors.
Live
and Let Live: World AIDS Campaign 2002-2003 (public service
announcement)
"Live and Let Live" is the slogan of the two-year World
AIDS Campaign (2002-2003), which will focus on eliminating stigma
and discrimination.
HIV
Prevention Efforts Have Curbed the US AIDS Epidemic (news article)
If not for HIV prevention efforts, it is likely that the number
of additional individuals infected with HIV in the United States
would be equivalent to the population of a moderate-sized to large
city.
Huge
Cost of AIDS to Uganda (news article)
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said the effects of HIV/AIDS
and malaria are costing his country more than $1 billion a year.
He said the direct health costs of treatment, together with lost
wealth as a result of reduced manpower, are the main reasons for
the huge losses.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
The
State of the World's Vaccines and Immunization
(report)
Related press release: Low
Investment in Immunization and Vaccines Threatens Global Health
One in four of the world's children are not inoculated against common,
vaccine-preventable diseases such as tuberculosis, measles, tetanus,
and whooping cough.
A
Critical Appraisal of Cesarean Section Rates at Teaching Hospitals
in India (Pubmed abstract)
The purpose of this study was to obtain an estimate of cesarean
section rates and examine the indications and consequences at teaching
hospitals in India. Information was obtained on total number of
normal and cesarean deliveries during 1993-1994 and 1998-1999 from
30 medical teaching hospitals. Results showed that the overall rate
of cesarean section increased from 21.8% in 1993-1994 to 25.4% in
1998-1999. Maternal and perinatal mortality was 299/100000 and 493/1000
deliveries, respectively, and is high in spite of the increase in
the cesarean section rates.
Utilization
of Care During Pregnancy in Rural Guatemala: Does Obstetrical Need
Matters
(working paper)
This study examines factors associated with the use of biomedical
care during pregnancy in Guatemala, focusing on the extent to which
complications in an ongoing or previous pregnancy affect a woman's
decisions to seek care. The findings suggest that obstetrical need
as well as demographic, social, and cultural factors are important
predictors of pregnancy care. In contrast, measures of availability
and access to health services have modest effects. The results also
suggest the importance of unobserved variables, such as quality
of care, in explaining women's decisions about pregnancy care.
Diarrheal
Disease and Its Treatment Among Brazilian Children: Stagnation and
Progress over a Ten-Year Period
(working paper)
This paper examines trends and differentials in diarrhea prevalence
and treatment in Brazil between 1986 and 1996. Results indicate
that there was a very modest decline in diarrhea prevalence in Brazil
over this ten year period. However, treatment with oral rehydration
therapy (ORT) increased greatly. The rise in ORT use did not reduce
the prevalence of diarrhea. It suggests, however, that the focus
on therapeutic care may have occurred at the cost of preventive
care.
Unplanned
Childbearing in Kenya: The Socio-demographic Correlates and the
Extent of Repeatability Among Women (PubMed abstract)
The results of this study indicate that unplanned childbearing in
Kenya is associated with a number of factors, including urban/rural
residence, region, ethnicity, maternal education, maternal age,
marital status, birth order, length of preceding birth interval,
family planning practise, fertility preference and unmet need for
family planning.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
High
Infant and Maternal Mortalities in Nigeria (editorial)
Nigeria is ranked second in Africa based on available statistics
on the high rates of infant and maternal mortality. It records 191
deaths per 1000 live births, behind Sierra Leone with 246. Worse
still, Nigeria comes last in terms of efforts put in place to reverse
this ugly trend in the past 10 years.
New Test for Strep May Save
Newborns (news article)
Hospitals in the US will soon be able to offer women in premature
labor or who missed prenatal care a crucial test that could help
protect hundreds of newborns from a potentially deadly infection.
Starving
Children in Once-rich Argentina (news article)
In the last two months, six children have died of starvation in
Argentina, and the number of unconfirmed deaths mounts daily. The
deaths are a tragic side effect of the economic and political crisis
that has brought this once-rich country to the brink of ruin.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Effectiveness
and Complications Associated with 2 Vasectomy Occlusion Techniques
(PubMed abstract)
The authors compared the effectiveness and complications associated
with two common vasectomy occlusion techniques: clipping and excision
of a small vas segment and thermal cautery with fascial interposition
and an open testicular end. They found that cautery and interposition
with an open testicular end are much more effective than clipping
and excision.
Migrant
Fathers and Their Attitudes to Potential Male Hormonal Contraceptives
(PubMed abstract)
The purpose of this study was to assess potential uptake of male
hormonal contraception (MHC) in migrant fathers in a post-partum
setting, and to compare them to Australian-born fathers. There were
significant differences in desired mode of administration in potential
'triers' from both groups, as well as in attitudes to existing contraception.
Two-yearly injection was the most popular method of administration
in migrants, with 38.3% of 'triers' listing it as their first choice
(compared with 21.4% in published data on Australian-born men).
Increasing
the Number of Core Samples Taken at Prostate Biopsy Enhances the
Detection of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer (Pubmed
abstract)
The number of cores obtained during transrectal ultrasound-guided
prostate biopsy to detect cancer has increased from the previous
standard of six. Increasing the number of biopsy cores taken results
in a higher prostate cancer detection rate. The authors wanted to
determine whether the increased number of tumors found is clinically
significant. They concluded that the addition of laterally directed
biopsies increases the rate of prostate cancer detection, and the
vast majority of these tumors are clinically significant.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
The
Philippines: Where Are the Men? In the Clinic - Having Vasectomy
(feature article)
"There's a false impression that it's hard to motivate men.
But when we knew there was a demand, and a large number of men turned
up in the city hospital, we concretized the program," said
Dr. Jose Rodriguez. It was in Bago City that the idea of giving
free vasectomy services was born after a local health survey found
out that there was a demand for an alternative to family-planning
methods. A total of 55 men, mostly sacadas with large families but
meager earnings, underwent vasectomy in January last year.
South Africa: Prison Gangs Use
AIDS Rape as Punishment (news article)
South African prison gangs are using HIV infection as punishment,
ordering gang members carrying the AIDS virus to rape disobedient
inmates in a ritual known as "slow puncture."
POPULATION RESEARCH
The
Use of Capture-recapture Methods in Public Health
(editorial)
Capture-recapture techniques are often much less expensive and may
be more informative than classic approaches to case-findings. Public
health officials face limited budgets. Those interested in the size
of difficult-to-identify populations will find estimation procedures
based on these methods appealing.
POPULATION NEWS
Ageing
Population Changing Traditional Indian Family (news article)
Almost 80 million people in India are over 60 years and by the year
2021 that number will increase to 137 million, according to the
UN. That means India's population is ageing, bringing with it changes
to the traditional concept of an Indian family.
Uganda:
Population to Reach 54 Million By 2025 (news article)
At the present population growth rate of 3.4% Ugandans are bearing
enough children to bring the population to 54 million in 2025.
China
Calls for Further Awareness of Population, Development (news
article)
A senior official of China's legislature urged the international
community and governments of developed nations to help further raise
awareness of population and development among developing countries.
Children
Account for One-Third of UAE Population (news article)
The UAE has about 1.1 million children, representing one-third of
the country's population in 2001. Recently released figures of the
Ministry of Planning indicate that the number of those in the 0
to 19 age group has been increasing steadily.
Immigration
'Causing UK Population Growth To Soar' (news article)
Related press release: Think-tank
Calls for Zero Net Immigration
Mass immigration has quadrupled the rate of population growth, a
report by a think tank claims. The Civitas report states that immigration
has added 543,000 to the population in the last three years and
1.02m to the population between 1992 and 2000.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
A
Controlled Trial of a Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Vaccine (research
abstract)
Related news article: Vaccine Protects Women Against
Genital Herpes
A vaccine against genital herpes has been sought by researchers
for decades, and new findings show the first sign that a vaccine
against the chronic condition may one day be possible; at least,
for women.
Glycoprotein-D
Adjuvant Vaccine to Prevent Genital Herpes (research abstract)
This study suggests that the glycoprotein D vaccine has efficacy
against genital herpes in women who are seronegative for both HSV-1
and HSV-2 at base line but not in those who are seropositive for
HSV-1 and seronegative for HSV-2. It had no efficacy in men, regardless
of their HSV serologic status.
Pre-eclampsia
in Pregnancy and Subsequent Risk for Breast Cancer (PubMed abstract)
Women who experience pre-eclampsia or hypertension during pregnancy
may have a reduced risk for breast cancer later in life. The evidence
is based on case-control studies, and here the study reports the
results of a cohort study exploring the link between pre-eclampsia
and gestational hypertension diagnosed in the first pregnancy and
subsequent risk for breast cancer. These results suggest that the
pathophysiology surrounding pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension
plays an important role in breast cancer etiology. A better understanding
of the underlying processes could provide an insight into the pathogenesis
of breast cancer.
Trends
in Breast Cancer Incidence in Hong Kong Between 1973 and 1999: An
Age-period-cohort Analysis (PubMed abstract)
Hong Kong has the highest breast cancer incidence in Asia, and studying
secular changes in its rates may lead to hypotheses regarding disease
etiology and also predictions of future trends for China. Results
suggest that direct and indirect consequences of westernisation
may have been responsible for most of the observed increase in breast
cancer incidence. As China moves towards a more westernised way
of life, we can expect an emerging epidemic of breast cancer as
Hong Kong's experience has demonstrated.
Effects
of Hormone Replacement Therapy and Antioxidant Vitamin Supplements
on Coronary Atherosclerosis in Postmenopausal Women (research
abstract)
Related news article: Study
of Menopausal Women with Heart Disease Finds No Benefit, Potential
for Harm from Hormone Therapy and Antioxidant Vitamins
In postmenopausal women with coronary disease, neither HRT nor antioxidant
vitamin supplements provide cardiovascular benefit. Instead, a potential
for harm was suggested with each treatment.
Postmenopausal
Hormone Replacement Therapy for Primary Prevention of Chronic Conditions:
Recommendations and Rationale (clinical guidelines)
Hot
Flashes: The Old and the New, What Is Really True?
(editorial)
Pilot
Evaluation of Gabapentin for Treating Hot Flashes
Related news article: Jury Still Out on Most Menopausal
Remedies
When a large study of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was halted
this summer after it became clear that the benefits of taking hormones
at menopause were outweighed by small, but significant, increased
health risks, many women decided to stop taking HRT. Even though
HRT turned out not to provide as many health benefits as hoped,
the treatment is effective at relieving hot flashes and other menopausal
symptoms, so women who have stopped HRT have had to decide what,
if anything, to take instead.
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Major
Herpes Vaccine Trial Launched in Women (press release)
A pivotal efficacy trial of an experimental vaccine designed to
prevent genital herpes in women began enrolling volunteers.
Stanford
Trial Studies Vastly Shorter Radiation Time For Breast Cancer Treatment
(news article)
A new radiation approach being tested at Stanford University Medical
Center could shorten the overall treatment time for women with breast
cancer. Participants will receive a single dose of radiation at
the time of surgery rather than the usual six-week course of radiation
therapy.
Uganda:
Female Genital Mutilation Down (news article)
Female genital mutilation in Kapchorwa district in Uganda has declined,
Sebei Elders Association Chairman has said. He attributed the decline
to a change in attitude among communities due to sensitization offered
by the Reproductive Education and Community Health organization.
Questions
About Hormone Therapy Remain Puzzling (news article)
New clinical recommendations from the North American Menopause Society
(NAMS) show that many physicians are left with more questions than
answers following the recent release of data from two large clinical
trials of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
YOUTH RESEARCH
The
Longitudinal Relationship Between Drug Use and Risky Sexual Behaviors
Among Colombian Adolescents (research abstract)
By using regression analyses (controlling for demographic variables)
a reciprocal longitudinal relationship between risky sexual behaviors
and drug use was identified. Those adolescents who reported higher
levels of drug use at time 1 also had more sexual partners, had
higher frequencies of unprotected sex, and were more likely to have
experienced early pregnancy at time 2. The reverse relationship
was true as well. The level of violence experienced by the adolescent
emerged as a moderator of some of these relationships.
Pregnancy
Outcomes in Urban Teenagers (PubMed abstract)
The purpose of the study was to compare pregnancy outcomes for teenagers
with those for older gravidas. A retrospective case control study
was undertaken to compare teenagers who delivered between January
1996 and October 1999 at a public urban hospital with a group of
older gravidas. Young pregnant teenagers were more likely to be
nulliparous. They weighed less and gained less in pregnancy. More
teen pregnancies occurred among Hispanics than other ethnic groups.
The younger the teenager, the more likely for her infant to be of
low or very low birth weight or growth restricted.
Religiousness
and Sexual Responsibility in Adolescent Girls (PubMed abstract)
Researchers investigated a potential association between religiousness
and sexual responsibility in a nationally (US) representative sample
of 3356 adolescent girls. Data were analyzed using a series of regression
analyses with religiousness as the predictor and sexual responsibility
as the outcome. Personal devotion was positively associated with
fewer sexual partners outside a romantic relationship. Frequent
attendance of religious events was positively associated with greater
perception of risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
or pregnancy from unprotected intercourse, greater foresight of
suffering from HIV or pregnancy, and a responsible and planned use
of birth control.
YOUTH NEWS
Swaziland:
Would You Let Your Daughter Marry a Polygamous King?
Swazi human rights groups supported a lawsuit that exposed new heights
in the country's rising conflict between Swazi tradition and the
modern legal system.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
The
Macroeconomic Impact of Global Aging: A New Era of Economic Frailty?
(book)
Over the next 50 years the workforce in most developed nations will
decline while the proportion of elderly will nearly double. The
change is expected to lead to sluggish growth rates and to put a
brake on rising living standards. This book reviews and analyzes
major econometric studies of the macroeconomic impact of rising
old-age dependency ratios. It also examines the potential for gains
in productivity and technological innovations to counter the effect
of global aging.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
U.S.
Public Health Service Task Force Recommendations for Use--of Antiretroviral
Drugs in Pregnant HIV-1--Infected Women for Maternal Health and
Interventions To Reduce Perinatal HIV-1 Transmission in the United
States (special report)
These recommendations update the February 4, 2002, guidelines developed
by the Public Health Service for the use of zidovudine (ZDV) to
reduce the risk for perinatal human immunodeficiency virus type
1 (HIV-1) transmission. This report provides health-care providers
with information for discussion with HIV-1 infected pregnant women
to enable such women to make an informed decision regarding the
use of antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy and use of elective
cesarean delivery to reduce perinatal HIV-1 transmission.
Obituary:
Leading Demographer, Served as Head of Population Research Office
Ansley Coale, who was one of this country's foremost demographers,
died Nov. 5, at age 85. Coale, the William Church Osborne Professor
of Public Affairs Emeritus and professor of economics emeritus,
was a prolific author, publishing more than 125 books and articles
on a wide variety of demographic topics. His "Age and Structure
of Human Populations" (1972) is considered an essential textbook
for those interested in formal demography.
Engaging
the Private Sector in Turkey: Can Public/private Partnerships Help
Achieve Contraceptive Security?
(report)
The purpose of this case study is to document the impact of partnerships
with the private sector beyond graduation from donor funding. The
lessons learned in Turkey are expected to help design interventions
that can maximize both financial sustainability and long-term impact,
two necessary conditions for achieving contraceptive security.
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