Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The INFO Project

Your knowledge-sharing resource on family planning and reproductive health

Shopping Basket

The Pop Reporter®

Volume 2, Number 48
2 December 2002

---

FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

HIV Wedding Rings in Change for China (news article)
A Chinese woman with HIV has married her partner in a widely reported ceremony in Beijing which illustrates changing attitudes in China towards the country's growing AIDS crisis.

Bush, US Policy Assailed at UN Population Conference (news article)
The Bush administration's withdrawal of support for a United Nations family planning program, along with recent cuts to international family-planning associations, drew sharp criticism at a UN gathering in Canada late last week. Elected officials from 71 countries met in Ottawa Nov. 21 and 22 in an effort to step-up support for "family planning" services for an estimated 350 million women and men worldwide who have little or no access to birth control or family planning. On many minds was President Bush's decision to withhold $34.5 million from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the conference host, after testimony that the organization supports forced abortions in some countries.

Shanghai to Add AIDS Test in Pre-marriage Medical Exams (news article)
Shanghai is considering adding an AIDS test in the medical examinations required for local people applying for marriage.

The Philippines: Family-planning Office Won't Compromise on Contraceptives (news article)
The government's family planning agency said it would not strike a compromise with the Church and the pro-life groups on the issue of artificial contraception, despite amendments made on a controversial proposed bill.

China's Deadly Cover-Up (editorial)
This New York Times editorial urges Western countries to exert more pressure on China to act swiftly in response to its AIDS crisis.

FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Emergency Contraception In Mexico City: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Providers and Potential Clients After a 3-Year Introduction Effort (PubMed abstract)
Emergency contraception (EC) has the potential to reduce unwanted pregnancy significantly, in Mexico as elsewhere. The authors organized and implemented a three-year program of training for health care providers and a multi-faceted information campaign for the general public, including a national toll-free hotline and website. In 2000, they again surveyed family planning clinic providers and clients, using instruments similar to those employed in the baseline study. EC awareness increased significantly from 13% of clients to 32%, and support jumped from 73% to 83%. Providers at study clinics improved method recognition from 88% to 100%.

A Randomized Double-blind Comparison of Two Single Doses of Mifepristone for Emergency Contraception (research abstract)
The aim of this trial was to investigate whether 10 mg of mifepristone has the same efficacy as 25 mg. In a randomized trail of more than 3,000 women, the authors found that a dose of 10 mg of mifepristone is sufficient for emergency contraception. Earlier treatment is preferable, although the method can be used effectively for up to 5 days after intercourse.

Case-Crossover Study of Partner and Situational Factors for Unprotected Sex (PubMed abstract)
The objective of this study was to identify situational and partner characteristics associated with unprotected sex among women at risk for HIV infection. Factors that had a significant association with women's most recent unprotected sexual encounter included partner age older than 40 years, partner use of alcohol and drugs within 2 hours of the sexual encounter, and exchange of sex for money or drugs.

Indirect Exposure to a Family Planning Mass Media Campaign in Nepal (PubMed abstract)
This study examined the role of indirect exposure in extending the reach of a family planning mass media campaign in Nepal. Sociometric data, gathered from nearly all women between the ages of 15 and 49 years living in six villages in Dang District, Nepal (N = 667), assessed indirect exposure to the radio program. Indirect exposure was extensive; half of all respondents were indirectly exposed to the program's messages and the overall reach of the program increased from 50% to 75% when indirect exposure was considered.

FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

Good Reproductive Health Essential to Ending Poverty (press release)
To overcome poverty, countries must ensure women's reproductive health and rights and target development efforts to the poor, according to the State of World Population 2002 report by UNFPA. The report, "People, Poverty and Possibilities: Making Development Work for the Poor," will be launched on Tuesday, December 3rd, in London, New York, Washington, and other cities around the world.

First New Women's Condom in Ten Years Launches on World AIDS Day in Europe (news article)
The world's first new women's condom in a decade has hit store shelves in Europe, with US FDA approval expected within 12 months.

Zambia: Many Individuals Shun Condoms, Reveals Survey (news article)
Many individuals are still not using condoms in situations where the risk of contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted infection is high, the latest Zambia Demographic Health Survey report has revealed.

HIV / AIDS RESEARCH

Impact of Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 Infection on Clinical Presentation, Treatment Outcome and Survival in a Cohort of Ethiopian Children with Tuberculosis (PubMed abstract)
HIV-positive children are at risk of diagnostic error as well as delayed diagnosis of TB. TB manifestations are more severe and progression to death is more rapid than in HIV-negative children.

HIV / AIDS NEWS

Twice-infected HIV Patient Offers Vaccine Lesson
An HIV patient who became infected a second time may offer a cautionary tale to researchers who hope a specific type of immune response is the secret to vaccine success.

Failure to Tackle AIDS Puts Millions at Risk of Starvation (news article)
Millions of people are on the brink of starvation in southern Africa, warns the United Nations, partly because attempts to limit the spread of HIV have failed.

China Makes Its First Antiretroviral Drugs for Treating AIDS (news article)
China's first domestically produced combination drug treatment for AIDS is due to go on sale by the end of 2002, after the manufacturer, Shanghai Desano Biopharmaceuticals Company, based in Shanghai, recently got government approval for the production of didanosine, stavudine, and nevirapine.

One Million China Students to Lead AIDS Fight (news article)
China, long criticized for ignoring a potential explosion of the scourge, marked World AIDS Day on Sunday by launching awareness and prevention campaigns in the world's most populous country.

Afghan-AIDS: UN Calls for Action to Prevent AIDS 'Catastrophe' in Afghanistan (news article)
The United Nations Sunday urged swift action by the international community to support Afghanistan's AIDS awareness campaign, warning the incurable disease could reach "catastrophic" levels in the once-isolated country.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Fever in Pregnancy and Risk of Fetal Death: A Cohort Study (PubMed abstract)
Hyperthermia acts as a teratogen in some animals where it can induce resorption of the fetus and fetal death. Fever during pregnancy, especially in the period of embryogenesis, is also suspected as being a risk factor for fetal death in human beings. They found no evidence that fever in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy is associated with the risk of fetal death in clinically recognized pregnancies.

Association Between Outcome of Pregnancy and Glycaemic Control In Early Pregnancy In Type 1 Diabetes: Population Based Study (research article)
The authors found a significant relation between adverse outcome of pregnancy and poor glycemic control in early pregnancy in women with type 1 diabetes. The findings suggest that good glycemic control around the time of conception is necessary to optimize outcome of pregnancy in diabetic women.

Optimal Duration of Exclusive Breast Feeding In Low Income Countries (editorial)
The author argues that six months of exclusive breastfeeding as recommended by the World Health Organization applies to populations, not necessarily to individuals.

Primary HIV-1 Infection In African Children Infected Through Breastfeeding (PubMed abstract)
The purpose of the study was to describe acute retroviral syndrome and associated primary viremia in African children infected with HIV-1 through breastfeeding. Of 22 infants infected postnatally, 21 (95.5%) exhibited at least one clinical sign, compared with only 27 of the 44 (61.4%) uninfected children. Three independent factors were associated with primary HIV-1 infection: mononucleosis-like syndrome, dermatitis, and generalized lymphadenopathy. The authors concluded that these results may be useful for the recognition of early pediatric cases of postnatal transmission in Africa and could enable targeting of those who should benefit from HIV RNA or DNA testing for primary HIV-1 infection and their subsequent care.

Field Acceptability and Effectiveness of the Routine Utilization of Zidovudine to Reduce Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV-1 In West Africa (PubMed abstract)
The objective of this study was to ascertain the field acceptability and effectiveness of the routine utilization of zidovudine in reducing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV in breastfed children after a randomized clinical trial demonstrated its efficacy in Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. The authors concluded that the major drawback with the implementation of a short zidovudine regimen to reduce MTCT is HIV counseling and testing procedures. For women who consent, zidovudine is well accepted and efficacious under routine circumstances.

Long Term Enhancement of the IgG2 Antibody Response to Haemophilus Influenzae Type B by Breast-feeding (PubMed abstract)
Related news article: Breast-feeding May Boost Baby's Own Immune System
During breast-feeding, substances that protect against infection are passed from mother to child. Now a new study suggests that breast-feeding may also boost an infant's own immune response against infections later on in childhood.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

Nigeria: Culture as Barrier to Immunisation (news article)
Cultural and religious persuasions have combined to subject a number of people in some parts of the country to easily preventable diseases.

Rapid HIV Testing Hailed as Boon for Pregnant Women (news article)
Women's advocates are hailing a new HIV test, OraQuick, that gives results in minutes, although they say that counselling and prevention are still key in fighting the disease in the United States.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Prevalence of Erectile Dysfunction and Active Depression: An Analytic Cross-Sectional Study of General Medical Patients (research abstract)
Erectile dysfunction is a common problem, affecting more than half of all men between the ages of 40 and 70 years. The authors' goal was to quantify the prevalence of concomitant erectile dysfunction and active depression among patients seen in a general medical setting between September 1998 and September 1999. Using logistic regression, the authors found that current depressive symptoms were not associated with moderate or complete erectile dysfunction.

Is Ethnicity an Independent Predictor of Prostate Cancer Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy? (PubMed abstract)
Prostate cancer incidence and mortality are higher in black than in white American men. The authors determined whether ethnicity is an independent predictor of disease recurrence in men undergoing radical prostatectomy. Ethnicity appears to be an independent predictor of disease recurrence after adjusting for pretreatment measures of disease extent in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. It appears to be particularly important in those with high risk disease characteristics. However, black ethnicity, education, and income are highly correlated variables, suggesting that sociodemographic factors may contribute to the poorer outcomes in black patients even after adjusting for differences in pretreatment disease characteristics.

Increased Reporting of Male-to-male Sexual Activity in a National Survey (PubMed abstract)
Related news article: More US Men Reporting Sex with Men Than Before
A recent nationwide survey shows that a larger proportion of men say they are having sex with other men than in the 1980s, although whether that trend stems from an increase in same-sex activity or an increased willingness to report it remains unclear.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Small Study Links Biking, Male Infertility (news article)
Frequent mountain-biking may reduce fertility in men, according to a small Austrian study that adds fodder to a debate over cycling and male sexual function.

Research Reveals a Cellular Basis for a Male Biological Clock (news article)
Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered a cellular basis for what many have long suspected: Men, as well as women, have a reproductive clock that ticks down with age.

POPULATION RESEARCH

Ecological Footprint of Nations (report)
Related news article: Human Pressure on Earth's Carrying Capacity Rises
Humanity is putting increasing pressure on global ecosystems, with consumption exceeding the Earth's biological capacity by 20 percent, according to a new report from the Sustainability Program of Redefining Progress, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy organization.

POPULATION NEWS

UN Says Vast Populations Mask Asian AIDS Crisis (news article)
The vast populations of China, India, and Indonesia are masking an explosion in Asia's deadly AIDS epidemic, a United Nations report said. Low national prevalence levels in some of the world's most populous countries blur the picture of a virus that killed nearly 500,000 people in the Asia-Pacific last year, and may be contracted by 11 million more by the end of the decade.

West's Aging Population May Hurt Asian Eeconomy (news article)
The rapidly aging population in the developed world could hurt Asian economies as precious funds are being used to finance bulging pension budgets, a US specialist warned.

Pakistan: One-third Population Lives in Cities (news article)
One-third of the country's population lives in the urban areas, the Pakistan Human Condition Report, 2002, showed. This transformation is evident from the absolute change of urban population from six million in 1951 to 10 million in 1961, 17 million in 1972, 24 million in 1981 and 43 million in 1998.

Tackling Population Problems in Rural Egypt (feature article)
Dr. Shaban Abou El-Fotoh is very proud of the gold stars he has been awarded by Egypt's Ministry of Health and displays them proudly on the wall of his office in the Hegazy Medical Center, a public clinic in the town of Caliobeya, just outside of Cairo. He was awarded these stars based on his management of the clinic, a clean but basic facility that receives more than 300 patients a day and serve four local neighborhoods that comprise of over 27,000 residents.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer and Early-Onset Breast Cancer In Mongolia (PubMed abstract)
The purpose of the study was to determine if there are founder BRCA1 mutations in the Mongolian population. Results showed that two patients had two first-degree relatives with cancer and nine women had one first degree relative with cancer. Two women had the unique BRCA1 mutation previously described. These two women were not related but their parents were from the same tribe and they lived in the same province. Only one other patient was of this tribal background and from the same region; however, she did not have the BRCA1 mutation. The authors concluded that a substantial proportion of Mongolian woman with ovarian cancer or early-onset breast cancer may be due to a founder BRCA1 mutation 3452delA.

Invasive Cervical Cancer Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Women --- United States, 1992--1999 (research report)
Related news article: Study Links Ethnicity To Cervical Cancer
Hispanic women contract cervical cancer almost twice as often as other women, indicating that not enough of them are having Pap tests.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Women Account for Half of HIV Cases for the First Time (news article)
Two decades after AIDS first became noticed as a disease of homosexual men, women now account for half of the 37 million adults infected with HIV.

FDA OKs New Uterine Fibroid Treatment (news article)
Microscopic spheres that shrink uterine fibroids and save women from more extensive surgery were approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

YOUTH RESEARCH

Community-Based Trial to Prevent Drug Use Among Youths in Yunnan, China (research abstract)
This study evaluated a community-based program in China to prevent initiation of drug use in young men. There was a 2.7-fold greater reduction in drug use initiation in the intervention area (1.59% vs 0.60%). Reduction was highest among males aged 15 to 19, single men, illiterate men, and the Jingpo minority. HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes and recognition of drug problems were all significantly better in the intervention area.

When and Where Do Youths Have Sex? The Potential Role of Adult Supervision (research abstract)
Interventions to reduce high-risk behaviors such as sex and substance use among youths have focused mainly on promoting abstinence, refusal skills, and negotiation skills, yet the frequency of high-risk behaviors among youths may also be influenced by opportunity, particularly the amount of time during which they are not supervised by adults. In this study, the authors examined when and where youths have sex and whether there is a relationship between unsupervised time and sex, sexually transmitted diseases, and substance use. They found that substantial numbers of youths currently spend long periods of time without adult supervision and have limited opportunities to participate in after-school activities. More than half of sexually active youths reported that they had sex at home after school, and, particularly for boys, sexual-and drug-related risks increased as the amount of unsupervised time increased.

Audio-CASI vs. Interview Method of Administration of an HIV/STD Risk of Exposure Screening Instrument for Teenagers (PubMed abstract)
The purpose of this study was to assess differences in the disclosure of HIV risk behaviors between subjects interviewed face to face and subjects interviewed using A-CASI procedures. Results of this study suggest that A-CASI may not be suitable for use among adolescents in the juvenile justice system when assessing undesirable and/or illegal behaviors.

YOUTH NEWS

Italy to Use Cartoon Books to Educate Teens on HIV (news article)
A sexual education program focusing on HIV and AIDS will be carried out in Italian high schools. Starting in January, the program will be addressed to students in the first and second years of high school. The "Health Mission" project revolves around six booklets and Internet boards managed by doctors and other experts.

UNICEF Calls Global Response to Children Orphaned by AIDS Grossly Inadequate (press release)
UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said the global response to the crisis of children orphaned by AIDS is grossly inadequate. Without a greater sense of urgency and collective action, millions more children will put themselves at enormous risk in their struggle to stay alive.

Dominican Child Prostitutes Draw Alarm (news article)
At least 35,000 Dominican youths under 19 have turned to prostitution for survival, and as many as 15 percent of them could be HIV positive, according to Mais, a Dominican non-governmental organization working to end child prostitution in the Spanish-speaking country.

Pakistan: Special Report on Educating Children about HIV/AIDS (news article)
In a country where youth makes up 23 percent of the population, getting the message across to children has become a priority for the government's national AIDS control programme. Under a new project due to start in 2003, the authorities plan to make a more concerted effort to reach out to millions of children in the country.

PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS

AIDS Epidemic Update - December 2002 (report) (Word format)
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is fuelling a widening and increasingly deadly famine in southern Africa, according to the "AIDS Epidemic Update 2002". The comprehensive new update on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic was issued by UNAIDS and WHO, in advance of the December 1st commemoration of World AIDS Day.

Ethiopia: Interview with Negatu Mereke, Head of the National AIDS Secretariat (interview)
Negatu Mereke is the head of the National AIDS Secretariat, the Ethiopian government's task force coordinating the fight against AIDS. Here he tells how it is overcoming criticism of incompetence from the World Bank and how it will go about trying to win the war against the virus.

Africa: Interview with Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS (interview)
Stephen Lewis is the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. He speaks here about the crippling impact of HIV/AIDS on women and the "human rights violations" that people living with HIV/AIDS face. He said there were no modern parallels in the scale of suffering.

---

When you click on any link, your Internet browser will access a Web site not connected to "The Pop Reporter.®" Information accessed through these links and contained in this issue of "The Pop Reporter®" does not necessarily state or reflect the views of the Population Information Program, Johns Hopkins University, or the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

All links were verified at the date of posting. Your computer and/or network configuration regarding Java script, cookies, and other security issues may not allow you to view certain Web sites. Consult your computer technician if you are having problems.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Government or The Johns Hopkins University.