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The Pop Reporter®

Volume 4, Number 18
3 May 2004

"The Pop Reporter" (R) Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs INFO Project When you click on any link below, 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 INFO Project, Johns Hopkins University, or the US Agency for International Development. All links were verified at the date of mailing. 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.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Population-based Interventions for Reducing Sexually Transmitted Infections, Including HIV Infection (Cochrane Review) (research abstract)
The results of this Cochrane review indicate that there is limited evidence from randomised controlled trials for STI control as an effective HIV prevention strategy.

Epidemiology of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infection in the Developing World (PubMed abstract)
This paper reviews the prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in the developing world and commonalities and differences with rates in developed countries.

Advantages of Trained TBA and the Perception of Females and Their Experiences with Reproductive Health in Two Districts of the Luangprabang Province, Lao PDR (PubMed abstract)
This study describes reproductive health in two districts of the Luangprabang Province in northern Lao PDR. A total of 298 women of reproductive age, with children below two years of age, from 30 villages were interviewed. Most women delivered at home, attended only by untrained individuals. Literate women were more likely to practice birth spacing and have been vaccinated. Illiterate women were more likely to be at higher risk for losing a child. In the district without TBA service, the loss of a child was less likely among literate than illiterate women.

The Effects of Stigma on Genital Herpes Care-seeking Behaviours (review article)
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This paper reviews various concepts of stigma in relation to the prevention and treatment of genital herpes and other STIs in order to make two points. First, stigma is not an intangible metaphor that describes the consequences of sexual misconduct; rather, stigma is a reality that affects both herpes-infected and uninfected people in the most intimate aspects of their daily lives. Second, stigma is not a static, easily defined, entity.

Advanced Provision of Emergency Contraception Does Not Reduce Abortion Rates (research abstract)
The results of this study suggest that widespread distribution of advanced supplies of EC through health services may not be an effective way to reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancy in the UK.

Vaccination Strategies to Prevent Genital Herpes and Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Disease (review article)
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This review examines the history of HSV vaccine development, describes recent progress towards an effective prophylactic vaccine against HSV, and outlines further improvements required to make current vaccines immunogenic to a wide population.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

Ghana: Fertility Rate Down, Contraceptives Use Up (news article)
The National Fertility Rate decreased from 5.5% to 4.4% from 1993 to 2003 according to Dr. Samuel Owusu Agyei, Chief Director, Ministry of Health. Within the same period, the use of modern contraceptive methods almost doubled from 10% to 19%. Dr. Agyei announced these numbers at a review conference to adopt the draft policy on National Contraceptive Security Strategy. He said those achievements had come by because of national interventions in the promotion of family planning methods.

Russia: Experts: Lack of Sex Education Fuels Illness (news article)
Russia's high rates of STIs (about 100 times those in Western Europe) are due to the lack of information ordinary people have about how to prevent them spreading, Swedish experts said at a St. Petersburg conference last week.

Condom Labeling Highlighted in View of Recent HIV Scare in US Porn Industry (news article)
1-Click Condoms (www.1clickcondoms.com), a leading seller of condoms on the Internet, announced today that it will begin including a warning message in all orders for condoms in response to the Bush Administration’s concerns over condom labeling. The debate on the condom warning labels ignited when President George W. Bush asked the Food and Drug Administration to modify the current warning to include information about human papilloma virus, commonly called HPV or genital warts.

India: Condom Dispensers for City Streets Soon (news article)
Condoms will soon be easily available if all goes well with the Maharashtra District and AIDS Control Society's plan to install more than 100 condom vending machines across Mumbai.

Afghan Condoms a Hard Sell (news article)
In the country that gave birth to the Taliban movement and where Islam rules supreme, a small revolution is taking place. Next week, an American aid agency will begin a major condom campaign in conservative Afghanistan - without using the word 'sex'.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

World AIDS Campaign 2004: Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS (report)
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This strategy note introduces the World AIDS Campaign theme for 2004: Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS, and intends to provide an overview to help inform those planning a campaign in 2004. It describes how the theme was decided and suggests key partners, messages, and sub-themes. The document argues that, in the past, the Campaign has sometimes failed to achieve its full potential at a national and local level. This is why UNAIDS now seeks to change that through an increased emphasis on the role
of civil society - in particular through the stronger leadership and involvement of HIV and AIDS-related NGOs at the national level.

Lessons Not Learned: Human Rights Abuses and HIV/AIDS in the Russian Federation (report)
Related press release: Russia: Harsh Drug Policies Fuel AIDS Epidemic
Russia's burgeoning AIDS epidemic is fueled by government policies that deny HIV-prevention services to those most at risk and also allow discrimination against people with AIDS to flourish, Human Rights Watch said in a report released last week. The 62-page report, "Lessons Not Learned: Human Rights Abuses and HIV/AIDS in the Russian Federation," documents how harsh drug policies and routine police harassment of injection drug users (the population hit hardest by AIDS in Russia) impedes their access or makes them afraid to seek basic HIV-prevention services such as syringe exchange, which is available in other countries around the world. Now that AIDS is rapidly spreading into the general population, these misguided policies have widespread consequences.

Uganda: Church Backs Condom Use (news article)
The Church of Uganda says it supports condom use among youths to control the spread of HIV/AIDS. The Rev. Sam Ruteikira, the director of Church Human Services AIDS Programme, and also the provincial health co-ordinator, said condom use should be taught from the age of 15 to control the spread of AIDS and other STDs.

Burundi: HIV-positive People Demand Protective Laws (news article)
An association for HIV positive people in Burundi wants the government to enact a law protecting affected people against discrimination and stigmatization. We demand that the government should promulgate the law protecting HIV positive people as soon as possible, not only to protect HIV infected people but to protect the entire community," Felix Ntungumburanye, the head of the association, said during a workshop in the capital, Bujumbura. He said cases of discrimination against people living with HIV were on the increase. He added that to discriminate an HIV-positive person contributed to the spread of the virus.

Summary Report: The AIDS Epidemic--A Strategic Simulation Building Public-Private Partnership (resource material)
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This brochure presents the results of the AIDS Epidemic Strategic Simulation, which aimed to explore how public and private sector collaboration could help develop a more comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS. The Strategic Simulation (conducted on October 11-12, 2003, in New Delhi, India) brought together key business, civil society, and government leaders to proactively address the AIDS epidemic in India. Taking as a starting point the current state of HIV/AIDS in India, the participants, divided in nine teams representing the major stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS, worked together to address the emerging situation and avert a potential crisis, simulating 10 years time.

Quebec Doctors Won't be Forced to Tell Patients If They Have AIDS (news article)
Doctors who are infected with the viruses that cause AIDS or hepatitis B or C shouldn't be forced to tell their patients, the Quebec College of Physicians recommended Tuesday.

South Africa: University Rolls Out AIDS Treatment Program (news article)
The University of KwaZulu-Natal has become the first tertiary institution in the country to provide antiretrovirals to HIV-positive students. The initiative allows students to access Aids care, including triple ARVs, for R50 (US$7.50) a month. The average monthly cost for treatment - ARVs, counselling, medication, blood tests and doctor's consultations - is R800 (US$120). At least 15 students have already been referred for ARVs. The university had about a 16% HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among its 40,617 staff and students, according to a study done in 1999.

U.S. AIDS Official Pushes Abstinence Approach Before Beginning African Tour (news article)
The head of U.S. efforts to tackle the global AIDS pandemic pushed the Bush administration's policy emphasizing abstinence over condoms Thursday as he launched an eight-day trip to Africa, a continent ravaged by the disease.

Central African Republic: National Education Action Plan Endorsed (news article)
The government of the Central African Republic has endorsed an "Education for All" action plan, aimed at guaranteeing qualitative education for all citizens, state-owned Radio Centrafrique reported. The national action plan aims at providing a qualitative primary education for all boys and girls, access to basic education for adults as well as eduction on citizenship, peace, and the fight against HIV/AIDS and other STDs.

Amnesty Calls for Release of Arrested Chinese AIDS Sufferers (news article)
Rights group Amnesty International appealed to the Chinese government on Saturday to immediately release six AIDS sufferers who were arrested after demanding aid promised by their local government.

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

Uganda Sees Stunning Decline in AIDS Cases (news article)
Two British researchers say statistics prove a national emphasis on less casual sex, not more condom use, explains the stunning decline in AIDS cases in Uganda.

Scaling Up Antiretroviral Treatment in the Public Sector in Nigeria: A Comprehensive Analysis of Resource Requirements (report)
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This report from Partners for Health Reformplus presents estimates of the total cost of providing comprehensive antiretroviral treatment in the public sector in Nigeria. It uses the AIDSTREATCOST model to estimate the cost of providing Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), Opportunistic Infection treatment, and other resource requirements for implementation. The report also examines financial and human resources requirements for achieving the World Health Organization-recommended targets. Finally, it proposes a number of strategies for the government and its development partners to consider regarding program expansion, human resources training and requirements, support for VCT, the high cost of monitoring tests, and drug cost.

Lessons Learned from Mainstreaming HIV into the Poverty Eradication Action Plan in Uganda (research article)
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This paper from DFID Uganda looks at which sectors should be targeted and whether existing structures can be used or modified to enhance the national response to prevention, care, and impact mitigation.

The Natural History of HIV-1 Infection in Young Thai Men After Seroconversion (research abstract)
Related news article: Untreated HIV Infection Progresses to AIDS Quicker in Thailand
The progression from HIV infection to AIDS and death from AIDS is more rapid in untreated young men infected with HIV-1 subtype E living in Thailand than in HIV-positive individuals with HIV-1 subtype B infection living in the United States and Europe. The researchers tracked the length of time between HIV infection and AIDS among young Thai men. They also studied the death rate of the men 5-7 years after their HIV infection, which was higher when compared to their counterparts in developed countries.

The Media and HIV/AIDS: Making a Difference (report)
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This report explores the role of the media in the global fight against AIDS. It presents basic information about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, reviews media activities in the past, and makes recommendations for future action. The report's main argument is that the media have an essential role to play in reversing the progression of HIV. Education to promote awareness of HIV/AIDS is a key factor in the fight against the disease, and clearly, media organizations have an enormous potential to undertake these activities. However, the report also states that doing this with maximum efficiency requires a clear understanding of the challenges and the obstacles to widespread and effective HIV-prevention education.

Social Development of Commercial Sex Workers in India: An Essential Step in HIV/AIDS Prevention (research abstract)
This paper discusses HIV/AIDS prevention issues that relate to CSWs in India.

Male Violence Towards Women Boosts HIV (news article)
Women who are beaten or dominated by their partner are nearly half as likely to become infected by HIV when compared with women who live in non-violent households, a South African study says. The research was carried out among 1,366 women who attended health centres in Soweto, Johannesburg, and who agreed to be tested for the AIDS virus and be interviewed about their home life. After being adjusted for factors that could skew the outcome, such as whether the interviewees had engaged in casual sex or prostitution, the figures showed women who were beaten by their husbands or boyfriends were 48% likelier to become infected by HIV than their counterparts. And those who were emotionally or financially dominated by their partner were 52% likelier to catch the virus.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

260 000 Batswana to be HIV Positive (news article)
Some 260,000 Batswana are estimated to be HIV positive with close to 30% of them between 15 and 49 years of age. Health minister Lesego Motsumi said when officially opening an Infectious Disease Care Clinic at Sekgoma Memorial Hospital in Serowe on Friday that the HIV prevalence among pregnant women is 36.5%.

WHO Chief: Africa Needs 100,000 Health Workers to Distribute AIDS Drugs (news article)
At least 100,000 health workers are needed to distribute anti-AIDS drugs in Africa, where 70% of the world's HIV/AIDS sufferers live, the head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

Zulu Leader Breaks SA AIDS Taboo (news article)
The leader of South Africa's Zulu-dominated Inkatha Freedom Party, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, has revealed that his son Prince died of AIDS.

Swaziland: Accelerating Response to AIDS (news article)
Accelerating its response to the AIDS challenge, the Swazi government announced on Wednesday it had selected preferred suppliers of antiretroviral drugs, while the national AIDS funding agency said it had applied for a US$48.5 million grant from the Global Fund.

In Decade of Change, South Africa Faulted for Surging AIDS Deaths (feature article)
In a decade marked by dramatic political and social reform, activists protest the government's slow response to the AIDS crisis has been one of its greatest failings.

AIDS Outburst Lurking on the Balkans (news article)
An outbreak of HIV/AIDS is becoming a real peril for South East European countries. Health experts and officials from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro have gathered in Skopje to discuss the measures of prevention and concern toward the deadly HIV virus.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Dependency, Democracy, and Infant Mortality: A Quantitative, Cross-national Analysis of Less Developed Countries (research abstract)
This study presents quantitative, sociological models designed to account for cross-national variation in infant mortality rates in a sample of 59 developing countries.

Signs of Illness in Kenyan Infants Aged Less than 60 Days (research article)
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This paper describes and evaluates the potential of simple clinical features to identify severe illness among young infants who present to rural district hospitals in Kenya.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Early and Late Morbidity after Vasectomy: A Comparison of Chronic Scrotal Pain at 1 and 10 Years (research abstract)
Related news article: Men Should Be Counseled About Post-vasectomy Pain
Vasectomy is a safe and simple procedure, but a painful side effect may be more common than previously thought, researchers report. In a new study, nearly one out of every seven men who had a vasectomy experienced chronic pain in the scrotum. Based on the study findings, researchers recommend that men who are considering having a vasectomy should be counseled about this possible side effect.

Pregnancy Rates after Vasectomy: A Survey of US Urologists (research abstract)
The authors surveyed 2,000 US urologists using mailed questionnaires. Of 586 responding urologists, 538 reported performing vasectomies, and they reported a total of 177 pregnancies during the preceding 5 years. Ninety pregnancies (51%) were attributed to unprotected intercourse during the immediate post-vasectomy period. The remaining pregnancies were attributed to recanalization or other less common causes of method failure. Based on the number of vasectomies performed by these surgeons, about 1 pregnancy was reported per 1,000 vasectomies. The authors note that this is probably an underestimate of the true rate.

Increases in Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae Among Men Who Have Sex with Men --- United States, 2003, and Revised Recommendations for Gonorrhea Treatment, 2004 (research review)
Related news article: U.S. Alarmed by Jump in Drug-resistant Gonorrhea
A jump in drug-resistant gonorrhea among gay and bisexual men prompted US health officials on Thursday to recommend that the antibiotics usually used to treat the sexually transmitted infection be avoided in some cases.

POPULATION RESEARCH

The Graying of the Middle Kingdom (report)
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Related news article: China may grow old before it gets rich, new study warns
Related press release: China's Aging Surge Threatens Economic Prospects
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This report explores the economic and social implications of the coming age wave. It warns that China may face a crisis later in the century unless it takes adequate steps to prepare. As the report explains, China's public pension system is mostly restricted to urban workers at state-owned enterprises, and it is collapsing under the fiscal weight of unfunded benefit promises. The great majority of Chinese still count on their children to support them in old age. But due to China's strict one-child birth policies, family support networks may be unable to fulfill their traditional role. A growing share of Chinese will reach old age with no means of support. The age wave may pose an enormous challenge, but it need not cut short China's astonishing rags-to-riches story, provided that China makes the right policy choices.

2004 ESCAP Population Data Sheet (resource material)
Issued annually, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Population Data Sheet provides population and development indicators of countries in the Asian and Pacific region.

PAHO: Regional Core Health Data Initiative (Table Generator System) (resource material)
The Regional Core Health Data Initiative is one of the main technical efforts of PAHO and its Member States to collect and disseminate health-related data that characterize the health situation of the region. The database includes a core set of 108 indicators disaggregated by sex, age groups, etc. for a total of 216 indicators. Representing information from 48 countries and territories of the Western Hemisphere from 1997 to date, each indicator is defined and accessible through the Indicators Glossary. This glossary also contains technical notes, indicator type (absolute magnitude, proportion, rate, etc.) measurement units, and possible categories and subcategories. The Table Generator System allows the creation of data tables by indicators, countries, and years.

POPULATION NEWS

China Population Growth Adds to Unemployed (news article)
Related report: China's Employment Situation and Policies
China's population above the age of 16 is expected to grow by 5.5 million annually on average for the next 20 years, adding to its unemployment, according to a white paper released last week. Xinhua, China's main government-run news agency, reported that China's increasing working age population faces severe unemployment problems because of the current 150 million rural surplus laborers and more than 11 million unemployed and laid-off workers. The Information Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China released the white paper, entitled "China's Employment Situation and Policies".

Uganda: Mortality Rates Soar (news article)
Mortality rates in East Africa have continued to soar, despite programs that have been put in place to address them. According to the Arusha-based Commonwealth Regional Health Secretariat, it is estimated that death ratios range up to 1,000 per 100,000 live births, while infant mortality is about 145 per 1,000 live births. In the report contained in their Revised Strategic Plan (2002-2006), in 14 states surveyed, less than 50% of the people accessed contraceptives.

New Zealand Population Growth Slows (news article)
The New Zealand population continues to grow but at a slower rate, according to Statistics New Zealand.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Effects of Testosterone Administration in Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected Women With Low Weight: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study (research abstract)
Related news article: Testosterone Helps HIV-Infected Women
In this study, 29 HIV-positive women with significant weight loss wore a special testosterone-emitting skin patch for six months, while another 28 infected women wore a non-medicated placebo patch. All of the women were on standard HIV-suppressing drugs throughout the study period. According to the researchers, women on the testosterone patch experienced a rise in blood levels of testosterone back to normal levels, as well as moderate increases in both muscle mass and strength. No such change was seen in women placed on the placebo.

Birth Month Influences Reproductive Performance in Contemporary Women (research abstract)
Related news article: Women Born in Summer Have Fewer Children
Women with summer birthdays tend to have fewer children than those born during other months of the year, according to an Austrian study published on Thursday. Researchers who studied birth records of 3,000 Austrian women found that birthdays had an impact on reproduction and that females born between June and August had fewer children than other women.

Violent Deaths among Women of Reproductive Age in Rural Bangladesh (research abstract)
This study presents data on levels and trends in mortality due to violence in Matlab, Bangladesh, and identifies social and demographic factors that have an impact on death due to violence (suicide and homicide) among women of reproductive age.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Activists: Prostitution Should be Legal (news article)
The world's oldest profession should be decriminalized and treated like any other business, international activists at a Hong Kong conference on prostitution said on Sunday. Activists also demanded better health support for prostitutes to prevent the spread of diseases including HIV/AIDS, especially in less developed parts of the world.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

World Youth Report 2003 and Toolkit (report)
Related press release: Global Trends Show Young People Faring Better But Many Face Challenges, Says UN Report
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The World Youth Report 2003 provides an overview of the global situation of young people. The first 10 chapters focus on the priority areas identified by the World Programme of Action for Youth, adopted by the General Assembly in 1995. The remaining five chapters address some of the newer issues that were later identified as additional priorities for youth and were adopted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 2003. The UN Programme for Youth has also created "Making Commitments Matter: A toolkit for young people to evaluate national youth policy", a resource that enables young people to evaluate action on the fifteen priority areas for themselves.

Teacher Training: Essential for School-Based Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS Education -- Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa (report)
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This paper examines the importance of teacher training, the limited evidence in the field, elements of teacher training curricula, teacher selection issues, and issues in Africa including teacher training projects in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Learning to Survive: How Education for All Would Save Millions of Young People from HIV/AIDS (report)
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Related press release: New Report Reveals: Education Could Save Seven Million Young People from HIV
Seven million cases of HIV could be prevented in a decade if all children in the world received a complete primary education, reveals a ground-breaking new report released by the Global Campaign for Education. The report, "Learning to survive: how education for all would save millions
of young people from HIV/AIDS," is based on new research showing that young people (15-24 years) who have completed primary education are less than half as likely to contract HIV as those missing an education. It reveals that, by accelerating behavior change, universal primary education would prevent 700,000 cases of HIV each year, about 30 percent of all new infections in this age group.

New Findings from Intervention Research: Youth Reproductive Health and HIV Prevention (report)
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This report summarizes meetings held on September 9 and 10, 2003, sponsored by the Population Council's FRONTIERS and Horizons Programs and YouthNet/Family Health International, where new findings from youth intervention studies in Bangladesh, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mexico, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand were discussed. Also available are the PowerPoint presentations from the meeting.

Clinical Performance of a Levonorgestrel-releasing Intrauterine System and Oral Contraceptives in Young Nulliparous Women: A Comparative Study (research abstract)
This 1-year randomized study was carried out at family-planning clinics of two university hospitals to compare the safety and acceptability of a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG IUS) and oral contraceptives (OCs) in young nulliparous women. The study population consisted of 200 women aged 18–25 years. Nineteen women (20%) in the LNG IUS group discontinued the study during the 1-year observation period, and 27 discontinued (27%) in the OC group. The most common reason (31%) for discontinuation in the IUS group was pain. In the OC group, hormonal side effects were the predominant medical reason for study termination. The authors conclude that the safety and acceptability of the LNG IUS for contraception was observed to be as good as with OCs, with a high continuation rate.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

Namibia: Child Rape Incidents Rise at Tsumeb (news article)
The head of the Women and Child Protection Unit at Tsumeb, Detective Sergeant Monica Kaypiti, said acts of child rape by adult males at the town have reached alarming proportions and are steadily becoming the trend.

China: Two Hundred Children Abducted (news article)
Around 200 young children have been abducted by child traffickers in three years from a single city in China's southwestern Yunnan province, state media have reported. Children, especially boys, are often reported missing in China and are believed to be sold into families unable to have children either for biological reasons or due to China's strict "one child" family planning policy.

Zimbabwe: Abstain from Premarital Sex, Acting President Urges Youth (news article)
Acting President Joseph Msika has urged youths in the country to abstain from premarital sex. He was speaking at the official opening of the seventh biennial conference of the Zimbabwe National Network for People Living with AIDS and HIV.

SPECIAL REPORTS/PROFILES/RESOURCES

Handbook on Reproductive Health Indicators (resource material)
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The main objective of this handbook is to provide a list of
reproductive health indicators that are essential to assess, monitor, and evaluate reproductive health programs. An attempt has been made to provide for selected indicators simple definitions, data requirements, data sources, and usefulness and limitations. The handbook is intended for use by planners, policy makers, and researchers who are involved in the implementation of reproductive health programs at the national and subnational levels.

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