Volume 4, Number 52
27 December 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

Acceptability of Male Circumcision and Predictors of Circumcision Preference Among Men and Women in Nyanza Province, Kenya (research abstract)
This survey of men and women in Nyanza Province, Kenya, assesses the attitudes, beliefs, and predictors of circumcision preference among men and women in a traditionally non-circumcising region. 60% of uncircumcised men and 69% of women who had uncircumcised regular partners reported that they would prefer to be circumcised or their partners to be circumcised. Men's circumcision preference was linked to the belief that it is easier for uncircumcised men to get penile cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV/AIDS, and that circumcised men have more pleasurable sex. Pain and cost of the procedure were deterrents.

Sexual Practices, Barriers to Condom Use and Its Cosistent Use among Long Distance Truck Drivers in Nigeria (research abstract)
This study aimed to understand sexual practices, barriers to condom use and HIV/AIDS-related attitudes among truck drivers in Nigeria. Major barriers identified were beliefs that condoms reduced sexual satisfaction, caused health problems, and hindered sexual interest. About 70% of the drivers knew that condoms prevent HIV, but only 9% consistently used them. The drivers responding that they always used a condom were more likely to have had secondary education, less likely to report that a condom was inconveniencing or caused health problems, rarely used local herbal medicines said to improve sexual energy, and frequently listened to the radio.

A Closer Look at Traditional Contraceptive Use in Turkey (research abstract)
Withdrawal is the main method used amongst couples in Turkey to prevent pregnancy. Discontinuation of use is most likely to be due to the desire to become pregnant or failure of the method. Withdrawal users are less likely to switch to another contraceptive method; however, among users who do switch, they will most likely switch to a modern method. The strongest three determinants that predict withdrawal use are using withdrawal as one's first method, the woman's age, and the husband's education. The woman's work status and the couple's ethnicity are also important predictors of withdrawal use.

Minimizing Missed Opportunities: An Approach to Decrease the Unmet Need for Family Planning (research abstract)
The aim of the study was to determine the participants with unmet need and to show that family planning consultancy given to women and men attending the first-level health facilities would increase contraceptive usage and reduce unmet need for family planning. The unmet need was 43.1%. All participants with unmet need were referred to the family planning unit in the same building and willing participants were given family planning services. Of the participants, 23.9% attended the family planning unit and 17.8% took services immediately at the time of the attendance.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

China: Promoting Condoms--Who Needs Them Most? (news article)
At the height of the nationwide campaign to spread knowledge about AIDS and combat transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, there remains an obvious need for a massive public health condom education campaign in China.

India to Launch Female Condoms in March (news article)
Hindustan Latex Ltd (HLL) is gearing up to begin female condom distribution, and the Indian government has agreed to help make it more affordable. Since late 2001, HLL has been collaborating with the Chicago-based Female Health Company (FHC), a global leader in female condoms, to test out the efficacy of the condom in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

USAID Launches Condom Program in Uttar Pradesh (news article)
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) joined hands with ICICI Bank to launch a Dual Protection Condom Program in Uttar Pradesh to combat HIV/AIDS and curtail unwanted pregnancies.

UN Official Applauds Reproductive Health Advances in Cuba (news article)
Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, Thoraya Obaid, praised Cuba for advances made in sexual and reproductive health.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

China Defends 'One Child' Birth Limits against U.S. Criticism (news article)
China rejected U.S. complaints that its strict birth control policy encourages forced abortions, saying the regulations that limit most urban couples to one child are necessary for the country's economic health. "Our immense population has exerted great pressure on us and our economic development and I think everyone understands the necessity and inevitability of our adopting the one-child policy," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.

US: RU-486 Lawsuit is Parents' Latest Step (news article)
Related: news article: FDA to Announce Important Labeling Changes for Mifepristone
Holly Patterson's parents said that the wrongful death lawsuit they've filed against makers of RU-486 is just their latest way to draw attention to concerns about the drug's safety. The FDA says that no causal relationship between RU-486 and bacterial infections or complications from tubal pregnancies has been established. Nevertheless, last month it imposed label changes saying that doctors should be aware of risks. [The news article (US: RU-486 Lawsuit is Parents' Latest Step) is only available after a free registration requiring personal address information.]

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

Culture and Context of HIV Prevention in Rural Zimbabwe: The Influence of Gender Inequality (research abstract)
This study explores factors facilitating or hindering rural Ndau women’s participation in HIV prevention that might influence health promotion programming. Women’s socialization to become workers and mothers occurs within a context of limited voice, subservience, violence, and economic powerlessness, all barriers to HIV prevention. Through analysis of sociocultural and economic factors, it is suggested that cultural beliefs and practices, along with national and international forces, support and sustain gender inequality.

Determinants of Unprotected Sex among HIV-Positive Patients in South Africa (research abstract)
This study examined the prevalence of unprotected sex, other sexual risk behaviours, and factors associated with unprotected sex among men and women recently diagnosed with HIV in South Africa. Compared with those who used condoms, participants who did not reported significantly shorter duration of HIV infection, were more likely to have a current partner and to lack knowledge of their partner's HIV status. Also they were significantly more likely to engage in denial and to use substances as a means of coping.

Treatment of AIDS-Associated Kaposi's Sarcoma in Zimbabwe: Results of a Randomized Quality of Life Focused Clinical Trial (research abstract)
The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of supportive care vs. 3 intervention approaches for Karposi sarcoma in Zimbabwe, namely oral Etoposide, a 3-drug combination, and radiotherapy using quality of life (QOL) as the primary measure of success. Oral Etoposide therapy resulted in better total QOL score than radiotherapy. As well, Etoposide resulted in better physical and psychological subscale scores than radiotherapy, 3-drugs and supportive care, making it a pragmatic approach to treating EKS in an environment where antiretroviral drugs are not universally available.

Quality of Life and Living With HIV/AIDS in Cambodia (research abstract)
This qualitative study was designed to explore the unique meanings people living with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia attach to quality of life (QoL). Open-ended interview questions guided the interview process. For the participants of this study, secrets and silence, selective disclosure, living in the present, and hopefulness were means of promoting achievement of QoL outcomes of being able to meet basic needs, having a sense of belonging, and having a safe and caring connection with others.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

Clinical Trial in Nigeria Testing Tenofovir for HIV Prevention (news article)
NIH, CDC and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are funding three separate studies of Viread (Tenofovir). The drug is FDA-approved for use as a treatment for HIV infection and has been shown to boost immune response and lower viral levels in the bloodstreams of patients who are resistant to other antiretrovirals.

Uganda: Public Servants to Get Free Aids Drugs (news article)
The Ministry of Public Service is working on the scheme to provide free Anti-Retroviral drugs (ARVs) for HIV-infected civil servants, their spouses and children. About 10,000 public servants are in need of ARVs, the National Coordinator for HIV/Aids Counselling and Care, Dr Akol Zainab, said during the workshop on Tuesday.

Ethiopia: Questionable HIV Drugs Evade Customs, Agency Inspections (news article)
Thousands of tons of HIV drugs, manufactured and imported from India, have entered the country, dodging inspections by the Federal Drug Administration and Controlling Agency (DACA) and the Ethiopian Customs Authority. Loaded in six chartered airplanes, the 50,000 cartons of drugs arrived at Bole International Airport last week, and were loaded onto trucks to be delivered to warehouses owned by the Ministry of Health.

Gabon: Taxis the New Weapon in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS (news article)
Around 300 taxi drivers in Libreville have been drafted into the fight against HIV/AIDS and are handing out free condoms to passengers as well as leaflets about the disease and how to practice safe sex. Libreville is home to about half of Gabon's 1.2 million people, and although the city's HIV prevalence rate is about a point lower than the national average of 8.1 percent, mayor Andre Dieudonne Berre knows there's no room for complacency when the country has one of the highest rates in the region.

Sao Tome And Principe: Island State Steps Up Fight Against HIV/AIDS (news article)
Sao Tome and Principe is stepping up the fight against HIV/AIDS, which is becoming a serious problem in this small twin-island state.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV Infection in Romania: Results from an Education and Prevention Program (research abstract)
This study reports on a pilot program to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The program, implemented in Constanta County, Romania, between 2000 and 2002, consisted of clinician training, routine antenatal HIV counselling and testing, and the care of HIV-infected pregnant women and their infants. Overall seroprevalence was 1.75 per 1,000 and HIV infection was associated with having a high-risk partner, prostitution and non-Caucasian ethnicity. A key challenge for PMTCT in Romania was found to be the prompt identification of pregnant HIV-infected women, to allow the optimum application of interventions.

Maternal Anemia and Postpartum Weight Change Associated with Decreased Maternal-Infant Interaction in a Rural Kenyan Population (research abstract)
Associations between maternal nutritional factors including energy intake, body mass index, postpartum weight change, and anemia status and maternal-infant interactions were examined in 124 mother-infant pairs from a marginally malnourished, rural Kenyan population. Anemic mothers spent less time holding and caring for their infants than nonanemic mothers. Mothers who retained their pregnancy weight gain or were able to gain weight postpartum spent more time looking at their infants than mothers who lost weight postpartum. Lower birth weight infants were held more, cared for more, and looked at face-to-face more by their mothers.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

284 Sierra Leone Infants Die 2004 (news article)
The United Nations Children's Agency, UNICEF, reports that Sierra Leone has the worst infant mortality rate in the world for 2004. Sierra Leone came out as the worst in the world with 284 deaths per 1000, the report states. UNICEF officials say that the country needs to dramatically improve its health sector in order to accelerate efforts to reach its development goals by 2015.

UNICEF Leadership 2005-2015: A Call for Strategic Change (news article)
Related: news article: UNICEF's 'Rights' Focus Is All Wrong
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has just released its annual "The State of the World's Children" report for 2005. Using words like "catastrophe," UNICEF's Executive Director Carol Bellamy warns that the "triple whammy" of AIDS, conflict and poverty has reversed previous gains in children's survival, health and education. But critics of UNICEF claim the agency and Bellamy have contributed to the crisis by focusing on political causes and steering UNICEF away from the "core business" of ensuring children's survival. Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, has published a blistering editorial, which calls Bellamy's direction "shameful." (The commentary in The Lancet is only available through a free registration.)

India: Government Indicted for Infant Deaths (news article)
About 160,000 infants die in Maharashtra every year due to malnutrition. This searing indictment of the Maharashtra government is the highlight of a report prepared by a committee appointed by the government to study infant mortality in the state.

Burundi: Maternity Services Suspended in Private Health Centres (news article)
Burundi's Ministry of Health says it has suspended maternity services in private health-care centers following patients' complaints of bad treatment. "We have found out that all is a matter of money at the cost of people's lives," Dr Jean Kamana, the minister for public health, said on Wednesday, one day after he visited some of the private health centres in the capital, Bujumbura. He said the suspension of child-delivery services and hospitalisation was undertaken to protect the public from bad treatment.

Kenya: Horror of Hospital Where 30 Babies Die Monthly (news article)
The horror of a government hospital was exposed recently, with medical staff revealing that at least 30 babies die every month because of poor care. As many as seven mothers die in just a week because of the horrible conditions at the hospital, nurses, who care for the patients, said. So high is the death rate of mothers and babies that the nurses went on strike yesterday to press the authorities to pay attention to the dangerous conditions.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Men and Reproductive Health in Rural Pakistan: The Case for Increased Male Participation (research abstract)
This study was done to explore Pakistani men's knowledge, perceptions and behavior on various reproductive health issues. The findings pointed out gaps in knowledge and misconceptions among men on a range of reproductive health issues and stress the need for health education. The findings suggest that strategies such as couple counseling, door-to-door campaigns by village-based male family planning workers and small group meetings could be effective.

Factors Associated with Self-Reported HIV Testing among Men in Uganda (research abstract)
This study examined rates and predictors of self-reported HIV testing and willingness to test among married men aged 15-59 in Uganda. Knowledge about AIDS, a history of paying for sex, spousal communication about HIV prevention, secondary or higher education, household wealth, and neighborhood knowledge of a test site are associated with an increased likelihood of HIV testing. The higher the frequency of injection use in the past 3 months and the greater the level of interest in learning how to help one's partner have a safe pregnancy, the higher was the likelihood of willingness to test for HIV.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Still Suffering in Silence (feature article)
"Men die needlessly of testicular cancer because they’re too embarrassed to go to the doctor. Men put up with domestic violence because they are too humiliated to go to the police."

POPULATION NEWS

Viet Nam’s Population Issues Remain Major Challenge: UN (news article)
Population growth, high maternity death rates, and an increase in the number of HIV/AIDS cases continue to challenge Viet Nam, according to a report on the state of world population in 2004. Despite Viet Nam’s significant progress in providing reproductive heath care services to its people, progress remains uneven, said the report.

Japan to Be More Family Friendly (news article)
To boost its declining birth rate, Japan will recruit businesses and local governments in a program to create a more family-friendly environment. A new five-year program, to be approved Friday by a government panel concerned with the nation's low birthrate, will begin in fiscal 2005.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Factors Associated with Forced Sex Among Women Accessing Health Services in Rural Haiti (PubMed abstract)
The goals of the current study were to: (1) estimate the prevalence of forced sex among women accessing services at a women's health clinic in rural Haiti; and (2) examine factors associated with forced sex in this population. Based on data from a case-control study of risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the strongest factors associated with forced sex were age, length of time in a relationship, occupation of the woman's partner, STD-related symptoms, and factors demonstrating economic vulnerability.

HCV and HIV Co-infection in Pregnant Women Attending St. Camille Medical Centre in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) (research abstract)
547 pregnant women with less than 32 weeks of amenorrhoea, attending an antenatal clinic in Burkina Faso were enrolled for a hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV co-infection study. 10.6% were HIV positive and 3.3% were anti-HCV positive. HCV-RNA was found in 27.8% of patients, who had anti-HCV antibodies. The higher than expected rate of co-infection in Burkina Faso seems to demonstrate a correlation between these two infections, which could influence the evolution of HIV and HCV diseases.

India: Factors Influencing Discontinuation of Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices (research abstract)
This paper tries to distinctly outline the determinants of discontinuation of the intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD), especially in the Indian context. Data on medical reasons for discontinuation are available through clinical trials. However, sociodemographic studies provide a wider spectrum to analyze the factors associated with the discontinuation of IUCDs. Information on service providers can be used to improve the quality of family planning services in the country. In India, a thorough review of birth spacing methods, especially the IUCD, is needed since the surveys show a high rate of discontinuation.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Spain: Early Release of 'Wife-Beating' Imam Slammed (news article)
The Spanish deputy prime minister has attacked the decision to free a controversial imam who was jailed for writing a book which advised readers how to attack women without leaving any marks. María Teresa Fernández de la Vega strongly criticised release of Mohamed Kamal Mostafa, who was freed after only serving 20 days of a 12-month sentence. In a television interview, the deputy prime minister said "this did not help to reinforce the line which Spanish society had adopted to domestic violence: zero tolerance". She criticised the decision of the court in Barcelona to release Mostafa on Monday.

21% of Indian Women Face Violence (news article)
Twenty-one per cent of Indian women have experienced some form of violence, according to a recent report. The report, 'Violence Against Women: Health Sector Perspective', quoting the National Family Health Survey, 1998-99, says that 19 per cent of women have been "beaten or physically mistreated" by their husbands. The data implies that among women who report physical abuse, nine out of 10 have been beaten by their husbands, one out of seven by other persons and one out of 12 by their in-laws, says the report based on a workshop conducted this October.

Nigeria: Government Supports Women's Health And Empowerment Program (news article)
The Nigerian government has demonstrated its support for the rehabilitation of sex workers and the eradication of the HIV/AIDS epidemic through its endorsement of the Women's Initiative for Sex Education and Economic Empowerment (WISE) project. In his keynote address, President Olusegun Obasanjo commended Africare, the American non-governmental organisation that initiated the WISE project, and promised Government's continued support for the Initiative.

Jordan's New Female Workforce (feature article)
This article from the Christian Science Monitor relates the stories of thousands of Jordanian women who have rejected traditional family roles to find work in the garment industry here, which has boomed since Jordan, Israel, and the US signed a joint trade deal in 1996 establishing Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs).

UN Calls for Congo to Punish Troops for Mass Rape (news article)
Congolese government soldiers accused of involvement in the mass rape of 119 women and girls following an army mutiny a year ago must be punished for their crimes, the United Nations said. The call for sanctions came as the world body investigates accusations of sexual abuse against children as young as 10 by some of its peacekeepers in Congo, although it does not have the power to punish its own troops if found guilty.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

Treating Opportunistic Infections Among HIV-Exposed and Infected Children (research article)
In 2001, CDC, the NIH, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America convened a working group to develop guidelines for therapy of HIV-associated opportunistic infections to serve as a companion to the Guidelines for Prevention of Opportunistic Infections Among HIV-Infected Persons. In recognition of unique considerations related to HIV infection among infants, children, and adolescents, a separate pediatric working group was established. This report focuses on treatment of opportunistic infections that are common in HIV-exposed and infected infants, children, and adolescents.

Risk of High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (HSIL) in HIV-Infected Adolescents (research abstract)
This study examined the risk of developing high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) among adolescents with and without HIV infection. Girls were recruited for comparison in a 2:1 ratio (HIV infected:HIV uninfected). Incidence of HSIL was higher for HIV-infected girls than for HIV-uninfected girls (21.5% vs. 4.8%, respectively). Use of hormonal contraceptives, high cervical mucous concentrations of interleukin (IL)-12, a positive HPV test, and persistent low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) were significantly associated with the development of HSIL.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

Africa: How Young People Can Help Reduce the Spread of HIV (news article)
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is most widespread among youth in Africa, but there is a glimmer of hope with countries such as Zambia recording slight decreases in prevalence rates among young people. According to Marian Kpakpah, Senior Programme Officer at the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Africa Centre, "It is important to help young people develop appropriate reproductive health lifestyles through strategies that encourage the postponement of sexual activities and provide them with adequate knowledge and skills to protect themselves. Linking them to appropriate health services and treatment is also essential to HIV/AIDS prevention among youth."

Africa: Children Who Drop Out of School More Likely to Get HIV (news article)
Children who drop out of school are more than twice as likely to become HIV positive, World Bank president James Wolfensohn has observed. In a press release on the eve of a Global Summit on Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Wolfensohn warned that caring for the rising numbers of AIDS orphans in Africa imposes a heavy financial burden on children, household, and communities, and that by 2010 the disease is likely to rob as many as 20 million children of their parents.

BOOKS/BOOK REVIEWS

The Changing Status of Women in West Bengal, 1970-2000 (book)
This book covers the status of women in the state of West Bengal and highlights the nature of the challenges ahead in dealing with issues relating to neglected and deprived women. It also looks back at the successes of the past that can help in confronting these challenges. Among the issues discussed are demography, health and nutrition, economic empowerment, education, political participation, law and violence, culture and tribal women.

SPECIAL REPORTS/PROFILES/RESOURCES

A Manual for Early Warning Rapid Response Systems for HIV/AIDS (resource material)
The Early Warning Rapid Response System, developed by the UNDP South East Asia HIV and Development Program, examines the HIV/AIDS epidemic from a new perspective and opens new ways to control the localized epidemics through the identification and analysis of early warning signals. It also describes how to design a development response which can be implemented by development sectors in order to reduce HIV vulnerability and build community resilience.

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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The INFO Project

Volume 4, Number 5227 December 2004