Volume 6, Number 44
6 November 2006

Pop Reporter Tip: Did you know? You can see what type an item is before you click on the title to go to the text. Below every item’s title is a description of what that item is: “News Article”, “Report”, “Abstract”, and so on. Sometimes we are unable to link to full-text articles because a personal or institutional subscription is necessary. But the research is still important. We identify these items with “Abstract; subscription needed for full text” so that you know what you’ll be getting after you click the link.

Guest Editorials (free with every subscription)

The Lancet Series on Sexual and Reproductive Health

Author: The Pop Reporter

mdadamo@jhuccp.org

The Lancet's series on sexual and reproductive health, published online on November 1, 2006, highlights the following key areas: sexual behavior, unmet need for family planning, the impact of unsafe abortion, and sexually transmitted infections. For example, every year 340 million new patients acquire gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, or trichomonas. More than 120 million couples have an unmet need for contraception. 80 million women have unintended pregnancies, and an estimated 19 million women undergo unsafe abortions. In addition to the articles, the series also includes comments and original research.

Free registration is required by the Lancet for access to the full text of the series. Some of the contents of the series are included in this issue of The Pop Reporter. To view the entire series, visit The Lancet website at http://www.thelancet.com/collections/series/srh.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Sexual behaviour in context: A global perspective
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
The Lancet. Online access November 2006.
Wellings K | Collumbien M | Slaymaker E | Singh S | Hodges Z | Patel D | Bajos N
Related News Article: Global sex survey calls our bluff
This paper presents original analyses of sexual behavior data from 59 countries. The data show that no universal trend towards earlier sexual intercourse has occurred, but the shift towards later marriage in most countries has led to an increase in premarital sex. Monogamy is the dominant pattern everywhere. Condom use has increased almost everywhere, but use of condoms remains low in many developing countries. Comprehensive behavioral interventions are needed to tackle the structural factors that contribute to risky sexual behavior. (Lancet Series on Sexual and Reproductive Health)

Unsafe abortion: The preventable pandemic
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
The Lancet. Online access November 1, 2006.
Grimes DA | Benson J | Singh S | Romero M | Ganatra B | Okonofua FE | Shah IH
Related News Article: Unsafe abortions cause 68,000 deaths a year: WHO
Ending the silent pandemic of unsafe abortion is an urgent public-health imperative. Every year, about 19–20 million abortions are performed by individuals without the requisite skills, or in environments below minimum medical standards, or both. Nearly all unsafe abortions (97%) occur in developing countries. An estimated 68,000 women die as a result, and millions more have permanent complications. (Lancet Series on Sexual and Reproductive Health)

Sexual and reproductive health: A matter of life and death
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
The Lancet. Online access November 1, 2006.
Glasier A | Gulmezoglu AM | Schmid GP | Moreno CG | Van Look PFA
Related News Article: US and Vatican 'undermining fight to improve sexual health'
Despite the call for universal access to reproductive health, reproductive health was omitted from the Millennium Development Goals. Every year, more than 120 million couples have an unmet need for contraception, 80 million women have unintended pregnancies, and more than half a million women die from complications associated with pregnancy. The authors argue that the increasing influence of conservative political, religious, and cultural forces around the world threatens to undermine progress made since 1994, and provides a good example of the intrusion of politics into public health. (Lancet Series on Sexual and Reproductive Health)

Global control of sexually transmitted infections
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
The Lancet. Online access November 1, 2006.
Low N | Broutet N | Adu-Sarkodie Y |Barton P | Hossain M | Hawkes S
Sexually transmitted infections (STIS) other than HIV are important global health issues. STIs, by their nature, affect individuals, who are part of partnerships and larger sexual networks, and in turn populations. This paper proposes a framework of individual, partnership, and population levels for examining the effects of sexually transmitted infections and interventions to control them. (Lancet Series on Sexual and Reproductive Health)

Sexual and reproductive health for all: A call for action
(Commentary; Global)
The Lancet. Online access November 1, 2006.
Fathalla MF | Sinding SW | Rosenfield A | Fathalla MMF
Related Commentary: Reviving reproductive health
At the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994, the international community agreed to make reproductive health care universally available no later than 2015. The authors argue that, although progress has been made towards this commitment, it has fallen short of the original goal. Sexual and reproductive health for all is an achievable goal—if cost-effective interventions are properly scaled up; political commitment is revitalized; and financial resources are mobilized, rationally allocated, and more effectively used. (Lancet Series on Sexual and Reproductive Health)

Hormonal contraception: Recent advances and controversies
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
Fertility and Sterility. 2006 Nov;86(5):S229-S235.
The Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine
This document outlines new delivery systems and contraceptive formulations, summarizes recent advances in emergency contraception, and reviews the effects of hormonal contraception on cancer risk, cardiovascular disease, and bone density.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

Call for Europe to take the lead in revitalising family planning agenda in world's poorest countries
(News Article; Global)
1 Nov 2006
Innovations Report
John Cleland, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and his coauthors make a plea for a revitalization of the family planning agenda in the world’s poorest countries, while cautioning that soaring population rates are now a bigger threat to achieving the Millennium Development Goals than HIV/AIDS. The authors argue that investment in family planning should have a higher priority than investment in HIV prevention and treatment in most poor countries, because it poses a greater threat to international development. The Cleland article is part of The Lancet Series on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Ethiopia: Women struggle, but strings bind U.S. help
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
29 Oct 2006
Des Moines Register
Related News Article: Ethiopia part 6: Sometimes, seeing life in another place gives fresh insight into your own
Related News Article: Ethiopia part 4: Africa's abortion laws offer lessons of hardship
Related News Article: Ethiopia part 5: A picture of madness
Related News Article: Ethiopia part 2: Married off at 10, selling sex at 16
Related News Article: Ethiopia part 3: Life, marriage, death hang in HIV test results
Part 1 of a six-part series. In Ethiopia, 1.5 million people are currently HIV positive and nearly that many children have lost at least one parent to AIDS, according to some estimates. AIDS has lowered life expectancy to 49 years for men and 51 for women. This series covers the difficult realities of living with HIV in Ethiopia.

Nigeria: Women education and family planning
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
30 Oct 2006
The Tide
In almost every country studied in recent years, educated women have been found to have fewer children than their uneducated sisters. In Brazil for example uneducated women have more children whereas those with secondary education have less. This article discusses the relationship between education for girls, falling birth rates, and infant mortality.

Uganda: Birth control messages effective
(Editorial; Sub-Saharan Africa)
30 Oct 2006
New Vision
The author argues that the Ugandan government should promote education for women while at the same time continuing to promote the use of modern methods of family planning. He states, "An educated woman may not want many children, but she does not make decisions about family size on her own. Her husband also plays a large role in these decisions."

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis as a cause of death in patients co-infected with tuberculosis and HIV in a rural area of South Africa
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
The Lancet. 10 November 2006;Online access October 27, 2006. 368(9547):1554-1556.
Gandhi NR | Moll A | Sturm AW | Pawinski R | Govender T | Lalloo U | Zeller K | Andrews J | Friedland G
This research assesses the prevalence and consequences of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. MDR tuberculosis was detected in 221 patients, of whom 53 had XDR tuberculosis. Only 55% of patients with XDR tuberculosis had never been previously treated for tuberculosis. All patients with XDR tuberculosis who were tested for HIV were co-infected. MDR tuberculosis is more prevalent than previously realized in this setting. XDR tuberculosis has been transmitted to HIV co-infected patients and is associated with high mortality.

Stigma, fatigue and social breakdown: Exploring the impacts of HIV/AIDS on patient and carer well-being in the Caprivi Region, Namibia
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Social Science & Medicine. 2006 Dec;63(12):3174-3187.
Thomas F
This paper explores how HIV/AIDS illness and the daily and long-term duties of caring for persons with HIV/AIDS in Namibia impact the well-being of ill people and their caregivers. While optimism and enhanced well-being were recorded during periods of illness remission, AIDS-related illnesses invariably result in periods of sickness and dependency. This paper argues that the increasing dependency of the ill person, widespread pressure to maintain household integrity through self-sufficiency, and the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS can result in tension and breakdown of key social support networks.

Effects of HIV-related stigma among an early sample of patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Botswana
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
AIDS Care. 2006 Nov;18(8):931-933.
Wolfe WR | Weiser SD | Bangsberg DR | Thior I | Makhema JM | Dickinson DB | Mompati KF | Marlink RG
This study interviewed 112 patients receiving ART in 2000, finding evidence of pervasive stigma in patterns of disclosure, social sequelae, and delays in HIV testing. 94% of patients reported keeping their HIV status secret from their community, while 69% withheld this information even from their family. 27% of patients said that they feared loss of employment as a result of their HIV status. These findings suggest that success of large-scale national ART programs will require initiatives targeting stigma.

Access to adequate nutrition is a major potential obstacle to antiretroviral adherence among HIV-infected individuals in Rwanda
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
AIDS. 2006 Oct 24;20(16):2116-2118.
Au JT | Kayitenkore K | Shutes E | Karita E | Peters PJ | Tichacek A | Allen SA
Despite the massive expansion of antiretroviral drugs in Africa, little is known about the resulting changes in sexual behavior or obstacles to antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. This evaluation of Rwandan adults on ART found no increase in risky sexual behaviors, but an obstacle to ART initiation and adherence for 76% of patients was a fear of developing too much appetite without having enough to eat. Access to adequate nutrition may be a major determinant for long-term adherence to ART.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

Trinidad and Tobago: Living with HIV/AIDS part three
(Feature Article; Central America and the Caribbean)
21 Oct 2006
Trinidad and Tobago Express
Related News Article: Living with HIV/AIDS - Part four
For the third part of this "Living with HIV/AIDS" series, Express Woman interviewed a young woman who was born HIV positive. The young woman's deceased parents both had AIDS. Her father died when she was two years old and her mother passed away when she was five years old. She doesn't remember her father and she barely remembers her mother. What she does remember is being sick regularly as a child.

Malawi: Show us the money, says UN AIDS envoy
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
30 Oct 2006
Reuters AlertNet
A UN envoy accused the world's wealthiest countries of failing Malawi, which is struggling to care for more than two million orphans and vulnerable children. "The Malawi government is struggling to support its people because there is no money," complained Stephen Lewis, the UN secretary-general's special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.

South Africa's economy thrives despite shadow of AIDS
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
28 Oct 2006
Houston Chronicle/Cox News Service
A decade ago, as the enormity of the AIDS epidemic became clearer, business leaders in South Africa feared an economic catastrophe. Factories and mines could be crippled by labor shortages, while the tourism industry could fall into chaos as maids and waiters died off. But today, despite the adult population's estimated 20% HIV infection rate, the South African economy is flourishing. Growth is running at roughly 5% and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange is setting records.

South African government ends AIDS denial
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
27 Oct 2006
The Guardian
The South African government today announced a dramatic reversal of its approach to the country's AIDS crisis, promising increased availability of drugs and endorsing the efforts of civic groups battling the disease. Experts said the government's policy change could save thousands of lives. An estimated 5.4 million of South Africa's 47 million people are infected with HIV, one of the highest ratios in the world.

Swaziland: UNFPA pledges more support to govt.
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
2 Nov 2006
The Swazi Observer
The United Nations Population Fund has pledged its full commitment to continue support the Swazi government to scale up HIV and AIDS prevention interventions. UNFPA will do this through the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare, Economic Planning and Development, Home Affairs and Regional Development and Youth Affairs.

South Africa: HIV: What's in store for SA
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
1 Nov 2006
Fin24.com
Financial services group Metropolitan Holdings launched its HIV/Aids scenario project - Live the Future - which looks at the likeliest effect that South Africa's HIV/AIDS pandemic will have on economic growth and development in South Africa by the year 2025. Live the Future maps out four possible future scenarios, which are all dependent on what policies are put in place to determine how the country chooses to deal with the pandemic.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Traditional practices and exposure to bodily fluids in Lusaka, Zambia
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Tropical Medicine & International Health. Online access October 30, 2006.
Wojcicki JM | Kankasa C | Mitchell C | Wood C
This study looks at sociocultural and behavioral practices associated with the exposure to saliva, semen and vaginal fluids in Zambia. Results from focus group discussions indicated that saliva was used in home health care practices associated with childcare and the use of traditional medicine. Semen and vaginal fluids may also be used in rituals associated with childcare and health care for children. Population-based studies are needed to evaluate the relationship between traditional behavioral and sociocultural practices, which involve exchange of saliva and other bodily fluids and risk of infectious disease.

Seasonal variations in maternal mortality in Maputo, Mozambique: The role of malaria
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Tropical Medicine & International Health. Online access October 30, 2006.
Romagosa C | Ordi J | Saute F | Quinto L | Machungo F | Ismail MR | Carrilho C | Osman N | Alonso PL | Menendez C
This study evaluates the impact of malaria on maternal death. The overall crude maternal mortality rate was 995 per 100,000 live births. Malaria was the most frequent cause of maternal death, accounting for 23%. The malaria-specific maternal mortality rate was significantly higher during the rainy seasons. Malaria may contribute to maternal mortality in highly endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa, at least in urban areas. Efforts to improve malaria control in pregnancy may have an impact on maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.

Socioeconomic differentials in caesarean rates in developing countries: A retrospective analysis
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
The Lancet. 28 October 2006-3 November 2006;368(9546):1516-1523.
Ronsmans C | Holtz S | Stanton C
This study examined population-based caesarean rates by socioeconomic groups in various developing countries. Caesarean rates were extremely low among the very poor: they were below 1% for the poorest 20% of the population in 20 countries. At the other extreme were seven countries where caesareans were far in excess of the suggested maximum threshold of 15% for at least 40% of the population. In the poorest countries large segments of the population have almost no access to potentially life-saving caesareans, whereas in some mid-income countries more than half the population has rates in excess of medical need.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

Alert against high infant mortality rate in Dominican Republic
(News Article; Central America and the Caribbean)
27 Oct 2006
Dominican Today
Of every thousand infants born in the Dominican Republic, 31 die before reaching the age of 5. 67% of these deaths occur during the first 28 days after birth, said the president of the Dominican Pediatrics Society, Rosalda Damiano. She attributed the high mortality rate to deficiencies caused by poverty and to the fact that numerous children are born prematurely to teenaged mothers.

Tanzania: Doctors force women to deliver though caesarean
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
1 Nov 2006
Daily News
The National Assembly of Tanzania was told that some private hospitals forced women to deliver through Caesarean section instead of ordinary means in order to make more money. "There are reports that some medics push women to be operated on (Caesarean section) to earn more cash," Lucy Mayenga (Special Seats-CCM) told the House.

India: Health/Medicine : Institutional delivery brings down mortality rate
(News Article; Asia)
31 Oct 2006
Telugu Portal
By encouraging women to go to hospitals for deliveries, India has managed to reduce maternal mortality from 398 per 100,000 births in 1997-98 to 301 in 2002-03. "The maternal mortality rate (MMR) has come down to 301 in 2002-03 as against 398 in 1997-98 and 327 in 1999-01," Health Secretary P.K. Hota, who released the findings of a survey conducted by the Registrar General of India, said.

Infant mortality in 10M06 in Russia down 31% - Health Ministry
(News Article; Asia)
30 Oct 2006
Russian Information Agency
Infant mortality in Russia has dropped 31% in the first 10 months of 2006 as compared with the same period last year, said the Health and Social Development Ministry. "In [the first] 10 months of this year, 11,120 infants died in Russia's maternity hospitals, compared with 16,125 infants in [the first] 10 months of 2005," a ministry official said. "Early neonatal mortality has been reduced by that number."

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Scalpel versus no-scalpel incision for vasectomy
(Review/Synthesis; Global)
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews . 2006 Oct 18;(4):CD004112.
Cook LA | Pun A | van Vliet H | Gallo MF | Lopez LM
This Cochrane Review compares the effectiveness, safety, and acceptability of the incisional versus no-scalpel vasectomy. Two randomized controlled trials evaluated the no-scalpel technique and differed in their findings. The larger trial demonstrated less perioperative bleeding, pain during surgery, scrotal pain, and incisional infection during follow up than the standard incisional group. Operations using the no-scalpel approach were faster and men experienced a quicker resumption of sexual activity. The smaller study did not find these differences. Neither trial found differences in vasectomy effectiveness.

Persistent motile sperm after ligation band vasectomy
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
Journal of Urology. 2006 Nov;176(5):2146-2148.
Levine LA | Abern MR | Lux MM
This study evaluated the efficacy and mechanism of failure in a small case series of VasClip vasectomies. Six of 8 patients (75%) had no sperm after 2 semen analyses at a mean followup of 7 and 11 weeks following surgery, respectively. Two of 8 patients (25%) had semen analyses containing multiple live sperm after vasectomy. The VasClip was found to fail at an unexpectedly high rate. One failure resulted in an unwanted pregnancy, which demonstrates the need for patient counseling regarding postoperative followup.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Would you trust your man to take the male pill?
(News Article; Global)
31 Oct 2006
Daily Mail
A new discovery has boosted the chances of a male contraceptive becoming available in the next few years. Until now, scientists have worked on hormone-based methods of stopping sperm production. But these have produced side effects. Researchers in the U.S. recently developed a contraceptive involving the substance Adjudin, which doesn't interfere with male hormones, is largely side effect-free and is likely be taken in the form of a discreet patch or implant.

POPULATION NEWS

Africa has achievers and laggers as it tries to cut poverty, report finds
(News Article; North Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa)
30 Oct 2006
International Herald Tribune
Africa has both achievers and laggers as countries on the diverse continent try to reach a set of international development goals, chief among them halving poverty by 2015, according to a new World Bank report. The good news includes confirmation that primary school enrollment rates have significantly risen and HIV/AIDS prevalence and child mortality rates have started to fall. But the World Bank's annual publication, "African Development Indicators 2006," said that despite progress, Africa remains the lone region in the world where the number of poor continues to rise.

UK Lords debate Uganda’s population
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
27 Oct 2006
New Vision
Uganda's rising population growth could create additional demands on water and food supplies, the British House of Lords has warned. Uganda’s population of 28.2 million people is expected reach 120 million by 2050, according to experts.

Cyprus: More marriages, less births and less divorces in 2005
(News Article; Middle East)
1 Nov 2006
Cyprus Mail
Despite Cyprus’ worrying divorce rates, a recent report says it is on par with its European counterparts with fewer people getting divorced in 2005 than in 2004. More people also got married in 2005, although birth rates remained low.

Uganda: Population control key to growth
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
31 Oct 2006
New Vision
Africa's economic growth has lifted millions out of poverty, according to the World Bank. Fewer conflicts and increased economic growth has made 2005 – dubbed “The Year of Africa” – a turning point for the continent. There is tangible progress in public health, education, trade, and poverty reduction. Steady, low inflation formed the foundation for growth. The Bank singled out Uganda, Senegal, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Ghana as countries on course to cut poverty in half by 2010, five years ahead of schedule.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Prioritizing health problems in women in developing countries: Comparing the financial burden of reproductive tract infections, anaemia and depressive disorders in a community survey in India
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Asia)
Tropical Medicine & International Health. Online access October 30, 2006.
Patel V | Chisholm D | Kirkwood BR | Mabey D
This study compares the health care and opportunity costs of three common health problems (depressive disorders, reproductive tract infections (RTIs) and anemia). Catastrophic health expenditure, defined as less than 10% of household income spent on health in the previous month, was reported by 138 women. Only depressive disorder was associated with significantly higher health care costs and risk of catastrophic health expenditure. If economic arguments were considered a key driver for global health policy, then depressive disorder should be considered a major health priority for women in developing countries.

HPV vaccination with Gardasil: A breakthrough in women’s health
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. 2006 Nov;6(11):1223-1227.
Hanna E | Bachmann G
Human papillomavirus (HPV) represents one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. A percentage of women with HPV infection will go on to develop cervical lesions. Several studies have tested vaccines directed against specific HPV types. This paper reviews these studies with particular focus on a vaccine that targets four different variants of HPV. This vaccine is currently in Phase III trials. Data indicate that this vaccine, referred to as Gardasil, can prevent precancerous cervical lesions with few adverse effects. The vaccine has been approved by the FDA for this indication.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Kenya: Ensuring women’s issues top the agenda globally
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
29 Oct 2006
East African Standard
Twenty-one years ago, women gathered in Nairobi for the first UN International Women’s Conference to be held in Africa. Last week, they were back. This time to evaluate progress made over the years following the development of strategies aimed at fostering the advancement of women. Speakers remembered a time gone by when gender issues were treated with disdain and suspicion, a time when women could only dream of getting appointed to the Cabinet, becoming MPs, or even heading an organization or university.

Kenya: Kibaki puts sexual offenders on notice
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
28 Oct 2006
East African Standard
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has pledged that all sexual offenders will be dealt with firmly. The President made the promise at the Nairobi +21 Conference. Women leaders attending the meeting in Nairobi demanded that the government act swiftly to stop escalating cases of sexual offences.

Dad gets 10 years in first female circumcision trial in U.S.
(News Article; North America)
2 Nov 2006
CNN
An Ethiopian immigrant was convicted in the genital mutilation of his 2-year-old daughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in what is believed to be the first such criminal case in the United States.

India: Imranas of the world, unite
(Feature Article; Asia)
3 Nov 2006
Daily Pioneer
A woman from rural Uttar Pradesh named Imrana accused her 65-year-old father-in-law, of raping her in her husband's absence in June 2005. Local Islamic clerics then declared that she had become "haram" to her husband and that she should live with her father-in-law. The regressive fatwa that ordered her to take her rapist father-in-law as her husband illustrates the inequities of Shari'ah law as practiced in India.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

Reproductive health of young adults in India: The road to public health
(Report; Asia)
New Dehli, India, Pathfinder International, 2006.
Pathfinder International
The Reproductive Health of Young Adults in India (RHEYA) Project has improved the overall utilization of reproductive health and family planning services primarily by changing popular beliefs and knowledge about early marriage and childbearing. In the states of Tamil Nadu, New Delhi, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, Pathfinder partnered with four local nongovernmental organizations to develop effective interventions that reached young people from underprivileged communities with adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) information.

Reproductive health of Arab young people
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Middle East)
British Medical Journal. 2006 Oct 21;333(7573):849-851.
DeJong J | Golda El-Khoury G
Since the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994, governments have pledged to improve the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents by providing integrated health services including contraception for sexually active adolescents and health education. Most regions of the world still fall well short of these recommendations, especially for unmarried young people, but those in Arab countries are particularly underserved.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

KwaZulu-Natal teenage pregnancies on the rise
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
27 Oct 2006
Business Day
The number of girls at KwaZulu-Natal schools who become pregnant is rising, a provincial education department survey shows. This year 887 girls at KwaZulu-Natal schools became pregnant, 727 last year and 632 in 2004. Most girls were 15 or 16 years old. Teenage pregnancy is partly responsible for girls dropping out of school.

Bangladesh: Adolescent girls, be careful of AIDS!
(Feature Article; Asia)
28 Oct 2006
Financial Express
Adolescent girls are more vulnerable to HIV infection because of biological, cultural and economic factors. They are sexually mature and active at younger age. In some of the poorer countries in world, girls, aged 15 to 19, are infected at rates as much as seven times higher than boys. The disproportionate impact is related to widespread sexual abuse and gender discrimination against girls, making it extremely difficult for them to protect themselves.

Nigeria: Youths express concern over involvement in health programmes
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
27 Oct 2006
The Tide
Young people in Nigeria have stated that despite the multi-sectoral approach taken to address the issue of HIV/AIDS and other pandemics in the country, they still encounter challenges in participating in HIV/AIDS prevention and service delivery at the community level.

Jamaica: Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation continues to assist teen mothers
(News Article; Central America and the Caribbean)
31 Oct 2006
Jamaica Information Service
The Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation continues to provide support for teenage mothers. In 2005/06 the Foundation enrolled 919 new teen mothers in its program for adolescent mothers. Of these, 818 students were under the age of 16, with 679 enrolled in high school at the time of pregnancy.

Syria and UNPF to boost youth role and capability
(News Article; Middle East)
31 Oct 2006
Syrian Arab News Agency
The head of al-Thawra Youth Organization underlined the importance of training activities to motivate and build the capabilities of young people related to reproductive health during a workshop held in cooperation with United Nations Population Fund.

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Volume 6, Number 44 6 November 2006