The State (Columbia, S.C.) (03.18.10) - Thursday, March 18, 2010
South Carolina's dwindling revenues are wreaking havoc on its budget, prompting cuts to many state agencies and
programs. On Wednesday, hundreds of advocates rallied at the Capitol to protest a spending plan that would eliminate all state funds for
HIV/AIDS. South Carolina is believed to be the first state in the nation to consider such a move.
The current version of the state budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year starting July 1 cuts out all funding for the
AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) as well as for statewide HIV prevention efforts. And without state money, matching prevention funds from
the federal government would also be in jeopardy.
"These are difficult [budget] times. But even in the midst of that, we have to find the resources to battle this
disease," said Rep. Joe Neal (D-Richland), adding that a growing body of research indicates the South is where most new HIV/AIDS cases are
occurring.
South Carolina ranks eighth among states in its rate of new AIDS cases annually, Kaiser Family Foundation data
show. Columbia's AIDS rate places it ninth among US cities.
The cut would affect 2,055 low-income patients who rely on ADAP for life-saving medicines. Neal has proposed a
budget amendment that would restore $2.2 million in state funds for the $5.9 million ADAP program.
But a partial restoration of ADAP is not enough, advocates maintain. Without the full $5.9 million, some clients
will be dropped and will go without their medicines, and newly eligible patients will be placed on a waiting list.
"The waiting list means people will be delayed in treatment," said Johanna Hayes, director of an HIV/AIDS
advocacy group. "Delayed treatment means they get sicker and end up in the hospital," eventually costing taxpayers more.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
CANADA: Free Needles, Crack Pipes Considered at Victoria Clinic
Richard Watts, Times Colonist
Vancouver Sun (03.17.10) - Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) is considering about 60 potential sites across the island from which
to provide sterile needles and other supplies for drug users. A final decision could be made by late June or early July.
One proposed site, the Addiction Outpatient Treatment office in downtown Victoria, would place addiction
treatment and harm-reduction services under one roof.
"I can't imagine anybody would have such poor insight as to think that's a reasonable thing to do," said Neal
Berger, executive director of the Cedars addiction recovery center in Cobble Hills. "Just the sight of a needle, just the thought of it.
[Addiction] is a brain disease and the brain starts playing tricks on people."
There is a process in place for excluding the outpatient office from the final list of sites if the two functions
are irreconcilable, said Suzanne Germain, VIHA's spokesperson.
The fixed-site needle exchange in Victoria closed in 2008 after neighbors complained about public disturbances
and dangers. Since then, public anger has prevented the establishment of another fixed-site needle exchange in the city.
CANADA: City Can't Wait Any Longer for Needle-Exchange Site, Victoria Councilor Says
Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist
Vancouver Sun (03.17.10) - Thursday, March 18, 2010
Victoria needs a fixed-site needle exchange and cannot wait on regional health plans that would help establish a
Vancouver Island-wide system, City Councilor Philippe Lucas says. The city has not had a fixed-site exchange for two years.
"There's absolutely no reason and no excuse for us to wait for an island-wide model to be put in place before
this municipality takes action in trying to reduce the spread of disease and improve the public health of our region," Lucas said.
The council approved Lucas' proposal that city staff members compile a history of harm-reduction initiatives and
solicit stakeholders' advice in devising a report on possible courses of action and costs. Lucas also supports one or more supervised
consumption facilities in the Capital Region.
"We hear from tourists and businesses alike that the visible drug use is a concern for our community and the best
way to deal with that is to actually give people a place to go and a safe place to use the substances that they are addicted to," Lucas
said.
AUSTRALIA: Spike in Sexual Infection Cases in Newcastle
Danny Rose
Australian Associated Press (03.15.10) - Thursday, March 18, 2010
Officials in the New South Wales city of Newcastle are concerned about a recent spike in gonorrhea cases. So far
this year, Newcastle-based sexual health services have recorded 41 cases of the STD, more than four times the nine cases logged during the same
timeframe last year. The port city registered 29 cases for the same period in 2008 and 13 in 2007.
Cases are increasingly being seen in teenagers and people in their 20s, said Dr. Treeny Ooi, director of sexual
health at Hunter New England Health.
"Men who have sex with men have been identified as a group particularly at risk," said Ooi. "However,
heterosexual people have also been infected."
"Gonorrhea often causes no symptoms and people may not be aware that they are infected," Ooi said. "Too many
people are unwittingly infecting their partners, and the only way to ensure that you do not have an [STD] such as gonorrhea is to have a sexual
health check at your doctor."
"Untreated, gonorrhea can cause serious and permanent health problems in men and women," said Ooi. "It can cause
painful infection in the testicles or fallopian tubes that connect the womb to the ovaries and may result in infertility."
Fortunately, testing for gonorrhea is easy and can be arranged through a general practitioner or sexual health
clinic, Ooi said. "There is a high awareness about the benefits of condom use, but it can be a very different story when it comes time to put
that knowledge into practice," she said.
MEDICAL NEWS
SWEDEN: Sexual Risk-Taking in the General Population of Sweden (1989-2007)
Claes Herlitz
Sexual Health (11.09) Vol. 6; No. 4: P. 272-280 (11..09) - Thursday, March 18, 2010
The current study aimed to examine changes in sexual behaviors and attitudes related to HIV and sexually
transmitted infections (STI) during "a long period of intensive efforts by the Swedish authorities to curb the spread of HIV."
In 1989, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2007, a total of 16,773 surveys were mailed to random samples of the general
Swedish population. Each sample included 4,000 to 6,000 persons ages 16 to 44, stratified by age: 16-17, 18-19, 20-24, 25-34, and 35-44.
Participation rates were 53.5 percent for men and 69.9 percent for women, for an overall participation rate of 61.6 percent.
During 1989-1994, the proportion of respondents holding a restrictive view on sexual intercourse outside a stable
relationship decreased significantly. The surveys since 1994 show no change in that respect. Throughout the period, the prevalence of casual
sexual partners increased significantly. Casual sexual intercourse without a condom increased significantly from 1989 to 2003, then decreased
slightly from 2003 to 2007 - a behavior change that was more common among women than men. Compared to older age cohorts, prevalence of several
sexual partners and casual intercourse without a condom was significantly higher among younger cohorts.
"This study demonstrates the need for a continuous preventive campaign against HIV/STI in the general population
in Sweden, particularly among young people," the author concluded.
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
NEW JERSEY: Symposium Infects HIV Awareness Within University
Rutgers Health Services' Health Outreach, Promotion and Education on HIV/AIDS (HOPE) hosted a March 10 symposium
to raise students' awareness about the disease. The event was held on National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
At the HIV/AIDS Interactive Symposium, students could walk around to different stations and learn about topics
like safe-sex practices and drug and alcohol use. One station run by HOPE's Wellness Learning Community invited students to send inspirational
postcards to friends and family.
The event also featured a photo exhibit titled "Faces of Awareness." The images of people affected by HIV/AIDS
are part of a traveling exhibit originally started on the Douglass campus.
For some students, the information provided served either to refresh their memories or boost their knowledge of
HIV/AIDS. "I feel like I already knew a lot of this stuff, but it reinforced what I knew. This event served as a reminder for me," said Hieu
Phung, a senior. "If everybody here at least learns about how to use a condom and what types of contraceptives there are, I think it would help
and maybe lower birth rates and help protect against diseases," said sophomore Sofya Andemicael.
ARIZONA: Kyrene School District Parents Review Lesson Plans for Sex Education Program
Kerry Fehr-Snyder
Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (03.12.10) - Thursday, March 18, 2010
Lesson plans for Kyrene School District's sex education curriculum, among other topics, are now being reviewed by
parents, administrators, and community members. The KSD board adopted the human growth, development, and sex education curriculum last year.
Lesson plans will also be reviewed by the district's health steering committee, which may make recommendations to the board by mid-April.
About seven parents have visited KSD offices to peruse three 15- to 18-minute sex education videos, which deal
with puberty; HIV/AIDS; and physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Course materials are available for review on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings
through March 26.
The curriculum will include lessons for fourth-graders about learning to recognize and report sexual abuse.
Fifth-graders will learn about HIV/AIDS in video presentations. Seventh- and eighth-graders will be taught about reducing the risk of pregnancy
and STDs through PowerPoint presentations. The latter two grades will also learn about condoms.
"We expect seventh- and eighth-graders to be abstinent," said Sue Yost, KSD's health curriculum coordinator.
"Condoms are not going to be handed out, there's not going to be a demonstration."
Still, students who are not abstinent should be prepared with information, Yost said. "We don't want our kids
having sex, obviously," she said. "We don't think it's appropriate for kids that age."
Because studies show rates of pregnancy and STDs jump between middle and high school, Yost said initiating sex
education in high school would be too late.
NEWS BRIEFS
UNITED STATES: New Price for AIDS Drug: $30,600 a Year
News and Observer (Raleigh NC) (03.17.10) - Thursday, March 18, 2010
In a filing this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Durham-based Trimeris disclosed that the price
of its AIDS drug Fuzeon has been increased by 3 percent, to $30,600 for a one-year supply. The new price is 50 percent higher than the drug
cost when it was rolled out in 2003. Fuzeon's sales have been hurt by its high price, side effects, and the availability of newer medicines.
Trimeris said the responsibility of setting the product's price is solely that of Swiss drug maker Roche, which markets it.
UNITED STATES: Social Networking for the HIV+
Deaidre Newby
Q Notes (Charlotte) (03.15.10) - Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thanks to online social networks, people with HIV are finding it easier to access support services and make new
friends. In 2007, Robert Breining launched POZIAM, a site where HIV-positive people can link up to share their experiences and resources. It
also offers a weekly online radio broadcast hosted by Breining, Jeromy Dunn of Charlotte, and "Project Runway" star Jack Mackenroth. Visit
www.community.poziam.com. Similar services are offered by www.beonecity.com.
CALIFORNIA: Marin AIDS Project Offers Home-Based Health Care
Cynthia Laird
Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco) (03.11.10) - Thursday, March 18, 2010
Home-based health care has been added to the Marin AIDS Project's slate of comprehensive services. To help
clients transition from hospital to home, MAP offers nursing care, attendant care, and medical case management. It also assists seriously ill
AIDS patients so they can be cared for at home instead of at a skilled nursing facility. Patients are referred by their physician;
qualification is determined by health status. MAP's services are free to low-income Marin County residents. For more information, telephone
415-457-2487.
![[IMG: Goto AIDS Daily Summary]](/images/jumpto.gif){kind=small}
![[IMG: Aegis Logo]](logo.gif){kind=logo}
![[IMG: Home]](/images/home.gif)
![[IMG: Map]](/images/smap.gif)
This information is designed to support, not replace, the
relationship that exists between you and your doctor.