2008

Radio talkers accuse Magic Johnson of faking AIDS: Associated Press - October 10, 2008; MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Magic Johnson says he s outraged that a pair of Minneapolis talk radio hosts accused him of faking AIDS. KTLK s Chris Baker and Langdon Perry made the remarks during Baker s conservative talk show on Wednesday. The context for the remarks wasn t clear. According to a partial transcript and audio clip
Station apologizes for comments about Magic: Associated Press - October 10, 2008; MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minneapolis radio station said Friday it would air public service announcements on HIV/AIDS after a pair of talk hosts accused former NBA star Magic Johnson of faking AIDS. KTLK s Chris Baker and Langdon Perry made the remarks during Baker s conservative talk show on Wednesday. After Johnson condem
Clinic under fire over licensing, record keeping: Associated Press - October 10, 2008; PHOENIX - A review by state health officials of a nonprofit Hispanic group s clinic revealed several problems including issues with licensing and record keeping. The report, released by the Arizona Department of Health Services, said the Chicanos Por La Causa Inc. outpatient facility in south-central Phoenix was not li
UN food program finds hunger in rural Zimbabwe: Associated Press - October 9, 2008; Donna Bryson; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Some rural Zimbabweans facing one of the hungriest years they could remember have been forced to live on a meal a day and in some cases only on wild fruits, the U.N. food aid agency said Thursday. The World Food Program appealed for donations to help fight hunger in Zimbabwe, straining as a
China opposes Peace Prize for rights activist: Associated Press - October 9, 2008; BEIJING - China said Thursday that a prominent Chinese human rights activist should not be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, saying such an honor would go against the spirit of the award. Jailed dissident Hu Jia is considered among the front-runners for the prize to be announced Friday. No short list of potential Nobel la
Superstar Dallas preacher goes international: Associated Press - October 9, 2008; Donna Bryson; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - It s time for Americans to look and pray beyond their borders, Bishop T.D. Jakes said Thursday as he prepared to take a major step in that direction with a revival meeting in South Africa. The superstar preacher, pastor of the Dallas megachurch The Potter s House and best-selling author was
Laureates: Financial crisis may hit AIDS funding: Associated Press - October 8, 2008; PARIS - Two French researchers who shared the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering the AIDS virus are voicing fears that the world financial crisis will hurt funding to fight the disease. Luc Montagnier and Francoise Barre-Sinoussi say they told President Nicolas Sarkozy of their concerns that both research and inte
US, Japan favored for Nobel chemistry prize: Associated Press - October 7, 2008; Karl Ritter and Matt Moore; STOCKHOLM, Sweden - U.S. and Japanese researchers are among the favorites to win the Nobel Prize in chemistry, but don t expect any recent discoveries to get the nod. The prize committee at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences typically awards decades-old research that has withstood the test of time. Possible fiel
China suggests Nobel should not go to activist: Associated Press - October 7, 2008; BEIJING - China s foreign ministry suggested Tuesday that it hopes Chinese human rights activists will not win this year s Nobel Peace Prize, saying the award should go to the right people. Dissidents Gao Zhisheng and Hu Jia, both arrested and jailed through the Beijing Olympics to keep them out of the public eye, are
University at Buffalo gets $7.6M for AIDS research: Associated Press - October 7, 2008; BUFFALO, N.Y. - The University at Buffalo has been awarded a $7.6 million contract to help AIDS researchers in developing countries conduct proper clinical trials. The seven-year award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the largest UB has ever received. The university s School of P
Pfizer continues realigning with 3 new units: Associated Press - October 7, 2008; Linda A. Johnson; TRENTON, N.J. - Pfizer Inc. (PFE, News), continuing its drive to create more focused business units, told employees worldwide Tuesday it is replacing its current geographic divisions with new ones focused on primary care, specialty care and operations in emerging markets. The shift is aimed at enabling the company t
Marysville doctor opens care center in Malawi: Associated Press - October 6, 2008; Jesse Dunsmore; MARYSVILLE, Mich. - Patients may visit Rod McLane at his office, Spine and Sport Chiropractic Center in Marysville, for back problems. But they will come to his center in Malawi , Africa, with considerably more dire circumstances. McLane s foundation, Hope Endeavors, recently opened the HIV/AIDS Rehabilitation, Feeding
Nobels awarded for AIDS, cancer virus research: Associated Press - October 6, 2008; Malcolm Ritter; Two French scientists who discovered the AIDS virus and a German who defied convention in showing a viral cause for cervical cancer shared the Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for breakthroughs that have led to lifesaving drugs and a vaccine. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier of France were cited for t
Nobel is postscript to bitter 1980s HIV dispute: Associated Press - October 6, 2008; Malcolm Ritter; The awarding of the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday writes a postscript to a bitter scientific dispute in the 1980s over who deserved credit for discovering HIV and the resulting test to screen blood for it. The Nobel committee honored French scientist Dr. Luc Montagnier and a collaborator for discovering the virus.
German, Two French Researchers Share Nobel Prize in Medicine: Associated Press - October 6, 2008; STOCKHOLM -- Germany s Harald zur Hausen and French researchers Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for discovering the AIDS virus and the role of viruses in cervical cancer. Ms. Barre-Sinoussi and Mr. Montagnier were cited for their discovery of human immunodefici
Gay elders' distinctive challenges get closer look: Associated Press - October 4, 2008; David Crary; NEW YORK - Frank Carter was once a globe-trotting professional dancer; his world is smaller now. He battles multiple health problems, walks with a cane and rarely leaves his compact Manhattan apartment. As an 86-year-old gay man, with no family nearby and many acquaintances long since dead, he d seem a likely prospect
Washington defines 60-day medical pot supply: Associated Press - October 3, 2008; Gene Johnson; SEATTLE - The state Health Department on Thursday defined a two-month supply of medical marijuana as 24 ounces of usable pot and up to 15 plants, a limit designed to end a decade of confusion over how much patients are allowed to have. But patient advocates criticized the limit as arbitrary and insufficient, saying it
Protesters briefly interrupt governor: Associated Press - October 3, 2008; NEW YORK - Protesters seeking more aid for people suffering from HIV/AIDS have briefly interrupted Gov. David Paterson s meeting with legislative leaders unveiling dire economic news. The protesters disrupted the meeting early with chants of We want a meeting! Paterson smiled from the panel, unable to see what the prot
Group opposes medical-marijuana ballot measure: Associated Press - October 2, 2008; Ben Leubsdorf; SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - If Michigan voters approve a medical-marijuana ballot initiative next month, the state will enter a minefield of unintended consequences, according to a newly formed group opposing the measure. Citizens Protecting Michigan s Kids made its debut Thursday with a morning press conference at a hospital
Plainfield man arrested on HIV exposure charge: Associated Press - October 2, 2008; CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - A Plainfield man has been charged with allegedly exposing another person to the virus that causes AIDS. Thirty-four-year-old Nick Rhoades is charged with criminal transmission of HIV. He was arrested on Monday at University Hospitals in Iowa City. Police say Rhoades met a Cedar Falls man online and
4 NYPD officers with HIV get disability pensions: Associated Press - October 2, 2008; NEW YORK - Four NYPD police officers who contracted the HIV virus while on duty have been granted disability pensions. The cases were disclosed as part of a lawsuit filed by a retired female officer who says she too was infected on the job and wants a tax-free pension. Called Jane Doe in Brooklyn Federal Court, she all
Missing in Mexico: One condom-mobile: Associated Press - October 1, 2008; Maria Gallucci; MEXICO CITY - Missing in Mexico: One truck carrying 5,000 condoms, 800 HIV tests and a 23-foot (7 meter) inflatable prophylactic. The coordinator of an HIV/AIDS awareness tour, Polo Gomez, said Wednesday that the Condomovil was parked in front of a friend s house in Mexico City when it disappeared Sunday evening. He be
Study traces AIDS virus origin to 100 years ago: Associated Press - Wednesday, October 1, 2008; Malcolm Ritter, AP Science Writer; NEW YORK: The AIDS virus has been circulating among people for about 100 years, decades longer than scientists had thought, a new study suggests. Genetic analysis pushes the estimated origin of HIV back to between 1884 and 1924, with a more focused estimate at 1908. Previously, scientists had estimated the origin at ar
Abortion, AIDS, stem cells: 'Private Practice' brings bioethical issues to prime-time TV: Associated Press - September 30, 2008; Sandy Cohen; LOS ANGELES (AP) - On a massive sound stage at Hollywood s Raleigh Studios, a woman is dying of ovarian cancer. One doctor wants to treat her traditionally, by removing her uterus and ovaries. Another wants the patient to participate in a clinical trail that might preserve her ability to have children, but could have s
Iowa man drops HIV lawsuit against McDonald's: Associated Press - September 29, 2008; DYERSVILLE, Iowa - A man who filed a lawsuit claiming he was fired from his job at a Dyersville McDonald s because he was gay and has HIV has dropped the case. Daniel Carver of Epworth dropped the lawsuit last week. Court records did not indicate whether a settlement was reached in the case. All I can tell you is that
U.S. hearts open wider to children with HIV: Associated Press - September 28, 2008; ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA -- Solomon Henderson inherited just three things from his birth parents, who left him at an Ethiopian orphanage when he was a year old: a picture of Jesus, a plastic crucifix and HIV. As one of about 14,000 Ethiopian children born with the virus every year, Solomon s prospects for survival, much l
Newman planned for charitable legacy after death: Associated Press - September 28, 2008; Susan Haigh; HARTFORD, Conn. - Paul Newman broached the subject of his philanthropic legacy several years ago while fishing with friends Robert Forrester and David Horvitz off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Even though he was a Hollywood icon - a 10-time Academy Award nominee known for his performances in such classic films as
South African leader vows to fight crime, poverty: Associated Press - September 28, 2008; Celean Jacobson; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - South Africa s new president went on television Sunday seeking to calm the nation after a week of political drama, saying the government is pressing ahead to combat poverty, unemployment and crime. Kgalema Motlanthe, 59, a mild-mannered former freedom fighter, was installed Thursday after f
CosmoGirl essay sends southern Md. girl to Africa: Associated Press - September 28, 2008; CALIFORNIA, Md. - Christina Dawson s time in Peru and Malaysia , coupled with a desire to work abroad after college, filled her heart with the knowledge and her pen with the words to win an essay to become a youth ambassador. After winning a contest along with 19 other teenagers, the sout
South Africa's removal of health minister praised: Associated Press - September 26, 2008; Clare Nullis; CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- AIDS activists on Friday celebrated the removal of South Africa s health minister, accused of causing countless unnecessary deaths by promoting nutritional supplements instead of conventional medicine for people with HIV. New President Kgalema Motlanthe, within hours of taking office Thursday
UN chief: $16B being given to help world's poor: Associated Press - September 25, 2008; Edith M. Lederer; UNITED NATIONS - Bill Gates said Thursday the U.N. s goals to fight poverty have grabbed the world s attention - and the U.N. chief said the world has responded with more than $16 billion despite the current financial crisis. This has exceeded all our expectations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the end of a day
Leaders try to rid world of malaria deaths by 2015: Associated Press - September 25, 2008; John Heilprin; UNITED NATIONS - Malaria as a mass child killer would be virtually eliminated globally by 2015 under a plan backed by nearly $3 billion in pledges, officials said Thursday. With the number of malaria deaths approaching 1 million a year, most of them infants and toddlers, the infectious disease has become a scourge in r
Star power meets philanthropy with celeb charities: Associated Press - September 25, 2008; Megan K. Scott; NEW YORK - Bono battles the AIDS epidemic. Leonardo tries to make the world a greener place, and Martha has a soft spot for animals. For today s celebs, charity work is almost as much a part of the job as walking the red carpet. Famous names have become affiliated with preventing domestic violence, curing breast cancer
Anti-apartheid activist becomes South Africa president: Associated Press - September 25, 2008; Clare Nullis; CAPE TOWN, South Africa - A mild-mannered anti-apartheid activist on Thursday became the third president of South Africa since the end of white rule, vowing to foster unity in a country shaken by a power feud between its past and future leaders. Kgalema Motlanthe is widely seen as a caretaker president until next year
Executive sentenced in Serono fraud case: Associated Press - September 24, 2008; Jay Lindsay; BOSTON - The president of a medical device company was sentenced Wednesday to three years probation and fined $10,000 for plotting with Swiss-based Serono Laboratories to increase sales of an AIDS drug by manipulating a test for AIDS patients. Rudolph Liedtke, president of Michigan-based RJL Sciences, pleaded guilty to
Medical device exec manipulated AIDS drug sales: Associated Press - September 24, 2008; Denise Lavoie; BOSTON - The president of a medical device company has been sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for conspiring to promote sales of an AIDS drug by manipulating a test for AIDS patients. Rudolph Liedtke (LIT -kee), president of Michigan-based RJL Sciences, was sentenced Wednesday in Bost
Pfizer, Nobel winner team up on health program: Associated Press - September 24, 2008; Linda A. Johnson; TRENTON, N.J. - Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. is working with the founder of Nobel Peace Prize-winning Bangladeshi microlender Grameen Bank to improve health care delivery - and eventually boost sales of its drugs - in poor countries. The project will work with the bank s affiliated health care system, Grameen Health, which ru
Group releases HIV report card for DC: Associated Press - September 24, 2008; WASHINGTON - An advocacy group is praising the District of Columbia for supporting needle exchanges in an effort to reduce the spread of AIDS. The D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice on Wednesday released its fourth report card since 2005 on efforts to slow Washington s AIDS epidemic. The city was graded in eleve
Schwarzenegger signs California budget 85 days late: Associated Press - September 23, 2008; Judy Lin; SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the most overdue state budget in California history Tuesday, skipping the usual fanfare because he said the Legislature s efforts on the $144.5 billion spending plan were nothing to celebrate. Nearly a quarter of the way through its fiscal year, the state finally h
NJ supremacist group distributes anti-Obama fliers: Associated Press - September 23, 2008; Samantha Henry; TRENTON, N.J. - Some residents of a northwestern New Jersey town received fliers last weekend that criticized the prospect of Democrat Barack Obama becoming the first black president. One national watchdog group said it may be the first distribution of racist fliers during the campaign. Roxbury Mayor Tim Smith said the
China warns of tougher punishment for bad blood: Associated Press - September 23, 2008; BEIJING: Agents who collect or supply blood that causes death or serious illness face stricter punishments starting Tuesday in an attempt by Chinese authorities to crack down on the illegal sale of blood. Those found guilty of collecting or supplying blood that causes at least five people to contract AIDS, hepatitis B,
South African finance minister quits but could stay: Associated Press - September 22, 2008; Clare Nullis; CAPE TOWN, South Africa - South Africa s finance minister resigned along with most leading Cabinet members Tuesday but tried to reassure a shaken business community and stock market by saying he was willing to serve the country s new administration. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel was finance minister for 11 years and i
2008 MacArthur Foundation fellows: Associated Press - September 22, 2008; The following 25 fellows each will receive $500,000 over the next five years from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation: -Chimamanda Adichie, 31, fiction writer, Columbia, Md. Using events inspired by her native Nigeria , Adichie explores ethnic conflict in novels and stories. -Will Allen, 59, urban far
Orthodox church settles suit claiming priest abuse: Associated Press - September 22, 2008; SAN FRANCISCO - A mentally ill parishioner has reached a settlement in his lawsuit against a San Francisco Eastern Orthodox church and an HIV-positive priest he accused of sexual abuse. The unnamed plaintiff s 2006 suit claims the Greek Orthodox Metropolis church turned a blind eye to the alleged misconduct of the Rev.
UN chief asks rich nations to spend $72B on Africa: Associated Press - September 22, 2008; Edith M. Lederer; UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Under the cloud of a global financial crisis, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged the world s rich nations to spend $72 billion a year to help Africa achieve U.N. goals to fight poverty, improve health and ensure universal primary education. He told the opening of a high-level meeting on
South Africa's Mbeki resigns after power struggle: Associated Press - September 21, 2008; Clare Nullis; CAPE TOWN, South Africa - South African President Thabo Mbeki told the nation Sunday that he had resigned, having lost a power struggle to a rival tainted by allegations of corruption but poised now to lead the country. In a somber but dignified speech focusing on the successes and shortcomings of his nine-year preside
ANC forces South African President Mbeki to resign: Associated Press - September 20, 2008; Donna Bryson; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - President Thabo Mbeki bowed to heavy pressure from his own party to resign Saturday, tossed to the sidelines of the economic powerhouse he built up as punishment for allegedly abusing his power in trying to quash a popular rival. The swiftness of the ouster likely will stoke fears about the
Affable Zuma has wide appeal among South Africans: Associated Press - September 20, 2008; Donna Bryson; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Affable populist Jacob Zuma could teach other politicians a thing or two about resiliency. The man in line to be South Africa s next president has a resume typical of the black activists who helped end apartheid - impoverished childhood, political awakening, guerrilla training, Robben Islan
Administration urged to end HIV travel ban: Associated Press - September 20, 2008; Jim Abrams; WASHINGTON - Experts at an early August international AIDS conference in Mexico City were full of praise for the United States for having reversed a 15-year-old law banning HIV-positive people from entering the country. But nearly two months after President Bush signed that act into law, his administration has yet to t
More consolidation seen in generic drug industry: Associated Press - September 19, 2008; WASHINGTON: A wave of consolidation that has reshaped the generic drug industry in recent years will continue, experts say, as companies like Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Mylan Inc. compete for new business in emerging global markets. This year already has seen a record level of buyouts with acquisitions valued a
WHO: Recalculation cuts malaria cases by half: Associated Press - September 18, 2008; Eliane Engeler; GENEVA - The World Health Organization halved its estimate of the number of people who get malaria each year, saying Thursday that better measurement techniques had cut the number from 500 million people to 247 million. The U.N. agency, which issued the revised figure in its World Malaria Report 2008, said the new esti
16 students pricked by lancets tested for diseases: Associated Press - September 18, 2008; GOSHEN, Ind. (Map, News) - Sixteen northern Indiana students who were pricked by blood-testing lancets by three eighth-grade classmates were tested Thursday for contagious diseases. The three Goshen Middle School students accused of jabbing their classmates face preliminary charges of battery and could face additional
Brazil to produce generic AIDS drug: Associated Press - September 18, 2008; BRASILIA, Brazil : Brazil s health minister says Latin America s biggest country will produce an inexpensive generic version of an AIDS drug made by Merck & Co. Jose Gomes Temporao said Wednesday the decision to produce efavirenz , a generic version of Stocrin, was taken b
Train engineer faced challenges in final years: Associated Press - September 17, 2008; Greg Risling; LOS ANGELES - In the years leading up to his death in the locomotive of a commuter train, engineer Robert Sanchez s life was marked by personal tragedy, jail time, and concerns about his health and job security. His HIV-positive companion had committed suicide, he was concerned about his diabetes and he feared a brush
Brad Pitt donates money to support gay marriage: Associated Press - September 17, 2008; LOS ANGELES - Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to fight California s November ballot initiative that would overturn the state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. It s the first time voters will be asked to ban same-sex marriage in a state where gay couples already have won the right to wed. Same-sex marr
J&J reports anemia drug linked to deaths in study: Associated Press - September 17, 2008; Linda A. Johnson; TRENTON, N.J. - A blockbuster anemia drug made by a Johnson & Johnson company has been linked to the deaths of some patients in an experiment testing whether it could help stroke patients. J&J s Ortho Biotech unit said late Wednesday that it had learned of preliminary data from a study in which participants wer
UN chief fears world impact of US financial crisis: Associated Press - September 16, 2008; Edith M. Lederer; UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern Tuesday that the U.S. financial crisis will have a serious global impact, especially on rich donor nations that play key roles in fighting poverty. He urged a resumption of stalled world trade talks, which the U.N. sees as crucial to opening world ma
FDA blocks imports from India's generic drug giant: Associated Press - September 16, 2008; Lauran Neergaard; WASHINGTON - The government closed U.S. borders Tuesday to more than 30 generic drugs - including popular antibiotics and cholesterol medicines - made by India s biggest pharmaceutical company, citing poor quality in two of its factories. The Food and Drug Administration s move doesn t end U.S. sales by
Aid agencies hopeful of feeding Zimbabwe: Associated Press - September 15, 2008; Alexander G. Higgins; GENEVA - Aid agencies on Monday welcomed the new power-sharing government in Zimbabwe as giving hope that they will be able to step up food deliveries to millions of people facing hunger and worse. The food situation in Zimbabwe has reached crisis point, said Matthew Cochrane of the international Red Cross. There are
Jolie, Pitt donate $2 million for Ethiopian clinic: Associated Press - September 15, 2008; NEW YORK -- Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are giving back to the country where their 3-year-old daughter Zahara was born. The couple have donated $2 million to help fight HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in Ethiopia , said the Global Health Committee, which announced the donation by the Jolie-Pitt Foundation. The organizat
World Bank head urges help for "fragile" states: Associated Press - September 13, 2008; WASHINGTON: World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned Friday that the international community must work harder in aiding so-called fragile states, home to about 20 percent of the world s population, or risk them becoming the safe havens for terrorists. Zoellick said such nations, which range from
UNICEF: child mortality down 27 percent since 1990: Associated Press - September 12, 2008; Edith M. Lederer; UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Children s Fund said Friday the number of children who die before the age of five has declined by 27 percent over the last two decades, and the rate is expected to continue falling. According to new UNICEF figures, there were 68 deaths per 1,000 live births around the world in 2007 compared wi
British rock band Queen sings to tens of thousands of Ukrainians in AIDS charity concert: Associated Press - September 12, 2008; Olga Bondaruk; KHARKIV, Ukraine - Queen sang to tens of thousands of Ukrainians in a charity concert meant to raise money and AIDS awareness in this ex-Soviet republic. Cheering fans packed the central square Friday in Ukraine s second-largest city, to listen to the legendary British rock band, whose lead vocalist Freddie Mercury die
Security levels for biological agents: Associated Press - September 12, 2008; Laboratory standards are based on a biosafety level assigned to specific infectious biological agents. Some agents are handled at different levels depending on the type of work being done and the concentration of the specimen. - Biosafety Level 1 (BSL-1): Well-characterized agents not known to consistently cause diseas
Judge throws out corruption charges against Zuma: Associated Press - September 12, 2008; Clare Nullis; PIETERMARITZBURG, South Africa (AP) - A South African judge threw out fraud and corruption charges against ANC President Jacob Zuma on Friday, effectively clearing the way for the 66-year-old former freedom fighter to become the country s next president. Judge Chris Nicholson s ruling included biting criticism of prose
Parents change kids' worlds with adoption: Associated Press - September 11, 2008; Aaron Dohogne; CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Since 1998, families in the U.S. have adopted an average of 2,576 children per year from Guatemala . In Cape Girardeau, eight families have adopted nine children - seven girls and two boys - from the Latin American country. Most of the families said they adopted from outside the U.S. for spiritual
DC hopes needle exchanges curb soaring AIDS rate: Associated Press - September 11, 2008; Brian Westley; WASHINGTON - Reggie Jackson spends much of his day inside a Winnebago, riding through the city s hard-scrabble neighborhoods to hand out clean syringes in exchange for dirty ones. We re saving lives, man, Jackson says. He s on a mission to protect drug addicts from HIV, which Jackson learned he had in 1990 after years
South Africa's Zuma defends criticism of judges: Associated Press - September 9, 2008; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa : The head of South Africa s governing party defended his right to criticize judges Tuesday, speaking to a friendly audience three days before a hearing in his corruption case. African National Congress President Jacob Zuma has been accused of undermining the judiciary in South Africa s fledg
Gates Foundation looks for unorthodox projects: Associated Press - September 9, 2008; SEATTLE - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is looking for unorthodox, unproven ideas for fighting diseases like AIDS, malaria and pneumonia. The second round of the foundation s Grand Challenges Explorations grants will give $100,000 each to projects with potential. The ideas are welcomed from all kinds of scien
Pennsylvania woman reaches plea bargain in AIDS fraud: Associated Press - September 8, 2008; EASTON, Pa. - A 29-year-old eastern Pennsylvania woman who pretended to have AIDS to collect medical and welfare benefits has worked out a plea bargain. Cassey Jo Weierbach faces up to 17 years in prison when sentenced Nov. 3 in Northampton County Court. The Bethlehem woman pleaded no contest Monday to one count of fel
EVMS gets $100M HIV research grant: Associated Press - September 8, 2008; NORFOLK, Va. - Eastern Virginia Medical School is receiving a $100 million grant to develop a product to prevent the transmission of the virus that causes AIDS. The federal grant awarded by the U.S. Agency for International Development is the largest in the Norfolk school s history. Officials say the grant will further
AIDS support group set to march in Mississippi: Associated Press - September 7, 2008; An AIDS support group is set to march from Jackson to Oxford on Sept. 13 in a demonstration it hopes will lead to a national strategy to combat the spread of the disease. The Campaign to End AIDS group will begin the march in Jackson and end it in Oxford on Sept 23. The group says it wants to urge the federal governmen
Miss Universe returns home to Venezuela: Associated Press - September 7, 2008; CARACAS, Venezuela : Venezuelans have welcomed home newly crowned Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza, the fifth beauty queen from the country to win the title. The 22-year-old Mendoza said after arriving Saturday that her triumph is dedicated to the Venezuelans, who have always supported me, who have believed in me. She
Illinois Lottery reports record sales: Associated Press - September 7, 2008; SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois Lottery had a record fiscal year 2008 with more than $2 billion in sales. The lottery reported in a statement last week that its $2.078 billion in sales is the most it has earned in its 34-year history. The figure is 2.8 percent more than fiscal year 2007 sales. Lottery officials say of
'Rent' brings down the curtain on Broadway run: Associated Press - September 7, 2008; Michael Kuchwara; NEW YORK - They cheered, they cried and gave the show a standing ovation even before the first note was sung. Broadway said goodbye Sunday to Rent, 12 years and 5,124 performances after it first became a rock musical with a message for theatergoers of all ages. Like we did when we opened, we dedicate this performance t
Oregon marijuana center closes over squabble: Associated Press - September 7, 2008; EUGENE, Ore. - The medical marijuana group Compassion Center is trying to regroup after an internal power struggle that peaked when one board member removed patients medical files, sued to dissolve the organization and tried to start her own rival group. The center, founded in 2001, closed in July, leaving about 2,000
HIV-positive man sues McDonald's after firing: Associated Press - September 6, 2008; DYERSVILLE, Iowa - A former McDonald s employee filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission alleging he was unlawfully fired because he s a gay man with HIV. Daniel Carver, 46, alleges that what began as a lack of promotions and fewer hours escalated to derogatory names, violence and death threats. Carver a
Swazis hold 40th birthday of king, independence: Associated Press - September 6, 2008; Clare Nullis; MBABANE, Swaziland - The Swazi king, bare-chested and wearing a traditional leopard skin loin cloth, celebrated his 40th birthday and his nation s 40th independence day in lavish style Saturday - hosting an extravaganza that contrasted sharply with the biting poverty of his subjects. King Mswati III toured the nati
FDA posts list of potential problem drugs: Associated Press - September 6, 2008; Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar; Washington - The government on Friday began posting a list of prescription drugs under investigation for potential safety problems in an effort to better inform doctors and patients. The first list is a bare-bones compilation naming 20 medications and the potential issue for each. It provides no indication of how wides
Crystal man accused of not disclosing HIV status: Associated Press - September 5, 2008; STANTON, Mich. - A Crystal man is accused of having unprotected sex with two women without telling them he carries the virus that causes AIDS. Thirty-two-year-old Gerald Campbell Jr. is to be arraigned Thursday in Montcalm County Circuit Court. Campbell is being held in the county jail following a preliminary hearing t
New Grady CEO focused on finding paying patients: Associated Press - September 5, 2008; Errin Haines; ATLANTA - While Grady is the region s only Level 1 trauma center, it can no longer afford to be the only safety net hospital in metro Atlanta, the health system s new chief executive officer said on Friday. After a week on the job, Michael Young said the public hospital must attract more paying patients while continuin
UN says US, Japan, EU not doing enough on poverty: Associated Press - September 4, 2008; Edith M. Lederer; UNITED NATIONS - In criticism aimed primarily at the United States , Japan and the European Union, a U.N. report said Thursday that rich nations haven t delivered on promises to help the world s poorest nations and must increase aid by $18 billion a year. The report also criticized the failure of rich and poor coun
AIDS-stricken Swaziland feels less than overjoyed as king and country celebrate 40th birthday: Associated Press - September 4, 2008; Clare Nullis; MBABANE, Swaziland (AP) - Swaziland and its king are throwing a joint 40th birthday bash this weekend, but the mood is far from celebratory in this small southern African land of paupers and princes, mud huts and palaces. The government calls them the 40-40 festivities, marking King Mswati III s birthday and the annive
Pharmacist gets probation for selling fake Lipitor: Associated Press - September 4, 2008; KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Former Kansas City-area pharmacist Doug Albers has received five years probation for selling fake or misbranded medication. The sentence Wednesday came nearly one year after Albers admitted his involvement in an alleged conspiracy to sell $42 million in stolen, misbranded and bogus pharmaceutical dru
Bon Jovi helps build homes for poor, AIDS patients: Associated Press - September 2, 2008; Angela Delli Santi; NEWARK, N.J. - One of New Jersey s best-known rock n rollers has teamed up with the state to provide affordable housing in the state s largest city. Jon Bon Jovi s Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation is providing $1 million toward construction of a 51-unit building that will cater to homeless people with special ne
McCain has opposed spending on teen pregnancy prevention programs, sex education: Associated Press - September 2, 2008; Sharon Theimer, Associated Press Writer; WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican John McCain, whose running mate disclosed that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, has opposed proposals to spend federal money on teen-pregnancy prevention programs and voted to require poor teen mothers to stay in school or lose their benefits. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin s announ
More Americans adopting HIV-positive children from abroad, particularly Ethiopia: Associated Press - September 1, 2008; Anita Powell; ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Solomon Henderson inherited just three things from his birth parents, who left him at an Ethiopian orphanage when he was 1 year old: a picture of Jesus, a plastic crucifix and HIV. As one of some 14,000 Ethiopian children born with the virus every year, Solomon s prospects for survival - much le
Zimbabwe doctors' advice: Don't get sick: Associated Press - August 31, 2008; Angus Shaw; HARARE, Zimbabwe - The advice of doctors to Zimbabweans is, don t get sick. If you do, don t count on hospitals - they re short of drugs and functioning equipment. As the economy collapses, the laboratory at a main 1,000-bed hospital has virtually shut down. X-ray materials, injectable antibiotics and anticonvulsants h
Urban medical schools feel weight of uninsured: Associated Press - August 28, 2008; Corey Williams; DETROIT - Dr. Herbert Smitherman nervously monitors the city s fluctuating unemployment rate and sinking economy. As one of about 750 Wayne State University Medical School physicians, he looks at the deluge of job cuts in Detroit s auto, manufacturing and other industries and sees even more people lining up for health
Sterilization problems prompts tests on patients: Associated Press - August 28, 2008; Fresno, CA (AP) -- Fourteen surgical patients at a Clovis hospital are being called back for tests because doctors may have used on them instruments that were not fully sterilized. Officials at Clovis Community Medical Center say the chance of infection or exposure to HIV or hepatitis is remote. The instruments were us
In NYC, new HIV infections 3 times national rate: Associated Press - August 27, 2008; NEW YORK (AP) - New data show New York City residents are contracting the virus that causes AIDS at three times the national rate. The city health department said Wednesday that almost 4,800 New Yorkers were infected with HIV in 2006. That number represents 72 of every 100,000 residents, compared to a national rate of
Detained Chinese activist returns to Beijing: Associated Press - August 26, 2008; Audra Ang, Associated Press Writer; BEIJING, China (AP) -- A Chinese human rights activist detained by police during the Olympic Games said Tuesday that she had returned to Beijing and that her dissident husband was being mistreated in prison. Zeng Jinyan was one of several activists taken away during the games as part of Beijing s efforts to clear the c
Police: Man who bit officer tests positive for HIV: Associated Press - August 25, 2008; ATLANTA - Police in Atlanta say a man who bit an officer s arm and said he has HIV has tested positive for the disease. Police spokesman Ron Campbell says 41-year-old Ross Deadwyler told the officer he was HIV positive after biting him early Saturday. Campbell would not give the officer s name but says he s at home tak
Finn gets 10 years for infecting women with HIV: Associated Press - August 25, 2008; HELSINKI, Finland : A Finnish court has sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for infecting five women with the AIDS virus and having unprotected sex with 14 others although he knew he was infected. The court says it found Aki Hakkarainen guilty of five counts of aggravated assault and 14 counts of attempted aggravated
Managed care urged for city's Medicaid HIV/AIDS cases: Associated Press - August 24, 2008; ALBANY, N.Y. -- The New York state Medicaid director is recommending that New York City residents with HIV/AIDS and receiving Medicaid benefits should be required to use health maintenance organizations. The New York Department of Health is expected to issue a final decision in the next few weeks on Medicaid Director D
On street, D.C. needle swap 'saving lives': Associated Press - August 24, 2008; Reggie Jackson spends much of his day inside a Winnebago, riding through the District s hardscrabble neighborhoods to hand out clean syringes in exchange for dirty ones. Mr. Jackson is on a mission to protect drug addicts from HIV, for which he tested positive in 1990 after sharing needles to shoot heroin and crack coc
Details of tainted blood scandal come to light: Associated Press - Sunday, August 24, 2008; Gregory Katz, Associated Press; Peebles, Scotland -- Robert Mackie trembles with rage when he describes how he and his wife were kept in the dark about his HIV infection - and how doctors published his medical data in journals years before they gave him the devastating news. Mackie is one of about 5,700 British hemophiliacs who received tainted blood
US expresses concern for Chinese activists: Associated Press - Friday, August 22, 2008; Audra Ang, Associated Press Writer; BEIJING, China (AP) - The United States is concerned about two prominent Chinese human rights activists who went missing just before and during the Beijing Olympics, an embassy spokeswoman said Friday. In a meeting this week with Foreign Ministry officials, U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt brought up the cases of Hua Hui
Northern Indiana county warns of hoax STD calls: Associated Press - August 21, 2008; SOUTH BEND, Ind. - At least 10 people have received automated calls purportedly from the St. Joseph County Health Department telling them they might have contracted a sexually transmitted disease. The health agency says the messages are a hoax and that it would never leave personal medical information on an answering m
Wording proposed for Michigan ballot measures: Associated Press - August 19, 2008; LANSING, Mich. - State election officials late Tuesday released their proposed 100-word statements of purpose for three ballot proposals targeting the November election. The Board of State Canvassers could vote on the ballot wording Thursday, while deciding whether the issues qualify for the ballot. The proposed wordin
Safe sex ring tone sings 'Condom, condom!': Associated Press - August 19, 2008; Sam Dolnick; NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- A cell phone ring tone that sings Condom, condom! has been launched to promote safe sex in India, where condoms carry a strong social stigma and HIV and AIDS are growing problems, health experts said Tuesday. The a cappella ring tone features a professional singer chanting the word condom more
Mom, daughter lead Kenyan village in AIDS recovery: Associated Press - August 17, 2008; Barbara Borst; RABUOR, Kenya - Loyce Mbewa-Ong udi was late. Family and friends milled around her parents house in the green hills overlooking Lake Victoria, waiting for the daughter from America to return home. At last the taxi bounced over the ruts and made a sharp turn into the compound of small brick and stucco houses. Loyce spra
Blood transfusions give Argentine patients HIV: Associated Press - August 15, 2008; BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Two intensive-care patients contracted HIV after receiving blood transfusions at public hospitals in the Argentine province of Cordoba, a newspaper reported Friday. An unidentified donor gave blood at a Cordoba city hospital in December, testing negative for HIV, Health Minister Oscar Go
HIV positive priest accused of sex abuse dead: Associated Press - August 13, 2008; FORT WORTH, Texas - A former priest who was HIV positive and accused of sexually abusing minors in Texas and Rhode Island has died, the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth announced Wednesday. Philip Anthony Magaldi died Tuesday in a North Texas health care facility. Earlier this year, the 72-year-old Magaldi told officials
Countries targeted by new WFP assistance program: Associated Press - August 12, 2008; Some of the countries that will receive aid under a $214 million campaign by the World Food Program to ease the effects of high food and oil prices in 16 trouble spots: - ETHIOPIA: Increased feeding programs for malnourished children and other assistance for nation where more than 10 million people affected by severe d
Florida football town's future looks grim: Associated Press - August 11, 2008; Antonio Gonzalez; BELLE GLADE, Fla. - Surrounded by a sea of sugarcane, this poverty-ravaged town on the southeastern edge of Lake Okeechobee has long been one of the country s most fertile football areas. It s a place where running backs of the future are said to gain speed chasing rabbits, where college coaches begin recruiting trips
FDA approves Gilead AIDS drug for hepatitis B: Associated Press - August 11, 2008; Marcus Wohlsen; SAN FRANCISCO - Gilead Sciences Inc. prepared to expand its reach further beyond AIDS drugs Monday after federal regulators approved the biotech drug maker s signature anti-HIV therapy as a hepatitis B treatment. Gilead announced that the Food and Drug Administration is joining regulators in Europe,
Appeals court allows investor suit against Gilead: Associated Press - August 11, 2008; SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit against Gilead Sciences Inc. claiming the biotech drug maker cost investors money by improperly marketing a top-selling AIDS drug. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday reversed a lower court s decision dismissing the suit filed by disgruntled s
Forum ends with call for better HIV laws: Associated Press - August 10, 2008; MEXICO CITY - The 17th International AIDS Conference ended here Friday with a call to reverse laws that criminalize and stigmatize groups at risk for HIV. Criminalization is a poor tool for regulating HIV infection and transmission, Edwin Cameron, a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa
War and poverty driving up HIV cases in Sudan: Associated Press - August 10, 2008; KHARTOUM, Sudan : Poverty and the movement of war-displaced populations have driven the number of HIV/AIDS infections higher in Sudan, though a lack of data is preventing health officials from getting a full picture of the virus spread, experts said Sunday. Sudanese and United Nations AIDS experts told reporters in the
HIV-positive Indian couple commits suicide: Associated Press - August 9, 2008; MUMBAI, India (AP) -- An Indian couple poisoned their three young children, then hung themselves from a ceiling fan because they were depressed about being HIV-positive, police said Saturday. A relative found the bodies of Ishwar Thevar, 39, a film distributor, and his wife as well as their two sons and a daughter in a
Global AIDS prevention gives short shrift to gays: Associated Press - August 8, 2008; Julie Watson, AP Medical Writer; MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- Jorge Saavedra s moment of truth came in the middle of an impassioned speech to 5,000 people about the paltry amount of money being spent to stop the spread of AIDS among gay men. The Mexican federal official paused, then said publicly for the first time that he was gay. As he held up a
Gift cards key to new AIDS prevention strategy: Associated Press - August 8, 2008; Mike Stobbe, AP Medical Writer; ATLANTA (AP) -- Could the AIDS virus be stopped with gift cards? Desperate for a way to stop the escalating spread of HIV among young gay men, public health officials are looking to novel strategies, such as enlisting local gay opinion leaders to urge their peers to practice safe sex. Promising signs from such a projec
Drug price hikes draw scrutiny from lawmakers: Drug companies increasingly hiking prices on specialty drugs by more than 100 percent: Associated Press - August 8, 2008; Matthew Perrone, AP Business Writer; WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly hiking the prices of specialty medications by 100 percent or more -- sometimes much more -- attracting scrutiny from lawmakers who have pledged to lower health care costs. Drug prices have historically outpaced those of other consumer goods, with the average
New medical board chief named: Associated Press - August 6, 2008; CARSON CITY, CA (AP) -- Louis Ling has been selected as executive director of the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners, replacing Tony Clark who s retiring later this year from the panel which has been under scrutiny for its handling of a hepatitis C crisis. Ling, 46, currently legal counsel for the state Board of Pharmac
Ex-President Clinton to fight AIDS in US: Associated Press - August 5, 2008; MEXICO CITY: Former President Bill Clinton said Monday that his foundation is going to focus its efforts on fighting AIDS in the United States , especially among blacks. Speaking at an AIDS conference in Mexico City, Clinton said he was spurred to action after the U.S. Center for Disease Control reported that 40 percen
Court has HIV-positive Mexican soldier reinstated: Associated Press - Tuesday, August 5, 2008; A Mexican soldier has won his job back six years after he was kicked out of the military for testing HIV positive. The soldier from western Mexican state of Jalisco was removed from his job after 20 years of service. But a federal court has ruled in his favor. The Center for Justice, Peace and Development helped fight
Activists, UN want HIV travel restrictions erased: Applaud U.S. for ending travel ban: Associated Press - August 5, 2008; MEXICO CITY (AP) - AIDS experts praised the United States on Tuesday for ending its two-decade ban on HIV-positive people entering the country, and said travel restrictions by dozens of other countries are hurting efforts to control the epidemic. U.S. President George W. Bush signed legislation last week repealing a ru
12-year-old with HIV applauded at AIDS conference: Associated Press - Monday, August 4, 2008; MEXICO CITY: Keren Dunaway was 5 when her parents used drawings to explain to her that they both had the HIV virus ? and so did she. Now the 12-year-old is one of the most prominent AIDS activists in Latin America and a rarity in a region where few children are willing to break the silence and tell their classmates the
Bill Clinton: nutrition key to AIDS fight: Associated Press - Monday, August 4, 2008; DAKAR, Senegal : Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said Sunday that keeping HIV-infected children in the developing world well-fed amid the pressures of skyrocketing global food and fuel prices will be crucial to fending off the deadly virus. Speaking on the final day of a brief, four-nation Africa tour that began las
Abbott faces more litigation over AIDS drug: Associated Press - August 4, 2008; Paul Elias; SAN FRANCISCO - When Abbott Laboratories Inc. hiked up the price of a popular AIDS drug by 400 percent in 2003, executives prepared for the inevitable public relations hit, but assured themselves the backlash would be brief. Nearly five years later, the accusations against Abbott are still flying. The North Chicago
HIV-positive migrants accuse US of neglect: Associated Press - August 4, 2008; Julie Watson; MEXICO CITY - Olga Arellano sobs as she recalls how her HIV-positive daughter spent two months succumbing to infections in a U.S. migrant detention center, complaining that she didn t see a doctor or get the right medicine. Fellow inmates also begged for help after Victoria Arellano started vomiting blood in their hold
Bill Clinton in Africa looks at fight against AIDS: Associated Press - August 3, 2008; Todd Pitman; DAKAR, Senegal - Former President Clinton said Sunday that keeping HIV-infected children in the developing world well-fed amid the pressures of skyrocketing global food and fuel prices will be crucial to fending off the deadly virus. Speaking on the final day of a four-nation Africa tour that began last week, Clinton s
Obama backs national AIDS strategy: Associated Press - August 3, 2008; CHICAGO - Presidential Democratic hopeful Barack Obama says he supports the development of a national AIDS strategy to combat the spread of HIV. His comments come on the heels of new national data indicating the number of HIV infections may be 40 percent higher than previously reported. Obama says in a statement releas
Mixed results for growth hormone in HIV patients: Associated Press - August 3, 2008; Lindsey Tanner; CHICAGO - A hormone better known for illicit use among athletes can help treat troublesome complications from the AIDS virus, but with potentially risky side effects, a small study found. Low-dose injections of human growth hormone, HGH, reduced fat deposits around internal abdominal organs by about 10 percent. In add
CDC underestimated new HIV cases by 40 percent: Associated Press - Sunday, August 3, 2008; Mike Stobbe, AP Medical Writer; ATLANTA, (AP) -- The number of Americans infected by the AIDS virus each year is much higher than the government has been estimating, U.S. health officials reported, acknowledging that their numbers have understated the level of the epidemic. The country had roughly 56,300 new HIV infections in 2006 - about a 40 percen
12-year-old with HIV to open world AIDS conference: Associated Press - Sunday, August 3, 2008; Alexandra Olson, Associated Press Writer; Keren Dunaway was 5 when her parents used drawings to explain to her that they both had the HIV virus - and so did she. Now the 12-year-old is one of the most prominent AIDS activists in Latin America and a rarity in a region where few children are willing to break the silence and tell their classmates they have HIV fo
Annie Lennox urges women to invigorate AIDS fight: Associated Press - August 2, 2008; MEXICO CITY - Annie Lennox says complacency threatens to slow the fight against AIDS. The singer-songwriter is participating in the international AIDS conference in Mexico City this week as an ambassador for Oxfam. On Saturday, she urged artists, musicians, filmmakers and women to keep the issue at the forefront. She s
Gilead to sell HIV drug in 12 additional countries: Gilead will take lead role in selling Atripla in 12 countries under agreement with Merck: Associated Press - August 1, 2008; Erika Kinetz; NEW YORK (AP) -- Biotechnology company Gilead Sciences Inc. said Friday it plans to begin selling its HIV drug Atripla in 12 countries including Russia , Mexico and Australia . Atripla is a daily HIV treatment that combines two Gilead drugs,
WHO approves 18th Ranbaxy HIV drug: Associated Press - August 1, 2008; Erika Kinetz; NEW DELHI (AP) -- Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., India s largest pharmaceutical company, said Friday that the World Health Organization had included another of its HIV-fighting drugs on its prequalification list. That brought to 18 the number of Ranbaxy antiretrovirals the WHO has approved as safe, effective and high quali
AIDS bill sets unclear treatment target: Associated Press - July 31, 2008; Katharine Euphrat; WASHINGTON - The global AIDS bill signed by President Bush on Wednesday sets a goal of treating more than the 2 million-patient target set in 2003, but how much more isn t clear. In signing the bill, President Bush said, With this funding, we will support treatment for at least 3 million people. However, the bill itsel
Teen prostitution up after Kenya's election crisis: Associated Press - July 31, 2008; Mathews Ndangi And Elizabeth A. Kennedy; ELDORET, Kenya (AP) -- This time last year, Janet Kimani spent her days at school and her nights fighting with her little brothers over what to watch on the family s flickering TV set. Now, she sleeps all day and sells her skinny, 14-year-old body at night for $3 an hour. There are so many of us girls on the streets th
Novice rides 350 miles in NY to raise AIDS funds: Associated Press - July 30, 2008; LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - A novice rider has bicycled 350 miles from Jones Beach on Long Island to upstate Lake Placid to honor his late brother and raise money for AIDS research. Tom Monks wheeled into Lake Placid at noon Wednesday. The self-described average guy from Long Island told the Plattsburgh Press-Republican that t
AIDS patients, Abbott agree to settle lawsuit: Associated Press - July 30, 2008; Paul Elias; SAN FRANCISCO - Drug company Abbott Laboratories Inc. agreed Wednesday to pay between $10 million and $27.5 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit filed by AIDS patients over the company s 400 percent price hike of a popular HIV drug. The ultimate payout depends on the resolution in an appeals court of three technical
Bush signs bill to triple AIDS funding: Associated Press - July 30, 2008; Katharine Euphrat; WASHINGTON - President Bush signed legislation Wednesday that triples U.S. funding to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world. The five-year, $48 billion plan renews a program credited with saving millions of lives in Africa alone and is widely seen as one of the major achievements of the Bush presidency.
Panel considers health 'standards and sanctions': Associated Press - July 29, 2008; Ken Ritter; LAS VEGAS - A top Nevada health official told lawmakers Tuesday that new laws could streamline oversight and responses to a public health threat such as the hepatitis C outbreak that prompted a massive patient notification effort earlier this year. The only way to effect change is through standards and sanctions, said
Portland mayor may pull out of Zimbabwe trip: Associated Press - July 29, 2008; PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland Mayor Tom Potter is having second thoughts about a trip to Zimbabwe , torn by political unrest. The mayor wants to go along on a trip planned by Portland residents and the nonprofit Portland-Mutare Sister City Association. Mayoral spokesman John Doussard says Potter wants to make sure everybod
UN: AIDS epidemic stable: Associated Press - July 29, 2008; LONDON: Fewer people are dying of AIDS, more patients are on HIV medication and the global AIDS epidemic is stable after peaking in the late 1990s. But the United Nations AIDS agency warned in its yearly report Tuesday that governments will need to continue setting aside millions of dollars for AIDS in the coming decad
Beijing shuts out and pressures unwanted voices ahead of Olympics: Associated Press - July 29, 2008; Henry Sanderson; BEIJING (AP) - Lu Jun, a campaigner for the rights of millions of Chinese with hepatitis B, seems an unlikely threat to the Beijing Olympics. But the popular Web site he runs was blocked in May. This month, police detained him for four hours when he returned to China from a hepatitis conference in Los Angeles. They wan
Iranian president: 'Big powers' going down: Associated Press - July 29, 2008; George Jahn; TEHRAN, Iran - Iran s president on Tuesday blamed the U.S. and other big powers for global ills such as nuclear proliferation and AIDS, and accused them of exploiting the U.N. for their own gain and the developing world s loss. But, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, time was on the poor countries side. The big
Bush eager to sign bill tripling AIDS assistance: Associated Press - July 26, 2008; Deb Riechmann; WASHINGTON - President Bush said Saturday he s eager to sign legislation that triples money to fight AIDS and other diseases around the world - an initiative that has won him praise from some of his harshest critics. In a rare case of cooperation between the White House and the Democratic-controlled Congress, lawmakers
Catholics to pope: Lift the birth control ban: Associated Press - July 25, 2008; VATICAN CITY (Map, News) - More than 50 dissident Catholic groups from around the world have written an open letter asking Pope Benedict XVI to lift the church s ban on birth control. Taking a half-page ad in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the groups said Friday that the Church s ban on artificial birth control
How they voted: House roll call on AIDS bill: Associated Press - July 24, 2008; The Pennsylvania vote in the 303-115 roll call Thursday by which the House passed a bill that would triple the money to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world. A yes vote is a vote to pass the bill. Voting yes were 228 Democrats and 75 Republicans. Voting no were 1 Democrat and 114 Republicans. X den
A look at key parts of the global AIDS bill: Associated Press - July 24, 2008; The global AIDS bill Congress is preparing to send President Bush would: -Approve $48 billion over the next five years for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs in Africa and other afflicted areas of the world. It also would approve $2 billion for American Indian health, water and law enforcement programs. -Sti
Congress OKs $48B for global AIDS fight: Associated Press - July 24, 2008; Jim Abrams; WASHINGTON - The House voted Thursday to triple money to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world, giving new life and new punch to a program credited with saving or prolonging millions of lives in Africa alone. The 303-115 vote sends the global AIDS bill to President Bush for his signature. Bush, who firs
Congress votes to triple money for AIDS victims: Associated Press - July 24, 2008; Jim Abrams; WASHINGTON - Congress is sending President Bush legislation that triples funds for a global AIDS relief program credited with saving millions of lives in Africa and elsewhere in the world. The House vote was overwhelmingly in favor of the bill, which approves spending $48 billion over the next five years to fight AIDS,
Bristol-Myers, Eli Lilly post strong 2Q results: Associated Press - July 24, 2008; Linda A. Johnson; TRENTON, N.J. - Like other major drugmakers, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY, News) and Eli Lilly & Co. saw benefits from the weak dollar in the second quarter, as sales grew at a faster rate overseas, but both also posted improvements in their U.S. businesses. The two, already are in the middle of restructuring
Officials: Search for HIV vaccine needs overhaul: Researches call for new people, ideas: Associated Press - July 24, 2008; Kevin Freking; WASHINGTON - Scientists will have to take enormous intellectual leaps to develop an AIDS vaccine in the coming years, say researchers clearly frustrated by the failure of a once-promising shot. The researchers, including a top National Institutes of Health official, want new people with new ideas to step up and join th
Serono official pleads guilty in AIDS device case: Associated Press - July 23, 2008; BOSTON - A medical director for Serono Laboratories Inc. has pleaded guilty to promoting off-label use of computer devices in an effort to boost sales of an AIDS drug. U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan says Norma Muurahainen of Hull pleaded guilty Wednesday to three misdemeanor counts of causing the introduction into inte
Vigorous debate held on 'don't ask, don't tell': Associated Press - July 23, 2008; Erica Werner; WASHINGTON - Opponents of the don t ask, don t tell policy on gays in the military denounced it as cruel and unpatriotic Wednesday. Supporters insisted it was needed to maintain military morale, and raised the prospect of a rise of HIV infection among service members if gays are allowed to serve openly. The heated exch
A rare Tibetan critic sues China's government: Associated Press - July 23, 2008; Audra Ang; BEIJING - The poet Woeser has long been a rarity - a Tibetan living in China who doesn t flinch from publicly criticizing the Chinese government. Now the activist is taking another unusual step. After being repeatedly denied a passport for three years, the Beijing resident has sued the government demanding to be given
Gates Foundation breaks ground on new headquarters: Associated Press - July 22, 2008; Donna Gordon Blankinship; SEATTLE - Across the street from the Space Needle and Paul Allen s tribute to Jimi Hendrix and rock music, Allen s old friend Bill Gates is building his headquarters for charitable giving, something sure to become another Seattle tourist attraction. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation broke ground Tuesday on its ne
Woman with HIV gets 3 years for spitting in face: Associated Press - July 22, 2008; COLUMBUS, Ga. - A woman diagnosed with HIV has been sentenced to three years in prison for spitting in another woman s face and proclaiming I hope you get AIDS. The woman, 43-year-old Audrey D. Lewis, pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated assault. Police said a 24-year-old went to lock the apartment door of a friend who
Miss Universe glad to put modeling career on hold: Associated Press - July 22, 2008; Sigal Ratner-Arias; NEW YORK - Dayana Mendoza put a promising modeling career on hold to go for - and win - the Miss Universe crown. Being a model is just great. You show a brand, a beautiful dress, said the 22-year-old Venezuelan. But being Miss Venezuela and Miss Universe, you have the opportunity to go all over the world and have conta
Texas county debates use of needle-exchanges: Associated Press - July 22, 2008; Elizabeth White; SAN ANTONIO - Bill Day is a familiar face out under the San Antonio viaducts, where skinny addicts shoot drugs into their bruised arms. Day, 73, is the source of something many of them desperately need: clean syringes, which Day sees as his calling from God to prevent the spread of disease. Authorities see it different
Obama, McCain to stump at Orange County church: Associated Press - July 21, 2008; LAKE FOREST - Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Barrack Obama of Illinois will make their first joint appearance of the presidential campaign next month at an Orange County mega church, its pastor said today. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and his Democratic counterpar
HIV cases on the rise, funding low in the South: Associated Press - July 20, 2008; BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Deep South s poor residents are plagued by HIV and the region isn t receiving its fair share of federal money for prevention and support, according to a report to be released Monday. The report by the Southern AIDS Coalition says federal funding for treatment, education and support services is co
Zimbabweans use blogs, text messages for info: Associated Press - July 20, 2008; Sabrina Shankman; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- The photographs of the tortured body of an opposition official are blurry but chilling. Posted on the This is Zimbabwe blog, they show charred, lacerated limbs and blank eyes staring out from the face of the official, Gift Mutsvungunu, frozen in a death grimace.
Dignitaries attend grand party for Mandela's 90th: Associated Press - July 19, 2008; Celean Jacobson; QUNU, South Africa - Songs, laughter, teasing and tender words marked Nelson Mandela s 90th birthday celebration Saturday as presidents, village elders and African royalty joined him for a festive luncheon on his rural homestead. The Nobel Peace Prize winner celebrated privately with his family in this rural southeaste
Needle-exchange operator, DA clash: Associated Press - July 18, 2008; Elizabeth White; SAN ANTONIO - Bill Day, 73 and neatly dressed, doesn t look like he belongs out under the viaducts where skinny addicts shoot drugs into their bruised arms. But they know him, giving him a look here, a head nod there, as he drives by in his familiar van. Day is the source of something many of them desperately need: cle
Plans for large-scale AIDS vaccine trial dropped: Smaller, more focused study to follow: Associated Press - July 18, 2008; WASHINGTON - Plans for a large-scale trial of a potential AIDS vaccine are being dropped in favor of a smaller, more focused study, the National Institutes of Health said Thursday. The trial of the vaccine, developed by the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, had been pl
Seattle police agree to return medical pot records: Associated Press - July 17, 2008; Gene Johnson; SEATTLE - The Seattle police department agreed Thursday to return files on more than 500 medical marijuana patients to the headquarters of a patient support group, two days after seizing them during a search. Prosecutors said no charges will be filed. Douglas Hiatt, an attorney representing activist Martin Martinez, wh
Doctor learns the joy of medical missions: Associated Press - July 17, 2008; Ryan Ori; PEORIA, Ill. - Golf and beaches are nice, but Dr. Bill Edwards has discovered a new type of vacation. After previously never doing medical missions, the pediatric specialist at Children s Hospital of Illinois recently completed his sixth mission trip to Haiti in two years. I m hooked, he said. As a physician, Edwa
Bill Clinton aims to stabilize malaria drug prices: Associated Press - July 17, 2008; Sara Kugler; NEW YORK - Former President Clinton s foundation has signed pricing agreements with several suppliers involved in making a malaria-fighting drug in an effort to stabilize the medication s fluctuating costs and ensure more dependable availability. The foundation described the agreements to The Associated Press ahead of
Charity's chief under fire for salary: Associated Press - July 17, 2008; WASHINGTON - A nonprofit organization that provides meals to homebound HIV-AIDS and cancer patients in the Washington region has come under fire for the generous compensation paid to its longtime executive director. Craig Shniderman was paid $357,000 in salary and benefits last year as head of Food & Friends, and h
Senate agrees to triple anti-AIDS funding: Lift on travel ban must now be negotiated with House: Associated Press - July 17, 2008; WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Wednesday to triple spending for a much-acclaimed program that has treated and protected millions in Africa and elsewhere from the scourges of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The 80-16 vote committed the United States to spending up to $48 billion over the next five years for the most ambi
How they voted: Senate roll call on AIDS bill: Associated Press - July 16, 2008; The 80-16 roll call by which the Senate on Wednesday approved spending $48 billion over the next five years to treat and prevent the spread of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa and elsewhere around the world. On this vote, a yes vote was a vote in favor of the bill and a no vote was a vote against it. Voting
Senate nears vote to triple anti-AIDS funding: Associated Press - July 16, 2008; Jim Abrams, Associated Press Writer; The Senate on Wednesday diverted $2 billion from a $50 billion global AIDS bill to improve the lives of American Indians. Senators mainly from the West successfully argued on the need to carve out a small portion of the five-year AIDS spending bill for Indian programs, saying Congress shouldn t forget a humanitarian cr
Grant money to boost Michigan university research: Associated Press - July 16, 2008; Tim Martin; LANSING, Mich. - Michigan Technological University researchers are teaming with a Marquette company to help make an upgraded compact and wireless wearable video system that could be used by the military. Saginaw Valley State University researchers are working to make biodegradable plastics out of corncobs, sugar beet p
Ben & Jerry's makes 'Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road': Associated Press - July 16, 2008; John Curran; MONTPELIER, Vt.: Ben & Jerry s has done it again: Hoping to honor rocker Elton John before his first-ever Vermont performance, Vermont s crazy-cool confectioner has whipped up a flavor just for him - Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road. The limited-batch ice cream, made from an outrageous symphony of decadent chocolate ice
US ban on visitors with HIV could end soon: Associated Press - July 16, 2008; Jim Abrams; WASHINGTON - A two-decade ban on people with HIV visiting or immigrating to the United States may end soon through a Senate bill aimed at fighting AIDS and other diseases in Africa and other poor areas of the world. The U.S. is one of a dozen countries - including Sudan ,
Human Rights Watch says police abuses, bad policies fueling AIDS epidemic: Associated Press - July 15, 2008; MEXICO CITY: Human rights activists say police abuses and official policies are aggravating the AIDS epidemic. About 400 organizations say police in several nations use anti-prostitution laws to routinely extort sexual favors from sex workers. They also say officers confiscate condoms from AIDS outreach workers and the
Senator: Global AIDS bill to include $2B for tribes: Associated Press - July 15, 2008; Mary Clare Jalonick; WASHINGTON - A bill designed to combat AIDS globally is expected to include $2 billion for American Indians, according to South Dakota Sen. John Thune. Thune, a Republican, and other senators pushing for the Indian money as part of the $50 billion AIDS bill made a deal with Democratic leaders late Tuesday. The agreemen
Austin school district halts funding for 'Rent': Associated Press - July 13, 2008; AUSTIN - School officials in Austin aren t gonna pay for this year s Rent. Concerned by the content in the smash pop-rock musical, the Austin Independent School District halted $10,000 in planned assistance for what is expected to be the first licensed high school production of Rent in Texas. The school version of the
Senate votes to take up $50 billion AIDS bill: Associated Press - July 12, 2008; WASHINGTON: The Senate voted Friday with a strong show of bipartisanship to take up a stalled global AIDS bill that would vastly expand a President Bush-backed program that has had marked success in combating AIDS in Africa and other affected areas of the world. The vote was 65-3 to begin debate next week on the legisl
Prince Harry balances army duty with charity work: Associated Press - July 12, 2008; Celean Jacobson; MASERU, Lesotho - Prince Harry would like to spend more time helping children in Africa. Britain s royal soldier-humanitarian is in the impoverished African kingdom of Lesotho this week to work with Sentebale - the charity he and Lesotho s Prince Seeiso founded in the memory of Harry s late mother, Princess Diana.
Congress mostly going through the motions for now: Associated Press - July 11, 2008; Laurie Kellman; WASHINGTON - Some fights of the 110th Congress have lost their oomph in the waning months before the November elections, with both parties content to run out the clock on messy matters like the war in Iraq , spending bills and various disputes with the White House. Democrats dropped any pretense of trying to addres
China crackdown targets critics ahead of Olympics: Associated Press - July 10, 2008; Henry Sanderson; BEIJING - Lu Jun, a campaigner for the rights of millions of Chinese with hepatitis B, seems an unlikely threat to the Beijing Olympics. But the popular Web site he runs was blocked in May. This month, police detained him for four hours when he returned to China from a hepatitis conference in Los Angeles. They wanted t
HIV-AIDS service provider selling offices: Associated Press - July 10, 2008; WASHINGTON - The Washington region s largest provider of HIV-AIDS services is selling its administrative offices. The Whitman-Walker Clinic has agreed to sell the property at 14th and S streets in northwest Washington to developer JBG for $8 million. Officials say the deal will allow the organization to eliminate debt
Syphilis rate jumps in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County: Associated Press - July 9, 2008; CLEVELAND - The rate of syphilis is surging in Ohio s most populous county. The Cleveland and Cuyahoga (keye-uh-HOH -guh) County health agencies said Tuesday that 52 people were diagnosed with the sexually transmitted disease in the nine-month period that ended in March. That s double the 26 cases that were reported fr
State employee won't lower flags for Helms: 'I don't see how anybody could celebrate his career': Associated Press - July 9, 2008; RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A longtime North Carolina state employee has chosen to retire instead of lowering flags to honor former Sen. Jesse Helms, saying in an e-mail that the late conservative had a doctrine of negativity, hate and prejudice. U.S. and state flags flew at half-staff on Monday and Tuesday following an order
Britain's Prince Harry says his mom would be proud of his charity work in Lesotho: Associated Press - July 8, 2008; BUTHA-BUTHE, Lesotho : Prince Harry worked up a sweat Tuesday as he carted wheelbarrows of wet cement, filled a ditch and hammered nails. The young royal was helping refurbish a school for mentally and physically disabled children under the auspices of a charity he founded in the impoverished African kingdom of Lesotho
Tattoo artists seek stronger laws in Hawaii: Associated Press - Tuesday, July 8, 2008; Mark Niesse, Associated Press Writer; Tattoo artists want safer practices to limit spread of hepatitis and other diseases in Hawaii HONOLULU (AP) -- Hawaii tattoo artists and body piercers are seeking stronger laws to reduce the risk of spreading hepatitis or HIV through dirty needles. They met with lawmakers Monday to discuss updating the 27-year-old lice
G-8 discusses system to follow-up on aid pledges: The Associated Press - Monday, July 7, 2008; RUSUTSU, Japan : An aid group founded by U2 frontman Bono calculates that the Group of Eight top industrialized nations has delivered only $3 billion of the additional $25 billion promised for Africa for everything from AIDS drugs to training peacekeepers. Now the Africans and their allies want a new system to make sur
Paying Up: Africans and aid groups call for new rules to make sure G-8 pays up on pledges: The Associated Press - Monday, July 7, 2008; RUSUTSU, Japan : Top industrialized countries have been in a generous mood when hosting African countries at recent annual summits, pledging billions of dollars for everything from AIDS drugs and tuberculosis treatment to training peacekeepers. But the Africans and their allies say they haven t been keeping their promi
Bush: Russia's new president is 'smart guy': Associated Press - July 7, 2008; Deb Riechmann; TOYAKO, Japan - President Bush and new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stood united Monday on issues like Iran and North Korea . But for all their handshakes and smiles, it is clear that thorny issues like missile defense are in a holding pattern until a new
G-8 summit opens with spotlight on aid for Africa: Associated Press - July 7, 2008; Malcolm Foster; RUSUTSU, Japan - Aid for Africa - and whether enough was coming from the world s major economic powers - was in the spotlight Monday as the Group of Eight nations met with seven African leaders at its annual summit. Activists have accused some G-8 countries, particularly France ,
Budget fertility treatments planned for Africa: Associated Press - July 7, 2008; Maria Cheng; BARCELONA, Spain - Doctors are getting ready to introduce a cheap in vitro fertilization procedure across Africa, where women are sometimes ostracized as witches or social outcasts if they cannot have children. Millions of dollars go into family planning projects and condom distribution to prevent pregnancies in Africa
Congress ready to take up pared-down summer agenda: Associated Press - July 6, 2008; Julie Hirschfeld Davis; WASHINGTON - Democrats bent on showing they can govern and Republicans anxious about a sour re-election climate are pushing a pared-down summer agenda in Congress. Lawmakers want to try to save homeowners from foreclosure, avert Medicare cuts and give the government power to spy on suspected terrorists. Gasoline prices
Magic Johnson's wife in public eye on HIV campaign: Associated Press - July 6, 2008; Travis Loller; LOS ANGELES - Magic Johnson s normally camera-shy wife Cookie is emerging as a spokeswoman to urge black women to get tested for HIV. Cookie Johnson, who was two months pregnant when her husband tested positive for HIV in 1991, is appearing with the former LA Lakers star in a five-year, $60 million public service campa
Black pastors set HIV test example in Nashville: Metro Health Department trying to slow spread of HIV: Associated Press - July 5, 2008; Janell Ross; NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Taking an HIV test in the pulpit Sunday morning was itself simple. At Spruce Street Baptist Church, one of Nashville s oldest and most established predominantly African-American congregations, a public health worker opened the test kit and handed the swab it contained to the Rev. Raymond Bowman.
Epic NC politician's life ends on Fourth of July: Associated Press - July 5, 2008; WILMINGTON, N.C.: At Fourth of July parades and barbecues around the Tar Heel state, Jesse Helms supporters recalled this father of the conservative movement as the man who stood up for traditional values and the defeat of communism but still had time to help his constituents. I just remember him not taking junk from a
Clinton avoids partisan politics in Aspen talk: Associated Press - July 5, 2008; ASPEN, Colo. - Former President Bill Clinton avoided partisan politics during an appearance Saturday at the Aspen Ideas Festival, focusing instead on world issues ranging from climate change to food security and AIDS. In an hour-long conversation with his former White House aide Jane Wales, now a vice president at the
Kenyan village gets clinic from brothers it helped: Associated Press - July 5, 2008; Travis Loller; NASHVILLE, Tenn. - When residents of a tiny Kenyan village sold their chickens and cattle to buy Milton Ochieng s $900 plane ticket to Dartmouth College, they told him they wanted something in return. Eight years later, he s a Vanderbilt University Medical School graduate preparing for his residency. In his home villag
Former Republican NC Senator Jesse Helms dies at 86: Associated Press - July 4, 2008; RALEIGH, N.C.: When telling stories about Jesse Helms after his death on the Fourth of July, the politician who took his place in Congress recalled how the iconic North Carolina senator liked to invite pages to sit down and chat over ice cream. Can you imagine how excited these young people would be, sitting and having
Jesse Helms: a polarizer, not a compromiser: Associated Press - July 4, 2008; WASHINGTON: Compromise, hell! Jesse Helms screamed in a 1959 editorial that captured what would become the legacy of his Senate career and his place in the conservative movement. Jesse Helms mostly was a polarizer, not a compromiser. He would rather win elections by a razor s edge than change his conservative positions
Jesse Helms quotes on life and politics: Associated Press - July 4, 2008; Some quotes of Jesse Helms, who died on the Fourth of July at age 86: I m so old-fashioned I believe in horse whipping. - During a debate in 1991 on an AIDS-related amendment. Well, there is no joy in Mudville tonight. The mighty ultraliberal establishment, and the liberal politicians and editors and commentators and c
Gay officer in SoCal settles harassment lawsuit: Associated Press - July 1 , 2008; HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - A Huntington Beach police officer received a settlement from the city that could top $2 million to drop a lawsuit that alleged his peers repeatedly harassed him because he is gay. Adam Bereki received a $150,000 lump payment and will get a $4,000 monthly disability payment for life, according
Obama to expand Bush's faith-based programs: Associated Press - July 1 , 2008; Jennifer Loven; CHICAGO - Reaching out to evangelical voters, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is announcing plans that would expand President Bush s program steering federal social service dollars to religious groups and - in a move sure to cause controversy - support their ability to hire and fire based on faith. Obama
WHO: New quick TB test rolled out in Africa: Associated Press - June 30, 2008; Frank Jordans; GENEVA - A new test to quickly diagnose drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis will be rolled out in four African countries this year, the World Health Organization said Monday. The DNA-based test will cut the time it takes to detect multi-drug resistant TB from 2-4 months to a matter of hours, the director of WHO s tube
With saris and rainbow flags, activists march in India's biggest gay pride parade: Associated Press - June 29, 2008; NEW DELHI: Men wore sparkling saris, women wore rainbow boas and hundreds of people chanted for gay rights in three Indian cities Sunday in the largest display of gay pride in the deeply conservative country where homosexual acts are illegal. Gay rights supporters took to the streets of Calcutta, Bangalore and New Delh
Man who crashed into clinic gets 3 years probation: Associated Press - June 28, 2008; LA CROSSE, Wis. - An Iowa man who drove his minivan into Franciscan Skemp Clinic two years ago and barricaded himself in the building has been sentenced to three years on probation. Court records say 52-year-old Geoffrey Fitzgerald of Dubuque, Iowa, was in a rage at the time because of his claim that a doctor at the cl
Bush praises faith-based groups: Associated Press - June 28, 2008; WASHINGTON - President Bush said Saturday that religious charities, partly financed with federal money, have helped reduce homelessness, found jobs for former inmates and helped combat malaria and HIV/AIDS overseas. Bush used his weekly radio address to trumpet the remarkable difference these groups have made over the
Teri Hatcher and daughter visit school in Nairobi: Associated Press - June 27, 2008; NEW YORK: It was not actress Teri Hatcher who made a big impression on schoolchildren in Nairobi, Kenya . It was her 10-year-old daughter, Emerson Rose. Hatcher and Emerson visited a boarding school where the students hit it off with the California girl. They loved my daughter, Hatcher, one of the stars of ABC s Desp
Push for more HIV screens to drive Gilead's growth: CDC, cities' push for increased HIV screening will boost Gilead's drug sales: Associated Press - June 27, 2008; NEW YORK (AP) -- Increasing efforts by U.S. cities such as New York to expand HIV testing will boost Gilead Sciences bottomline, since more than 80 percent of the nation s newly diagnosed HIV patients begin treatment with either the company s Truvada or Atripla combination pills. Foster City, Calif.-based Gilead ge
Stars gather for Nelson Mandela birthday show: Associated Press - June 27, 2008; Jill Lawless; LONDON - watch this video Queen, Leona Lewis and Amy Winehouse were among the performers due to serenade Nelson Mandela at a concert Friday honoring the South African statesman s 90th birthday. Winehouse, whose participation was in doubt when she was hospitalized last week after fainting, is reported to have rehearsed
Red Cross call to address HIV problem in disaster relief work: Associated Press - June 26, 2008; GENEVA: The Red Cross federation said Thursday that the problem of HIV is often ignored in disaster relief work, exposing patients and other disaster victims to unnecessary risks. Relief workers should do more to prevent unsafe blood donations, protect women and children from rape, and minimize the disruption to HIV tr
NYC urges docs to do routine HIV testing on adults: Associated Press - June 26, 2008; David B. Caruso; NEW YORK - Health officials are trying to persuade doctors to offer HIV tests to nearly every patient in a New York City community hit harder than most by AIDS. Under a new program announced Thursday, officials have set an ambitious goal of testing a quarter million adults in the Bronx, one of five boroughs that make u
Adolescents, not parents, to decide on HIV testing: Associated Press - June 26, 2008; Jim Salter; ST. LOUIS - Pediatrician Ericka Hayes rarely sees new cases of young people infected with HIV at birth. But hardly a month passes when her clinic at St. Louis Children s Hospital doesn t take on a patient that has acquired the disease through unprotected sex. Children s next month will become by its account the nation
Mandela talks of leadership failure in Zimbabwe: Associated Press - June 25, 2008; LONDON - Nelson Mandela said Wednesday there had been a tragic failure of leadership in Zimbabwe in his first public comments about the country s political crisis. In carefully worded comments at London dinner, Mandela said: We watch with sadness the continuing tragedy in Darfur. Nearer to home we had seen the outbreak
Senate reaches an agreement on global AIDS bill: Associated Press - June 25, 2008; Jim Abrams; WASHINGTON - Senate negotiators said Wednesday they had reached a tentative agreement on a key obstacle to one of the most ambitious federal health initiatives ever, a $50 billion act to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other countries hard-hit by those diseases. The agreement sets the stage for the
Brown and Springer to co-host Miss Universe pageant: Associated Press - June 25, 2008; NEW YORK - watch this video Jerry Springer and Melanie Brown will co-host the 2008 Miss Universe pageant, which will air live from Nha Trang, Vietnam , on July 13. Springer, 64, is host of NBC s America s Got Talent, and Brown, 33, is a special events correspondent for Access Hollywood. (Brown is also known as Mel B o
Virginia offering free, discounted HIV testing: Associated Press - June 25, 2008; RICHMOND, Va. - Facilities throughout Virginia are offering free or discounted HIV testing on Friday in observance of National HIV Testing Day. The Virginia Department of Health says the state ranked tenth in 2005 for the most annually reported cases of human immunodeficiency virus in the U.S. HIV is the virus that att
Homeless man gets nearly 5 years for Bush threats: Associated Press - June 25, 2008; TAMPA, Fla. -- A mentally ill homeless man will serve 57 months in federal prison for threats he made against President Bush. Timothy Wade Pinkston threatened in August to go to Washington and shoot Bush. At the time, the 48-year-old was committed to a hospital psychiatric unit. Court records say he repeated the threat
China announces Olympics drugs crackdown: Associated Press - June 25, 2008; Christopher Bodeen; BEIJING - China plans to crack down on illegal drugs in Beijing and other cities that will host Olympic events, a top police official said Wednesday. Authorities will target drug use at nightclubs and other entertainment venues, as well as smugglers supplying major cities, said Yang Fengrui, director of the Bureau of N
Indonesians protest demonstrator's death: Associated Press - June 24, 2008; JAKARTA, Indonesia - About 1,000 Indonesian protesters angered by a student demonstrator s death after his arrest burned tires and hurled stones at police guarding the Parliament on Tuesday, witnesses said. Participants in the demonstration in Jakarta also demanded that the government revoke a 30 percent fuel price inc
Cindy McCain visits Cambodian garbage dump site, meets children scavengers: Associated Press - June 23, 2008; PHNOM PENH, Cambodia : Cindy McCain, wife of U.S. Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting Sen. John McCain, visited the Cambodian capital s garbage dump Monday and met with impoverished children who scavenge there. McCain visited the sprawling Stung Meanchey dump, a depository for the refuse of Phnom Penh s 1.5 mill
Mandela in London for birthday bash: Associated Press - June 23, 2008; LONDON - Nelson Mandela is in London for a week of events to celebrate his 90th birthday. The former South African president s plane landed at Heathrow Airport Monday morning. He is due to attend an outdoor concert in his honor in Hyde Park on Friday. Performers include Queen, Annie Lennox, Leona Lewis and the Soweto G
Expert: New AIDS threat emerging in India among 'call center Romeos': Associated Press - June 22, 2008; KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia : A new AIDS threat is rising in India s numerous call centers, where young staff are increasingly having unprotected sex with multiple partners in affairs developed during night shifts, a top AIDS expert has warned. While India has made great strides in bringing down its HIV infection rate, the
Study: Treating herpes doesn't prevent HIV: Associated Press - Friday, June 20, 2008; Maria Cheng, AP Medical Writer; Doctors have long suspected that people with herpes are more likely to catch HIV. So they thought that by treating herpes, they could also cut a person s HIV risk. But a new study that tested this strategy found the assumption may have been wrong. It s a significant, disappointing finding, Francis Ndowa, coordinator of
DELAWARE: Bill would allow HIV testing of rape defendants: Associated Press - June 19, 2008; DOVER - The Delaware House of Representatives has passed legislation that would help rape victims get health information about their assailants. Advertisement The bill sponsored by Rep. Debbie Hudson, would require that the defendant in a rape case take an HIV test if the victim requests it. The Greenville Republican s
Senate still deadlocked over $50B global AIDS bill: Associated Press - June 19, 2008; Jim Abrams; WASHINGTON (AP) - At the White House on Thursday, President Bush awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to two people behind a triumph of his administration, a program to fight the global AIDS pandemic. Down the street on Capitol Hill, a few Republican senators continued to block what would be a major expansion of t
Kansas authority providing $3.7 million for research: Associated Press - June 18, 2008; SAN DIEGO - The Kansas Bioscience Authority is providing $3.7 million for research on cancer, HIV and osteoporosis as well as increased development of new medicines. The state-created agency announced the investments at a convention in San Diego on Wednesday, saying it hopes to highlight the existing capacity for biosc
South Africa President Mbeki visits Zimbabwe: Associated Press - June 18, 2008; Donna Bryson; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - South Africa s President Thabo Mbeki was making a previously unannounced trip to Zimbabwe on Wednesday as concern mounts about political violence there. Also Wednesday, the U.N. human rights chief said Zimbabwe had expelled one of her staff members. Mbeki s foreign affairs ministry issu
Bono, Bob Geldof press G-8 on aid to Africa: Associated Press - June 18, 2008; PARIS - Bono, Bob Geldof and other celebrities pressed the world s wealthiest countries Wednesday to come through with more pledged financial aid for Africa. The Irish rock stars-turned-activists presented a new report that found the Group of Eight countries have collectively donated a fraction of the $22 billion in ex
Alaska rates rank high in chlamydia, low in HIV: There were 1,206 known HIV cases in state from 1982 to 2007: Associated Press - June 17, 2008; FAIRBANKS - Alaska continues to rank high nationally in the rate of chlamydia cases but relatively low in the most serious sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, according to reports by the state Division of Public Health. The 2006 figures were compiled by the Centers for Disease Control. Alaska ranked first or second in
Despite denial and punishment, sex trade thrives in Afghanistan: Associated Press - June 15, 2008; Alisa Tang; EDITOR S NOTE - The prostitutes in this story are not named to protect them. Girls and women in Afghanistan accused of prostitution or adultery can be killed by their families or imprisoned. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The girl was 11 when she was molested by a man with no legs. The man paid her US$5. And that was ho
Corcoran opens photography exhibit on effect of AIDS relief: Associated Press - June 15, 2008; Brett Zongker; WASHINGTON -- Nguyen Quoc Khanh fell ill last year with tuberculosis at his home in Vietnam and soon discovered he had HIV. By then he was too weak to work and support his family. Khanh had been a longtime heroin user and likely contracted the virus that causes AIDS through shared needles. The illness put Khanh, his wi
Report: DC fails to report hundreds of AIDS-related deaths: Associated Press - June 14, 2008; WASHINGTON - City officials say hundreds of AIDS-related deaths from 2000 to 2005 went unreported because of an inadequate tracking system. Of the 2,460 deaths from AIDS-related illnesses during that period, 1,337 had not been reported. That s according to a study from the D.C. Department of Health and the federal Cent
Officials say UN climate talks too slow: Associated Press - June 13, 2008; Arthur Max; BONN, Germany - A U.N. conference on a new climate change agreement adjourned Friday claiming modest progress, but with delegates concerned that the slow pace posed the risk of failing to complete an accord on time. The end of the meeting coincided with a new report by a Dutch environmental monitor that China s emissio
Place for Mandela in the future: Associated Press - June 13, 2008; LEROME, South Africa : The woman with the microphone and brightly colored knit tam is speaking in Nelson Mandela s name - it s emblazoned across her T-shirt - as she presses villagers in northwestern South Africa to be honest about AIDS. A length of cloth more commonly seen wrapped around rural women s hips is spread o
Text of President Bush's address Friday: Associated Press - June 13, 2008; Here is a text of President Bush s speech Friday to a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, as provided by the White House: PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you very much. Mr. Secretary General, thank you for your hospitality. It s good to see you again. I remember our days together in the
Bush treated to warm greeting at Vatican: Associated Press - June 13, 2008; Deb Riechmann; ROME - Pope Benedict XVI took President Bush on a rare stroll through the lush grounds of the Vatican Gardens on Friday, stopping at a grotto where the pontiff prays daily. Your eminence, you re looking good, Bush told the pope shortly after arriving at the Vatican, launching the leaders third visit together. Normall
Missouri men and companies must pay $1.2M for insurance scheme: Associated Press - June 12, 2008; Chris Blank; JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The state insurance department has ordered two southwest Missouri men and the companies to which they re connected to pay a total of $1.2 million for a health insurance scheme. The state accuses Kevin W. Louderback of Springfield and his employee, Justin R. Barnes of Battlefield, of fraudulently e
South Africa's Mbeki rebuts criticism: Associated Press - June 12, 2008; Clare Nullis; CAPE TOWN, South Africa - As the political situation worsened in Zimbabwe , South Africa s president rejected criticism he has mishandled the crisis and said Thursday his government would not be a pawn for the West. In a speech at the end of a two-day parliamentary debate on his presidency, Thabo Mbeki - lead negotiato
Bush names Presidential Medal of Freedom winners: Associated Press - June 11, 2008; WASHINGTON - A leading AIDS expert, a groundbreaking pediatric neurosurgeon and a lawmaker who was the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress are among this year s recipients of the nation s highest civilian award. President Bush on Wednesday announced the recipients of this year s Presidential Medal of Freedom;
World agencies: G-8 should help more with public health: Associated Press - June 10, 2008; GENEVA (AP) - The heads of key organizations involved in public health called on leading industrialized countries Monday to invest more in fighting disease. The G-8 leaders should step up long-term efforts to combat AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, polio and other health threats to build on progress they have made from pre
Photo project lets Africa AIDS victims show their own story: Associated Press - June 10, 2008; Lynn Elber; LOS ANGELES - In one photograph, a group of boys in possession of a much-used soccer ball mug comically for the camera, arms and legs going every which way. Another shot, another charmer, depicts a child turning an exuberant handspring for a circle of young admirers. But the picture titled Children Raising Children de
LA judge: Woman's AIDS suit vs. ex-husband going to trial: Associated Press - June 10, 2008; LOS ANGELES - A high-profile case in which a woman accuses her ex-husband of infecting her with the AIDS virus will go to trial in October, a judge has ordered. The one-year statute of limitations does not apply in the case, a Superior Court judge ruled Monday, because the woman trusted her spouse, who did not tell her
UN: New HIV infections outpaces drug treatment: Associated Press - June 9, 2008; John Heilprin; UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Despite a stepped up global battle against AIDS, the numbers of people newly infected with HIV are far and away outpacing the numbers beginning antiretroviral drug treatments, U.N. officials said Monday. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, opening several days of U.N. debate on AIDS prevention, told wo
Study: 1 in 4 adults in NYC have herpes virus: Associated Press - June 9, 2008; NEW YORK - A city Health Department study finds that more than a fourth of adult New Yorkers are infected with the virus that causes genital herpes . The study, released Monday, says about 26 percent of New York City adults have genital herpes, compared to about 19 percent nationwide. The department says genital he
Massachusettes launches campaign urging blacks to get tested for AIDS: Associated Press - June 8, 2008; WORCESTER, Mass. - State public health officials are launching a new campaign to encourage blacks to get tested for AIDS. The state Department of Public Health program is the first new AIDS testing campaign in four years and includes billboards and newspaper ads. Blacks in Massachusetts account for 6 percent of the pop
Aid organizations: Zimbabwe order put AIDS patients at risk: Associated Press - June 6, 2008; Eliane Engeler; GENEVA - Aid agencies in Zimbabwe said Friday the government order for humanitarian groups to suspend work would cut off care and medicine to those living with AIDS. Aid groups and Western officials also said many in the impoverished African country will starve without food aid, amid allegations that President Robert M
Police stop Zimbabwe opposition leader's campaign: Associated Press - June 6, 2008; Angus Shaw; HARARE, Zimbabwe - The opposition said Friday that its rallies had been banned indefinitely three weeks before the presidential runoff, while the U.S. ambassador accused President Robert Mugabe s regime of using food as a weapon to stay in power. U.S. Ambassador James McGee said the regime is distributing food mostly t
EU member states still have misgivings over US travel register plan: Associated Press - June 5, 2008; LUXEMBOURG: European Union nations said Thursday they had continued misgivings at U.S. plans that demand travelers personal health details before they are allowed into the country - but acknowledged they could do little to prevent it. EU nations were concerned at the information Europeans could be forced to reveal incl
HIV testing eyed for accused sex offenders: Associated Press - June 5, 2008; Randall Chase; DOVER, Del. - A bill strengthening HIV testing requirements for accused sex offenders could be headed for a vote in the state House after clearing a committee on Thursday. The bill, which amends an existing law, requires an accused sex offender to submit to HIV testing within 48 hours of arrest in response to a request
HIV rates rise among Michigan young adults: Associated Press - June 5, 2008; LANSING, Mich. - Michigan is continuing to see an increase in HIV cases among teens and young adults. The Department of Community Health said Thursday that a report including statistics for 2006 continued a recent trend of increased rates for those age groups. The department said rates tend to be up nationally as well.
South African health minister: HIV rates declining: Associated Press - June 5, 2008; Clare Nullis; CAPE TOWN, South Africa - South Africa s health minister said Thursday that HIV infection rates among pregnant women declined for the second straight year and claimed it was proof of the success of government policies. South Africa has an estimated 5.4 million people infected with the virus, the highest total in the wo
Ashley Judd speaks at UN against human trafficking: Associated Press - June 3, 2008; John Heilprin; UNITED NATIONS - Ashley Judd says she decided to lend her voice against human trafficking after she stumbled upon the issue while visiting brothels, slums, hospices and other clinics in 12 nations to promote public health. I know that the unheard are helped when they are heard. I know that compassionate listening helps
Vertex sells HIV royalty stream for $160 million: Associated Press - June 3, 2008; -- Vertex sells royalty stream from GlaxoSmithKline HIV drugs for $160 million CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) -- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday that it sold the rights to its royalty stream from two HIV drugs sold by GlaxoSmithKline PLC for $160 million. Vertex said it sold the royalty stream from Lexiva and
UN hits AIDS treatment target 2 years late: Associated Press - June 2, 2008; LONDON: In 2003, the World Health Organization began its ambitious 3 by 5 initiative to treat AIDS, promising to put 3 million infected people worldwide on antiretroviral drugs within two years. According to a report issued on Monday, they finally succeeded last year. Despite missing their deadline, officials were upbe
WHO reaches goal of putting 3 million AIDS patients on drugs - but 2 years late: Associated Press - June 2, 2008; LONDON: The World Health Organization reached its goal of getting 3 million AIDS patients worldwide on drugs - but two years later than promised. Despite missing their deadline, officials were upbeat. If every U.N. health target was met just two years late, the world would be a much better place, said Dr. Kevin De Coc
Malaysian women urged to carry condoms: Associated Press - May 31, 2008; KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia s deputy health minister urged every woman in the country to carry a condom to protect against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, a news report said Sunday. This is not to debase them but to protect them. Women are the first ones to get exploited by their (HIV-positive) partners, Abdul
California clerk hopes to have 1st legal gay marriage: Associated Press - May 31, 2008; MARTINEZ, Calif. (AP) -- For 18 years, Stephen Weir has been in charge of the office that hands out marriage licenses in California s ninth-largest county. And for just as long, Weir has been unable to get a license himself because the love of his life is a man. The irony did not escape him. Always the bridesmaid, neve
Winehouse to perform at Mandela birthday concert: Associated Press - May 30, 2008; LONDON - watch this video Amy Winehouse says she will perform next month at a concert honoring Nelson Mandela. The concert will be held June 27 in London s Hyde Park to celebrate the former South African president s birthday. Mandela turns 90 on July 18. The lineup for the concert - which will benefit Mandela s AIDS ch
Blair starts religious education group: Associated Press - May 30, 2008; Rachel Zoll; NEW YORK - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Friday that leaders in an interdependent world must work to end religious conflict or face catastrophe as he introduced a new foundation dedicated to interfaith understanding. Religion is as important in this century as political ideology was in the last, Blair s
Sonoma State to continue blood drives: Associated Press - May 29, 2008; Santa Rosa, CA (AP) -- Sonoma State University s president says blood drives on campus will continue, despite efforts to stop them because they discriminate against gay men. President Rubin Arminana (ahr-min-YAH-na) wrote in a letter to faculty and students that there s no legal ruling that the federal ban on blood don
Japan vows to double aid to Africa by 2012: Associated Press - May 28, 2008; YOKOHAMA, Japan : Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan pledged Wednesday to double Tokyo s aid to Africa by 2012 to inspire growth and attract private investment - a model that helped propel postwar Japan into economic prosperity. In particular, Japan will provide up to $4 billion in flexible, low-interest soft loans
Britain's Prince Harry to carry out work with his unit at AIDS charity in Lesotho: Associated Press - May 28, 2008; LONDON: Britain s Prince Harry is traveling with his Blues and Royals regiment to Lesotho to help an AIDS charity he founded in memory of his mother, Princess Diana, a British news agency reported Wednesday. Press Association did not cite a source. The 23-year-old lieutenant in the Household Cavalry s Blues and Royals,
U.S. AIDS activist killed in Mexico: Associated Press - May 27, 2008; Ryan J. Foley; MADISON, Wis. - A well-known AIDS activist vacationing in Mexico was murdered by a man angry that she refused to pay for sex, Mexican authorities said Tuesday. The murder devastated Madison s gay community, where Felicia Melton-Smyth was a fundraiser for the AIDS Network and a fixture at the gay-friendly Shamrock Bar.
Cannes 2008: Lots of stars, and some movies, too: Associated Press - May 26, 2008; CANNES, France (AP) -- Indy made his comeback at