"Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College have published results showing that a new contraceptive device may also effectively block the transmission of the HIV virus. Findings show that the device prevents infection by the HIV virus in laboratory testing. The promising results are published in the most recent issue of the journal AIDS.
The new device is a vaginal ring that releases multiple types of non-hormonal agents and microbicides, which would prevent conception as well as sexually transmitted HIV infection.
Worldwide, there are about 5 million new infections and 3 million deaths per year due to HIV/AIDS. If proven successful in future clinical trials, the new device could empower women to effectively and conveniently protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection. The ring may also someday represent a novel method to prevent STIs for those with aversion to currently available methods, with hormonally derived active agents, or with allergies to latex condoms.
"This device is a new approach to birth control, because it avoids the long-term use of hormonal methods that have been associated with increased risk of certain cancers," says Dr. Brij Saxena, lead author and the Harold and Percy Uris Professor of Reproductive Biology and professor of endocrinology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "At the same time, this is the first device to simultaneously offer the possibility to prevent unintended pregnancy and HIV transmission.""Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College have published results showing that a... more
"Of course I do!" Katharine said, looking at me in amazement. "Everyone does." "Well", I began, rather timidly, "it's just that Catholics aren't supposed to use them". She looked at me pityingly and rolled her eyes. In fact, every single one of my Catholic friends admits to using or having used condoms. Katharine is in her late 20s, she has a successful career, a long-term boyfriend and is a practising Catholic. They use condoms because they don't want to have children yet, she can't take the pill for medical reasons and they are aware that the methods of contraception advocated by the Catholic Church are far from reliable.
I have known Katharine since childhood and in many ways she lives an exemplary Christian life. My mum is Catholic and I went to a Catholic Convent school so I am very aware of the theological and moral underpinnings to the Vatican's objection to condoms, just as Katharine is. We even had an outline of the Church's position stapled over the section on contraception in A-level biology texts books in our school library. For my Catholic friends, however, condom use is a sensible lifestyle choice and not a significant issue.
They see no problem with choosing to ignore the Vatican on this one topic. Nor do they see any reason to change now after the issue was reignited last week by the Pope's comments on the eve of his visit to Africa. Much of what Pope Benedict said was touching and thoughtful, filled with love and compassion. He called on Christians to speak up in the face of violence, poverty, hunger and corruption. He spoke of the continent's "painful wounds, its enormous potential and hopes". It is a shame that historic visit to Africa has been overshadowed by his comments on condoms, with even the EU issuing a rebuke to his statement. He was, of course, only reiterating the church's long-standing position, but there were two reasons why this caused such controversy.
Firstly, there is the symbolic nature of saying such a thing just before a tour of a continent so ravaged by HIV. Secondly, and this is where I take particular issue with his words, is the suggestion that condom distribution "risks aggravating" the HIV epidemic. This is categorically not true and risks inflaming an already fragile situation. There is considerable resistance from certain sections of African society - typically men - to using condoms. They see it as emasculating and unnecessary. Years of work have gone into trying to reduce the stigma attached to condom use in Africa, and while Catholics in the West, such as Katharine, are liberated and able freely to choose to adhere or ignore the Vatican's stance on condoms, this luxury is not afforded to those in Africa, particularly women.
HIV transmission routes are complex, particularly in a continent as vast as Africa. The lorry drivers who shift freight up and down the Trans-Africa highways significantly compound the problem. If they visit brothels or use prostitutes in the cities when away from home they are at high risk of HIV infection. On their return home they infect their unsuspecting wives. In a place where treatment is scarce and a diagnosis of HIV signals a death sentence, the stigma is such that many would rather not know their status. Those women who are breastfeeding or who fall pregnant then risk infecting their children. Whole families can be wiped out. Fidelity doesn't protect these women or their children."Of course I do!" Katharine said, looking at me in amazement. "Everyone does." "Well",... more
Criticism of the pope’s attitude to condoms reveals a fault line in western propaganda, writes JOHN WATERS
DRIVING AROUND Uganda in recent years, you could hardly help noticing the government-sponsored advertising hoardings along the highway. One had a picture of a smiling man in his 60s with the slogan, “Say No to Sugar Daddies”. Another showed a slightly younger man, and the slogan, “Would you want this man sleeping with your daughter? So why are you sleeping with his?” The billboards were part of Uganda’s long, successful battle against Aids, these posters being directed at creating a sexual firebreak between generations.
In the 1980s, Uganda was at the epicentre of the African Aids catastrophe, but managed to reverse the spread of the disease through an emphasis on cultural adaptation – abstinence, fidelity and some education about condom use. In Europe and America, however, whenever the subject of Aids and Africa is mentioned, there is an assumption that condoms are incontrovertibly the sole option.
Click on link for rest of article...Criticism of the pope’s attitude to condoms reveals a fault line in western... more
Adjusting to college life can be rough – moving into residence, living with roommates, balancing academic demands with those of social life. Now try taking your antiretroviral (ARV) medication without the whole world knowing you're positive, and things get even more complicated. Treatment adherence, proper nutrition and treating opportunistic infections are all problematic in the campus environment.Adjusting to college life can be rough – moving into residence, living with... more
The country's three political parties - ZANU-PF and the two factions of the majority Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) - signed a power-sharing deal on 15 September, ending one of the worst periods of inter-party political violence since Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980. AIDS activists are hoping that the country's new administration will make good on promises to urgently improve access to affordable HIV/AIDS treatment and services at state hospitals. The country's three political parties - ZANU-PF and the two factions of the majority... more
Combining antiretroviral (ARV) therapy with treatment for tuberculosis (TB) could more than halve the current mortality rate among patients co-infected with HIV and TB, saving an estimated 10,000 lives a year in South Africa. Combining antiretroviral (ARV) therapy with treatment for tuberculosis (TB) could more... more
Shortages of antiretroviral (ARV) and other drugs in public health facilities in Swaziland have been among a long list of grievances cited by protesters during several weeks of unprecedented political unrest ahead of parliamentary polls on Friday. Shortages of antiretroviral (ARV) and other drugs in public health facilities in... more
If you live along the main highway linking Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire's economic hub, with Lagos in Nigeria, it is almost impossible to ignore the many AIDS awareness messages along the route, travelled by 47 million people each year. The 'Caravane pour la vie' (caravan for life), is an annual travelling HIV/AIDS awareness campaign organised by the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Project in the five countries - Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria - that the road goes through. So far, it If you live along the main highway linking Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire's economic hub,... more
A new take on an old system, known as 'jaboya' (a customer who is also a lover, in the local Luo language) in Kenya, in which female fishmongers develop sexual relationships with fishermen and middlemen in exchange for fish is now putting young girls at risk of HIV as female relatives use young girls to negotiate for better deals on their wares. A new take on an old system, known as 'jaboya' (a customer who is also a lover, in the... more
Kenya's circumcision rollout, due to be launched in the Nyanza area in late September, is already facing problems; according to local media, members of the Luo Council of Elders, an advisory cultural body that wields considerable influence, have threatened to disrupt the launch unless they are properly consulted. The Council of Elders are against the idea of promoting mass circumcision.Kenya's circumcision rollout, due to be launched in the Nyanza area in late September,... more
Several prominent demographers and scientists have vigorously refuted Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang's claim that South Africa's HIV epidemic is declining and that the country "may be making some real progress in its response to the HIV epidemic". Tshabalala-Msimang's statement was based on a national survey of HIV prevalence among pregnant women, which researchers are describing as deeply flawed. Several prominent demographers and scientists have vigorously refuted Health Minister... more
Uganda's rising HIV prevalence is forcing policy makers to look for inventive ways of educating people about the virus. Their latest tool is mobile phone technology, whose rapid growth has provided an avenue that could potentially reach millions with messages. Text to Change (TTC) , an NGO that uses a bulk short message service (SMS) platform for HIV/AIDS education, recently partnered with the AIDS Information Centre in Uganda (AIC) and Celtel, a local mobile phone network, to pilot a project in western Uganda aimed at communicating knowledge about the disease and encouraging subscribers to volunteer for HIV testing. Uganda's rising HIV prevalence is forcing policy makers to look for inventive ways of... more
Uganda's health ministry has been scrambling to stave off a nationwide shortage of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) that could jeopardise the lives of tens of thousands of HIV-positive people. Uganda's health ministry has been scrambling to stave off a nationwide shortage of... more
Out of 1,007 boys interviewed two months after being circumcised, 25 percent had experienced "adverse events", including excessive bleeding, infections and pain while urinating. The researchers estimated that the procedure had resulted in permanent damage to about 6 percent of the boys.
The debate continues...Out of 1,007 boys interviewed two months after being circumcised, 25 percent had... more
From its opening scene, the online soap opera "In the Moment" pulls no punches -- because, its creators say, it cannot. The show, which has drawn tens of thousands of viewers in the last few months, is a racy, unvarnished portrait of gay L.A.
It is also, at its core, about HIV and AIDS.
Recent years have brought a wave of new programs designed to reinvigorate outreach in the gay community, as well as a dialogue about men's sexuality.
There are colorful trucks that take rapid-response HIV testing to the streets. Government-funded "POLs" -- popular opinion leaders -- scour the town for other socially influential gay men and women, give them risk-reduction training and send them back into the community to spread the word. There's even a proposal to design jeans with built-in "condom pockets" to promote the idea that condom use should be a routine part of gay culture, not an afterthought.From its opening scene, the online soap opera "In the Moment" pulls no punches --... more
I find it very interesting that when the Bush Administration came to power in this country, science was on the verge of many quite promising technologies to add to the arsenal of weapons against HIV transmission. However the "Religious Climate" of the Administration led to moral "strings" attached to any funding offered; preach abstinence as the only solution to stopping the transmission of HIV. This was a failed policy from the start and is at the core of the rise in HIV transmissions among the youth in this country. They lack the basic information and tools necessary to protect themselves and they are being shamed back into the closet, so to speak, where sex without knowledge about HIV transmission can be lethal.
Among these technologies were two that I have been searching for information about because essentially they went nowhere. They were left to die by the wayside. I want to know why? Who is responsible for these products not being given to the public?
I think that these products should be brought to market. Enough with the Big Brother control over our sexual freedom and our right to safe sex.
Product number one (subject of the article from 2002) is a gel that provides an invisible barrier of protection. At the Barcelona 2002 AIDS conference it was touted as the most amazing development in HIV transmission prevention up to that time. It could provide protection to millions of African women.
Product number two was the anti-HIV shot that would make you immune to HIV through the use of an injectable anti-HIV medication. It would render the patient immune for up to 72 hours.
Doesn't it seem obvious that these products were suppressed due to the politics of the Bush administration or what?I find it very interesting that when the Bush Administration came to power in this... more
The second episode of In the Moment, the gay online soap opera produced by the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center in an effort to generate discussion about AIDS prevention and other sex-related health issues, debuted online today. They've also enhanced their site to make it more interactive.
The first episode, which has been viewed over 30,000 times, dealt with drinking, online sex addiction, and unprotected sex. The second episode expands on those storylines with questions about honesty in relationships where the partners have had unprotected sex with others.
Check out the article from blogger Towleroad or check out the site itself on weholife.org
The second episode of In the Moment, the gay online soap opera produced by the L.A.... more
In an effort to generate discussion about AIDS prevention and reach gay men online, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center is producing 12 "webisodes" focusing on the sex lives of a group of gay men in West Hollywood. Each is five minutes in length and is intended to stimulate discussion, via an online forum where viewers can comment on various issues raised by each episode of the online mini-soap opera.In an effort to generate discussion about AIDS prevention and reach gay men online,... more
