Kaisernetwork.org (Washington, DC)
1 July 2008
Politics and Policy
Draft G8 Communique Does Not Cite 2010 Deadlines for Development Aid, Universal Access to HIV Prevention, Care
[Jul 01, 2008]
A draft communiqué scheduled to be issued at the Group of Eight industrialized nations summit in July in Hokkaido, Japan, does not cite 2010 targets for universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment or for $25 billion in annual aid to Africa that were set at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, the Financial Times reports. The Gleneagles commitments, which were reiterated at the G8 meeting last year in Germany, were seen as an "important boost" for Africa, according to the Financial Times.
The 2008 draft says that the G8 will continue "working towards the goal of universal access" to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care, as well as commit to fulfilling "our commitments on [development aid] made at Gleneagles," but it but does not specifically mention the target dates, the Financial Times reports. Some diplomats said that the draft, dated June 25, might change, especially if African leaders increase opposition to the language over the next week.
G8 leaders also appear "divided" on how to fulfill a pledge made at the 2007 G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, to provide $60 billion "over the coming years" to bolster health care systems in developing countries and fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, the Financial Times reports. According to the Financial Times, the pledge is in brackets in the 2008 draft communiqué, indicating that "no agreement has been reached" (Williamson, Financial Times, 6/30).
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Across The Nation
HIV/AIDS Cases Among Adults Ages 50, Older in Georgia Increasing, Health Department Says
[Jul 01, 2008]
New HIV/AIDS diagnoses among adults ages 50 and older in Georgia has nearly doubled in the last 10 years, according to recent data from the state Department of Human Resources' Division of Public Health, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Georgia recorded 341 new cases of HIV/AIDS in 2007 among people ages 50 and older, compared with 189 cases reported in 1998, according to the Journal-Constitution.
David Rimland -- chief of infectious diseases at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and professor of medicine at Emory University -- said, "What accounts for these numbers is a mixture of patients infected previously who are presenting late in the course of the disease as well as patients with high-risk activities who are getting infected later in life." Rimland said that over the last few years at the Atlanta VA center, which serves a predominantly male population, people ages 50 and older accounted for about two-thirds of new HIV/AIDS cases.
To reduce the spread of HIV among the age group, CDC guidelines recommend HIV screening in individuals up to age 64. The guidelines recommend "opt-out" HIV screening, which means health care providers do not need separate written consent to test for HIV. In Georgia, people must sign a written consent form before they undergo HIV testing, with the exception of pregnant women. According to the Journal-Constitution, seniors are the least likely of all age groups to get tested for HIV.
Teresa Kochinsky-Bell, health program representative for the Fulton County, Ga., Health Department's Communicable Disease Prevention Branch, said that people ages 50 and older might not realize that "unless they ask specifically for the HIV test, they won't get the test done nor will they know their HIV status." Gillian Sanders -- associate professor of medicine at Duke University and author of a recent study that found HIV testing might be cost-effective for people up to age 75 -- said that HIV screening among older people should be increased to reduce stigma and allow HIV-positive individuals to modify their behavior. She added, "Age alone should not be a contraindication for HIV screening" (Lee, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6/29).
HIV Cases Among Adults Ages 50, Older in Florida Increasing
In related news, the percentage of new HIV diagnoses that were among people ages 50 and older in Florida increased from 11% of all new diagnoses in 1998 to 15% in 2006, according to data from the state Department of Health, the Orlando Sentinel reports. According to the health department's Bureau of HIV/AIDS, about 20% of people residing in the state who are living with HIV/AIDS do not know their status. In addition, of the 125,000 recorded HIV/AIDS cases, about 26% are older than age 50.
"It's a problem," Marlene LaLota of the Bureau of HIV/AIDS said, adding, "We have an epidemic of HIV in older people in Florida." Debbie Tucci, program coordinator for the Orange County, Fla., Health Department, said that anyone having sex regardless of age needs to be tested for HIV. She added, "It isn't who you're sexually active with, just that you are sexually active." Anthony Chester, a senior health educator at the Stewart-Marchman Center in Volusia County, Fla., said that perceived immunity from HIV is not the only reason seniors are susceptible to HIV transmission, adding that physicians are not doing enough. "A lot of doctors don't want to disrespect elderly people" by asking sensitive questions about their sex lives, Chester said (Hernandez, Orlando Sentinel, 6/27).
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Media & Society
Minnesota Researchers Developing Web Site That Aims To Curb Spread of HIV Among MSM
[Jul 01, 2008]
The Minneapolis Star Tribune on Sunday profiled Sexpulse, a Web site in development at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health that is the latest strategy to curb a "second wave" of HIV/AIDS cases among young men who have sex with men. According to a recent report published Thursday in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the number of new HIV diagnoses recorded between 2001 and 2006 among men who have sex with men ages 13 to 24 increased by 12.4% annually.
According to the Star Tribune, Sexpulse is attempting to capitalize on the prevalence of online social sites in an attempt to stop the epidemic. Professor Simon Rosser, along with others at the university, received a $3.5 million federal grant to create a prototype for online HIV intervention specifically for MSM. Rosser has recruited 2,700 men to test the Web site, and results will be available next year, the Star Tribune reports. If his surveys show men who use the site increase their safer-sex practices and return regularly, then the site will go live, and the link and advertisement for it will be posted on MSM social networking sites. "If this is successful, it is huge," Rosser said, adding, "We can flick a switch and make it available to every gay man in the world."
According to the Star Tribune, some experts debate whether the Internet is driving risky sexual behavior among MSM. Rosser and Gary Remafedi, an expert on adolescent health and HIV at the university, recently published a study comparing behavior of men who find partners on the Internet with those who find them in bars or elsewhere and with those who do both. The study found the Internet alone did not increase sexual behavior, but MSM who use both outlets were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, Rosser said. He added that the Internet appears to be having an indirect effect -- the number of cases might be rising in part because the Internet increases the sheer number of sexual encounters by MSM. Remafedi said, "The technology is not the problem. But it may be the solution. Millions of people are using the Internet to meet partners, so it's a wonderful venue to intervene."
Michael Allen, CEO of Allen Interactions, is working with Rosser and other experts at the university to build the site. "A lot of health education Web sites are ... constantly trying to scare you or tell you how bad things are," Allen said, adding that Sexpulse is different because it is fun, funny and designed to change behavior through both education and boosting self-esteem (Marcotty, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 6/29).
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