Kaisernetwork.org (Washington, DC)
6 October 2008
Science & Medicine
Nobel Prize for Medicine Awarded to Discoverers of HIV
[Oct 06, 2008]
French scientists Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier were awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for their work in the discovery of HIV, AFP/Yahoo! Asia News reports. The award was shared with Harald zur Hausen, who discovered the human papillomavirus (AFP/Yahoo! Asia News, 10/6). The Nobel Assembly of the Nobel Foundation in a statement said that the "significance" of Barre-Sinoussi and Montagnier's "achievements should be viewed in the context of a global ubiquitous epidemic affecting close to 1% of the population" (Nobel Foundation release, 10/6). The statement also said that the discovery of HIV was a prerequisite for current understanding of the biology of HIV/AIDS and antiretroviral treatment. It added, "This has allowed identification of important details in its replication cycle and how the virus interacts with its host. Furthermore, it led to development of methods to diagnose infected patients and to screen blood" (Ritter/Moore, AP/Los Angeles Times, 10/6).
HIV/AIDS Advocate Under Consideration for Nobel Peace Prize Award
In related news, Chinese HIV/AIDS advocate Hu Jia is one of the 197 nominees for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize, which will be announced on Oct. 10, Reuters reports (Acher, Reuters, 10/6). Hu currently is serving a prison sentence for allegedly attempting to subvert state power (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS report, 9/29). Stein Toennesson, director of the International Peace Research Institute, said, "I think the most likely winner this year will be a Chinese dissident," adding that the "two most likely candidates" are Hu and advocate Gao Zhisheng (Reuters, 10/6).
NPR's "Morning Edition" on Monday included a discussion with NPR science correspondent Richard Knox about the Nobel Prize in medicine (Inskeep, "Morning Edition," NPR, 10/6).
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Global Challenges
Ugandan President Museveni Calls for Increased HIV/AIDS Prevention Strategies, Particularly for MTCT
[Oct 06, 2008]
Citing waning efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday called for increased prevention strategies, particularly concerning mother-to-child transmission, Uganda's New Vision reports. Museveni was speaking at the opening of the $2.5 million Baylor Children's Centre of Excellence at Mulago Hospital -- which will provide care for children living with HIV/AIDS and was funded by Baylor College of Medicine, CDC and John Damonti, president of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. Museveni said that all pregnant women should undergo HIV testing, and, if they test positive for the virus, receive treatment to prevent transmission to their infants (Baguma, New Vision, 10/3). He added that with improved MTCT prevention, Uganda can reduce the number of children born with HIV, which currently is recorded at 25,000 each year.
According to the Monitor, although the country decreased the prevalence of HIV/AIDS from the early 1990s to 2000, the rate is said to be on the rise again (Kirunda, Monitor, 10/3). Furthermore, the New Vision reports that care for the 150,000 children living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda continues to lag behind care for adults, and Adeodata Kekitiinwa, director of Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation, said that of the 133 health centers that offer HIV/AIDS treatment to adults, only 32 do so for children. Museveni said that about 10,000 of the 150,000 children in need of antiretroviral drugs receive them, 40% of whom receive treatment through Baylor, mainly in urban areas. "We must ensure equity to life-saving interventions to cater for children," he added (New Vision, 10/3).
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Women in Namibia Call for Efforts To Improve Sexual Rights, Curb Spread of HIV
[Oct 06, 2008]
A group of women in Namibia recently called for efforts to improve their sexual rights in an effort to curb the spread of HIV in the country, the New Era reports. "Women should know about their sexual rights; it is very important, especially for women in rural areas where men, more often than not, abuse women," advocate Vicky Schimming said at a recent workshop on sexual rights, culture and HIV/AIDS. The workshop is part of a nationwide campaign, organized by the group Sister Namibia, that was launched in 2000 to examine the sexual and cultural practices that violate women's rights and contribute to the spread of HIV. According to Sister Namibia Director Liz Frank, the campaign also aims to collect case studies for a handbook on sexuality in Namibia and bolster local capacity to hold workshops on the connections between HIV/AIDS, poverty, some cultural practices and sexual violence.
"Everyone talks about the need to change behavior to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, but there is hardly any discussion on the need to change harmful sexual cultural practices that are often the drivers of the disease," Frank said. According to workshop participant Ngondi Ngatjiheue, women in some parts of the country are not able to make choices about sex. "Sex is difficult," she said, adding that a woman "cannot ask to have sex with [her] husband, and [she] cannot refuse him when he wants sex." Ngatjiheue also said that women do not have the power to negotiate condom use. "If you insist, your husband or partner will accuse you of infidelity," she said, adding, "It is only a small percentage of men who will accept the use of condoms."
According to Namibia's 2007 National HIV/AIDS Policy, traditional leaders should be provided with education about the risks of some customs and practices. In addition, the policy says that people involved with traditional initiations are required to use accurate and appropriate sex and reproductive health education and that unsafe practices should be stopped, modified or replaced with alternative practices (Sasman, New Era, 10/3).
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Gold Mines in Kenyan Community Create Challenges for HIV/AIDS Awareness Efforts, IRIN/PlusNews Reports
[Oct 06, 2008]
HIV/AIDS awareness messages targeted at the gold mining communities of Nyatike in Kenya's Migori district are having little impact, Tom Rakewa, Migori district's HIV/AIDS officer, said recently, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Many women and girls turn to commercial sex work to make money from miners, sometimes offering sex for as little as $1, according to IRIN/PlusNews. According to the Kenya National Board of Statistics, Nyatike's constituency is one of the poorest in Kenya.
HIV prevalence in Nyanza Province, where the Migori district is located, is estimated at 15.8% -- the highest in Kenya. Migori district's medical officer, Mwita Nyamohanga, said that although there are some organizations fighting the spread of HIV in the area, risky sexual activity continues to occur. He added that it is difficult to stop the sex work that occurs around the mines because "the people will tell you they are trying to make a living."
According to Rakewa, poverty affects women and children most in the mining communities. He said, "Research shows that Nyatike division, in particular, has a very high number of women- and child-headed households. When you have such a vulnerable group suffering from both HIV and poverty, then you can imagine what the situation that puts them in." According to Rakewa, an average of six out of every 10 women who come to the Nyatike sub-district hospital during their pregnancies test positive for HIV. In addition, the health risks posed by mining, including the working conditions that can lead to chest infections such as tuberculosis, contribute to the poor health of workers living with HIV/AIDS (IRIN/PlusNews, 10/2).
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Across The Nation
Advocate Calls on Tennessee Jail To Conduct HIV Tests, Condom Distribution
[Oct 06, 2008]
In an effort to curb the spread of HIV among its inmates, Tennessee's Shelby County Jail is being urged to distribute condoms and require regular HIV/AIDS testing in a program similar to those in effect in jails in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Members of the County Commission on Wednesday heard advocate Novella Smith Arnold -- a former candidate for the Memphis City Council -- say that there is an "epidemic" of HIV/AIDS among inmates in the Shelby County Jail. Arnold also asked that commission members give approval for condoms to be distributed in the jail. "AIDS is still alive and well," Arnold said, adding that HIV/AIDS is "coming out of the jail to the black community, and our black women are suffering."
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