The CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update

ALASKA: "Gonorrhea Cases Spike in Alaska"

GLOBAL: "New HIV Infections Increasing Among Homosexuals"

CHINA: "NGOs in China Say Threatened by New Donor Rules"

UNITED KINGDOM: "Do Needle-Exchange Programs Really Work?"

CALIFORNIA: "Black Churches Mounting AIDS Campaign"

GEORGIA: "Positive Impact Now Offers Free STD Screenings"

SOUTH CAROLINA: "S.C. Lawmakers Ponder Plan to Eliminate Health Cuts"

FLORIDA: "Perdido Bay Tribe to Join National Native HIV/AIDS Day"

FLORIDA: "Candlelight Vigil on March 18 for HIV/AIDS Victims"

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ALASKA:
"Gonorrhea Cases Spike in Alaska"   back to top
Associated Press , (03.16.2010)   Dan Joling

State health officials are urging providers to be on the lookout for gonorrhea, following a 69 percent increase in reported cases in Alaska last year.

According to Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) data, 997 cases of genital gonorrhea were logged in 2009, up from 578 in 2008. Alaska Natives accounted for 68 percent of last year’s cases, while females accounted for more than half. The highest rates for males and females alike were found among those ages 20-24.

Susan Jones, manager of the DHSS Epidemiology Section’s STD program, said 2009 saw the largest single-year increase in gonorrhea in Alaska since the 1970s. She said reports from providers offer a clue as to why.

“In some cases, the symptoms are mild enough, or not annoying enough, that people are not coming in to seek care, or delaying coming in,” said Jones. “So that means they have gonorrhea for a longer period of time and are able to transmit it more.”
DHSS recommends prompt treatment for patients and is encouraging them to take part in “partner services activities.” “It’s a process in which sexual partners are identified and notified that they could be a part of the disease investigation,” explained Jones.

“Providers should screen sexually active women younger than 25 years of age, those with multiple or new sex partners, those who have had gonorrhea or chlamydia infection in the past 12 months, and those who have been told they were exposed to gonorrhea,” said Dr. Joe McLaughlin, state epidemiologist.

The bulletin noted that almost 300 people diagnosed with gonorrhea last year were co-infected with chlamydia.

GLOBAL:
"New HIV Infections Increasing Among Homosexuals"   back to top
Associated Press , (03.16.2010)   Edith M. Lederer

Laws that criminalize their behaviors are driving up HIV infections among persons in high-risk groups, the UNAIDS chief said Monday. Eighty-five countries criminalize consensual same-sex relations between adults, including seven that apply the death penalty, said Michel Sidibe. Repressive laws also make it hard for sex workers and injection drug users to access HIV prevention and treatment services, he said.

In China, Kenya, Malawi, and other countries, about 33 percent of new HIV infections are in men who have sex with men, representing a major increase, Sidibe said.

Even in the United States, “It seems like we have come full circle,” Sidibe told journalists at a UN Foundation luncheon in New York City. More than 50 percent of new US HIV infections last year occurred among MSM, and the infection rate was even higher for those ages 19-25, he said. Sidibe blamed this on the failure to deliver appropriate HIV prevention messages, complacency, and treatment optimism. Treatment optimism also affects Europe and Africa, he noted.

“You have 70 percent of new infections occurring in Eastern Europe and Central Asia among drug users, but they are criminalized,” Sidibe said. “They don’t have access to services. They have to hide themselves and go underground.”

Of the estimated 16 million injection drug users worldwide, almost 3 million are HIV-positive, and of these less than 4 percent have access to HIV treatment, Sidibe said. “It’s the same for [MSM],” he said.

In Nigeria, over 30 percent of 1,000 the new infections daily are among high-risk groups including drug users, sex workers, and MSM, Sidibe said.

Sidibe called for prevention campaigns in major cities worldwide to jump-start “a prevention revolution.”

CHINA:
"NGOs in China Say Threatened by New Donor Rules"   back to top
Associated Press , (03.12.2010)   Cara Anna

New rules that came into effect March 1 require non-governmental organizations working in China to show proof that overseas donors are registered in their home countries. Faith-based groups also must get approval from the State Religious Affairs Bureau for any donation exceeding 1 million yuan (US $146,000). The rules were posted on the Web site of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, which normally has little to do with NGOs.

Wan Yanhai, a Beijing-based AIDS activist, said the new requirements will affect tens of thousands of groups that rely primarily on overseas money. However, that figure cannot be verified, in part because no one knows how many NGOs are working in China. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, approximately 400,000 groups are registered. But a report published by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has estimated the total number could be 3 million.

"No government official knows how to regulate them,” and they do not know what most NGOs are doing, explained Wang Liwei, CEO of China Charity Media Group.

“I think it’s inevitable that they were going to start tightening the noose on NGOs,” said Meg Davis, executive director of Asia Catalyst, a New York-based group that works on AIDS-related projects in China. “There’s a sense at the top that they’re suspicious of NGO powers.”

In the Yunnan province, Davis' group works with 90 HIV-infected women. The new regulations are complicating overseas funding efforts, she said. “Stopping work is not an option. These women are working with a population that is sick and dying. The only thing we can attempt to do is comply as best as we can,” she added.

UNITED KINGDOM:
"Do Needle-Exchange Programs Really Work?"   back to top
Reuters Health , (03.11.2010)   Amy Norton

The evidence that needle and syringe programs (NSPs) are effective in preventing HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) is weaker than acknowledged in the current scientific literature, a new analysis of research suggests. The new review of English-language literature to March 2007 included for analysis three high-quality “core” reviews and two supplementary ones.

The metareview found sufficient evidence that NSPs reduce self-reported injecting risk behavior (IRB), and tentative evidence that alternative pharmacy NSPs have an additional impact on IRB. UK researchers found only tentative evidence that NSPs are effective in preventing HIV and insufficient support for their preventing HCV. However, of the five reviews, three did not examine HCV “in any depth,” noted Norah Palmateer, of Health Protection Scotland, and colleagues.

“Insufficient or weak evidence of an effect is not evidence of no effect,” said Palmateer. “It is more a reflection of the studies and evidence available.”

Part of the problem is that the studies have been observational, rather than randomized controlled clinical trials, Palmateer said. Observational studies are open to “selection bias,” she said. For example, if those at greatest risk for HIV tended to use an NSP, a study might find higher HIV prevalence associated with the program. In addition, the NSPs studied had strict limits on the number of syringes and needles they could give clients, she said.

Of 10 HIV-focused NSP studies reviewed in 2004 by the World Health Organization, five had positive findings. However, four of the five had design weaknesses that limit the conclusions that can be drawn. Two of the reviews analyzed by Palmateer's team included many of the same studies in the WHO report. One research group agreed with WHO, while the other more guardedly found “modest” evidence that NSP’s prevent HIV transmission.

“The main public health implications of the findings are that a higher level of coverage of interventions, including [NSPs], is likely required to reduce blood-borne virus transmission,” said Palmateer.

The full meta-analysis, “Evidence for the Effectiveness of Sterile Injecting Equipment Provision in Preventing Hepatitis C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission Among Injecting Drug Users: A Review of Reviews,” was published in Addiction (2010;doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02888.x).

CALIFORNIA:
"Black Churches Mounting AIDS Campaign"   back to top
San Diego Union-Tribune , (03.12.2010)   Leonel Sanchez

Nearly 40 area black churches were holding services to commemorate National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, March 7-13.

In addition to providing free HIV screenings, churches are working to overcome stigma associated with the disease. “It’s the life of the person who’s got it that’s more important than how they got it,” said the Rev. Ikenna Kokayi, president of the United African-American Ministerial Action Council. The southeast San Diego-based group sponsored a campaign-related outreach earlier in the month and has tested almost 200 high-risk people for HIV so far this year.

In San Diego County, African Americans make up about 5 percent of the population but roughly 13 percent of AIDS cases.

“If you want to reach African Americans, you have to go through African-American churches,” said Clovis Honore of the San Diego Region Kemet Coalition, a group of HIV service organizations that aid black residents.

During a service at Mt. Moriah Christian Church in Mira Mesa, the Rev. Alpha Dority called for a “healing of AIDS.” “Look here, oh God, we ask if there’s anybody who is infected, then we ask right now that they get tested so they’re able not to spread this disease,” he said.

Though participation in the commemoration has grown at the national and local level, Kokayi said more churches need to come on board. Many black churches continue to struggle with addressing issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, including homosexuality, drug use, and sex. “But we shouldn’t have a challenge in loving people and that’s all people,” said Kokayi.

GEORGIA:
"Positive Impact Now Offers Free STD Screenings"   back to top
Project Q Atlanta , (03.03.2010)   Mike Fleming

An Atlanta mental health agency for people with HIV/AIDS recently began offering free screenings for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, courtesy of a grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Positive Impact now offers the tests on a walk-in basis to men who have sex with men, with results available at a follow-up visit. The agency also provides free rapid HIV screening with same-day results for men and women. Those needing STD/HIV treatment will be referred to partner agencies.

“We are now able to assess for potential high-risk behaviors in clients, and engage those clients simultaneously through both HIV and STD screening, and then make appropriate referrals into one of several of the agency’s HIV prevention programs,” said Danny Sprouse, Positive Impact’s prevention director. “We believe that the effectiveness of the combined STD screening, HIV testing and the additional prevention programs will be increased because of this unique opportunity, thanks to the Elton John Foundation.”

For information about testing hours, visit http://www.positiveimpact-atl.org/ and follow the M.I.S.T.E.R. Project menu.

SOUTH CAROLINA:
"S.C. Lawmakers Ponder Plan to Eliminate Health Cuts"   back to top
Associated Press , (03.15.2010)   

As the state House continues debating a $5 billion budget for the coming year, lawmakers are discussing a measure that would avoid all cuts to health and medical programs. The House hopes to use almost $200 million in federal Medicaid funds to eliminate planned reductions to prescription drug programs and the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, Rep. Tracy Edge (R-North Myrtle Beach) said Monday. The proposed spending plan, Edge said, would fund those efforts, reverse a $10 million cut to drug programs that would have limited patients to a maximum of three prescriptions per month, and continue paying for HIV/AIDS drugs.

FLORIDA:
"Perdido Bay Tribe to Join National Native HIV/AIDS Day"   back to top
Pensacola News Journal , (03.13.2010)   

Friday is designated National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and representatives from many of Florida’s 307 Native tribes, bands, and clans are expected to take part in a rally at the state Capitol. The Bureau of HIV/AIDS will host the gathering, and its director is to receive a special proclamation from Chief Bobby Johns Bearheart. The public is invited to attend the 11 a.m. event, which will feature drummers and dancers. The day is set aside to encourage awareness of the HIV/AIDS threat to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. For more on the national commemoration, visit http://www.hhs.gov/aidsawarenessdays/days/native/index.html.

FLORIDA:
"Candlelight Vigil on March 18 for HIV/AIDS Victims"   back to top
Vero Beach Press , (02.26.2010)   

A candlelight vigil to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and its local impact will be held at 7:30 p.m. on March 18 in the Memorial Garden of the Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach. “This evening we will recall friends and loved ones whose lives have been changed and sometimes ended by HIV/AIDS, as well as showing our support for individuals and communities affected now,” said the Rev. Maureen Killoran, interim pastor. “Although this is a heart-focused vigil, we will also provide information about the local situation and how individuals might be able to help.” The event is the result of efforts on behalf of the HIV/AIDS Awareness Network, whose motto is “Pass the message, not the disease.” The church is located at 16th Street and 27th Avenue. Telephone 772-778-5880 for more information.