17:30 19.08.2008 | All news from "AIDS/HIV"
Africa: Daily HIV/Aids Report
Beijing's Health Department Distributes No-Cost Condoms, HIV/AIDS Pamphlets to Olympic Hotels
[Aug 18, 2008]
Beijing's Health Bureau has distributed about 400,000 no-cost condoms and 250,000 HIV/AIDS prevention pamphlets to 119 contract hotels of the Olympic Games and other hotels in the city, Xinhuanet reports. According to Jin Dapeng, the bureau's party chief, the condoms have been placed in more than 90,000 rooms in 424 hotels rated three stars or higher. He added that health authorities have trained thousands of Olympic volunteers to promote HIV/AIDS prevention during the Games and that Olympic organizers worked with UNAIDS and the International Olympic Committee to distribute HIV/AIDS information to participants.
In addition, about 100,000 condoms are available at the clinic in the Olympic village along with HIV/AIDS prevention information in English, French and Chinese. According to Jin, about 180 college students and 500 community volunteers are prepared to "publicize AIDS-related knowledge." He added that the Health Bureau has "opened 40 clinics in Beijing's 18 districts and counties to offer free HIV tests and AIDS counseling." The Olympic Games present the opportunity to promote HIV/AIDS prevention messages on a global scale because they bring a large influx of visitors from around the world to Beijing, Jin said (Xinhuanet, 8/15).
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Conflict in Nigeria's Delta Region Contributing to Spread of HIV, IRIN/PlusNews Reports
[Aug 18, 2008]
Conflict in Nigeria's oil-rich delta region is contributing to the spread of HIV in the country, IRIN/PlusNews reports. According to IRIN/PlusNews, rapes being committed by militants fighting for a greater share of the region's oil wealth and the military are contributing to the spread of HIV. "Rape is prevalent: these militants do anything they like, and when there is conflict, the military move in, and they too will commit rape," C. Okeh, chair of the State Action Committee on HIV/AIDS, said. Although SACA works with police and certain army brigades, other military task forces are not included under the committee's umbrella, according to IRIN/PlusNews.
In addition, the commercial sex industry established around the region's oil refineries is contributing to the situation. The region is "dotted with oil and gas activities, and commercial sex workers follow the camps," Okeh said.
Nigeria's Rivers State has an HIV/AIDS prevalence of 5.4%, compared with the national average of 4.4%, IRIN/PlusNews reports. In addition to the delta conflict, there are multiple factors contributing to the spread of HIV in the state, according to IRIN/PlusNews. A National HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health Survey found the region has the highest incidence of sex work and the largest number of people who have sex with more than one partner per year. The city of Port Harcourt, which has a sea port and international airport, also is a popular destination for migrants. Okeh said, "We are finding a rising [HIV] prevalence in rural farming and fishing communities -- we have communities with very high unemployment rates." Okeh also said he is concerned that unrest in the region will undo the work his committee and nongovernmental organizations have done. He said that at the very least, a "crisis situation means that you don't have time to listen to [HIV/AIDS] messages -- you're thinking of your immediate survival."
According to IRIN/PlusNews, Rivers State has an estimated 120,000 HIV-positive people, of whom about 5,230 currently receive antiretroviral drugs through seven public health centers. One of the centers, located on an island an hour boat ride from Port Harcourt, receives supplies irregularly because of the threat of piracy. David Fabara, coordinator of antiretrovirals and surveillance in the state, said, "We suspect there definitely will be a problem of [drug] resistance" as a result of treatment interruption. Okeh added that the insecurity of the situation is "very challenging, because we are in a situation of a widespread epidemic with very high prevalence across the state, even the interior" (IRIN/PlusNews, 8/14).
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Number of People Accessing HIV/AIDS Treatment Increasing in Northwest England, Study Finds
[Aug 18, 2008]
The number of people accessing HIV/AIDS treatment in the northwest region of England increased by 9% in 2007 compared with data from 2006, according to a report released recently by the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University and the North West Protection Agency, the Press Association reports. The report said that in 2007, the total number of HIV-positive people receiving treatment was 5,212, compared with 4,761 people in 2006. The report also showed a 10% decrease in the number of newly reported cases. There were 907 newly recorded cases in 2006, compared with 817 newly recorded cases in 2007. Report co-author Penny Cook said the decrease in newly recorded cases should not lead to complacency among researchers and health officials about HIV/AIDS, adding, "We must ensure that prevention and treatment services continue to help those most in need."
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