США хотят законодательно возглавить
борьбу со СПИДом
Мировой союз СПИДа (The Global AIDS Alliance) и 34 другие американские
организации призвали лидеров конгресса ускорить прохождение закона о руководстве
США в борьбе со СПИДом, туберкулёзом, малярией, который позволит значительно
увеличить расходы на борьбу с этими болезнями.
GAA release, 30 октября
The Global
AIDS Alliance
Пандемия СПИД -- проблема №1
в мире
Заявил государственный секретарь США Колин Пауэлл в речи в
честь генерального секретаря ООН Кофи Аннана, произнесённой на собрании
ассоциации ООН США.
речь
госсекретаря
Washington
Post, 13 ноября
Независимо от мотивов Гейтса
его деньги помогут Индии и миру
Скептики задаются вопросом: какая часть из $100 млн, выделенная
Б. Гейтсом на борьбу со СПИДом пойдёт на собственно борьбу, а какая на
продвижение имиджа Майкрософт на этом растущем рынке. В ближайшие три года
Майкрософт планирует инвестировать в Индии $400 млн. Так же интересно:
почему Гейтс выбрал Индию, а не США, где непрямые доходы от благотворительности
могли быть не меньше.
Chicago
Sun-Times, 14 ноября
Беременным американкам рекомендуют
тест на ВИЧ
Может помочь предотвратить вертикальную передачу вируса. В
настоящее время только в штатах Нью-Йорк и Коннектикут приянято обязательно
тестирование беременных женщин. Если такое тестирование не проведено
штат имеет право взять анализ у ребёнка без согласия матери. Центры контроля
заболеваний (CDC) рекомендуют всем штатам рекомендовать женщинам добровольно
проходить тестирование. В настоящее время тест проводится только по просьбе
беременной.
Reuters Health, 14 ноября
тестирование в России
СПИД -- культурный холокост
Такова филисофия журнала "Искусство и понимание", специально
направленного против СПИДа. В ноябрьском выпуске опубликована статья о
лидере меньшинства в конгрессе Ричарде Гепхарде, в которой он указывает
на ослабление борьбы с эпидемией, привыкание к ней, не смотря на отсутствие
вакцины, в значительной степени природы эпидемии и закономерностей её развития.
Он конкретно рассматривает проблемы инфицированных с жильём,
занятостью, а также программу обмена игл. По его мнению США должны выделять
$2 млрд ежегодно на международные программы по СПИДу, то-есть, увеличить
своё участие в два раза.
14 ноября
'Condom Fatigue,' Public Health
Advocates' Search for New HIV/AIDS Prevention Messages
Although most public health advocates say that condoms are
"the best technology science has to offer" for preventing the transmission
of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, the "much-promoted" method is
facing "condom fatigue," or "a general weariness of the safe-sex message,"
the Washington Times reports. Safe-sex advocates say that as condom usage
among teenagers has risen over the past decade -- from 53% in 1993 to 58%
in 2001 -- individuals' condom use falls as they age, with 68% of sexually
active ninth graders using condoms in 2001, compared to 49% of sexually
active 12th graders. "Getting people to think about their own personal
health needs ... is always difficult, whether it's convincing people to
wear a condom or convincing people to brush their teeth," Chicago Department
of Public Health spokesperson Tim Hadac said. Condom promotion should not
say "use this or die," but should be made part of everyday life, Stephen
Mare, director of sales and marketing for Boston-based Global Protection
Corp., a condom manufacturer and distributor.
Wetzstein, Washington
Times, 11/8
Unprotected Sex Among College
Students
In related news, the Denver Post last week reported on the
results of a recent online poll that found that many U.S. young adults
do not use condoms when engaging in sexual intercourse. The poll, conducted
by CollegeClub.com, a Web site that provides free e-mail accounts as well
as information about health, relationships and academics, found that more
than half of U.S. college students reported having unprotected sex during
the last year; 78% of respondents reported that they had "no problem" having
sex without being in a relationship. "The AIDS epidemic no longer seems
top of mind for many college-aged men and women," Jim Styn, community manager
of CollegeClub.com, said, adding, "No longer associating sex with STDs
and possible death has created a more relaxed approach toward sex and contraception"
.
Jefferson, Denver
Post, 10/24
FDA Approves New Rapid HIV Test;
Thompson Urges OraSure To Apply for Waiver to Allow Wider Distribution
The FDA yesterday approved a rapid HIV test that provides results
in 20 minutes and is easier to use than existing rapid test kits -- two
aspects that experts say will reduce the number of people who are unknowingly
infected and will boost the number who are treated for HIV infection, AP/USA
Today reports. The test, called OraQuick, is manufactured by OraSure Technologies.
To use OraQuick, a health worker places blood taken from a finger prick
into a vial of developing solution. A "sticklike testing device" is inserted
into the vial and changes color to indicate the test results; one reddish
line means that the person is HIV-negative, while two reddish lines indicate
that the person may be infected with HIV and a confirmation test is needed
(AP/USA Today, 11/7). Because the test detects the presence of antibodies
to HIV and not the presence of the virus itself, there may be a "window"
period of several weeks to several months in which a person can be infected
with HIV but still test negative on OraQuick (Brown, Washington Post, 11/8).
OraSure CEO Mike Gausling said he did not know how much the test would
cost, but he added that it would probably be less expensive than the saliva
test manufactured by OraSure, which costs about $20 (Gay Stolberg, New
York Times, 11/8). Although OraQuick is currently approved for use in about
40,000 facilities, mainly hospitals and clinics with laboratories, federal
officials have asked OraSure to apply for a waiver to make the test available
at other locations. AIDS groups have advocated for making the test available
at smaller outreach clinics and mobile testing sites in order to make the
test more accessible to the general population (Lueck, Wall Street Journal,
11/8). HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson also urged OraSure to seek a waiver
allowing wider distribution of the test. If the waiver is obtained, the
test "could be given in many more health care settings, perhaps even administered
by social workers in HIV counseling centers. ... So I ask them to please
apply now," Thompson said (Washington Post, 11/8). Before the waiver can
be granted, however, OraSure must conduct another clinical trial to see
whether "untrained people" can administer OraQuick "as reliably as health
professionals." Gausling said the company has submitted a testing proposal
to the FDA for this purpose. It will take about 45 days for the first 50,000
OraQuick tests to reach the market, Gausling said (New York Times, 11/8).
The test will not be available for home use (Washington Post, 11/8).
Quick, Easy and Accurate
Although OraQuick is not the first rapid HIV test on the market,
the rapid test currently available is "so difficult to use that hardly
any clinics offer it," AP/USA Today reports (AP/USA Today, 11/7). OraQuick
is 99.6% accurate, making it the first "highly reliable" rapid HIV test,
although a standard test, which takes up to two weeks to provide results,
is still required to confirm a positive OraQuick result. Public health
experts said that OraQuick will be beneficial for several reasons. The
test may reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission by allowing doctors to
test pregnant women for the virus while they are in labor, and the test
will also allow health care workers exposed to blood to quickly determine
whether they need post-exposure prophylaxis treatment (New York Times,
11/8). In the long term, health officials say that rapid HIV testing will
greatly increase the number of people who get tested for HIV, as well as
the number who receive their test results. Approximately 25% of the 900,000
estimated HIV-positive people in the United States are not aware that they
have the virus, and about 50% of all people who get tested for HIV do not
return to clinics to get the results of the test. HIV-positive people who
are tested and diagnosed quickly can promptly receive treatment and make
behavioral changes to lower the risk of transmitting the virus to others.
"It is definitely a great step forward in terms of prevention. The whole
idea of making testing more convenient as a general approach to HIV prevention
is a good one," Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC National
Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, said (Washington Post, 11/8). AIDS
groups also praised the approval of the test. "This is a real sea change.
These results are so important ... that we really want to find ways to
get them out to people as quickly as possible," Lee Klosinski, director
of programs at AIDS Project Los Angeles, said (Ornstein, Los Angeles Times,
11/8). "Rapid tests have the potential to revolutionize HIV prevention.
... The elimination of the week-long waiting period will be the elimination
of significant barriers to testing for many high-risk individuals," Clint
Trout, associate director for federal government affairs at the AIDS Healthcare
Foundation, said (AHF release, 11/7).
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