The Pop Reporter®
– Events – Archives – Subscribe – Modify Profile – The Pop Reporter en Espaņol (Spanish)
Volume 2, Number 48
2 December 2002
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
HIV
Wedding Rings in Change for China (news article)
A Chinese woman with HIV has married her partner in a widely reported
ceremony in Beijing which illustrates changing attitudes in China
towards the country's growing AIDS crisis.
Bush,
US Policy Assailed at UN Population Conference (news article)
The Bush administration's withdrawal of support for a United Nations
family planning program, along with recent cuts to international
family-planning associations, drew sharp criticism at a UN gathering
in Canada late last week. Elected officials from 71 countries met
in Ottawa Nov. 21 and 22 in an effort to step-up support for "family
planning" services for an estimated 350 million women and men
worldwide who have little or no access to birth control or family
planning. On many minds was President Bush's decision to withhold
$34.5 million from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the conference
host, after testimony that the organization supports forced abortions
in some countries.
Shanghai
to Add AIDS Test in Pre-marriage Medical Exams (news article)
Shanghai is considering adding an AIDS test in the medical examinations
required for local people applying for marriage.
The
Philippines: Family-planning Office Won't Compromise on Contraceptives
(news article)
The government's family planning agency said it would not strike
a compromise with the Church and the pro-life groups on the issue
of artificial contraception, despite amendments made on a controversial
proposed bill.
China's Deadly Cover-Up
(editorial)
This New York Times editorial urges Western countries to exert more
pressure on China to act swiftly in response to its AIDS crisis.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Emergency
Contraception In Mexico City: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices
Among Providers and Potential Clients After a 3-Year Introduction
Effort (PubMed abstract)
Emergency contraception (EC) has the potential to reduce unwanted
pregnancy significantly, in Mexico as elsewhere. The authors organized
and implemented a three-year program of training for health care
providers and a multi-faceted information campaign for the general
public, including a national toll-free hotline and website. In 2000,
they again surveyed family planning clinic providers and clients,
using instruments similar to those employed in the baseline study.
EC awareness increased significantly from 13% of clients to 32%,
and support jumped from 73% to 83%. Providers at study clinics improved
method recognition from 88% to 100%.
A
Randomized Double-blind Comparison of Two Single Doses of Mifepristone
for Emergency Contraception (research abstract)
The aim of this trial was to investigate whether 10 mg of mifepristone
has the same efficacy as 25 mg. In a randomized trail of more than
3,000 women, the authors found that a dose of 10 mg of mifepristone
is sufficient for emergency contraception. Earlier treatment is
preferable, although the method can be used effectively for up to
5 days after intercourse.
Case-Crossover
Study of Partner and Situational Factors for Unprotected Sex
(PubMed abstract)
The objective of this study was to identify situational and partner
characteristics associated with unprotected sex among women at risk
for HIV infection. Factors that had a significant association with
women's most recent unprotected sexual encounter included partner
age older than 40 years, partner use of alcohol and drugs within
2 hours of the sexual encounter, and exchange of sex for money or
drugs.
Indirect
Exposure to a Family Planning Mass Media Campaign in Nepal (PubMed
abstract)
This study examined the role of indirect exposure in extending the
reach of a family planning mass media campaign in Nepal. Sociometric
data, gathered from nearly all women between the ages of 15 and
49 years living in six villages in Dang District, Nepal (N = 667),
assessed indirect exposure to the radio program. Indirect exposure
was extensive; half of all respondents were indirectly exposed to
the program's messages and the overall reach of the program increased
from 50% to 75% when indirect exposure was considered.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
Good
Reproductive Health Essential to Ending Poverty (press release)
To overcome poverty, countries must ensure women's reproductive
health and rights and target development efforts to the poor, according
to the State of World Population 2002 report by UNFPA. The report,
"People, Poverty and Possibilities: Making Development Work
for the Poor," will be launched on Tuesday, December 3rd, in
London, New York, Washington, and other cities around the world.
First New Women's Condom in Ten Years Launches on World AIDS Day in Europe
(news article)
The world's first new women's condom in a decade has hit store shelves
in Europe, with US FDA approval expected within 12 months.
Zambia:
Many Individuals Shun Condoms, Reveals Survey (news article)
Many individuals are still not using condoms in situations where
the risk of contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted infection
is high, the latest Zambia Demographic Health Survey report has
revealed.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
Impact
of Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 Infection on Clinical Presentation,
Treatment Outcome and Survival in a Cohort of Ethiopian Children
with Tuberculosis (PubMed abstract)
HIV-positive children are at risk of diagnostic error as well as
delayed diagnosis of TB. TB manifestations are more severe and progression
to death is more rapid than in HIV-negative children.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
Twice-infected HIV Patient Offers
Vaccine Lesson
An HIV patient who became infected a second time may offer a cautionary
tale to researchers who hope a specific type of immune response
is the secret to vaccine success.
Failure
to Tackle AIDS Puts Millions at Risk of Starvation (news article)
Millions of people are on the brink of starvation in southern Africa,
warns the United Nations, partly because attempts to limit the spread
of HIV have failed.
China
Makes Its First Antiretroviral Drugs for Treating AIDS (news
article)
China's first domestically produced combination drug treatment for
AIDS is due to go on sale by the end of 2002, after the manufacturer,
Shanghai Desano Biopharmaceuticals Company, based in Shanghai, recently
got government approval for the production of didanosine, stavudine,
and nevirapine.
One
Million China Students to Lead AIDS Fight (news article)
China, long criticized for ignoring a potential explosion of the
scourge, marked World AIDS Day on Sunday by launching awareness
and prevention campaigns in the world's most populous country.
Afghan-AIDS:
UN Calls for Action to Prevent AIDS 'Catastrophe' in Afghanistan
(news article)
The United Nations Sunday urged swift action by the international
community to support Afghanistan's AIDS awareness campaign, warning
the incurable disease could reach "catastrophic" levels
in the once-isolated country.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Fever
in Pregnancy and Risk of Fetal Death: A Cohort Study (PubMed
abstract)
Hyperthermia acts as a teratogen in some animals where it can induce
resorption of the fetus and fetal death. Fever during pregnancy,
especially in the period of embryogenesis, is also suspected as
being a risk factor for fetal death in human beings. They found
no evidence that fever in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy is associated
with the risk of fetal death in clinically recognized pregnancies.
Association
Between Outcome of Pregnancy and Glycaemic Control In Early Pregnancy
In Type 1 Diabetes: Population Based Study (research article)
The authors found a significant relation between adverse outcome
of pregnancy and poor glycemic control in early pregnancy in women
with type 1 diabetes. The findings suggest that good glycemic control
around the time of conception is necessary to optimize outcome of
pregnancy in diabetic women.
Optimal
Duration of Exclusive Breast Feeding In Low Income Countries
(editorial)
The author argues that six months of exclusive breastfeeding as
recommended by the World Health Organization applies to populations,
not necessarily to individuals.
Primary
HIV-1 Infection In African Children Infected Through Breastfeeding
(PubMed abstract)
The purpose of the study was to describe acute retroviral syndrome
and associated primary viremia in African children infected with
HIV-1 through breastfeeding. Of 22 infants infected postnatally,
21 (95.5%) exhibited at least one clinical sign, compared with only
27 of the 44 (61.4%) uninfected children. Three independent factors
were associated with primary HIV-1 infection: mononucleosis-like
syndrome, dermatitis, and generalized lymphadenopathy. The authors
concluded that these results may be useful for the recognition of
early pediatric cases of postnatal transmission in Africa and could
enable targeting of those who should benefit from HIV RNA or DNA
testing for primary HIV-1 infection and their subsequent care.
Field
Acceptability and Effectiveness of the Routine Utilization of Zidovudine
to Reduce Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV-1 In West Africa
(PubMed abstract)
The objective of this study was to ascertain the field acceptability
and effectiveness of the routine utilization of zidovudine in reducing
mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV in breastfed children
after a randomized clinical trial demonstrated its efficacy in Cote
d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. The authors concluded that the major
drawback with the implementation of a short zidovudine regimen to
reduce MTCT is HIV counseling and testing procedures. For women
who consent, zidovudine is well accepted and efficacious under routine
circumstances.
Long
Term Enhancement of the IgG2 Antibody Response to Haemophilus Influenzae
Type B by Breast-feeding (PubMed abstract)
Related news article: Breast-feeding May Boost
Baby's Own Immune System
During breast-feeding, substances that protect against infection
are passed from mother to child. Now a new study suggests that breast-feeding
may also boost an infant's own immune response against infections
later on in childhood.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
Nigeria:
Culture as Barrier to Immunisation (news article)
Cultural and religious persuasions have combined to subject a number
of people in some parts of the country to easily preventable diseases.
Rapid
HIV Testing Hailed as Boon for Pregnant Women (news article)
Women's advocates are hailing a new HIV test, OraQuick, that gives
results in minutes, although they say that counselling and prevention
are still key in fighting the disease in the United States.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Prevalence
of Erectile Dysfunction and Active Depression: An Analytic Cross-Sectional
Study of General Medical Patients (research abstract)
Erectile dysfunction is a common problem, affecting more than half
of all men between the ages of 40 and 70 years. The authors' goal
was to quantify the prevalence of concomitant erectile dysfunction
and active depression among patients seen in a general medical setting
between September 1998 and September 1999. Using logistic regression,
the authors found that current depressive symptoms were not associated
with moderate or complete erectile dysfunction.
Is
Ethnicity an Independent Predictor of Prostate Cancer Recurrence
After Radical Prostatectomy? (PubMed abstract)
Prostate cancer incidence and mortality are higher in black than
in white American men. The authors determined whether ethnicity
is an independent predictor of disease recurrence in men undergoing
radical prostatectomy. Ethnicity appears to be an independent predictor
of disease recurrence after adjusting for pretreatment measures
of disease extent in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy.
It appears to be particularly important in those with high risk
disease characteristics. However, black ethnicity, education, and
income are highly correlated variables, suggesting that sociodemographic
factors may contribute to the poorer outcomes in black patients
even after adjusting for differences in pretreatment disease characteristics.
Increased
Reporting of Male-to-male Sexual Activity in a National Survey
(PubMed abstract)
Related news article: More US Men Reporting Sex
with Men Than Before
A recent nationwide survey shows that a larger proportion of men
say they are having sex with other men than in the 1980s, although
whether that trend stems from an increase in same-sex activity or
an increased willingness to report it remains unclear.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Small Study Links Biking, Male
Infertility (news article)
Frequent mountain-biking may reduce fertility in men, according
to a small Austrian study that adds fodder to a debate over cycling
and male sexual function.
Research
Reveals a Cellular Basis for a Male Biological Clock (news article)
Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered a cellular
basis for what many have long suspected: Men, as well as women,
have a reproductive clock that ticks down with age.
POPULATION RESEARCH
Ecological
Footprint of Nations 
(report)
Related news article: Human
Pressure on Earth's Carrying Capacity Rises
Humanity is putting increasing pressure on global ecosystems, with
consumption exceeding the Earth's biological capacity by 20 percent,
according to a new report from the Sustainability Program of Redefining
Progress, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy organization.
POPULATION NEWS
UN Says Vast Populations Mask
Asian AIDS Crisis (news article)
The vast populations of China, India, and Indonesia are masking
an explosion in Asia's deadly AIDS epidemic, a United Nations report
said. Low national prevalence levels in some of the world's most
populous countries blur the picture of a virus that killed nearly
500,000 people in the Asia-Pacific last year, and may be contracted
by 11 million more by the end of the decade.
West's
Aging Population May Hurt Asian Eeconomy (news article)
The rapidly aging population in the developed world could hurt Asian
economies as precious funds are being used to finance bulging pension
budgets, a US specialist warned.
Pakistan:
One-third Population Lives in Cities (news article)
One-third of the country's population lives in the urban areas,
the Pakistan Human Condition Report, 2002, showed. This transformation
is evident from the absolute change of urban population from six
million in 1951 to 10 million in 1961, 17 million in 1972, 24 million
in 1981 and 43 million in 1998.
Tackling Population Problems
in Rural Egypt (feature article)
Dr. Shaban Abou El-Fotoh is very proud of the gold stars he has
been awarded by Egypt's Ministry of Health and displays them proudly
on the wall of his office in the Hegazy Medical Center, a public
clinic in the town of Caliobeya, just outside of Cairo. He was awarded
these stars based on his management of the clinic, a clean but basic
facility that receives more than 300 patients a day and serve four
local neighborhoods that comprise of over 27,000 residents.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Risk
Factors for Ovarian Cancer and Early-Onset Breast Cancer In Mongolia
(PubMed abstract)
The purpose of the study was to determine if there are founder BRCA1
mutations in the Mongolian population. Results showed that two patients
had two first-degree relatives with cancer and nine women had one
first degree relative with cancer. Two women had the unique BRCA1
mutation previously described. These two women were not related
but their parents were from the same tribe and they lived in the
same province. Only one other patient was of this tribal background
and from the same region; however, she did not have the BRCA1 mutation.
The authors concluded that a substantial proportion of Mongolian
woman with ovarian cancer or early-onset breast cancer may be due
to a founder BRCA1 mutation 3452delA.
Invasive
Cervical Cancer Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Women --- United
States, 1992--1999 (research report)
Related news article: Study
Links Ethnicity To Cervical Cancer
Hispanic women contract cervical cancer almost twice as often as
other women, indicating that not enough of them are having Pap tests.
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Women
Account for Half of HIV Cases for the First Time (news article)
Two decades after AIDS first became noticed as a disease of homosexual
men, women now account for half of the 37 million adults infected
with HIV.
FDA
OKs New Uterine Fibroid Treatment (news article)
Microscopic spheres that shrink uterine fibroids and save women
from more extensive surgery were approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
YOUTH RESEARCH
Community-Based
Trial to Prevent Drug Use Among Youths in Yunnan, China (research
abstract)
This study evaluated a community-based program in China to prevent
initiation of drug use in young men. There was a 2.7-fold greater
reduction in drug use initiation in the intervention area (1.59%
vs 0.60%). Reduction was highest among males aged 15 to 19, single
men, illiterate men, and the Jingpo minority. HIV/AIDS knowledge
and attitudes and recognition of drug problems were all significantly
better in the intervention area.
When
and Where Do Youths Have Sex? The Potential Role of Adult Supervision
(research abstract)
Interventions to reduce high-risk behaviors such as sex and substance
use among youths have focused mainly on promoting abstinence, refusal
skills, and negotiation skills, yet the frequency of high-risk behaviors
among youths may also be influenced by opportunity, particularly
the amount of time during which they are not supervised by adults.
In this study, the authors examined when and where youths have sex
and whether there is a relationship between unsupervised time and
sex, sexually transmitted diseases, and substance use. They found
that substantial numbers of youths currently spend long periods
of time without adult supervision and have limited opportunities
to participate in after-school activities. More than half of sexually
active youths reported that they had sex at home after school, and,
particularly for boys, sexual-and drug-related risks increased as
the amount of unsupervised time increased.
Audio-CASI
vs. Interview Method of Administration of an HIV/STD Risk of Exposure
Screening Instrument for Teenagers (PubMed abstract)
The purpose of this study was to assess differences in the disclosure
of HIV risk behaviors between subjects interviewed face to face
and subjects interviewed using A-CASI procedures. Results of this
study suggest that A-CASI may not be suitable for use among adolescents
in the juvenile justice system when assessing undesirable and/or
illegal behaviors.
YOUTH NEWS
Italy to Use Cartoon Books to
Educate Teens on HIV (news article)
A sexual education program focusing on HIV and AIDS will be carried
out in Italian high schools. Starting in January, the program will
be addressed to students in the first and second years of high school.
The "Health Mission" project revolves around six booklets
and Internet boards managed by doctors and other experts.
UNICEF
Calls Global Response to Children Orphaned by AIDS Grossly Inadequate
(press release)
UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said the global response
to the crisis of children orphaned by AIDS is grossly inadequate.
Without a greater sense of urgency and collective action, millions
more children will put themselves at enormous risk in their struggle
to stay alive.
Dominican
Child Prostitutes Draw Alarm (news article)
At least 35,000 Dominican youths under 19 have turned to prostitution
for survival, and as many as 15 percent of them could be HIV positive,
according to Mais, a Dominican non-governmental organization working
to end child prostitution in the Spanish-speaking country.
Pakistan:
Special Report on Educating Children about HIV/AIDS (news article)
In a country where youth makes up 23 percent of the population,
getting the message across to children has become a priority for
the government's national AIDS control programme. Under a new project
due to start in 2003, the authorities plan to make a more concerted
effort to reach out to millions of children in the country.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
AIDS
Epidemic Update - December 2002
(report) (Word
format)
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is fuelling a widening and increasingly deadly
famine in southern Africa, according to the "AIDS Epidemic
Update 2002". The comprehensive new update on the global HIV/AIDS
epidemic was issued by UNAIDS and WHO, in advance of the December
1st commemoration of World AIDS Day.
Ethiopia:
Interview with Negatu Mereke, Head of the National AIDS Secretariat
(interview)
Negatu Mereke is the head of the National AIDS Secretariat, the
Ethiopian government's task force coordinating the fight against
AIDS. Here he tells how it is overcoming criticism of incompetence
from the World Bank and how it will go about trying to win the war
against the virus.
Africa:
Interview with Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS
(interview)
Stephen Lewis is the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS
in Africa. He speaks here about the crippling impact of HIV/AIDS
on women and the "human rights violations" that people
living with HIV/AIDS face. He said there were no modern parallels
in the scale of suffering.
When you click on any link, your Internet browser will access a Web site not connected to "The Pop Reporter.®" Information accessed through these links and contained in this issue of "The Pop Reporter®" does not necessarily state or reflect the views of the Population Information Program, Johns Hopkins University, or the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
All links were verified at the date of posting. Your computer and/or network configuration regarding Java script, cookies, and other security issues may not allow you to view certain Web sites. Consult your computer technician if you are having problems.
