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Nature special issue focuses on vaccines

The May 26 issue of Nature explores vaccines, which the journal says "are responsible for some of the world's greatest public health triumphs." Though new vaccines for deadly diseases have been developed in the past 10 years, and more are in development, "funding is tight, and unfounded doubts about the safety of vaccines persist." The issue features stories on polio, measles, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as issues surrounding vaccine rejection and hysteria about risk.

27 May 2011

Los Angeles Times reports on case of Libyan children infected with HIV

The Los Angeles Times examines the case of more than 400 Libyan youth who were infected with HIV in a Benghazi hospital between 1997 and 1998, some say deliberately.

27 May 2011

Two national campaigns aim to reduce spread of HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases

Greater Than AIDS and GYT: Get Yourself Tested, two leading national campaigns committed to reducing the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, are teaming up for a second year to encourage Americans to get tested and know their status.

27 May 2011

Vatican newspaper article addresses condom use among married couples

Three days before the start of a Vatican conference focusing on "the centrality of care" in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, the Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, on Tuesday printed a piece by Spanish theologian Juan Jose Perez-Soba arguing that married couples with one HIV-positive partner "should abstain from sex, because intercourse performed with a condom is, 'from the moral point of view, not a fully conjugal act,'" RNS/Beliefnet News reports.

26 May 2011

Recent advances in vaccine development for malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS

Collectively, malaria, TB & HIV/AIDS cause more than five million deaths per year - nearly the entire population of the state of Washington - and represent one of the world's major public health challenges as we move into the second decade of the 21st century.

26 May 2011

PET scans can help determine patients' response to treatment for HIV-MDR tuberculosis

With the deficiencies in knowledge of tuberculosis-as well as in the practices, programs and strategies used to combat the disease and co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus-the spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis poses a major problem for the health care community.

25 May 2011

Global Fund freezes grants to China over suspected misuse of funds

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has frozen "payments of grants to China worth hundreds of millions of dollars over suspected misuse of the money and the government's reluctance to involve community groups in the projects," the Associated Press reports.

25 May 2011

AFP examines expansion of Indian drug companies in South Africa

Agence France-Presse examines how Indian drug companies have infiltrated the South African market over the last few years in an effort to have a broader reach in Africa. India's pharmaceutical industry is now the second largest in the world by volume, according to AFP.

25 May 2011

Ahead of U.N. General Assembly meeting next month, IPS examines global funding shortfall for HIV/AIDS treatment

Inter Press Service examines the global funding shortfall for antiretroviral treatment programs for people living with HIV/AIDS, noting that the U.N. General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS next month in New York "will shape the direction of the global response to HIV and AIDS for the next decade and beyond."

25 May 2011

Homeless people more likely to have family doctor if they possess health card

For every year a person is homeless, the odds of them having a family doctor drop by 9 per cent, according to a report by St. Michael's Hospital and Street Health.

25 May 2011

Study offers hope for reducing incidence of AIDS with potential preventive vaccine

The HIV epidemic is the largest in the world and represents one of the most serious public health problems, according to data from the World Health Organization. Only 30% of the more than 10 million patients in need have the access to the antiretroviral treatment.

24 May 2011

U.N. Secretary-General Ban addresses maternal mortality in Nigeria, IDPs in Cote d'Ivoire

As part of a four-country tour, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday arrived in Nigeria, where he highlighted the importance of fighting maternal and child mortality in the country, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Africa, Agence France-Presse reports.

24 May 2011

Ford engineers develop car seat that can monitor driver's heartbeat

Ford engineers have developed a car seat that can monitor a driver's heartbeat, opening the door to a wealth of health, convenience and even life-saving potential.

24 May 2011

Gay men seeking long-term romance online more likely to engage in safe sex

If a gay or bisexual man seeks sex or dating online, the type of partner or relationship he wants is a good indicator of whether he'll engage in safe sex, a new study suggests.

24 May 2011

IPS examines subsidized malaria drugs in Kenya

Inter Press Service looks at the roll out of the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria in Kenya. The program, which is managed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, makes subsidized malaria medications available through private pharmacies in seven other pilot countries - Cambodia, Ghana, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.

24 May 2011

HIV prevention study results raise public health questions about forcing patients into treatment

A New York Times "Week In Review" article examines how the results of a recent study showing combination antiretroviral therapy can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by 96 percent "reopens old questions" about the rightsof patients to refuse therapy and whether doctors, in the interest of public health, should force patients to start treatment.

24 May 2011

Terminally ill missing out on palliative care: Survey reports

According to two new surveys, increased hospital admissions in the last three months of life could be of little benefit to dying people and are in contrast to the wishes of many.

23 May 2011

HIV-infected donors present novel source of organs for HIV-infected transplant candidates

A new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation reveals that HIV-infected deceased donors represent a potentially novel source of organs for HIV-infected transplant candidates that could decrease waitlist deaths and even shorten the national waitlist.

23 May 2011

Viewpoints: IPAB debate; Medicare flap continues; WSJ on VT single payer

While I applaud Ryan for getting the conversation started, I cannot support his specific plan — and therefore will vote "no" on his budget. Why can't I go along with the Ryan Medicare plan?

23 May 2011

EDITORIAL: Study results show need for more data on HIV prevention economics

A recent study showing a "near-perfect way to halt sexual transmission of the AIDS virus has the potential to change the way international agencies and nations cope with the epidemic. But that can only happen if troubling issues of cost and practicality can be surmounted," a New York Times editorial says.

23 May 2011