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Pope says condoms are justified in some cases to prevent HIV infection

Pope Benedict XVI says in a new book that condoms can be justified for male prostitutes seeking to stop the spread of HIV, a stunning comment for a church criticized for its opposition to condoms and for a pontiff who has blamed them for making the AIDS crisis worse, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

22 Nov 2010

AHF hails Pope Benedict's remarks on condom usage to prevent HIV transmission

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest global AIDS organization, today hailed recent remarks by Pope Benedict XVI on the "justified" use condoms to prevent the spread of potentially deadly diseases like HIV that suggest a softening the Roman Catholic Church's absolute opposition to condom use in all circumstances.

22 Nov 2010

President of Catholics issues statement on Pope's view to prevent HIV transmission

Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement after Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged that condoms have a role to play in preventing the transmission of HIV: We are delighted that the pope has acknowledged that condoms can help reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections including HIV. It is a marvelous victory for common sense and reason and a major step forward towards recognizing that condom use can play a vital role in reducing the future impact of the HIV pandemic.

22 Nov 2010

Pope’s views on condoms downplayed by the Vatican

Pope Benedict XVI in a statement on the use of condoms, reported in a book to be published this week, had suggested the consideration of condom use in certain, limited circumstances. The Vatican immediately provided a “clarification” of the remarks, insisting he had “not reformed or changed the [Roman Catholic] church’s teaching”.

21 Nov 2010

Kenneth Cole Rubber Accessory Collection helps fight against HIV/AIDS

Save A Hide…Wear A Rubber this holiday season. Fashion designer Kenneth Cole invites customers to join in the fight against HIV/AIDS with the launch of the new Kenneth Cole Rubber Accessory Collection.

20 Nov 2010

New international guidelines launched to protect health workers against HIV, TB

Health workers are at the frontline in providing prevention, treatment and care for people living with HIV and TB throughout the world. They are at risk of occupational exposure to HIV and TB but often themselves lack adequate access to protection and treatment. To address this gap, new international guidelines are being launched today by the International Labour Organization, WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

20 Nov 2010

HRSA awarded $1.6M in grants to support Hepatitis C Treatment Expansion Initiative

The Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded $1.6 million in grants to support the Hepatitis C Treatment Expansion Initiative. The funds will aid organizations implementing effective, focused interventions designed to increase access to and completion of Hepatitis C treatment for HIV-positive patients.

20 Nov 2010

Containers to Clinics opens pilot health facility in Haiti

Containers to Clinics (C2C), a nonprofit initiative that seeks to build health care infrastructures in developing countries through networks of converted shipping container clinics, today announced the opening of its pilot health facility at Grace Children's Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The clinic's services will include health screenings, vaccinations, pre-and post-natal care, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, post-partum and newborn care, infectious disease testing and treatment, nutrition counseling and health education classes.

20 Nov 2010

Scientist suggests functional amino acids play a critical role in human health

Functional amino acids play a critical role in the development of both animals and humans, according to a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.

20 Nov 2010

Tackling physical, mental health of prisoners would improve public health, researchers say

Providing the more than 10 million people incarcerated around the world "with better health care could prevent outbreaks of HIV and tuberculosis from spilling over into the general population experts say," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

20 Nov 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

New This Week In The Kaiser Global Health Policy Tracker: The President's Malaria Initiative announced a new focus country and USAID released a new fact sheet on the agency's reform initiative. Kaiser's Policy Tracker provides a timely single reference point for the latest information on congressional and administration action on global health.

20 Nov 2010

U.S. falling short of its goals to improve access to clean water, sanitation worldwide, report says

The U.S. is falling short on its goal of improving conditions for the 2.6 billion people worldwide without access to clean water and sanitation despite the fact the Water for the Poor Act became law in 2005, according to a report released Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), WaterAid, CARE and 11 other organization, Food Safety News reports.

19 Nov 2010

Improving immune system to defend against HIV infection

Researchers have been stymied for years over the fact that people infected with the AIDS virus do indeed produce antibodies in response to the pathogen - antibodies that turn out to be ineffective in blocking infection.

19 Nov 2010

Experts to discuss future projections for AIDS pandemic on World Aids Day

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is hosting an event on World Aids Day, bringing together some of the world's leading experts on the pandemic, to discuss future projections for the AIDS pandemic.

19 Nov 2010

IPS explores what efforts to reduce U.S. federal deficit could mean for global health funding

Inter Press Service explores some advocates' concerns over how the new emphasis in Washington on reducing government spending could affect U.S. funding for global health programs, including HIV/AIDS.

19 Nov 2010

Urgent action needed to address urban health inequities

A new report published today by WHO and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) shows for the first time how ill-health is linked to poverty in cities, and not just among the poorest urban populations. It calls for policymakers to take action targeting health inequities.

18 Nov 2010

Despite progress in testing Americans for HIV, lack of federal/private insurance impedes expansion

With projections that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rates are increasing in some populations, former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop -- who charted the nation's policies on HIV/AIDS following the first deaths from AIDS in 1981 -- today issued a stern warning to the public health community: HIV/AIDS continues to be a major epidemic and requires a national mobilization to identify and provide immediate care for many Americans with HIV who remain undiagnosed -- an estimated 200,000 people.

18 Nov 2010

Colo. nurse practitioners struggle for recognition, reimbursement; Mass. struggles with health care access

The Denver Post: "When nurse practitioner Mary Lou Hendrix opened her own high-risk-pregnancy practice in Evergreen and Cherry Creek last spring after more than 25 years of providing such care in physicians' offices, she was well-prepared for the medical challenges she would face. But she was not ready for the still-unresolved nightmare of trying to get recognized and reimbursed by insurance companies.

18 Nov 2010

First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research kicks off in Switzerland

The First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research bringing together researchers, policymakers and donors kicked off in Montreux, Switzerland, on Tuesday, with some conference attendees calling for African leaders to do more to promote health progress in their countries, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.

18 Nov 2010

Inovio achieves positive results in Phase I PENNVAX-B study for HIV

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that it has achieved high vaccine-induced response rates and strong magnitude of immune responses in its Phase I clinical study of PENNVAX-B, a DNA vaccine for the prevention of HIV infection.

18 Nov 2010