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New approaches to expanding HIV testing

Nearly 300 U.S. physicians, government health officials and HIV/AIDS advocates on Wednesday gathered in Washington, D.C., for a two-day meeting that focuses on new approaches to expanding HIV testing in the nation and its potential effect on the health system, Reuters Health reports.

2 Dec 2006

HIV/AIDS cases in Shanghai increase by 70%, HIV/AIDS discrimination in China continues

The number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in Shanghai, China, in the first 11 months of 2006 increased by 74% compared with the same period in 2005, the city's Municipal Public Health Bureau said on Wednesday, Xinhuanet reports (Xinhuanet, 11/29).

2 Dec 2006

Some Christian conservatives calling on Congress to reduce funding for Global Fund because of condom promotion

Some leading Christian conservatives are calling on Congress to reduce U.S. funding allocations to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, saying that the Global Fund does not allocate adequate resources to faith-based programs and that it promotes condom use, the Boston Globe reports.

2 Dec 2006

India's law criminalizing homosexuality is undermining the fight against HIV/AIDS

The law, enacted in 1861 and known as Section 377, makes "carnal intercourse against the order of nature with man, woman or animal" punishable by up to 10 years in prison and, when strictly interpreted, makes it illegal to distribute condoms to gay men and men in prison.

2 Dec 2006

How to save a million lives a year

A promise of $200 million from some of the world's richest nations to fight diseases in poor countries will save more than a million children's lives a year.

1 Dec 2006

AIDS out of control in Indonesia

The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned about the AIDS situation in Indonesia and says it is out of control there.

29 Nov 2006

In 25 years AIDS will be the number one killer disease

A study by World Health Organisation (WHO) researchers has predicted that by the year 2030 AIDS will claim as many as 6.5 million lives per year.

29 Nov 2006

Bird flu hits another farm in South Korea

A second outbreak of the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu at another poultry farm has been confirmed by South Korean authorities; the farm is just 3 km from the first case in North Cholla province in the country's southwest.

29 Nov 2006

South Korea to cull pigs, cats and dogs as well as poultry, to stop bird flu

In an attempt to halt the further spread of the current outbreak of bird flu in South Korea, as well as culling 236,000 poultry, the Agriculture Ministry also plans to cull hundreds of pigs, dogs and cats in the area.

28 Nov 2006

Chikungunya fever rampant in Sri Lanka's north

The Sri Lankan government has confirmed that the viral fever spreading rapidly amongst people in Jaffna, is the mosquito-borne Chikungunya fever.

28 Nov 2006

Check that Thanksgiving ham and turkey

In the latest food scare in the United States thousands of pounds of ham and turkey have been recalled because they are suspected of contamination with listeria.

27 Nov 2006

Bird flu crops up again in South Korea

South Korea has found the H5N1 strain of bird flu in chickens at a poultry farm.

27 Nov 2006

Man sent to prison for knowingly spreading HIV

A man in the U.S. infected with HIV, who knowingly exposed three women to the virus, has been sentenced to almost three years in prison.

27 Nov 2006

40 million with HIV/AIDS

The number of people living with HIV/AIDS over the past two years has increased and the worldwide total now stands at nearly 40 million, according to a report released on Tuesday by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization, Reuters UK reports.

23 Nov 2006

U.S. law banning HIV-positive foreigners from entering country harming testing efforts

A provision of U.S. law that bans HIV-positive foreigners from entering the country is harming testing efforts and excluding eligible candidates for citizenship, according to members of a panel held by the Global Health Council on Nov. 15, CQ HealthBeat reports.

23 Nov 2006

Hospital-acquired infections in most cases are the result of poor hygiene

Hospital-acquired infections in most cases are the result of poor hygiene within the facilities and not of how sick patients were at the time of admission, according to three studies published on Monday in the American Journal of Medical Quality, the Washington Post reports.

23 Nov 2006

Reaction to UNAIDS/WHO report on HIV/AIDS

Health officials on Tuesday reacted to a report from UNAIDS and the World Health Organization showing that the number of people living with HIV/AIDS over the past two years has increased and that the worldwide total now stands at nearly 40 million, the New York Times reports (Altman, New York Times, 11/22).

23 Nov 2006

Number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in China increased 28% in 2006

The number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in China increased by 28% in the first 10 months of 2006, and the virus appears to be spreading to a broader population, China's Ministry of Health said Wednesday in a report posted on its Web site, Reuters reports.

23 Nov 2006

Call for safe access for polio vaccinators in Afghanistan's south

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, concerned about the health of all people in Afghanistan, especially the health of children, called for the safe access of local health workers and vaccinators during polio immunization campaigns and other health activities all over Afghanistan, but particularly in the Southern Region.

23 Nov 2006