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Bahrain launches campaign to involve religious leaders in fight against HIV/AIDS

Officials in Bahrain have launched a wide-scale campaign aimed at involving religious leaders in the country's fight against HIV/AIDS, the Gulf Daily News reports.

2 Apr 2007

California Senate Committee approves bill that would allow HIV-positive men to have sperm washed

The California Senate Health Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a bill (SB 443) that would allow HIV-positive men to have their sperm washed and used for fertility treatments, including artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization, under certain guidelines, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

2 Apr 2007

Successful tuberculosis treatment depends upon patient adherence

Nearly 2 million people die from tuberculosis each year, mainly in the poorest countries.

31 Mar 2007

Natural mechanism for immune suppression may lead to new cancer drugs

A natural mechanism pirated by tumors and HIV to evade the immune response is opening the door to better treatment for these conditions, researchers say.

31 Mar 2007

Should male circumcision be recommended for the prevention of HIV infection?

In response to the urgent need to reduce the number of new HIV infections globally, WHO and the UNAIDS Secretariat convened an international expert consultation to determine whether male circumcision should be recommended for the prevention of HIV infection.

28 Mar 2007

Patient adherence an essential factor for successful tuberculosis treatment

Nearly 2 million people die from tuberculosis each year, mainly in the poorest countries. The pathogen, Koch's bacillus, can pass easily by aerial infection from one individual to another. The spread of the disease, favoured by the Aids epidemic and the appearance of multi-resistant strains, has led WHO to make tuberculosis control one of the world's main health priorities.

27 Mar 2007

Study describes how estradiol helps to maintain bone density

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have described a novel pathway by which estradiol, the primary estrogen in humans, aids in maintaining bone density, a function critical to avoiding osteoporosis.

25 Mar 2007

Proposed Polish law banning discussions on homosexuality could hinder access to HIV/AIDS information

Human Rights Watch on Monday in a letter to Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said that a law proposed in the country that would ban discussions on homosexuality in schools violates freedom of speech and could deny children access to HIV/AIDS information, London's Guardian reports.

22 Mar 2007

South Africa's new five-year HIV/AIDS plan represents 'unprecedented cooperation' between government, civil society

South Africa's new five-year HIV/AIDS plan is an "unprecedented cooperation" between the government and civil society organizations in the country, Glenda Gray, executive director of the Perinatal Health Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand, and David Harrison, CEO of loveLife, write in a Sunday Independent opinion piece.

22 Mar 2007

Controlling HIV/AIDS in India - an immense challenge

Controlling HIV/AIDS in India is an "immense" challenge for the country's National AIDS Control Organization -- which is preparing to launch on April 1 the third phase of its National AIDS Control Program, a new five-year, $2.6 billion program that aims to reduce the number of new HIV cases and improve access to treatment in the country -- NEJM national correspondent Robert Steinbrook writes in a perspective piece.

22 Mar 2007

Vietnam to widen HIV/AIDS education program

Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Tuesday announced that its HIV/AIDS prevention department plans to widen its education program to include the country's general population, specifically young people, in an attempt to change the public's attitude and behavior regarding the disease by 2010, Vietnam News Agency reports.

22 Mar 2007

Georgia approves bill requiring doctors to offer pregnant women HIV tests

The Georgia House on Monday voted 140-14 to approve a bill (HB 429) that would require doctors in the state to offer pregnant women HIV tests, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

22 Mar 2007

Some people with HIV/AIDS in Zambia are abandoning their antiretroviral drug regimens for ineffective cures

Some people living with HIV/AIDS in Zambia are abandoning their antiretroviral drug regimens for ineffective drugs that in recent weeks have been promoted in the media as cures for the disease, the Network of Zambian People Living with HIV and AIDS said on Monday, AFP/Independent Online reports.

22 Mar 2007

Global tuberculosis epidemic has levelled off

The global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic has levelled off for the first time since WHO declared TB a public health emergency in 1993. The Global Tuberculosis Control Report released today by WHO finds that the percentage of the world's population struck by TB peaked in 2004 and then held steady in 2005.

22 Mar 2007

Thailand, pharmaceutical companies to continue talks on compulsory drug licenses

Thai public health officials plan to continue discussions with international pharmaceutical companies following recent debates over compulsory licenses issued by the country for some medications, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President Daniel Christman said on Tuesday, Reuters UK reports

22 Mar 2007

Hong Kong and China's Guangdong province will increase joint HIV surveillance and prevention efforts

According to Yu Dewen, spokesperson for the Guangdong health authority, because many new HIV cases are transmitted sexually, the two health departments will "launch a series of education campaigns to increase public awareness" about HIV/AIDS.

22 Mar 2007

90% of veterans' hospital facility problems are routine 'wear and tear'

Routine maintenance issues account for 90% of the 1,100 problems found in the nation's 1,400 Veterans Affairs' health clinics and hospitals, according to a report released Wednesday based on a review ordered by VA Secretary Jim Nicholson, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

22 Mar 2007

Portable plastic splint

Extreme sports fans could soon have instant medical treatment for broken limbs that occur in remote locations, following the design of a unique, versatile portable plastic splint, which has won an international design award.

From Sheffield Hallam University 21 Mar 2007

Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B cases at lowest levels ever reported

The three most common forms of acute viral hepatitis in the United States -- hepatitis A, B and C -- declined dramatically between 1995 and 2005, with hepatitis A and B at the lowest levels ever recorded since the government began collecting surveillance data more than 40 years ago, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hepatitis B and C are diseases that can lead to liver cancer and death.

15 Mar 2007

Sedative-hypnotic drugs to get stronger warning labels

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested that all manufacturers of sedative-hypnotic drug products, a class of drugs used to induce and/or maintain sleep, strengthen their product labeling to include stronger language concerning potential risks.

14 Mar 2007