Circumcision News and Research

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GeoVax Labs presents results of preclinical study on prototype HIV/AIDS vaccine at CROI

GeoVax Labs, Inc., an Atlanta-based, biopharmaceutical company developing vaccines for diseases caused by HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), today announced that it presented the results of a preclinical study on a prototype HIV/AIDS vaccine at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco.

18 Feb 2010

AP examines male circumcision efforts in Africa, including adult circumcision devices

The Associated Press examines efforts to prevent the spread of HIV by circumcising "about 50 million men across Africa - where 70 percent of the world's HIV-infected population lives."

17 Feb 2010

Circumcision: Risky by untrained providers with inappropriate equipment

How safe is circumcision? A systematic review, published in the open access journal BMC Urology has found that neonatal and infant circumcision by trained staff rarely results in problems. Risks can be higher among older boys, especially when undertaken by untrained providers with inappropriate equipment.

16 Feb 2010

Circumcising newborn males cost effective strategy for HIV prevention, Rwandan study finds

Performing circumcisions on newborn boys to lower their risk for HIV infection later in life is more cost-effective than adolescent or adult circumcision, according to researchers at Rwanda's health ministry, Reuters reports.

21 Jan 2010

Study suggests why circumcised men less likely to become infected with HIV

A PLoS One study published Tuesday sheds new light on why men who have been circumcised are less likely to become infected with HIV, ANI/Times of India reports (1/6).

7 Jan 2010

Circumcision lowers HIV risk; changes bacterial community on penis microbiome

Circumcision, which substantially lowers HIV risk in men, also dramatically changes the bacterial communities of the penis, according to a study led by scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Johns Hopkins University and published Jan. 6 in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.

5 Jan 2010

Also in Global Health news: Food shortages in Eritrea; Kenya HIV testing; aid in Malawi, Nepal; U.S. agriculture appointment

BBC examines Eritrea's decision to pass on international food aid in an effort to produce enough food for its population. According to Girma Asmerom, Eritrea's ambassador to the EU, "foreign food aid demonises the local people and makes them lazy." The government's strategy for addressing food shortages, includes distributing food from some areas in the country that had a bumper harvest, he said.

28 Dec 2009

AVAC: MDP 301 effectiveness trial finds no evidence that PRO 2000 microbicide reduces HIV infection

The Microbicides Development Programme announced earlier today that its MDP 301 effectiveness trial, which was conducted among almost 9,400 women in four African countries, found no evidence that the PRO 2000 microbicide reduces the risk of HIV infection.

14 Dec 2009

Also in Global Health news: Rotavirus vaccine; guinea worm eradication; health systems; Zulu King calls for male circumcision

The West African Rotavirus Advisory Board is calling on governments to vaccinate children against rotavirus, IRIN reports. At a recent meeting in Dakar, Senegal, which was "financed by GlaxoSmithKline, makers of one of two rotavirus vaccines" the board issued a document recommending that governments "immediately recognize the magnitude of the rotavirus problem and make vaccination against the virus a priority" (12/8).

8 Dec 2009

Also in global health news: Clean water in India; cholera in Kenya; Zuma, Gates discuss HIV/AIDS; MDR-TB in Marshall Islands; sanitation in Jakarta

India's Tata Group on Monday "unveiled a new low-cost water purifier, which it hopes will provide safe drinking water for millions and cut the toll of deadly diseases," Agence France-Presse/mysinchew.com reports.

8 Dec 2009

PlusNews examines push to evaluate HIV prevention strategies

PlusNews examines the growing need to test how well HIV prevention strategies work - a topic addressed Monday at a Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance (SAHARA) conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.

4 Dec 2009

States weigh health cuts; Mass. considers student health 'revision'

News outlets report on budget squeezes in Oklahoma and Florida and a proposed overhaul of student health insurance in Massachusetts.

3 Dec 2009

U.S. unveils 5-year PEPFAR strategy

U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby on Tuesday "unveiled a five-year strategy for fighting AIDS worldwide, shifting the focus from emergency response to sustainable programs in countries worldwide," Agence France-Presse reports.

3 Dec 2009

Leaders respond to World AIDS Day; South Africa to expand HIV treatment program

Marking World AIDS Day on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon "warned ... that new infections are outpacing the gains from treating people with the HIV virus" and that discrimination against HIV-positive people remains "widespread," the Associated Press reports.

2 Dec 2009

New faces of HIV/AIDS: A report

World AIDS Day 2009 will be marked with both grim and hopeful data: more than 25 million people have died of AIDS worldwide since 1981; 33 million are living with HIV/AIDS. While potent, effective medications have changed an HIV diagnosis from death sentence to manageable chronic illness in resource rich countries, global rates of infection still outstrip prevention and treatment capacity.

16 Nov 2009

GeoVax Labs announces financial results and operational update for the third quarter of 2009

GeoVax Labs, Inc., an Atlanta-based, biopharmaceutical company developing human vaccines for diseases caused by HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and other infectious agents, today announced its third quarter 2009 financial results and provided an operational update.

6 Nov 2009

Health affairs issue focuses on HIV/AIDS, NTDs

By 2031 developing countries could need an estimated $35 billion to fight HIV/AIDS - three times the amount currently spent, according to a Health Affairs study published Tuesday, the New York Times reports.

3 Nov 2009

Researchers find link between foreskin and HIV infection

Randomized clinical trials conducted by researchers in Rakai, Uganda, have revealed a link between the size of foreskin surface area and the risk of male HIV acquisition.

28 Oct 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

"The spread of dengue virus throughout the tropics represents a major, rapidly growing public health problem with an estimated 2.5 billion people at risk of dengue fever and the life-threatening disease, severe dengue," write the authors of a Lancet Infectious Diseases review that examines what is known about the virus and progress in the development of a dengue vaccine (Webster et. al, 11/09).

24 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health News: U.S. aid to Somalia; Nigerian health workers strike; male circumcision in Swaziland; PEPFAR in Uganda

The U.S. State and Treasury departments together with USAID have reached an agreement that will allow several aid agencies in Somalia to receive humanitarian grants upon meeting several conditions, "unlock[ing] millions of dollars in relief resources that had been on hold due to US anti-terrorism rules," IRIN reports.

7 Oct 2009