Marie Stopes International Press Articles

Free treatment for Vietnamese women

12/03/2010 14:35:06

A new health campaign has been launched in the provinces of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to provide deprived women with free gynaecological check-ups and cancer treatment.

The programme hopes to help 150,000 to 200,000 women in the country's 32 southern provinces.

According to the Ministry of Health an estimated 3,000 women are at risk of breast cancer each year, 2,550 at risk of cervical cancer and 1,000 at risk of ovarian cancer.

Leading hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City including Tu Du Hospital, Hung Vuong Hospital and Oncology Hospital, will run training courses for doctors working in provincial hospitals and health centres.

They will work alongside them to offer women with cancer free surgery and examinations.

Pham Viet Thanh, deputy head of the Ministry of Health's Mother-Child Health Department, said the scheme would help doctors as well as women by providing them with new training opportunities.

Premarital programme 'must change'

12/03/2010 09:05:18

The Malaysian government should ensure women are aware they have the right either to have a baby or not when they get married, according to a women's group.

The All Women's Action Society Malaysia called on the authorities to shift the focus on the country's premarital training programme.

It said the focus should be on the importance of building a happy and healthy family, rather than encouraging more babies.

Abigail de Vries, senior programme officer at the group, said women should be allowed to make free choices when it comes to marriage and having children.

She said: "It's their right. That's how the government should encourage women."

She said the government, through its programmes and policies, must ensure that women could decide for themselves and should not blindly encourage women to have more babies.

On the trend of more women staying single, de Vries said it should not be viewed as a problem but rather as a sign that women were advancing in society.

Women's Aid Organisation social works manager Wong Su Zane said communication skills and financial planning should be part of the government programme.

Poll highlights menopause symptoms

11/03/2010 16:05:00

Two US-based women's health initiatives are to conduct a survey among older females to better understand their sexual health problems.

Menopause Alliance and Get Primed! hope the results of their anonymous poll will help in the development of appropriate guides for women and healthcare professionals.

The groups is aiming to highlight the symptoms of menopause and is encouraging women not to suffer in silence.

Women can experience vaginal dryness, a low sex drive, painful intercourse and hot flushes during menopause.

However, some symptoms such as vaginal atrophy can be more progressive, with many women never seeking treatment.

The groups have called for more awareness of the treatments available to help improve the symptoms of menopause, including estrogen replacement, which may help prevent conditions such as vaginal atrophy or put an end to existing symptoms.

Vietnam targets HCM sexual health

11/03/2010 10:15:08

Vietnamese women have been offered free sexual health care in six suburban districts of the capital city.

A total of 73 hospital words and health centres have joined a programme to provide treatments to girls and women aged 15 to 49 without charge.

It is aimed at reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases after a survey showed that 36.3% of women in the city do not what type of preventative measures to take, according to Dr Nguyen Quoc Chinh.

Dr Chinh, the deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Reproductive Health Care Centre, will work alongside the Vietnam Women's Union to draw up a plan on how to effectively run the check-up programme at the health centres.

The Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Health has been encouraging doctors to offer free reproductive health care to women since 2006. Over the last two years, 124,621 patients have been examined, while 40,000 have received treatment.

STD infection level 'unacceptable'

11/03/2010 09:05:37

Half of the 19 million people infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States each year are young people, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed.

Among those with STDs in the US, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) has been contracted by one in six . While the rate has remained stable since the last survey, its pattern over the last 12 years has been characterised by decline.

"This stabilisation in herpes rates follows a period of declining prevalence, down from 21 percent for the years 1988 to 1994," La'Shan Taylor, an officer with the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service and author of the report, said.

The picture painted of general STD infection was not optimistic, with certain social and sexual groups hit particularly hard and ignorance about the conditions adding to the problem.

Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said: "Young women, African Americans, and gay and bisexual men are especially hard hit. It is unacceptable that STDs remain such a widespread public health problem in the United States."

The new findings were based on data from the 2005 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Condom use debated in Philippines

10/03/2010 09:05:16

The issue of condom use has been raised in the Philippines after a workers group attempted to get Catholic bishops in the country to recognise the product's importance in protecting women's health.

On Monday, members of the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) gathered in Manila, where the Catholic Bishops Conferences of the Philippines (CBCP) was taking place.

Designed to coincide with the internationally recognised Women's Day, the group wanted the bishops to bless baskets of condoms in a symbolic gesture.

But no bishop was available to meet the group, so instead it submitted a copy of the Philippine government's paper supporting the use of condoms to stop the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus.

Judy Ann Miranda, general secretary of PM, said: "We humbly asked the bishops to bless the condoms as a conciliatory gesture to unite for reproductive health and women's rights."

The CBCP refuses to recognise the use of condoms because they believe it encourages sexual promiscuity.

South Africa buys a billion condoms

09/03/2010 14:35:00

Money has been given to South Africa to buy one billion condoms, in a country where more people die of HIV and Aids-related sickness than anywhere else in the world.

International Development Minister Gareth Thomas told an emergency meeting in Westminster that £1 million will be donated to the country, which is hosting the football World Cup finals this summer.

The Department for International Development called the meeting to try to improve efforts to provide people with universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care programmes. A pledge to do this by 2015 is said to have gone off the tracks.

People representing African nations with endemic HIV infection, financial donors, activists and drugs corporations all attended the meeting.

G8 countries were called on to note the catastrophic consequences of not paying out the cash they promised to nations to fight the virus and to live up to promises they made to the Global Fund for HIV, TB and Malaria.

As many as 1,500 people get infected with HIV and around 1,000 people die AIDS-related deaths every day in South Africa.

City women to get free condoms

09/03/2010 09:05:07

Half a million female condoms are to be distributed in Washington DC in an attempt to reduce the number of people being infected with HIV and Aids.

The District of Colombia is the first city in the US to plan giving out the condoms for free. Beauty salons, local shops and secondary schools in parts of the city with high HIV rates will be targeted within the next three weeks.

The distribution plan acknowledges that relying only on men to use condoms may not be effective enough in reducing the incidence of the deadly diseases. Male condoms have been given out across the city for the past 10 years.

Officials said the intention is to empower women whose partners refuse to wear a condom when having sex.

"Anywhere male condoms are available, female condoms will be available," said Shannon Hader, director of the DC HIV/AIDS Administration. "We're not saying that if you're a school in this area, you can't get female condoms. We're trying to make every effort count to build on what already exists, to expand options rather than limit them."

Church attacks mayor over abortion

08/03/2010 09:05:14

Mexico's City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has angered the country's Roman Catholic Church after approving legalised abortion and same-sex marriages.

The church has accused Ebrard of "following the line set down by foreign groups" in an editorial which was posted on the Archdiocese of Mexico's website.

The church has frequently criticised Ebrard's Democratic Revolution Party, but Mexican law forbids it to become involved in electoral politics.

It said Ebrard's administration had botched a variety of issues including crime and public transit.

However, some left-wing supporters have accused the church of supporting Ebrard's conservative rivals.

Ebrard is seen as a strong contender in the 2012 presidential race.

Group reveals £66m Nigeria funding

05/03/2010 09:05:10

International organisation, the Population Council, will invest $75 million ( £66 million) in an attempt to reduce the high maternal mortality rate in Nigeria, it has been revealed.

Every year, around 50,000 women in the country die due to childbirth-related issues.

On a visit to Nigeria, John Townsend, vice president of the Population Council, said the reproductive rights group would make the substantial investment in the country.

He said the group already has a presence in 10 hospitals in Kano, where its magnesium sulphate treatment programme has seen success.

Mr Townsend revealed that in those hospitals, the group has recorded a 60% reduction in maternal deaths.

He said: "Due to the rapid reduction in maternal deaths in the hospitals we presently operate in, we plan to expand our intervention to primary health care centres so as to reach mothers in other parts of the country".

Mr Townsend added that the group will assist the Nigerian government further by introducing new technology and pharmaceutical products that prevent post-mortem haemorrhage.

Afghans 'using birth control more'

04/03/2010 10:15:14

The use of contraception is on the increase in Afghanistan, according to health experts.

The country, which has been plagued by years of war, has one of the world's highest fertility rates, with an average of more than six babies per woman.

However, birth control methods are being encouraged by mullahs across the country.

They have been distributing condoms, and quoting the Koran to encourage longer breaks between births.

Many Afghan mullahs are very open about promoting family planning, said Farhad Javid, program director of Marie Stopes International, a British-based family planning organization in Kabul. He was not involved in the study, but said his organization has trained 3,500 religious leaders nationwide on the issue since 2003. It distributed more than two million condoms last year.

"In a couple of districts, mullahs were taking our condom stocks and selling them during (night) prayers because the clinics were not open after 4 o'clock," Javid said.

Although UNICEF estimates that just 10% of women across Afghanistan use some form of birth control, a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) claimed that the use of pills, condoms and injected forms of contraception methods rose to 27% in three rural areas after health workers explained one-to-one what the benefits were.

Dr Douglas Huber, the lead author of the study that appeared in Bulletin, the WHO journal, said: "The fastest, cheapest, easiest way to reduce maternal deaths in Afghanistan is with contraception."

Unlike Catholicism, Islam does not oppose birth control, and various parts of the Muslim world support everything from vasectomies to abortions.

Maternal death numbers "can be cut"

03/03/2010 14:35:00

The huge number of women who die during childbirth in Bolivia can be slashed by 80% within five years if a mother-child subsidy programme is allowed to continue, former health minister Ramiro Tapia has claimed.

Every day two mothers are saved from death relating to complications from pregnancy and childbirth and the project is said to be progressing well, despite having difficulties over administration.

The Bolivian Health Ministry's plan for 2009-15 points out: "In Bolivia the risk of dying from causes related to pregnancy, childbirth or the postnatal period is very high. Every year an average of 623 women die from complications during pregnancy."

Mr Tapia, said to be the driving force behind the strategy, said the "Juana Azurduy" subsidy introduced eight months ago should reduce the maternal mortality rate in South America's poorest country by 80 percent in five years' time.

The 2008 statistics put the maternal death rate in Bolivia at 222 per 100,000 live births, second only to Haiti across Latin America and the Caribbean.

The subsidy covers 98% of Bolivian municipalities and 400,000 people have been helped, including with family planning, according to Mr Tapia.

Action needed to stop Aids in Haiti

03/03/2010 09:05:23

Urgent action needs to be taken in Haiti in order to stop the spread of the Aids virus, according to a UN agency study.

UNAIDS has warned there is a risk of the deadly virus spreading in the overcrowded camps where thousands of survivors of an enormous earthquake are living.

The study said before the disaster struck in mid-January, Haiti was already the Caribbean country most affected by HIV/Aids.

And it warns an already bad situation could get worse in the chaotic conditions that still exist.

Tim Martineau, director of technical and country support at UNAIDS, said: "There is a need to maintain services, but also to scale them up."

He added that the situation is the first significant natural disaster in a country affected by a high Aids epidemic, posing new challenges.

United Nations estimates suggest that 53% of the 120,000 people infected with HIV in Haiti are women.

The UNIADS report revealed that earthquake damage occurred in three areas where 60% of the HIV-infected population lives. It laso added that buildings providing services to help those with the virus were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake.

Row over Philippines' free condoms

02/03/2010 09:45:00

The Department of Health for the Republic of the Philippines is standing by its decision to distribute free condoms to fight HIV/AIDS despite fierce criticism from the country's Catholic bishops.

Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral has defended her position despite demands from the Catholic church for her to resign or for President Macapagal-Arroyo to fire her.

She said she would continue to provide condoms until June 30 or until her term comes to an end.

After the launch of a new government hospital in Narra, she said: "I serve at the pleasure of the President. By July 1, the (new) president is entitled to appoint his own secretary of health."

Cabral said their national information campaign, known as ABC, was comprised of three elements, abstinence, being faithful and contraceptive use.

She said: "The third comes in if in case you can't practise abstinence or fidelity."

According to Cabral the number of HIV cases has increased by 100% since 2008 to 4,400.

However, the government has been condemned by Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles and Bishops Dinualdo Gutierrez and Arturo Bastes from Marbel and Sorsogon, after it distributed condoms on Valentine's Day.

The Church said the campaign broke with the Catholic teachings.

Birth rate drop for South Korea

01/03/2010 09:05:07

A newly published report has revealed that women in South Korea are having fewer children, with the birth rate in 2009 declining for the second straight year.

The research was compiled by Statistics Korea who found the number of children born in 2009 fell by 21,000 to 445,000. This was a 4.4 percent decrease.

According to the report, the decline in births was due mainly to a drop and delay in marriage.

South Korea has been attempting to encourage its population to have children through a number of incentives. It is feared the decline in childbirth could be detrimental to the country's growth potential.

Despite the incentives the number of babies that a woman is predicted to have during her lifetime fell from 1.19 to 1.15 in 2009.

The report also showed the crude birth rate or the number of babies born for every 1,000 people also fell from 9.4 to 9.0.

Talks to outlaw genital mutilation

26/02/2010 09:15:06

A conference has been held to discuss how to abolish female genital mutilation (FGM).

Experts gathered in Cyprus, where FGM is a growing concern, to promote a campaign to eradicate the surgery across Europe.

Led by Amnesty International, End FGM aims to offer asylum and educational programmes in practising communities in a bid to develop a comprehensive approach to the problem across the EU.

Up to 140 million girls and women worldwide suffer the consequences of FGM - which is common practice in 28 African countries, across the Middle East and in Asia.

Leyla Hussein, a British healthcare worker who underwent FGM during her Somalian upbringing, spoke at the conference of her belief that the barbaric surgery could be brought to an end.

She said: "There is hope. I am proof that you can break the cycle."

The World Health Organisation defines FGM as procedures under which the external female genitalia is removed or when female genital organs are injured for non-medical reasons.

Dina Akkelidou, president of the house committee on equal opportunities, said: "The average age of FGM is between four and eight, and it happens on average every 10 seconds. Moreover, it is a serious form of discrimination and a cultural offence."

Pakistan birth rate 'should be 2%'

25/02/2010 09:45:07

Pakistan's rising birth rate has threatened the country's food supplies, economy and other resources, according to a government minister.

Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, the federal minister for population welfare, said the birth rate must be lowered to 2% to combat the problem.

She said an autonomous body called the National Trust for Population Welfare (Natpow) had begun awarding grants to fund reproductive health and family planning projects in remote areas of the country.

Natpow, which was established by the late politician Benazir Bhutto, works under the Ministry of Population Welfare and was unused for more than 10 years.

Dr Awan said 27 projects were awarded to non-government organisations since the current leaders approved Rs 25 million (£350,000) to reactivate the trust last year.

Since then Natpow used Rs 10 million, with a government pledge for Rs 436 million during the coming five years, although the trust could require up to Rs 950 million to implement family planning policies effectively.

HIV drug pair 'risky for heart'

25/02/2010 09:05:09

A combination of two HIV drugs increases potential health risks, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned.

Roche's Invirase and Abbott Laboratories' Norvir were found to be affecting the electrical activity of the heart when used together in preliminary investigations, the agency said.

The change in electrical activity can delay the signals triggering heart beats and can even lead to irregular heart rhythms, resulting in lightheadedness, fainting, and even death.

Roche submitted data to the FDA about the heart activity of patients using its drug with Abbott's Norvir. The agency is continuing its review of the matter.

Patients should not stop taking the drugs concerned without talking to their doctor, the FDA said in an online statement.

It added that doctors should examine patients' heart health and current medications to decide whether they should continue taking Invirase.

Tara Cooper, spokeswoman for Invirase marketers Genentech said: "The safety of patients is of the utmost importance to Genentech, and we continue to monitor and report to FDA adverse event reports from patients and physicians."

Filipino bishops in condom row

24/02/2010 09:05:12

Roman Catholic bishops have called for the removal of a senior minister after the Filipino government gave out free condoms on Valentine's Day.

Health secretary Ezperanza Cabral led a promotional campaign to encourage citizens to protect themselves from the risk of catching HIV and AIDS, which angered church leaders.

A church statement by Bishop Ramon Arquelles, from the Lipa diocese south of the capital city Manila, was signed by two other bishops and posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines website.

It read: "It's so immoral for someone in the government to be pushing the use of condoms, which we all know is not deterrent to AIDS prevention."

Catholicism does not allow believers to use birth control methods such as condoms, but Gary Olivar, spokesman for Philippine president Maria Macapagal-Arroyo, said the government was not considering sacking Mrs Cabral.

"We should remember that public officials should be judged by standards of public policy interest as set forth in our laws and legal precedents and not the morality of this or that institution," he said.

Women 'waiting until 30s for kids'

23/02/2010 14:35:00

A survey has shown that most women in Ireland are waiting until they hit their 30s to become mothers.

Women with a higher level of education are also likely to delay motherhood and go on to eventually have fewer children, according to the study Family Figures: Family Dynamics and Family Types in Ireland, 1986-2006.

The figures showed that the majority of women who have children go on to have two or three. However, more than one in six women have not become mothers by the age of 45, the research claimed.

The study, which analysed families over two decades, also showed that married couples with only one child are up to a third more likely to split than people with bigger families. However, it was found that although break-ups rose sharply in the 1990s, they had now levelled off.

The Economic and Social Research Institute study also said that 10,000 fathers were bringing up children alone - many after broken marriages.

Many girls in Egypt 'circumcised'

23/02/2010 09:05:08

A study has shown that the majority of girls in Egypt are circumcised.

Around 82% of girls aged 10-29 in the country undergo female genital mutilation, according to the Population Council and the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC).

More than 15,000 people aged 10-29 were questioned in the survey on topics such as health, education, reproductive health and sexuality, employment, marriage and social engagement.

The study also revealed that among the 22-29 age bracket, 93% of those surveyed were circumcised. The surgery was less common among younger people - with only 66% of those aged 10-14 having the operation.

It was also claimed that parents veered away from discussing sexual health with their children. This was backed up by almost three-quarters of those surveyed claiming they never talked about puberty with family members.

Minister of Family and Population Moshira Khattab said: "This is a valuable survey which studies an important segment of the population covering both social and economic factors of this age group."

Population plans 'need cooperation'

22/02/2010 14:35:01

Provincial and federal governments in Pakistan need to work together for the successful implementation of population programmes, according to a senior minister.

Efforts should be made to hire the services of religious parties and groups to promote family planning, said Federal Minister for Population Welfare Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan.

At a family planning seminar, Dr Awan hailed the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for involving Imams of mosques in the programme and welcomed the role of NGOs as these could help in providing funding for facilities in far-off places.

Religious communities' reservations prompted the government to change its model from family planning to birth spacing, and contraceptives were highly recommended to check family sizes, said said, adding that the federal government had done much to engage religious groups in family planning.

The seminar was organised by the Mir Khalilur Rehman Memorial Society in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Ministry of Population Welfare on Tuesday.

Indonesia faces population problem

22/02/2010 09:05:11

Indonesia has set up 23,500 family planning clinics in a bid to slow its rapidly-increasing population over the coming four years.

The country's population growth rate was officially recorded at 1.3% in 2007, but previously the government had not acted decisively to tackle the problem.

Sugiri Syarief, head of the National Family Planning Coordination Board (BKKBN), said: "The government targets a population growth rate of below 1 percent in 2014."

Speaking at the opening of the National Working Meeting on Population Development and Family Planning, he conceded family planning programmes in cities and regencies had missed previous targets due to lack of support for their methods, workers and infrastructure.

"These shortcomings have come to our attention. The family planning operational budget provision is also our concern," he said.

Teen pregnancy shows 'affect women'

19/02/2010 14:35:00

Television dramas have more impact on young women's attitude to contraception than news programmes, a study has suggested.

US researchers found university-age women felt more vulnerable a fortnight after watching a fictional show about teenage pregnancy, encouraging contemplation about birth control methods.

Young women who viewed a more serious news programme that covered the facts and repercussions of young motherhood reported no difference in their opinion of contraception, according to the study.

Co-author Emily Moyer-Gusé, assistant professor of communication at Ohio State University, said narratives appeared more influential than factual information.

"A message that is hidden inside of a story may overcome some of the resistance people have to being told how to behave," she said.

"The impact that dramatised stories have on people's beliefs and intentions depends a lot on the individual viewers, and not just the message - but our results suggest the effect can be there."

Ms Moyer-Gusé worked with Robin Nabi of the University of California on the study, which was published in the journal Human Communication Research.

Indonesia 'faces population boom'

19/02/2010 09:05:16

Indonesian officials have warned the country's population control programme is unlikely to have made much headway in the past 10 years.

Sugiri Syarief, head of Indonesia's Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), said the organisation was concerned about the results of a population census due to take place in May.

"Population growth is projected at 1.3%, down from 1.4% from the 2000 census," he said while in Jakarta for a workshop on how professional organisations can help meet population targets by 2015.

Although BKKBN remained optimistic of future success with its revised family planning programme (KB), he said the legacy of President Soeharto's New Order in the 1990s had damaged public conceptions of the agency's work.

He explained: "Population control is important in reaching the millennium development goals, because it is closely related to problems such as poverty and maternal death."

Soeharto's New Order gained international recognition for its effective family planning, but the programme came to be associated with intimidation and was neglected by newly autonomous regions for about a decade after the president resigned.

Bid for older women to get vaccine

18/02/2010 15:15:00

A cervical cancer vaccine could soon be offering protection to women in their 40s, it has emerged.

The Gardasil vaccine, manufactured by Merck & Co, is already approved to prevent cervical cancer in women aged between 9 and 26.

However, the company is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval to make the drug available to women up to the age of 45.

If the approval is granted, rules allowing the vaccine to be used to prevent genital warts in females and men aged 9-26 would also be extended to include women up to 45.

The vaccine would also be used to prevent anal cancer in men, if plans are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The vaccine is designed to block four common strains of the sexually transmitted HPV - two of which cause the majority of cervical cancer and anal cancer cases. The remaining two can cause genital warts.

The results were presented at a European conference of doctors and researchers specialising in cancer and genital infections.

Polygamy bill welcomed in Indonesia

18/02/2010 09:25:07

The Indonesian government's plan for a bill banning unofficial marriage and regulating polygamy, both practices allowed under Islam, has been hailed by the Indonesian National Family Planning Board chairman.

Polygamy and unofficial marriage, also known as nikah siri, obstruct family planning in the country through an increase in married couples and the population, claimed board chairman Sugiri Syarief.

The family planning programme, declared a national priority, would benefit from restriction of polygamy, said Mr Sugiri to the country's national news agency Antara at the opening of a national meeting on family planning in the vice presidential office.

The average age of women getting married, 19.8, is a concern in the move to curb the rising birth rate, he said. "Hopefully, we can see women delay marriage to the age of 21 by 2014," Mr Sugiri said.

East Timor adopts 'spacing' policy

18/02/2010 09:05:11

Women in East Timor have been urged to wait at least three years between having children in efforts to control the Asian country's rapid population growth.

Government officials have found it difficult to promote the use of contraception in the largely Roman Catholic country, where the fertility rate is the second-highest in the world.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), women have 6.38 children on average during their lives, which is only surpassed by Afghanistan.

One in eight East Timorese infants died in 2004, and about 660 women die in labour per 100,000 live births, the UN said.

Spacing, or waiting a certain period between births, is the focus of East Timor's population control programme, which UNFPA said was vital to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates.

Mariano Redondo, UNFPA communications officer in East Timor, said: "The mortality rate increases because women don't have time to recover from one pregnancy to the next one. And also children suffer because they don't have the same opportunities if there are 10 children in the house instead of two or three."

Kenyan girls get free sanitary pads

17/02/2010 09:25:04

Girls in Kenya have been given washable sanitary pads, underwear and soap to enable them to continue at school while on their period, a charity has announced.

According to an Oxford University study in Ghana, poorer girls miss up to five days of school as they stay at home during menstruation. As well as embarrassment, the study found men put more pressure on the girls to have intercourse when it was apparent they were sexually mature, including their male teachers.

Sanitary pads allow children to attend school, but disposable versions are expensive and using cloth, newspaper or mattress padding can cause leaks or infection.

One Kenyan girl told the broadcaster Voice of America that pads cost the same as a bag of corn flour.

Huru International, a US-backed charity, has developed reusable terry-cloth pads which are sewn and packaged into kits with information about AIDS and safe sex at a community centre in Nairobi, funded by the charity AmericaShare.

The partnership project includes the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Sunflag Steel and Warner Brothers.

AmericaShare, set up by New York travel company Micato Safaris, plans to encourage African women to set up their own pad-making businesses using microfinance loans.

More Rwandans using contraception

16/02/2010 14:35:00

More married women in Rwanda are now using contraception, according to new figures.

Some 51% of women were using birth control last year, according to statistics obtained by the Ministry of Health.

This figure is up on the 31% recorded in an interim Demographic Health Survey (DHS) between 2007 and 2008.

Emile Nkusi, head of Health Monitoring and Evaluation taskforce in the Ministry of Health, said: "After the genocide the people complained that they had lost so many dear ones and needed to replace them, which increased the fertility rate."

He explained that in the years that followed, the family planning campaign was intensified and methods that conformed to tradition were incorporated within the strategy.

"We intensified the sensitization campaign on family planning methods. We even used cycle beads to conform to tradition," he said. Despite the decelerated fertility rate since the post genocide the current population growth rate is still high.

With the current 2.3 percent population growth the population is projected to be 16 million by 2020 from the current 10 million. Rwanda is one of the countries with the highest population density in Africa with 345 people per sq km.

Anti-herpes drug combats AIDS virus

15/02/2010 14:35:00

An anti-herpes drug has been found to slow progression of the AIDS virus, doctors have reported.

Aciclovir, used to treat genital herpes, which has a small braking effect on HIV's spread, can be used before patients have to be given the more powerful drugs used to combat HIV. The results point towards an additional weapon against the virus, said research leader Jairam Lingappa, of the University of Washington.

Most sufferers of HIV are also infected with type 2 herpes simplex virus, or HSV2.

Tests were performed with 3,381 heterosexual volunteers at 14 sites in southern and eastern Africa. The volunteers were infected with HSV2 and HIV-1, the main strain of the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS.

Earlier research showed the anti-HSV2 drug aciclovir lowers the levels of AIDS virus in the blood.

Valentine's Day boosts condom sales

12/02/2010 09:35:00

Sales of condoms and contraceptive pills have shot up in India as Valentines plan safe sex with their would-be paramours, according to reports.

Shishir Miglani, the director of online retail service Yes2condom, told the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) sales have jumped ahead of February 14.

"Sales increase up to 10-20 percent during Valentine's week, the reason being people grab this opportunity and try to make full use of their freedom," he said in a telephone interview.

"Awareness about female condoms has surely increased and we see the difference when they phone out of curiosity. Usage is definitely there, but we would be wrong if we compared female condoms with the sale of male condoms."

Push Journal reported that a recent survey showed men and women in India were getting used to condoms, and had begun experimenting with different flavours and lubrications.

Friends Medicos owner Gurbachan Singh told IANS that demand for contraceptives and condoms had increased generally, but usually spiked around Valentine's.

He said: "It is true that the sale of condoms and contraceptive pills increases during Valentine's week. We see a major increase in demand during Valentine's and also at New Year. Our customers range from youngsters to middle-aged people."

Jamaica considers 'HIV sanctions'

11/02/2010 09:05:07

Sexual predators in Jamaica who knowingly spread HIV or AIDS infections could be given criminal sanctions if the country's educational approach does not work, a minister has said.

Pearnel Charles, Jamaica's labour minister, told the House of Representatives: "There are some serious people who don't care how they destroy others."

He was speaking at a House debate on a report about the proposed National Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS, which has been completed by a parliamentary committee.

Although the Government will try to stop the disease spreading by increasing educational programmes and taking action to prevent stigmatisation, Mr Charles said: "If it becomes necessary, then this minister will make recommendations for serious sanctions."

Mr Charles said the policy guidelines would complement best workplace policies, but the committee had considered whether employers who victimise sufferers should be legally punished.

Dr Fenton Ferguson, the Opposition spokesman on health, told the House he was concerned about the high proportion (31.8%) of homosexual men infected with HIV and AIDS in Jamaica, and compared this with 3% of people with STIs who contracted the virus.

Sexual health lessons for teenagers

10/02/2010 09:35:00

Teenagers are to learn about sex and reproduction at schools in Malaysia.

The Caltex Body Works programme will teach pupils aged 15 to 18 about sexual and reproductive health and HIV/Aids.

Over the next eight months, the Federation of Reproductive Health Associations in Malaysia (FRHAM) will take the programme to selected schools around the country.

FRHAM chairman Dr Kamaruzaman Ali said it was important to educate young people about sexual and reproductive health and HIV/Aids.

Dr Ali said a recent survey had shown nearly half of young people in the country have limited knowledge of sexual and reproductive health.

He said the organisation hoped the programme would lead to more comprehensive sexual and health education being included in the school curriculum.

The programme is being backed by international oil firm Chevron Malaysia Limited.

County chairman Jeremy Oh said they hoped providing young people with information and knowledge on reproductive health and diseases would help them develop into healthy and responsible adults.

Row over US conception teaching

09/02/2010 14:35:00

A US college lecturer has been accused of teaching his Christian views on life and conception to students during health classes.

Bradley Lopez, who teaches at Fresno City College in California, has been accused by students of using the Bible as proof that human life begins at conception, teaching that homosexuality is a mental illness and discussing apocalyptic Christian prophesies during a climate change lesson, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

If the accusations are correct, the lecturer could be breaching states laws which prohibit the discrimination of homosexuals and religious indoctrination at public schools, ACLU staff atorney Ellizabeth Gill said.

She has written to the college's president Cynthia Azaria urging the college "to act immediately to ensure that all its health classes provide only accurate and unbiased information."

The lecturer was unavailable for comment over the claims as was the college.

The Health Science 1 course is described in the college prospectus as a survey of "contemporary science concepts and medical information designed to promote health."

The course covers topics such as sexuality, nutrition, substance abuse, physical fitness and heredity.

Gill said that as a college instructor, Lopez is free to express his opinions but that because Fresno City College is publicly funded, his teaching cannot become "religious inculcation."

TV dramas 'encourage birth control'

09/02/2010 09:25:04

TV dramas may be a good way of encouraging young women to use birth control, it has been revealed.

The study, which appears in the journal Human Communication Research, found that a fictional programme was likely to be more effective than a news show on prompting women to organise protection.

Researchers from Ohio State University found that college-aged women were more affected by a TV drama about unplanned teenage pregnancy than they were about a news programme tackling the same subject.

The drama led to women feeling vulnerable for two weeks after broadcast. The study found that this led more women to consider using birth control. In contrast, none of the women changed their attitudes to birth control following the news show.

Emily Moyer-Guse, co-author of the study, said that the findings reveal how powerful fictional stories can be in influencing people.

She added: "A message that is hidden inside of a story may overcome some of the resistance people have to being told how to behave."

Female genital mutilation condemned

08/02/2010 09:05:05

Two world organisations have criticised the "medicalisation" of female genital mutilation.

The World Medical Association (WMA) and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) issued the condemnation to mark the international day of Zero Tolerance to FGM, February 6.

Death is the most extreme result of the mutilation, said Professor Gamal I Serour, President of FIGO. Others include haemorrhage, tetanus, sepsis, recurrent urinary tract infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and increased complications of subsequent pregnancy and childbirth.

The World Health Organisation reported a small drop in FGM in recent years, said Professor Serour. The average age of performing FGM also fell, but there was a rise in the proportion of FGM on girls under five.

And the practice is increasingly carried out by health professionals, it was reported.

Dr Dana Hanson, President of the WMA, said: "The medicalisation of FGM is a matter of deep concern for us. It blatantly infringes the code of medical ethics. We would like to see physicians and medical associations taking a more robust stand against these harmful and degrading treatments."

Pentagon offers morning-after pill

05/02/2010 14:35:04

Military bases across the world are to stock the morning-after pill, the US Department of Defence has announced.

The Pentagon said the emergency contraception will be offered at all military facilities following a recommendation from an independent committee of doctors and pharmacists last year.

Leader of the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, Nancy Keenan, welcomed the decision by President Barack Obama's administration after the policy was stopped under former leader George W Bush.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of the the drug, which can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex, to adults over-the-counter almost four years ago despite opposition from campaign groups, which describe it as an abortion pill.

The pill, which contains a high dose of birth control drugs, works by blocking ovulation and preventing a fertilised egg from attaching to the uterus.

A defence spokeswoman said she did not know when the policy would be rolled out.

Sudan lacks national HIV statistics

05/02/2010 09:05:07

HIV programmes are making little headway in southern Sudan due to the country's lack of health workers and facilities, mostly illiterate population and bad infrastructure, an expert has said.

Despite signing the comprehensive peace agreement with the North in 2005, groups trying to fight the HIV pandemic said there are still no statistics to indicate national levels of the virus.

In 2007 the US Centres for Disease Control carried out a site-specific antenatal survey, which showed Tambura, in Western Equatoria State, had 11.5% prevalence of HIV, while Leer in Unity State had a far lower 0.8%.

Bellario Ahoy Ngong, chair of the South Sudan AIDS Commission (SSAC), said HIV was mainly spread through heterosexual transmission, and gave an overall prevalence estimate of 3.1% for southern Sudan, with higher incidence levels in large towns and areas near the Kenyan and Ugandan borders.

He told IRIN/Plus News:"There has been a lot of movement of people since we attained peace, and in the big towns like Juba, Yei and Yambio, sex work has increased along with trade.

"Unfortunately, our people have very low knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention, so they are very vulnerable.

Kenya defines life in abortion row

04/02/2010 14:55:00

Kenya's new draft constitution has defined 'life' as beginning at conception, which seems to have lifted the threat by influential Christian leaders to mobilise a vote against it.

The parliamentary committee specified the definition when it completed deliberations on the draft. The National Council of Churches (NCCK) and the Catholic Church objected when the original draft simply said "everyone has a right to life" while failing to define where life begins and ends.

The draft assembled by the Committee of Experts for consideration by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) did not specifically refer to abortion.

Canon Peter Karanja of the NCCK told Inter Press Service news agency: "Life is sacrosanct. The definition of life must be stipulated in the supreme law of the land, the Constitution. Life must be defined as starting at conception and ending at natural death.

"As health care providers, we are familiar with both the human impact of unsafe abortion and the public health burden it represents. Including prohibition against abortion in the Constitution and defining life as beginning at conception will fail to prevent incidences of abortion," said Dr Otieno Nyunya, chairman of the reproductive health committee of the Kenya Medical Association.

Iowa ponders free family planning

04/02/2010 09:05:11

Plans to provide free family planning services to low-income women aged 45 to 54 in the US state of Iowa have been met with mixed reviews from local health officials.

A proposal covering the introduction of the services is due to be debated by a Senate committee which will decide whether services such as pap tests, annual exams, cervical cancer screenings and birth control should be made available to those on the fringes of what is considered to be child-bearing age.

Under current law, child-bearing age is defined as 13 to 44. Raising the upper limit to 54 would be a "waste of taxpayer dollars" according to one physician.

Donald Young, medical director at Mid-Iowa Fertility, said: "The odds of a woman taking home a baby at age 45 is one in 50,000.

"The idea that we need to provide birth control/family planning services for women up to age 55 is against basic reproductive physiology and a waste of taxpayer dollars."

Nancy Robertson, a staff attorney and lobbyist for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, said birth control was just one of the services that would be provided under the proposals, adding that all women who have not yet entered menopause are still theoretically able to have children and should be covered in the same way as younger women.

Obama makes global health promise

03/02/2010 14:35:00

US President Barack Obama has set out a number of goals after pledging to increase funding for global health needs.

President Obama has proposed a 9% funding increase in his administration's fiscal 2011 budget to allow them to spend more on tackling preventable diseases and reducing childbirth-related deaths among women and children.

His targets include getting 1.6 million people into drug treatment for HIV and Aids, cutting the prevalence of malaria by 50%, and reducing the number of deaths of mothers and children under 5 years old by 2014.

But some AIDS and health advocacy groups have said the funding will not be enough to achieve such goals. Of particular concern was a small proposed increase in spending for HIV/AIDS programs for the second year in a row.

President Obama's request totals $9.6 billion for funds for the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Defense Department, the White House said.

That compares with $8.8 billion enacted for fiscal 2010.

State passes safe-sex teaching bill

03/02/2010 09:05:06

Sex education classes in the US state of Wisconsin will have to include the use of contraception as well as abstinence when the 2010 academic year begins, according to reports.

The state Senate passed a bill requiring all schools that have a sex education programme to cover the benefits, correct use and side effects of different contraceptive devices - although legally Wisconsin teachers must still emphasise abstinence as the best way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STIs).

Sex education is not mandatory in Wisconsin schools, and the bill allows parents to see materials beforehand and remove their children from lessons.

The Appleton Post-Crescent and AP reported all Democrat senators voted for the bill, all Republicans opposed it, and it passed 18-15 after a change to the original legislation passed by the Assembly in November 2009. It has now been sent to Governor Jim Doyle.

Supporters of the bill, such as nursing groups, the Wisconsin teachers' union and Planned Parenthood, said the legislation will help reduce teenage pregnancies.

Opposing groups say it transmits the message that sex with birth control is condoned, and the Wisconsin Catholic Church and Wisconsin Right to Life want children to focus on abstinence.

Global sex education trends exposed

02/02/2010 09:05:04

New research has painted a mixed picture of the sex education practices of developed countries across the world, sparking a fresh debate about who should shoulder the responsibility of teaching children the facts of life.

The study from the National Foundation for Educational Research reveals a broad spectrum of different curricula and striking differences in the age at which schools in different countries are allowed to begin teaching sex and relationships education (SRE).

Almost all of the 17 countries that were examined as part of the study taught SRE as part of a larger subject area such as health and physical education. However, some countries, such as France, saw SRE as "one of the core social and civil competencies to be acquired in the course of mandatory education".

The research also shed light on the debate over the age at which SRE is taught in schools. In Ireland, for example, SRE is taught to children as young as four, while others, such as Finland or Japan, choose to introduce SRE at a much later age.

Parental attitudes toward sex education were also exposed by the study. Parents in British Columbia, Sweden and Singapore, for example, are permitted to withdraw their child from SRE.

In Singapore, "parents bear the main responsibility for the sexuality education of their children", the report found.

Zuma's '20th child' sparks AIDS row

01/02/2010 09:05:07

South African president Jacob Zuma has been accused of undermining his own government's message on HIV/AIDS following claims he fathered a child out of wedlock last year.

Mr Zuma has been criticised by South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, following speculation about the outcome of his liaison with Sonono Khoza, which has hit the front pages of the country's leading newspapers.

There has been no comment from Ms Khoza, the ANC or Mr Zuma himself about the claims.

The reports have been leapt upon by Mr Zuma's rivals who say they are fresh evidence of his unwillingness to practice what he preaches about unprotected sex.

Mr Zuma, who is said to have fathered at least 20 children, admitted making a mistake by having unprotected sex in 2006 after he was acquitted of rape.

While his supporters will claim that such speculation, even if proven to be true, is Mr Zuma's private business and not for the public forum, his detractors will use this as evidence of him contradicting his own message of not having unprotected sex with multiple partners to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Condoms 'affect women's reputation'

29/01/2010 14:55:00

Research has shown that the way in which a woman suggests using a condom could determine whether a couplke has unprotected sex or not.

According to the Medical College of Wisconsin study, the way condom use is broached by a woman could sometimes lead to the couple having unprotected sex.

It was also suggested that the way in which a woman introduces using a condom could affect how she is viewed.

A woman who suggests protection as a fun and erotic part of having sex could be judged harsher by her gender than if she refused to have sex without a condom or shared her concerns about sexually transmitted infections.

However, those who proposed using a condom were generally seen as more mature and less romantic than individuals who did not. And women who suggest condom use are seen as less promiscuous, the study says.

Dr. Michelle Broaddus investigated the ways in which a woman's reputation could be tarnished by how she suggested the use of condoms in the study, published in Springer's journal Sex Roles.

Th research comes as statistics show that nearly half of the 19 million annual new STI cases in the US were among the under-25s.

Study: Men 'sabotage' birth control

29/01/2010 09:05:07

Teenage girls and young women have been forced into becoming pregnant by abusive male partners who damage condoms or stop them taking birth control, according to research.

A study at the University of California-Davis (UC-D) found that about 20% of young women had suffered "reproductive coercion", when a man used physical or sexual violence to make women have children.

Questioning 1,300 English and Spanish-speaking women aged 16-29, researchers discovered 15% had experienced birth control sabotage, and 53% had received sexual or physical violence from a partner.

Of these, 35% also reported birth control interference or reproductive coercion, and risk of unintended pregnancy doubled in such cases.

"What this study shows is that reproductive coercion likely explains why unintended pregnancies are far more common among abused women and teens," said Jay Silverman, study co-author and associate professor at the Harvard School of public health.

Study leader Elizabeth Miller, from UC-D Children's Hospital, said it revealed "an under-recognised phenomenon where male partners actively attempt to promote pregnancy against the will of their female partners."

The computerised survey took place at five reproductive health clinics in northern California between August 2008 and March 2009, and the findings were published in the journal Contraception.

US state's new HIV cases rise 13%

27/01/2010 09:05:08

New HIV infections soared by 13% in the US state of Minnesota last year, leading to speculation that young people are "not taking the disease seriously".

This is the biggest increase in 17 years, jumping from 326 new cases in 2008 to 368 in 2009, with cases in gay and bisexual men aged between 15 and 24 almost doubling from 42 to 77.

In previous years the rate of new diagnoses stayed relatively stable, but this unexpected increase led the Minnesota Department of Health to release 2009's totals more than two months early.

Peter Carr, manager of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases for the Health Department, said there was no single cause for the rise in cases, but suggested: "It could be that people are not taking it seriously."

Ignorance about HIV among young people could be a reason, as could the ease which with gay men can now find casual sex through social networking websites, but Mr Carr said increased testing was not responsible for inflating numbers.

Minnesota's Commissioner of Health, Dr Sanne Magnan, said: "This tells us that HIV/AIDS remains a significant health threat in Minnesota, and we need to take steps to strengthen our prevention efforts."

Teenagers shun contraceptive pill

26/01/2010 14:35:00

A sexual health clinic in the US has revealed that more teenagers and young adults are choosing long-term alternatives to the Pill such as injections and implants.

Researchers at the Baylor Teen Health Clinic in Houston found an increasing number of young people opting for 'hassle free' methods of contraception such as Depo-Provera, an injection that lasts 90 days, and Implanon, which is implanted in the arm and provides birth control for three years.

However, Dr. Peggy Smith, director of the Baylor Teen Health Clinic, said that although these methods offer a worry-free alternative, they still do not offer any protection against sexually transmitted infections.

"The birth control pill, although it is widely available and once was considered a revolution in contraception, is old technology for today's teens," Dr Smith said.

"These new options eliminate the once-a-day, every day usage of the pill, which is an issue for young people. They find it easier to use something they can get, and then forget about for 90 days or even longer."

Dr Smith said long-term solutions such as implants and injections may be more beneficial to teenagers who are at a high risk of becoming pregnant through their high school years. Long-term options allow the "windows of opportunity to remain open for them," she said.

Bishops urge anti-abortion voters

25/01/2010 09:05:07

Filipino bishops have published a guide to the Church's doctrines that calls for Catholics to vote against political candidates who support abortion rights in the country's upcoming elections.

The 'Catechism on Family and Life for the 2010 Elections' urges Catholics to vote according to Christian family values and in the interests of society rather than the individual. This means boycotting candidates who advocate pro-choice and family planning agendas.

Secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, Fr Melvin Castro, said it "was created for the Catholic faithful and is intended to help in the choice of voting ".

"It is not morally acceptable to vote for those candidates who promote abortion, euthanasia and the use of condoms," he said.

Catholic lawmakers have managed to block the controversial law on reproductive health from gaining the necessary 120 votes with the help of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, who is against such policies, despite support from the United Nations.

If passed, the law would introduce a family planning programme preventing parents from having more than two children, with fines or prison sentences for those who infringe the restrictions. However, the legislation does not support abortion clinics.

Harsh law link to maternal deaths

22/01/2010 09:25:00

More than half the women who die during childbirth in Africa do so because of a lack of access to contraception and restrictive family planning laws, an expert has said.

Philip Darney, a US consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, said women should not be compelled or forced into having children and called for countries to reject leaders who have an inhumane regard for mothers' lives.

He was speaking at the First International Congress on Women's Health and Unsafe Abortion in Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday, where he made a presentation called Abortion: An essential component of women's health.

In this second paper he said about 54% of maternal deaths were due to legal and administrative restrictions.

The international conference was organised by the Women's Health and Reproductive Rights Foundation of Thailand, the Royal Thai College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the country's Department of Health and Ministry of Public Health. It was endorsed by the Asia Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Circumcision 'reduces HIV risk'

20/01/2010 09:15:15

Health officials in Rwanda have said that circumcising newborn boys is the most cost-effective way of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.

The operation, which has been found the cut the risk of transmission of the virus from women to men, costs only $15 per baby but $59 for every adult male, prompting calls for the widespread introduction of the practice for newborn boys across the country.

By preventing the spread of the virus, long-term treatment costs could be cut dramatically.

A study by Agnes Binagwaho and colleagues at Rwanda's health ministry recommended that the practice be rolled out across the country to maximise its potential for prevention in the future.

The report, published in the Public Library of Science Medicine Journal, stated: "Rwanda should be simultaneously scaling up circumcision across a broad range of age groups, with high priority to the very young."

Seth Kalichman of Connecticut University, who wrote a commentary on the Rwandan study, said: "The cost-savings of neonatal male circumcision are compelling and suggest that implementation is economically feasible in developing countries hit hardest by HIV/AIDS."

Mr Kalichman added that the procedure had "the potential to stem entire HIV epidemics, saving countless lives".

Utah bill 'promotes contraception'

19/01/2010 09:05:05

Utah lawmakers will debate whether to allow teachers to discuss the pros and cons of contraceptives with students when a proposed bill reaches the State Legislature.

Currently, educators are prohibited from encouraging the use of contraceptive devices, although they can teach about them.

The draft bill, proposed by a cross-party group, would remove this barrier and teachers would be required to discuss how beneficial or limiting contraceptives can be, as well as initiate talks on the importance of parental guidance.

A Democrat, the Utah Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the Planned Parenthood Action Council all worked on Republican senator Stephen Urquhart's proposed legislation, with Democratic representative Lynn Hemingway announcing his intention to be the bill's House floor sponsor.

So far the PTA's legislative action committee has failed to express its stance on the bill.

Egypt population plan 'essential'

18/01/2010 09:05:06

Fresh calls for a population control plan in Egypt have been made by a government body which warned that overpopulation could undermine the country's social and economic development.

Suzanne Mubarak, head of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM), said population growth is "a key challenge for this generation and the generations to come" at a meeting with Egypt's executive committee of the National Council for Population on Sunday.

She told ministers and population and family planning experts that the steadily growing population increased health risks for women and children, as well as making education, nutrition, employment, plus resources such as drinkable water, less accessible.

"It is essential to formulate effective plans for birth control and to encourage a more balanced geographical distribution of population," she said.

Some experts predict Egypt's burgeoning population will hit 105 million by 2025, and possibly 130 million by 2030.

Mrs Mubarak called for widespread support of a national campaign to make people more aware of the knock-on effects of overpopulation, urging the private sector, civil society and government ministries to join together.

Writers, intellectuals, the media and religious leaders were also targeted to support the Egypt-wide campaign.

Conference to discuss sexual health

15/01/2010 09:25:00

A conference to discuss development targets on HIV/Aids and family planning is to be held in Ethiopia in February.

The Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) and the African Federation for Sexual Health and Rights, which is the regional representative body of the World Association for Sexual Health, will help host the 4th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights.

It will be held in Addis Ababa between February 9 and 12, with approximately 500 participants expected to attend.

The conference will act as a forum for experiences to be shared across a number of countries.

Feyissa Mekonnen, FGAE's director, said the conference would present a good opportunity for participants to share and discuss their experiences.

Focus stays on abortion legislation

15/01/2010 09:15:05

Two anti-abortion lawmakers in the US will be among those closely watching final negotiations over President Barack Obama's controversial healthcare bill this week.

Lancaster Republican congressman, Joe Pitts, and Democratic senator for Pennsylvania, Bob Casey, have both played a significant role in formulating amendments to curb the use of government funding for abortion.

Pitts, along with Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak, co-sponsored an amendment forbidding any use of federal funds for abortions.

He thinks that enough anti-abortion Democrats could join Republicans in defeating the bill, if the current proposals go ahead.

Casey alienated anti-abortion advocates by supporting a Senate compromise that allows low-to-middle income people entitled to healthcare subsidies to buy insurance that covers abortion, but still prohibits the use of government cash to pay directly for it.

The senator is playing up what he says are abortion curbs - such as an adoption tax credit and a fund to aid pregnant women - in the bill to help prevent defections.

Campaign to increase use of condoms

15/01/2010 09:05:05

A campaign in Rwanda aiming to significantly increase the use of condoms by both sexes has been launched.

It is estimated that sexually active people in the country use an average of three condoms a year, with one of the biggest challenges to the use of prophylatics being their perceived association with promiscuity, the government said.

This is coupled with limited distribution in rural areas.

Anita Asiimwee, head of the country's National Aids Control Commission, told IRIN/PlusNews: "We want to change people's attitudes to the use of condoms.

"We want to reduce infections among the youth by at least 50%, both men and women should act responsibly about their lives."

High-risk groups, including sex workers and discordant couples, will be specifically targeted by the three-month campaign, launched in December 2009.

Male condoms are being offered at a subsidised price of 100 Rwandan Francs (£0.11) per pack of three.

Female condoms are being distributed free of charge.

Aisha Rutaro, member of Rwandan Women Living with HIV which supports the drive, said: "We are training women to understand and embrace the use of female condoms."

High HPV numbers 'not unexpected'

14/01/2010 09:15:08

A sexual health study in Canada has found that more than half of young heterosexual adults who have begun a new sexual relationship in the past six months have been infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV).

According to the HITCH Cohort Study - which looked at couples who had started a new sexual relationship over the past half-year - almost half of those that tested positive had contracted a cancer-causing strain of the virus.

Researchers analysed data from women aged between 18 and 24 and their partners, aged 18 and older, who had begun having sex in the past six months - the period of time when the risk of transmission is at its highest.

Project co-ordinator Ann Burchell said: "It is a high number, but that number was not entirely unexpected. We know that HPV is a very common infection already, particularly in young people. We know that people are at a high risk of getting HPV just after acquiring a new partner.

"When two people are meeting for the first time, one or both of them might have caught HPV from a previous sexual contact and so then when you're meeting this new person, there's an opportunity for it to be transmitted to the next partner."

Family planners target tax Bill

14/01/2010 09:05:04

Politicians in the Philippines have threatened to veto the passage of tax measures after the House leadership failed to prioritise a Bill designed to curb the country's burgeoning population.

The Reproductive Health Bill aims to address the social and financial implications of failing to address the population's 2.36% growth rate as well as establishing national policy on reproductive health and family planning, however, it has been removed from a list of priority bills, prompting the bill's 132 authors to declare a stalemate with the House leadership.

"The House leadership had better prioritize the RH bill or they will pass nothing," warned Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, principal author of the bill.

"All 132 of us would take turns in raising many valid questions about these priority tax measures until the House leadership runs out of time and passes nothing.

"No amount of new tax laws will shore up the economy if the government continues failing to address the ballooning population, which is expected to reach a staggering 94 million Filipinos this year.''

The bill is fast becoming a re-election issue for many of the country's mayors and politicians.

Mahar Mangahas, president of social survey institute Social Weather Stations said: "Because of their anti-family- planning stand, congressmen who seek re-election may lose their bid."

Trial ended after HIV infection

13/01/2010 10:55:00

An African clinical trial testing if a vaginal gel can prevent HIV infection has ended after at least 46 women became infected with the virus.

The Microbicides Development Programme (MDP) 301 trial, which tested the PRO2000 gel between September 2005 and 2009, was conducted at six research centres in South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Of the 1,332 HIV-negative women tested in the trial, between 46 and 50 contracted the virus - despite using the gel before sex, according to the National Aids Council of Zambia.

Dr Maureen Chisembele, principal investigator for Microbicides Development Programme Zambia, said: "Some participants did become HIV positive because the study was conducted in the normal environment.

"This trial is not to blame, it’s not a failure because it has given us the results and it has shown that it does not work in preventing one from getting the HIV virus,” she said.

“After putting together the data from South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia where the clinical trials were carried out at the same time, we discovered that the gel does not work. Women who became infected during the study were given further counselling and referred to local health services for ART (antiretroviral therapy)."

The University of Zambia Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (UNZAREC) said it saw no reason to think the trial was the cause of the women's infection.

UNZAREC acting chairperson Dr James Munthali said: "We will continue to ensure that the lives and health of Zambians participating in research are safeguarded through rigorous review and monitoring of any research to be conducted in the country."

Copyright © Press Association 2010

Singapore's STI rate jumps 10.6%

13/01/2010 09:05:10

Singapore has seen a 10.6% rise in sexually transmitted infections other than HIV over the past three years, with about 62% of infections affecting Singapore citizens, according to government figures.

Gonorrhoea, non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) and syphilis are the city-state's most prolific infections, and the total number of STIs rose from 11,000 in 2006, to 12,300 in 2008.

Singapore's Ministry of Health is concerned at the high proportion of non-HIV STIs among people in their 20s and 30s, who account for 70% of cases and the STI notification rate per 100,000 people increasing 67%, rising to 451 in 2008 from 270 in 2000.

To protect patients' confidentiality, STI notifications need not include personal particulars. A patient who consults several doctors will chalk up several notifications. Repeat visits to the same doctor for the same STI will however require only one notification by the doctor.

STI Control Clinic statistics reveal two-thirds of cases in people older than 20 were men, while two-thirds were women in cases under 20, but the under-20 notification rate has risen faster than any other age group - more than doubling from 61 per 100,000 in 2000 to 133 in 2008.

Of the cases notified in public clinics and hospitals, 33% of the cases were first-time infections, and follow-up cases made up the other two thirds. There was no concrete figure for the number of infections seen in private hospitals.

Australia chlamydia rates 'triple'

12/01/2010 14:35:03

Chlamydia infection rates have more than tripled in the past 10 years in Australia, prompting experts to demand a national sexual health campaign similar to one being rolled out in the UK.

Sexual health professionals have called for Australia's Federal Government to fund a screening programme as the Department of Health pushes forward the "Sex: Worth Talking About" drive, which aims to help young people look after their sexual health.

Figures show more than 61,000 people in Australia were diagnosed with the infection last year, an increase from about 17,000 in 2000.

New South Wales had the second highest rate of infection, with almost 14,500 people diagnosed in the state alone, NSW Health figures revealed.

Experts have called for more education on Chlamydia, which can cause infertility if left untreated, and in most cases shows no symptoms. One professional blamed a rise in the figures on the fact that "a whole generation" have not been subjected to somber campaigns like the "grim reaper" advert in 1987 , which raised awareness of HIV and AIDS and encouraged condom use.

The deputy director of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, Anthony Smith, said: '''It is beyond time now for the Federal Government to co-ordinate a national response to this and commit substantial funding to education and screening.''

Chlamydia rate stable despite tests

12/01/2010 09:05:07

Chlamydia remains prevalent amongst teenage girls in urban areas in the US even though frequent tests and treatments for the sexually transmitted infection (STI) are performed, a long-term study has shown.

Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine found that the proportion of infected girls barely changed even when they received three-month tests and treatment after catching the infection.

When the study began, 10.9% of the teenagers had chlamydia, which dropped to 10.6% after 18 months, and 10.4% after four years.

A high proportion - 84% - of repeated infections were actually reinfections, with young women having unprotected sex with untreated or new partners and re-catching the bacteria, even though they kept diaries of their sexual encounters and met study staff at least once every three months.

Study author and IU School of Medicine professor, Byron E Batteiger, said: "The rate of infection we found in the 365 Indianapolis girls we followed is similar to the rates reported by other researchers for girls in Denver and Baltimore, so it is likely that our important new findings on reinfection can be generalised to urban teenage girls in other cities."

Aid workers help mutilation victims

11/01/2010 14:35:00

Health workers at refugee camps in Chad are keeping a close eye on pregnant women who may face potential complications in child birth due to mutilated genitalia.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said women who have suffered genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) can tear during child birth.

These tears can lead to painful and uncontrollable urination and may need multiple surgeries to heal.

Since September last year, one camp in eastern Chad has recorded some 22 pre-natal refugees who were found to have been cut.

But aid workers said girls are also being cut in the camps, with nearly 60 incidents recorded in 2009.

Nassourou Drassadou, camp health director, said some 10% of prenatal patients at the camp at Djabal faced a high risk of complications during birth in part due to FGM/C.

He said: "Despite efforts to wipe out FGM/C we know it is still happening."

US supports global sexual health

11/01/2010 09:55:00

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has renewed the country's support of women's rights to access reproductive healthcare around the world, in a speech commemorating the 15th anniversary of 1994's International Conference on Population and Development.

Global family planning agency Marie Stopes International welcomed Mrs Clinton's comments and said: "Secretary of State Clinton's address will bring renewed hope to all those people in the world living in poverty, but particularly to the women of the developing world, who simply by dint of their sex are among the most marginalised, poor and discriminated against on the planet.

"Both the Secretary of State - who has long been a champion of this cause - and the US administration itself are to be congratulated for providing leadership on this issue. We urge all 179 country signatories to International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action to follow this lead.

"With the US taking a lead for the first time in a decade, the 200 million couples worldwide who want to control their fertility but are unable to access modern contraception methods may now find the means to do so; and we may begin at long last to see some real reductions in the intolerably high numbers of women – over half a million every year – who die as a consequence simply of being pregnant. These tragic deaths are unnecessary, because they are so easily preventable.

"As one of the world's leading family planning agencies, Marie Stopes International stands ready to work with the governments around the world to meet the challenge of achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health, which with this new impetus is now far more likely to be met than ever before."

Indian women using emergency pill

08/01/2010 09:05:05

A swift upsurge in emergency contraception use in India has led doctors to believe women may be using it instead of regular contraception - leaving them vulnerable to sexually transmitted infection, according to a US newspaper.

The Washington Post reports Indian gynaecologists have said young women use emergency contraception (EC) several times a month rather than condoms, as the Indian version of the "morning after" pill grows more popular.

Since its launch in August 2007, the I-pill has sold about 200,000 units per month. It costs less than £1.25 and has been heavily marketed as a way to "avoid the quandary of an abortion" among young people, as it lowers the chance of pregnancy if taken within 72 hours.

Although abortions are legal in India, with about 7 million carried out every year, the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India said more than 200,000 women die from complications.

Gynaecologist Kaushiki Dwivedee told the Post: "India is the second-largest population in the world, and we have never been proactive as far as the contraception is concerned."

75,000 circumcised in Kenyan drive

07/01/2010 14:35:04

A voluntary male circumcision drive in Kenya has seen more than 75,000 men circumcised since its launch in November 2008.

The drive is aimed at having more than one million men circumcised by 2013 in a bid to combat sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The Kenyan government's initiative is mainly concentrated on Nyanza Province where fewer than half of men are circumcised and HIV is 15.4% prevalent, around twice the average for the country.

More than 35,000 Nyanza men were circumcised within six weeks in a recent rapid results initiative.

Most people in Nyanza only sought treatment for STIs in the advanced stage, said Charles Okal, provincial AIDS and STI control officer.

The prevalence of genital herpes in Nyanza has been put at 49%, and that of syphilis at 2.4% by the government.

"We are happy that most of those seeking circumcision are treated when found to be infected," said Nicholas Muraguri, director of the National AIDS and Sexually transmitted infections Control Programme.

"Medical male circumcision also provides partial prevention of the HPV virus, responsible for cervical cancer in women, which is a leading killer of women with HIV, especially in rural areas," aid Mr Muraguri.

Cuba reports population growth

07/01/2010 09:05:06

Cuba witnessed a 3,000-person population rise last year - its first growth since 2006, according to official figures.

The growth, which helped to relieve concerns over ageing and a decline in population, represents an increase of 0.03%, the Cuban National Statistics Office confirmed in a report.

Juan Carlos Alfonso, director of Cuba's Population and Development Studies Centre called the reversal "delightful".

He said improved fertility in the country, which had risen to 1.63% in 2009 from 1.59% the previous year, had been behind the growth

Cuba has also seen the life expectancy of its residents steadily grow.

The country's total population stood at 11.23 million at the end of last year, with residents over 60 accounting for 17%.

Funding hope for abstinence groups

06/01/2010 09:15:04

Supporters of abstinence-only programs in American schools are "optimistic" that federal funding will be restored to their projects under the Senate's health reform bill, after missing out on money for in the fiscal year 2010 budget, according to reports.

An amendment by Republican Senator for Utah Orrin Hatch on the bill allocates $50 million (£31 million) to pay for abstinence-only curriculum that encourage young people to delay having sex until they are married as a way of cutting the number of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infection rates.

Teenage pregnancy prevention initiatives that are "proven effective through rigorous evaluation" are to be given $110 million (£68 million) under the fiscal year 2010 budget, which would be run by a new Office of Adolescent Health. Abstinence-only programmes would lose funding by September unless money is restored in the health reform bill.

National Association of Abstinence Education Association's Valerie Huber said: "Nothing is certain, but we're hopeful."

The programmes have been subject to criticism after studies found that they were ineffective and that the decline in the number of teen pregnancies was slowing.

Older doctors 'misinform' patients

05/01/2010 09:05:12

Older healthcare providers could be misinforming patients about contraception methods, according to a new study.

A US study found a considerable amount of prescribed misinformation about contraception methods among older healthcare providers, those who practice family medicine, and male providers.

Researchers found that younger providers - under the age of 45 - were the most knowledgeable about contraception, along with obstetricians/gynaecologists, female providers, and those who fit intrauterine devices (IUDs).

But 23% and 29% respectively of the 524 healthcare providers surveyed answered incorrectly on the risk of infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease involved with IUDs.

In addition, 26% also answered incorrectly when asked if combined hormonal contraception can be used in women with well-controlled hypertension and 36% on those suffering from migraine with aura.

Kira Levy, from the University of California in San Francisco, said the study had revealed there was a need for improved medical education.

She said it also showed efforts are needed to ensure women are not inappropriately restricted from specific contraceptives, do not receive methods that could put them at increased risk of complication and that they can use a method well-suited to their needs so they can avoid unintended pregnancies.

Levy and her team concluded: "Dissemination of evidence-based guidelines, such as the World Health Organization medical eligibility criteria, can help to standardize contraceptive advice."

Ghana calls for condom promotion

05/01/2010 09:05:11

A Ghanaian health official has said improved education and access to contraception methods, such as condoms, is the key to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.

Speaking at an HIV/AIDS sensitisation conference, Amos Adu Okyere, of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghama (PPAG), said the spread of the disease could be curbed through the widespread promotion of condom use coupled with improved family planning education.

Mr Okyere said young people who are unable to abstain from sex must have better access to contraception if the disease is to be stopped in Ghana.

Mr Okyere issued the call for action at the conference where he was also recruiting peer educators for the Adukrom, Ayigya-Zongo, Sawaba, Kotei and Ayeduase regions as part of a joint initiative by the PPAG and Salim Plus, a Netherlands-based NGO dedicated to youth reproductive health.

US HIV entry ban removal welcomed

04/01/2010 09:05:06

The US government's decision to lift the ban on HIV positive foreign nationals from entering the country has been welcomed by campaigners.

People with HIV have required a special waiver to travel through or visit the US, but the 22-year-old restriction is being removed this week.

British charity the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) hailed the Obama administration's move, announced in October last year, saying policies such as entry bans only serve to increase the stigma associated with HIV.

THT head of policy Lisa Power said: "It's ridiculous that for over 20 years people living with HIV have been banned from entering the US simply because of a medical condition.

"Removing the ban is long overdue and we congratulate the US government on seeing economic and medical sense."

In view of the decision, the 2012 World Aids Conference is due to be held in the US. The THT provides information to people with HIV on their right to travel internationally.

Ms Power added: "Blanket entry bans have no justification on public health grounds and only increase stigma.

"We hope other countries with similar bans in place will now remove them too."

UN revamps family planning campaign

30/12/2009 14:35:00

Family planning is to be used as a tool to drive down the number of African women who die during childbirth, an international expert has said.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said the UN and the African Union will launch a revamped campaign to reassert the importance of family planning in public health policy interventions.

Dr Eric Akinyele, UNFPA's senior programme advisor on reproductive and maternal health, said the benefits of family planning for the African population were not previously emphasised, and the concept was seen as an 'external' tool.

Previous research has shown that a lack of contraceptives and proper planning leads to 40% of deaths of African women in labour, known as maternal deaths, while complications from HIV/AIDS are responsible for between 21% and 55%. A certain percentage comes from abortions.

Dr Akinyele said: "There was an initial loss of momentum on family planning since 2003 but there are some efforts to re-position it within Africa. The most recent one was at a conference on family planning in Uganda on 19-21 November."

Vietnam plans healthcare reforms

30/12/2009 09:05:04

A new healthcare plan that will overhaul the old system is being constructed in Vietnam, amid concerns that the country's ailing ageing population is becoming a serious concern.

Due to the large number of elderly, ensuring social welfare and health care is an urgent need. In addition, the number of malnourished, overweight, diabetic and autistic children is on the rise.

The General Department of Population and Family Planning under the Ministry of Health is working with relevant ministries, sectors and experts to draw up a strategy.

The head of the General Department of Population and Family Planning, Nguyen Van Tan, says that ensuring the quality of life for people is becoming a "major challenge" to Vietnam.

The percentage of the population of working age, from the ages of 15 to 59, has rapidly increased and is expected to reach around 65 million in 2020.

In 2008, the gender ratio of live birth was 112 male to 100 female. If no tough measures are taken, the ratio is likely to hit 120 in 2020, badly affecting social security and causing difficulties for future generations in building families.

Asian health service 'inaccessible'

29/12/2009 14:35:00

Women in Asia face more difficulty obtaining sexual health services and governments need to take political action to improve their accessibility by 2015, a non-governmental organisation has said.

Asia has fallen behind international targets for reproductive health services set in 1994, according to the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (Arrow).

In a regional report,. Arrow called on respective Asian governments to work harder to meet targets set by an International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action in Cairo twenty years ago.

After 15 years of observation, Arrow found women from marginalised groups in Asia still struggle to exercise their "sexual and reproductive health and rights" - a key finding in its report published on December 24, entitled Reclaiming and Redefining Rights – ICPD+15: Status of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Asia.

Contraceptives help fight cancer

23/12/2009 09:05:05

Hormonal contraceptives can be used to treat menstrual pain and help fight against cancer, as well as preventing pregnancy, according to experts.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' bulletin also suggested that contraceptives containing both estrogen and progesterone can minimise the chances of contracting cancers such as endometrial, ovarian and colorectal.

They can also help to tackle pelvic pain caused by endemetriosis, menstrual migraines and bleeding because off uterine fibroids.

"We've known for many years that hormonal contraceptives have health advantages beyond preventing pregnancy," Dr. Robert L. Reid, who led the development of the bulletin, said in a news release from the organisation. "These recommendations examine the scientific data supporting the non-contraceptive uses of hormonal contraceptives to treat specific conditions."

"Combined oral contraceptives are effective in normalising irregular periods, reducing symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, improving acne and allowing women to avoid having their period at inconvenient times, such as during a business trip, vacation or honeymoon," Reid added.

"Although there is little data on the newer forms of hormonal contraception in terms of their off-label benefits, experts suggest that they may be as effective as the more studied ones in treating the same conditions."

The bulletin is published in the January issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

India falls behind fertility target

22/12/2009 09:05:04

Newly released figures have shown that vasectomy accounted for just 4% of sterilisation operations across India between 2005 and 2008.

The audit of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) shows that the country is lagging behind its target of reducing total fertility rates to 2.1% by 2012.

At a state level the picture was even grimmer, with vasectomy making up less that 1% of total sterilisations in 10 states, including some with high levels of literacy.

These were Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Tripura, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Records for the NRHM showed that the number of women opting for a laparoscopic tubectomy was also low. The figure varied between 11% and 27% across 10 states between 2005 and 2008.

The NRHM was launched in 2005 with the aim of promoting family planning through terminal methods such as a vasectomy for men and tubectomy for women.

Bid to aid Cambodian mothers-to-be

21/12/2009 09:05:05

A new bid to drive down Cambodia's high maternal mortality rate by constructing new maternal health centres around the provinces has been launched by the Kingdom's health minister Mam Bun Heng.

The centres - called 'waiting houses' - which will be located near rural health centres and referred hospitals, were announced at a seminar at the National Assembly.

The new centres will be created in addition to the 28 already built in Kratie, Stung Treng, Pursat, Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Preah Sihanouk and Battambang provinces.

They will be used to accommodate pregnant women leading up to the birth of their babies so they do not have to travel long distances on difficult roads to receive treatment, he said.

"It is a very good way to help the people who live far away from the health centres and do not have the means to commute to the centres," he said.

Pen Sopahanara, communications officer at the UN Population Fund, said her organisation financed the building of waiting houses in two provinces in 2006, as well as another two recently this year.

"We see that this project is useful in promoting maternal health and the health of the baby during the delivery process," she said.

Call to publicise circumcision law

18/12/2009 09:05:09

Health workers in Uganda have urged government officials to make people in the north east of the country more aware of a recent Bill which outlaws female genital mutilation (FGM).

The practice of FGM, otherwise known as female circumcision, is still prevalent in the north-eastern districts of Bukwo and Kapchorw, where locals are again preparing for the "cutting season" next year, unaware of the severe jail terms that are now enforcable for those convicted.

Under the new law, practitioners now face jail terms ranging from five to 10 years or life imprisonment if convicted, leading to fears that many people in more remote areas of the country will fall foul of the Bill.

Claudia Cherotwa, a former surgeon from Suma sub county in Bukwo district, said: "In Bukwo and Kapchorwa districts, the Sabiny communities are already making preparations for the cutting season next year. People are preserving maize grain for making brew and animals to slaughter, unaware of the new law. It would be unjust to the communities unaware."

Huge HIV increase among Malay women

17/12/2009 09:05:04

Health experts have revealed that 30% of new cases of HIV in Malaysia are among women.

And in a worrying trend, most of those cases involve married women who contracted the disease from their husbands.

The World Health Organisation said the latest figure is a 400% increase from just five years ago.

The figure has set alarm bells ringing among government officials and medical professionals, as women have overtaken homosexuals and drug users as those most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

Kamal Malhotra, UN coordinator for Malaysia, said: "It has brought a new set of issues that we need to deal with and it is becoming more complex and urgent now."

"It is no longer multiple-sex partners or homosexuals (that are the sources of infection). What was once considered safe sex in the home is now the main source of infection," said Hisham Hussein, chairman of PT Foundation, an activist group involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS and which was behind the event.

Although no in-depth research has been undertaken yet on the new alarming trend, medical experts and rights activists are pinning the blame on poor HIV/AIDS awareness among young people and husbands engaging the services of sex workers.

US study reveals safe-sex division

16/12/2009 09:05:05

A study in the US has revealed that abstinence-only sex education methods taught in some high schools may be responsible for a gulf in young adults' attitudes towards pregnancy and contraception.

A survey of 1,800 people aged 18 to 29, conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, found that 29% of women and 42% of men said it is 'slightly likely' that they will have unprotected sex in the next three months despite the majority of participants agreeing that pregnancy should be planned.

A further 17% of women and 19% of men said it was either 'quite likely' or 'extremely likely' for them to have sex without contraception in the next three months.

Laura Lindberg, senior research associate at the non-profit Guttmacher Institute, said: "Abstinence-only curriculums have gone explicitly out of their way to teach misconceptions about contraception," she said. "This generation of 20-somethings have missed many opportunities to get medically accurate and correct information."

Nigerian women affected by HIV/AIDS

15/12/2009 09:05:08

Women make up around 60% of the total amount of people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, according to the chairman of a health agency.

Dr Rilwanu Muhammad, chairman of the Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis/Leprosy and Malaria (BACATMA), said that women make up the majority of the three million HIV/AIDS sufferers, and with many of them living in rural areas, treatment can be difficult.

He was speaking during an annual campaign with the theme "Universal access and human right". It is run every December to raise awareness of the effects of the disease and of what treatment and support is available.

Outlining a plan of action for the next year, Dr Muhammad said that in Bauchi State, more than 13,000 people were currently infected with HIV/AIDS. Of the 20 local governments in the state, Katagum, Ningi, Tafawa Balewa and Jama'are had the highest numbers of sufferers.

In total, around 22.5 million Africans are HIV positive, with AIDS being the biggest cause of premature death. Dr Muhammed said young women were particularly affected, making up around 61% of the total figure. In addition, he said around 30% of pregnant women who are HIV positive pass the disease on to their children.

Uganda bans female circumcision

14/12/2009 09:05:03

A law banning the practice of female genital mutilation has reportedly been passed in Uganda, where more than 3,000 girls are traditionally subjected to the routine each December.

According to the country's Minister of Ethics and Integrity, James Nsaba Buturo, the new law passed without opposition late on Thursday. Offenders now face a potential life sentence.

Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, involves the removal of a girl's clitoris or other genital parts at a young age. The practice, which takes place mostly in the north east of the country, can lead to complications during childbirth as well as eliminating any pleasure for women during sex.

Female circumcision is illegal in more than a dozen African countries, although laws are rarely enforced.

Vandals blow up condom machines

11/12/2009 09:05:08

Condom dispensers in Mumbai are being targeted by vandals who blow them up with firecrackers and then sell the exploded machine parts piece by piece on the open market.

India's financial hub and neighbouring areas have seen the destruction of more than 700 of its 3,200 machines, developed by Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT).

Any leftover money and condoms are taken away as "fringe benefits".

Rajesh Nainakwal, programme manager at HLFPPT, told the Times of India: "We have noticed several instances of people putting bombs inside the machines for a bigger bang.

"This destroys the machines and the criminals then take away the structure, one piece at a time, to sell in the open market."

Within the last three years, nearly 22% of the condom vending machines placed in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region have been stolen or vandalised and the developers say they are shocked at the reaction of the police to the issue.

Mr Nainakwal said: "Police stations issue an acknowledgement slip and assure us of a probe into the incidents but routinely refuse to register proper complaints. We have made repeated requests but there is no action so far."

Joint police commissioner Himanshu Roy said the programme developers needed to approach higher-ups "instead of filing a general diary at a police station".

Call to enforce child marriage laws

09/12/2009 09:05:06

West African governments have been urged by a children's organisation to maintain laws preventing child marriage.

PLAN International wants the laws to be strictly enforced to protect adolescents from sexual health problems and complications related to pregnancy.

It is also calling for the banning of female genital mutilation and the sexual harassment of teenage girls in the sub-region.

It said young girls are most at risk of dying during pregnancy or labour and of health problems linked to inducing abortions.

In a report, Adolescent sexual health in West Africa in Accra, the child-centred community development organisation said its aim was to reduce maternal mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS among adolescent girls. These aims are in line with the sub-region's Millennium Development Goals.

Girls in Ghana are not legally allowed to marry until they are 18, although they are allowed to have sex at the age of 16. However, it is not uncommon for teenage girls to become pregnant before this age after having had sex with older men.

Ghana polygamy blamed for HIV cases

08/12/2009 09:05:05

The high rate of HIV/Aids cases in Ghana may be the result of polygamous marriages, according to Nana Oye Lithur, chief executive officer of the Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC).

She said: "Polygamous marriage which is accepted in the country could be cited as one of the major causes of sexually transmitted diseases."

She was addressing a seminar on reproductive health and human rights organised by HRAC for law students in the capital Accra. She said the reproductive health concept is an ideal to help control the population.

She also urged the government to punish all those who ignore reproductive laws and human rights, and to “refrain from acts that impeded the rights of the citizenry”.

The HRAC focuses on children's rights, reproductive health, election monitoring and police accountability and reform, and seeks to help ordinary Ghanaians understand their rights and legal entitlements.

Beckham visits mothers' HIV clinic

07/12/2009 09:05:09

David Beckham has visited a clinic in South Africa that is working to reduce the transmission of HIV from mothers to babies.

The footballer met women living with HIV while visiting the Mothers to Mothers (M2M) programme, which is supported by Unicef.

It aims to cut the chance of the virus being passed on by giving pregnant women higher doses of anti-viral medicine before they give birth. When born, the baby is also given more medicine to prevent them developing the disease.

Beckham, a Unicef goodwill ambassador, said: "It gives me such hope that in a country like South Africa where over five million people are living with HIV, this inspiring work is being done by Unicef and their partners to help prevent the virus passing from pregnant mothers to their newborn children.

"The solution is cheap and it's simple and can help save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children each year.

"Children have a right to be as healthy as possible and I can think of no better thing than ensuring babies are born free from HIV.

"If all the women who needed it received treatment to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies, a generation of children free from the virus could be within reach. Now, everyone needs to come together to make sure this happens.

"I urge everyone to support this work and help save the lives of babies."

Contraception fights global warming

04/12/2009 09:05:13

Curbing population growth in poorer countries by providing free contraception is the best way to reduce the likelihood of global warming, according to veteran broadcaster and wildlife expert Sir David Attenborough.

He and other 'green' figureheads, including Jonathon Porritt and James Lovelock, have set up the Optimum Population Trust (Opt), which advocates that consumers in the developed world pay for contraception in developing countries.

They argue that family planning is the most effective way to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic global warming, although they stress that it will be provided only to those who otherwise have no access to it, and that only unwanted births would be avoided.

Opt says that every £4 spent on contraception saves one tonne of CO2 being added to global warming, which would otherwise require £8 of tree planting, £15 invested in wind power, £31 in solar energy and £56 in hybrid-vehicle technology.

Trust director Roger Martin says that reducing the population not only cuts emissions but also the number of people who will become victims of climate change. "The scheme, known as PopOffsets, underlines the connection between population increase and climate change," he says.

Education key to population control

04/12/2009 09:05:11

The United Nations population chief has said the global population growth can be slowed down simply by allowing women in developing countries access to family planning.

Thoraya Ahmed Obaid rejected punitive approaches taken by some countries, such as China's One Child policy, claiming that population growth can be slowed down voluntarily if women in developing nations were able to choose to cap their family sizes through the successful implementation of family planning methods.

Research showed that 235 million of the world's women wanted to have control over the size and spacing of their families, but were unable to do so due to lack of access to contraception.

Ms Obaid said: "If these 235 million can plan their family, they all want smaller families. This means it will slow population growth.

"When population growth is slowed that will lead to smaller total population, which will have a lighter footprint on environment (and) climate change."

The world's population currently stands at 6 billion. The United Nations Population Fund predicts that this will rise to either 9 billion or 11-12 billion by 2050.

HIV diagnosis rate doubles - study

03/12/2009 09:05:03

A Europe-wide health study has found that the rate at which people are diagnosed with HIV more than doubled between 2000 and 2008.

The study, conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) regional office for Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, revealed that HIV rates are highest in the UK, Estonia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Portugal, the Republic of Moldova and the Ukraine, with wide variations in the most likely cause of infection.

In eastern Europe, where the rate is almost double that in the west and more than 10 times that in central Europe, the most common method of HIV transmission is through injected drug use, while in western Europe, the most common cause of infection is through sex between men, followed by heterosexual sex.

However, researchers stressed that the figures could be hugely underestimated as data for many countries such as Denmark, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, the Russian Federation, Sweden and Turkey, was not available.

Dr Nata Menabde, deputy regional director of the WHO regional office for Europe, said: "Good surveillance systems, and better and more accurate data collection, will help us control the HIV epidemic by planning appropriate measures to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support."

The study, released to mark World Aids Day on December 1, found almost 51,600 people were newly diagnosed as infected with HIV in 2008, with around 13% of cases in young people aged 15 to 24, while 35% were in women.

HIV cases increase among gay men

02/12/2009 09:05:06

New figures show that the number of gay men contracting HIV has doubled in two years, prompting calls for renewed focus on testing and prevention measures.

According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, new diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) rose from 36 in the first half of 2007 to 72 in 2009 - accounting for 41% of all cases where route of transmission was reported.

Overall, the number of new HIV cases dropped from 212 in the first half of 2008 to 210 this year. Of the new diagnoses, 65% were male and 35% female.

Campaign group Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (Glen) urged the Government to improve testing facilities and widen their reach across the country

Director of Glen's Gay HIV Strategies (GHS), Tiernan Brady, said: "The reasons for this increase must be better understood so as to reduce this rising incidence of HIV.

"GHS would encourage all sexually active gay men to test regularly. HIV testing is quick, straightforward and saves lives. If detected early and treated, most people with HIV can expect to live to old age."

Mr Brady also called for a wider National Sexual Health Strategy, adding: "If implemented they will result in promoting better sexual health and a reduction the numbers of new HIV infections."

HIV drugs 'should be given earlier'

01/12/2009 09:05:09

Guidelines have been issued suggesting that anti-retroviral drugs (ARV) should be given to HIV patients worldwide at an earlier stage.

However, the advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) will create "an enormous challenge" to the international community, according to a British minister.

It has been recommended that drugs are given before the patient's immune system strength dips below 350 cells/mm3, even if the patient appears to have no symptoms.

But international development minister Mike Foster said this would "significantly increase the demand for treatment".

WHO is also suggesting that breast feeding mothers and their babies be given the drug to prevent the spread of HIV.

Another recommendation is to phase out the widely available and cheap drug Stavudine, in favour of either Zidovudine or Tenofovir, which have less severe side effects.

Dr Hiroki Nakatani of the World Health Organisation said: "These new recommendations are based on the most up to date, available data. Their widespread adoption will enable many more people in high-burden areas to live longer and healthier lives."

Daisy Mafubelu, WHO's assistant director general for family and community health, said: "In the new recommendations, we are sending a clear message that breastfeeding is a good option for every baby, even those with HIV-positive mothers, when they have access to ARVs."

Mr Foster said: "The Department for International Development is committed to increasing access to effective and affordable HIV treatments. That is why UK aid supports the cheaper manufacturing of current treatments, and the UNITAID patent pool to help develop new, effective and affordable HIV treatments, particularly for children and for people living in developing countries."

Commonwealth free health care plan

30/11/2009 09:05:09

Universal health care for a third of the world's population - including free care for women and children - is expected to be agreed upon at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad and Tobago.

The deal follows Prime Minister Gordon Brown's call at the United Nations earlier this year for all developing countries to abandon health care fees, starting with services for women and children.

Adding to the £400 million the UK already spends on improving health services in the 53-nation grouping, Britain will also provide an extra £5 million for charities and non-governmental organisations to support free health services for women and children in Commonwealth countries where fees prevent many from receiving the treatment they need.

No deadlines are being set for the achievement of free care for women and children, which is expected to be most difficult in large countries like India and Pakistan where fees are a problem.

But a communique being issued at the end of the three-day summit will sign up all Commonwealth states - representing around 2 billion people - to work towards the goal.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "It is fitting that having recently marked 60 years of the NHS, now on the occasion of the Commonwealth's 60th anniversary, all Commonwealth countries are expected to sign up to the principle of universal free healthcare."

Women 'more vulnerable to HIV'

27/11/2009 11:22:05

Recent clinical research has shown that women are at greater risk of contracting HIV infection than their male partners due to the "receptive sex role" they play.

A population symposium heard that women are about 10 times more likely to contract HIV.

Since 2003, as much as 47% of new HIV infections were among women, the majority of whom were infected by husbands and boyfriends, according to Fiji School of Medicine's senior lecturer in public health Litiana Kuridrani.

She said: "80% of the women infected with HIV are not sex workers, nor are they promiscuous persons. Most are married and in one partner relationship. Others were infected while working in commercial sex or through injecting drugs."

Research shows that an un-infected woman is about 10 times more likely to contract HIV from an infected man than the reverse, owing to the greater likelihood of infection through vaginal tears and abrasions.

And multi-sexual relationships had been identified as closely associated with the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Ms Kuridrani further added that out-of-wedlock births also provided officials with a clear picture that pre-marital sex was common.

Abortion pill safety investigation

27/11/2009 11:22:05

Safety fears have caused an Italian senate committee to prevent the RU-486 abortion pill from being available until its safety has been evaluated.

According to Antonio Tomassini, the committee's leader, there are "many doubts" over the safety of the pill and his colleagues on the panel voted to stop the process of putting the drug on the market.

Eugenia Rocella, a health ministry official, said it would decide if women should be in hospital while using the drug.

Although abortion is not against the law in Italy, the Vatican has threatened doctors who prescribe the pill and for women who use it of excommunication.

The pharmaceutical regulatory authorities in Italy approved its use last year. The RU-486 pill is available in much of Europe.

Chinese HIV infection rates soar

26/11/2009 09:05:06

Heterosexual sex is now the number one cause of HIV infection in China, accounting for 40% of all new cases, a UN report says.

Statistics show that homosexual intercourse accounts for 32% of HIV infections, while drug abuse is responsible for 28%.

HIV rates in the country have soared in recent years, with infections through heterosexual sex tripling between 2005 and 2007. Rates of infection from homosexual sex have more than doubled in the last three years.

UN officials have urged the Chinese government to shift their HIV prevention strategy, arguing the statistics show the need to concentrate on different sections of the population.

"We are seeing a shift in the nature of the epidemic - similar trends in Asia and Africa highlight the need to focus on populations most at risk, such as migrants and sex workers," Michel Sidibe, executive director for UNAIDS, said.

Beijing remains sensitive about the disease, regularly clamping down on activists demanding more rights.

HIV cases drop 17% in eight years

25/11/2009 09:05:05

New cases of HIV infections have dropped 17% worldwide since the United Nations Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS was signed in 2001, figures have shown.

The 2009 AIDS epidemic update revealed there were about 15% fewer infections in sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, which is about 400,000 fewer cases of the disease.

According to a report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), other regions with lower HIV incidence were South and South East Asia (10% lower) and East Asia (25% lower).

Some regions showed signs that new cases of HIV rose in the past eight years, while Eastern Europe had a dramatic increase among injecting drug users, which later levelled off again.

Overall the magazine-style report, which explores how "modes of transmission" studies change HIV prevention, indicates prevention programmes are having an impact beyond the peak and natural course of the HIV/AIDs epidemic.

Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS, said: "The findings also show that prevention programming is often off the mark and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programmes to where they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives saved."

Inequality 'fuelling HIV infection'

24/11/2009 09:25:02

Social and economic inequality is fuelling an HIV pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The situation is made worse, it says, by high levels of stigma, discrimination, gender inequality and homophobia.

A report released to mark World Aids Day 2009 on December 1 says: "Despite efforts to reduce the impact on HIV in the region, many of these factors have not been adequately addressed.

"Most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are affected by ... a growing gap in health conditions between those who can afford medical services and have access to higher education and those who live in precarious conditions with little or no medical services and limited access to education and prevention information."

The report mentions that even if many countries in the region can be considered as having "low level" epidemics among the general population,

It adds that rates among highly vulnerable communities - such as men who have sex with men, prisoners, sex workers, and injecting drug users - are typically over 5%.

Says spokeswoman Julie Hoare: "It is vital to work directly with most at-risk populations to try to prevent further infections."

More Aids deaths in South Africa

23/11/2009 09:05:03

More deaths from HIV/Aids have accompanied a fall in the birth rate in South Africa, according to a Pretoria News report that cites the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR).

The South Africa Survey reports that half of all deaths in 2008 were HIV/AIDS related, up from a third in 2001, and that 12% of the population are HIV-positive compared with 9% in 2001.

Meanwhile, a live-birth rate of 2.7 per 1,000 women between 2001 and 2006 is projected to fall to 2.4 between 2008 and 2011.

Said SAIRR spokeswoman Gail Eddy: "The survey shows that in South Africa, the spread of HIV/Aids, as well as lower fertility rates, have led to a declining population-growth rate.

"This is compared to a higher rate of 1.5% between 2001 and 2002. The 43% reduction in the rate over seven years highlights the extent to which the HIV/Aids pandemic is affecting the South African population."

Birth control 'can lower emissions'

20/11/2009 09:05:10

Fertility rates must be reduced in order to slow the increase of the global population, which is on course to reach 10.5 billion by 2050, according to a United Nations (UN) report.

The report states that reduction of greenhouse gas emissions would be better helped by investing in birth control than by building nuclear power stations or wind turbines, according to the The Times newspaper.

Preventing one billion births by 2050 would have an effect on carbon dioxide levels comparable to constructing 2 million giant wind turbines.

The current global population stands at 6.8 billion, but even a medium-growth forecast of 2.3 billion more people by 2050, presuming a fall in average fertility from 2.56 to 2.02 children per woman, would make it difficult to prevent catastrophic climate change.

"No human is genuinely carbon neutral. Therefore, everyone is part of the problem, so everyone must be part of the solution in some way," said the report. "Each birth results not only in the emissions attributable to that person in his or her lifetime, but also the emissions of all his or her descendants."

The idea of Chinese-style laws to control population are rejected by the report, which states the outcome can be achieved by promoting contraception and education among women.

'Few affected' by US abortion laws

19/11/2009 09:15:05

Abortion restrictions imposed by the US House of Representatives may only mean a small number of women cannot easily afford the procedure, it has been reported.

The new government-run public insurance plan would not cover abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or when the pregnancy endangers a woman's life, to ensure that taxpayers' money does not fund the procedure.

Those on federal subsidies buying insurance on a healthcare exchange would also be banned from buying policies that cover abortion, unless this is paid for with their own money. Legal abortion supporters fear this may mean many insurers stop offering abortion coverage to streamline their plans.

Nine out of 10 abortions occur in the first trimester and cost an average of $413 (£248), which would be a difficult sum for some women, but for many who pay for private insurance without abortion, it would be possible to pay out of their own pocket.

However, late-term procedures, which can take several days and cost $5,000 (£3,000), would be more expensive but only account for 1% of all abortions.

Family planning calculator launched

17/11/2009 09:55:00

Family planning and reproductive health workers have been given a new tool to measure their programmes' effectiveness by Marie Stopes International (MSI).

The Impact Calculator works out demographic and health impacts in a given area, such as the number of prevented deaths and averted abortions.

It combines several commonly used models and calculates effects on community, national, regional or global levels.

Hospitals, government health departments, NGOs and other agencies can access the Impact Calculator next year.

Michael Holscher, MSI's director of strategy and external affairs, previewed the tool at the International Conference on Family Planning in Kampala, Uganda.

It revealed MSI's services stopped almost seven million unplanned pregnancies and saved household, community and health system budgets more than US$1 billion in 2009.

Mr Holscher said: "When the Impact Calculator becomes available to third party agencies in 2010 it will enable anyone working in the field of sexual and reproductive health to demonstrate persuasively to governments and donors how an investment in family planning programmes can have a transformative effect at every level of society - from saving lives and improving the living conditions of families and whole communities to improving national health outcomes and contributing to economic and ecological sustainability."

US sex education 'fails to cut STIs'

16/11/2009 10:05:00

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise in the US, a situation not helped by the lack of comprehensive sex education, statistics have shown.

Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis rates increased across the country, despite the infections being highly treatable, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

John Douglas, director of the division of sexually transmitted diseases at CDC, said: "Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are stable at unacceptably high levels and syphilis is resurgent after almost being eliminated.

"We have among the highest rates of STDs of any developed country in the world."

So-called abstinence-only sex education was promoted by conservative state and local governments under President George W. Bush, but studies indicated the approach was not working.

Mr Douglas said abstinence should be encouraged but young people need information on how to prevent STIs as well as pregnancy. They should be taught about condom use and warned to limit their sexual partners to protect themselves from disease, he said.

"We haven't been promoting the full battery of messages," he said. "We have been sending people out with one seatbelt in the whole car."

Masturbation advice issued in Spain

13/11/2009 10:25:00

A Spanish region is running a campaign to educate children on the benefits of masturbation, alongside advice about contraception and self-respect, it has emerged.

Extremadura's socialist government has begun the 14,000 (£12,600) campaign, leading with the slogan "pleasure is in your own hands", to the dismay of political opponents and against Roman Catholic views on sex.

Leaflets, flyers and a "fanzine" have been distributed among children in the region and officials in the neighbouring Andalucia have expressed an interest in running a similar campaign. Extramadura's youth and women's affairs departments are funding the campaign.

"This is an intimate subject that should be dealt with at home," said local opposition leader Hernández Carrón of the People's party. "We have become the laughing stock of Spain."

President of the Youth Council of Extremadura Laura Garrido said: "The campaign is simple, clear, natural and easily understood by the people it is aimed at, who are aged between 14 and 17."

Common chemical linked to impotence

12/11/2009 09:15:03

Chinese workers exposed to large doses of a substance used to make plastic bottles have high rates of sexual problems, research suggests.

US scientists say men who regularly encountered bisphenol A (BPA), had an increased likelihood of impotence and reduced sexual desire.

BPA is used in a variety of consumer products, including hard plastic bottles and metal cans.

Now researchers say the public should be kept away from the substance until more is known about its effects.

Study leader Dr De-Kun Li, an epidemiologist at healthcare company Kaiser Permanente, said he "didn't know" what more typical doses could cause, but added it would be prudent to limit exposure while research was carried out.

A Food and Drug Administration study concluded last year that trace amounts of BPA were not dangerous - a stance it is now reviewing.

The investigation, financed by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, was published in the journal Human Reproduction.

US study backs more sex education

11/11/2009 09:05:02

Comprehensive sex education combined with abstinence-only programmes is the best way to tackle unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to a US study.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report says there is not enough evidence to say whether abstinence-only reduces risky sexual activity among young people.

The report is published as Congress considers a Bill to redirect federal funding from abstinence-only sex education to programmes that have been validated by scientific research.

CDC spokesman Randy Elder said the study found "sufficient evidence that comprehensive risk-reduction efforts are effective".

But dissenters argue that comprehensive sex education in schools does not significantly increase condom use or reduce pregnancy and STI rates.

Meanwhile, James Wagoner, of Advocates for Youth, said: "At long last, evidence and common sense have returned to public-health policy" which "endorses the comprehensive approach to prevention that includes condoms and birth control."

Said Sarah Brown of the National Campaign To Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy: "Most Americans would like their teens to stay away from sex. Research shows that the best way to do this is to encourage teens to delay sex and also talk to them about family planning and protection."

Erectile dysfunction implant tested

10/11/2009 09:05:03

Patients who develop erectile dysfunction after surgery for prostate cancer have been offered new hope by the development of "implants" that recreate the "stiffening" elements of the penis from donor cells.

Scientists in the US tested the technology on highly-sexed rabbits, 83% of which were successful in mating with female partners after the surgery.

Study leader Professor Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University in New Carolina, said: "Our results are encouraging and suggest that the technology has considerable potential for patients who need penile reconstruction.

"Our hope is that patients with congenital abnormalities, penile cancer, traumatic injury and some cases of erectile dysfunction will benefit from this technology in the future."

The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Study shows lubricant improves sex

09/11/2009 10:05:00

Using lubricant during sexual activity leads to a more pleasurable and satisfying experience, according to a study by Indiana University.

The research involved questioning 2,453 women aged from 18 to 68.

For a long time, personal lubricants have long been recommended to women to improve the comfort of sexual intercourse and to reduce the risk of vaginal tearing.

But there is very little available data on women's use of lubricants or associated vaginal symptoms.

The study, conducted by Debby Herbenick, associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at IU's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, involved women who used one of six different water or silicone-based lubricants.

The study also found that side effects were rarely associated with lubricant use; vaginal tearing occurred during less than 1% of vaginal intercourse events and genital pain was reported in less than 5% of intercourse acts when lubricant was used.

Researchers from the Center of Sexual Health Promotion conducted more than 15 studies being presented at the APHA conference.

Public health professionals routinely recommend the addition of lubricant to condoms during sexual activity, yet virtually no research has assessed the sexual situations during which the recommendations are followed.

African abortion laws review urged

04/11/2009 09:15:06

A review of abortion laws among members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is being urged after an assembly of regional health ministers.

It is intended to tackle high death rates among women forced to seek backstreet abortions in countries where they are only permitted to save the life of the woman.

In Nigeria, for example, hundreds of thousands of women resort terminations outside the healthcare system, with all the risks that this involves.

A communique issued after the meeting at Obudu Mountain Resort in Cross River State has prompted mixed feelings in a region where abortion is something of a taboo subject.

Findings reveal that while a number of Nigerians welcome the move, others are opposed to the idea of passing any law that would relax the current abortion policy.

This despite the fact that, according to the ministers, abortion laws must "reflect the social contexts" of respective ECOWAS member states.

Israelis teach sex health in Africa

03/11/2009 09:25:01

Four experts from Israel have received funding to train young people in Sierra Leone about sexual health and AIDS prevention.

Sponsored by the Israeli Sierra Leone Friendship Association, in collaboration with Shepherd's Hospice and the African nation's ministry of education, the aim of the programme is to promote adolescent sexual health as a means of stopping the spread of AIDS in Sierra Leone.

Head expert Dr Anita Nudelman said part of the plan was for participants to go on and teach sexual health and AIDS prevention in their communities based on the educational model developed in Israel.

Senior governmental staff, such as those from the ministry of health and social welfare, as well as senior professionals of non governmental organisations in Sierra Leone Africa, will also receive training.

Martin Ellie, from Shepherd's Hospice, said the initiative will target 30 youths from across the country, who will receive 10 days intensive training. Once they have developed a model to suit their individual communities, they will take the training and pass it on to other adolescents.

Scientists to map chlamydia genome

02/11/2009 09:05:03

Researchers are set to conduct molecular genomic analysis of the bacteria that causes chlamydia and how it interacts within the human body, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said.

The multidisciplinary team at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), which includes experts in clinical human sexually transmitted disease studies and others in biostatistical and bioinformatics data analysis, received a £7.4 million ($12.2 million) grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the NIH.

The team will use precise genome mapping of changes that happen to the bacteria as it interacts within its natural environment with other microbes in the body.

With the genomic technologies, researchers hope to find the link between chlamydial infections and the vaginal microbiome and also look into its genomic diversity.

It is believed that the results of the five-year project will greatly help scientific understanding of chlamydia, a major cause of infertility in women.

The study is led by microbiologist Patrik Bavoil, PhD, associate professor at the Dental School at UMB, and researcher Jacques Ravel, PhD, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences.

Uganda facing contraception crisis

30/10/2009 09:35:00

A Ugandan health official has warned that 41% of women are unable to access contraception despite needing it.

Dr Moses Muwonge said that despite the amount increasing, there are not sufficient resources to tackle access rates, which are worse than the country's neighbours Kenya (25%) Tanzania (22%), Rwanda (38%) and Ethiopia (34%)

Mr Muwonge estimates that the government would need to find $25 million funding in order to meet the population's needs by 2015.

Mr Muwonge told a press conference following a health workshop in Kampala: "Uganda's contribution towards funding family planning is negligible. It is less than 5%. Unless donors increase funding, it might not be easy for the country to meet the unmet needs."

The conference, part-funded by the US-based Population Reference Bureau and organised by the Uganda Health Communication Alliance, was told that almost 50% of the country's one million births a year were unintended.

The country's Bureau of Statistics added that with population growth rate, currently 3.2%, will strain the country's resources in future.

Aids 'out of control in Russia'

29/10/2009 09:25:03

The Aids epidemic in Russia is spiralling out of control because of misguided actions by health officials, according to experts.

Specialists meeting in-country are urging officials to scrap their abstinence-based strategy - no drugs, no sex, no problem - for curbing the spread of HIV as the epidemic threatens to enter a dangerous new phase.

The experts agreed that the situation is worsening amid evidence that the virus is increasingly being spread by heterosexual sex.

Said International AIDS Society executive director Robin Gorna: "Studies show that an abstinence-based message on drug use or sex simply doesn't work."

And she added: "It does appear that ideology is getting in the way of public health-care policy."

She is urging Russia to adopt successful strategies such as needle-exchange programs and provide drug addicts with the heroin substitute methadone.

However, according to Chris Beyrer, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Russian officials "have never embraced" needle exchange, free condoms and other harm-reduction techniques.

Sperm 'could also transmit HIV'

28/10/2009 09:35:00

Researchers from Argentina have suggested that sperm, and not only semen, can transmit HIV.

During a series of test tube experiments, Buenos Aires University scientists found that traces of the virus had attached to sperm and could be a cause of the infection.

But the scope of the experiment, which was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, did not find favour with leading HIV specialist Dr Stephen Taylor.

Based at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Dr Taylor said it was not likely to apply to "real life".

"The argument over whether sperm is a major factor is a long-standing debate which was very much put to bed, probably about 10 years ago," he said.

"The majority of the evidence suggests that healthy motile spermatozoa themselves do not transmit HIV.

"It is very important to realise that this is an in-vitro model system - a test tube study - which may not relate to what happens in real life at all.

"It may raise some interesting scientific questions but, in real life, I think that the findings aren't going to change very much."

Experts generally accept that HIV is transmitted during sexual intercourse in semen.

First sex 'early in Singapore'

27/10/2009 09:05:05

Teenagers in Singapore are getting sexually active at younger ages and the number of youngsters diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is on the rise, raising concerns for both parents and teachers.

Data from the DSC Clinic in Kelantan Lane until August this year was presented at the Community and Parents in Support of Schools Convention, a meeting of principals, teachers and parents.

Figures show that 526 teenagers have been diagnosed with STIs, with most girls having contracted chlamydia while the boys had gonorrhoea. Genital herpes and genital warts were found in both boys and girls.

Previous data shows that STIs are on rise among teenagers, with last year seeing 791 teenagers diagnosed with STIs - more than three times in 2002 (238).

A survey last year of 226 teenagers revealed that they were "starting younger" - among sexually active teenagers aged between 10 and 19, three had their first sexual experience at 11. More than half of these had had at least three sexual partners. One teenager had 34, which might suggest that money was involved.

Dr Priya Sen, deputy head for the DSC, who presented the results, said: "They're starting younger as they've no parental supervision. They may meet people who are a lot older than them, and some may even get paid money to have sex."

Electric shocks boost AIDS vaccine

26/10/2009 09:05:03

Experimental DNA-based AIDS vaccines may be more effective if delivered using short pulses of electricity, according to researchers.

The technique, known as electroporation, involves injecting the vaccine using a handgun-like device that gives brief electric shocks.

Electric pulses open up cell membranes and let more of the vaccines inside, improving the body's response, say US scientists who tested the method.

DNA vaccines use the genetic material of the bug causing the infection to trigger an immune reaction.

A comparatively weak vaccine created in 2001 using four genes from an AIDS virus circulating in China was trialled by the researchers.

They found that while only 25% of volunteers developed an immune response when the vaccine was injected, the effect was much stronger when it was delivered using electroporation.

One of the experts, Sandhya Vasan of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York, told Reuters: "With a brief pulse of electricity, our cell membrane temporarily opens up and allows a lot more of the DNA to get inside.

"The reason why DNA vaccines by themselves don't trigger a powerful immune response is because most of it (DNA) does not get inside our cells."

Speaking at a meeting in Paris she said they had been able to improve the duration as well as the breadth of the participants' response using the new technique.

Backpackers 'spreading STIs' abroad

22/10/2009 09:05:02

A study has shown British backpackers touring Australia are helping to spread sexually transmitted diseases across the country as they continue to have unprotected sex with a multitude of partners.

The findings showed Brits often had three times the amount of sexual partners they would usually have at home, the survey of just over a thousand backpackers at hostels in Sydney and Cairns revealed.

A quarter had unprotected sex with several partners while nearly half admitted to inconsistent condom use, the study's British and Australian authors claimed in the recent edition of journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

The study added more than a third (39.7 per cent) claimed to have multiple partners in Australia, rising to 45.7 per cent in those holidaymakers arriving single.

Heavy drinking, drug use and unsafe sex conspired together to put backpackers at a very high risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection and other health problems, said the report authors.

The majority of those quizzed by Liverpool's John Moores University and Australia's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre said they regularly used bars and nightclubs.

Drug trend 'risks sexual health'

21/10/2009 09:05:01

Campaigns to encourage the use of condoms in Kenya may be failing as teenagers turn to sex-enhancing drugs to impress their friends, according to the head of Kenya's sexual disease monitoring scheme.

Dr Nicholas Muraguri, of the National AIDS/STD Control Programme (NASCOP) said: "The urge to show that you are a good performer most likely leads a person to have multiple partners. The young person is likely to have unprotected sex."

He gave this warning after hearing from a 17-year-old student, who confessed to using Viagra pills to "boost his staying power" and impress his female friends.

He blamed increased liberalism in the country, along with absentee parents for the trend, and warned that many of the products on the market were fake.

He said: "These products have over-glorified performance and don't have any scientific evidence to support their claims for enhancing sexual performance. Unfortunately the value people attach on sex and sometimes beauty makes them invest in such dubious products."

"Some of these could be prescription-only drugs like Viagra for people suffering from erectile dysfunction while others are patented herbal supplements or traditional herbal aphrodisiacs that are purported to enhance sexual performance. The fact that they have a huge market means that it is easy for them to be accessed."

Zambia AIDS programme 'in danger'

19/10/2009 09:25:00

HIV and AIDS programmes in Zambia rely too heavily on funding from corporate and charitable donors and are in danger of being decimated if the money is withdrawn, the National AIDS Council (NAC) says.

NAC chairperson, Joshua Banda, speaking in Lusaka, said 80% of the money spent on the National AIDS Strategic Framework (NASF) comes from external sources.

The NAC's Joint Mid-Term Review (JMTR) strategic framework report for 2006-2008 states that the dependence on donor funding threatens the sustainability of programmes because if the funds dried up, it would leave serious gaps in treatment as well as on staff retention in rural areas. It stressed the need for more local funding.

Zambia's actual expenditure on HIV/AIDS increased by almost 50% from £88 million in 2005 to £130.3 million in 2006. However, in 2006 domestic public resources accounted for 15% while 85% was provided from external sources.

NAC, through its NASF advocacy, has recommended the establishment of an AIDS Trust Fund to sustain the HIV/AIDS activities.

Inuit campaign for sexual health

16/10/2009 09:35:00

A campaign has been launched to promote sexual health among the Inuit people, who live in the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland and Alaska.

The first National Inuit Policy Forum on Sexual Health was hosted by Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada (PIWC) with delegates from Nunavut, northern Quebec, Labrador and the Northwest Territories.

Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada, and was separated officially from the Northwest Territories in 1999.

Said its premier Eva AAriak: "Everyone deserves to have healthy sexuality as a fulfilling and affirming aspect of life," stressing that she is committed to good sexual and reproductive health.

PIWC spokeswoman Rhoda Innuksuk said: "There's a lot of really serious issues regarding sexuality and unmarried couples having children, and young kids having children.

"We will be able to bring more understanding, in depth, as to what our lives are all about. I hope that they will be able to start planning, start thinking about planning for themselves and their own future."

Disposable trocars effective: study

15/10/2009 09:05:02

New research has found that a disposable device for inserting contraceptive implants reduces the need for instrument sterilisation, compared to the traditional reusable kind.

The new trocar is nearly as effective as the reusable trocar, according to research carried out by Markus Steiner, from Family Health International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.

Mr Steiner and colleagues compared the results from using disposable trocars for two-rod implants and reusable two-rod trocars when inserting contraceptive implants.

The team, which carried out the study in two Marie Stopes International clinics in Kenya, found that the use of disposable trocar posed no problems, and could be inserted under the skin nearly as easily as reusable trocars.

Except for one case where the reusable trocar did not advance easily under the skin in a total of 160 insertions, the team found that the use of the disposable trocar did not cause any bending, breaking, adverse events or difficulty in plunger movement as different from the use of reusable trocars.

The team says: "The use of the disposable trocar eliminates the clinic-level burden of sterilisation maintenance and may prevent HIV transmission in high prevalence areas if reusable trocars are not adequately cleaned."

Global abortion decrease 'uneven'

14/10/2009 09:05:00

The increasing use of contraception globally has meant that the number of abortions and unwanted pregnancies worldwide fell by nearly four million in eight years, according to a report.

By 2003, the number of abortions across the world was an estimated 41.6 million, compared to 45.5 million in 1995.

But the report, entitled Abortion Worldwide: A Decade of Uneven Progress, highlighted that while progress has been made, it is not happening at the same levels throughout the world.

With 32 countries having laws that make abortion illegal, the Guttmacher Institute said there are still too many unsafe abortions. Many developing countries have "highly restrictive" abortion laws, which can lead to unsafe practices.

In Africa, 92% of reproductive-age women live under such laws, while in Latin America, 97% do so. However, 19 countries have reduced their legal restrictions on abortions since 1997, with only three having added restraints.

Unsafe or illegal abortions that go wrong result in 70,000 deaths and five million women requiring treatment each year. A further three million do not seek any treatment.

Dr Sharon Camp, president of the Guttmacher Institute, said: "The gains we've seen are modest in relation to what we can achieve."

(Guttmacher Institute)

Marie Stopes International comments:

This new report confirms what Marie Stopes International has known for decades - that global increases in the use of modern family planning methods have contributed to a decrease in the number of unintended pregnancies and, in turn, a decline in the number of abortions. Through its programmes in 43 countries, Marie Stopes International provides a full range of modern contraceptive methods to offer women the widest possible choice and in 2008 provided 143 million condoms, 7.9 million contraceptive pills and 779,000 contraceptive injections to meet women’s reproductive health needs.

However, as the new report notes, whilst both the developed and the developing world experienced positive trends in increased contraceptive use, developed regions saw the greatest progress. In order to achieve a lasting lower rate of abortion globally, people in both developed countries and the developing world need access to contraceptive services and information in an environment which is politically, economically and culturally supportive of their basic human right to choose whether, and when, to have children.

The decline in worldwide abortion numbers occurred alongside a global trend toward liberalising abortion laws, revealing that giving women the legal right to abortion does not mean that numbers of abortions will increase. Nevertheless, 40% of women of childbearing age (15-44) still live in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws. Abortion, when legal and provided with care by skilled practitioners, is one of the simplest and safest procedures known to medical science. But in the absence of safe, lawful services, women risk their lives accessing unsafe, back street abortions often performed by unqualified practitioners, or by trying to self-induce abortion using dangerous methods; 70,000 women die each year from the effects of unsafe abortion. This is unacceptable, given that such deaths are preventable.

To reduce unsafe abortion and its consequences politicians, medical professionals and healthcare agencies need to expand contraceptive access to prevent unplanned conceptions. We also need to continue the struggle to achieve frameworks for safe, legal abortion wherever it is denied, to break-down the procedural, economic, informational and cultural barriers that currently prevent women from accessing services.

'Lab-on-a-chip' cancer breakthrough

12/10/2009 00:00:00

A breast cancer detection and therapy breakthrough has been announced by Belgium-based nanotechnology research company IMEC.

The research involves a 'lab-on-a-chip' that provides a fast, easy-to-use, cost-effective test method which can be performed in a doctor's surgery.

Developed in conjunction with the Institut fur Mikrotechnik Mainz (IMM), it uses research from the European Sixth Framework Project MASCOT.

It is the first time that lab-on-a-chip technology, including complex sample preparation and multiplex detection, has been used for cancer detection.

The system will be clinically validated in a breast cancer therapy study in Oslo, Norway.

African maternal health unimproved

08/10/2009 00:00:00

The health of mothers in Africa during pregnancy and labour is not improving, according to leading gynaecologists and obstetricians.

The International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), has stated that of the worldwide total of deaths during pregnancy and labour, half of those take place in Africa.

Speaking at FIGO's 19th World Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, held in Cape Town, the president of FIGO, Dorothy Shaw said: "The overall situation in sub-Saharan Africa with regards to maternal health has not improved.

"Of the 529,000 maternal deaths worldwide that die each year during pregnancy and child labour, half lived in sub-Saharan Africa,"

More than 2,000 gynaecologists, obstetricians and other health workers attended the conference, where FIGO launched its 2009 world report on women's health.

(International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics)

Leaders slammed over women's rights

07/10/2009 00:00:00

The South African government has come under fire after it allegedly failed to promote full equality for women during a UN debate.

The debate took place at the United Nation's Human Rights Commission in Geneva and Thabo Makgoba, the Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, has now spoken out on the issue.

He has called for the government to ensure it upholds its commitment to women's rights and pointed to its importance in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

After speaking at a seminar hosted by the Anglican AIDS and Healthcare Trust, he said: "This is especially so in our region, where gender inequality has been identified as one of the drivers of the pandemic, and wherever women have limited or no power to protect themselves against infection."

Equality Now, a women's rights advocacy group which has researched laws discriminating against women for the past 15 years, said: "By blocking the proposal for an independent expert, South Africa is not only letting down its own women but also the women of the world. It is a shame that the South African delegation is choosing to oppose a resolution that appears to finally have a chance of succeeding at the UN."

Education 'cuts pregnancy rate'

07/10/2009 00:00:00

The number of unwanted pregnancies falls when teenagers are given health education and contraception information, a review has found.

Researchers, led by Chioma Oringanje of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital in Nigeria drew on 41 studies involving 95,662 ethnically diverse boys and girls, most between 9 to 19 years old, concluding that there was a direct correlation between education levels and teenage pregnancies.

The study said: "Adolescents who have an unintended pregnancy face a number of challenges, including abandonment by their partners, inability to complete school education and increased adverse pregnancy outcomes."

The report also highlighted the global nature of the problem, pointing out that, even in developed countries like the US, 9% of adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant each year.

The study appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration - an international organisation that evaluates research in all aspects of health care.

Calls for fake hymen ban in Egypt

06/10/2009 00:00:00

A Chinese company which make kits to help woman convince their husbands they are virgins has been criticised by Egyptian politicians.

The company, Gigimo, distributes The Artificial Virginity Hymen to help women fake their virginity. The product costs around 30 dollars and leaks a blood-like liquid when inserted and broken. Delivery of it is available in all Arab countries.

But politicians in Egypt want to ban the import of the product as they believe it is culturally important to preserve sex before marriage.

The row started when a reporter from Radio Netherlands broadcast an Arabic translation of the Chinese advertisement of the product.

The report sparked fears among conservative parliament members that Egyptian women might start ordering the kits.

Sheik Sayed Askar, a member of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood who is on the parliamentary committee on religious affairs, said the kit will make it easier for Egyptian women to give in to temptation. He demanded the government take responsibility for fighting the product to uphold Egyptian and Arab values.

"It will be a mark of shame on the ruling party if it allowed this product to enter the market," he said.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest political opposition group, holds 88 of Egypt's 454 parliament seats.

Prominent Egyptian religious scholar Abdel Moati Bayoumi said anyone who imports the artificial hymen should be punished.

"This product encourages illicit sexual relations. Islamic culture forbids these relations except within the confines of marriage," he said. "I think this should absolutely not be allowed to be exported because it brings more harm than benefits. Whoever does it (imports it) should be punished."

Heavy bleeding treatment approved

05/10/2009 00:00:00

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding.

Developed by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Mirena is the first non-surgical option to treat the problem that effects between 9% and 14% of women.

Heavy menstrual bleeding is one of the most common reasons for women to visit their GP.

Signs include the need to use double sanitary protection, menstrual flow that soaks through one or more sanitary towels an hour, or the need to change protection during the night.

Dr Andrew Kaunitz, of the University of Florida, said many women choose to suffer privately with their symptoms due to a lack of options available to them.

He said non-surgical options are limited, and women often have to choose surgical procedures such as hysterectomies.

"In a clinical trial, nearly nine out of 10 women were treated successfully for heavy menstrual bleeding with Mirena. This makes it an effective, non-surgical first-line option," he said.

AIDS treatment sees global increase

01/10/2009 00:00:00

Four million AIDS sufferers worldwide are now receiving treatment - a 10-fold increase in five years - according to the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the UN AIDS program.

But they report that five million others are still in "dire need" of drugs, particularly in Africa, the current focus of the global HIV epidemic.

Says Daniel Halperin, a Harvard University AIDS expert: "Even though there are some unanswered questions, this is a dramatic improvement. It shows that all this money that has gone to treatment has made some difference."

Official estimates for last year indicate that four million people in low- and middle-income countries are taking AIDS drugs, including three million in sub-Saharan Africa.

There, 44% of people who need drugs are now taking them, rising to 71% in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Says WHO acting AIDS director Dr Teguest Guerma: "We have invested a lot of funds into HIV/AIDS, but it has been a worthwhile investment because we have saved lives."

FDA questions oral contraceptives

30/09/2009 00:00:00

Oral contraceptives Yasmin and Yaz have been the subject of health warnings by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to a the New York Times.

Both were approved by the FDA, in 2001 and 2006 respectively, despite evidence that an ingredient, drospirenone, can increase the body's potassium levels.

Such an increase may risk the health of women with liver and kidney problems, and is the focus of lawsuits filed against manufacturer Bayer Healthcare.

The Times reports that the drugs' popularity - they generated £1.13 billion in worldwide sales last year - is in part due to multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns.

It says that industry analysts believe the health fears may "rattle consumer confidence" and harm the drugs' image as the "go-to brands for women under 35".

It cites warning letters the FDA has sent to the company, which repeat lawyers' allegations that Bayer was aware of, or should have been aware of, the problems.

There are many different methods of contraception available globally, and it is vital that women discuss their contraceptive options with a healthcare professional in order to choose a method that best suits her lifestyle, and to consider the health benefits and health risks of each contraceptive option based on her individual medical history.

Spanish morning after pill rules relaxed

29/09/2009 00:00:00

The "morning after" contraceptive pill is available without prescription in Spain for the first time, the health ministry has said.

According to health ministry figures, the number of abortions doubled between 1998 and 2007, prompting the government to make the pill available on demand.

Trinidad Jimenez, health minister, said: "It's important to facilitate access to all women, irrespective of their place of residence, as it is important to take this pill in the 72 hours after sexual relations."

However, Ms Jimenez said that the move was aimed at "avoiding unwanted pregnancies" but cautioned that it should not be used as a "habitual method of contraception".

The pill, which was available only on prescription until now, will be sold over-the-counter to persons of any age.

The Spanish health ministry had announced the move last May, as other countries - including France, Britain and the United States - which allowed over-the-counter access to the "morning after" pill, had seen a "significant" decrease in the number of unwanted pregnancies.

Most fail to use contraception for first-time sex

28/09/2009 00:00:00

The results of a new survey have found that 55% of Irish people do not use contraception when having sex for the first time.

Monday is World Contraception Day which specifically targets those between 18 and 25 years and aims to raise awareness of contraception and improve the level of education.

The theme of this year's campaign is "Your Life, Your Voice; Talk Contraception."

Alison Begas from the Dublin Well Woman Centre said we need to make more educated choices in relation to reproductive and sexual health.

"No need" for smears in 50 years

25/09/2009 00:00:00

Smear tests could become unnecessary if European governments take decisive action to vaccinate all women against cervical cancer, according to an expert.

In five decades it could be possible to wipe out all cases of the disease, as vaccines are available or in development for every strain of human papilloma virus (HPV) that leads to the cancer.

Two of the nine strains already have vaccinations, which could eradicate up to 75% of cervical cancers, said Professor Jack Cuzick of the Cancer Research UK Centre for Epidemiology in London.

Speaking about vaccines in development at a cancer conference in Berlin, he said: "If they are successful, there should be no need to screen women that have been vaccinated at all.

"That's the long term future: vaccination and no screening. After about 50 years, we could see cervical cancer disappearing."

Prof Cuzick told the ECCO 15-ESMO 34 congress that vaccinated women over the age of 16 will still need regular screening throughout their lives, because "the vaccine is not effective in women who have already been exposed to the virus". He called for automated HPV screening to replace traditional "Pap" smear tests which search for abnormal cervical cells.

Tests provide hope of AIDS vaccine

24/09/2009 00:00:00

Tests into an experimental AIDS vaccine have shown it can prevent the risk of becoming infected by up to 31%, according to researchers in Bangkok.

Results from more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand provide hope that "we could have a safe and effective preventative vaccine," according to study leader Col Jerome Kim, of the Thailand Ministry of Public Health.

The scientists involved in the study used strains of AIDS common in Thailand, and it is not known whether the vaccine would work against strains of the virus found in Africa, the US, or other parts of the world.

A two-drug "prime-boost" vaccine combination was used in the study. The first vaccine primes the body to attack HIV/AIDS, while the second strengthens the immune system's response.

The drugs used in the study were ALVAC, made by French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis, and AIDSVAX, developed by VaxGen. ALVAC, which uses an altered form of the bird virus canarypox, carries synthetic versions of three HIV genes into the body. AIDSVAX is made up of a genetically engineered version of a protein found on the surface of HIV. Neither vaccine can cause the disease.

The UN estimates around two million people died of AIDS worldwide in 2007, while every day 7,500 people are newly infected.

Women's sexual desire multi-faceted

23/09/2009 00:00:00

The motivation behind a woman's desire to have sex is not necessarily just to do with romantic emotions or an urge to reproduce, according to a study.

Psychologists at the University of Texas interviewed over 1,000 women and found the decisions ruling why they had sex were many and varied. Motivations ranged from boredom or feeling sorry for someone, to downright maliciousness - with one women admitting she wanted to give someone a sexual disease.

Evolutionary psychology professor David Buss and Cindy Meston, a clinical psychology professor, collected personal accounts from women of diverse educational, ethnic and religious backgrounds on their reasons for having sex and recorded them in their new book Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between).

Of those surveyed, 50% said they had engaged in sexual activity in order to cure a migraine. A massive 84% of women said they had had sex out of a sense of duty, compared with 64% of husbands.

Prof Buss said: "One thing that's interesting about our study is that it goes against the stereotype that men desire sex for pleasure while women have sex only for love or commitment."

Prof Meston added: "We knew motivations for sex were more complex than what had previously been talked about in the literature -- having a baby, love and physical pleasure.

"But we were still astonished by the amazing diversity of sexual motivations -- from curing a headache to feeling closer to God to getting their partners to take out the trash."

One third neglect contraception use

22/09/2009 00:00:00

Nearly one in three women at risk for an unintended pregnancy do not use contraception, a new study has revealed.

The study by Pamela Xaverius and colleagues, of Saint Louis University, Missouri, examined health-related behaviours of fertile women who do not intend to conceive.

The survey of 55,539 women found that the group also involved in a higher rate of unhealthy behaviours and lesser healthcare encounters than those using contraception.

According to the study, 29% were at a high risk for unintended pregnancy as they do not use birth control.

When demographic adjustments were taken into account, high-risk women were 1.23 times more likely to be obese and 1.20 times more likely to smoke than low-risk women who used contraception.

Additionally, this high-risk group were also 27% less likely to exercise when compared with the low-risk women and were 27% less likely to consume alcohol and 11% less likely to binge drink.

The percentage of high-risk women going for a Papilloma virus smear test, sexually transmitted disease counselling, and a HIV test, was respectively 62%, 44%, and 19% less compared with women using birth control.

AIDS vaccine to commence testing

21/09/2009 00:00:00

Clinical trials of the first AIDS vaccines to be created by a developing country are to begin later this month.

The treatment, which was designed by the University of Cape Town with technical help from the US National Institutes of Health, was made specifically for the HIV subtype C strain common in South Africa.

Anthony Mbewu, president of South Africa's government-supported Medical Research Council, who shepherded the project, said he wanted to "ensure that once developed, the vaccine would be available at an affordable price".

Trials to test the safety of the vaccine in humans will commence later this month on 36 healthy volunteers.

South African politicians have previously shocked the world with controversial statements about AIDS, with former South African President Thabo Mbeki linking the virus to poverty in a speech to the International AIDS Conference.

Condoms could reduce climate change

18/09/2009 00:00:00

Developing countries need better access to contraception to help contain the impact of climate change, research led by Maire Stopes International's Leo Bryant and published in The Lancet has said.

Providing contraception to 200 million women around the world could stop 76 million unwanted pregnancies a year, reducing population pressure on the environment.

In an editorial, the journal said: "Countries in the developing world least responsible for the growing emissions are likely to experience the heaviest impact of climate change, with women bearing the greatest toll.

"In tandem with other factors, rapid population growth in these regions increases the scale of vulnerability to the consequences of climate change, for example, food and water scarcity, environmental degradation, and human displacement."

Non-government organisations (NGOs) were criticised by the journal for not doing enough to change social attitudes, instead "working in silos".

Family planning falls under health rather than environment ministries, which may explain why 37 of the least developed countries recognised the link between climate change and population growth, but only six included family planning in their adaptation strategies in World Health Organisation (WHO) studies, said The Lancet.

In fact, of 448 projects submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change by developing countries, only 7% involved the health sector.

Drug boost for oral HIV/AIDS infection

16/09/2009 00:00:00

The yeast mouth infection thrush can be effectively treated in HIV/AIDS patients with a single tablet rather than the traditional regime of five pills a day, according to research.

And because the medication is not absorbed into other parts of the body, it avoids side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and liver dysfunction.

Dr Jose Vazquez, of the infectious diseases division of the Henry Ford Hospital, presented the research to the annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in San Francisco.

He outlined how a small daily tablet that sticks to the gum and dissolves inside the mouth effectively combats the oral candidiasis (OC) condition, which affects up to one half of HIV and most AIDs patients.

It is also found in three quarters of patients suffering from many forms of cancer, particularly those of the head and neck.

Says Dr Vazquez: "This is an exciting, new, convenient way for treating this infection. It releases an anti-fungal agent over the course of six to eight hours. Because it stays in the mouth, it provides the same relief as the oral medication, but with few or no side effects."

(Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy)

Genetics clue to early sexual activity

15/09/2009 00:00:00

Genetics may explain why children who live in homes without fathers have sex at a younger age than others, according to a new report.

The study, published in the American journal Child Development, found a genetic theory to challenge "environmental" theories which previously explained the link.

Researchers looked at more than 1,000 cousins aged 14 and older, testing for genetic influences as well as factors such as poverty, education opportunities and religion.

It compared children who were related in different ways to each other, and who differed in whether they had lived with their fathers.

The more genes the children shared, the more similar their ages of first intercourse - regardless of whether or not the children had an absent father.

This finding, the researchers say, suggests environmental theories do not fully explain the link. Instead, genetic influence can help understand the tie between fathers' absence and early sex.

"Our study found that the association between fathers' absence and children's sexuality is best explained by genetic influences, rather than by environmental theories alone," according to Jane Mendle, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, which led the study.

Among prior environmental explanations of why children who live in homes without fathers have sex earlier are that early childhood stress accelerates children's physical development; that children who see their parents dating may start dating earlier, and that it's harder for a single parent to monitor and supervise children's activities and peers.

(Child Development)

Seizure drug helps menopausal sleep

15/09/2009 00:00:00

Menopausal women who have trouble sleeping due to hot flushes could be treated with a seizure drug to help them sleep through the night, researchers have suggested.

Trials of seizure treatment drug Gabapentin indicated women who took a 300 milligrams daily dose enjoyed better sleep.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center, New York, had previously found the drug helped relieve hot flushes, but also that about 40% of women going through menopause could not fall asleep easily, or wake during the night.

They claim their current study is the first to show sustained increases of sleep quality with Gabapentin.

Using their previous study results, the researchers took 59 menopausal women who had between seven and 20 hot flushes a day. Half the volunteers took the drug, and the others took a placebo.

The results were compared with a well-known and validated sleep questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and women on Gabapentin reported higher sleep quality than those on the placebo.

"Gabapentin improves sleep quality but does not have the potential dependency problems of some other sleep medications and does not involve the use of hormone replacement therapy," wrote Dr. Michael E. Yurcheshen, who led the study, in a university-issued statement.

Texas girls denied contraceptives

14/09/2009 00:00:00

It is harder for young girls to get confidential access to contraceptives in Texas than any other US state, according to a report in the Dallas Morning News.

This is despite the fact the state reportedly has the highest rate of repeat teen pregnancies in the country.

It is one of only four states that does not include contraception in its version of the Children's Health Insurance Program.

And while spending $1.2 billion on Medicaid to cover 228,000 births a year, it does not automatically extend coverage for family-planning services.

The newspaper reports that access to prescription birth control without parental consent is severely restricted, while state funds cannot be used to provide minors with confidential contraceptive services.

Even girls who have already given birth cannot obtain contraceptives without parental consent at nearly one third of family-planning clinics.

This is partly due to the fact that doctors are apparently unaware that Texas law does not actually rule on whether a minor may independently be given contraceptives, says the newspaper.

Circumcision 'prevents HIV/Aids'

14/09/2009 00:00:00

The spread of heterosexual HIV/Aids in Africa could be tackled cheaply and effectively by male circumcision, according to a UN study published in the open access journal PLoS Medicine.

It says that one infection could be prevented for every five to 15 operations at a cost over 10 years of between $150 and $900. Each circumcision procedure costs between $30 and $60, with neonatal circumcision costing just one-third of that.

That compares with lifetime first-line treatment for the disease of more than $7,000 (£4,200) per patient, double that if second-line therapies are also employed.

The report is based on findings of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA).

However, the report says that circumcision would not have the same impact on HIV transmission among homosexual men.

Cervical cancer jab nears approval

10/09/2009 00:00:00

A long-delayed vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline successfully blocks the leading virus that causes cervical cancer in women, federal health officials have announced.

The vaccine Cerafix was voted overwhelmingly as safe and effective for females between the ages of 10 and 25 by the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) vaccine panel. Glaxo will be able to compete with Merck's vaccine Gardasil, which has controlled the market in the U.S. since 2006, if the FDA follows the panel's advice.

The U.S. launch of the vaccine was delayed when the FDA said it required more data on it in 2007, despite the London-based drugmaker Glaxo already securing European approval of the vaccine.

Panellists have recommended follow-up studies to monitor miscarriages and inflammatory-muscular problems reported by a low number of patients, although the newer studies suggest the vaccine is safe. The issues are unlikely to be caused by the vaccine, but should be noted on the product's labelling, according to the panel.

"This wasn't a pregnancy trial and it wasn't meant to be used in pregnancy, it just happened accidentally," said Dr. Kenneth Noller, of Tufts University. "I think this could be marketed with the usual caveat that it's not to be used in pregnancy."

Free HIV/Aids tests in Ethiopia

09/09/2009 00:00:00

Free HIV/Aids tests are being offered in Ethiopia in a mobile-phone text-messaging campaign timed to coincide with the country's New Year celebrations.

The message reads: "New Year! New Life! Test for HIV, test with your partner, get your children tested and brighten the future of your family! Free testing. Happy New Year!"

Because sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous nation still adheres to a calendar of 13 months, its New Year falls on September 11.

An officially estimated 1.1 million of Ethiopia's 78 million population are infected with HIV, according to the government.

Says Meskele Lera, deputy director of the country's Federal HIV and Aids Prevention and Control Office: "About half a million a year used to be tested. That has been increasing every year and, with the help of the publicity campaign we started with our millennium, we tested 5.8 million last year."

Gardasil 'safe for use in boys'

07/09/2009 00:00:00

A US medical reviewer has said that Merck's Gardasil vaccine could be safe and effective in preventing genital warts caused by certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) among young men and boys.

The vaccine is currently approved for use in girls and young women, and Merck is seeking permission to market it for males aged between 9 and 26 years.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the memo by its staff reviewer ahead of a meeting of its advisory panel to discuss the new use of Gardasil.

The reviewer said no issues with safety had been observed in Merck's data and the drug appeared to be effective in preventing warts caused by certain types of the virus.

There are more than 100 strains of HPV, many of which are sexually transmitted. Gardasil was first approved in 2006 as a vaccine protecting against cervical cancer and precancerous cervical and vaginal lesions as well as genital warts.

Merck said it expects the FDA to make its final decision this autumn.

HPV vaccine may prevent breast cancer

04/09/2009 00:00:00

Some forms of breast cancer could be prevented by vaccinating women against the human papillomavirus (HPV), saving tens of thousands of lives every year, according to a study.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales used genetic probes to test cancerous breast cells and discovered several strains of HPVs known to have a high risk of initiating cancer of the cervix. HPV plays a causal role in between 90 and 95% of cervical cancers.

Published in the British Journal of Cancer, the study was carried out by a team from the UNSW School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences and led by Professor James Lawson.

The team observed the presence of high-risk HPV in the nuclei of breast cancer epithelial cells in five of 13 ductal carcinoma and three of 14 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) breast cancer specimens.

UNSW researcher, Dr Noel Whitaker said: "The finding that high risk HPV is present in a significant number of breast cancers indicates they may have a causal role in many breast cancers.

"Confirming a cancer-causing role for HPV in some breast cancers establishes the possibility of preventing some breast cancers by vaccination against HPV."

Plea for more contraception funding

03/09/2009 00:00:00

It would cost just 10 days worth of global military spending to ensure that women are not condemned to die in childbirth, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

That sum, estimated at $23 billion (£14 billion), would fund contraception and maternity services to prevent women from having unintended pregnancies and dying in childbirth.

UNFPA director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid was speaking at the start of a forum on sexual and reproductive health that included hundreds of health experts and aid workers from around the world.

The population fund finances contraception campaigns aimed at reducing the annual toll of 500,000 women who die during pregnancy or childbirth.

The forum seeks to assess progress since a landmark population and development conference in Cairo in 1994 at which 179 nations pledged to spend $17 billion (£10.5 billion) a year on family planning and maternal health.

It was the first time that population problems had been discussed in terms of individual rights rather than demographic control.

UN appeals for maternal health help

03/09/2009 00:00:00

With a woman dying every minute due to complications in childbirth or pregnancy, the UN has appealed for more to be done to improve women's health and access to contraception.

Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), claims it would cost $23 billion (£14.2 billion) worldwide to stop unintended pregnancies and women dying in childbirth.

At the start of a forum on sexual and reproductive health, Mr Obaid said such a sum represents "less than 10 days of the world's military spending".

The UNFPA finances contraception campaigns aimed at reducing the annual toll of 500,000 women dying in pregnancy or childbirth. The aim of the forum is to assess progress since a landmark population and development conference held in Cairo in 1994.

The conference was the first time that population problems were discussed in terms of individual rights rather than demographic control. The 179 nations present agreed at the time to spend $17 billion (£10.5 billion) on family planning and maternal health.

Positive contraceptive test results

02/09/2009 00:00:00

A very low dose of ethinyl estradiol (EE) combined with chlormadinone acetate is an effective oral contraceptive, according to research by Jurgen Spona and colleagues at Vienna-based Vitalogic.

They report that a 24/4-day intake regimen effectively inhibits ovulation, cervical function and endometrial growth.

The study included 36 women treated with 0.02 mg EE/2 mg chlormadinone acetate, and resulted in three-quarters achieving Hoogland and Skouby grade 1 scores, indicating no ovarian activity.

The highest incidences was seen in cycles 2 (82.8%) and 3 (79.4%). Residual ovarian activity was seen in 15.9% of cycles, which compares favourably to that seen for chlormadinone acetate combinations with 0.03 mg EE given in a 21-day intake regimen (14.8%).

Meanwhile, residual ovarian activity with other 0.02 mg EE-containing COCs in a 21-day intake regimen has been reported to be between 21% and 30%.

Endometrial thickness follicular diameter was suppressed to 4-5 mm and less than 10 mm compared with 10-12 mm and 19.65-20.70 mm, respectively, without medication.

Progesterone and EE levels were also significantly suppressed during medication cycles compared with non-medication cycles. Cervical reaction was negative.

Utah discusses two-tier sex ed plan

01/09/2009 00:00:00

A controversial law dictating how children in Utah are taught sexual education is under consideration following a Planned Parenthood Action Council meeting between lawmakers and local residents.

The meeting, which discussed revisions to sex education in the state, proposed that only two methods of teaching sex education should be offered in schools. State Rep. Lynn Hemingway said in a draft bill that one method would teach abstinence-only sex education.

The other method would emphasises abstinence - including discussion of sexually transmitted infections and contraception. This method would require parental permission. Teachers are allowed to discuss contraceptives and STIs with pupils under current Utah law. The law allows students to be taught less than the law requires, but not more.

The current law is ineffective because although teachers can discuss contraceptives, they cannot encourage their use, Hemingway said.

She added that the law needed revising due to rising rates of teenage pregnancy and STIs in Utah.

Hemingway said: "I want to be sure parents can be certain if they want abstinence only education, their children can get it. I also want to be certain that if parents want to get a little more detail in their children's education, they can do that."

Work 'affects teen sexual health'

28/08/2009 00:00:00

A study has claimed that allowing teenagers to work long hours in the wrong environment can be dangerous for their sexual health.

It can create conditions that lead them to older sexual partners, according to the University of Michigan report on what factors predict the age of sexual partners.

One of its authors, Jose Bauermeister, believes the age difference of sexual partners is important because a larger age difference is linked with riskier sexual behaviour and STDs, including HIV.

Bauermeister, an assistant research professor in the School of Public Health, found that a youth's self esteem and alcohol use also affect the age difference between sexual partners.

Overall, the research shows that teenagers who work part-time benefit in almost all areas. However, those benefits come with caveats, according to Bauermeister.

He warned that working too many hours in an adult atmosphere without adequate supervision can lead to exposure to adults and eventually sexual activity with older partners, especially for young girls.

(University of Michigan)

Warning over fatal HIV drug effects

27/08/2009 00:00:00

A pharmaceutical company has sent out warnings about the potentially lethal side effects of HIV drug Intelence.

Johnson & Johnson`s Tibotec unit has written to doctors about the drug, which was approved for use in January, but has caused allergic skin reactions and liver damage.

Some patients have developed Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a skin disease which can turn deadly but starts with fatigue, fever and a sore throat.

The US regulator Food and Drug Administration has changed the label on Intelence, which blocks the enzymes HIV needs to multiply, to include details of the reactions.

Patients who develop fever, rash, fatigue or other undesirable reactions while using the drug should stop immediately, it warned.

(Johnson and Johnson)

US students gets access to One-Step

26/08/2009 00:00:00

College students in the Chicago returning after the summer break can now access the emergency contraceptive, Plan B One-Step (levonorgestrel) at local pharmacies.

Students aged 17 and older can now get the 1.5 mg tablet as part of a drive to tackle unwanted pregnancies.

Ashlesha Patel from Hospital of Cook County in Chicago, said: "With new Plan B One-Step, women can now help prevent an unintended pregnancy after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure with just one pill in one dose.

"Emergency contraception is more effective the sooner it's taken, and Plan B One-Step provides a back-up plan that's only one pill away."

Figures show that in the US the number of unintended pregnancies is higher among among college-age women.

As a result sexual health groups are making it a priority to give these women options.

Kelli Conlin, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, said: "I encourage all women to use primary contraception consistently and correctly, and also keep emergency contraception on-hand in their dorm room or apartment so it is readily available if the unexpected does happen."

HPV virus linked to penile cancers

25/08/2009 00:00:00

Sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) could be responsible for nearly half of all penile cancers, according to a new study.

Spanish researchers evaluated the prevalence of HPV in penile cancer from 31 major studies published between 1986 and June 2008. They concluded that HPV vaccines already in use could help fight tumours of the penis.

The virus is also linked to cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina and anus in women, and to anal and penile cancers in men.

Risk factors for penile cancers include poor hygiene, multiple sexual partners, unretractable foreskin and not being circumcised. A history of smoking and of other sexually transmitted infections are also thought to heighten the risk.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Cancer Epidemiology Research Program at the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Barcelona, Spain. It is due to be published in the Journal of Clinical Pathology.

The researchers conclude: "Systematic international studies are ongoing, they will probably help in reducing uncertainty and provide new evidence on the involvement of HPV in penile carcinomas."

The incidence of penile cancer is relatively low. In Europe and North America they account for less than 1% of adult male cancers, but in Africa and Asia the figure is as high as 10%. Nearly 26,300 new cases are reported across the globe every year.

US considering universal circumcision

24/08/2009 00:00:00

US health officials are considering whether to promote routine circumcision for all baby boys born in the country as a way to reduce the spread of HIV.

The New York Times reports that experts are also considering whether circumcision should also be offered to adult heterosexual men whose sexual behaviour puts them at higher risk of infection.

The reasons behind the consideration stem from several studies in support of male circumcision as a way to reduce HIV spread.

Trials in Africa, where there are several countries with severe AIDS and HIV epidemics, have shown that male circumcision reduced HIV infection risk by 50% in heterosexual men who were at high risk of infection from women with HIV.

And earlier this year, an Australian study suggested that the inner foreskin has the largest concentration of Langerhans' cells, which are the initial cellular targets in the sexual transmission of HIV. The researchers suggested that removing the skin surface which is most susceptible to the virus would reduce the risk of contracting HIV.

"What we've heard from our consultants is that there would be a benefit for infants from infant circumcision, and that the benefits outweigh the risks," Dr Peter Kilmar told the New York Times.

Dr Kilmar is the chief epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's official, which will publish draft recommendations on the subject at the end of the year.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Nurses 'can treat HIV in Africa'

21/08/2009 00:00:00

Researchers believe nurses and clinical officers can determine when a person should receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV/AIDS.

This would ease the strain on overstretched doctors in sub-Saharan Africa and thereby help increase access to antiretroviral therapy, particularly in rural areas, according to researchers writing in BioMed Central's journal Human Resources for Health.

Ashwin Vasan, from the University of Michigan and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, worked with researchers in 12 Ugandan clinics.

They examined the degree of agreement between the decisions of non-physician clinicians and those made by fully trained doctors.

He concluded: "Nurses and clinical officers showed moderate to almost perfect agreement with physicians in their final ART recommendations. Considering that the scarcity of physicians in sub-Saharan Africa is constraining access to HIV treatment, particularly in rural clinics staffed only by NPCs, our results could lead to immediate benefits with respect to ART scale-up and decentralisation.

"Non-physician clinicians at primary care clinics should be trained, supported, and empowered to deliver antiretroviral therapy independently, with the support - but not necessarily the full-time presence - of a physician."

Director lays out plans for NIH

20/08/2009 00:00:00

The director of US research centre the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has said his religious beliefs will not influence the decisions he makes on medical science and research.

Francis Collins, who has an evangelical Christian faith, was nominated by President Obama for the new director post and was unanimously voted in by the Senate.

He is well known and respected for "finding common ground between belief in God and science" and has worked in the field of mapping the human genome.

President George W Bush's administration was criticised for allegedly allowing religious ideology to influence policy, such as restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.

But in an interview, Mr Collins said: "The NIH director needs to focus on science. I have no religious agenda for the NIH."

Before working for Obama's presidential campaign, Collins worked at NIH for 15 years and found the BioLogos Foundation, which works to bridge gaps between faith and science.

However, he has resigned from his post at BioLogos to start his job as NIH director.

While outlining some of his objectives for NIH, he said he planned to focus on personalised medicine to prevent unnecessary treatment such as chemotherapy to rule out aggressive forms of cancer.

Simple test to detect endometriosis

19/08/2009 00:00:00

Experts are calling for the introduction of a new simple test that can detect endometriosis with almost 100% accuracy.

Endometriosis is a painful condition that arises when cells normally found in the womb lining attach themselves to other parts of the body. It occurs in several places in the body, such as the fallopian tubes, ovaries and bladder and can lead to infertility. There are currently around two million sufferers in the UK.

While some women have few or no symptoms at all, the most common symptom is pain or discomfort.

The condition is currently detected using the invasive surgical procedure laparoscopy, which involves going through the belly button and is performed under general anaesthetic, but researchers from Australia and Jordan have tested a new tool to replace it.

The findings published in the journal Human Reproduction show that a sample of the the lining of the uterus (endometrium) can be removed during a biopsy via the vagina, which can then be tested for the presence of nerve fibres that predict endometriosis.

The researchers said: "There is still a substantial delay in the diagnosis of endometriosis in most countries.

"The length of time from the onset of symptoms to the definite diagnosis is often quite long, with an average of 6 to 10 years in many centres."

Asian women at high risk of HIV

18/08/2009 00:00:00

A report claims around 50 million women in Asia are at risk of contracting HIV from their husbands or long-term partners.

The report released at the Ninth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific shows in 2008 women accounted for 35% of all adult HIV cases in Asia, compared with 17% in 1990.

According to UNAIDS, 90% of the 1.7 million HIV-positive women in Asia contracted the virus from their husbands or long-term partners. Other data shows that most new cases in Cambodia, India and Thailand occur among married women.

The report cites the spread of HIV in Asia mainly to unprotected commercial sex, the sharing of dirty needles among drug users and unprotected sex among gay men.

However, the report claims men who regularly buy sex - at least 75 million men in Asia - make up the largest group living with HIV and most of these are either married or will get married.

UNAIDS said: "This puts a significant number of women, often perceived as low risk because they only have sex with their husbands or long-term partners, at risk of HIV infection."

Genital cutting a risk in pregnancy

17/08/2009 00:00:00

Women face an increased risk of needing an emergency Cesarean section or suffering serious tears during childbirth if they underwent female genital cutting as children, according to a study.

Researchers from the University of Berne, in Switzerland, looked at 122 pregnant women with a history of genital mutilation - which is also known as female "circumcision" and involves removing part or all of a girl's clitoris and labia, and sometimes narrowing the opening to the vagina.

Researchers, writing in the medical journal BJOG, compared their childbirth experiences with 110 other women the same age and found that 18 women with genital mutilation needed an emergency C-section, compared with three women in the comparison group.

Nine women who had undergone the procedure also suffered severe vaginal tears during delivery, while only one woman from the comparison group had the same experience.

Previous research put the number of women worldwide who have undergone female genital mutilation at around 130 million. It remains a common practice in some countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, with the growth in immigration, increasing numbers of healthcare workers in developed countries are seeing women who have undergone the practice.

US churches push early marriage

14/08/2009 00:00:00

A number of evangelical Christian groups in the US are promoting marriage at a younger age to bridge the gap between abstinence teachings and a trend toward later marriage.

Eight out of ten conservative Protestants aged between 18 and 23 who consider themselves to be religious and are in a romantic relationship are having sex. Pastors say the push for younger marriage has spread from a small number of churches to the wider evangelical community.

University of Texas sociologist Mark Regnerus is in favour of young marriage, although he says teenage marriage is too early, marrying in the early 20s is not as risky as people believe. Mr Regnerus said that evangelicals "have made much ado about sex" but are hurting marriage by discouraging and delaying it.

"I think marriage is just a fantastic institution for people who think rightly about it, have realistic ideas about it and put the requisite work into it," said Mr Regnerus.

Andrew Cherlin, a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University who studies families and public policy, said the changing role of women in society and the economy means that early marriage is less attractive than it was 50 years ago.

Recession hits U.S birth rate

13/08/2009 00:00:00

A 2% slump in American birth rate - the first fall since 2000 - has been blamed on the financial downturn, the New York Times has revealed.

The 2008 decline followed a record year for birth rate in the U.S during 2007, which was the highest for 50 years. Experts believe the lack of job security and the impact maternity leave would have on young families are the main reasons why people are avoiding having babies.

Preliminary data published by the U.S National Center for Health Statistics showed that only 10 states did not see a downturn in rate. All of these states were located in the northern region, supporting the claim that the recession is affecting statistics, as the impact of the credit crunch has not been as grand in that region.

Stephanie Coontz, research director for the Council on Contemporary Families, said that because men have been hit hardest by the recession, couples can not afford to lose the would-be mother's income.

She said: "More than 80% of the job losses in this recession have been borne by men. There are a lot of families where a maternity leave would mean that no income at all was coming in."