HIV Cases in Iowa Increasing

Health officials announced recently that the number of newly recorded HIV cases among Iowans ages 15 to 24 increased by 45% in 2008 to 16, despite the widespread availability of condoms and other prevention methods, the Iowa Press-Citizen reports. In 2008, a total of 128 new HIV cases were reported, which is the highest number recorded since reporting began in 1998. The Iowa Department of Public Health reports that people ages 20 to 29 accounted for 25% of new cases in 2008.

According to the Press-Citizen, unsafe sexual practices among the state's young adult population have contributed to the spread of HIV and the number of sexually transmitted infections. Jeff Meier, associate director of the AIDS Clinical Trial Unit at University Hospitals, said that most of the cases among young people are in the non-student population. "HIV tends to run in circles of poverty, drugs and commercial sex," he said, adding, "There is obviously much less of that in the student population." Meier added that promoting condom use is just a part of a necessary comprehensive prevention strategy.

Randy Mayer -- chief of the Bureau of HIV, STD and Hepatitis at the department of public health -- said that HIV testing at publicly funded sites in the state has decreased since 1992, although HIV prevalence has increased over the same time. For 10 years, about 30% of people in the state have reported ever receiving an HIV test. One reason young people might not be getting tested is a lack of information about cost and availability, the Press-Citizen reports. Tricia Kitzmann, deputy director of the Johnson County health department, said that she hopes to see an increase in testing as the department adheres more closely to state recommendations that encourage frequent HIV testing for the entire population, instead of only populations considered to be high-risk (Carney, Iowa Press-Citizen, 5/11).

Africa Should Manufacture Its Own Antiretrovirals

African countries should produce their own generic antiretroviral drugs in order to continue the fight against HIV/AIDS during the global economic crisis, African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs Bience Gawanas said recently during a conference for health ministers in Ethiopia, Reuters UK reports. "Africa shouldn't just import drugs all the time," Gawanas said, adding, "Most of our HIV/AIDS drugs come from sources outside Africa. How can we be sure this will continue during the financial crisis?"

According to Gawanas, economies in Africa would benefit from the local production of generic antiretrovirals. She added although a large portion of HIV-positive people in Africa do not have drug access, a few countries have made progress in terms of treatment. "Some countries in Africa now have 80% of people with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral drugs," Gawanas said, adding, "But if there are cuts (in support from donor countries) can that progress continue? We need to mobilize local production" (Malone, Reuters UK, 5/7).

Researchers Developing Pasteurization Technique To Help HIV-Positive Women Breastfeed

VOA News on Thursday examined a project to help HIV-positive women in developing countries breastfeed their infants and reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission. According to VOA News, some HIV-positive women often face a difficult decision of whether to breastfeed their children, especially in resource-limited countries where formula feeding presents health risks.

In an effort to help make breastmilk safer for infants born to HIV-positive women, Sera Young of the University of California-Davis is working with about 100 women in Tanzania and teaching them to pasteurize their milk at home through flash heating, or a double-boiling method. Young said that "as soon as the water boils, the milk has reached a hot enough temperature -- about 70 degrees Celsius -- to kill all of the HIV but maintain most of the integrity of the nutrients and the immunological properties." She adds that she hopes to learn whether women would be willing and able follow every step in the technique. According to Young, she has observed that women are able to follow it but added that women who feared revealing their HIV-positive status had more issues with the process, as people wondered why they were boiling their breastmilk.

According to Young, although the World Health Organization recommends that HIV-positive women self-pasteurize their milk, it previously was not known whether women found it feasible or acceptable to do so. She noted that researchers are planning to conduct a large clinical study that will provide the "statistical power to look at the differences between those children who received flash-heated milk and those who haven't," adding that knowing the health implications is crucial for HIV-positive women and their children (Hoban, VOA News, 5/7).

HIV Cases Increasing in Britain, UNICEF Report Says

Recent figures from UNICEF indicate that Britain recorded 7,734 new HIV cases in 2007 -- almost twice the number of cases recorded around 2000 -- London's Metro reports. According to the report, Britain has double the number of recorded HIV cases than any other Western European country. Metro reports that the country now has a record number of 77,000 HIV-positive people and that more than one-quarter of people living with the virus are unaware of their status. The highest numbers of new cases in 2007 were recorded among men who have sex with men and immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, according to UNICEF. The group's United Kingdom executive director, Anita Tiessen, said that the increase in cases is not "simply a case of people coming here with HIV -- there's a behavior issue."

One in 10 new HIV cases in 2007 was recorded among young people ages 16 to 24, and this group also accounted for nearly half of the 40,000 new sexually transmitted infection cases recorded that year. More than four in 10 new HIV cases were recorded among MSM, and Metro reports that cases recorded among this group continue to increase. Tiessen said that Britain's "sizeable" immigrant population from sub-Saharan African might be contributing to the country HIV/AIDS figures; however, she added that sexual behavior among young people also is a key factor and urged government officials to lead "youth-friendly" prevention campaigns. The Department of Health said it will continue funding for organizations such as the Terrance Higgins Trust and the African HIV Policy Network, which target at-risk groups such as MSM and immigrants (Attewill, Metro, 5/7).

Eliminate HIV

‘UNIVERSAL VOLUNTARY HIV TESTING WITH IMMEDIATE ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY AS A STRATEGY FOR ELIMINATION OF HIV TRANSMISSION: A MATHEMATICAL MODEL’

In November 2008, an article was published in the renowned medical journal, the Lancet. The article is co-authored by Reuben Granich, Kevin de Cock and Charlie Gilks. The authors of the article are leading members of World Health Organization (WHO) HIV and TB team, but the study is an independent work that has not been endorsed by the WHO. Based on computer modeling, the authors argued that universal HIV testing, followed by the immediate initiation of ART for those who were HIV-positive, could virtually eliminate HIV transmission in the future and reduce the number of people developing AIDS by 95%.

The article aroused heated debate amongst HIV activists, healthcare workers, scientists and officials at organizations like UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO). The debate focused on the human rights implications of the implementation of universal mandatory testing, the potential criminalisation of HIV transmission, and the lack of consideration given to the negative outcomes proven to be associated with universal mandatory HIV testing. However debaters agreed that it is essential that new information that presents the possibility of a solution to HIV epidemic must be seriously considered and researched.

The WHO will hold a consultation in Geneva to discuss the implications of the article. From 28 – 30 April, TAC representatives attended a meeting organized by the AIDS and Rights Alliance of Southern Africa (ARASA) and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) in Johannesburg to discuss the article and to formulate a position with other Southern African HIV activists. This position will be presented at the WHO meeting in Geneva. TAC’s briefing on the article is being finalized, and district workshops are planned to discuss the contents of the article and the responses of TAC members to the strategies it proposes. Please click here for TAC’s full brief and response.

HIV-Positive People at Increased Risk of New Flu Strain

HIV-positive people worldwide are at an increased risk of the H1N1 flu strain, the World Health Organization said on Saturday in guidelines for health workers published on its Web site, Reuters India reports. According to WHO, people with immodeficiency diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, likely will be vulnerable to complications related to the flu strain, just as they are from the seasonal flu, which results in about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths annually. According to WHO, the H1N1 strain and HIV could prove to be a hazardous combination, similar to HIV and tuberculosis. "Although there are inadequate data to predict the impact of a possible human influenza pandemic on HIV-affected populations, interactions between HIV and A(H1N1) influenza could be significant," WHO said, adding that HIV-positive people "should be considered as a high risk and a priority population for preventive and therapeutic strategies against influenza, including emerging influenza A(H1N1) virus infection."

According to WHO, countries with high HIV/AIDS burdens, many of which are in Africa, should ensure that vulnerable people have drug access, including to medicines such as Tamiflu and Relenza. The agency added that it is best if people with the flu strain take antiviral drugs within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. In addition, there are no known issues with taking flu medications with antiretroviral drugs, according to WHO (MacInnis, Reuters India, 5/2).

Life Insurance for HIV-Positive People

The insurance company Prudential will begin to offer life insurance policies to HIV-positive people in the United Kingdom, London's Daily Telegraph reports. According to the Telegraph, PruProtect -- a partnership between Prudential and a South African firm -- initially will offer the insurance to 7% of HIV-positive people and hopes to extend coverage to 20% of HIV-positive people. The policy will offer up to 250,000 British pounds -- or about $368,000 -- for a maximum of 10 years. The policy premiums will be higher than standard premiums for life insurance "to accurately and fairly reflect the risks involved." Premiums will be determined on an individual basis and dependent on medical history, the Telegraph reports.

Kevin Carr, director of protection development at PruProtect, said, "We are pleased to be the first mainstream insurer to provide life cover for people living with HIV," adding "I believe it is better to provide some cover for some people than nothing at all." The Terrence Higgins Trust said, "We welcome this move from PruProtect and are glad to see an insurer who recognizes the reality of living with HIV in the U.K. in the 21st century." The group added that it "hope[s]" the program "will be the start of a wider move to offer appropriate financial products to people with HIV" (Simon, Daily Telegraph, 4/29).