2007 Surveillance Report-Cases of HIV infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas

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The HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report is published annually by the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia.

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2009 AIDS epidemic Update

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The continuing rise in the population of people living with HIV reflects the combined effects of continued high rates of new HIV infections and the beneficial impact of antiretroviral therapy. As of December 2008, approximately 4 million people in low- and middle-income countries were receiving antiretroviral therapy—a 10-fold increase over five years (World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNAIDS, 2009). In 2008, an estimated 2.7 million [2.4 million–3.0 million] new HIV infections occurred. It is estimated that 2 million [1.7 million–2.4 million] deaths due to AIDS-related illnesses occurred worldwide in 2008.

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Almanac of Chronic Disease-2008

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The United States is experiencing an unsustainable disease burden – 130 million people today suffer from chronic diseases – taking a tremendous toll on individuals, families, and communities. In addition to lives lost and quality of life lost, we are also a nation in crisis – an economic crisis. We spend over $2 trillion a year – about 16 percent of our gross domestic product – on health care. Seventy-fi ve cents of every health care dollar we spend is on treatment of chronic disease, most of which is preventable. If we do not reverse this trend, chronic disease will continue to devastate Americans’ health, lead to millions more preventable deaths and will ultimately bankrupt our health care system.

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Are Country Reputations for Good or Bad AIDS Leadership Deserved?

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ART and Impaired Presenteeism Among Kenyan Agricultural Workers

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Assessment of Kenyan Sexual Networks

Historically, the ethnic Somalis that constitute the majority of Kenya’s North Eastern Province (NEP) have been largely isolated from other regions in Kenya, both cultually and geographically. One benefit of this isolation was that their traditional Islamic practices, nomadic pastoral lifestyle, and remote location kept them relatively untouched by the HIV epidemic affecting the rest of the country. But in recent years, new technology such as mobile phones, increasing road traffic between provinces, shifting cultural practices and norms, and population changes are working together to change the way all Kenyans interact, including the residents of NEP.

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At What Cost? HIV and Human Rights Consequences of the Global “War on Drugs”

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While drug control policies have indeed been strengthened in many countries of the world, there is little evidence that they have succeeded in significantly reducing supply of illicit drugs or the numbers of people who use them. Abundantly evident, however—and now acknowledged by the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as virtually every credible independent authority on the subject—is that drug control has had multiple, unintended negative consequences. Whether you are talking about Pakistan or Phnom Penh, Manipur or Moscow, the “war on drugs” has frequently devolved into a war on drug users, resulting in increased incarceration, human rights violations, and disease.

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Beyond the Shadow

A morbid sense of fear was quickly created in the minds of people about the infection and this is commonly depicted with the “skull and crossbones” image,  HIV-positive people were /believed to be “dead but living” people. The term “they” as opposed to “us” became the norm when referring to PLWH as no one wants to be associated with HIV, let alone being infected!  “No, it cannot happen to me; neither can it occur among us.  It is a disease found among them, the promiscuous, the irresponsible, the poor, etc.”

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Chronic Disease Management: Evidence of Predictable Savings

The available research evaluates different interventions and different diseases in different settings among different populations according to different methodologies. Not surprisingly, the findings of these studies vary. However, an evidence base characterized by heterogeneity leading to mixed results is not the same thing as “no evidence.” Our reading of a wide range of peer-reviewed literature was designed to pierce the veil of heterogeneity that defines the evidence base. Our analysis leads to the conclusion that well-designed care management programs can generate a positive “rate of return on investment”

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Community Home-Based Care

Over 95 percent of People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) live in lower-income or developing countries. Nearly two-thirds of PLWHA globally live in sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia is catching up at an alarming pace.  As the number of PLWHA increases, the gap continues to widen between the demand for, and availability of, health care services. Relying on the strengths of family and community networks, Community Home-Based Care (CHBC) has emerged as an effective method of providing cost-effective, compassionate care to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

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Community Home-Based Care for People and Communities Affected by HIV/AIDS

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A Handbook for Community Health Workers

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Community Home-Based Care for People and Communities Affected by HIV/AIDS

A Comprehensive Training Course for Community Health Workers-Trainer’s Guide

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Condom use and different types of capital among MSM in Mexico City

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CONNOLLY, Plaintiff, v. FIRST PERSONAL BANK, Defendant

Pre-employment (and post-employment) drug screenings are allowed for some types of jobs, but I don’t know if they are generally disallowed for other types of jobs and, if so, whether there is any issue here about requiring a drug screening test before hire (unrelated to the issues raised by a false positive test result).  Also, there have been various challenges to drug testing programs and some of those cases might provide additional arguments.  And if the employer is regulated by the DOT, DOT regulations re drug test programs may be relevant

Consent Decree

The US alleges that Wales West LLC violated the ADA and its implementing regulations.  By denying a child with HIV and his family equal goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, accommodations, or other opportunities offered at Wales West RV Resort.

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CONSEQUENCES OF HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV) COSTS OF A BABY BOOMER EPIDEMIC OF LIVER DISEASE

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Determinants of South African Women’s Demand for New Barrier Methods and their Distribution: Analysis of a Discrete Choice Experiment

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Developing a Methodology for Cost-Benefit Analysis of GFATM

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Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV through Dried Blood Spot Testing

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Without treatment, an infant infected with HIV in Africa has a 35 percent chance of dying by his first birthday and a 53 percent chance of dying before the age of two. But if the baby receives prophylactic antibiotics, such as cotrimoxazole, soon after birth and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) as soon as is medically indicated, he has a good chance of surviving childhood and living a long, healthy life.

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Economy

The economy was probably hit the hardest of all the aspects of Europe. The biggest problem was that valuable artisan skills disappeared when large numbers of the working class died.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-Letter to

The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (“the Act”) made very important changes to the ADA, which were vitally needed to restore civil rights protections that the ADA was intended to provide. Those protections are of critical importance to people living with HIV, who continue to experience discrimination in employment in this country. But restrictive interpretations of what it means to be “disabled” under the ADA led to extensive analysis of whether that definition was met. For people living with HIV, this often meant that they had to testify about highly personal, intimate matters that had nothing to do with whether they were discriminated against because they had HIV. In some cases, that misplaced focus led to court findings that individuals with HIV were not protected by the ADA.

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Examining the Plague: An Investigation of Epidemic Past and Present   (Teacher’s Manual)

The overall effects of the plague devastated Europe. The population decreased as in 20 years, affecting agricultural production, family structure and economics.

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Federal Court Protects HIV Privacy

Informational privacy continues to be of paramount importance to people living with HIV (PLWH), who continue to suffer persistent stigma and discrimination on account of their HIV status.  Fortunately, a recently concluded case affirms that PLWH enjoy constitutional protection against nonconsensual disclosure of their identities by the government.

Getting people to the pills: Transport costs, socio-economic status and reasons for defaulting from antiretroviral treatment in public sector clinics in South Africa

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GOP lawmakers cringe at colleagues' words on sexuality

"We do things continually to remove the consequences of poor behavior, unacceptable behavior, quite frankly. I'm not convinced that part of the role of government should be to protect individuals from the negative consequences of their actions."

Hepatitis C– Show me the numbers!

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Hepatitis C: An Overview: USA Public Health Response

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HIV and Pregnancy A Guide to Medical and Legal Considerations for Women and Their Advocates

However, many women fear that the same drugs that can significantly decrease the risk of HIV transmission from mother to infant may have troubling long-term health consequences for both themselves and their children. The research about the relative benefits and harms of different ARVs, types of delivery, infant feeding methods, and other factors is far from complete. Some women who harbor mistrust of health care providers or drug companies may also be persuaded by the misinformation about HIV or the drugs used to treat it that they find online or in the community. Decision making is further complicated by the ongoing development of new drugs that have yet unproven benefit—and risk—to both HIV-positive women and their children. However, the data clearly show that properly prescribed ARV therapy can be an effective component of a comprehensive strategy to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

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HIV Drug Treatment Expenditures at the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS)

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HIV in Prisons, 2007-08

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This report provides the number of state and federal prisoners who were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or had confirmed acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) at yearend 2007 and 2008. The number of HIV/AIDS cases is reported by gender and type of infection. Using data from the Deaths in Custody Reporting Program (DCRP), this report presents the number of AIDS-related deaths in state prisons and a profile of inmates who died in 2007

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HIV Prevention Among Vulnerable Populations

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Three particular populations in most countries are highly vulnerable to HIV infection: sex workers, men who have sex with other men, and injecting drug users. All over the world, legal frameworks, social stigma, and discrimination have rendered these populations voiceless in the decision-making processes that affect their lives, including those related to HIV. On the other hand, in places where they have been encouraged, or have fought to participate actively in prevention programming, these vulnerable groups have been among the most efficient players in slowing or even stopping the epidemic.

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How to Make the Global HIV Response Sustainable

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Human Rights Abuses in the Name of Drug Treatment: Reports From the Field

Around the world, governments commit flagrant and widespread human rights violations against people who use drugs, often in the name of "treating" them for drug dependence. Suspected drug users are subject to arbitrary, prolonged detention and, once inside treatment centers, abuses that may rise to the level of torture. In many countries, military and police force people who use drugs into treatment without any medical assessment, and then rely on chains and locked doors to keep them there. Drug users who voluntarily seek medical help are sometimes unaware of the nature or duration of the treatment they will receive. In fact, treatment can include detention for months or years without judicial oversight, beatings, isolation, and addition of drug users’ names to government registries that deprive them of basic social protections and subject them to future police surveillance and violence.

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Human Rights Violation of Sex Workers in Kenya

This study investigates the human rights violations experienced by women sex workers in Kenya. This research found that these women have no way to claim their individual human rights under the current operating laws and policy framework. They are unable to keep themselves safe as they seek to support themselves and their families because they are relentlessly subject to police harassment, arrest and abuse. Furthermore, because sex work is viewed as an “immoral activity” rather than as a form of labour, many in society believe that sex workers deserve to be punished for what they do. The information and recommendations contained in this report provide ways for the Kenya Government and state institutions to address the human rights concerns of sex workers. Similarly human and women’s rights organisations in Kenya will find many strategies in this report that can be used to advocate for the protection of sex workers’ rights

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JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SETTLES LAWSUIT ALLEGING HIV DISCRIMINATION BY RV RESORT IN ALABAMA

The Justice Department today announced the settlement of a Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) discrimination lawsuit against Wales West LLC, owner and operator of Wales West RV Resort and Train and Garden Lovers Family Park in Silverhill, Ala. The settlement, embodied in a consent decree, was approved today by Judge Callie V.S. Granade in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.

Know Your Rights!

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This Handbook provides a brief overview of the main health care rights in Rwanda. It is not meant to be a definitive text. Instead, its purpose is to provide a tool for educating people affected by HIV/AIDS and others about their basic legal rights, and for empowering people to take action to resolve legal problems they may face.

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Life Cycle of the Hepatitis C Virus

Video

Nutritional Assessment of Newborns of HIV Infected Mothers

Pediatric AIDS is poised to become a major public health problem in India. Nutritional status of the newborn is an important indicator which determines the fetal malnutrition and also neonatal morbidity and mortality in HIV infection. Although some data exist about the deleterious effect of HIV infection on the growth of infected children, no data exists about the role of nutritional assessment of newborn of HIV infected mother, subsequent sequelae of the disease or response to treatment in infants or children. This study is directed towards nutritional assessment of newborns of HIV positive mother using anthropometry, Ponderal Index (PI) and Clinical assessment of Nutritional status (CAN) score.

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Our Lives Matter: Sex Workers Unite for Health and Rights

Sex workers organizing in defense of their lives and livelihoods is nothing new. Stigma and discrimination against sex workers have made it a necessity and, at times, a matter of life and death. An important change has occurred over the last three decades, however. Sex workers’ health and rights groups have emerged all over the globe in countries big and small, rich and poor. Some groups are nascent and modest in scope, while others have, over time, assembled thousands of sex workers into a formidable social movement. Formed for different reasons and facing different conditions, working jointly or on their own, these groups all want recognition of sex workers as people with rights. They have led the call for equal access to health services, full human rights, and labor rights. Together, these passionate and tireless activists are the backbone of the sex workers’ health and rights movement.

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Pandemic Influenza-Preparation and Response: A Citizen’s Guide

Most public health specialists from around the world believe that there will be another human influenza pandemic, a pandemic caused by an avian influenza virus that can cause human illness and has mutated to a form that spreads from person to person. Such a random event has occurred three times during the past century, causing three different influenza pandemics.

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Public Health Legal Services: A New Vision

We call this emerging vision “public health legal services.” The phrase encompasses those legal services provided by private sector attorneys to low-income persons that advance the public’s health. For example, assume an asthmatic child with multiple emergency room admissions. Each time the child is stabilized she returns home to a mold-infested home that triggers the next emergency episode. An attorney who compels the landlord to abate the mold is exercising individual rights on behalf of the child. She is also improving the child’s health. If several such actions within the same community result in similar improvements, such outcomes might be aggregated and evaluated using traditional public health metrics. Such studies could document the public health value of such actions as surely as studies of vaccine effectiveness or improved sanitation. And if such legal services not only improved access to justice but public health, should not that change the public debate about the value of legal services?

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Rapid Progression of HIV Infection in Infancy

Transmission of HIV from mother to child can occur in utero, during labor or after delivery via breast feeding. Data on the fate of babies born with HIV in India are scarce. We present details of 25 infants with perinatally acquired HIV infection (virologically confirmed) to highlight the observed high rate of morbidity and mortality within the first 18 months of life. Our findings of rapid disease progression among perinatally infected HIV positive children underline the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

Reducing Stigma and Raising Awareness

Beyond stigma’s immediate social and psychological effects, it also thwarts prevention efforts by raising the stakes of disclosure. If people fear they will lose their jobs or be shunned by friends and family if they are found to be HIV positive, they are less likely to test for HIV or make the changes necessary to protect themselves for fear of raising suspicion about their status. In many Kenyan communities the stigma surrounding HIV has made it difficult to discuss the facts of the disease, leaving people vulnerable to infection because of ignorance and misunderstandings. Though much effort has been made in recent years to educate the public about HIV, stigma and misconceptions remain prevalent.

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Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2008

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STDs are hidden epidemics of enormous health and economic consequence in the United States. They are hidden because many Americans are reluctant to address sexual health issues in an open way and because of the biologic and social characteristics of these diseases. All Americans have an interest in STD prevention because all communities are impacted by STDs and all individuals directly or indirectly pay for the costs of these diseases. STDs are public health problems that lack easy solutions because they are rooted in human behavior and fundamental societal problems. Indeed, there are many obstacles to effective prevention efforts. The first hurdle will be to confront the reluctance of American society to openly confront issues surrounding sexuality and STDs. Despite the barriers, there are existing individual- and community-based interventions that are effective and can be implemented immediately. That is why a multifaceted approach is necessary to both the individual and community levels.

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Sources of Health Insurance and Characteristics of the Uninsured: Analysis of the March 2008 Current Population Survey

The percentage of uninsured individuals in the United States decreased in 2007 because the percentage of the population covered by government programs increased. Overall, the percentage of the nonelderly population with employment-based health benefits was unchanged between 2006 and 2007 at 62.2 percent  Employment-based health benefits are still by far the dominant source of health coverage in the United States for the population under age 65, providing coverage for over 162 million people under age 65.

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Sources of Hepatitis C Infection (U.S.)

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The Black Death Transformed: Disease and Culture in Early Renaissance Europe.

. Histories of the disease of the past led to an unprecedented international scientific response on the one hand, but on the other, it led to a delay in the discovery of the modern plague’s epidemiology. Cohn cites case after case where scientists were aware of the distinctions in the diseases’ microbiology but went to almost ridiculous links to ‘square the circle’, maintaining the fallacy. Time and again scientists such as Manson, Hankin and Hirst confronted the difficult issues of speed of transmission and viability of contagion, but allowed the historical past to accompany them into the laboratory. 

The Church

One of the groups that suffered the most was the Christian church. It lost prestige, spiritual authority, and leadership over the people

The Church's involvement in the Bubonic Plague

The Middle Ages marked a time of strong religious convictions, and it was during the Bubonic Plague that anger toward the Roman Catholic Church and the persecution of Jews intensified. The church played an important role in the lives of the people of the 13th and 14th Centuries, and it was forced to intervene when Christians demanded help. The most significant action taken by the church involved causes of the Plague as it was forced to defend itself and other religious groups. Victims of the disease often stayed in monasteries and hospitals run by church officials.

The effects of scale on costs of Targeted HIV Prevention Interventions Among Female and Male Sex workers, MSM, and Transgenders in India

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The IMAGE study: a cluster-randomised controlled trial to measure the impact on domestic violence and HIV risk of a combined microfinance and participatory training intervention

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The Integrated AIDS Program: Decreasing Stigma through Quality Services

In 1999, when the Integrated AIDS Program (IAP), run by the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi, began its home-based care activities, clients were hard to come by. Though in 1999 HIV prevalence in sentinel surveillance sites of Thika district, where IAP is located, was recorded to be 34 percent and there were few other organizations providing home-based care, IAP couldn’t find many clients. Because stigma against People Living With HIV (PLWH) was so high, people chose to suffer in silence, alone, rather than seek care if it meant disclosing their status. People avoided even testing for HIV, since in many people’s eyes just taking the test was an admission of “guilt.”

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The Macroeconomic Impact of HIV/AIDS on the KZN and South African Economies: Estimates Using Workplace Testing Programme Data

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The role of sexual dissatisfaction in driving Multiple Concurrent Partnerships

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The Spread of HIV among Female IDUs in Southern Kyrgyzstan: Social and Psychological Factors And Limited Services

The primary goal of the study, which was conducted by investigating the social, psychological, medical, and legal needs of women drug users, was to produce specific recommendations on how to improve the conditions under which women live and create and/or modify prevention, treatment and care programs specific to the target group.

Women and addiction in the international literature: sex, gender and risks

In French

The international literature on women and addictions is constituted by publications relating to sex, i.e. physiological differences on the effects of the use of psychoactive products on men or women, or publications on gender differences, i.e. on the social roles attributed to one gender or the other. Sex differences, consist mainly in physiological variations, such as corporal fluid volume, which causes a different impact of the substances on the metabolism, and also distinctions related to mental health. Gender differences reveal a stronger affective dependence among women, a greater impact of negative events from childhood as the origin of addictions and differences in accessing and using treatments. Risk-taking in addictive behaviours is also described as being more important in women than in men. Finally, two specific female problems are emphasised: prostitution and maternity, because these themes are recurrent in the literature reviewed.

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Who Gets AIDS and How? Education and Sexual Behaviors in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania

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