Early treatment for HIV-positive infants can significantly increase their chances of survival, according to a report released Monday by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, UNAIDS and the United Nations Population Fund, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports (AP/Baltimore Sun, 12/1). The report also said that many children younger than age one are dying of AIDS-related illnesses before they are even tested for HIV and that pregnant women are not receiving sufficient counseling and other services necessary to teach them about contraception and safer infant feeding (Charbonneau, Reuters, 12/1). Consequently, the report called for increased HIV testing so appropriate treatments can begin as early as possible.
“Without appropriate treatment, half of children with HIV will die from an HIV-related cause by their second birthday,” Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, said, adding, “Survival rates are up to 75% higher for HIV-positive newborns who are diagnosed and begin treatment within their first 12 weeks.” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a statement, “Today, no infants should have to die of AIDS. We know how to prevent these tragic deaths, but now we need to focus on strengthening our health care systems to ensure that all mothers and children receive treatment as early as possible” (AP/Baltimore Sun, 12/1). Outgoing UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot added that he remains optimistic about the prevention of MTCT, which he called a “human right” (AFP/Google.com, 12/1).
The report found that only 18% of pregnant women in low-income and middle-income countries were given HIV tests and that of those who tested positive, only 12% were further screened to determine how advanced the virus was and the type of treatment required (AP/Baltimore Sun, 12/1). The report recommended that tests to determine the immune functions of HIV-positive women be made more widely available to determine virus progression and reduce the chance of MTCT (Reuters, 12/1). In addition, less than 10% of infants with HIV-positive mothers were tested for the virus, according to the report. Nevertheless, the report forecasted progress in some of the most affected countries where early screening is increasing, including Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia (AFP/Google.com, 12/1). 
The report is available online (.pdf).
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U.n. Report Says Increased Hiv Testing, Treatment Can Increase Survival Rates Of Infants Living With Virus
Published at Dezember 4th, 2008Advocates Urge Obama, Sarkozy To Fulfill Hiv/aids Commitments Ahead Of Icasa Conference In Senegal
Published at Dezember 4th, 2008Several hundred African HIV/AIDS advocates on Tuesday marched in Senegal’s capital of Dakar to urge U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy to fulfill funding commitments for HIV/AIDS efforts, Reuters reports. The advocates demonstrated ahead of the 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, which will take place from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7 in Dakar. The advocates, who dressed primarily in white, carried large puppets representing Obama and Sarkozy, a large red and yellow spiked ball representing HIV and banners with messages such as, “African children are watching you.”
According to the advocates, the march aimed to remind French and U.S. leaders to sustain funding commitments to HIV/AIDS programs. Velephi Riba, a spokesperson for Save the Children, said Obama and Sarkozy “have to walk the talk,” adding that pledges to support HIV/AIDS programs “must be fulfilled.” Save the Children, which helped organize the march, said world leaders should not go back on commitments to provide support for people living with HIV despite the current global financial crisis. Ame David, another spokesperson for the organization, said that African children affected by HIV/AIDS, “who have never heard of Wall Street, should not pay the price for the global economic decline.” According to Save the Children, Obama has pledged to provide at least $50 billion for international development. In addition, France has been a leading contributor to HIV/AIDS efforts in Africa, spending about $458 million annually. Riba said the two world leaders “must not drop from these pledges by a single dollar or euro” (Fletcher, Reuters, 12/2).
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Michel Sidibe Appointed Next Executive Director Of Unaids
Published at Dezember 3rd, 2008Michel Sidibe will succeed Peter Piot as the next executive director of UNAIDS on Jan. 1, 2009, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced Monday to coincide with World AIDS Day, Bloomberg reports (Varner, Bloomberg, 12/1). Ban made the announcement at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Doha, Qatar (AFP/Google.com, 12/1).
According to Ban, Sidibe “brings a wealth of experience together with a firm commitment to human rights and to greater involvement of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.” Sidibe, who is from Mali, has served as deputy executive director of UNAIDS for the past two years and began working for the organization in 2001 as a director of country and regional support. According to the United Nations, Sidibe “transformed UNAIDS into a more focused, efficient and effective joint program for delivering country-level results” when he joined the agency. During his tenure as deputy executive director, Sidibe managed more than 70% of UNAIDS’s budget and personnel, seven regional support teams and 81 country offices, according to the United Nations (Bloomberg, 12/1). Before joining UNAIDS, Sidibe for 14 years worked at UNICEF, where he managed an immunization program for 30 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and also worked in Burundi, Swaziland and Uganda.
Sidibe in January will succeed Piot, who has led the agency since its inception in 1995. Piot in April announced his intention to resign his post at the end of the year. Ban in June said that Piot is a “tireless leader who has been at the vanguard of the response to AIDS since the earliest days of the epidemic” (Reuters, 12/1).
Piot said, “The leadership of UNAIDS is in very capable hands. UNAIDS has a vital role to play in sustaining the progress made in the global response on AIDS.” Sidibe said that the “AIDS epidemic is not over in any part of the world. We have to ensure that there is strong and long term leadership and financial commitment to respond to AIDS that is grounded in evidence and human rights” (UNAIDS release, 12/1).
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Bush, Obama Mark World Aids Day, Discuss Hiv/aids Fight
Published at Dezember 2nd, 2008President Bush on Monday in honor of World AIDS Day highlighted “his dramatic and widely praised overhaul of U.S. efforts to combat the deadly disease, particularly in Africa,” AFP/Google.com reports. President-elect Barack Obama on Monday also praised the Bush administration for its involvement in global HIV/AIDS efforts and pledged to continue the fight against the disease once he takes office in January (AFP/Google.com, 12/1). According to Bush, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has reached its goal of providing antiretroviral drugs to two million people over five years (Feller, AP/USA Today, 12/1). Bush said, “When you have somebody say there’s a pandemic, that you can help, and you do nothing about it, then you have, frankly, disgraced the office” (AFP/Google.com, 12/1).
Bush on Monday also participated in the Rev. Rick Warren’s first Civil Forum on Global Health to discuss his work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Warren said, “No world leader has done more for global health than President George Bush,” adding, “We need to recognize that.” Warren also presented Bush with the first International Medal of PEACE for his efforts associated with PEPFAR (Ritchie, Orange County Register, 12/1).
In videotaped remarks played at the forum, Obama said, “I salute President Bush for his leadership in crafting a plan for AIDS relief in Africa and backing it up with funding dedicated to saving lives and preventing the spread of the disease,” adding, “And my administration will continue this critical work to address the crisis around the world” (Sanner, AP/Yahoo! News, 12/1). In addition, Obama said that because of the work of PEPFAR, “women in Kenya who were widowed by the disease, and once shunned by society, have banded together to support and empower each other. Scientists around the world are discovering and engineering new medicines to give people with HIV/AIDS another chance at life. NGOs and faith-based institutions are marshaling the best of the human spirit to help those affected. And world governments are coming together to address the humanitarian crisis the pandemic has left in its wake” (Rhee, “Political Intelligence,” Boston Globe, 12/1). In addition, Obama said that the U.S. “must also recommit ourselves to addressing the AIDS crisis here in the United States with a strong national strategy of education, prevention and treatment, focusing on those communities at greatest risk.” He added, “This strategy must be based on the best available science and built on the foundation of a strong health care system.” According to Obama, “in the end, this epidemic can’t be stopped by government alone, and money alone is not the answer either” (AFP/Google.com,[2] 12/1).
Other political figures who praised Bush’s work on HIV/AIDS included former President Clinton, who, in a message that was read to the gathering, said, “I think as time passes, people will look back on this as one of your most remarkable contributions, Mr. President.” Irish musician and HIV/AIDS advocate Bono also called Bush “a hero” for his work on the disease (Ward/Dinan, Washington Times, 12/2).
Broadcast Coverage
The following highlights broadcast coverage of World AIDS Day.
- ABC’s “World News Webcast“: The segment includes comments from five ABC digital reporters who discuss HIV/AIDS in India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya and South Korea (Gibson, “World News Tonight,” ABC, 12/1). Video of the segment is available online.
- CBS’ “Early Show“: The segment includes comments from Marvelyn Brown, author of the book “The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful and HIV-Positive” and several HIV-positive people (Rodriguez, “Early Show,” CBS, 12/1). Video of the segment is available online.
- NBC’s “Today Show“: The segment features musician John Legend, who discusses (RED)WIRE, an online music magazine that donates a portion of subscription fees to HIV/AIDS efforts (Robach/Rocker, “Today Show,” NBC, 12/1). Video of the segment is available online.
- NPR’s “Talk of the Nation“: The segment includes comments from HIV/AIDS researcher Robert Gallo (Conan, “Talk of the Nation,” NPR, 12/1). Audio of the segment is available online.
- PRI’s “The World“: The segment includes comments from Mark Dybul, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator who administers PEPFAR; Craig Usswald, manager of PEPFAR’s drug supply system; and Jyoti Schlesinger, former PEPFAR head in Cote d’Ivoire (Baron, “The World,” PRI, 12/1). Audio of the segment is available online. A transcript of the segment and expanded coverage are available online.
- PRI’s “The World“: The segment includes comments from HIV policy expert and epidemiologist Elizabeth Pisani (Mullins, “The World,” PRI, 12/1). Audio of the segment is available online.
- WBUR’s “Here and Now“: The segment includes comments from Negar Akhavi, editor of the book “AIDS Sutra: Untold Stories from India”; and Nalini Jones, an author who wrote an essay for the book (Young, “Here and Now,” WBUR, 12/1). Audio of the segment is available online.
Advocates Highlight Challenges, Urge Governments To Sustain Support For Hiv/aids On World Aids Day
Published at Dezember 2nd, 2008On the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, advocates worldwide discussed numerous challenges facing HIV prevention efforts and called on governments to follow through on pledges to support HIV/AIDS care, prevention and treatment, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The organizers of World AIDS Day 2008 — which focuses on the themes of leadership, self-responsibility and advocacy — said that many people in developing countries still lack access to affordable and effective HIV/AIDS treatment and that people who are resistant to first-line drugs require even more costly medications. “We have effective treatments,” Jean-Francois Delfraissy, head of the French National Research Agency on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis, said, adding, “We have no other choice than to offer [drugs] to all those who need them” (Courcol, AFP/Yahoo! news, 11/29).
In addition, the International AIDS Society ahead of World AIDS Day called on the Group of Eight industrialized nations to sustain its commitment to providing universal access to antiretroviral treatment by 2010. IAS said the G8 had pledged $22.2 billion for global HIV programs between 2008 and 2010, which is 36% of the UNAIDS-estimated $61 billion needed for HIV/AIDS efforts during this time period. According to AFP/Google.com, three million people had access to antiretrovirals by the end of 2007, but this number is still two-thirds short of the target of achieving universal access by 2010 (AFP/Google.com, 11/28).
UNAIDS Releases Report Ahead of World AIDS Day
In related news, UNAIDS on Friday released a report that offers perspectives on how and why current HIV transmissions are occurring. The report recommends that countries expand efforts to address HIV/AIDS by adopting flexible prevention policies that combine numerous approaches. The report also recommends targeting the highest-risk populations, such as injection drug users and men who have sex with men. Karen Stanecki, senior advisor for UNAIDS, said the “message” of the report “is that countries need to tailor their prevention programs to the epidemics in their own specific countries.” Stanecki added that UNAIDS recommends “a combination-prevention process” because “one prevention program isn’t going to do it all” (Bryant, VOA News, 11/28)
During a Friday press briefing on the report, Peter Piot, outgoing UNAIDS executive director, said an improved understanding about the history and current challenges of HIV/AIDS could “help prevent the next 1,000 infections in each community.” He added that it could “make money for [HIV/AIDS] work more effectively and help put forward a long-term and sustainable [HIV/AIDS] response.” Piot said there is “no single magic bullet for HIV prevention,” adding that health officials “can choose wisely from the known prevention options available so that they can reinforce and complement each other.” Paul De Lay — UNAIDS director of evidence, monitoring and policy — said that “combination prevention” strategies can include behavioral, biomedical and structural approaches to HIV/AIDS treatment. Behavioral approaches could include the promotion of condom use and discouragement of multiple sexual partners, and biomedical approaches could include male circumcision or antiretroviral treatment to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. “The epidemic is constantly changing,” De Lay said, adding that HIV incidence must be analyzed “at regular intervals” (AFP/Google.com, 11/28). The report is available online (.pdf).
De Lay Urges Governments To Sustain HIV/AIDS Funding
Global HIV prevalence could increase if governments and international aid organizations reduce funding for HIV prevention programs because of the current economic situation, De Lay said. According to De Lay, governments must sustain funding levels or there could be a “resurgence” in HIV cases during the next four or five years, “and we won’t be able to scale up the treatment that is clearly going to be needed.” Although treatment programs currently reach almost four million HIV-positive people, 9.7 million people are still in need of antiretroviral medications, De Lay said.
According to De Lay, antiretroviral medication is becoming less expensive and easier to take. He added that integrase inhibitors — a new class of drugs that includes Merck’s antiretroviral Isentress — “will continue to improve patients’ response and make it easier and easier to take the drug regimens.” De Lay said that clinical trials for integrase inhibitors will examine how the drugs function in combination drug regimens and reduce the number of pills needed. The new drug regimens could be rolled in “probably about a year to two years,” De Lay said (Nebehay, Reuters, 11/28).
PEPFAR Meets Target of Treating 2M HIV-Positive People, Official Says
President Bush on Monday is expected to announce that the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has met its target of treating two million HIV-positive people by the end of the year, White House spokesperson Dana Perino said in a statement, AFP/Google.com reports. According to Perino, PEPFAR by Sept. 30 had supported the provision of antiretrovirals for more than 2.1 million people living with HIV, including more than two million people in sub-Saharan Africa. She added that about 9.7 million HIV-positive people — including almost four million children — in the 15 countries targeted by PEPFAR had received “compassionate care” by that date. In addition, PEPFAR has helped prevent MTCT for almost 240,000 infants, Perino said.
Perino said that PEPFAR is “the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease,” adding that about 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa had access to antiretroviral medication before Bush launched PEPFAR in 2003. Bush in July 2008 signed legislation that reauthorized PEPFAR at $48 billion. According to AFP/Google.com, Bush and first lady Laura Bush on Monday plan to join the Rev. Rick Warren in a forum discussing the fight against HIV/AIDS AFP/Google.com, 11/30).
French First Lady Bruni-Sarkozy Named Global Fund Ambassador
French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on Monday will be named the first ambassador for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and said that she plans to use the position to promote awareness of MTCT. Bruni-Sarkozy, whose brother died of AIDS-related causes in 2006, said she is “very sensitive to the issue of [HIV/AIDS]” and plans to “put all of the media coverage” directed towards her “to the service of a useful cause.” She added that she will make herself “available to all those who are working on the ground” with the Global Fund and would like to “communicate directly” with women and children affected by the disease. Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund, said Bruni-Sarkozy will be a powerful “advocate” for preventing MTCT by raising awareness on the need for more programs and additional information for pregnant women (Landry, AFP/Tocqueville Connection, 11/30).
Some Experts Question Funding Levels for HIV/AIDS Programs
Some health experts are “growing more outspoken” in their argument that global efforts against HIV/AIDS have expended significant resources and funding while other health needs are not being met, the AP/Arizona Daily Star reports. Jeremy Shiffman, who studies health spending at Syracuse University, said HIV/AIDS is “a terrible humanitarian tragedy, but it’s just one of many terrible humanitarian tragedies.” Roger England of Health Systems Workshop said in an article published earlier this year that the “global HIV industry is too big and out of control,” adding that he believes UNAIDS should be disbanded. According to England, eliminating UNAIDS would allow $200 million to be spent on other health challenges, such as pneumonia. The Global Health Council reports that HIV/AIDS programs account for 80% of U.S. funding for health and population issues.
De Lay said that although it is valid to question health spending priorities, progress in treating HIV/AIDS is recent and the disease is not yet under control. “To suddenly pull the rug out from underneath” the fight against HIV/AIDS “would be disastrous,” De Lay said. In addition, many advocates argue that funding for HIV/AIDS helps strengthen health systems by providing basic services. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, said, “We cannot afford, in this time of crisis, to squander our investments” (Cheng, AP/Arizona Daily Star, 12/1).
Reports, Initiatives
The Kaiser Family Foundation on Wednesday announced several new media productions developed in coordination with partner organizations.
- BET: As part of BET and the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Rap-It-Up partnership, BET will air a television show titled “Are You Positive?” confronting the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in the black community.
- MTV: As part of MTV’s ongoing campaign with the Kaiser Family Foundation titled “It’s Your (Sex) Life,” MTV will dedicate all on-air promotion time between Nov. 24 and Dec. 1 to public service announcements promoting safer sex and HIV testing. MTV also will run “on-screen takeovers” on Dec. 1 during programming to refer viewers to additional IYSL resources. MTV on Dec. 1 also will air a documentary titled “The Diary of Kelly Rowland” describing the recent travels of singer Kelly Rowland to Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and around the U.S. to meet with young people affected by HIV/AIDS.
- Univision: Univision on Dec. 8 will devote a special episode of “The Cristina Show” to promoting awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the Hispanic community. The program will feature Hispanics living with HIV and their families, many of whom are currently profiled in the campaign “Soy … (I am…)” launched this fall by Univision and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Regional media partners of the Global Media AIDS Initiative — a project conceived and run by the Kaiser Family Foundation with support by the United Nations to mobilize media around the world in response to HIV/AIDS — also announced new programs in observance of World AIDS Day. Summaries appear below.
- African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS: ABMP will launch a new series of public service announcements under its “Imagine an HIV-Free Generation … It Begins With YOU” campaign, which uses soccer to promote healthy lifestyles and responsible choices.
- Asia Broadcasting Union: In partnership with the Asia-Pacific Media AIDS Initiative, ABU will offer rights-free television programs on HIV/AIDS to broadcasters in the region.
- Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS: CBMP’s public information campaign, “LIVE UP. Love. Protect. Respect,” will air a special World AIDS Day edition of the television magazine program (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 11/26).
In addition, several other HIV/AIDS organizations announced new initiatives. Summaries appear below.
- AIDS Healthcare Foundation: AHF hosted a 24-hour marathon of no-cost, rapid HIV testing from Nov. 29 - Nov. 30 in Hollywood, Calif. The testing program is part of AHF’s “One Million Tests” campaign, which is a coalition of organizations collaborating to provide one million no-cost HIV tests in conjunction with World AIDS Day (AHF release, 11/27).
- Global Fund: The Global Fund on Friday announced that programs supported by the fund helped provide treatment for two million HIV-positive people, an increase of 43% from the previous year (Global Fund release, 12/1).
Broadcast Coverage
- NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday“: The program on Sunday examined HIV among children and teenagers. The segment includes comments from Khadijah Tribble, executive director of Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care in Washington, D.C., and an HIV-positive teenager and her grandmother (Chang, “Weekend Edition Sunday,” NPR, 11/30). Audio of the segment is available online.
- CNN’s “International Correspondents“: The program on Friday examined the challenges faced by journalists who cover HIV/AIDS. The segment includes comments from Larry Altman, medical correspondent for the New York Times; Sarah Boseley, health editor for London’s Guardian; and photojournalist Gideon Mendel (Newton, “International Correspondents,” CNN, 11/28). Video of the segment is available online.
Interim Safety And Risk Assessment Of Melamine And Its Analogues In Food For Humans, Fda Update 29th November
Published at Dezember 1st, 2008Last month, FDA issued its Interim Safety and Risk Assessment of Melamine and its Analogues in Food for Humans. This interim safety and risk assessment indicated that melamine, in its chainlike “polymerized” form, has been used to manufacture dishes, plastic resins, and components of paper and paperboard that may come in contact with food.
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Fda November 2008 Update On Feed Enforcement Activities To Limit The Spread Of Bse
Published at Dezember 1st, 2008To help prevent the establishment and amplification of Bovine Spongiform Encephalophathy (BSE) through feed in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implemented a final rule that prohibits the use of most mammalian protein in feeds for ruminant animals. This rule, Title 21 Part 589.
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Teaching The Teachers
Published at November 30th, 2008Professional standards programme falls short of an “A”, suggests research Official professional standards in both Scotland and England which aim to nurture the development of new teachers pay too little attention to what ‘becoming’ a teacher is really like.
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Exonhit Launches Mouse Genome Splicearraytm For Use In Human Disease Modeling Studies
Published at November 29th, 2008ExonHit Therapeutics S.A. (Alternext: ALEHT), a drug and diagnostic discovery company, announces today the availability of its new SpliceArray™ for use in studying mouse models of human disease. These SpliceArrayTM products help our clients accelerate and refine their therapeutic target discovery and validation efforts.
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A Novel Target For Therapeutics Against Staph Infection
Published at November 29th, 2008Researchers at the Texas A&M Health Science Center Institute of Biosciences and Technology, and the University of Edinburgh have uncovered how a bacterial pathogen interacts with the blood coagulation protein fibrinogen to cause methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, a finding that could aid in developing therapeutics against the potentially deadly disease.
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