On 6th June the World Health Organization (WHO) put out an alert regarding drug-resistant gonorrhoea (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2012/gonorrhoea_20120606/en/ ) simultaneously with the publication of a Global Action Plan (http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2012/9789241503501_eng.pdf). The last year or so has seen the emergence of strains of the infection that are resistant to cephalosporins, the antibiotics of last resort. The plan includes: increased […]
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HIV and breastfeeding in Africa: balancing the risks
One area in which the recent wide scale deployment of ARV could have the greatest impact is that of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). The UNAIDS goal is for total elimination of PMTCT by 2015 – though this is scarcely feasible (STI 2010:86 Suppl.II – especially M. Mahy et al. (http://sti.bmj.com/content/86/Suppl_2/ii48.full?sid=50f44956-1266-4dd0-bed1-08ebd39bb60a)). A component of the PMTCT […]
Putting Rectal Microbicides “On the Map”
17th April saw the launch of the report: On the Map: Assuring Africa’s Place in Rectal Microbicide Research and Advocacy by the International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA) On the Map: Ensuring Africa’s Place in Rectal Microbicide Research and Advocacy . The report has been developed by African advocates and researchers on the basis of an […]
Call for papers: Trichomonas vaginalis
We’re inviting contributions for two special themed issues: Trichomonas vaginalis – deadline 31st October 2012 Further information >> Criminalizing contagion – deadline 14th December 2012 Further information >> […]
Hormonal contraceptives associated with no added risk of HIV transmission
Does hormonal contraception raise the risk of HIV transmission? Contraceptive choice may have an impact on sexual risk-taking behaviour, of course; but there has also been a concern that vaginal epithelium thinning arising from a progesterone-induced anovulatory state may reduce the efficacity of the vaginal barrier (Mitchell & Stephens, 2004). Now a retrospective analysis of […]
HIV testing gives rise to behaviour change
What sort of impact does HIV testing (Voluntary Testing and Counselling: VCT) have on an individual’s subsequent sexual behaviour? A number of studies of VCT clients in sub-Saharan Africa, and published in STI journal, suggest a significant preventative effect. A two-year cohort study of 401 clients of Kenyan government health centres (Arthur & Gilks, 2007) […]
How infectious are HIV+ MSM on ART?
How effective is HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) in preventing HIV transmission among MSM (men who have sex with men)? The recent HPTN (HIV Prevention Trials Network) 052 clinical trial demonstrated, to great acclaim, that with heterosexual sero-discordant couples early initiation of HAART is associated with 96% reduction in HIV transmission. Yet there are reasons […]
Female sex workers bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic
A meta-analysis in The Lancet Infectious Diseases offers a global picture of the heightened risks of HIV borne by female sex workers in low- and middle-income countries. The analysis includes 112 papers and national reports, extracted from 19,180 relevant studies, and covers 50 low- and middle-income nations. A table gives, for each of the 50 […]
Desperation over withdrawn HIV program funding in Myanmar
At 120,000 cases in a population of 42m, the prevalence of HIV in Myanmar is not enormous by global standards. Yet with ART coverage among the lowest in the world, the death rate from HIV is estimated at 15,000-20,000 per year. Add to this an epidemic of multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB of three times the […]
The real-life STI prevention potential of the male condom: hard to fulfil, hard to evaluate
In the face of 340 million incident cases of STI worldwide each year, UNAIDS in a recent statement deemed the male latex condom “… the single most efficient, available technology to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections”. Sadly, though the condom may be effective in vitro, this potential proves hard […]