This Week in HIV/AIDS News

Lancet Examines Obama Administration’s Progress On HIV/AIDS-Related Campaign Pledges

The July issue of the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases examines whether President Obama is fulfilling his campaign promises to tackle HIV/AIDS abroad and domestically. The article states that Obama’s recent appointments of “lauded experts,” including Jeffrey Crowley as the new director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, indicate that the U.S. “seems poised to deliver on election promises.” Crowley is charged with developing a national strategy for HIV/AIDS aimed at “reducing incidence, increasing the number of people in care, and lowering disparities in care,” according to the Lancet. In addition, the Lancet notes other measures the administration has taken to address HIV/AIDS in the U.S., including a joint meeting held in April between the administration, CDC and various federal, civil, and private agencies, at which a new national five-year campaign, “Act Against AIDS,” was announced. The Lancet also discussed concerns voiced by advocates and others that available federal funding is not adequate to address the epidemic (Morris, July 2009).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report , search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/hiv. The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.”

Youth Who Believe They Will Die Young More Likely To Be Diagnosed With HIV/AIDS, Study Finds

Teenagers who believe that they will die at a young age are seven times more likely than optimistic teenagers to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in early adulthood, according to a study released on Monday and published in the July issue of Pediatrics, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports (AP/Los Angeles Times, 6/29). The study is based on a survey of 20,594 teenagers in grades seven through 12 who were interviewed between 1995 and 2002, which found that 14.7 percent of respondents said they had at least a 50/50 chance of dying before age 35. According to the Times, the findings challenge the belief that teenagers engage in risky behavior because they think they are invulnerable to harm. Instead, they might engage in such behavior “because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake,” Iris Borowsky, researcher at the University of Minnesota and author of the study, said (Tanner, Associated Press, 6/29). In related news, WYPR News recently reported on a summit in Baltimore that sought to raise HIV/AIDS awareness among teenagers and address prevention (Stukes, 6/26).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report , search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/hiv. The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.”

Condom Distribution Program In Los Angeles County Jail Might Be Expanded

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is considering expanding an eight-year-old program at Men’s Central Jail that distributes condoms in a unit for gay men, the Los Angeles Times reports. Under the program, an outreach worker from the nonprofit Center for Health Justice visits the jail once weekly to distribute about one condom per inmate to the unit’s 300 inmates. Baca is considering doubling the number of condoms being distributed. Sheriff Department officials acknowledge that HIV is a problem in county jails and spend about $2 million annually on HIV/AIDS medication and identify about 65 new cases of HIV each month, according to the Times. Steve Whitmore, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department, said, “Sex in jails is against the law, but there is a public health issue that needs to be considered.” A separate condom distribution program is being piloted at the California State Prison at Solano (Bloomekatz, Los Angeles Times 6/29).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report , search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/hiv. The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.”

HHS To Propose Removal Of HIV From List Preventing Foreigners U.S. Entry

HHS this week will issue proposed regulations that would remove HIV from the list of “communicable diseases of public health significance,” effectively lifting the ban on HIV-positive foreign residents from entering the country, the Long Island Newsday reports (Reddy, Long Island Newsday, 6/29). In 2008, former President George W. Bush signed into law a bill that removed the statutory ban on foreign travelers and immigrants with HIV from entering the U.S. HHS then needed to remove HIV from the list of inadmissible conditions. The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register this week and then undergo a 45-day comment period before it can become final (Hsu, Washington Post’s blog “44,” 6/29).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report , search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/hiv. The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.”

HIV Testing Can Save Thousands Of Lives, CDC Official Says

“Although HIV/AIDS continues to pose a serious threat to the nation’s health, HIV testing is a powerful weapon against the disease,” Kevin Fenton, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, writes in a CNN.com opinion piece. Fenton writes that every 9 1/2 minutes someone in the U.S. becomes infected with HIV. “That’s 56,000 people every year,” Fenton writes, adding, “But there’s something we can all do to help protect ourselves and our partners from this disease — get tested for HIV.” He continues, “By increasing the number of people who know their HIV status, we can decrease the number of new HIV infections, and help save thousands of lives” (Fenton, CNN.com, 6/26).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report , search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/hiv. The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.”

President Obama Releases Statement, Video Urging U.S. Residents To Get Tested For HIV

President Obama on Saturday released a statement marking National HIV Testing Day that urged U.S. residents to get tested for HIV and work toward reducing the spread of the virus, Bloomberg/Arizona Daily Star reports (Bloomberg/Arizona Daily Star, 6/28). Obama said in the statement, “Each of us must take responsibility for reducing our risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV and for supporting affected individuals and communities. This means getting tested for HIV and working to end the stigma and discrimination people living with HIV face.” The White House also released a video message with Obama’s statement (White House release, 6/27).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report , search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/hiv. The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.”

Like