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A cross-section of articles we've read this week about HIV/AIDS
and other sexual and reproductive health issues affecting the
Black community.
Prevention
Florida Gave $2M to Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Short on HIV Facts
The Florida Department of Health gave almost $2 million in grants to 13 organizations with abstinence-only education programs that provide little health-related information,
The American Independent reports. More>>
Science
NIH Grant To Develop And Test New Drugs To Block HIV Infection
Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill schools of medicine and pharmacy have been awarded a $3 million federal grant to develop and test a new generation of treatments aimed at preventing sexual transmission of HIV to uninfected individuals. This remains the most common cause of HIV infection worldwide. More>>
Treatment
Sharing Patents to Wipe Out AIDS
Not since the announcement in 1996 that antiretroviral therapy could effectively control H.I.V. has there been a season of AIDS news as hopeful as this one. Trials of a new microbicide have brought positive results; ongoing studies of circumcision are showing that it gives strong, lasting, protection; a man has been cured of H.I.V. infection and new animal and clinical trials are raising hopes that he won't be alone. More>>
Study: AIDS drug cocktails restore normal life expectancy in Africa
People with HIV-AIDS who are treated promptly and properly have the same life expectancy as the uninfected, even in the poorest parts of Africa, new Canadian research shows.
The study, published in Tuesday's edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine, shows that patients in Uganda being treated with antiretroviral therapy at age 20 can expect to live, on average, to age 56.7. Average life expectancy in Uganda, where the study was conducted, is 55. More>>
The Value of Medicaid
Medicaid is under assault these days from nearly every direction. Governors complain that they cannot afford to put up their share of the money. Congressional Republicans led by Paul Ryan want to reduce the federal contribution by $771 billion over the next decade and shift more costs to the states and low-income Americans. President Obama has expressed willingness to cut Washington's contribution by $100 billion over that period to help reduce the deficit. More>>
Vaccines
Should HIV Meds for HIV-Negative People Be a Priority? And Other PrEP Questions Groundbreaking results of two large pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) studies may lead to a new prevention option to reduce HIV transmission. Data released on two PrEP studies showed high levels of protection against HIV infection when tenofovir (Viread) or Truvada (tenofovir and emtricitabine) were taken daily by HIV-negative individuals at high risk for infection. More>>
Miscellaneous
States' Money Woes Show No Favorites
SALT LAKE CITY -Arizona began cutting more than 100,000 people from its Medicaid rolls this month. Illinois, even after raising taxes, began the month with $3.8 billion worth of unpaid bills left over from last year. Connecticut sent layoff warnings last week to state troopers.
More>>
Make Birth Control Affordable
MY daughter, a divorced mother of three, called me recently to complain about the high cost of birth control. As a physician, I'm familiar with this problem, yet it never fails to frustrate me. Our health care system could save billions - and improve the health of women and families - by placing birth control within every woman's reach. Instead, health insurers continue to charge fees that make it difficult, sometimes impossible, for women to prevent unintended pregnancy. More>>
HHS Releases Guidelines for Affordable Insurance Exchanges
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a plan to implement Affordable Insurance Exchanges, a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. health care reform, according to an HHS statement. More>>
Researchers try to discover which pill is best treatment
Let's say you're a physician, and your patient has a condition, and there are three drugs available to treat it. Which one do you prescribe? More>>
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The last month and a half has been a busy time for the HIV community. We commemorated 
CHICAGO - One month after the nation marked the 30 year of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church Technical Assistance Network (MICTAN), a national clergy-led capacity-building faith initiative funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with local partners will host a regional symposium entitled "We've Come Too Far to Turn Back Now" to equip clergy and faith leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to tackle the HIV/AIDS crisis among African Americans.