A cross-section of articles we've read this week about HIV/AIDS, STIs and a wide cross-section of structural and systemic factors impacting HIV/AIDS in Black communities.
Prevention
Advocating Pill, U.S. Signals Shift to Prevent AIDS
Federal health officials recommended Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of Americans at risk for AIDS take a daily pill that has been shown to prevent infection with the virus that causes it.
Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention: An Unprecendented Public Health Intervention
With new HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa occurring at a rate of 2.3 million each year, a new PLOS Collection, featuring original research published in PLOS Medicine and PLOS ONE, presents interim results from a public health campaign applying a longstanding method - voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) - performed by health care practitioners in low resource settings to prevent new infections in men ages 15-49. Since WHO and UNAIDS issued recommendations in 2007, this program has been scaled-up with an ongoing, largely US-funded program in 14 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, the epicenter of the global epidemic with over 16 million people currently living with HIV and where new HIV infection rates are highest.
Science
First Study of Cases of STIs in Under-13s Suggests Majority are Result of Sexual Abuse
The first comprehensive population based study of the rate of new cases of sexually transmitted infections presenting in children under thirteen years of age has been published in Archives of Disease in Childhood. The study concludes that sexually transmitted infections in children ought to raise immediate concerns as almost all of the cases are likely to be a result of sexual abuse.
Miscellaneous
The AIDS-Shaming of Magic Johnson
The sheer volume of bile spewing from the mouth of the Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, is staggering. But just as awe-inducing, and stomach-churning, is the unrestrained breadth of its variety, which makes putting the offenses in order - if one were inclined to - nearly impossible.
Donald Sterling: 'Magic Johnson, What Has He Done? He's Got AIDS'
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling couldn't even apologize without making more inflammatory comments. In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper that aired Monday night, Sterling admitted that he "made a terrible mistake" by uttering the racist remarks that earned him exile from the NBA, but he also took a shot at Magic Johnson.
Labs Are Told to Start Including a Neglected Variable: Females
For decades, scientists have embarked on the long journey toward a medical breakthrough by first experimenting on laboratory animals. Mice or rats, pigs or dogs, they were usually male: Researchers avoided using female animals for fear that their reproductive cycles and hormone fluctuations would confound the results of delicately calibrated experiments.
More Insured, but the Choices Are Narrowing
In the midst of all the turmoil in health care these days, one thing is becoming clear: No matter what kind of health plan consumers choose, they will find fewer doctors and hospitals in their network - or pay much more for the privilege of going to any provider they want.
A Simple Theory, and a Proposal, on H.I.V. in Africa
OTIMATI, South Africa - While around the world a vast majority of AIDS victims are men, Africa has long been the glaring exception: Nearly 60 percent are women. And while there are many theories, no one has been able to prove one.
Patients Most in Need of the Vaccine Against Shingles Don't Get It
People at the highest risk of shingles are those with immunosuppressive conditions -- such as HIV -- but they are not entitled to vaccination due to safety concerns, suggests research. Researchers say alternative strategies are needed to reduce the risk of shingles among these patient groups. Shingles is a common disease among older individuals which causes an acute painful rash and can lead to a complication resulting in pain lasting from months to years that can significantly impair a person's quality of life.
What the U.S. Can Learn From Brazil's Healthcare Mess
Here's what it looks like when a sprawling, diverse nation tries to cover everybody.
|