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• April 29, 2008

  Study shows promising new approach to thwart HIV
  Researchers have pinpointed a protein contain within key human immune system cells that is needed for the AIDS virus to infect the cells, and found that turning it off can greatly slow down the deadly virus.
• Researchers Tackle HIV From a New Angle
  Protein on human immune cell may be key to stopping infection

• April 26, 2008

  Physical checks for AIDS nearly as good as lab tests
  AIDS patients in poor countries checked for signs of decline such as fever or weight loss are likely to have nearly the same survival rate as Western patients who undergo costly laboratory tests, researchers said on Friday.
• British students take up HPV vaccine, study finds
  Up to 70 percent of British schoolgirls are likely to take up the offer of a vaccine to protect them against cervical cancer, despite doubts about other vaccines, researchers reported on Thursday.
• Initial HIV regimens often don't meet guidelines
  A review of antiretroviral treatment (ART) regimens initiated in HIV-infected women revealed that nearly half of the regimens were either not specifically recommended for initial ART or were in fact against US HIV treatment guidelines.

• April 25, 2008

  Clinical Symptoms Enough to Switch Drug Regimens for HIV Patients
  Study showed little difference in survival when compared to expensive lab tests

• April 19, 2008

  Dealing Cervical Cancer a Knockout Blow
  Doctors step up efforts to vaccinate young women against virus that causes the disease

• April 17, 2008

  Release our relatives, say Chinese AIDS patients
  A group of Chinese HIV/AIDS sufferers appealed on Wednesday for police to release their relatives, detained after trying to complain to Premier Wen Jiabao about a hospital they said spread human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.
• One-day valacyclovir effective for genital herpes
  Recurrent outbreaks of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2), or "genital herpes," can be effectively treated with a one-day course of valacyclovir (sold under the trade name Valtrex), according to results of a pilot study published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

• April 16, 2008

  New HPV Vaccine Promising in Mice
  It might cover all types of HPV and be given as a nasal spray, researchers say

• April 13, 2008

  Male Contraception: Progress Slow but Steady
  Experts say future choices will extend beyond condoms, vasectomy

• April 12, 2008

  Boston Trial to Test New HIV/AIDS Vaccine
  Its ability to trigger an immune response where none existed is key to research
• Few Countries on Track to Curb Maternal, Child Mortality Rates
  Global initiative stymied by shortage of money, human resources, analysis concludes

• April 5, 2008

  Gum Disease, HPV a Double Whammy
  The two work in tandem to increase risk of tongue cancer, study shows

• April 4, 2008

  Male Partner Violence Hurts Women's Health Worldwide
  WHO study finds aftereffects reverberate long after the incidents

• April 3, 2008

  HIV Drugs Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Attack
  FDA reviewing safety profile of abacavir, didanosine

• April 2, 2008

  Scientists Uncover How HIV Hides Inside Cells
  Study says protein helps virus conceal itself from body's defenses

• March 29, 2008

  Hormone Combo May Provide Reversible Male Birth Control Tool
  Testosterone coupled with progestin effectively suppressed sperm production
• Biomarker May Signal HIV Progression
  Increase in specific white blood cells could warn doctors early to change treatments

• March 12, 2008

  U.S. Syphilis Rate Grows for 7th Year in Row
  Increase largely driven by new cases among gay, bisexual men, CDC reports

• March 11, 2008

  One in 4 Teen Girls Has a Sexually Transmitted Disease
  Greatest burden falls on African-American adolescents, CDC researchers find
• Outcomes Improve for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients
  Survival rates have increased, likely because of advancements in therapy

• February 29, 2008

  Monkey Gene That Blocks AIDS Viruses Evolved More Than Once
  Findings hint epidemic is not unique to present, afflicted humans' primate ancestors

• February 28, 2008

  Name-based HIV reporting doesn't deter testing
  New York State's name-based HIV reporting and partner notification law, which went into effect June 1, 2000, has not led to a decline in HIV testing or the willingness of high-risk individuals to be tested, research shows.
• HIV Drug in Microbicide Gel Safe for Daily Use
  None of the 200 women volunteers got HIV during 6-month study

• February 26, 2008

  Malawi drafts law against "healers" of AIDS
  Malawi has drafted a law to stop traditional healers from claiming they can cure AIDS and religious leaders from advising their flocks to discard treatment for prayer, a government official said on Tuesday.
• Viral Infections Tied to Pregnancy Complications
  Exposure, especially to herpes, linked to high blood pressure, preterm births, study finds

• February 25, 2008

  Tests of new AIDS gel show promise for women
  A gel that uses a popular HIV drug to protect women transmission of the AIDS virus is safe and acceptable to women, although it is too early to know if it actually prevents infection, researchers reported on Monday.

• February 22, 2008

  AIDS a major threat to Mozambican economy - IMF
  AIDS is becoming a major threat to Mozambique's booming economy, killing off workers who are key to the southern African nation's development, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday.
• Recruiting African health workers a crime: Lancet
  Rich countries are poaching so many African health workers that the practice should be viewed as a crime, a team of international disease experts said on Thursday.
• China reports rise in sexually transmitted diseases
  China unveiled on Friday a large percentage rise in 2007 in diseases transmitted sexually or via blood, including AIDS and syphilis, without reporting exact figures.
• Stress may limit women's ability to fight HPV
  Among women with abnormalities on a Pap test, those who report high levels of daily stress appear to have a weakened immune response to a type of human papillomavirus, HPV16, that can cause cervical cancer.
• Stimulating Thymus Reactivates T-Cell Production
  Finding may provide benefit for HIV, bone marrow transplantation patients

• February 21, 2008

  Women risk HPV infection from first sex partner
  Women run a significant risk of acquiring human papillomavirus (HPV) from their very first sex partner, according to a new report.
• China to set new AIDS prevention policy
  China will set policies aimed at stopping the spread of AIDS among gay men as the country seeks to stem growing numbers of HIV infections contracted through sex, state media reported.
• Study urges new focus in hunt for emerging diseases
  Health experts are mostly looking in the wrong places for the next AIDS, Ebola, or bird flu and should shift resources from rich countries to the developing world as most likely to spawn the next big disease, researchers say.

• February 20, 2008

  S. Africa to spend more on AIDS, crime and poverty
  South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Wednesday promised billions of rand to help curb a rampant HIV/AIDS pandemic, reduce poverty and fight crime as the country prepares to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

• February 19, 2008

  Biannual Antibiotics May Cut Major Cause of Blindness in Africa
  Ocular strain of chlamydia responds well to expanded treatment, report says

• February 19, 2008

  Teens who watch wrestling take more health risks
  Teenage fans of TV wrestling are more likely than their peers to be aggressive or take chances with their health, a study suggests.

• February 18, 2008

  Cream to prevent HIV safe, but not effective - study
  A cream designed to protect women from the AIDS virus did not prevent infection, but it was safe, raising hopes that it might be combined with drugs or other compounds to work better, researchers said on Monday.
• Study catches picture of deadly cancer enzyme
  Scientists have captured an image of an enzyme key to the progression of the deadliest cancers and said on Wednesday their findings may lead to new therapies against not only cancer, but HIV and diabetes too.

• February 13, 2008

  Thailand moves to pay for drugs to avoid sanctions
  Thailand's new government could pay for four cancer drugs instead of overriding their international patents, Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsap said on Wednesday, fearing possible trade sanctions against his country.

• February 11, 2008

  New discovery in battle against AIDS
  Researchers have found another handle that the AIDS virus uses to attack cells, and said this one may explain how it gets into the gut, where it hides out and multiplies for a full assault on the body.
• Starting HIV treatment earlier may prolong life
  Initiating antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection earlier than is currently recommended by guidelines could prolong survival by more than 2 years among patients in their 30s, new research hints.

• February 8, 2008

  UN envoy urges Indonesia to step up AIDS battle
  Indonesia should be more aggressive in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS to the general population while infection levels are still low, a U.N. special envoy said on Friday.
• Converging HIV and drug-resistant TB outbreaks worsen
  Two recent outbreaks of tuberculosis resistant to one or more standard drugs show no signs of slowing down, researchers reported at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infection. Many cases in these outbreaks in Eastern Europe and Africa are complicated by HIV infection, and call for "urgent" prevention measures.

• February 7, 2008

  Intimate partner violence takes a toll on health
  New research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the prevalence of chronic health conditions is increased among victims of intimate partner violence.
• Russia says will move AIDS prisoner to hospital
  Russia's prison service bowed to international pressure on Thursday by saying it would transfer Vasily Alexanian, an inmate gravely ill with HIV/AIDS, to a specialist clinic.
• HIV can be passed to babies in pre-chewed food
  The AIDS virus can be passed from an infected mother to her baby if she pre-chews the child's food as sometimes occurs in developing countries, U.S. government scientists said on Wednesday.

• February 6, 2008

  Test Detects Sensitivity to HIV Drug
  Could be first step toward personalized medicine, experts say
• Drug Helps Prevent Breast-Feeding Moms From Passing on HIV
  6 weeks of nevirapine greatly reduced infant infections in Africa, India, study found

• February 5, 2008

  CORRECTED: HIV drugs make breast-feeding safer
  A drug that helps prevent babies from catching the AIDS virus at birth can also protect them while nursing, researchers reported on Monday.
• Screening pregnant women for BV not recommended
  The US Preventive Services Task Force is advising doctors not to screen pregnant women for bacterial vaginosis, commonly referred to as BV, if they are at low risk for preterm delivery -- because treating BV offers no benefit.

• February 4, 2008

  HIV drugs make breast-feeding safer, study finds
  A drug that helps prevent babies from catching the AIDS virus at birth can also protect them while nursing, researchers reported on Monday.
• Herpes drug does not prevent HIV infection - study
  People who took a drug to reduce outbreaks of genital herpes were not any less likely to become infected with the AIDS virus, an international team of researchers reported on Monday.
• Circumcision reduces HIV infection co-factors
  Circumcision appears to reduce the likelihood of men becoming infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and of passing it on to their female partners.
• World Bank head sees Mozambique AIDS spread threat
  The head of the World Bank said on Monday he was worried very high rates of HIV/AIDS infections and related tuberculosis in Mozambique could spread as new transport routes are developed to meet growing economic activity.

• January 31, 2008

  Negative prenatal test doesn't assure HIV-infant
  Infants can be born with HIV infection even if their mother tests negative for the virus in pregnancy, the results of a brief report show.
• Group to try Pfizer drug as gel "condom"
  Researchers dedicated to finding a gel or cream that could work invisibly to protect women from AIDS the way a condom does said on Wednesday they got permission from Pfizer Inc. to use its newest HIV drug.

• January 30, 2008

  Health experts fear HIV crisis for Kenyan refugees
  Thousands of uprooted Kenyans are not getting the HIV medicines they need to survive, and rising sexual attacks in camps stand to further spread the disease, public health experts say.

• January 25, 2008

  Oral Contraceptives Cut Ovarian Cancer Risk
  The Pill prevents as many as 30,000 deaths each year, study says

• January 24, 2008

  Health Tip: Understanding Shingles
  Caused by the same virus as chickenpox

• January 22, 2008

  Cervical cancer vaccine cost-effective: EU agency
  The vaccine against the sexually transmitted virus that causes the most cases of cervical cancer is cost-effective and should be given to adolescent girls before they start having sex, an EU agency said on Tuesday.
• Child mortality toll dips below 10 million: UNICEF
  Nearly 9.7 million children die each year before their fifth birthday from diseases from pneumonia to malaria, but simple affordable measures could save more lives, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

• January 21, 2008

  Experts working on vaccine to fight AIDS in China
  Scientists in Hong Kong and China are working on an AIDS vaccine to protect against three variants of HIV sweeping across south and west China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

• January 17, 2008

  REFILE: "Selective avoidance" does not reduce STD risk
  A new study suggests that many African- American girls try to lower their risk of sexually transmitted diseases by being selective about their sex partners -- but the strategy does not seem to work.

• January 16, 2008

  "Selective avoidance" does not reduce STD risk
  A new study suggests that many African- American girls try to lower their risk of sexually transmitted diseases by being selective about their sex partners -- but the strategy does not seem to work.
• Gay Men More Likely to Contract 'Superbug'
  Sexually active most likely to get highly resistant MRSA strain, study finds

• January 15, 2008

  New study blames Columbus for syphilis spread
  New genetic evidence supports the theory that Christopher Columbus brought syphilis to Europe from the New World, U.S. researchers said on Monday, reviving a centuries-old debate about the origins of the disease.
• Antiretroviral Drugs May Prevent Vaginal Transmission of HIV
  Mouse study shows they could protect against spread of disease
• Columbus Carried Syphilis From New World to Europe, Study Suggests
  Genetic testing sees link to similar disease found in South America

• January 14, 2008

  Love, hope for shunned kids in India AIDS school
  In a smart blue tunic and red ribbons in her hair, 12-year-old Komal's laughing eyes hide a fear of death that stalks every student in her village school.

• January 10, 2008

  New Proteins That Help HIV Grow Identified
  Finding could lead to treatments for when antiviral drugs fail
• Nearly 300 proteins are potential HIV targets
  After screening thousands of genes, scientists from Boston have identified 273 human proteins required for HIV propagation - and most of these "HIV-dependency factors" have not been previously linked to HIV infection.
• HIV doctor files torture complaint against Libya
  A Palestinian doctor, who says he was tortured to confess he deliberately infected hundreds of Libyan children with HIV, has filed a complaint against Libya with a U.N. human rights panel, his lawyer said on Thursday.

• January 9, 2008

  Large survey reveals sex habits of teens
  A "substantial minority" of 15-year-olds have had sexual intercourse, according results of a survey of 33,943 adolescents from 24 European and North American countries.
• Nepal radio breaks taboos to fight HIV/AIDS
  Ignoring social taboos in this conservative nation, a Nepali radio program on safe sex is spreading awareness against HIV/AIDS and offers life-saving advice to young people who are vulnerable to the disease.

• January 4, 2008

  Antidepressants Help HIV-Infected Patients Stick to Treatment
  Depression can cause many to skip their medicines, experts note

• December 27, 2007

  Bacterial vaginosis doubles risk of miscarriage
  The presence of bacterial vaginosis or BV during the first trimester of pregnancy doubles the likelihood of a miscarriage by the end of the second trimester, researchers report.

• December 24, 2007

  Pregnant women at risk for HIV may opt out of testing
  Women who decline prenatal HIV screening are more likely to be HIV positive than women who undergo prenatal HIV screening, according to a study from Canada.

• December 20, 2007

  Sex Ed Does Delay Teen Sex: CDC
  Classes impact boys more than girls, national survey finds

• December 18, 2007

  FDA has questions on Glaxo cervical cancer vaccine
  GlaxoSmithKline Plc's cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix faces a delay in winning approval in the United States, putting it further behind Merck & Co Inc's rival product Gardasil, which is already available.

• December 15, 2007

  Ingredient in human semen may enhance HIV infection
  An ingredient in human semen may actually help the HIV virus infect cells, German researchers said on Thursday.

• December 14, 2007

  Fibers in Semen Help HIV Penetrate Cells
  The chances of infection are boosted 50-fold to 100,000-fold, study finds

• December 12, 2007

  Sharon Stone goes to Dubai to raise $1 mln for AIDS
  Hollywood star Sharon Stone hopes to raise above $1 million dollars for AIDS research at an auction in Dubai to spread awareness about the deadly virus that remains taboo in the Arab world.

• December 9, 2007

  U.S. care for HIV detainees falls short -report
  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has failed to provide adequate care to immigrant detainees with HIV, putting their health and lives at risk, Human Rights Watch charged on Friday.
• AIDS crisis looms over ANC ahead of leadership vote
  AIDS has driven a wedge between the leadership and rank-and-file of the ruling African National Congress, with top officials accused of ignorance and activists aghast at the government's handling of the pandemic.

• December 7, 2007

  China launches first major safe sex TV campaign
  China rolled out its first major television campaign on Thursday to promote condom use to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, now mostly being transmitted by sex in the world's most populous country.

• December 6, 2007

  Drug Helps Ease Fat Disorder in HIV Patients
  Tesamorelin shrinks the visceral fat around organs that boosts heart risks
• Newly HIV-Infected Gay Men Select Other Infected Partners
  Study finds men engaging in unprotected sex, but with those already carrying the virus
• No AIDS estimate available yet: CDC
  New federal numbers put the number of Americans infected with the AIDS virus each year close to 50 percent higher than previous estimates, activist groups and some media reported, but federal officials denied on Sunday that the data was finished yet.
• MSF urges Roche to cut drug price to stop blindness
  Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) urged Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG to cut prices for its antiviral Valcyte in developing countries, saying it would help prevent unnecessary cases of blindness.
• Bush announces Africa trip, presses for AIDS funds
  President George W. Bush on Friday announced a trip to Africa early next year for a first-hand look at U.S.-sponsored HIV/AIDS programs, and pressed Congress to approve a doubling of funds to combat the disease globally.
• S. Africa cites progress on AIDS
  South Africa, which has one of the world's worst AIDS epidemics, has made headway in fighting HIV, but condom use is still insufficient, government leaders said on Saturday.

• December 4, 2007

  One-Third of HIV-Infected Gay Men Have Unsafe Sex: CDC
  Two new U.S. government studies show strong link to recreational drugs as well.

• December 2, 2007

  Overlooked Mutation Can Spur HIV Drug Resistance
  It should be added to standard genetic tests used to guide treatment, experts say

• December 1, 2007

  Rapid test offers new weapon against chlamydia
  A new rapid test for chlamydia, the world's most common sexually transmitted infection, has proved successful in trials and could help rein in a worrying rise in the disease, British scientists said on Friday.
• China's Hu presses the flesh with AIDS patients
  Chinese President Hu Jintao visited a number of AIDS patients and their families on Friday, a public show of solidarity in a country where HIV/AIDS sufferers still face widespread stigmatisation.
• Bush announces Africa trip, presses for AIDS funds
  President George W. Bush on Friday announced a trip to Africa early next year for a first-hand look at U.S.-sponsored HIV/AIDS programs and pressed Congress to approve a doubling of funds to combat the disease globally.
• Cameroon prostitutes join battle against AIDS
  A drama group including prostitutes has helped make Cameroon one of just three sub-Saharan African countries where young people have clearly reduced risky sexual behaviour.
• U.S. aims to take HIV tests to high-risk people
  A program backed by U.S. health authorities brought HIV tests to about 24,000 people at high risk for infection who otherwise might have been missed by AIDS prevention efforts, officials said on Thursday.
• Mumbai lunch couriers pack AIDS advice in meal box
  Thousands of Mumbai's office goers, who have their lunch delivered from home by the city's famed tiffin couriers, found an extra helping on Friday -- not of food but advice on fighting AIDS.

• December 1, 2007

  More Young Americans Are Contracting HIV
  On eve of World AIDS Day, U.S. experts wonder what has gone wrong

• November 30, 2007

  One in three in G7 ignorant about AIDS - survey
  One in three adults in the world's top industrial democracies say they know little or nothing about AIDS, a disease thought to have killed more than 28 million people in the past 26 years, a poll showed on Thursday.
• China AIDS rate slows, main transmission now sex
  The rate of new HIV/AIDS infections in China is slowing and is now mainly being transmitted through sex, which the government could tackle with a circumcision campaign, the health minister said on Thursday.
• HIV vaccine trial volunteers may face social blow
  Many volunteers who take part in clinical trials of experimental HIV vaccines report negative social consequences because of their participation in the studies, according to a new report.
• Rapid HIV tests improve detection in minorities
  The use of rapid HIV tests in outreach settings and other community initiatives is valuable in detecting HIV infection in racial/ethnic minority groups as well as in high-risk individuals, new study findings show.
• Clinton, AIDS and evangelicals make unusual trio
  Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton makes a rare foray into the U.S. evangelical community on Thursday with an address to an AIDS conference that is seen as a bid to woo the religious right.
• Global vigil for AIDS orphans begins in Toronto
  Christopher Wachira couldn't help but think of 9-year-old Hamisi Kombo as the names of 360 children, orphaned as a result of AIDS, were read out at Toronto's CN Tower on Thursday.

• November 29, 2007

  HIV/AIDS discrimination widespread in China: U.N.
  China's efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS-related discrimination have failed to stamp out "widespread" stigmatization of sufferers, United Nations officials said on Wednesday.
• Don't treat AIDS victims with disdain, Pope says
  Pope Benedict on Wednesday called for increased efforts to stop the spread of AIDS and said victims of the disease should not be treated with disdain.
• AIDS leaves Africa's grannies to raise children
  Skinny and gap-toothed, her nose smudged with black dust, grandmother Kanotu Mumo sorts charcoal into small pots for sale on the stoop of her slum hut.

• November 28, 2007

  Washington has severe HIV epidemic, report finds
  Washington, D.C., has the highest rate of AIDS in the United States, and more babies are born with the AIDS virus in Washington than in other U.S. cities, according to a report released on Monday.

• November 27, 2007

  Routine HIV testing may benefit teenagers
  Early, routine HIV testing might help stem the spread of the infection among teenagers, according to researchers.

• November 24, 2007

  HIV drug resistance seen in central China: expert
  Significant numbers of people living with HIV in central China have developed full-blown AIDS despite receiving free anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, a leading AIDS researcher said on Thursday.
• Beijing hotels told to stock all rooms with condoms
  Beijing, preparing to host the 2008 Olympics, has ordered hotels to provide condoms in all bedrooms in a bid to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS after cases of infection soared 54 percent in the first 10 months of this year.
• Former Soviet Union sees most new HIV infections: report
  Former Soviet states had the largest number of new HIV infections last year in the European region, mainly due to shared drug needles, an EU report said on Friday.
• Post-exposure HIV drugs won't boost risky behavior
  Giving antiretroviral drugs to people after they may have been exposed to HIV is an effective way to prevent them from contracting the virus, a new study shows.

• November 23, 2007

  When mom has AIDS, kids' mental health may suffer
  Uninfected children of HIV-infected mothers should be screened and followed up long-term for psychiatric problems, pediatricians from New York recommend, based on their experience.

• November 22, 2007

  Beijing sees jump in HIV/AIDS cases
  China's capital has registered nearly 973 new HIV/AIDS cases so far this year, a jump of more than 50 percent from 2006, state media reported on Wednesday.

• November 21, 2007

  U.N. lowers AIDS estimates in latest report
  The United Nations has reduced its estimate of how many people are infected with the AIDS virus, from nearly 39 million to 33 million.

• November 20, 2007

  Pap smears may reduce the risk of some STDs
  Pap smears may provoke a beneficial short-term immune response against sexually transmitted viral infections, South African researchers report.

• November 17, 2007

  Some OBs unclear on HIV testing requirements
  Although virtually all obstetrician-gynecologists recommend HIV testing to all their pregnant patients, some are unaware of their state requirements for recommending such testing, according to a report in the Obstetrics & Gynecology.
• Study shows how some AIDS vaccines may harm
  Some viruses being used in experimental AIDS vaccines may damage the immune system by exhausting key cells, researchers reported on Thursday in a finding that may further cloud the field of HIV vaccines.

• November 14, 2007

  HIV programmes in workplace save money and lives
  Companies can save money and retain more staff by offering their workers HIV programmes, particularly in areas where infection rates are high, an international aid agency said on Tuesday.
• Rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis up in U.S.
  The number of reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis increased in the United States between 2005 and 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2006 Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance report, released Tuesday.
• Many people don't think AIDS is fatal: survey
  In a nine-country survey released today, more than 40 percent of respondents did not understand that AIDS is always a fatal disease.
• U.S. Chlamydia Infections Hit All-Time High
  Million-plus cases reported, as gonorrhea, syphilis rates rise for 2nd year in a row, CDC says

• November 13, 2007

  Drug injecting source of most Mauritius HIV cases
  Drug abuse accounts for 92 percent of new HIV infections in Mauritius, up from just 14 percent in 2002, the government said on Monday.

• November 13, 2007

  Condom use reduces risk of bacterial vaginosis
  For women who have a high risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease, their risk of developing bacterial vaginosis and the associated changes in vaginal microflora is reduced if they use condoms during every sexual encounter, according to a report in the journal Epidemiology.
• Fallout From Failed AIDS Vaccine Could Dampen Research
  Experts worry infection fears might keep participants from trials

• November 10, 2007

  AIDS looms over French boy in Dubai rape case
  The mother of a French boy who was gang-raped by three United Arab Emirates nationals, one of whom has AIDS, said she was tormented by fear her son might contract the virus.

• November 9, 2007

  Cold virus chief suspect in AIDS vaccine failure
  A cold virus used to make an experimental HIV vaccine that was discontinued in September somehow may have caused volunteers to be more susceptible to the AIDS virus, the vaccine's developers said on Wednesday.
• China to ease travel restrictions on HIV-carriers
  China is to scrap immigration laws that restrict people with HIV/AIDS traveling to the country, a health ministry official and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said on Thursday.
• Sexual flings abroad put young Britons at risk
  One in five young Britons has sex with a new partner when travelling abroad, putting them at risk of contracting HIV and other diseases, researchers said on Thursday.
• ANALYSIS-AIDS vaccines experts confused, dismayed
  AIDS vaccine researchers are worried about the future of their field after learning an experimental HIV vaccine not only does not work, but just might make recipients more susceptible to infection with the AIDS virus.

• November 8, 2007

  Prenatal HIV prevention combo reduces resistance
  The addition of a single dose of a two-drug combination can prevent the development of resistance in pregnant HIV-infected women who receive a short-course regimen of nevirapine (Viramune) to prevent transmission of the virus to their infant.

• November 7, 2007

  Cervical cancer underestimated in Asia: expert
  Cervical cancer is much more common in Asia than the quarter of a million new cases recorded each year, according to an expert, who says governments should consider vaccinating all women because screenings are too costly.
• New China HIV cases grow to over 3,000 a month
  China's new HIV/AIDS cases have accelerated to more than 3,000 a month, with the proportion of cases caused by sexual transmission increasing, state media said on Tuesday.
• Early HRT Protects a Woman's Heart
  But contraceptives heighten risk of arterial problems, studies find

• November 6, 2007

  HPV common in sexually active male college students
  In a study of sexually active young male, heterosexual college students, almost two thirds developed genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection over 2 years of follow-up, according to Seattle-based researchers.
• TB vaccine sickens HIV-infected children
  A vaccine aimed at protecting children in developing countries from deadly tuberculosis may be killing and sickening some vulnerable infants infected with the AIDS virus, researchers said on Friday.
• Merck says Gardasil vaccine protects older women
  Gardasil, Merck's vaccine for preventing cervical cancer in girls and women aged 9 to 26, may offer protection for women up to age 45, the company said on Sunday.
• South Africa AIDS activist urges new TB plan
  African nations are failing to control tuberculosis and could be overwhelmed by drug resistant strains of the infectious lung disease, with dire implications for the war on AIDS, a leading AIDS activist said on Monday.

• November 2, 2007

  Zimbabwe AIDS prevalence rate falls further
  Zimbabwe's HIV prevalence has continued falling and now stands at less than 16 percent from more than 18 percent last year, government figures in the southern African country showed on Thursday.

• October 31, 2007

  AIDS Stopped in Haiti Before U.S.
  New research tracks the spread of HIV from Africa to America

• October 30, 2007

  Certain Seizure Patients Need Emergency CT Scan
  ER staff should focus on those with first-ever attack, babies, and people with AIDS, guideline says

• October 28, 2007

  Many U.S. TB patients also HIV infected: report
  Nearly a third of U.S. tuberculosis patients do not know whether they are infected with the AIDS virus, showing more needs to be done to get these people tested for HIV, a federal report said on Thursday.

• October 26, 2007

  AIDS vaccine may raise infection risk-researchers
  More than 3,000 people who volunteered to receive an experimental Merck and Co. AIDS vaccine are being told to come back and get extra tests because they may have an increased risk of infection.
• Aptivus impact on HIV can last: study
  A new three-year study showed AIDS drug Aptivus used with another AIDS drug worked better in patients who had been treated before than did another group of drugs, Boehringer Ingelheim said on Thursday.

• October 24, 2007

  Gay men can earn 23 pct less than married men
  NEW YORK(Reuters Life!) - Gay men, but not lesbians, face discrimination at work, earning up to 23 percent less than married men in some jobs, according to a new study.
• Catholic condom ban fueling HIV spread in Latam
  The rapid spread in Latin America of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is made worse by the Roman Catholic Church's stand against using condoms, a U.N. official said on Monday.
• Black HIV patients at risk for kidney failure
  Black people infected with HIV are at much higher risk for kidney failure, also known as end-stage renal disease, than are their white counterparts. In fact, the risk seen with HIV infection in blacks is comparable to that observed with diabetes, a well known cause of kidney disease.
• Many at Risk for HIV Not Being Tested
  Screening should be part of routine medical care, researchers suggest

• October 22, 2007

  Saving Millions of Children's Lives Is Possible
  Better food, water, sanitation would make all the difference, report finds
• Fraud and Florida's multimillion-dollar wheelchair
  One Miami area medical equipment supplier managed to bill the U.S. government so often for a wheelchair it ended up costing $5 million.

• October 18, 2007

  New US vaccine guidelines for adults released
  The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has released the 2007-2008 recommended immunization schedules for adults in the US, according to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
• S.Africa parliament backs defiant health minister
  South Africa's parliament rejected a motion by the opposition on Thursday for an investigation into whether controversial Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was fit to hold her job.

• October 17, 2007

  HPV testing best at detecting early cervical cancer
  Testing for the presence of cancer-related human papillomavirus (HPV) is more sensitive than Pap testing in identifying cancer or pre-cancerous cells in the cervix that will probably progress to cancer if they are not removed.
• Merck says US FDA approves new AIDS treatment
  A new AIDS treatment made by Merck & Co , the first in a new class of drugs aimed at preventing replication of the virus, has been approved by U.S. regulators, Merck said on Friday.

• October 12, 2007

  AIDS leaves Mozambique pupils without teachers
  AIDS has left a generation of pupils in Mozambique without teachers as the pandemic is killing more than 1,000 teachers each year, Education Minister Aires Aly said on Friday.
• Study sees differences in how U.S. Hispanics get HIV
  There are major differences among U.S. Hispanics in how they get infected with the AIDS virus depending on where they were born, officials said on Thursday, requiring more care in tailoring prevention efforts.

• October 11, 2007

  More collaboration needed after HIV vaccine flop
  AIDS researchers must step up collaboration following the failure last month of a key experimental HIV vaccine, the new head of a global group coordinating the hunt for an effective shot said on Thursday.
• AIDS Drugs May Protect Brain
  Study found levels of protein indicating damage returned to normal in many HIV patients.

• October 9, 2007

  S. Africa forgets children in AIDS fight - UN
  South Africa is neglecting most of the 100,000 children born there every year with HIV infection and half of them are likely to die before the age of 2, a senior U.N. official said on Tuesday.
• Stressful Jobs Hard on the Heart
  High anxiety, low control double recurrent heart attack risk, study finds.
• Uganda opens first AIDS, malaria drugs factory
  A factory producing low-cost drugs to treat HIV/AIDS and malaria - Africa's two biggest killers - opened in Uganda on Monday.

• October 8, 2007

  AIDS drugs preserve brain, study finds
  Combination antiretroviral drug therapy widely used to treat infection with AIDS virus, HIV, appear to stop brain damage caused by infection as well, researchers reported on Monday.

• October 4, 2007

  I'd like a car loan and 20 condoms, please
  A Thai bank is pitching into the battle against HIV/AIDS and handing out condoms to customers too shy to get them at the shop.

• October 2, 2007

  Doctors acquitted in Canada tainted-blood trial
  Three former Canadian health officials and a U.S. pharmaceutical company were acquitted of criminal charges on Monday following a tainted-blood scandal in which thousands of Canadians contracted HIV and hepatitis C from blood transfusions.

• September 28, 2007

  Rwanda to urge male circumcision in AIDS fight
  Rwanda plans to encourage male circumcision to help the tiny African nation curb HIV/AIDS rates, a senior official told Reuters on Friday.
• Health Tip: Understanding Fever Blisters
  What's behind these painful sores

• September 27, 2007

  Donors pledge $10 bln to Global Fund to fight disease
  Donor countries promised nearly $10 billion to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria over the next three years at a meeting on Thursday.

• September 26, 2007

  Marijuana pill relieves HIV-related symptoms
  HIV-infected patients who smoke marijuana appear to derive just as much benefit from taking the drug dronabinol, a synthetic form of the active ingredient found in marijuana, according to a report in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
• Boost in funds needed to fight AIDS: UN
  Global AIDS funding needs to be quadrupled to fight the epidemic's spread in the developing world, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
• Doctors See Return of Kaposi's Sarcoma in Handful of AIDS Patients
  The skin cancer, which causes lesions, can be controlled with newer treatments.

• September 24, 2007

  Europe gives final approval to Pfizer HIV drug
  Pfizer Inc said on Monday the European Commission had approved its AIDS drug called Celsentri, or Selzentry in the United States, the first in a new class of oral HIV medicines.

• September 21, 2007

  Merck halts HIV vaccine study
  Merck & Co has halted testing of its vaccine to prevent HIV infection -- long considered among the most promising vaccines in development -- after a monitoring board found it was ineffective, the company said on Friday.
• Health Tip: Choosing a Contraceptive
  Information about the different types

• September 19, 2007

  HIV prevention could save millions in Africa: study
  Using drugs to prevent HIV infection could prevent as many as 3 million new cases in Africa if it was done right, researchers predicted on Tuesday.

• September 18, 2007

  J&J says Prezista matches Kaletra in HIV trial
  Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday its drug Prezista was as effective in a late-stage trial as Abbott Laboratories Inc's Kaletra in cutting HIV to undetectable levels among patients not previously treated with HIV drugs.
• Nigeria triples number on free HIV drugs - agency
  A tripling of the number of Nigerian HIV treatment centres in a year has enabled 135,000 infected people to get free life-saving drugs, up from 40,000 a year ago, Nigeria's AIDS control agency said on Tuesday.

• September 17, 2007

  WFP to increase HIV/AIDS food handouts in Malawi
  The United Nations World Food Programme will nearly double food handouts for HIV/AIDS sufferers in Malawi largely due to a donation from the southern African nation's government, the WFP said on Monday.
• Ex-S. Africa deputy minister accuses former boss
  The former deputy to South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said the minister deliberately undercut her efforts to tackle chronic illness in the AIDS-ravaged country.

• September 14, 2007

  China hemophiliacs face dangerous shortage of drug
  China's efforts to clean up an unsafe blood supply chain, blamed for many HIV infections, has led to a severe shortage of an effective hemophilia drug and put tens of thousands of patients in danger.

• September 13, 2007

  Number of Partners Doesn't Explain Gay HIV Rate
  Gay, straight men equally prone to unprotected sex, research shows.
• Falling Platelet Counts May Signal HIV-Linked Dementia
  Study finds a strong correlation, with risk doubling as blood cells decline

• September 12, 2007

  Pillboxes help HIV-positive stick to drug regimens
  HIV-positive patients who use pillbox organizers to help keep track of their medications can reduce their risk of progressing to AIDS, a new study shows.

• September 11, 2007

  China says faces shortage of blood plasma
  China is facing a shortage of human albumin, or plasma protein, but the quality of blood products is guaranteed, the government said on Tuesday.

• September 7, 2007

  Twenty two people contract HIV in Kyrgyz hospitals
  Seventeen babies and five adults have contracted HIV through infected blood transfusions in Kyrgyzstan, a senior health official said on Friday.

• September 6, 2007

  Asia must deal bravely with HIV/AIDS - UN official
  A top U.N. official urged countries in Asia on Thursday to deal squarely and bravely with HIV/AIDS, which he said was being driven dangerously underground because of stigma and conservative attitudes.

• September 6, 2007

  China's blood still unsafe, needs help: report
  China's blood supply is still not being properly monitored for HIV/AIDS a decade after a blood-selling scandal, and it needs international help to tackle the problem, a report said on Thursday.

• September 5, 2007

  FDA panel recommends approval of Merck AIDS drug
  Merck & Co's experimental AIDS drug Isentress merits approval, a panel of expert advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday.

• September 4, 2007

  France's first lady defends Libya HIV medics role
  Cecilia Sarkozy, wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has rejected calls to appear before a parliamentary commission to explain her role in securing the release of six foreign medics from a Libyan jail.

• September 1, 2007

  HIV Drug Might Fight Cancer
  Repositioning approved drugs could speed development of new therapies, researchers say.

• August 31, 2007

  Tutu slams S. Africa's efforts to fight HIV/AIDS
  Archbishop Desmond Tutu berated South Africa's government on Friday over delays in introducing an HIV/AIDS drug treatment plan and said its leaders' unorthodox views had led to unnecessary deaths.
• AIDS drug shows potential as weapon against cancer
  A drug used to treat people infected with the AIDS virus has shown promise as a possible future weapon against cancer, U.S. researchers said on Friday.

• August 31, 2007

  Health Tip: When Considering Vasectomy
  Here's what you should know

• August 29, 2007

  Teens with HIV-infected parents need social support
  Adolescents whose parents are infected or have died from HIV/AIDS cope significantly better emotionally if they have a strong social support system in place, according to research published today in the American Journal of Public Health.
• Hospitalization rates down for young kids with HIV
  The introduction and widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the United States has led to "dramatic decreases" in hospitalizations among HIV-infected infants and children younger than 5 years old, new evidence suggests.
• HIV self-tests ineffective in high-risk individuals
  In a study conducted at two major HIV centers in Singapore, rapid HIV self-tests were used improperly, or the results were interpreted incorrectly, by individuals at risk for HIV infection or those who were already infected.

• August 28, 2007

  Mozambique links health officials to drug thefts
  About 100 Mozambique health officials face dismissal for helping gangs siphon drugs from the impoverished African nation's health system for resale on a thriving black market, a government official said on Tuesday.

• August 27, 2007

  Oral Sex Implicated in Some Throat and Neck Cancers
  HPV virus is cause; vaccination may reduce incidence, experts say.

• August 23, 2007

  Asia must step up HIV/AIDS fight, experts say
  Asian countries must work hard to keep their HIV/AIDS prevalence rates low compared to that in Africa by tackling root causes like poverty, gender inequality and marginalization, experts said on Thursday.
• Genital surgery helps Burkina's mutilated women
  Abi Sanon was seven days old when she went under the knife.

• August 22, 2007

  Human trafficking helps spread HIV in Asia: UN
  About 300,000 women and children are trafficked across Asia each year, accelerating the spread of HIV/AIDS, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

• August 21, 2007

  IUDs can be safe, effective in high-risk patients
  Intrauterine devices appear to be safe and effective for women who ordinarily might not be considered good candidates for this form of contraceptive because of factors such as a history of sexually transmitted infections, multiple partners or prior pelvic inflammatory disease, according to a new report.

• August 20, 2007

  Sex now primary route of HIV infection in China
  Unsafe sex has overtaken intravenous drug use as the primary route of transmission of new HIV infections in China, suggesting that the virus is spreading from high-risk groups to the general public, state media reported on Monday.
• Race a factor for common vaginal infection
  A pregnant woman's risk of bacterial vaginosis, the most common type of vaginal infection and a risk factor for preterm birth, is doubled if she or her male partner is black. Those findings were presented earlier this week at the 34th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology in Boston.
• Sri Lanka HIV rate low, but poverty, war a threat-UN
  Sri Lanka has one of the lowest prevalence rates of HIV in Asia, but poverty and displacement of civilians due to renewed civil war are making the island increasingly vulnerable, the United Nations said on Thursday.

• August 16, 2007

  AIDS virus inflicts "double hit" to the brain: study
  The AIDS virus damages the brain in two ways, by not only killing brain cells but by preventing the birth of new cells, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

• August 15, 2007

  S. Africa AIDS activists take govt. to court
  South African AIDS activists said on Wednesday they planned to take the government to court again over its HIV strategy and said the sacking of a respected deputy health minister had caused "panic and fear".
• Older women at risk of HIV often resist testing
  Older women who have a relatively high risk of being infected with HIV are often uninterested in being tested for the virus, new research suggests.
• HIV Delivers 'Double Whammy' to Brain
  Virus doesn't just destroy neurons, it prevents new ones from forming, study finds.
• Vaccines prevent, but can't treat HPV - study
  Vaccines designed to prevent infection from two strains of the human papillomavirus virus that cause most cases of cervical cancer offer no benefit as a treatment for women who are already infected, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

• August 14, 2007

  Pediatric AIDS pill approved
  A three-in-one AIDS pill for children was cleared on Monday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in a global U.S. AIDS relief program.

• August 13, 2007

  Ostracized Indian AIDS couple plea for euthanasia
  An Indian couple suffering from AIDS has asked the country's president to allow them and their daughter to die through euthanasia as they were being harassed in their village.
• Drugs can lower risk of genital herpes recurrence
  The effectiveness of oral antiviral drugs, commonly used to prevent genital herpes outbreaks in infected patients, has been confirmed by a review of published studies.
• Medics tortured into HIV confession -Gaddafi's son
  Foreign medics freed from a Libyan jail were tortured into confessing they deliberately infected hundreds of Libyan children with HIV, a son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said in remarks broadcast on Thursday.

• August 9, 2007

  Mbeki blasted over deputy health minister sacking
  South African opposition parties and AIDS activists lambasted President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday for sacking his deputy health minister, who has won widespread praise for her approach to tackling the disease.
• Women With Migraines at Higher Risk of Stroke
  And smoking and oral contraceptives heighten that risk, study finds.

• August 7, 2007

  Freed doctor plans UN complaint against Libya
  A Palestinian doctor who says he was tortured to confess he deliberately infected hundreds of Libyan children with HIV plans to file a complaint against Libya with a U.N. human rights panel, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
• EU suspends sale of Roche HIV drug Viracept
  The European Commission said on Tuesday it had suspended Swiss drugmaker Roche's licence to market the HIV drug Viracept in the European Union.

• August 6, 2007

  Pfizer wins U.S. approval for new HIV drug
  Pfizer Inc said on Monday that U.S. regulators approved its AIDS drug Selzentry, the first in a new class of oral HIV medicines.

• August 3, 2007

  Abstinence-only programs do not reduce HIV risk
  In high income countries, programs that encourage abstinence from sex as the only method of preventing HIV infection are not effective in achieving this goal, findings from a review of trial data suggest.
• Scientists Probe How HIV Infection Turns Into AIDS
  They've devised a new model that could point to better drug targets.

• August 1, 2007

  Strait-laced Chechens admit AIDS is a problem
  Chechnya, a society built on traditional values and involved in separatist war for a decade, even talking about AIDS has been taboo.

• July 31, 2007

  HIV common in girls sex-trafficked from Nepal
  Over one third of girls and women repatriated to Nepal after coerced prostitution in India are infected with HIV, new research shows. Girls trafficked before 15 years of age were at particularly high risk for infection.

• July 27, 2007

  China tells hotels to provide condoms
  China has ordered all hotels, holiday resorts and public showers to provide condoms, part of nationwide efforts to fight the spread of AIDS, a newspaper said on Friday.
• China's Hunan to HIV test "recreational workers"
  HIV tests will be compulsory for workers at "recreational venues" in Hunan Province in central China, to try and stem an increase in sexually transmitted diseases, the Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

• July 26, 2007

  Libya protests over pardons for HIV medics
  Libya accused Bulgaria on Thursday of violating an agreement between the two countries by pardoning six medical workers convicted of intentionally infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.
• Libyan families condemn pardon of Bulgarian medics
  The families of hundreds of Libyan children infected with HIV condemned Bulgaria's "recklessness" on Wednesday for its pardoning six medical workers accused of infecting them and called on Tripoli to cut ties with Sofia.

• July 25, 2007

  CORRECTION: Early treatment prolongs survival in HIV babies
  Infants born with HIV infection have a greater chance of survival if they receive early treatment -- before they show signs of a weakened immune system or HIV-related illness, according to a report presented Tuesday at the 4th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention.
• Early HIV Therapy Boosts Children's Survival
  Treating babies soon after birth is clearly effective, African study finds.
• Early treatment prolongs survival in HIV babies
  Infants born with HIV-infection have a greater chance of survival if they receive early treatment -- before they show signs of a weakened immune system or HIV-related illness, according to a report presented Tuesday at the 4th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention.

• July 24, 2007

  Circumcision could save millions from AIDS
  Millions of new HIV infections in Africa could be avoided if more men were circumcised, researchers reported here Tuesday at the 4th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention.
• HIV medics freed from Libya after 8-year ordeal
  Six foreign medics convicted of deliberately infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV were freed on Tuesday after a partnership deal between Tripoli and the European Union ended their eight-year ordeal.

• July 23, 2007

  Women with HIV fight fear and stigma
  When Papua New Guinea's Maura Elaripe was diagnosed with HIV she thought it was a death sentence, but 10 years later she is still fighting the disease and the fear and stigma associated with it in her homeland.
• Medical "brain drain" hindering AIDS battle
  The biggest challenge in the global fight against AIDS is no longer money for drug research and treatment but the lack of local health services in nations worst-hit by the disease, the World Bank said on Monday.
• Clinton pilots subsidized malaria drugs in Africa
  Former President Bill Clinton launched a program on Sunday to make subsidized malaria drugs available in Tanzania in a test scheme that could serve as a blueprint for Africa as a whole.

• July 20, 2007

  EU dangles better ties with Libya over HIV medics
  The European Union held out the prospect on Friday of a quick boost to relations with Libya if the fate of six jailed foreign health workers is resolved in a satisfactory way.
• Rwanda launches key test of WTO drug patent waiver
  Rwanda plans to import a generic drug for HIV infection made in Canada, making it the first country to test a World Trade Organisation waiver on drug patents, the WTO said on Friday.
• Genital wart virus goes away in most young women
  Young women commonly become infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) soon after they start having sex, but the infection usually clears quickly, a new study shows.

• July 19, 2007

  HIV patients build normal immune strength in study
  Combination drug regimens for HIV infection may be able to restore the ravaged immune systems of some patients, researchers reported on Wednesday.
• Bulgaria asks Libya to transfer HIV medics
  Bulgaria asked Libya on Thursday to allow it to take custody of six foreign medics jailed for infecting hundreds of children with HIV after Tripoli commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment.
• Combo HIV Drug Therapy May Restore Healthy Immune System
  But these good results might not apply to all patients, experts say
• Genetic Analysis Offers Insights Into AIDS Resistance
  Finding could lead to new treatments, possibly vaccines, researchers say.

• July 18, 2007

  World struggling to treat HIV/AIDS
  Global AIDS treatment will fall far short of a universal target to have five million people being treated by 2010, due to a continued lack of access to drugs by many of the world's impoverished people, according to a new report.
• Syphilis prompts HIV fears in Malagasy mining town
  A spike in syphilis infections in a major Malagasy mining town could predict an HIV epidemic there in future, an official said on Wednesday.
• EU moves to transfer HIV medics from Libyan jail
  Bulgaria and the European Union called on Libya on Wednesday to transfer six foreign medics to Sofia, after Tripoli lifted their death sentences that were imposed after they were convicted of infecting hundreds of children with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
• Libya lifts death sentences on medics in HIV case
  Libya lifted death sentences on Tuesday against five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor convicted of deliberately infecting children with HIV, paving the way for them to be freed after eight years in jail.

• July 17, 2007

  Self-assessment may lower HIV patients' risk-taking
  Self-assessments may offer the push some HIV patients need to make lifestyle changes for the better, a new study suggests.
• Libya pays funds to families of HIV+ children
  Libya has paid funds to more than half the families of Libyan children with HIV infection under a deal that could free six foreign medical workers convicted and condemned to death for infecting them, a spokesman for the families said on Tuesday.
• UNAIDS chief sees signs of progress in China
  There are signs for optimism in China's fight against HIV/AIDS, such as growing use of antiretrovirals, but harassment of civil society activists remains a worry, a top U.N. official said on Tuesday.
• Sex education creates storm in AIDS-stricken India
  Moves to bring sex out of the closet in largely conservative India have kicked up a morality debate between educators who say sex education will reduce HIV rates, and critics who fear it will corrupt young minds.
• Chlamydia common among young women and men
  A large number of people between the ages of 14 and 39 years have chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, a new report indicates, while gonorrhea, another STD, is less prevalent.
• Libya to decide fate of foreign medics in HIV case
  Libya's top judiciary body has postponed until Monday evening its meeting to decide the fate of six foreign medics sentenced to death for infecting Libyan children with the AIDS virus, officials and lawyers said.
• Malawi unveils mass HIV testing campaign: report
  Health officials in Malawi are preparing on Monday to launch a massive HIV testing program to identify tens of thousands of people unknowingly infected with the virus in the southern African nation.

• July 16, 2007

  Don't trust your man, Indian minister tells women
  Indian men cannot be trusted in their sexual behavior and are fueling the country's HIV epidemic, a female cabinet minister said on Monday, slamming the country's "hypocrisy" about sex.
• Genital herpes in children may not reflect abuse
  While genital herpes in a prepubertal child raises the suspicion of sexual abuse, the current evidence is too weak to estimate the likelihood of sexual transmission of the virus, according to a report from the UK, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

• July 12, 2007

  Double protection doesn't improve HIV prevention
  For prevention of HIV infection, there's no advantage to using a diaphragm as well as a condom during sex, according to investigators hoping for an effective female-controlled method of avoiding AIDS.
• U.S. says Libya should send medics home
  The United States urged Libya on Wednesday to immediately allow six foreign medics to return home after the country's Supreme Court upheld death sentences against them for infecting children with HIV.

• July 11, 2007

  Is HIV a time bomb under the mining industry?
  From Africa to Russia, from Peru to China, mining companies face a problem: the workers who haul up the earth's riches are coming down with AIDS, and it is hampering operations at a time of booming demand for minerals.

• July 10, 2007

  Zambia bans use of AIDS drug, may seek compensation
  Zambia has banned the use of an imported HIV/AIDS drug that was recently recalled in Europe due to contamination and might seek compensation from the company that manufactures it, a senior Zambian official said on Tuesday.

• July 9, 2007

  Treating silent bacterial vaginosis may curb STDs
  Use of the antibiotic metronidazole to treat silent or "asymptomatic" bacterial vaginal infection may help prevent a woman from acquiring a sexually transmitted disease (STD), a study shows.
• Genetically Altered Cold Sore Virus Fights Cancer
  Herpes simplex strain showed no side effects in early trial, study says
• HIV infection raises lung cancer risk: study
  Independent of cigarette smoking, infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is associated with an elevated risk for developing lung cancer, a study shows.
• Male, female condoms similar in blocking semen
  Female condoms may be more prone to slipping or other technical difficulties than male versions are, but the two seem similarly effective at blocking semen, research suggests.
• New drug combo helps HIV patients with few options
  A combination of two experimental AIDS drugs can help control the deadly virus in people who are infected with highly resistant forms, an international team of researchers reported on Thursday.

• July 6, 2007

  India's HIV cases highly overestimated, survey shows
  The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in India is 2.47 million, less than half of previous official estimates, according to new U.N.-backed government estimates released on Friday.

• July 5, 2007

  New Combo Drug Therapies Prove Effective Against HIV
  Etravirine, darunavir prove their mettle in phase 3 trials.

• July 4, 2007

  India HIV caseload seen 60 percent below UN figure
  India has fewer than 2.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS, a senior health official said on Wednesday, nearly 60 percent lower than the 5.7 million estimated by the United Nations.

• July 3, 2007

  Spermicide enhances HPV transmission, tests show
  Animal experiments indicate that the spermicide contraceptive nonoxynol-9 (N-9) may promote genital infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for causing cervical cancer, researchers report.

• June 29, 2007

  Wars don't fuel African HIV crisis: study
  War, refugee crises and large-scale rape of women in sub-Saharan African nations have not spawned higher HIV infection rates in this region hard hit by AIDS, according to a study contradicting a common belief.
• India looking for "Mr. Condom"
  India, struggling to promote greater condom use among its population, is looking to hire its own "condom man" to follow the example of a former Thai cabinet minister who successfully pushed for safer sex.
• Zambia to get extra $266 mln in U.S. AIDS funds
  Zambia will receive an extra $266 million in U.S. help to fight AIDS, officials said on Thursday, as U.S. first lady Laura Bush launched the distribution of 500,000 mosquito nets in the African country.

• June 28, 2007

  Benefits of cervical cancer vaccine confirmed
  The experimental cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix, is 90 percent effective in preventing precancerous viral infection for most cases of cervical cancer. GlaxoSmithKline Plc reported in the Lancet.
• India's HIV caseload may fall by nearly two thirds
  The number of HIV-positive people in India could be nearly two thirds lower than previously estimated, a senior official said on Thursday, as donors and government worked to establish the true figure.
• FDA grants speedy review for new class of HIV drug
  U.S. regulators will review Isentress, an investigational drug for HIV infection, on a priority basis, and a decision is anticipated by mid-October, Merck & Co. said on Wednesday.

• June 27, 2007

  Kazakh health workers jailed in HIV+ infants case
  A Kazakh court jailed more than a dozen health workers on Wednesday for infecting 78 babies with HIV/AIDS but provoked parents' outrage for sparing senior officials.
• World Bank gives Kenya $80 mln to help fight AIDS
  The World Bank has approved an $80 million credit to help Kenya in its fight against AIDS, which the government says kills hundreds of people daily.
• Needlestick Injuries Common Among Surgery Students
  Incidents that could pass on HIV, hepatitis often go unreported, study finds.

• June 26, 2007

  Sex, substance use make teens feel older
  Teens who have sex, drink or use drugs feel "older for their age" than their less-experienced peers, a new study shows.

• June 25, 2007

  Kenya says AIDS rate down to 5.9 percent
  Kenya's AIDS rate has dropped to 5.9 percent and should fall further in coming years, but hundreds a day still die from it, authorities said on Monday.
• AIDS-ravaged Mozambique to recruit African doctors
  Mozambique hopes to recruit 8,000 doctors from other African nations to improve a healthcare system battered by one of the continent's worst AIDS epidemics, the country's health minister said on Monday.

• June 22, 2007

  EU agrees care for Libya HIV children - source
  EU officials trying to free six medics jailed in Libya for infecting 426 children with HIV have offered medical care for the children but have yet to agree on compensation for their families, a Libyan source said on Friday.

• June 21, 2007

  Ancient viral battle left people vulnerable to HIV
  A battle won by human ancestors against a virus that infected chimpanzees and other primates millions of years ago may have left people today more vulnerable to the AIDS virus, scientists said on Thursday.
• Rapid HIV testing worthwhile at gay pride events
  Rapid HIV testing offered at gay pride events can identify people who are unaware that they are infected, researchers report. Those found to be HIV positive in this way can then be directly linked to health and prevention services.
• Expanded HIV Testing Pays Off: Studies
  Screenings at emergency rooms, gay pride events cited by researchers.
• Fighting Ancient Virus May Have Left Humans Vulnerable to HIV
  New study helps explain why other primates aren't sickened by AIDS.

• June 20, 2007

  Libya sets July 11 for HIV nurses ruling
  Libya's Supreme Court will rule on July 11 on an appeal by six foreign medics sentenced to death for infecting Libyan children with HIV, marking the final stage of a trial that has affected Libya's ties with the West.
• UK experts back use of cervical cancer vaccine
  British medical experts have recommended that girls aged 12 to 13 should be vaccinated with Gardasil, the cervical cancer shot marketed by Merck & Co Inc and Sanofi-Aventis SA in Europe.
• Hepatitis B Drug a Threat to Those With HIV
  Use of Baraclude alone leads AIDS virus to become drug-resistant, study finds.

• June 19, 2007

  Anti-Malaria Drugs Help Africa's Women, Babies
  Giving these meds in pregnancy improves birth outcomes, study finds

• June 18, 2007

  Swiss back cervical cancer shot, UK decision soon
  Switzerland has recommended that girls should be vaccinated with Gardasil, the cervical cancer shot marketed by Merck & Co Inc and Sanofi-Aventis SA in Europe, the firms said on Monday.

• June 15, 2007

  AIDS-linked illness major cause of S.Africa deaths
  AIDS-related illnesses were among the major causes of death in South Africa in 2005, with the country posting a 3.3 percent jump in the total number of deaths, South Africa's statistical office said.

• June 13, 2007

  AIDS programs work best when nations take the lead
  Countries that take the lead in directing domestic efforts against HIV and AIDS seem to have the greatest success, global AIDS experts said on Tuesday.
• Computer-based HIV prevention helps at-risk teens
  Delinquent and at-risk teens who complete a brief computer-based program designed to reduce risky sexual behaviors are less likely to have sex and more likely to have sex with fewer partners, after completing the program, a new study shows.

• June 12, 2007

  Targeting HIV better than broad screening: study
  A program targeting people with the highest risk of HIV infection and offering counseling to prevent them from further spreading the infection would be far more effective than the government's recommendations for mass testing, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

• June 11, 2007

  Twin pregnancy raises risk of HIV spread
  Pregnant women infected with HIV are more likely to spread the virus to their children if they are carrying twins, according to a report in the journal AIDS.
• Late valacyclovir for herpes yields greater response
  Therapy with valacyclovir (Valtrex, GlaxoSmithKline), started within three months of infection with either herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or HSV type 2 (HSV-2), reduces the rate of symptomatic outbreaks compared with placebo, Seattle investigators report in the Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

• June 8, 2007

  S Africa AIDS summit ends with unity, call to arms
  Researchers, scientists and health-care workers resolved on Friday to open a new front in South Africa's war on AIDS, encouraged by the government's fresh approach to the crisis and improved weapons to protect those most at risk of infection.
• G8's $60 bln AIDS and Africa pledge criticized
  World powers on Friday pledged $60 billion to fight AIDS and other killer diseases ravaging Africa but development campaigners complained the Group of Eight had pledged little fresh cash for the poor.
• U.S. gives Zimbabwe $18 million for HIV/AIDS drugs
  The United States government said on Thursday it would provide $18 million worth of life-saving anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs to help Zimbabwe add 40,000 people to its HIV/AIDS treatment program.
• New sex-related infection passes gonorrhea
  A relatively new sexually transmitted infection has surpassed Neisseria gonorrhea in prevalence among young adults in the US, according to a new study.
• HIV down among pregnant women - S. Africa health min
  South Africa's controversial health minister returned to the spotlight on Thursday after snubbing a major AIDS conference, announcing a "significant" decrease in the number of pregnant women infected with HIV.

• June 7, 2007

  Rome high-end restaurants to help stem African AIDS
  Patrons of Rome's high-end restaurants now have a chance to share their good fortune by helping victims of AIDS and malnutrition in Africa.
• Dual TB, HIV treatment key to Africa AIDS battle
  African, especially southern African, nations must link tuberculosis testing and treatment with HIV prevention programmes if they are to win the AIDS battle, a top World Health Organisation official said on Thursday.
• U.N. AIDS head urges S. Africa to promote condom use
  South Africa should promote condoms more widely to try and curb its AIDS epidemic, the head of the United Nations AIDS program said on Thursday.
• Indian school kicks out 5 HIV-positive kids again
  Five HIV-positive children have been turned away from a school in southern India for the second time, despite a government promise that they would be allowed to return, newspapers reported on Wednesday.

• June 6, 2007

  South Africa must raise wages to fight AIDS
  South Africa will not be able to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS unless it increases wages for government health care workers and other public servants, the head of a leading HIV/AIDS advocacy group said on Wednesday.
• AIDS poses new threat to African democracy
  AIDS may be killing elected officials in some Southern African countries faster than they can be replaced, creating a new threat to democracy and governance in the region, a new study said.
• South Africa's traditional healers help fight HIV
  Tryphina Ngwenya slides a pink condom over the magic wooden stick normally used to conjure up ancestral spirits, unleashing a ripple of laughter among her audience of traditional South African healers.
• HIV infections up sharply among women in China
  The proportion of females infected with HIV/AIDS in China jumped to 27.8 percent in 2006 from 19.4 percent in 2000, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

• June 4, 2007

  South Africa shows signs of AIDS policy change
  AIDS researchers from around the world will gather in South Africa on Tuesday amid tentative signs the nation is finally embracing mainstream approaches to fighting the epidemic.

• May 31, 2007

  EU to give AIDS/TB/malaria fund 400 million euros
  The European Commission plans to give 400 million euros ($537 million) to an international fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria over four years, it said on Thursday.
• Bush aims to double funds to fight global AIDS
  President George W. Bush on Wednesday asked the U.S. Congress to double the U.S. financial commitment to combat AIDS globally, particularly in hard-hit Africa, to $30 billion over five years starting next year.

• May 30, 2007

  WHO calls for massive expansion in HIV testing
  Voluntary HIV tests should be offered to all patients attending clinics, for whatever reason, in countries where AIDS is widespread, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.
• Condom King" wins Gates health award
  A non-profit family-planning group founded by Thailand's "Condom King" has won the $1 million Gates Award for Global Health, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said on Tuesday.

• May 29, 2007

  Brazil offers AIDS drug factory to Mozambique
  Brazil has offered to build a $23 million pharmaceutical plant in Mozambique that will provide drugs to treat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, Mozambique's national newspaper said on Tuesday.
• HIV patients in India unite to battle fake cures
  A network of HIV-positive people in India has launched a national campaign against thousands of illegal backstreet clinics and quacks who cheat patients with the promise of curing AIDS.

• May 25, 2007

  Women's rights key to Africa AIDS crisis: study
  Improving women's rights could boost the battle against AIDS in southern African countries, where women are often forced into risky sex by male partners or economic desperation, a new report said on Friday.

• May 24, 2007

  Ethiopian church urges drugs as well as holy water for AIDS
  HIV and AIDS patients seeking a spiritual cure should take anti-retroviral drugs as well as holy water, the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox church said on Wednesday.
• Africa AIDS war undercut by health worker crisis: MSF
  A critical shortage of healthcare workers and restrictions on prescribing life-saving drugs are crippling the war on HIV/AIDS in southern Africa, medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Thursday.

• May 23, 2007

  Thailand fails to win over U.S. on drug patents
  Thailand will press ahead with overriding patents on three foreign-made drugs, Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said after failing to win a sympathetic ear from trade officials in Washington.
• India finance minister says AIDS cases underreported
  The number of people suffering from HIV/AIDS in India, the country with the world's highest caseload, could be more than the official count as many cases are not reported or detected, the finance minister said on Wednesday.
• S. Africa health minister backs wider HIV treatment
  South Africa's health minister said on Wednesday she favoured expanding access to HIV/AIDS treatments in her first public appearance since having a liver transplant.
• China tackling tainted blood products industry
  China's drug watchdog said quality supervisors would be dispatched to all of the country's blood manufacturers to ensure products were free of diseases like HIV and hepatitis, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.
• FDA Approves 'No-Period' Contraceptive Pill
  Lybrel may become popular with younger women, expert says.
• One million people get AIDS drugs via Global Fund
  A 5-year-old organization that leads international efforts against three leading diseases said on Tuesday more than a million HIV-infected people have received life-extending drugs thanks to its efforts.

• May 22, 2007

  Thai AIDS patients suffer as drug squabble drags on
  Each morning, Somying waits on the canal near her Bangkok slum for the iceboat that has become her lifeline.

• May 21, 2007

  World falling far short of AIDS drugs target -NGO
  The world will fall far short of its 2010 target of providing universal access to HIV treatment, with India and Nigeria high in an "AIDS league of shame", a global voluntary group said on Monday.

• May 18, 2007

  China says AIDS activists endanger security
  China barred a prominent AIDS and environmental activist and his wife from leaving the country on Friday, accusing them of endangering national security, the pair said.
• Experts Debate Giving HPV Vaccine to Boys
  Spread of the virus linked to cervical cancer can harm them, too
• Gardasil Guards Against Vaginal, Vulval Cancers
  Researchers found cervical cancer vaccine reduced risk of lesions by 49%

• May 17, 2007

  Get real and save Indian youth from AIDS-official
  Banning sex education on the grounds that it offends Indian sensibilities puts young lives at risk and jeopardises the fight against AIDS, a top official said.
• Friends Are Key to Teens' Views on Sex
  Young Americans also seek out like-minded companions, study finds

• May 16, 2007

  Emergency Room HIV Tests Cost-Effective: Study
  60% of patients agreed to screening; program suggests model for future use

• May 15, 2007

  Russia warns of AIDS epidemic, 1.3 mln with HIV
  Russia's AIDS epidemic is worsening with as many as 1.3 million people infected with HIV as the virus spreads further into the heterosexual population, Russia's top AIDS specialist said on Tuesday.

• May 14, 2007

  Pap smears cause response that may help clear HPV
  When a Papanicolaou smear is conducted, an inflammatory response occurs that may initiate clearance of human papillomavirus (HPV) by the immune system and thus reduce the risk of cervical cancer, South African investigators propose in the Journal of Inflammation.
• Asian drug users need more HIV prevention help
  Asian countries need to wake up to the threat of HIV transmission via intravenous drug use and spend more money on needle exchanges and other programs or risk a rapid rise in new cases, a U.N. health official said on Monday.
• Sex education creates storm in AIDS-stricken India
  Moves to bring sex out of the closet in largely conservative India have kicked up a morality debate between educators who say sex education will reduce HIV rates and critics who fear it will corrupt young minds.
• Belgium recommends Merck's HPV vaccine for girls
  Belgium has joined Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Norway and Luxembourg in recommending that girls be vaccinated with Gardasil, the cervical cancer shot marketed by Merck & Co Inc and Sanofi-Aventis SA in Europe.
• Scientists Find New Clues to Fighting HIV
  Immune system, genetic discoveries suggest vaccine, treatment strategies.

• May 11, 2007

  Simple screening spots teens' risky behaviors
  A short questionnaire may help spot a broad range of risky behaviors in teenagers -- from unprotected sex to substance abuse to suicidal thoughts -- a new study suggests.
• Scientists Find Clues to AIDS-Linked Cancer
  Kaposi's sarcoma relies on key bits of genetic material, experts say

• May 10, 2007

  Merck's HPV vaccine protects for three years
  Merck's Gardasil vaccine protects against cervical cancer caused by a sexually transmitted wart virus for at least three years and also prevents lesions that can grow into vaginal and vulvar cancer, according to two studies published on Wednesday.

• May 9, 2007

  Studies Support Cervical Cancer Vaccine's Effectiveness in Young Girls
  And another trial pinpoints HPV as prime cause of throat cancer.

• May 8, 2007

  Bill Clinton brokers generic AIDS drug deal
  Former President Bill Clinton announced deals with two Indian generic drug companies on Tuesday to cut prices of AIDS treatment for second line antiretroviral drugs for 66 developing countries.
• Chlamydia screening sub par in young US women
  In the United States, adolescent girls and young women are not being routinely screened for chlamydia, the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the United States, experts warned today at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) underway in San Diego.

• May 7, 2007

  Libya nurses defamation verdict due May 27-court
  A court hearing a defamation trial will deliver a verdict on May 27 on five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who have been condemned to death for infecting Libyan children with HIV, a judge said on Sunday.

• May 4, 2007

  Brazil breaks patent on Merck AIDS drug
  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a decree on Friday authorizing Brazil to break the patent on an AIDS drug made by Merck & Co. Inc. and import a generic version from India instead.
• Syphilis rise in gay, bisexual men causes worry
  Syphilis has risen sharply among gay and bisexual men in the United States this decade, driving up the country's rate for the disease and placing these men at higher risk for AIDS, federal health officials say.

• May 3, 2007

  Many HIV patients feel healthcare prejudice
  Almost 40 percent of transitional housing residents with HIV infection report that they have experienced discrimination in their dealings with the healthcare system, researchers report in the journal Public Health Reports.

• May 2, 2007

  Knowing HIV status for prevention seen on rise
  Knowing a partner's HIV status before sex is a growing prevention method among young gay men, although risky behavior likely to transmit the virus is on the rise, according to two new U.S. studies.

• April 30, 2007

  AIDS virus hides quickly inside babies' blood
  Drug-resistant versions of the AIDS virus passed from mother to child can quickly hide in the infant's immune system cells and lurk for years, researchers reported on Monday.

• April 27, 2007

  Cervical abnormalities common in HIV-infected girls
  Sexually active teenage girls infected around the time of birth with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are more likely to have cervical infections and abnormal Pap test results, new research shows.
• French candidates pledge help for Libya HIV nurses
  French presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal pledged on Thursday to push hard for the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death over a Libyan HIV epidemic.

• April 26, 2007

  Bulgarian nurses may return home by July - diplomat
  Five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for infecting Libyan children with HIV may be released by the end of June, a European Union diplomat said on Thursday.

• April 25, 2007

  Gambian herbal AIDS cure no such thing: scientists
  Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's assertion that an herbal treatment had cured patients of the AIDS virus was not only wrong, but some of his supporting data were false, AIDS experts said on Tuesday.
• AIDS activists call for boycott of Abbott products
  AIDS activists in nearly 20 countries have called for a global boycott of Abbott products over what they say are the pharmaceutical firm's intimidating business tactics in Thailand.
• HIV Drugs May Raise Heart Attack Risk
  But the danger from protease inhibitors remains small, experts say.

• April 24, 2007

  Merkel vows to press G8 on Africa aid pledges
  Chancellor Angela Merkel, holder of the G8 presidency, said on Tuesday she would press rich nations to fulfill aid pledges to Africa made two years ago but some critics said Germany itself was a laggard.
• UPDATE 1-US panel urges approval of Pfizer AIDS drug
  A U.S. advisory panel unanimously recommended approval on Tuesday of a novel Pfizer Inc. AIDS drug called maraviroc, also known as UK-427,857, an entry inhibitor that may offer a new option for patients resistant to older drugs.
• UPDATE 1-Zambian health minister fired in cabinet reshuffle
  Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa sacked Health Minister Angela Cifire in a cabinet reshuffle after she had served only seven months in the post, state media reported on Tuesday.
• FDA Panel Recommends Approval of New AIDS Drug
  Maraviroc is the first of a novel class of HIV medications.
• HIV Infection Seems to Raise Heart Attack Risk
  Doctors suspect that inflammation may be to blame.
• Abbott to offer new AIDS drug in Thailand
  Thailand is weighing an offer from Abbott Laboratories Inc. to sell a newer form of its AIDS drug Kaletra at a discounted price, Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said on Monday.

• April 23, 2007

  Puberty, risky behaviors go hand-in-hand
  Taking risks may be an integral part of being a teenager, an expert on child development says.

• April 19, 2007

  Relatives urge EU to press Libya to free nurses
  Relatives of Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya and EU parliamentarians urged the European Union to step up pressure on Tripoli to free them on Thursday, saying statements of solidarity were no longer enough.
• Natural Blood Molecule Blocks HIV
  Discovery could lead to a whole new class of AIDS drugs

• April 18, 2007

  Yao Ming lends name to China AIDS campaign
  Chinese basketball star Yao Ming and actor Pu Cunxin have given their names to a campaign to combat stigma against HIV/AIDS in China, the United Nations, which launched the program, said on Wednesday.
• Cervical cancer vaccine protective for 5.5 years
  Cervarix, a vaccine designed to protect women against infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 and 18, which cause most cases of cervical cancer, remains effective for up to 5.5, according to researchers.
• AIDS ravages poor children needlessly - UN
  Hundreds of thousands of children are dying of AIDS in developing countries because they do not have access to treatment readily available elsewhere, U.N. health agencies said on Tuesday.

• April 17, 2007

  Less than 1 in 5 Asians in need get AIDS drugs:WHO
  Only 19 percent of Asians who need AIDS drugs receive them, a World Health Organization (WHO) report said on Tuesday, calling for a surge in treatment to meet a 2010 goal for universal access.
• Gates Foundation billions change pharma landscape
  The billions of dollars thrown at global health problems by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are changing the game in drug discovery, posing big challenges to the world's top drugmakers, according to a report on Tuesday.

• April 16, 2007

  Poor legal services fuel Kenya AIDS epidemic
  Kenya has failed to provide adequate legal services to its 2.5 million HIV/AIDS patients, undermining ground made in prevention and treatment in the east African nation, a leading advocacy group said on Monday.

• April 13, 2007

  Scientists Frustrated in Search for Genital Herpes Vaccine
  Better funding could help defeat the virus, which infects 1 in 5 Americans.
• Only one drug type now knocks out gonorrhea in US
  Due to drug resistance, one class of antibiotics should no longer be used to treat gonorrhea, officials with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday.

• April 12, 2007

  Thailand to push for more AIDS drug price cuts
  Thailand is encouraged by initial successes in its campaign to force big drug firms to cut the costs of medicines but is far from satisfied, Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said on Thursday.
• AIDS drugs sales seen topping $10 billion by 2015
  The launch of new drugs and an increase in the number of people diagnosed with HIV is set to make AIDS medicine a $10.6 billion market by 2015, according to a report on Thursday.
• CDC Recommends New Antibiotics for Gonorrhea
  The sexually transmitted disease is becoming resistant to standard antibiotics.

• April 10, 2007

  Abbott to cut AIDS drug price amid patent row
  Abbott Laboratories Inc., under fire for aggressive pricing of its AIDS medications in poor countries, said on Tuesday it would slash the price of a key AIDS drug by more than half.

• April 6, 2007

  Self-sample kit may boost cervical screening
  Women who forgo screening for cervical cancer may be more inclined to participate in such programs if they're provided with a kit to obtain cervical samples at home, Dutch investigators report.
• T'ai Chi Boosts Immune System Against Shingles in Older Adults
  Martial arts exercises made resistance comparable to standard vaccine for the virus, study says

• April 5, 2007

  Chlamydia Screening Programs Don't Work: Expert
  There's no evidence these efforts reduce infection rates, Swiss scientist says.

• April 4, 2007

  New AIDS Drug Helps Patients Immune to Other Medications
  Nearly half of trial participants had essentially undetectable levels of virus in their blood.
• Multivitamins Improve Birth Outcomes in Developing World
  Supplements reduced babies' odds for low birth weight, study found

• April 2, 2007

  U.S. global AIDS effort urged to stress prevention
  The U.S. program fighting AIDS globally needs to put more emphasis on prevention and helping hard-hit nations in their long-term battle against the disease, an expert panel said on Friday while also faulting congressional mandates on program spending.
• Urgent need to reach HIV-infected children: doctors
  There is an urgent need to treat millions of HIV-infected children in poor areas of the world by developing drugs that are easier to administer and improving medical training, the American Academy of Pediatrics said on Monday.

• March 30, 2007

  Breast-feeding benefits seen in HIV-infected women
  African women infected with the AIDS virus cut the risk of transmitting it to their babies when they fed them exclusively breast milk and not also formula, animal milk or solid food, a study found on Thursday.
• Emotions Play Major Role in Teen Condom Use
  Managing stress associated with birth control key to promoting safe sex, study finds

• March 29, 2007

  Distress a "powerful barrier" to teens' condom use
  Teens with psychiatric problems who have confidence in their ability to use condoms effectively while experiencing distress are more likely to use the prophylactics consistently, a new study shows.
• Breast-Feeding Helps Shield Babies From HIV
  South African study found much higher risks for bottle-fed infants

• March 28, 2007

  U.N. r