Health
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19 December 2007MSM “19 times more likely” to catch HIV + amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, has called on policymakers to put aside their prejudices and to provide the resources and the leadership that the epidemic demands.Researchers at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US have published the results of a new study showing that in 38 low- and middle-income countries, men who have sex with men have an average 19 times greater chance of being infected with HIV than the general population. -
17 December 2007THT campaign targets HIV risk from using poppers 3 A leading sexual health charity has launched new campaign to make gay men aware of the risks of using poppers when having unprotected sex.Terrence Higgins Trust's (THT) campaign strapline: "Poppers increase the risk of HIV being passed on when fucking without condoms," highlights the fact that if you have anal sex without a condom the risk of passing on HIV is increased if you use poppers. -
13 December 2007L Word inspires million dollar gift to cancer foundation + An anonymous donor has given a $1 million (£490,000) gift to a cancer foundation in honour of Erin Daniels and Leisha Hailey, two of the stars of the hit Showtime series, The L Word, for the realism and truth they brought to a breast cancer storyline that ended with the death of Erin Daniels' character, Dana Fairbanks.It is the largest private donation ever made to the Dr. -
10 December 2007Parkinson’s drugs led to gay sex addiction claims father + A father-of-two with Parkinson's disease may be awarded damages in France after he turned into a gambler and a thief with uncontrollable homosexual urges because of drugs prescribed for his treatment.Didier Jambart, 47, is suing for €400,000 (£287,000) after being prescribed with dopamine agonist drugs, which he claims led to severe mood swings.During his highs he turned to gambling and accumulated debts of €130,000. -
5 December 2007Analysis: New law will protect parents and sperm donors 1 The story of a 37-year-old man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple and is now being asked to pay child support highlights the complicated legal situation around children conceived by artificial methods.New legislation before Parliament aims to make it easier for lesbian couples to access NHS fertilisation services and ensure that a lesbian or gay couple can become the legal parents of their children.At present the law requires that NHS fertility clinics take account of the "need for a father" when assessing women for treatment. -
4 December 2007High HIV risk for MSM in developing countries + The U.S.-based AIDS research foundation amfAR has called on policymakers to put aside their prejudices and provide the resourcesand the leadership that the epidemic demands.amFAR was responding to a new study demonstrating the severity of the HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) in low and middle-income countries.Researchers at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health recently published the results of a new study. -
3 December 2007PM pledges more money for HIV/AIDS 1 Gordon Brown has unveiled government plans to increase the AIDS support grant by 20 per cent, equivalent to £17.6m, over the next three years.But, he stressed, in his announcement made the day before World AIDS Day, commitment is needed from the whole of society to help fight stigma and educate people to protect themselves.Mr Brown said that HIV and AIDS are "one of the greatest challenges of our time and a key priority for this government." -
2 December 200750 million Chinese at risk from HIV + United Nations officials are raising the alarm in China that between 30 and 50 million of that country's citizens are at risk of contracting HIV or AIDS.The warning comes just a day after Chinese officials reported the spread of the disease has slowed.Last week, according to news agency AFP, Chinese health minister Chen Zhu announced there were an estimated 50,000 new cases of HIV in 2007, bringing the total number of Chinese people living with HIV and AIDS to 700,000.
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30 November 200710% of London’s gay men have HIV 4 As we commemorate World AIDS Day tomorrow across the world, the National AIDS Trust has highlighted the high rates of HIV infection among the London gay community.At a fundraising event on Wednesday, hosted by Gaydar parent company QSoft Consulting, the trust's chief executive urged the gay community to do more to tackle the problem.Earlier this month the Health Protection Agency revealed that the number of gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV in the UK is at its highest rate since the start of the epidemic. -
28 November 2007Thinking positive: HIV+ athletes + Greg Louganis is regarded by most as one of the most spectacular divers to ever break the surface of the water.Training for his moment of glory since he was a young boy, Louganis first burst on to the diving scene when he competed and medalled in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, at the age of 16.Favoured to win gold in both the 3 and 10-metre events in 1980, Louganis would have to sit the competition out when the United States boycotted the Moscow Olympics. -
27 November 2007Gay health insurance launched in Netherlands + A Dutch insurance firm plans to offer special healthcare policies for gay and lesbian clients.A spokesperson for the insurance company AGIS told Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) that the policy had been worked out in co-operation with the COC Dutch LGBT rights group, and will be available from the beginning of 2008. -
26 November 2007HIV infections in Estonia five times Euro average + Startling new figures reveal that Estonia has the highest rate of new HIV diagnosis in Europe.According to the data, 504 new cases were reported per million inhabitants in 2006 compared to the average rate of new diagnosis across Europe of 111 per million inhabitants.Countries in the European Union have a lower average rate of 67 per million inhabitants.
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26 November 2007Fallout from failed HIV vaccine trial continues + Just a few short months ago, a spirit of cautious optimism surrounded the prospects for a viable HIV vaccine.As pharmaceutical company Merck began testing its highly anticipated V520 vaccine, which it had reportedly been developing over a ten year period, there was an undercurrent of excitement among researchers in the HIV community about the radical new approach, which was expected to attack, seek out, and destroy infected cells.
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23 November 2007New gay HIV infections at highest rate ever 20 The latest figures released today from the Health Protection Agency reveal that the number of gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV in the UK is at its highest rate since the start of the epidemic.2,700 gay and bisexual men were newly diagnosed last year, the highest number ever.Across the UK 1 in 20 gay and bisexual men are now living with HIV and estimates suggest this figure is as high as 1 in 10 in London.
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22 November 2007Warning over poppers link to HIV infection 1 Poppers usage could increase a gay mans susceptibility to HIV transmission during unprotected sex, a new UK study has found.The use of the drug facilitates longer and rougher sex, as well as increasing the body's uptake of fluids.The research, published in the online edition of Sexually Transmitted Infections, shows gay men are still the highest risk group in terms of UK HIV infection. -
22 November 2007UN figures indicate fall in global HIV infections + New data from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests the percentage of people around the globe living with HIV has levelled off and that the number of new infections has fallen, in part as a result of the impact of HIV programmes.Officials warned, however, that while the global prevalence of HIV infection, the percentage of people infected with HIV, has levelled off, the total number of people living with HIV is increasing "because of ongoing acquisition of HIV infection, combined with longer survival times, in a continuously growing general population." -
21 November 2007Spray-on condom unveiled 1 A German inventor had invented a spray-on condom.Jan Vinzenze Krause, director of the Institute for Condom Consultancy said the idea came from the idea that the condom should fit the man, and not the other way round.Speaking to Spiegel Online he said: "If you go into a drug store to buy condoms, the ones they sell are mainly suited to men with the average penis length of 14.5 centimetres (5.51 inches), but a lot of people have penises that are smaller or larger than that"
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19 November 2007Number of AIDS cases lower than previously estimated + Global numbers of people with AIDS may have been over exaggerated, according to news reports.The number in 2006, estimated to be 40 million people, may have been 6.2 million over the real amount.The decline is largely just on paper -- the new numbers are the result of improved methodology, which shows the spread of AIDS has been losing momentum for almost a decade. -
19 November 2007Murphy-O’Connor: plans for easier lesbian IVF “profoundly wrong” 4 The Government's plans to allow lesbian couples to use IVF to bring up children without any lasting involvement from the father have come under fire from politicians and religious leaders.The leader of Britain's Catholic Church, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, criticised the planned Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill , saying that it is "profoundly wrong" to allow lesbian couples to conceive children in this way. -
14 November 2007International study reveals AIDS ignorance + A new survey from the MAC AIDS Fund suggests a lot of people the world over still need to be educated about HIV and AIDS.For instance, more than 40 percent of 4,510 respondents from nine countries did not understand AIDS is always a fatal disease.Many also wrongly believed there is a cure for HIV, while nearly half of the survey's respondents believed that most HIV-infected patients were being treated for their disease.
