Young Peoples and Human Rights Ghana

Drug study sees up to 92-percent cut in HIV risk among gays Article Date: 20 Jul, 2011 Upload Date: 20 Jul, 2011   ROME — Volunteers who responded most to a cocktail of antiretroviral drugs in an HIV prevention trial among gay men had a reduced risk of 92 percent of being infected by the AIDS virus, researchers said on Wednesday. They presented the work as a last-minute, or "late-breaker", contribution to the world forum on AIDS science in Rome . The research looked at a group of men who took part in a major trial called iPrEx HIV Prevention Study. iPrEx explored the idea that an uninfected person taking daily AIDS drugs could be shielded from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a novel approach called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. The overall findings, published last November, found that use of a drug called Truvada reduced HIV infections by 44 percent compared with a dummy pill, also called a placebo. The new study looked at a

http://www.plusnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=93324 ( Illustrating the real world challenges that are there in the field, the challenges that have to be confronted in roll out of treatment. The issue is not only provision of drugs. It is much more than that. And, it is these barriers which may be the most challenging. This article barely scratches the challenge of communication.) Photo: John Nyaga/IRIN More community healthcare workers needed TURKANA/NAIROBI, 25 July 2011 (PlusNews) - Isaac Nanok religiously collects his antiretrovirals (ARVs) from his local health centre every month, but the information on the packaging is meaningless as he is illiterate.  "All I know is that when I get home, I will take a tablet in the morning and also in the evening. When they are finished, I go back for more," he told IRIN/PlusNews at his home in northern Kenya's Turkana region. "I don't know what is written here on the container, and even the doctor just talks to me in Sw

NEWS July 21, 2011 View PDF http://www.cmaj.ca/site/earlyreleases/21july11_a-condom-in-every-jail-cell.xhtml The government of South Africa should provide access to protective measures such as condoms and water-based lubricants in prisons and other places where forced and consensual anal sex is prevalent, say some advocates for improved health services for men who have sex with men. Photo credit: ©2011 Thinkstock Sensitivity training for health care workers, improved counselling for HIV-infected men and the provision of condoms and lubricants in prisons and other places where men have sex with men are among solutions being advanced to combat rising HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in major cities of South Africa. The solutions are among measures urged by participants to the first South African conference, the "Top2Btm MSM [men who have sex with men] Symposium," held to "brainstorm about prevention, care and treatment for MSMs" in the wake of new data which indicates tha

Subject:   UGANDA NOW TO INCLUDE HOMOSEXUALS IN HIV PROGRAMMES http://www.mask.org.za/uganda-now-to-include-homosexuals-in-hiv-programmes/ In an incredible change of heart, the Uganda government has listed homosexuals as a target for HIV/Aids programming in a new five year National HIV Prevention Strategy for Uganda 2011-2015. The policy document which Behind the Mask has seen will run under the theme: "Expanding and Doing HIV Prevention better." The policy development process is spearheaded by the Uganda Aids Commission (UAC), with consultations of various stakeholders including Civil Society. Until recently, the UAC had publicly stated that they had no funds for targeting homosexuals in HIV programming. "Gays are one of the drivers of HIV in Uganda, but because of meagre resources we cannot direct our programmes at them at this time," Dr Kihumuro Apuuli, (pictured) the Director General of UAC was quoted saying in 2008. However, some have suggested that the UAC

  Jhpiego | Innovating to Save Lives Having trouble viewing this email? Click here Let Your Voice Be Heard— Help Save Women's Lives Jhpiego's Innovations Team is among the finalists of " Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development ," an international competition to identify and scale up global health approaches to saving the lives of pregnant women and newborns in developing countries during childbirth. As part of the competition, an online campaign is under way to select the People's Choice winner from among 77 candidates. Jhpiego's two entries deserve your

Remebering the basics with this article from 2010: Being empowered means means being part of the decision-making process on how resources are to be used within the family, in national economy, health care and education . President Paul Kagame of Rwanda made the first step by changing the inheritance laws in his country and enabling women to inherit and bequeathe family property next to the men. The NewTimes (Kigali) Government Supporting Daily Rwanda: Empowering Women is Key to Development - President Kagame by Nasra Bishumba Kigali — President Paul Kagame has praised Rwandan women for their role in the development of the country, adding that empowering women and ensuring gender equality were yardsticks for development. Kagame, made the remarks, yesterday, while opening a two day International Conferenceon the "Role of Leadership in Promoting Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment." "Empowering women and ensuring gender equality ultimately enri

Subject: Homosexuality: Nigeria's Anglican church calls for pull out from UN http://www.panapress.com/Homosexuality--Nigeria-s-Anglican-church-calls-for-pull-out-from-UN--3-781164-0-lang4-index.html Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - Primate of the Anglican Communion Church in Nigeria, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, Tuesday called for the withdrawal of the country from the United Nations, accusing human rights activists of using the UN to win their global campaign for gay marriages. Okoh, head of the about 25 million members strong Protestant movement, at a National Conference on Human Rights organized by the Anglican Communion, decried the role UN human rights bodies were playing in the fight for two Malawian boys who got married as homosexuals. The Nigerian Anglican Church is at loggerheads with the world Anglican body over consecration of gay priests and have threatened to severe links with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Head of the global Anglican movement. The Primate said in Abuja that &

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Georgina Caswell < gcaswell@gnpplus.net > Date: Mon, Jul 18, 2011 at 4:27 PM Subject: [RectalMicro IRMA] GNP+ NEWS RELEASE: Call for human rights-based guidance on PrEP and ART as prevention To: " rectalmicro@lists.critpath.org " < rectalmicro@lists.critpath.org > Two new studies confirm antiretrovirals can prevent HIV transmission: Call for human rights-based guidance on PrEP and ART as prevention   Amsterdam, 18 July 2011 - Preliminary results from two large studies have now shown that a daily antiretroviral tablet taken by people who do not have HIV reduces their risk of contracting HIV by up to 73%. The Partners PrEP trial involved 4758 HIV-discordant couples in Kenya and Uganda. The TDF2 trial involved 1219 men and women in Botswana. The studies looked at both tenofovir or tenofovir plus emtricitabine (Truvada) and found that each, when taken in advance by the HIV-negative partner as a pre-ex

                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                  Contact: Doug Anthony Friday, July 15, 2011                                                                           404 759 9530         Atlanta Business League (ABL) has selected Mr. Rudolph H. Carn, Founder and CEO of NAESM as one of ABL Men of Influence for 2011   Atlanta, Georgia – For many years, the Atlanta Business League (ABL) has recognized business owners, professionals, community and civic leaders in Metropolitan Atlanta. Again this year the Atlanta Business League will publish its list of Atlanta's Men of Influence for 2011 and recognize their accomplishments during an evening reception and induction ceremony on Tuesday, July 26, 6:00 PM , at the Shera­ton Atlanta Hotel. The staff of NAESM www.naesm.org is pleased that the accomplishments of their leader, Mr. Rudolph H. Carn is being recognize

http://www.plusnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=93226 Photo: IRIN HIV-negative participants taking tenofovir had an average of 62 percent fewer HIV infections than those taking the placebo NAIROBI, 14 July 2011 (PlusNews) - A new study has added to growing evidence that a daily dose of antiretroviral treatment taken by the HIV-negative partner in a heterosexual, HIV-discordant relationship can significantly reduce the risk of HIV transmission.  The Partners PrEP trial, the largest to date to consider the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, involved 4,758 HIV-negative people in Kenya and Uganda, all with HIV-positive partners. One-third of HIV-negative participants took a daily tablet of the antiretroviral, tenofovir; one-third a combination of tenofovir and emtricitabine; and the rest a placebo. The trial, begun in July 2008 and conducted by the University of Washington's International Clinical Research Centre, ended a year early due to the overwhe

Subject: [LGBTI_health_africa] HIV/AIDS: Survey reveals gaps in HIV programming for MSM http://www.plusnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=93230 Photo: Flickr Creative Commons/Spec-ta-cles Just 36 percent of MSM surveyed reported having easy access to HIV treatment NAIROBI, 14 July 2011 (PlusNews) - A new global survey of more than 5,000 men who have sex with men (MSM) reveals a marginalized group of people with little access to basic HIV prevention tools such as condoms and few means to learn about HIV.  Conducted by the Global Forum on MSM & HIV between 24 June and 17 August 2010, the survey sought to highlight key gaps in global efforts to provide MSM with evidence-informed HIV prevention services. More than 1,000 of the study participants - drawn from all over the world - were health workers; 22 percent reported being HIV-positive.  The authors recommend expanding access to HIV prevention services for MSM across the globe, more focus on promoting awareness of emerging HIV preven

Scientists find first superbug strain of gonorrhea By Kate Kelland | Reuters  – Mon, Jul 11, 2011 LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found a "superbug" strain of gonorrhea in Japan that is resistant to all recommended antibiotics and say it could transform a once easily treatable infection into a global public health threat. The new strain of the sexually transmitted disease -- called H041 -- cannot be killed by any currently recommended treatments for gonorrhea, leaving doctors with no other option than to try medicines so far untested against the disease. Magnus Unemo of the Swedish Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, who discovered the strain with colleagues from Japan in samples from Kyoto, described it as both "alarming" and "predictable." "Since antibiotics became the standard treatment for gonorrhea in the 1940s, this bacterium has shown a remarkable capacity to develop resistance mechanisms to all drugs introduced t

  Commonwealth must put gay rights on law agenda Call to reconsider proposal for decriminalisation of homosexuality London - 8 July 2011 "Commonwealth law ministers should reconsider and approve recommendations for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in all Commonwealth member states when they meet in Sydney from 11 to 14 July," urged human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.   "Last October, senior law officials from Commonwealth countries refused to endorse a paper from the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) which set out the case for the decriminalisation of same-sex relations throughout the Commonwealth - an association of 54 nations, nearly all of them former British colonies. "The CLA argued that the prohibitions on homosexuality had been mostly imposed by Britain during the period of colonial rule and that they are a violation of international law and human right