Media's Critical Role in Fighting HIV/Aids

By Issa Sikiti Da Silva, allafrica.com

Various speakers and panellists, including Nelson Mandela's wife Graca Machel, who addressed delegates at the 2008 International Public Television (Input) Conference in Johannesburg, have launched a persuasive call to the media worldwide to play a critical role in combating HIV/Aids, which continues to wipe entire communities. "It is clear that with the digital developments the media can help spread a powerful message out there to make a difference," Dali Mpofu, SABC CEO and chairperson of Global Media Aids Initiative (GMAI), said.

"Broadcasters and other media organisations should make HIV/Aids part of their core business and use whatever resources they have, including airtime, to ensure that people take their future into their own hands," Mpofu said.

"Media can help change society by connecting their audiences with Aids-related services like how to prevent the disease, get VCT (voluntary counselling and testing) and treatment. If we are to be part of the solution, then we should busy ourselves to be creative and provide accurate and reliable information on the disease that can save lives."

Input 2008, which kicked off at the Sandton Convention Centre on Sunday 4 May 2008 and ends on Saturday 10 May, is being attended by over 1000 people, including broadcasters, senior business leaders and filmmakers, from more than 100 countries across the globe.

Centre of GMAI's mission

As HIV/Aids continues to tear society apart and feature prominently at the centre of GMAI's mission, the organisers thought it should be part of a lengthy discussion at the conference.

According to UNAIDS statistics, the number of people living with HIV/Aids globally rose from 29 million in 2001 to 33.2 million in 2007 (68% in southern Africa), primarily due to continuing new infections - something Mark Stirling, UNAIDS director of Eastern and Southern Africa, said could be reduced if the media can play a central role in the fight against the disease.

"As a gatekeeper, media must lead this fight and use its enormous power and influence to challenge certain social and cultural values and norms that make us vulnerable. Provoke the Aids debate and get the nation talking. So far you have done an amazing job, but I implore you to redouble efforts in order to change the face of this disease," Stirling pleaded.

Called on the media

Machel called on the media to segment their messages to reach specific audiences and shame and denounce governments and Western leaders if they fail to fulfill their promises on HIV/Aids.

"We cannot afford to talk only about global village when it comes to business but not talk about global village when it comes to human lives," she said.

"Our social intervention on HIV/Aids has been ineffective and prevention is not working, partly due to poverty and lack of resources, which mostly were promised but are yet to be fulfilled.

"Media must help us and invent new ways to spread their messages, perhaps be specific for each specific age group to enforce self-respect, good citizenship and sense of responsibility in these challenging times."

Rare and wonderful platform

Monicah Waceke, Ugandan Broadcasting Corporation programme manager, told Bizcommunity.com that the fact that global broadcasters and public media meet to discuss global issues affecting their respective societies and share ideas so how to solve them, makes Input a rare and wonderful platform.

GMAI, a worldwide coalition of over 300 broadcasting companies, was launched in 2004 by former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Anan, to leverage the communication power of mass media to get out the information about HIV and challenge the stigma related to the disease.

GMAI's regional branches include the Africa Broadcast Media Partnership against HIV/Aids (ABMP). Partners include the Kaiser Family Foundation, Bill & Melinda Foundation, Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, MTN SA Foundation and Nelson Mandela Foundation.

GMAI's next board meeting will take place in June in New York, US, Mpofu told Bizcommunty.com on the sidelines of the gathering.

Pledge to protection

Trojan makes education tour

By: Drew Garver, dailytexanonline.com

Representatives from Trojan Condoms addressed both the sexually active and abstinent UT community on Thursday as part of its nationwide college tour.

"We are trying to get people to evolve past piggish behavior to being aware of the need for sexual safety," said Kari Kuka, spokeswoman and sexual health educator for the tour.

About 65 million Americans live with incurable sexually transmitted diseases, and another 19 million are diagnosed every year, Kuka said, adding that America has the highest rate of STD infections of any industrialized nation. This is made worse by the fact that only one in four sexual acts among singles involves the use of a condom, she said.

"It's important that we educate so that we can prevent these trends from continuing," Kuka said.

The Evolve Tour, which will stop at 65 college campuses nationwide, provides sexual education in the form of short videos and a lounge where

students can talk with sexual health educators. Students can also sign a pledge promising to use protection when engaging in any sexual acts, and students gave shout-outs to the UT community challenging members to live sexually healthy lives.

"It's pretty dang important to use protection so disease doesn't spread," said audiology graduate student Amanda Harris. "You have to contain the nasties."

Also central to the tour is a petition that asks people to commit to sexual education beyond the tour. Part of the petition calls for increased contraceptive advertising during prime time hours on basic television channels.

There are no laws restricting contraceptive advertising during prime time hours, but as a general rule, many of the biggest television stations decline to air ads during their prime time viewing hours, leaving contraceptive commercials to run late at night or on cable channels.

The other part of the petition seeks to make comprehensive sexual education in schools a standard, instead of abstinence-only classes.

"We support abstinence 100 percent. It's the only sure way to prevent STD transmission," Kuka said. "But some of these people are telling their students that condoms don't work. People need to make their voices heard. They need to say that they want the real information."

Condoms are not 100-percent effective in preventing STDs, especially those that are transmitted by skin contact, such as herpes and syphilis, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, they greatly reduce the risk of infection and are essentially impermeable to particles the size of STD pathogens.

Those who missed the tour and want information or to sign the petition can visit www.trojancondoms.com.

Export More Female Condoms, Not Abstinence Programs, Report Says

Penny Starr

Senior Staff Writer, crosswalk.com

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. government must provide more funding for the worldwide distribution of female condoms while reducing the amount of money it spends on abstinence-until-marriage programs, according to Serra Sippel, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, or CHANGE.

"The Congressional earmark in PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) -- which we are in the process of trying to remove the earmark that (gives) money for abstinence and fidelity - what we've found from people we interviewed and from various studies is that the result of that is the stigmatization of condom use," Sippel said Tuesday at a briefing of the Global Health Council in Washington, D.C.

Sippel added that the goal of her advocacy group is to "really push the U.S. government to promote sexual and reproductive condom rights within U.S. foreign policy."

According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the federally funded agency that distributes international aid, $457 million of its budget for FY 2008 is dedicated to family planning programs, including condom distribution.

The CHANGE briefing also marked the release of its "Saving Lives Now: Female Condoms and the Role of U.S. Foreign Aid" report. In it, the center states that the U.S. government supplied nearly 1.9 billion condoms worldwide between 2004 and 2007.

It also reports that the "the United States government plays an important role in shaping global trends in reproductive and sexual health supplies," with America providing 42 percent of "global donor support" for family planning, including the female condom.

But other advocacy groups say that U.S. foreign aid that promotes sexual activity is doing more harm than good around the world.

"Social radicals ... believe they must liberate Third World children from their benighted traditions and religions and to enlighten them in the way of the American teenager," Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic and Family Rights Institute, told Cybercast News Service. "That is, to be sophisticated about sex and riddled with STDs.

"These social radicals believe that young people not only can't, but shouldn't control themselves sexually," Ruse added. "They seek to tear down, rather than build up the human person."

The center's report also detailed strategies used to successfully distribute female condoms, including in Zimbabwe, where it credits Population Services International, another non-profit health advocacy group, for helping with the distribution of female condoms in that AIDS-stricken country.

"Because approximately 97 percent of Zimbabwean women visit a hair salon at least once a month, PSI also promoted female condoms to women in Zimbabwe using hair salons in low-income, urban areas," the report reads.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, cited another report to argue that abstinence programs, not condom distribution, can really help women at high risk for contracting AIDS.

A Feb. 2 article in National Geographic online, said a decline in AIDS rates in Zimbabwe was linked to "behavior changes," as first reported in the journal Science.

"Most important, researchers say, is the substantial decrease in casual sex partners reported by Manicaland residents," the National Geographic online article reported. "This, combined with increased abstinence by teenagers, may be contributing to the HIV decline."

"Our biggest problem is relying on methods that have had terrible failure rates," Wright told Cybercast News Service, "while denying them access to programs that have been proven effective."

Wright said groups with agendas like CHANGE are "trying to wipe out the competition by giving no federal funding for abstinence, even though the evidence shows that abstinence programs are effective in delaying sexual initiative and reducing HIV and AIDS rates."

Make media inquiries or request an interview about this article.

Export More Female Condoms, Not Abstinence Programs, Report Say

By: Penny Starr

Senior Staff Writer, crosswalk.com

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. government must provide more funding for the worldwide distribution of female condoms while reducing the amount of money it spends on abstinence-until-marriage programs, according to Serra Sippel, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, or CHANGE.

"The Congressional earmark in PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) -- which we are in the process of trying to remove the earmark that (gives) money for abstinence and fidelity - what we've found from people we interviewed and from various studies is that the result of that is the stigmatization of condom use," Sippel said Tuesday at a briefing of the Global Health Council in Washington, D.C.

Sippel added that the goal of her advocacy group is to "really push the U.S. government to promote sexual and reproductive condom rights within U.S. foreign policy."

According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the federally funded agency that distributes international aid, $457 million of its budget for FY 2008 is dedicated to family planning programs, including condom distribution.

The CHANGE briefing also marked the release of its "Saving Lives Now: Female Condoms and the Role of U.S. Foreign Aid" report. In it, the center states that the U.S. government supplied nearly 1.9 billion condoms worldwide between 2004 and 2007.

It also reports that the "the United States government plays an important role in shaping global trends in reproductive and sexual health supplies," with America providing 42 percent of "global donor support" for family planning, including the female condom.

But other advocacy groups say that U.S. foreign aid that promotes sexual activity is doing more harm than good around the world.

"Social radicals ... believe they must liberate Third World children from their benighted traditions and religions and to enlighten them in the way of the American teenager," Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic and Family Rights Institute, told Cybercast News Service. "That is, to be sophisticated about sex and riddled with STDs.

"These social radicals believe that young people not only can't, but shouldn't control themselves sexually," Ruse added. "They seek to tear down, rather than build up the human person."

The center's report also detailed strategies used to successfully distribute female condoms, including in Zimbabwe, where it credits Population Services International, another non-profit health advocacy group, for helping with the distribution of female condoms in that AIDS-stricken country.

"Because approximately 97 percent of Zimbabwean women visit a hair salon at least once a month, PSI also promoted female condoms to women in Zimbabwe using hair salons in low-income, urban areas," the report reads.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, cited another report to argue that abstinence programs, not condom distribution, can really help women at high risk for contracting AIDS.

A Feb. 2 article in National Geographic online, said a decline in AIDS rates in Zimbabwe was linked to "behavior changes," as first reported in the journal Science.

"Most important, researchers say, is the substantial decrease in casual sex partners reported by Manicaland residents," the National Geographic online article reported. "This, combined with increased abstinence by teenagers, may be contributing to the HIV decline."

"Our biggest problem is relying on methods that have had terrible failure rates," Wright told Cybercast News Service, "while denying them access to programs that have been proven effective."

Wright said groups with agendas like CHANGE are "trying to wipe out the competition by giving no federal funding for abstinence, even though the evidence shows that abstinence programs are effective in delaying sexual initiative and reducing HIV and AIDS rates."

Export More Female Condoms, Not Abstinence Programs, Report Says

By: Penny Starr

Senior Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. government must provide more funding for the worldwide distribution of female condoms while reducing the amount of money it spends on abstinence-until-marriage programs, according to Serra Sippel, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, or CHANGE.

"The Congressional earmark in PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) -- which we are in the process of trying to remove the earmark that (gives) money for abstinence and fidelity - what we've found from people we interviewed and from various studies is that the result of that is the stigmatization of condom use," Sippel said Tuesday at a briefing of the Global Health Council in Washington, D.C.

Sippel added that the goal of her advocacy group is to "really push the U.S. government to promote sexual and reproductive condom rights within U.S. foreign policy."

According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the federally funded agency that distributes international aid, $457 million of its budget for FY 2008 is dedicated to family planning programs, including condom distribution.

The CHANGE briefing also marked the release of its "Saving Lives Now: Female Condoms and the Role of U.S. Foreign Aid" report. In it, the center states that the U.S. government supplied nearly 1.9 billion condoms worldwide between 2004 and 2007.

It also reports that the "the United States government plays an important role in shaping global trends in reproductive and sexual health supplies," with America providing 42 percent of "global donor support" for family planning, including the female condom.

But other advocacy groups say that U.S. foreign aid that promotes sexual activity is doing more harm than good around the world.

"Social radicals ... believe they must liberate Third World children from their benighted traditions and religions and to enlighten them in the way of the American teenager," Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic and Family Rights Institute, told Cybercast News Service. "That is, to be sophisticated about sex and riddled with STDs.

"These social radicals believe that young people not only can't, but shouldn't control themselves sexually," Ruse added. "They seek to tear down, rather than build up the human person."

The center's report also detailed strategies used to successfully distribute female condoms, including in Zimbabwe, where it credits Population Services International, another non-profit health advocacy group, for helping with the distribution of female condoms in that AIDS-stricken country.

"Because approximately 97 percent of Zimbabwean women visit a hair salon at least once a month, PSI also promoted female condoms to women in Zimbabwe using hair salons in low-income, urban areas," the report reads.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, cited another report to argue that abstinence programs, not condom distribution, can really help women at high risk for contracting AIDS.

A Feb. 2 article in National Geographic online, said a decline in AIDS rates in Zimbabwe was linked to "behavior changes," as first reported in the journal Science.

"Most important, researchers say, is the substantial decrease in casual sex partners reported by Manicaland residents," the National Geographic online article reported. "This, combined with increased abstinence by teenagers, may be contributing to the HIV decline."

"Our biggest problem is relying on methods that have had terrible failure rates," Wright told Cybercast News Service, "while denying them access to programs that have been proven effective."

Wright said groups with agendas like CHANGE are "trying to wipe out the competition by giving no federal funding for abstinence, even though the evidence shows that abstinence programs are effective in delaying sexual initiative and reducing HIV and AIDS rates."

Continued Good News on Teen Pregnancy and Abortion

By Janice Shaw Crouse
townhall.com

In a study released this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports record declines in the rates of teen pregnancies and abortions. The drop in teenage pregnancy rates continues a long trend: the decline of 38 percent is a fall from an all-time high in 1990 to an historic low in 2004. Significantly, the CDC, the nation's largest public health agency, stated that their report is the most comprehensive study of this decade.

Teen pregnancies were only 12 percent of the total pregnancies in 2004, down from 15 percent in 1990. Teen abortions were at a historical high in 1990 at 1.61 million, but had declined by 24 percent (1.22 million) by 2004. Another way of looking at the data is to note that among 15- to 44-year-old women, abortions per 1,000 women declined from 30 per thousand in 1990 to only 19.7 per thousand in 2004.

Clearly, the only thing that has changed in the years under review is the increase in schools offering abstinence education. Contraception, especially the condom, is readily available, but that's nothing new; that availability has remained constant during the period of the decline. Over the past decade, though, abstinence programs have become far more widespread. In addition, they have been increasingly more effective as more money has been available to test the programs and provide research about best practices in teaching abstinence. The programs focus on increasing teen self-esteem and teaching delayed gratification, how to say "no" effectively, how to resist peer pressure, and how to plan and achieve goals for the future. Such programs provide legitimate means of teen empowerment.

Further, teens have access now to all the technological evidence, via high definition sonograms, that the babe in the womb is really a pre-born child with fingernails and sucking a thumb. These views of the baby inside the womb are having a profound impact on the future generation of mothers and fathers; they understand the seriousness of abortion - that it truly does kill an infant.

Equally important, today's teens have seen broken relationships up close and ugly; they've seen friends used and discarded. They want more; they want a future and hope for those things that now seem possible for everyone.

The culture is changing for the better.

Unsurprisingly, the battle is not over yet. The left is still behind the times and is still arguing the same old talking points. The Guttmacher Institute headed their press release about the decline in teen pregnancy and abortion with the improbable claim: Improved Contraceptive Use a Key Factor. We are supposed to believe that suddenly teens have become consistent and reliable about using a condom. In fact, an earlier analysis by Guttmacher reported that 86 percent of the decline in teen pregnancy between 1995 and 2002 was due to more teens using contraception and using it more effectively. Apparently unaware that they seemed to be trying to have it both ways, Guttmacher complained that "the proportion of U.S. teens receiving any formal instruction about birth control methods has declined sharply." Most of their press release promoted the "need" for comprehensive sex education instead of abstinence programs for teens. Further, they cited the need for increased funding for comprehensive sex education and recommended cutting all funding for abstinence (even though current funding shows an untenable disparity - $12 in comprehensive sex education funding for every $1 in abstinence education.) They want it all, even though their programs have proven ineffective.

There is still much to be done in changing attitudes and promoting the well-being of America's young people, but teen sexual activity is down, teen pregnancies are down and teen abortions are down. That is great news from the cultural battle fields.

Over the past decade, we have offered our nation's teens a bright future and expected the best from them. Not surprisingly, they have met the challenge and are seizing the opportunities to grasp all the possibilities available to their generation. Our national leadership needs to continue to keep faith with them by supporting abstinence education as clearly the best choice for their current and future well-being.

Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at the Beverly LaHaye Institute, the think tank for Concerned Women for America, is a recognized authority on domestic issues, the United Nations, cultural and women?s concerns.

Canadian Prisons Contributing To Spread of HIV, Researchers Say

About 15% of incarcerated drug users at correctional facilities in the Canadian province of British Columbia reported using injection drugs during their incarceration, causing concern that prisons are contributing to the spread of HIV in Canada, according to one of two recently released studies conducted by researchers from the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, the CNS/Vancouver Sun reports.

The first study, published online in Oxford University's Journal of Public Health, followed 1,247 injection drug users for six years. Half of the IDUs were incarcerated at some point during the study. Nearly 15% of those who had been incarcerated reported using injection drugs while in prison, mostly with used needles.

The second study, published in Drug and Alcohol Review, followed 902 IDUs at Insite -- a supervised drug-injection facility in Vancouver, Canada -- over two years. About one-third of the IDUs reported having been incarcerated at each six-month follow-up, 5% of whom reported using injection drugs during their incarcerations.

The studies found that IDUs who have been incarcerated are "more likely to report syringe sharing" and to be living with HIV or hepatitis, the researchers wrote. Evan Wood, a researcher who worked on both studies, said the findings likely underestimate the number of IDUs who reuse needles while incarcerated because many people are unlikely to admit they use injection drugs or reuse needles.

The researchers are calling for needle-exchange programs in prisons to reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis. Wood said a "coordinated public health response" is needed to address the issue and to protect inmates and their "home communities" from the spread of bloodborne diseases. The researchers added that the findings underline the "urgent need" to expand harm-reduction programs at correctional facilities across Canada.

Officials at Correctional Service of Canada said that "continuing risk behavior by inmates during incarceration presents a public health challenge." Guy Campeau, director of media relations at CSC, said that the department is implementing a "comprehensive" infectious disease program that includes methadone maintenance and the distribution of condoms, dental dams, water-based lubricant and bleach to help reduce the spread of HIV and other diseases. The department has "no plans to implement a needle-exchange program," Campeau said (Munro, CNS/Vancouver Sun, 4/6).

SOURCE: KAISERNETWORK.ORG

More Contraception Choices for Women 40

ATLANTA (AP) - Birth control options are growing for women 40 and older - a group that once viewed its choices as pretty much limited to tube-tying surgery and condoms.

For them, the pill is back. So is the IUD. The reason is that both are safer. There's even a nonsurgical method of tube-tying.

Such options have long been needed, experts say, because 40- and 50-somethings are a complex group. Some have had several children and are willing to have sterilization surgery. Others may want children, but not right now.

Traditionally, women 40 and older are the least likely to use birth control. Along with adolescents, they have the highest rates of abortion. At the same time, these women are more experienced at using contraception and follow instructions better.

When it comes to contraceptives for women 40 and older, "one size definitely does not fit all," said Dr. Vanessa Cullins, vice president for medical affairs of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

A review of the current science of contraception and women 40 and older was published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. The author, University of Florida gynecologist Dr. Andrew Kaunitz, noted that the risk of dangerous blood clots rises sharply at age 40 for women who take birth control pills containing estrogen.

The risk is even greater for overweight women, who also are more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes.

But the dosage of estrogen in current birth control pills has been dramatically reduced. The pill is now considered a safe alternative for lean, healthy, older women Kaunitz and other experts said.

"It may not be well known that the current low-dose formulations are a reasonable option for healthy women in their 40s," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, a Harvard endocrinologist who wrote a book on menopausal hormone therapy.

The pill may be preferable for some women, because it can help control irregular menstrual bleeding and hot flashes and has been shown to reduce hip fractures and ovarian cancer, wrote Kaunitz. He has received fees or grants from several companies that make oral contraceptives.

But middle-aged women who are obese, smoke, have migraines, high blood pressure or certain other risk factors should be steered toward IUDs or progestin-only treatments like "mini-pills," experts said.

Higher breast cancer rates have been reported in older women who took estrogen-progestin pills for menopause. However, studies did not find an increased breast cancer risk in women 35 and older who took oral contraceptives.

The most common form of contraception for women 40 and older continues to be sterilization ? a category that counts tubal ligations (tube-tying) in women as well as vasectomies in their male partners.

Increasingly, gynecologists are offering a newer type of tubal ligation that is nonsurgical. The procedure, called Essure, was approved by the government in 2002. Instead of cutting through the abdomen to cut and tie the fallopian tubes, a doctor works through the cervix, using a thin tube to thread small devices into each fallopian tube. These cause scarring, which in about three months plugs the tubes, stopping eggs from the ovaries from reaching the uterus.

Also relatively new is a product called Implanon, approved by the government in 2006. It's a matchstick-sized plastic rod, placed under the skin of the upper arm, that is a more modern cousin of Norplant and can last about three years.

"Things have definitely changed. There are a lot more options for older women than there used to be," said Dr. Erika Banks, director of gynecology at New York City's Montefiore Medical Center.

Choosing the right contraception can be a bit of an odyssey, said Lisa Riley, a 44-year-old who works in Banks' medical practice. Last week, Riley got a new IUD.

When she was younger, she took the pill. It worked, but she stopped it to have kids ? twins ? in 1993. She was nervous about returning to the pill because of worries about a possible cancer risk. For about a year, she and her husband used condoms, but he got tired of that, Riley said.

She had friends on IUDs so she chose that option. It worked well for several years until it began to cause heavy menstrual bleeding. After Banks advised her to get a new one, she chose Mirena, a version that releases hormones and should last for five years.

For now, Riley doesn't plan any more children. But she wasn't ready for sterilization. "It's too permanent for me," she said.

SOURCE: MIKE STOBBE, ASSOCIATED PRESS, AP.GOOGLE.COM

Sex ed bill proposes more than abstinence-only

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Some Florida teens believe drinking Mountain Dew or smoking marijuana will prevent pregnancy and that swallowing a capful of bleach will prevent HIV/AIDS. One reason those dangerous myths have spread is the state's reliance on abstinence-only sex education, say advocates of a bill to require a more comprehensive approach in Florida's schools.

The measure narrowly won approval from a Sentate committee Tuesday. Under the proposed legislation, schools would still be required to teach abstinence as the only sure way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseasese, but they would have to teach more about sex. It would require, for example, teaching about condoms and other methods of birth control and disease prevention.

The bill's chances, though, remain slim with the annual 60-day legislative session nearly half over. The bill would have to clear three more committees before getting a Senate floor vote. The House version has yet to get a committee hearing.

"Young people are getting too little information too late,'' said Jenna Cawley, director of education for Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando.

Cawley urged the bill's approval as she told the Senate Education Pre-kindergarten-12th Grade Committee about the Mountain Dew, marijuana and bleach myths.

Opponents, including anti-abortion activists, claimed the bill's requirements would result in more, not fewer teen pregnancies as supporters argue.

"The only healthy, 100-percent effective way to prevent disease and pregnancy is abstinence,'' said Alison Lambrechts, a field coordinator for Project Reality, which provides sexual, alcohol and drug abstinence materials for schools.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, said Florida's current approach isn't working because the state has the sixth-highest teen pregnancy rate nationally.

He cited a recent University of Florida study showing the state's sex education programs vary widely in content, get little class time and that some students miss out entirely. Half of the middle schools and a third of high schools teach abstinence-only courses, according to the Florida Department of Education.

The committee voted 4-3 for the bill (SB 848). One Republican, Senate President Pro Tempore Lisa Carlton of Osprey joined the panel's three Democrats in favor of the bill. The other three Republicans voted no.

Source: The Associated Press, www.nwfdailynews.com

Use a Condom - You'll Live Longer

At the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference held in Chicago in early March, Dr. Sara Forhan released an alarming set of data referring to a study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in female teenagers.

Forhan studied 838 participants in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, all of whom were female teenagers between the ages of 14 and 19. The study showed that approximately one in four teens had one of the four most common STDs found in women-HPV (Human papillomavirus,) Chlamydia, HSV-2 (Herpes simplex virus type 2), or Trichomoniasis.

That is 3.2 million members of America?s female population that have STDs that can cause lifelong damages such as genital cancers, genital herpes, and infertility, among other symptoms. Out of those 3.2 million, 15 percent have more than one of the four major STDs.

While there is no comparable data for male teenagers or young adults between the ages of 20 and 24, it is no secret that STDs in teen and young adults are on the rise. Quite often, it is more difficult to detect STDs that are generally symptom-free, such as HPV and Chlamydia in men, who typically do not undergo regular STD screening tests such as those for women. While the diseases are more prevalent in certain genders and backgrounds, it?s time for every one of us to take to step back to see what we?re up against and how we can fix this ever-growing problem.

Of the four STDs targeted in this study, the most prevalent STD found in teen girls was HPV, which affected 18 percent of the study's participants. According to the Center for Disease Control, over 25 percent of women aged 20 to 24 also have the disease at any given time. The majority of the American population will come in contact with one of the many strains of HPV before their 50th birthday. This is especially unfortunate because there is a strong link between HPV and cervical, penile, and anal cancers, as well as the occasional case of genital warts.

Next comes Chlamydia, a disease with little to no detectable symptoms. The rate of Chlamydia has gone up 36% in men and 16% in women from 2002 to 2006, the CDC says. Still, the disease is more than three times more common in women than men. Unfortunately for these women, Chlamydia is an extremely destructive force if left untreated and can lead to damage of the reproductive organs and infertility.

One out of five adolescents has genital herpes, the catalyst of which is primarily HSV-2, according to the CDC. Apart from genital herpes outbreaks, which do not occur right away and may be mistaken for another condition such as skin irritation in the early stages, there is no way to track HSV-2.

"Genital HSV-2 infection is more common in women (approximately one out of four women) than in men (almost one out of eight),? the CDC website states. "This may be due to male-to-female transmission being more likely than female-to-male transmission."

Forhan's study also found a disparity in the race of infected teenagers in her study. While 20 percent of non-Hispanic whites and Mexican females were infected with one of the main four STDs, a shocking 48 percent of African-American females were affected.

"Factors contributing to the severe STD impact among African Americans include limited access to quality health care, as well as poverty. Additionally, a higher prevalence of STDs in this population may translate into a greater risk of being exposed. Finally, misperceptions of personal or partner risk may also be factors in increased risk for STDs among African American women," says Nikki Kay of the Center of Disease Control.

However, Dr. John Douglas, Director of the STD Prevention Division at the CDC, assures that the minority trend is not exclusive to African-Americans. ?When compared to whites, the Chlamydia rate among Hispanics is three times higher and the gonorrhea rate is twice as high. Hispanics also have the second highest rate of syphilis in the nation, followed closely by Native American/Alaska Natives, who also have the second highest rate of gonorrhea and Chlamydia in the U.S."

Overall, young females have more STDs than young males. Young African-Americans have more STDs than other races. Now we must consider that statement and ask ourselves why this is happening.

"We are seriously overdue to re-invent 'sex education' - to ensure that adolescents gain understanding about the underlying gender norms that actually shape much of their sexual health and well-being. Specifically, policies and programs need to emphasize young people?s critical thinking skills and their awareness of gender issues," Nicole Haberland and Debbie Rogow say in an editorial reacting to Forhan's study. The two authors wrote the article on behalf of the Population Council, a program which seeks to improve programs and policies for HIV/AIDS; poverty, gender, and youth; and reproductive health.

Haberland and Rogow suggest that the rise in STDs is directly linked to America?s perception of the traditional gender roles men and women play out in a sexual relationship.

"Girls who are submissive to male partners, or who agree that males should 'have more power in the relationship' are less able and less likely to negotiate condom use or to refuse unwanted sex. Boys who are socialized to equate masculinity with physical strength, emotional toughness, and aggressive behavior; with proving their heterosexuality; and with having multiple sexual partners are also at greater risk."

According to the authors, the only way to fix the problem is to develop a stronger focus on gender dynamics among teens. This focus is absent in most sexual education programs, whether they are abstinence or prevention-based.

"Unfortunately, sex educators in the US are busy battling right wing opposition and have had little time or space to heed this call,? Haberland and Rogow explain. "Indeed, most sex education programs ignore gender issues, or touch on them at best superficially."

The call for education on gender relations and stereotypes also offer a solution to the controversial call for "sex education" to be taught at a younger age since many students drop out of school before high school, when sexual education is usually taught. The authors discuss this in a November 2005 article entitled Sexuality and Relationships Education: toward a Social Studies Approach:

"Unfortunately, in some cases, implementing this shift boils focusing only on negative aspects of sexuality (protection against abuse) or on lessons about intercourse and contraception for children who are not prepared for such information. In contrast, a culturally appropriate focus on social norms related to gender might also be considerably more appropriate for under-12 children than focusing predominantly on sexuality per se."

Even when taught to teens, Haberland and Rogow have found that the few gender-based sexual education programs that exist have had their success. In Latin America, the Project H program for young males targets gender awareness issues. An evaluation of the program showed more condom use and less STD symptoms among its participants.

In the US, where there is also a great concern about the growing levels of STDs in youth, the authors have also found a program that?s got the attention of teens. "Another example, closer to home, is the Brooklyn-based nonprofit Scenarios USA. Scenarios sponsors a critical thinking and creative writing program through public school districts in New York City, Cleveland, South Texas, and Miami, as well as through Planned Parenthood and through Black Entertainment Television."

Scenarios USA presents a new theme based around issues of love, sex, and gender every year. This year?s theme is "What?s the real deal about masculinity?" The theme was discussed through a story, play, and scriptwriting contest, which will be translated into publications, performances, and films that will be displayed throughout high schools and via television.

The data released by Dr. Sara Forhan at the National STD Prevention Conference only supports a pattern that America has been trying to deter for years though health and education programs. STDs have a significant prevalence in teens between age 14 and 19, as well as young adults between age 20 and 24. This is especially true for women and minorities, who are as much affected by society?s social constructs as they are sexually transmitted diseases.

It is only through gaining a greater understanding of our own strengths and, perhaps more importantly, vulnerabilities that teens can conquer the norms of sex as we know it. We need to recognize the faults of traditional gender roles and utilize that knowledge to protect ourselves from undesirable sexual situations and consequences.

Those who see themselves as being in a favorable sexual situation must still be aware of both contraceptive and STD screening services available to them, both of which are crucial to STD prevention and treatment. According to a study by Sherry Farr and her colleagues at the CDC, it shows that only 39% of women are actually taking advantage of both services, thus putting themselves at unnecessary risk.

The old cliché "knowledge is power" has never been more relevant than in a case such as the struggles of teens and young adults against sexually transmitted diseases, so get educated and get involved!

SOURCE: Kait Silva, acedmagazine.com

Doctor training urged to fight syphilis spread

CHICAGO, March 17 (Reuters) - Syphilis is making a comeback in developed countries, spurred by illicit drug use and high-risk sexual behaviors, and many doctors are unprepared to recognize and treat it, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

They said syphilis has been on the rise since the beginning of the 21st century in high-income countries, but because the disease had been well controlled in the 1990s, doctors may not be screening for it.

"The key message here is that syphilis is again on the rise in several developing countries. In many of these countries we are seeing very high rates in men who have sex with men," said Dr. Kevin Fenton of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose study appears in the journal Lancet.

Fenton said the resurgence demands new training efforts among health-care professionals. "In many countries, physicians may have lost some of the skill sets associated with diagnosing syphilis," Fenton said in a telephone interview.

The CDC last week said the U.S. syphilis rate rose once again in 2007, marking the seventh consecutive year of increases. Homosexual and bisexual men accounted for 64 percent of syphilis cases in 2007, up from about 5 percent in 1999.

Syphilis infects some 12 million people worldwide every year. Most cases are acquired through sexual contact with a syphilis sore. Pregnant women can pass it on to their babies.

The recent resurgence is among a sub-group of men who have sex with men and engage in high-risk sex with multiple partners.

If not addressed, Fenton said the disease could become far more widespread.

"We have seen with other epidemics of sexually transmitted diseases that even if the initial rise occurs in men who have sex with men, it is unlikely to stay in that group for any long periods of time," Fenton said.

"The data suggest we are now seeing increases among heterosexuals in the U.S. and in Europe as well," he said.

Fenton and colleagues argue that the resurgence calls for swift public health intervention, including screening programs to prevent the spread of the infection, mass media campaigns, efforts to change behavior in high-risk groups and distribution of condoms.

"Efforts must be made to incorporate and evaluate new diagnostics tools, social network approaches, innovative evidence-based prevention interventions, robust disease surveillance and systematic monitoring and evaluation of prevention, treatment and care activities," they wrote.

Like many other sexually transmitted diseases, syphilis raises the likelihood of infection by or transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS.

Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It starts out as a sore, but progresses to a rash, fever, and eventually can cause blindness, paralysis and dementia.

SOURCE: Julie Steenhuysen, REUTERS.COM

1 in 4 teenage girls found to have sex-related disease

More than one in four teenage girls is infected with common sexually transmitted diseases, federal researchers reported Tuesday in a new study that for the first time quantifies a persistent problem.

Young women and girls ages 14 to 19 in "alarming" numbers are contracting human papilloma virus, chlamydia, genital herpes and trichomoniasis, said Dr. Sara Forhan, a researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who led the study team. Almost half of black teens were infected.

An estimated 3.2 million have one or more of those four sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, all of which can cause permanent damage. Cancer-causing HPV was the most common STD by far, followed by chlamydia.

Teen girls get such diseases when they don't protect themselves by avoiding sex, using contraception and remaining monogamous. The problem of disease transmission is compounded because many do not get tested or treated, CDC officials said.

"They don't really think they can catch it. They just don't believe they would be the ones to get it," said Lourdes Salgado, 17, a Plantation High School senior who gives talks to students about how to avoid STDs.

STD rates were higher among black female teens, with 48 percent infected compared with 20 percent of white and Mexican teens, the study showed. CDC officials blamed the disparity partially on a lack of access to health care and education, but said the main reason is that STDs are more prevalent in the black community, making each sexual encounter more risky.

"This does not mean African-Americans are taking higher individual risks than other groups. In fact, research suggests the opposite," said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of sexually transmitted disease prevention at the CDC. Still, he said, the nation must face "this extraordinary racial disparity."

The high infection rates were not a surprise, said health officials in South Florida and elsewhere, but the study puts harder numbers to the problem. Researchers based the new estimate on a 2004 nationwide health assessment program that examined, among others, 838 teen girls in what was called a representative sample of the U.S. population.

No state breakdowns were done, but Florida has reported rising numbers of teen girls with STDs. Almost 14,000 girls ages 10 to 19 contracted chlamydia in 2005, including 1,100 in Broward and 615 in Palm Beach County. Overall, chlamydia cases rose 75 percent in the prior decade.

The four STDs are not considered as serious as HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea and syphilis, which were not tracked in the study. But all can damage the body if left untreated. HPV can cause cervical cancer, the bacterial infection chlamydia can lead to abnormal pregnancies, and genital herpes viruses and the parasite trichomoniasis can make it easier to catch HIV/AIDS.

The study showed that about half of teens reported being sexually active, and about 40 percent of those were infected.

A second CDC study showed that the nation's health care system misses many opportunities to test teen girls when they come into clinics for contraception, Douglas said. Only 38 percent who came in after unprotected sex were tested, counseled or treated.

"We need to do a better job on lots of different fronts," Douglas said.

An HPV vaccine for girls and women ages 11 to 26 has been available since 2006 but is controversial. Critics have argued that giving it to young girls may encourage promiscuity and expose them to side effects. But many advocates say it's a strategy for preventing an infection that kills 3,700 women annually.

A few states made the vaccine mandatory for school admission, while Florida and others have not.

Plantation High School's Salgado said South Florida teens often ignore advice to get tested because it's not easy to find or reach a testing site.

"It's far away and some can't get there," she said. "Some don't know about it. Some are scared to go because of their parents."

Salgado is leading a group organizing an HIV/AIDS testing day March 25 across from her school. A small-scale attempt at another school last month brought 46 teens to a mobile testing van, said Norman Powell, president and CEO of Comserv Inc., a community group.

SOURCE: Bob LaMendola, www.sun-sentinel.com

Group gets to test new Merck AIDS drug in gel

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - A group working to develop a gel or cream women could use to protect themselves against the AIDS virus said on Tuesday they have permission to use an experimental new drug from Merck and Co.

It is the sixth HIV drug to be tested by the International Partnership for Microbicides, said the group's chief executive officer, Dr. Zeda Rosenberg.

The drug is known only by its experimental name L'644. It is a member of a class of drugs known as gp41 fusion inhibitors. They stop the AIDS virus from attaching to the immune system cells it targets.

"It's a completely different mechanism of action to what we have currently under development and what the field has under development," Rosenberg told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"It's pretty early in the life cycle for HIV. Most of us feel that, for a microbicide to be really effective, it has to get at the infection in its earliest timepoints."

Microbicides are products, such as gels or creams, that could be applied vaginally or anally to prevent transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS.

So far, attempts to create a microbicide have failed.

The AIDS virus has infected 33 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization. It has killed 25 million, and there is no vaccine to prevent the fatal and incurable virus.

Condoms can protect men and women, but health experts note that many men refuse to use them. In many countries, a women who demands that her husband or partner use a condom can face refusal or even a beating.

According to the United Nations, in sub-Saharan Africa almost 61 percent of adults infected with HIV are women. Most cases of HIV are transmitted sexually.

The nonprofit IPM has another agreement with Merck for a royalty-free license to develop another compound, L'167/CMPD167, which belongs to the class of molecules known as CCR5 blockers.

"Merck is pleased to contribute the results of our research and development to this worldwide effort to protect women from HIV infection," said Dr. Daria Hazuda, vice president of scientific affairs for infectious disease and HIV at Merck Research Laboratories.

The microbicides group also has agreements with Pfizer to develop its CCR5 blocker maraviroc; with Gilead Sciences to develop tenofovir, a licensed HIV drug; with Bristol-Myers Squibb; and with Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Tibotec Pharmaceuticals to try to make a microbicide out of its HIV drug dapivirine.

The field could use some successes.

Last month a study showed one microbicide candidate, called Carraguard, did not protect women from infection.

Two other potential microbicides have made women more likely to become infected -- a spermicide called nonoxynol-9 and a product called Ushercell, made by Toronto-based Polydex Pharmaceuticals. (Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

SOURCE: By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor, guardian.co.uk

Chris "The Crippler" Leben Fights His Way To Another Thrilling Victory at UFC 82

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Amato, Marketing Director
813-885-4400 x16
jennifer@condomdepot.com
March 7, 2008
www.condomdepot.com

Tampa, FL - CondomDepot.com, the leading distributor of condoms and a resource for safe sex information, celebrates Chris "The Crippler" Leben victory against his latest opponent Alessio Sakara at UFC 82 on March 1, 2008. Leben won by a technical knockout in the first round at 3:16. Both fighters fought hard for the win, but it was Chris Leben that sent the final blow and defeated Alessio Sakara. Leben's current record is now 18-4-0.

CondomDepot.com had also sponsored Leben for last year's "UFC Fight Night 11" in which he defeated Terry Martin by a knockout (punch) in the third round. His latest victory against Alessio has now earned him a 2-0 record for both CondomDepot.com sponsored fights.

"CondomDepot.com is truly proud of Chris's latest victory. He is a talented fighter and we are thrilled to have been one of his sponsors. CondomDepot.com is more than just a company that sponsors fighters for advertising purposes. We are true fans of the MMA and are delighted to have been a support for these hard working fighters. CondomDepot.com has sponsored such talented fighters as Andre "The Pitbull" Arlovski, Ed "Short Fuse" Herman, and Pete "Drago" Sell. Our continued support of this sport has also been a great way to nationally promote our positive safe sex message.

ABOUT CONDOMDEPOT.COM

CondomDepot.com is a provider of safe sex information, product reviews and safer sex products. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, CondomDepot.com sells its products wholesale to the public through its highly visited website while offering its safe sex information free of charge. Product lines include Trojan, Durex, Lifestyles, Crown, Trustex, AstroGlide, Pjur and other hard to find brands. For more information please contact Marketing Director Jennifer Amato (813) 885-4400 xt 16 or visit the website www.condomdepot.com

###

FDA Warning - Internet Sales of Bogus STD Preventatives

The FDA issued an emergency alert today warning consumers of drugs being sold on the Internet falsely claiming that they can prevent or treat sexually transmitted diseases. The products are sold under the names of Tetrasil, Genisil, Aviralex, OXi-MED, Imulux, Beta-mannan, Micronutrient, Qina, and SlicPlus and make claims such as:

"Treatment Kills all Herpes Viruses WITHOUT having to use conventional drugs or medications," "Greatest STD Protection Without Condoms," (SlicPlus) and "The active ingredient in our product is FDA certified to destroy 99.9992 percent of all pathogenic organisms [ie] Chlamydia" (OXi-MED).

Since these drugs have not been submitted to the FDA, they are in violation of FDA rules and should not be taken as they have not been tested for the safety or effectiveness and may pose a health threat to consumers. The FDA regards these drugs as "mislabeled" and/or "misleading" and states they do not include sufficient instructions for consumers.

Consumers should stop taking these drugs immediately and should report any adverse effects to the FDA's MedWatch group at 800-FDA-1088.

SOURCE: Edmund A. Normand, Editor orlandoinjuryboard.com

Staying safe in the sack - Protection for All

There is an abundance of information out there about safety during straight sex, but what about gay sex? Whether you are gay, bisexual or just curious, you should make sure you know your facts and your options before you have sex.

Q: I know the standard run-of-the-mill issues that come along with straight sex, but I'm bi, so what do I need to know about the risks that come along with gay sex?

A: I think one of the most incorrect assumptions society makes is that people can't contract sexually transmitted infections if they are having sex with someone of the same gender. This is not true. Though it's always a good idea to use protection, we can't always be certain of our partner's STI status, so you should take some precautions to protect both of you.

If you are engaging in lesbian sex, you should be focusing on the use of barriers. Barriers like a dental dam are most effective. According to Brown University's student health website, "dental dams are small, thin, square pieces of latex that are used for oral-vaginal or oral-anal sex.? They are placed between the giver's mouth and the receiver's vulva or anus. If used correctly, these should block the passing of potentially dangerous fluids both from the vagina and from the mouth.

If you don't want to buy dental dams, Brown's website suggests that you can use a latex glove, regular condoms or they also recommend using Saran Wrap. If you choose Saran Wrap, Brown?s website says "it is important that it be non-microwavable because the pores in microwaveable saran wrap are large enough to allow viruses and bacteria to pass through." Who knew?

If you are using sex toys, these also need to be cleaned or protected when going from one person to another. In addition to that, use toys that are made of non-porous and nontoxic materials like silicone. These kinds won't absorb very much fluid, keeping you safer.

For gay men, there are also some things to remember during sex. For male-to-male oral sex, a regular condom can be used to block the spread of fluids from the mouth to the penis and vice versa. If you can't stand the taste of latex, you have the option of using flavored condoms or flavored lubricant. They come in all flavors, so you won?t be stuck with something you find gross.

When having anal intercourse, a condom also should be worn because most infections, like HIV, are most easily spread through anal intercourse. Because most people find that they need a lot of lubricant during anal sex, check to see if you are using the right kind. Oil-based lubricants like Vaseline can ruin the latex of the condom, so make sure that your lubricants are always water-based when condoms are involved.

To be safe when having gay sex, you need to focus on keeping your fluids away from your partner's, as is also true with straight sex. It's just that some of the details are a little different.

SOURCE: Tiffany Harms, dailyevergreen.com

One in five HIV patients in New York say they never use condoms

Approximately one-fifth of HIV-positive patients report never using condoms with regular or casual partners in a study conducted in New York and published in the February edition of AIDS Patient Care and STDs. Inconsistent use of condoms was associated with the presence of symptoms of depression, and most of the patients reporting unprotected sex had a detectable viral load.

Although the investigators found no link between use of antiretroviral treatment and inconsistent or non-existent condom use in their multivariate analysis, they did find that patients who reported poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy were more likely to never or inconsistently use condoms.

Patients in the study were asked about their sexual behaviour and adherence using an audio computer-assisted self-interview and the results of this interview were made available to their doctors. The investigators suggest that these interviews could be used to identify ?a core group of nonadherent patients who do not consistently use condoms, and then deliver targeted intensive psychosocial services and prevention interventions to them.?

Thanks to the success of antiretroviral therapy people with HIV can live, longer, healthier lives. This good health means that individuals with HIV are likely to remain sexually active. Therefore HIV prevention efforts are being focused on people with diagnosed HIV infection and in 2003 the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced an initiative to screen for sexual risk behaviour during HIV clinic appointments.

Investigators wanted to see if audio computer assisted interviews were a successful means of obtaining information about issues including sexual risk behaviour, adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and the presence of depressive symptoms.

A total of 198 patients at two HIV clinics with a predominately Latino population were recruited to the study in 2004. The patients were told that their answers during the computer-assisted interview would be provided to their HIV doctor.

Three quarters of the patients were Latino, 36% were gay/men who have sex with men, and 25% were women.

In the four weeks before the study, 65% reported being sexually active, with 24% reporting a regular partner only, 5% a casual partner only and 35% both a regular and a casual partner.

Of the patients who reported sex with a regular partner, 34% said they didn?t always use condoms and 18% said they never used condoms. Of the patients who said they had had sex with a casual partner, 26% reported not using condoms every time and 15% said they never used condoms. Overall 35% of sexually active individuals reported inconsistent condom use and 19% reported never using condoms.

Women were more likely than men to report never using condoms (32% vs, 15%, p = 0.047), and heterosexuals were more likely than gay men to report not using a condom every time with a regular partner (p = 0.04).

Taking antiretroviral therapy was associated with inconsistent condom use with regular partners in univariate analysis (p= 0.05). But this association disappeared in multivariate analysis that adjusted for age, race, gender and HIV transmission category. In multivariate analysis, the only factors significantly associated with not using condoms were self-reported depression (p = 0.03) and self-reported poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (p = 0.02).

Of the patients who reported never using condoms with regular partners, 76% had a viral load above 400 copies/ml. All the patients who reported never using condoms with casual partners had a viral load above 400 copies/ml.

?We found that almost one fifth of those who had been sexually active in the past four weeks reported never using condoms with their regular or casual sex partners. Over one third of these patients reported not using condoms every time?, comment the investigators.

?Most patients with recent HIV RNA results who reported unprotected sex?had detectable HIV RNA?, the researchers observe, adding, ?the fact that a substantial number of patients with detectable HIV RNA are practicing unprotected sex is a serious concern.?

The investigators acknowledge that their study had some limitations, including the lack of diversity in the population. Nor were the investigators able to say if patients were having unprotected sex with partners of the same HIV status, or if men were adopting ?strategic positioning? (assuming the receptive role with men who were HIV-negative or of unknown HIV infection status).

SOURCE: Michael Carter, aidsmap.com

5 things you didn't know about HPV

1 Cancer connection: There are more than 100 types of Human papillomaviruses or HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Most are harmless, but about 30 types put you at risk for cancer. Almost all women will have HPV infections at some point, but very few will develop cervical cancer; their immune systems will usually suppress or eliminate HPVs, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only HPV infections that do not go away over many years lead to cervical cancer.

2 How you get it: Through skin-to-skin sexual contact with an infected partner. Transmission by genital contact without intercourse is not common, but it has been reported. Oral-genital and hand-genital transmission of some HPV types is possible, says the American Cancer Society.

3 Common: Infection is very common soon after a woman becomes sexually active. In one recent study, more than 50 percent of college-age women were found to have acquired an HPV infection within four years of first having sex, says the American Cancer Society.

4 Prevention: Abstinence or a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner, although it's difficult to tell if a partner who has been sexually active in the past is infected. Correctly using latex condoms greatly reduces the risk, but it doesn't completely protect because areas not covered by a condom. A new vaccine called Gardasil is recommended for 11- and 12-year-old girls before their first sexual contact. Another promising vaccine, Cervarix, is being tested, but hasn't been approved yet. Studies suggest the vaccines can protect against some HPV for at least four years; the need for a booster vaccine is being researched. A controversial Florida bill that would have required all sixth-grade girls to be vaccinated died in the Florida Legislature last year.

5 Guys: HPV also can cause genital warts, penile and anal cancer. It now causes as many cancers of the upper throat as tobacco and alcohol, probably due both to an increase in oral sex and the decline in smoking, researchers say. A vaccine for boys may soon become available, which also would help prevent men from spreading the virus to women.

SOURCE: JODI MAILANDER-FARRELL, MIAMIHERALD.COM

USC students' demand for condom dispensers denied

Since administrators decided against installing condom machines in University of South Carolina residence halls, students will have to go a little further for safety when they want to go all the way.

The Residence Hall Association, representing student residents, took an opinion poll that found most USC students wanted condom machines installed in dorms. Student residents and the RHA alike said the administration's decision was a disappointment.

The school is reluctant to install these machines because the administration fears it will hurt its public image, said Assistant Director of Student Learning Sean McGreevey.

"The university's number one concern is recruitment and retention," he said. "There is a proportion of people out there who will view these machines negatively and the administration has to take that into account."

SOURCE: Kimberly Wexler, www.dailyfreepress.com

Though the school decided against installing in-dorm condom machines this year, the RHA and the administration will continue discussing the possibility of installing them in the future, said RHA President Amanda Pippin.

"I think if these condom machines prevent even one couple from engaging in unsafe sex, then the project of installing them would be worthwhile," she said.

Pippin said the RHA plans to tackle the image issue by installing the machines in areas accessible only to dorm residents, avoiding public bathrooms or dorm lobbies.

"They will only be available and noticeable to the residents of that particular dorm," she said.

USC freshman Ben Orpizcolon said the public's perception of in-dorm condom machines will vary, but the machines will ultimately benefit students. Though residence advisors make condoms available, he said, many people are embarrassed about something so personal.

"It would benefit students and encourage safe sex to have them available in the dorms," he said.

While Northeastern University has condom machines in some residence halls, Northeastern student health representatives would only confirm the school has them and declined further comment.

Boston University Student Health Services offers free condoms in its office waiting area and allows students to purchase up to 20 condoms for $5.

BU spokesman Colin Riley said regardless of image, BU does not need condom machines in dorms because there is no shortage of places that sell condoms on or near campus.

"We believe that our students are mature and able to make these decisions responsibly," he said. "Practicing unsafe sex is a sign of immature and uninformed decision making, especially because condoms are available all over the city."

SOURCE: Kimberly Wexler, dailyfreepress.com

Contraception: It's better to be doubly safe than sorry

A new study indicates that the safe sex message is getting through to Australian women, with nearly 70 per cent of those surveyed currently using contraception and 15 per cent using not one but two contraceptive methods to prevent pregnancy and protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases.

The study, by Dr Nick Parr and Dr Stefania Siedlecky from Macquarie University's Demographic Research Group, was published recently in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

It uses survey data from more than 3000 women aged between 18 and 44 about their contraceptive use. The variation in the seven most prevalent contraceptive practices between different age groups, marital status, parity, education level, place of residence, birthplace, and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent was examined.

Results showed that education, cultural factors arising from ethnic background and the nature of sexual and family relationships were all important factors in determining contraceptive choices.

Two-thirds of respondents were using contraception, including more than 15 per cent who used more than one method. The contraceptive pill was the most widely used method (39 per cent), followed by the condom (28 per cent). Interestingly, more than one-quarter of pill users (28 per cent) were using condoms as well.

"Following its introduction in 1961, the oral contraceptive pill was rapidly adopted by Australian women, while the use of other methods, including condoms, declined," explain Parr and Siedlecky. "However, the arrival of HIV/AIDS in Australia in 1982 focused attention on the public health implications of contraceptive use, particularly the importance of condom use. Consequently condom use increased.

"Condoms are the only contraceptive that protect against sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS for both men and women. However, since the condom alone is less effective as a contraceptive than hormonal methods and intra uterine devices (IUDs), the twin goals of preventing the spread of STIs and preventing unwanted pregnancy through the simultaneous use of both the pill and the condom - so-called dual protection - has been advocated."

While the study indicates that the use of the Pill and the increasing use of dual protection methods have been adopted by most subgroups, it appears a more widespread use of condoms is required among particular groups.

"Women under 25 and students were found significantly more likely to use the combination of pill and condom," say Parr and Siedlecky. "This could reflect a greater number of sexual partners in this demographic and the associated greater need for protection against both STIs and unwanted pregnancy.

"However, rising rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea indicate there is still a need for more widespread use of condoms, either as a single method or combined with other methods. High rates of STIs and lower levels of condom use, either alone or in combination, may also be an indication of a greater need for education and access among people living in remote Australia or for those of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent."

SOURCE: Macquarie University, PHYSORG.COM