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India
2. Awareness training on HIV/AIDS
At present, the figure of HIV positive persons in Manipur has reached 15,584 out of which 2370 persons have died. In Churachandpur alone, the figure is 630 deaths and 2500 infected by the disease, according to sources
Viet Nam
3. Localities take drastic measures to combat HIV/AIDS
This is part of the newly signed Life-Gap project, aiming to open HIV volunteer test and consultation rooms, take care of HIV/AIDS patients and help them integrate into the community in 40 provinces and cities nationwide
4 .UN envoy calls for Hanoi to act on HIV/AIDS
Special UN envoy on HIV-AIDS, Doctor Nafis Sadik, says the virus will only be defeated in Vietnam if the government mobilises all sections of society
Outside Asia
5. [AFR] South Africa HIV rate 'falling'
A new analysis of the Aids epidemic in South Africa suggests that fewer people are becoming infected with HIV than in previous years. Research from ante-natal clinics shows that the proportion of young women carrying the Aids virus has declined over the last five years
6 . [CAN] Ottawa proposes legal changes to allow drug-testing of drivers
The consultation paper, obtained by The Canadian Press, says the amended legislation would allow police to administer the tests to motorists suspected of being impaired by drugs
7. [NET] Dutch drug cafe ban puts British noses out of joint
The Netherlands' conservative Government has just unveiled a scheme to restrict access to the country's drug-selling coffee shops to Dutch residents only. Coffee shops would be restricted to members, with membership permits sold only to local people. About 60 per cent of sales at coffee shops near the German border are to Germans, while in Amsterdam in summer about 40 per cent of coffee-shop trade is with tourists
8. [SAU] Saudis report jump in AIDS cases
Today, the Saudi health authorities say there are 6,787 cases, albeit most of them among foreigners. But still, why the sudden addition of several thousand cases? The exponential leap may reflect better reporting of AIDS rather than a dramatic change in the rate of infection
9 . [UK] Hospitals in battle to halt invasion of drug dealers
In a sign of a new 'zero-tolerance' attitude emerging in the NHS, local mental health managers have started to call in police with dogs to combat the problem…Sniffer dogs are the latest weapon used on some psychiatric wards at Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester, where managers worked with the local police drug team
10. [US] The senate's last chance on AIDS
...Senate could reject Bush stinginess on AIDS spending
Over the past year or so, President Bush and many senators have visited Africa to witness firsthand the ravages of AIDS...Then they come home and stiff the global AIDS budget
11. [US] Study finds hundreds of thousands of inmates mentally ill
The study, by Human Rights Watch found that the level of illness among the mentally ill being admitted to jail and prison has been growing more severe in the past few years. And it suggests that the percentage of female inmates who are mentally ill is considerably higher than that of male inmates
Study
12. Preliminary research on the coinfection of HIV and viral hepatitis in intravenous drug users
2nd Asia-Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health (APCRSH) (6-10 October 2003)
13. Sexual issues in Vietnam: "We don't know where to ask"
Studies show that many youngsters are unable to turn to their parents or teachers. According to the Consulting Centre for Love, Marriage and Family here, more than 50 percent of parents choose to tell their children folk stories as a way of explaining matters of sex, or give them inaccurate information because they feel their children are still too young to learn about sex
1. Call for observance of International Drug Users Day
Drug use is a global phenomenon and its use in the form of injecting has been reported in more than 130 countries. HIV epidemic among IDUs is reported in more than 110 of them. It is estimated that more than 15 million are regularly injecting drugs around the world.
Without timely adequate prevention or interventions, HIV spread among them is rapid – reaching from zero to 50% in matter of months. Populations of drug users develop rapidly along trafficking lines, creating new drug markets followed by HIV threat in host countries. Very often drug users are targeted and blamed for all the aftermath. Efforts to curb the supply or trafficking of drugs or approaches for preventing the use of drugs at various levels often end up with victimizing the victims of drugs. Despite the ongoing efforts taken up by various Governments and agencies to check the flow of drugs, upto 90% of the total illegal drugs produced reach the community. Looking back into these efforts, there is hardly any positive results but rather with HIV explosion among IDUs and then to the community leading to more and more hostility towards the victims.
Re- looking at the dynamics of drug use beyond a legal, medical or moral framework: its impact on the economy, workforce production, health care settings, and developmental issues besides others is recommended by several studies around the world. Yet, many governments or communities still continue to side step these cross cutting issues at hand.
Starting from 1995, the Landelijk Steunpunt Druggebruikers (LSD)/(Dutch) National Interest Group of Drug Users of Netherlands has observed 1st November every year as International Drug Users Day. Initially a national event in Netherlands, the observation has focused on giving drug users a platform to discuss with social workers, politicians and others involved, about topics that were of interest to them. Over the years, drug users of other countries derive value in observing this day by organizing workshops, music concerts etc to raise awareness about dignity and respect of human life, access to care, treatment and support systems for drug users. The observation has seen the coming together of drug users and various community stakeholders –law enforcement agencies, health care workers and community leaders underlying the need to involve drug users as citizens in the response to the drug use menace and its related consequences.
International Drug Users day gives the opportunity for users to reach out, spread the word and involve communities in the call for a broad based outlook. On this day, drug users all over the world will congregate to talk, share and learn from each other’s experience for a healthier society.
NEIHRN calls for observing the International Drug Users Day on Nov. 1
To acknowledge that
- drug use is a complex phenomenon which needs a multidimensional approach from all sections of the society
- drug use is a public health issue
- responding to drug use without the involvement of its victims cannot yield desired results - based on evidence around the world from Europe to Asia
- drug users are victims of circumstances.
--from North East Indian Harm Reduction Network, 21Oct03
2. Awareness training on HIV/AIDS
The Imphal Free Press, Sunday, October 26, 2003
CCPUR, The district AIDS committee conducted 'Youth Leaders Awareness Training on HIV/AIDS' at the office of the Young Paite Association on Saturday last which reflected the sorry state of those living with HIV/AIDS in Manipur. At present, the figure of HIV positive persons in Manipur has reached 15,584 out of which 2370 persons have died. In Churachandpur alone, the figure is 630 deaths and 2500 infected by the disease, according to sources.
The sources further said that most common transmission of HIV were on account of blood donation, the sharing of needles, and infections from HIV positive mother to the child. Infection due to sexual promiscuity is very low, said the sources. There are 43 million HIV infected persons in the world and the trend is increasing at the rate of 80,000 persons daily. In India the figure is 3,86,000 of which Maharastra and Tamil Nadu rank first and second respectively while Manipur figures in the third place. Meanwhile, according to reports given by the District AIDS officer to the State AIDS Control Society, there are 2162 women and 399 men HIV infected persons in the Churachandpur District alone.These persons suffer mainly Reproductive Tract Infection ,RTI and Sexually Transmitted Disease, STI. There are altogether 44 persons suffering from RTI/STI out of which 23 are women and 21 are men, according to reports.
--from North East India Harm Reduction Network, 28Oct03
3. Localities take drastic measures to combat HIV/AIDS
VOV News, Saturday, October 27, 2003
The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide around US$50,000 this year to central Da Nang city to build a well-equipped HIV test and consultation centre. This is part of the newly signed Life-Gap project, aiming to open HIV volunteer test and consultation rooms, take care of HIV/AIDS patients and help them integrate into the community in 40 provinces and cities nationwide.
Meanwhile, northern mountainous Lang Son province has accelerated its management and supervision and care for HIV/AIDS patients with the aim of preventing the spread of the deadly disease. There are over 1,760 HIV/AIDS sufferers in the province, 83.3 percent of which are drug users. Northern Ha Nam province has stepped up its fight against criminals and other social evils and called on people to help HIV/AIDS patients.
In the first ten months of this year, the province detected another 99 HIV/AIDS cases, five of whom have died. The Hanoi Trade Union has organised a two-day course on AIDS prevention and drug abuse for 240 trade unionists in the city. There are more than 600 drug users who are public employees, officials said.
http://www.vov.org.vn/2003_10_27/english/xahoi.htm#Localities
4. UN envoy calls for Hanoi to act on HIV/AIDS
ABC Radio Australia News, Saturday, October 18, 2003
A senior United Nations official says Vietnam needs to take urgent action to prevent an HIV/AIDS crisis. Special UN envoy on HIV-AIDS, Doctor Nafis Sadik, says the virus will only be defeated in Vietnam if the government mobilises all sections of society. Doctor Sadik, who's in Vietnam on a four-day visit, says the epidemic demands close co-ordination between the central government and local authorities.
She says the Ministry of Education needs to ensure that children learn about HIV and how to prevent it as part of their schooling. And she says the finance ministry and the planning and investment ministry need to understand the socio-economic impact of HIV and to intergrate it into their national development plans. Doctor Sadik says there are more than 71,000 people in Vietnam who are known to be HIV positive and that figure is growing by 1,300 cases a month. She says 40 percent of the cases are young people aged between 15 and 24. Vietnam's health ministry estimates there were more than 160,000 HIV carriers at the end of last year. Independent experts, however, say the figure could be as high as 300,000.
--from Jv Net, 20Oct03
5. [AFR] South Africa HIV rate 'falling'
BBC News, Tuesday, October 21, 2003
A new analysis of the Aids epidemic in South Africa suggests that fewer people are becoming infected with HIV than in previous years. The research also predicts that the total number of HIV-positive people in South Africa will remain constant for the foreseeable future. About 5 million South Africans carry the Aids virus - more than in any other country. The researchers say Aids remain a "huge burden" in the country.
Research from ante-natal clinics shows that the proportion of young women carrying the Aids virus has declined over the last five years. Scientists have now combined that finding with information from a recent nationwide survey, and put the data into a computer programme which aims to model the epidemic.
Safe sex
The results were published in the African Journal of Aids Research. They suggest that the annual rate of new infections has declined substantially, from 4.1% of the population aged 15-49 in 1997 to 1.7% in 2002. One of the researchers, Dr Thomas Rehle, says that is partly because young people are paying more attention to safe sex education. "Well, it looks like people more and more get the message. And particularly among the young groups, it looks like it gets better and better absorbed." But BBC science correspondent Richard Black says the epidemic is certainly far from over.
In the immediate future, the proportion of the adult population infected with HIV will stay roughly constant, the researchers say; the average life expectancy will continue to fall for around 10 years. The projections made by this research team are considerably lower than previous estimates, and the scientists acknowledge there are uncertainties in their figures. But they emphasise their analysis does not mean that the scale of the AIDS problem has been exaggerated.
--from AEGIS, 21Oct21
6. [CAN] Ottawa proposes legal changes to allow drug-testing of drivers
Toronto Sun, Tuesday, October 21, 2003
OTTAWA - The federal government is preparing to respond to provincial demands by enacting laws that would allow police to test drivers for drugs, according to a government document. The consultation paper, obtained by The Canadian Press, says the amended legislation would allow police to administer the tests to motorists suspected of being impaired by drugs. The paper, to be released Wednesday, outlines changes that have been sought for years by the provinces and police forces. The paper will be distributed to the provinces, territories and various associations, which have one month to respond.
The Justice Department has outlined several options to allow officers to administer the drug tests and gather evidence for possible criminal charges. The suggested amendments would establish a legal drug limit, the obligation to submit to tests, the possibility of providing urine, blood or perspiration samples and penalties for refusing to comply.
Although it's illegal in Canada to drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol, there's no quick roadside test for drug use - unlike alcohol consumption, which can be measured on the spot by a breathalyser exam. Under current laws, police officers can only ask drivers whether they have used drugs, but can't administer a test. "If the police officers haven't received specific training about evaluating the effect of drugs, this task can be nearly impossible to accomplish," said the document.
The task isn't any easier for trained officers because a suspect can refuse to volunteer for a drug test. No law exists to force someone to take a test. Mothers Against Drunk Driving denounced the consultation paper, saying Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon has pushed for the decriminalization of marijuana while failing to enact measures to discourage drug-impaired driving. "A consultation document doesn't save lives," said Louise Knox, president of MADD Canada. Ottawa must send a clear message that it takes these things very seriously before even thinking about passing a law on decriminalization."
The consultation paper also raised the possibility motorists might challenge the mandatory drug tests in court. "The legislative proposals are vulnerable to attack under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," suggested the document, which asks for feedback from citizens and groups.
--from Peter Webster, 23 Oct 03
7. [NET] Dutch drug cafe ban puts British noses out of joint
The Times (UK), Saturday, October 25, 2003
After years of tolerance, foreigners are to be excluded from Amsterdam's cannabis shops. Thousand of Britons who flock to the cannabis cafes of Amsterdam each year may be left stone cold by Dutch government plans to end "drug tourism". The Netherlands' conservative Government has just unveiled a scheme to restrict access to the country's drug-selling coffee shops to Dutch residents only. Coffee shops would be restricted to members, with membership permits sold only to local people.
The Dutch city is renowned as the drugs capital of Europe, having become the destination of choice for revellers looking for the high life. Hundreds of coffee shops openly offer menus for different types of resin and grass. However, the Government is keen to clean up the country's image and has been under pressure from its more puritanical neighbours, particularly France and Germany, whose citizens flock across the Dutch border to buy cannabis.
"We are willing to do something about tourists and foreigners buying hashish in coffee shops. One option is having permits for customers, and then you don't give permits to foreigners," a spokesman for the Justice Ministry said. The announcement has dismayed Britain's normally laid-back cannabis-users. "We are devastated," Alan Buffry, of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance, said. "It's always been a refuge where you can smoke and relax without having to look over your shoulder. It was like a holiday from the police."
The proposals have also triggered vehement protests from the Dutch coffee shops, which are fully licensed by local authorities and pay millions of pounds in tax. "It's totally ridiculous. The minister is stupid. If this system comes in, all the tourists will buy from criminals in the street," Arjan Roskam, of the Union of Cannabis Retailers, said. The plans, which are to be confirmed by Christmas, were put forward by Piet Hein Donner, the Justice Minister, during a visit to Germany, which has criticised the Netherlands for not doing enough in the war on drugs. The proposals are aimed specifically at curbing cross-border drug-trafficking. German dealers, for example, drive across the uncontrolled border, stock up at coffee shops and then return.
About 60 per cent of sales at coffee shops near the German border are to Germans, while in Amsterdam in summer about 40 per cent of coffee-shop trade is with tourists. Local authorities are responsible for licensing coffee shops and it will be up to them to implement the scheme. The Association of Dutch Municipalities said that it would wait for the full publication of the plans before commenting. The authorities have already closed some of the less respectable coffee shops and restricted sales to 5 grams of cannabis to each customer at a time. Shops have to limit their stock to 500 grams.
The conservative Government has said that it wants to halve the number of coffee shops, which have fallen from a peak of nearly 2,000 in 1997 to 782. This year, the coffee shops survived a proposed smoking ban in all restaurants and cafes, which would have wiped them out. The ban was dropped at the last minute. Phil Kilvington, editor of Britain's Weed World magazine, was philosophical. With Britain downgrading cannabis to a Class C drug, he said: "It's going to be easier to smoke here than go to Amsterdam. It's not even very high quality there -- you can get better quality here in the UK, and people are starting to realise that.
Different smokes, different folks
Nordic countries: Possession and use of soft drugs is illegal.
Britain: From January, marijuana, formerly Class B, will become a Class C drug. Possession carries a maximum term of two years, but most offenders will get off with a warning
France: Possession of soft drugs risks a heavy fine and a year in prison, but cannabis users are seldom prosecuted
Germany: Cannabis use is illegal, but those possessing small quantities are seldom prosecuted
Greece: Users can face prison, but enforcement is lax
Portugal: Cannabis is illegal, but those possessing small amounts are no longer jailed but are instead given mandatory counselling, and sometimes community service or a small fine
Switzerland: Cannabis remains illegal, but probably not for long. A government attempt to decriminalise it narrowly failed, but police still turn a blind eye to those smoking it in public
Croatia: Prosecution for possession for personal use has ended, but selling it is punishable by up to 15 years in jail
Italy: A 1993 referendum decriminalised possession of a "minimum daily dose" of marijuana
Belgium: Possession of cannabis was decriminalised in 2002
Spain: Possession of marijuana for personal use carries no sanction
The Netherlands: Legislation dating back to 1976 decriminalised cannabis. Consumption and sale of the drug is allowed in coffee shops, with annual sales about UKP 1.8 billion
--from Peter Webster, 26Oct03
8. [SAU] Saudis report jump in AIDS cases
BBC News, Thursday, October 23, 2003
Paul Wood
The ministry of health in Saudi Arabia has announced that the kingdom has registered more than 6,700 cases of AIDS. Of these, it says just 1,509 are Saudi nationals. The first AIDS case was reported in Saudi Arabia in 1984. The UN says that by the year 2000, the cumulative total was 436. Last year, another 200 cases were registered. Today, the Saudi health authorities say there are 6,787 cases, albeit most of them among foreigners.
But still, why the sudden addition of several thousand cases? The exponential leap may reflect better reporting of AIDS rather than a dramatic change in the rate of infection. After all, making the announcement, the head of Saudi Arabia's Epidemic and Parasitic Diseases Authority said 95% of the kingdom's AIDS cases were spread by what he called "forbidden sexual relations".
New openness
Pre-marital sex, adultery and homosexuality are all strictly prohibited under the sharia law practised in Saudi Arabia. The penalties include jail, flogging and stoning. So there is not overwhelming public or official sympathy for AIDS sufferers in Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, the Saudi authorities had to investigate claims that a hospital dumped a terminally-ill AIDS patient on the streets, barely conscious.
A Saudi newspaper, the Arab News, said the man was picked up by the hospital security staff and left on the pavement outside his employer's offices. Saudi Arabia is also in the throes of a debate about introducing greater democracy and more openness. What appears to be the more honest reporting of AIDS cases may be one more sign of change stirring within the kingdom.
--from AEGIS, 24OCt03
9. [UK] Hospitals in battle to halt invasion of drug dealers
The Observer, Sunday 26, October 2003
Police sniffer dogs are the last line of defence as cannabis spreads throughout wards. Sniffer dogs are being used on psychiatric wards across England to root out drug-dealing, which is becoming rife among patients. In a sign of a new 'zero-tolerance' attitude emerging in the NHS, local mental health managers have started to call in police with dogs to combat the problem. It is believed that around half the mental health trusts in the country have to contend with local drugs dealers who operate in and around hospitals.
In the past decade, the amount of illegal substances, particularly cannabis, available on psychiatric wards has rocketed. Sometimes the drugs are sold in hospital grounds, but researchers have found they are also sold on wards as it is hard for staff to prevent patients or friends coming in and out. It is also impossible for them to search people they suspect may be carrying illegal drugs. Some staff worry that they are breaching patient confidentiality if they call police to tackle the problem.
Cannabis is used by many schizophrenics as a relaxant, but it can trigger hallucinations and paranoia, making their experiences far more frightening. Psychiatrists also find it much harder to treat successfully patients who are psychotic or schizophrenic if they are regularly smoking joints. Sniffer dogs are the latest weapon used on some psychiatric wards at Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester, where managers worked with the local police drug team. 'The presence of sniffer dogs was a signal to people that, if they used drugs, there was a strong likelihood they would get caught,' said Noel Tracey, one of the trust's managers. 'There have been no charges for 12 months and we haven't found drugs in the last three random searches.' Staff who work on the wards feel more supported by the introduction of dog patrols, according to the South Essex Partnership Trust. 'These are nice, cuddly dogs, a springer spaniel and a golden retriever. When they finish their sniffing work the patients get a chance to pet them,' said assistant director Neil West.
But Marjorie Wallace, director of campaigning charity Sane, believes a laissez-faire culture, which has put patients' rights above the need to keep wards safe, has led to the problems. 'There is barely a unit I have visited where drug-dealing isn't rife. It hardly existed 10 years ago, but now the problem is distorting all services. Cannabis worsens the acute symptoms of mental illness, and makes the wards much more intimidating. For too long, this problem has been swept under the carpet.' She believes that for cultural reasons staff often turn a blind eye.
Some see it as a patient's right to relax or enjoy themselves. Another problem is that many of the dealers have been patients themselves and some are psychotic and need help, so cannot be turned away from care. The violence and verbal abuse on wards, exacerbated by drugs, makes it difficult for psychiatrists to admit other patients, for example women with serious depression.
The Department of Health is preparing to issue new guidelines soon to doctors and staff on dealing with drug misuse. This will include giving nurses and doctors training on how to tackle a patient with drugs on them. Other measures taken by hospitals include the planting of prickly bushes underneath the hospital windows, so that dealers cannot hand over their drugs from the outside. On Wednesday, the Commons will be asked to approve government plans to reclassify cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug, so police will no longer arrest people who have it in their personal possession. Some
campaigners say this will lead to a rising number of young people with mental problems caused by the drug.
--from Peter Webster, 26Oct03
10. [US] The senate's last chance on AIDS
The Times, Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Over the past year or so, President Bush and many senators have visited Africa to witness firsthand the ravages of AIDS. They hold sick babies, pat the hands of dying women, visit community groups caring for orphans and clinics bereft of medicine. They make heartfelt statements that lives can and must be saved. Then they come home and stiff the global AIDS budget. Mr. Bush made a worldwide splash by promising a $15 billion, five-year program. He endorsed an authorization of $3 billion for 2004, which was passed by both the House and Senate. But the White House and the Congressional leadership then conspired to cut the actual money appropriated back to $2.1 billion.
The Senate can take a small step toward righting things today, as it considers an amendment by Senator Mike DeWine of Ohio. Its backers include conservatives like Rick Santorum and liberals like Patrick Leahy, but missing are many moderates who worry about the budget. The amendment would bring the financing for next year up to $2.4 billion. Washington could spend $2 billion on its own AIDS programs and give $400 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria - half what the rest of the world combined will provide.
The Senate needs to pass the amendment, and then persuade the White House and the House of Representatives to support the change. Many senators who voted for tax cuts for the wealthy are suddenly concerned about deficits. This amendment should appeal to the budget-conscious. As AIDS explodes worldwide, causing hunger, chaos and political collapse, it will be America's problem. Every dollar spent today to prevent the spread of the disease and keep parents alive for their children will save money tomorrow. The total the Senate could endorse today falls far short of the need, but it is the last chance to bring Washington closer to keeping its promise to the world in 2004.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/28/opinion/28TUE3.html?ex=1068334546&ei=1&en=42c388606633085e
...Senate could reject Bush stinginess on AIDS spending
PRNewswire, Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Defying clear instructions from the White House, the US Senate today prepared to approve significant increases to AIDS, TB and malaria spending, to more than $300 million above the President's request. On October 16, the White House sent a letter to the Senate stating that, "[T]he Administration strongly opposes any efforts to increase funding beyond the $2 billion requested in the President's Fiscal Year 2004 budget." But, during today's vote on the Foreign Operations Spending Bill, Senator Dewine (R-OH) will offer an amendment to add $289 million to global AIDS, TB and malaria spending. A tough fight is expected over the measure, and 60 votes are required, but signs are favorable. Some Senators who publicly stated they would never go above the President's request, such as Lamar Alexander (R-TN), have reversed their position and joined a dozen other Republicans in co-sponsoring the amendment.
Even before Dewine's measure, the Senate was already on track to approve double what the President requested for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. The Global Fund, which is facing a severe shortfall, is especially important because it helps meet the needs of countries in Asia and other regions left out of the President's AIDS initiative.
"Congress is beginning to hear the appeals of Americans of all backgrounds who want to see a real emergency plan to stop AIDS," stated Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance. "Thankfully, the President seems to be failing in his misguided attempt to stop Congress from amending his plan. That's great news for millions of suffering orphans, families and communities around the globe."
During his July trip to Africa the President trumpeted his support for the AIDS, TB and Malaria authorization bill, which recommended $3 billion for the fight against these diseases in 2004. He claimed the bill would show other nations the US was serious and persuade them to give more to the Global Fund. Since then, however, the President sent three letters to dissuade Congress from providing that level of funding. The bill's promise of $1 billion for the Global Fund did not leverage significant donations from other nations, who did not see the promise as genuine. Today Senator Durbin is expected to again offer an amendment to raise total spending to $3 billion, but it lacks Republican support.
"Congress today is taking an important step toward fulfilling its promise in the fight against AIDS," noted Dr. Zeitz. "The epidemic has worsened considerably since the President first made his funding request. Yet, the President refuses to update his request, greatly damaging US credibility. As House-Senate conferees take up the bill, we call on the President to end his bizarre quest to keep the Congress from fully delivering on the promised $3 billion. The shortfall will be paid in lives and diminished global security, since, even if the amendments succeed today, the Global Fund still faces a massive gap in available resources."
Senator Feinstein, joined by Senator Snowe, also plans to offer an amendment that would alter the bill's provision that reserves a third of the AIDS prevention spending for "abstinence-until-marriage" programs. The measure, which Global AIDS Alliance strongly supports, would make the provision less strict and more properly focused on sexual transmission.
CONTACT: David Bryden of the Global AIDS Alliance, mobile: +1-202-549-3664.
--from AEGIS, 29Oct03
11. [US] Study finds hundreds of thousands of inmates mentally ill
The NY Times, Wednesdaty, October 22, 2003
FOX BUTTERFIELD
As many as one in five of the 2.1 million Americans in jail and prison are seriously mentally ill, far outnumbering the number of mentally ill who are in mental hospitals, according to a comprehensive study released Tuesday. The study, by Human Rights Watch, concludes that jails and prisons have become the nation's default mental health system, as more state hospitals have closed and as the country's prison system has quadrupled over the past 30 years. There are now fewer than 80,000 people in mental hospitals, and the number is continuing to fall.
The report also found that the level of illness among the mentally ill being admitted to jail and prison has been growing more severe in the past few years. And it suggests that the percentage of female inmates who are mentally ill is considerably higher than that of male inmates. "I think elected officials have been all too willing to let the incarcerated population grow by leaps and bounds without paying much attention to who in fact is being incarcerated," said Jamie Fellner, an author of the report and director of United States programs at Human Rights Watch.
But, Ms. Fellner said, she found "enormous, unusual agreement among police, prison officials, judges, prosecutors and human rights lawyers that something has gone painfully awry with the criminal justice system" as jails and prisons have turned into de facto mental health hospitals. "This is not something that any of them wanted." Reginald Wilkinson, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said the "mere fact that this report exists is significant."
"Some people won't like it, and the picture it paints isn't pretty," Mr. Wilkinson said. "But getting these facts out there is progress."
Many of the statistics in the study have been published before by the Justice Department, the American Psychiatric Association or states. But the study brings them together and adds accounts of the experiences of dozens of people with mental illness who have been incarcerated. The study found that prison compounds the problems of the mentally ill, who may have trouble following the everyday discipline of prison life, like standing in line for a meal. "Some exhibit their illness through disruptive behavior, belligerence, aggression and violence," the report found. "Many will simply - sometimes without warning - refuse to follow straightforward routine orders."
Where statistics are available, mentally ill inmates have higher than average disciplinary rates, the study found. A study in Washington found that while mentally ill inmates constituted 18.7 of the state's prison population, they accounted for 41 percent of infractions. This leads to a further problem - mentally ill inmates who cannot control their behavior are often, and disproportionately, placed in solitary confinement, the study found.
Solitary confinement is particularly difficult for mentally ill inmates because there is even more limited medical care there, and the isolation and idleness can be psychologically destructive, the report says. Medical care for mentally ill inmates is often almost nonexistent, the study says. In Wyoming, a Justice Department investigation found that the state penitentiary had a psychiatrist on duty two days a month. In Iowa, there are three psychiatrists for more than 8,000 inmates. There is no single accepted national estimate of the number of mentally ill inmates, in part because different states use different ways to measure mental illness.
The American Psychiatric Association estimated in 2000 that one in five prisoners were seriously mentally ill, with up to 5 percent actively psychotic at any given moment. In 1999, the statistical arm of the Justice Department estimated that 16 percent of state and federal prisoners and inmates in jails were suffering from mental illness. These illnesses included schizophrenia, manic depression (or bipolar disorder) and major depression. The figures are higher for female inmates, the report says. The Justice Department study found that 29 percent of white female inmates, 22 percent of Hispanic female inmates and 20 percent of black female inmates were identified as mentally ill.
One reason some experts have suggested for the higher numbers among female prisoners is that psychologists and psychiatrists working in prisons tend to be more sympathetic to women, finding them mentally ill, while they tend to evaluate male inmates as antisocial or bad. But Mr. Wilkinson said, "I think the differences are real; more female inmates are mentally ill." He suggested that prisons were seeing more severely mentally ill inmates now "only because the volume is greater," meaning that the number of people in prison has increased.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/national/22MENT.html?ex=1068249860&ei=1&en=1b48140f5027aa4f
12. Study: Preliminary research on the coinfection of HIV and viral hepatitis in intravenous drug users
HIV and Hepatitis, Monday, October 20, 2003
The objective of the current study was to confirm the close relationship of high co-infection rate between HIV and hepatitis viruses in intravenous drug users (IVDUs). Anti-HIV, HBV and HCV were detected by ELISA in the serum from 35 scattered and 15 massed IVDUs. PCR and RT-PCR were performed to confirm the infection of HIV, HBV, HCV, HGV, and TTV among the 15 massed intravenous drug abusers.
Among the 50 IVDUs, the positive rates of anti-HCV, HBsAg, anti-HBe, and anti-HBc were 92% (46/50), 12% (6/50), 10% (5/50) and 66% (33/50), respectively. In the samples of HBsAg positive, their HBeAg was also positive. Although the positive rate of serum markers was different in the massed IVDUs compared to the scattered IVDUs, no significant difference was shown. In the cases of massed IVDUs, the positive rates of HIV DNA, HBV-DNA, HCV-RNA, HGV-RNA, and TTV-DNA were 100% (15/15), 26.6% (4/15), 53.3% (8/15), 33.3% (5/15) and 26.6% (4/15), respectively.
Among the 15 massed intravenous drug users, one was infected with HIV, HBV, HCV, HGV, and TTV; two were infected with HIV, HBV, HCV, and HGV; three were infected only with HIV; and the remaining had other forms of co-infection. This study suggests that the coinfection rate of HIV, HBV, HCV, HGV and TTV in intravenous drug users is very high.
Institute of Infectious Disease, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University.
Reference
N Wu and others. Preliminary research on the co-infection of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis virus in intravenous drug users. Chinese Medical Journal (article in English). 116(9):1318-1320. September 2003.
http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hiv_hbv_co_inf/102003a.html
13. Sexual issues in Vietnam: "We don't know where to ask"
2nd Asia-Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health (APCRSH) (6-10 October 2003)
Tran Dinh Thanh Lam
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (IPS) - Teachers and parents are just about the last people many young Vietnamese turn to when it comes to understanding sex-related issues, saying they find sex education in school too dry and their parents unwilling to say much about it.
Thus, they are turning elsewhere for information they need. One-third of respondents in a survey conducted at high schools in this Southern Vietnamese city said that they want to confer with health experts instead, and other surveys show even higher percentages. "We want to discuss 'intimate' questions with consultants and doctors than talking with our teachers or parents about the issue," says Nguyen Nam, an 11th-grade student at Nguyen Du High School here.
"Sometimes I want to know about sexual health but don't know where to ask," laments Le Thi Minh, 16, of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School. "I know from the media that many people my age are having sexual intercourse and some have to undergo abortions. I feel confused about this, but do not know who to turn to."
Studies show that many youngsters are unable to turn to their parents or teachers. According to the Consulting Centre for Love, Marriage and Family here, more than 50 percent of parents choose to tell their children folk stories as a way of explaining matters of sex, or give them inaccurate information because they feel their children are still too young to learn about sex.
Many Vietnamese parents recoil from the idea of sex education. Says Vo Thi Huong, an expert with the Geology and Mineral Department in Hanoi, "My first daughter is 14 years old and she is very obedient. In my eyes, she is still a little girl, and though I will help her about sex, I don't think now is the right time.'' Clearly, sex education that is available in high school remains largely inadequate. "Our teacher talked about sex, contraception, abortion in such a very dry and unnatural way that many boys used it as a way to tease us," explains Nguyen Thi Van Anh, a 10th grade student at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School.
Teachers find the courses hard to implement, and both trainers and trainees are shy about discussing delicate issues in public. In truth, vague notions about sex and reproductive health have been provided to Vietnamese students since the early eighties, when basic knowledge on population and family planning was added to the curriculum.
However, the programme tends to focus on demography rather than on biological reality, leaving students with only the vaguest notions about sex and ontraception. The lack of relevant sex education also leaves young women at risk of unwanted pregnancies as well as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. "We cannot evade the importance of sex education, as it is crucial that our children learn to say no to sex before marriage,'' says Dang Quoc Bao, deputy director of the Department of Population and Family Planning of the Ministry of Education and Training.
Today, the sex education programme stresses reproductive health and safe sex, but experts and students consider it inadequate because it is given only to secondary school students.
"(Likewise) we need to give children better basic sex education. They should not be taught about biology, as is the case at the moment, but about social psychology, cultural traditions and social morals,'' explains Dang Thuy Anh of the population department at the education ministry.
Yet the importance of reproductive health in youngsters' social lives - beyond it being an academic subject - is not something that teachers always learn easily. For instance, Nguyen Thi Kim Lan, a teacher at Quoc Hoc High School in the central coastal city of Quy Nhon, proudly says: "More than 90 percent in my school answered accurately the test questions on safe sex, birth control and HIV/AIDS prevention." But this was a paper test. In class, while discussing the matter with their teachers, these same students became shy and inactive. Some teachers then began trying different approaches, including the creation of a more relaxed environment. They set up a 'consulting mailbox', where students could send anonymous letters to teachers and receive advice and guidance.
"He is sixteen years older than me, and he says he loves me. But I don't know why he always tries to make love with me. What should I do?" writes a 10th grade student in one of the letters. "I've been having my period for two years. I've got a boyfriend and we've hugged and kissed, though we kept our clothes on. Am I pregnant?" inquires a 15- year-old student.
"By providing students advice and sometimes consolation, we come to know them better," Lan says. Still, Lan reckons that the advice they give is
conservative and usually focuses on the social and moral aspects, things that seem not to interest students. That explains why many of her students would rather read doctors' columns in 'Phu Nu' (Women), 'Sinh Vien'(Students), 'Muc Tim' (Purple Ink) magazines. "I usually read Dr Tran Bong Son's column in 'Student' magazine. It's very interesting and entertaining. The doctor has a tactful and amusing way of dealing with these issues," Anh of HCMC's Nguyen Thi Minh Khai school says. Officials estimate that in the capital Hanoi, 15 percent of those aged between 15 and 19 have sex before marriage.
--from SEA-AIDS, 22Oct03
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