Kaisernetwork.org (Washington, DC)
27 August 2008
Election 2008
Coalition of More Than 30 Groups Calls on Presidential Candidates To Develop National HIV/AIDS Strategy
[Aug 27, 2008]
A coalition of more than 30 HIV/AIDS advocacy groups representing minority communities in the U.S. has called on presidential candidates Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to develop a comprehensive national strategy to fight HIV/AIDS, VOA News reports.
Ravinia Hayes-Cozier, director of government relations and public policy for the National Minority AIDS Council, said it is important for the next U.S. president to address HIV/AIDS in the country because "there has been silence on the domestic side about HIV/AIDS." She added that is "important" that people living in the U.S. "still see [HIV/AIDS] as an epidemic that is affecting people in this country, particularly minorities," and that the number of minorities living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. "continue[s] to go up." Minorities account for about 65% of the estimated 56,000 new HIV infections annually in the U.S., according to VOA News.
The U.S. is "one of the very few countries" that does not have a national HIV/AIDS strategy, Hayes-Cozier said, adding that the U.S. is "at a point where we've had a great deal of experience with HIV/AIDS." She added that there are "some things that we know work well. There are some things we need to modify and change, and there are some things we just shouldn't be a part of."
According to Hayes-Cozier, a national strategy should include several elements aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS, starting with HIV prevention. The strategy's prevention component would "give consistent messages across the country that everyone supports," she said, adding that the plan would "provide a way of ongoing communication around HIV/AIDS" through education, health care and media. In addition, the plan would ensure "unified" HIV counseling and testing that provides "clear outcomes and expectations" that are not "just based on individual communities or states or cities," Hayes-Cozier said.
The treatment component of the plan would outline "strong protocols in how we implement care and treatment for those who are impacted by HIV/AIDS," according to Hayes-Cozier. The treatment component also would allow the community to look at HIV/AIDS from "a chronic disease perspective," develop "clear [treatment] guidelines" and increase efforts to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in communities most affected by the disease, according to Hayes-Cozier (DeCapua, VOA News, 8/26).
Event Recognizes Congressional Members for HIV/AIDS Work
In related news, actor Danny Glover on Monday ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Denver recognized 26 members of Congress for their efforts to fight HIV/AIDS at a luncheon sponsored by the Global AIDS Alliance Fund and the AIDS Action Council, Roll Call reports.
Glover, who serves as chair of the TransAfrica Forum, at the luncheon said the "theme of this week is change," adding, "Let the change include a world without AIDS." He added, "The AIDS epidemic isn't about some other time [or] some other people. ... it's about my brother and your sister," noting that his brother has been living with HIV since the 1990s. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who was honored at the luncheon, called for increased government funding to fight HIV/AIDS that does not include abstinence spending requirements. Boxer added that Democrats need 60 Senate seats to pass such legislation.
Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee (Calif.), Betty McCollum (Minn.), Donald Payne (N.J.) and Maxine Waters (Calif.), as well as Del. Donna Christian-Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), also attended the event. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the GAAF who organized the event, said the group works with both Democrats and Republicans and plans to attend the Republican National Convention next week in St. Paul, Minn. (Palmer/Ackley, Roll Call, 8/26).
A kaisernetwork webcast of the event is available online.
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Across The Nation
Stamford, Conn., Officials Concerned About HIV/AIDS Among Hispanics
[Aug 27, 2008]
HIV/AIDS advocates in Stamford, Conn., are expressing concern about HIV/AIDS cases among Hispanics and how to effectively target outreach efforts toward the community, the Stamford Advocate reports.
As of June, 118 Hispanics in Stamford were living with HIV/AIDS, according to the Stamford Health Department. Hispanics make up 22.3% of all current HIV/AIDS cases in the city and 19.7% of the population, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. In nearby Norwalk, Conn., Hispanics represent 18.6% of people living with HIV/AIDS and 24.3% of the population. Nationwide, Hispanics make up 18.9% of reported AIDS cases and 15% of the population, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Debra Katz, director of Stamford's HIV prevention program, said that the figures are of concern because HIV/AIDS cases among Hispanics outpace their proportion of the population. Dennis Torres of Stamford CARES, a city agency that provides housing, financial and medical assistance to those living with HIV/AIDS, said, "I think nationally, the message hasn't reached this community."
Public health officials say that cultural beliefs, lack of health insurance and concerns about legal status are some of the barriers that prevent effective HIV/AIDS outreach programs to the Hispanic community, the Advocate reports. In addition, Hispanics' religious values and cultural taboos about discussing HIV/AIDS and sex have an effect on outreach, according to city health officials. Cedric Reid, a city HIV prevention worker, said Hispanic women are the most difficult to reach with sexual education outreach efforts because they are very modest.
Stamford health officials have made efforts to reach out to the Hispanic community by employing bilingual staff in HIV/AIDS prevention programs and conducting outreach efforts at churches and day laborer sites, Torres said. Torres added, "We help people if they have no food, if their lights are going to be shut off, all of the things that would keep people from getting medication," adding, "We remove all those barriers, because treatment is prevention" (Perez, Stamford Advocate, 8/24).
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Global Challenges
Increasing Number of HIV Cases Recorded in Philippines, Health Secretary Says
[Aug 27, 2008]
The number of HIV/AIDS cases recorded in the Philippines is increasing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said on Tuesday, adding that the prevalence of the disease in the country remains low, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. Duque said that even though the Philippines is a low-prevalence country, it "should not be a reason to be complacent." An average of 29 HIV cases were reported monthly in 2007 and 2008, Duque said, adding that an average of 20 cases monthly were recorded in previous years, according to AFP/Yahoo! News.
According to AFP/Yahoo! News, a health department report on HIV/AIDS in the Philippines found that 48% of female commercial sex workers, 27% of injection drug users, and 49% of men who have sex with men and people with multiple sex partners reported using a condom. The report called for a focus on "prevention activities geared towards vulnerable populations," as well as a "scaled up response for making available affordable treatments and control." The report also states that since 1984, a total of 3,305 HIV cases and 310 AIDS-related deaths have been reported in the Philippines (AFP/Yahoo! News, 8/26).
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Drug Access
Malawi Reduces AIDS-Related Deaths With Increased Access to No-Cost Antiretrovirals
[Aug 27, 2008]
Increased access to no-cost antiretroviral drugs has contributed to a 75% decrease in AIDS-related deaths in Malawi in the last four years, a senior government official said Monday, Reuters reports. According to Reuters, HIV/AIDS has been linked to 59% of deaths among people between ages 15 and 59 in the country of 13 million. However, Malawi has made progress since 2004, when it started offering no-cost antiretrovirals to thousands of HIV-positive people, Reuters reports.
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