Although the recorded HIV prevalence in Pakistan is relatively low, health officials are concerned that a concentrated epidemic of the virus among injection drug users could carry over to commercial sex workers and other high risk groups in the country, IRIN/PlusNews reports. To address the issue, the National AIDS Control Program and the United Nations Population Fund recently held a meeting, called the National Consultation on HIV and Sex Work, in an effort to improve HIV prevention efforts targeted at sex workers by consulting with workers in the field.

Sex workers at the meeting made various recommendations, including HIV testing, referrals and increased efforts to decrease stigma. The Ministry of Health reports that from 2006 to 2007, female sex workers were at a high risk of HIV in 12 cities across Pakistan. A survey of 4,639 female sex workers found that less than 25% reported condom use; 10% had a partner that had used injection drugs during the past six months; and that illiterate sex workers were less likely to use condoms than those with a higher level of education. A female sex worker at the meeting said, “It is very hard for us to convince [partners] to put on a condom, but I feel that a female condom would put us in a position where we can protect ourselves against HIV and sexually transmitted infections.” She added that female condoms are not widely available. Legalizing sex work would make it easier for sex workers to protect their rights, another female sex worker at the conference said. She added that often, outreach workers face barriers from police forces.

Daniel Baker, UNFPA’s country representative for Pakistan, said that sex workers should have greater involvement in creating and implementing HIV programs. He added, “The female sex workers have to be in there as managers, workers and leaders to benefit in the long run.” Safdar Kamal Pasha with UNFPA agreed that the recommendations from sex workers are critical points to address in future programming. “The female sex workers agreed that there should be vocational training and the means for alternative work opportunities for those who want to move out of sex work, as well as those who are past their prime and do not find sustainability in sex work,” Pasha said (IRIN/PlusNews, 5/14).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Vietnamese officials declared fresh that most 678 1000000000 dong, or most $38.7 million, module be allocated for HIV/AIDS hindrance efforts in the land in 2009, the VNA/VietnamPlus.com reports. The declaration was prefabricated during a advise briefing early this hebdomad held by the Department for HIV/AIDS Prevention and the warfare Journalists Association to analyse Vietnam’s HIV/AIDS efforts in 2008. Health officials at the briefing said that more than 27,000 grouping experience with HIV/AIDS conventional communication finished digit of the 207 district-level clinics locate in locate terminal assemblage and that most 6,000 person educators and upbeat workers diffuse aggregation most the disease to 53.8% of the country’s districts.

The newborn resource module support wage antiretroviral communication to an estimated 32,000 grouping experience with HIV/AIDS. It also module be utilised to wage post-exposure prophylaxis to upbeat workers. In addition, the resource module earmark up to 90% of HIV-positive meaningful women to obtain antiretroviral communication and aggregation most preventing mother-to-child transmission. Last year, 20,260 newborn retrovirus cases were reportable in Vietnam, of which 7,452 had progressed to AIDS, according to the HIV/AIDS department. The municipality of Ho Chi Minh reportable the maximal sort of retrovirus cases with more than 34,000, business for more than 25% of the amount sort of cases in warfare (VNA/VietnamPlus.com, 5/12).

Reprinted with category authorisation from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You crapper analyse the whole Emperor Daily Health Policy Report, see the archives, or clew up for telecommunicate conveying at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Emperor Daily Health Policy Report is publicised for kaisernetwork.org, a liberated assist of The speechmaker J. Emperor Family Foundation.

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Many Americans support increased funding to address HIV/AIDS in the U.S. according to a report released Wednesday for the National AIDS Coordinating Committee with support from the MAC AIDS Fund, Reuters Health reports.

The report — titled “Impressions of HIV/AIDS in America: A Report on Conversations With People Throughout the Country” — aimed to provide a better understanding of perceptions regarding HIV/AIDS among average U.S. residents. For the report, researchers interviewed “people in five focus groups, which featured a cross-section of Americans living in urban, suburban and rural settings. Several experts in HIV/AIDS also contributed to the report,” according to Reuters.

Focus group participants were generally supportive of increased domestic funding for HIV/AIDS programs, particularly prevention, education and vaccine research programs. The report found that HIV/AIDS has fallen “off the radar” of many Americans but that many people are sympathetic to HIV-positive people. The report also found that some people continue to attach a stigma to HIV and do not understand how the virus is transmitted. Many participants also said HIV-positive people have “risky lifestyles,” the report found.

“Many people we spoke with had inconsistent views of HIV/AIDS,” lead researcher Jonathan Rochkind said, adding, “Even though most people were aware of the primary ways HIV is transmitted, when presented with the idea of being in casual contact with people who are HIV-positive, they often said it was a possibility HIV could be transmitted that way and that they were concerned about the risk.” Rebecca Haag, CEO and president of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, said the report “highlights the empathy people have for those living with HIV/AIDS, and an understanding that access to medical care and drug treatment is critical.” Haag added, “Unfortunately, the reality in this country is that about one-half of those living with HIV/AIDS are not in care and treatment” (Reuters Health, 5/13).


The report is available online (.pdf).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.