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Health officials in Kentucky are participating in a nationwide effort called the “Test 1 Million Campaign,” with the hopes of “encouraging everyone to get tested for HIV, particularly African-Americans and Hispanics,” WKYT.com reports. Officials from the Department for Public Health held a news conference on Monday to announce the effort. HIV Activist Bobby Edelen said, “If we get one million people tested and find a percentage of those people who have it are positive, those people can make a positive change in their lives.” While health officials are targeting blacks and Hispanics, they “are hoping [their] message reaches everyone,” according to WKYT (Evans, 8/11).

This information was reprinted from dailyreports.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily U.S. HIV/AIDS Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at dailyreports.kff.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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Reuters examines Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine’s recent comments on the sidelines of the 9th International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP), that some emerging nations should consider becoming donor nations. Pointing to Brazil, China, Mexico and South Africa as examples of countries who “may now be in a position to offer a hand to poorer countries that need help,” Kazatchkine explained, “As these countries come in and play more political leadership roles, they have to enter into the global solidarity effort when it comes to health … I really think it is time for the G20, which is 85 percent of the world’s economy, to come into the circle of donors. The Global Fund has to expand.”

Though “[t]he Global Fund received $10 billion in pledges from G8 group of countries to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria for the years 2008 to 2010,” there is growing concern the current economic crisis will hurt international commitments to health spending, Reuters writes. The Global Fund “will soon need to lobby donor nations for money for the next three-year cycle, 2011 to 2013, the last lap before the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals” (Lyn, 8/11).

UNAIDS Director Outlines Ways To Reduce Spread Of HIV In Asia

Of the “more than 1,000 people [who] become infected with HIV in Asia each day,” most “infections could have been averted if only we had invested in reaching populations at higher risk and their partners — at a cost of less than half a U.S. dollar per person,” Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, writes in an opinion piece appearing in China Daily. Sidibe outlines four points that can help “transform the AIDS response so that it works for the people — especially for the marginalized and the voiceless” (Sidibe, 8/12).

Jakarta Post Examines Efforts To Educate, Protect Women From Spread Of HIV In Papua

The Jakarta Post examines the ongoing efforts in the province of Papua to educate women about how to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS. Speaking at the ICAAP, Papua HIV/AIDS Commission chairman Constant Karma described how through collaborations between his organization and non-governmental organizations and corporations, more than 265,000 women received female condoms. “The promotion of female condoms among sex workers and housewives will give women more bargaining power … while simultaneously reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS,” Jayapura Social Development Foundation director Tahi Butar-butar said (Sijabat, 8/12).

IPS Examines ‘Scant Presence of Mainstream Media’ At Asia’s Largest HIV/AIDS Meeting

Inter Press Service examines the “scant presence of mainstream media” at ICCAP - a sign “the press was overlooking the big story on HIV/AIDS, say some journalists and development analysts” (8/12).

This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

On August 19, Dr. Michel G. Bergeron, director of the Centre de recherche en infectiologie (CRI) of Laval University, will receive the 2009 Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA) Medal of Service. This medal is being presented in recognition of Dr. Bergeron’s outstanding contribution to the medical profession, medical and research organizations, the Canadian health care system, and the well-being of patients around the world.

The CMA Medal of Service is awarded to an individual who has made an exceptional and outstanding contribution to the advancement of health care in Canada. Dr. Bergeron is an internationally renowned clinical researcher and specialist in infectious diseases.

“Thanks to Dr. Bergeron’s remarkable work, thousands of patients have benefited from an improved quality of life. He has contributed concretely to the prevention and diagnosis of infectious diseases. Dr. Bergeron’s accomplishments deserve our admiration,” says CMA President Dr. Robert Ouellet.

“I wasn’t expecting such an honour. I’m very proud, and I must thank all those who have always believed in me and supported me in my personal life, medical practice and research,” says Dr. Bergeron.

After obtaining his medical degree at Laval University in 1968, Michel Bergeron completed his residency in internal medicine at McGill and went on to a research fellowship in infectious diseases at the New England Medical Centre Hospital, Tufts University in Boston. He then returned to his hometown of Quebec City. In 1974, he was appointed assistant professor of microbiology at Laval. That same year, he founded the university’s laboratory in infectious diseases research, later named Centre de recherche en infectiologie (CRI), which today ranks as the largest infectious disease research centre in Canada. Dr. Bergeron teaches at Laval University and internationally as a visiting professor.

An outstanding career path

Early in his career, Dr. Bergeron focused his research on the treatment of infectious diseases. A direct product of his work is the first-line treatment of severe pyelonephritis with intravenous aminosids, which reduced treatment time from 14 to 3 days.

Over the years, Dr. Bergeron has turned his attention to the development of new preventative approaches to infectious diseases. His main area of interest is increasing the rapidity of microbiological diagnosis using DNA analysis of microbial genes.

With his team at the CRI, Dr. Bergeron developed the first rapid, real-time tests to detect certain disease-causing microbes in less than one hour, instead of the 48 hours usually required.

Keenly interested in the transfer of technology, Dr. Bergeron created Infectio Diagnostic Inc. in 1995, to develop and market rapid diagnostic tests. Today the company, which was acquired by Becton Dickinson & Co. in 2006, employs several hundred people in Quebec City and promises continued growth and technological advances.

“My greatest passion and my greatest dream are to discover new technologies and simple and rapid new tests that can be administered at point of care, such as doctors’ offices, emergency and intensive care departments, pharmacies and even, one day, in developing countries. This would revolutionize medical practice by making it possible for medical staff to diagnose infectious diseases, in real time, and thus save countless lives,” says Dr. Bergeron.

One of Dr. Bergeron’s priorities is the fight against HIV-AIDS. A few years ago, he and his colleagues began work on developing an “Invisible Condom®” or vaginal gel formulation that women could use to protect themselves against AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer. Phase I and II trials have been completed and the product, which is entering the Phase III clinical trial, is of enormous importance to women around the world.

Involvement

Dr. Bergeron’s busy laboratory pursuits have not kept him from being actively involved in Canada’s research community, including the:

• Scientific Advisory Board of the Canadian Space Agency and the Global Health Initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (committee member)

• Scientific Advisory Board of the Council of Canadian Academies (member)
• Scientific Advisory Board of Infectiopole Sud in France (chair)
• Canadian Association for HIV Research and the Canadian Foundation of Infectious Diseases (co-founder)
• Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation and the Canadian Association of Medical Microbiologists (former chair)
• National Advisory Committee on SARS and the Standing Committee on Sciences and Research of the Medical Research Council of Canada (former member).

Honours

Dr. Bergeron’s scientific discoveries and involvement have earned him numerous honours, including the:

• Quebec Wilder-Penfield Award

• Order of Quebec
• “Medecins de merite de l’Actualite Medicale, 20th anniversary” Henry Friesen Award co-sponsored by CSCI and RCPSC
• Laval University award “Grands Diplômes”
• CIHR Synapse award for the CRI’s weekly “Researcher for a day” program (introducing high school students to sciences)
• Lifetime Achievement Award of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada
• Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

Dr. Bergeron is the 39th recipient of the CMA Medal of Service. The medal will be presented at a special ceremony, which will take place at TCU Place in Saskatoon during the 142nd Annual Meeting of the Canadian Medical Association.

Source:
Sarah Sanchez

Universite Laval