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Query: UMLS:C0019693 (HIV)
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"We are going to introduce new legislation which makes it a criminal offense for a person infected with AIDS or an STD to have a sexual relationship when they know that they have the disease," Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Emerson Mnangagwa told the Ziana news agency in May. "This will also apply to marriages." Zimbabwe has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world. More than one-quarter of Zimbabwe's population is said to be HIV-positive, with an estimated 300 people a week dying from AIDS-related illnesses. If the Criminal Law Amendment Bill is approved by Parliament later this year, those convicted of deliberately transmitting HIV or other STDs could be jailed for a maximum of 15 years, while rapists who infected people would be sentenced to at least 15 years in jail. Justice Minister Emerson Mnangagwa explained that if a person were accused of raping someone or spreading a disease, they would be tested for viruses before a hearing. "If found positive, the person will get the stiffer sentence, regardless of whether the person had prior knowledge or not, because the rape put the victim at risk of infection." The legislation comes two years after activist groups started lobbying for stiffer sentences for rapists infected with HIV. "When passed by Parliament, information on the new legislation should be made available to women, because we find that most of the women we receive here are married ones," said Priscilla Ndlovu of Zimbabwe's Women and AIDS Support Network.
Pac AIDS Alert Bull 1996
PMID:Zimbabwe to criminalise the deliberate spreading of HIV. 1229 22

The numbers of AIDS cases and HIV infections detected in the Philippines have risen slowly but steadily since the first AIDS case in the country was diagnosed in 1984. By the end of 1995, 234 AIDS cases and 470 HIV infections had been reported to the country's Department of Health. However, given the limited extent to which people have been tested for HIV infection, there are most likely many more cases than reported. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is spreading within the Filipino population. The country's substantial commercial sex trade, reports suggesting that many unmarried young men have sexual intercourse with girlfriends and acquaintances, and IV drug use among a small number of young people are factors which contribute to the potential for a serious HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Philippines. Findings from the 1994 national Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study, a household survey covering 10,879 men and women aged 15-24 years in 959 different communities, are presented. Almost all respondents had heard of AIDS, but there was some degree of ignorance and misinformation on the modes of HIV transmission. 13% of all single men reported having had only one sex partner, 10% reported two or more partners, and 3% reported five or more. 98% of sexually active men had heard of condoms, 58% knew that condom use can protect against HIV infection, 23% reported ever having used one, and 4% reported using a condom during the most recent act of sexual intercourse.
Asia Pac Pop Policy 1997 Jan
PMID:Are young people in the Philippines taking chances with HIV / AIDS? 1229 4

The Young Adults Fertility and Sexuality Study (YAFS-II) was conducted in 1994 by interviewing 10,879 men and women aged 15-24 years in households on dating, marriage, and onset of sexual activity in the Philippines. In addition, screening data were collected on all households visited and on the 959 sampled local communities. Direct questions on premarital sex revealed that at least 52% of married women had sex before marriage. Among married respondents, 57% of men and 51% of women reported having had sex with their spouse before they were married. Only 3% of the women had additional premarital partners vs. 37% of the men. Questions on premarital sex and social patterns showed that about 20% of the single women and 28% of the single men had been in a serious relationship by the time they were 17. By age 20, 44% of the single women and 63% of the single men had been in a serious relationship, while the respective figures by age 24 were 60% and 68%. Altogether 24% of the women and 10% of the men described themselves as married. 34% of all women who either eloped or lived with their spouses had been married in church by the time of the survey, 23% had had civil ceremonies, and 41% designated their marital status as cohabitation. With regard to the risk of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, 25% of the 24-year old men who never had a girlfriend reported sexual experience and 22% of those still single at age 24 reported that they had visited a commercial sex worker. Marital status was not the best basis for providing family planning services, and the provision of reproductive health services to young people living in consensual union would reduce accidental pregnancy.
Asia Pac Pop Policy 1997 Jul
PMID:Survey sheds new light on marriage and sexuality in the Philippines. 1229 61

Despite the spate of recent news stories about revolutionary new and successful AIDS treatments and morning-after clinics against new HIV infection, safe sex remains the only sure way to avoid infection and stay healthy. There is still no cure for HIV infection, scientists have not been able to eliminate HIV from anyone who has been infected, and HIV treatments have difficult side effects, do not work for everyone, often have complicated dosing schedules, and are expensive. A growing range of options to treat HIV infection and AIDS is, however, available. For years, AZT was the only approved drug for people with HIV/AIDS. 11 anti-HIV drugs are now on the market, with at least 5 more drugs likely to become available over the next 2 years. Combining 3 or more of these two types of drugs, which interfere with HIV's ability to replicate, can dramatically reduce the viral load in many people; retrospective studies have shown that people with lower viral loads live longer. These drugs, if used quickly after exposure, may also be able to prevent infection. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) refers to the use of anti-HIV drugs within hours of exposure to HIV in the attempt to avoid infection. A study of health care workers' use of PEP after on-the-job exposure found PEP to reduce the odds of infection by 79% for those who took AZT within hours of exposure by needle stick. A pilot study to be conducted in San Francisco will test the effectiveness of a 28-day PEP drug treatment regimen for people recently exposed to HIV. A new, and still imperfect, test capable of detecting HIV load in the blood as early as 4-7 days after exposure may be used to help identify candidates for PEP. The early use of available treatments may be able to keep the immune system healthy for a long time. Some scientists are also testing the theory that HIV may be able to be eradicated if detected early and treated aggressively for 3 or more years.
Pac AIDS Alert Bull 1997 Sep
PMID:What people need to know about new HIV treatments. 1229 25

The UN Development Program (UNDP) published the report "Time to Act: The Pacific response to HIV and AIDS" to increase awareness about the HIV epidemic and its potential consequences in the Pacific region. The report was released in April 1996 and stresses which actions could help to contain the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Materials from many sources are included in the report, many of which are not readily accessible to decision makers in Pacific Islands countries. The release of this UNDP report therefore gives Pacific-region leaders for the first time an information package they can use when developing specific strategies for their countries. Those strategies need to consider the human development consequences of the epidemic and increase the range of people's choices with regard to how they will best protect themselves and their families from HIV infection. Of particular importance is the reduction of risk factors such as the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases and the creation of a supportive and enabling social environment which treats people with HIV and AIDS compassionately.
Pac AIDS Alert Bull 1997 Sep
PMID:Time to act. The Pacific response to HIV and AIDS. 1229 26

The 1997 World AIDS Campaign has "Children Living in a World of AIDS" as its theme. This campaign reflects the fact that children today face new problems that are a direct result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in addition to a multitude of other problems caused by poverty and other social ills. The AIDS epidemic has highlighted the need to discuss AIDS-related topics more openly with young people and to be nonjudgemental and to appreciate the circumstance of people's lives that may make it impossible to adopt sexual abstinence until marriage. Adults must create an environment in which children feel free to communicate their concerns and fears, especially during adolescence. This can occur if adults listen to children, talk with them instead of at them, admit the limits of their knowledge, and try to answer their questions. Adults must also support efforts to make reproductive health information and services more accessible to young people. Politicians who stand in the way of such accessibility must recognize that young people today will be the voters of tomorrow. Politicians, therefore, must not bow to special interest groups instead of acting out of a genuine concern for young people. Denial of access to a product, such as a condom, that may help protect people from unwanted pregnancy or disease is denial of a basic consumer (and human) right.
Pac AIDS Alert Bull 1997 Sep
PMID:Denying children their basic rights. 1229 27

A number of studies have demonstrated that when used consistently and correctly, both male and female condoms prevent unplanned pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). For example, in a study of US navy personnel who reported having vaginal intercourse with prostitutes who had a high prevalence of gonorrhea, none of the 29 men who reported using condoms during their sex acts contracted gonorrhea or nongonococcal urethritis. However, 14% of the 499 nonusers became infected. The preponderance of evidence from 10 studies of high-risk populations in 7 countries where both the level of condom use and HIV infection were prospectively measured showed the consistent use of male condoms to protect against HIV acquisition in the range of 50-100%. Additional evidence in support of condom use comes from two studies involving HIV-discordant couples. A European study of 123 such couples who consistently and correctly used condoms found that no HIV-uninfected partner became infected with HIV by their partners. Similarly, 1 of 42 seronegative partners in HIV-discordant couples in Haiti became infected with HIV after having consistently used condoms. In both of these studies, 7-14% of couples who used condoms either consistently or not at all became infected. Since the government of Thailand began promoting 100% condom use among prostitutes and their clients, there has been a decline in both the level of curable STDs reported to clinics and HIV prevalence among Thai military recruits. Male and female condoms are effective even under typical imperfect conditions, and their consistent use should be encouraged at every opportunity.
Pac AIDS Alert Bull 1997 Sep
PMID:Can you bet your life on a condom? 1229 28

A qualitative research project conducted in 1997 in the Solomon Islands used questionnaires, focus groups discussions, and in-depth interviews to gather information on reproductive health risks faced by young, unmarried women in Honiara. In this setting, urbanization and poverty, migration, unemployment, and low levels of education increase the risk for youth of acquiring HIV/AIDS or a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Young women, who must yield to the authority of their male relatives, often have clandestine sexual relationships beginning as early as age 12 and are unable to negotiate safe sex behavior. Commercial sexual exchanges are also on the increase. Sex education is generally confined to secondary schools, although most girls drop-out after primary school. The main source of sex information is the media and friends. While there is concern about adolescent pregnancy rates, contraceptive access is restricted to young, unmarried women. The reaction of a family to an adolescent pregnancy is initial anger and ultimate acceptance. Condom use is low, largely because it is believed that it interferes with sexual pleasure. Because the young women are unable to negotiate safe sex, they are at risk of pregnancy, STDs, and HIV/AIDS. The situation can be improved by creating an enabling environment for young women through policy initiatives, improving knowledge, promoting condom use, providing reproductive health services, and improving communication channels.
Pac AIDS Alert Bull 1998
PMID:Youth research. Naked wire and naked truths: a study of reproductive health risks faced by teenage girls in Honiara, Solomon Islands, November 1997. 1229 82

In June-July 1998, the "Force for Change: World AIDS Campaign with Young People" was launched at workshops held in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. This campaign highlights the need to involve youth in all aspects of programs to prevent HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). More than 60% of the population of the Pacific Islands is between 15 and 24 years old, and 42% of reported cases of HIV/AIDS have occurred in people aged 20-29 years. One of the major problems faced by youth in the region is the increasing incidence of STDs and unplanned pregnancy, both of which, like HIV/AIDS, result from unprotected sexual intercourse. A UN Children's Fund Report found that youth in the region need employment opportunities, ways to increase their self-esteem, access to factual nonjudgemental information about sex and sexuality, and user-friendly reproductive health clinics. Such clinics are being developed in the Marshall Islands, in Vanuatu, and in Fiji, and plans are underway for a youth clinic in Tonga.
Pac AIDS Alert Bull 1998
PMID:Singers, sistas, and sportspeople: World AIDS Campaign with young people. The UNAIDS page. 1229 84

In Fiji, where people from a multitude of ethnic backgrounds coexist peacefully, culture has been used as an excuse to hinder dissemination of information on prevention of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Fijian cultural influences include the traditional cultural hierarchy, the church, and the state. HIV/AIDS and STD education efforts in indigenous villages must meet the approval of the village chief, especially in rural areas. In Tonga, in contrast, these health education activities have been channeled through village youth leaders in both rural and urban communities (and youth are defined as anyone younger than a youth leader, who can be as old as age 35). In Fiji, the AIDS Task Force (ATF) employs its thorough knowledge of traditional culture to approach the village chief's spokesman properly and negotiate education sessions. Other formalities include presenting a gift to the chief once permission is granted. HIV/AIDS and STD education is then delivered using a participatory process that enables frank discussion with the permission of all participants. The ATF is currently working to establish community and peer education programs in Tonga and Samoa and hopes to disseminate information throughout the Oceania region. The ATF uses role playing in training to explore gender issues and adapts its messages to be acceptable to various religious denominations. By successfully manoeuvering through traditions and cultures, the ATF has enhanced its profile and helped create an environment of open communication.
Pac AIDS Alert Bull 1998
PMID:Voices of youth at the 12th World AIDS Conference. 1229 85


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