Although much attention has been placed on methamphetamine abuse on the west coast of the United States, recent data suggest that the problem may be spreading eastward. The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) collects data on drug abuse-related emergency department (ED) visits throughout the U.S. and may provide some insights into the eastward diffusion of methamphetamine abuse. Highlights include:

• According to 2002 estimates from DAWN, there were almost 39,000 drug abuse-related ED visits involving amphetamines or methamphetamine (Figure 1).
• Drug abuse-related ED visits involving amphetamines/methamphetamine increased 54 percent between 1995 and 2002 (from 25,245 to 38,961 ED visits).
• DAWN estimates show increases in amphetamine/methamphetamine-related ED visits in several metropolitan areas in the Midwest, South, and Northeast between 1995 and 2002.

The NSDUH Report: Participation in Youth Activities and Substance Use among Youths
August 13, 2004
SAMHSA: OAS

The 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asks youths aged 12 to 17 how many different kinds of school-based, community-based, church- or faith-based, and "other" activities (e.g., karate lessons) that they participated in during the past 12 months.1 Respondents also are asked about their past month use of cigarettes, alcohol, or illicit drugs. "Any illicit drug" refers to marijuana or hashish, cocaine (including crack), inhalants, hallucinogens, heroin, or prescription-type drugs used nonmedically. Prior research has linked participation in youth activities to a lower risk of substance use among youths. Highlights include:

• During 2002, approximately 91 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 participated in one or more school-based, community-based, church- or faith-based, or other activities (e.g., karate lessons) during the past year
• During 2002, female youths aged 12 to 17 were more likely to participate in activities than their male counterparts, and youth participation in activities decreased with age
• Youths aged 12 to 17 who participated in activities during the past year were less likely to have used cigarettes, alcohol, or illicit drugs in the past month than youths who did not participate in these activities during the past year

Mortality Data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2002

This report provides information on deaths involving drug abuse, reported by the 31 metropolitan cities in the DAWN network. In the average metropolitan area, 16% of the drug abuse deaths were ruled as suicides, 57% were ruled accidental and 27% were to undetermined or other causes. The most common drugs involved in single-drugs deaths were cocaine, heroin/morphine and the other narcotic analgesics.

Highlights from DAWN: Philadelphia, 2002
The DAWN Report
January 2004

One percent of the 27,753 emergency department (ED) visits were related to drug use. The highest drug in drug related ED visits was cocaine. Philadelphia had the highest rate of marijuana related visits among the 21 DAWN areas.

Highlights from DAWN: Los Angeles, 2002
The DAWN Report
January 2004

One percent of the 2.7 million emergency department (ED) visits in Los Angeles were related to drug abuse. The highest drug in drug-related ED visits was alcohol-in-combination with other drugs. Los Angeles was in the lower half of all drug related visits for the 21 DAWN areas.

Pregnancy and Substance Abuse
The NSDUH Report
January 2, 2004

In 2002, approximately 3% of pregnant women aged 15-44 used illicit drugs in the past month, compared with 9% of non-pregnant women in the same age group. Marijuana was the most widely used drug among both groups of women. Pregnant women aged 15 to 25 were more likely to use illicit drugs than pregnant women aged 26 to 44.

Treatment Admissions Involving Narcotic Painkillers
The DASIS Report
December 26, 2003

Between 1992 and 2000, treatment admission rates for narcotics painkiller abuse more than doubled. Between 1997 and 2000, over half of the admissions for narcotics painkiller abuse were male and over 80% were White. The number of treatment admissions increased for all ages, especially among people aged 20 to 30.

CMHS

Mental Care Coming to Streets
Mar. 30, 2005
Albuquerque Tribune

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez unveiled at $4 million program to take mental health treatment directly to people who need it acutely – some members of the homeless community. The city has contracted with University of New Mexico Hospital to deliver a treatment program called ACT – Assertive Community Treatment – which seeks to deliver services to people who are mentally ill but whose needs haven't been met by more traditional services. Part of what makes this program different from more traditional services is that an entire team of service providers will go to the client, rather than vice versa. The typical treatment history of someone served by ACT is characterized by frequent emergency room and psychiatric hospitalization, and substance abuse or repeated appearances in the criminal justice system.

Spending on Mental and Substance Use Disorders Concentrated in the Public Sector
Mar. 29, 2005
SAMHSA

A new study, National Expenditures for Mental Health Services and Substance Abuse Treatment 1991-2001, shows that public spending for mental health services and substance abuse treatment amounted to $67.4 billion in 2001, while private spending amounted to only $36.3 billion. The data appears in the online edition of Health Affairs at http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.w5.133. The report provides data on all national expenditures for mental health and substance abuse treatment, and does not include indirect costs such as the impact of mental illness on productivity or societal costs linked to drug-related crime. Public spending includes spending by all levels of government, federal, state and local, and includes Medicaid and Medicare. Private spending includes insurance payments, patients paying out of their own pockets and charity care. The full report is available at http://www.samhsa.gov/spendingestimates/toc.aspx.

Kids Suffer from Parents' Meth Addiction
Mar. 28, 2005
PsycPORT.com

This article examines the effect methamphetamine abuse has on the children of users. There are variety of ways methamphetamine use affects the children: exposure to the drug in the womb, contamination from toxic chemicals used in home-based meth manufacture, explosions and fires, long-term neglect from parents obsessed with their drug habits, physical abuse and sexual abuse, among others. Iowa officials are blunt about the difficulties of properly caring for meth-exposed children and combating the underlying drug epidemic. An effective response requires coordinated action by law enforcement officers, hazardous-material cleanup crews, health and social services agencies, substance-abuse programs, the courts and legislature.

SAMHSA Issues Group Therapy Guide for Substance Use Disorders Treatment
Mar. 22, 2005
SAMHSA

SAMHSA unveiled a comprehensive guide on the use of group therapy in the treatment of substance use disorders. The consensus panel that created "Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy" emphasized that group therapy is effective treatment and is a cost effective way to deliver treatment. The guide, Treatment Improvement Protocol #41 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=hstat5.chapter.78366 in SAMHSA's TIP series, is designed to aid substance abuse counselors who employ group therapy in the treatment of substance use disorders. The consensus panel found that group therapy offers a number of advantages to patients, including positive peer support, a reduction in their sense of isolation, real-life examples of people in recovery, and help from peers in coping with substance abuse and other life problems. TIP 41, DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 05-3991, can be ordered through SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI), P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, M.D. 20847-2345 or by calling (800) 729-6686.

State Hospitals' Screening of Patients Finds Many with Drug Treatment Needs
Feb. 23, 2005
The Chronicle

This article describes the five-year, $16 million project, paid for by a federal grant, called Washington State Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment, or WASBIRT, administered by the Department of Social and Health Services Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. The screenings found that although it was expected initially that about 20% of those who are screened would be positive, 46-58% are actually screening positive instead. The program's goals are to identify more emergency room patients with alcohol or other drug disorders, deliver screening and brief interventions in the emergency rooms, deliver brief treatment on an outpatient basis at certified treatment centers and increase referrals of dependent people from emergency rooms. The program also hopes to reduce subsequent emergency room use, medical costs, criminal behavior, disability and death of patients with alcohol and other drug problems.

$22 Million Available for Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program
Feb. 16, 2005
CMHS

SAMHSA announced the availability of FY 2005 funds for cooperative agreements to develop integrated home and community-based services and supports for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Who can apply: Eligibility is limited to public entities including state governments or political subdivisions of state government, Indian or tribal governments, District of Columbia government, and government territories of Guam, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands). How to apply: Application for No. SM-05-010 is available by calling SAMHSA's clearninghouse at (800) 789-2647 or by downloading the application from www.grants.gov. Due date: May, 17, 2005

Infectious Diseases in Corrections Report (IDCR) (Formerly the HEPP Report). Tuberculosis Outbreak Among Staff in Correctional Facilities, Florida, 2001-2004: Lessons Re-learned
Feb. 2005
IDCR

This report describes a recent outbreak of drug-susceptible TB that occurred among staff at two closely situated correctional facilities during the period April-September 2004 in Florida. The staff members infected with TB included HIV-positive patients. The outbreaks illustrate the complexities of TB control in congregate settings and highlight the need for further improvements in TB control measures in prisons and jails.

Collaborative Care Helps Combat Teen Depression
Jan. 19, 2005
Health Day

Hazelden Report: Methamphetamine-Related Treatment Admissions Increase in Metro Area
Jan. 18, 2005
Hazelden Report

Acting Governor Seeks $200M to House Mentally Ill People
Jan. 12, 2005
Asbury Park Press

New Jersey's acting Governor Richard Codey used his State of the State address to continue his focus on treating mental illness and disability, calling for a $200 million plan to build housing for patients. His housing plan would create 10,000 new affordable housing units for mentally ill and disabled people over the next 10 years. This will facilitate the recovery in the community of many mental health consumers. It will also provide housing for many homeless individuals who may have serious mental illnesses. Governor Codey's other mental health-related proposals include: forgiving up to $20,000 in student loan debt for new social workers and a campaign to help mothers who suffer depression after giving birth.

Infectious Diseases in Corrections Report (IDCR) (Formerly the HEPP Report)
Adult and Adolescent Antiretroviral Therapy Update
January 2005
IDCR

Mental Ills Seen in Families of Alcoholics
Dec. 8, 2004
Reuters

A new research released by the Archives of General Psychiatry reported that the first degree relatives of alcoholics are more likely to also become addicted to alcohol as well as to other drugs. It also reported that a close family history of alcoholism appears to put people at increased risk of mental health problems, such as depression and panic disorder. The rate of alcoholism among people with a family history ranged from 29 to 37 percent, depending on the definition used. The investigators diagnosed the problem in between 14 and 21 percent of the study participants who did not have an alcoholic relative. Overall, relatives of alcoholics were twice as likely to become addicted to alcohol as people without a family history of the disease. Relatives of alcoholics were also significantly more likely to become addicted to other drugs. For example, people with a close family history of alcoholism were more than three times more likely to become addicted to cocaine. The researcher stated that these finds suggested that there may be "shared genetic vulnerability factors" that put people at risk of multiple disorders if they have a family history of alcoholism.

Many Abused Kids Don't Get Mental Health Services
Dec. 6, 2004
Reuters

A study released in the Archives of General Psychiatry reported that many abused and neglected children involved in the child welfare system do not receive needed mental health services despite having a high rate of emotional and behavioral problems. Young children and those who remained in their home while authorities investigated potential maltreatment were found to be less likely to receive mental health services than older children and those placed in group or foster care. From an analysis of the national Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being and the national Caring for Children in Child Welfare studies, it was found that about 42 percent of the children had behavioral and emotional problems that required some type of mental health treatment, but only 28 percent received such help within a one-year period. children from counties in which the local child protective services agency and mental health agencies shared office space, participated in join training or otherwise worked together were more likely to receive mental health services than those from areas with low levels of interagency coordination.

U.S. Born Mexican Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites at Increased Risk for Psychiatric Disorders
Dec. 6, 2004
NIAAA

According to the results of a National Institutes of Health study reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry, Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic Whites born in the United States have higher risk for developing psychiatric disorders than their foreign-born counterparts who have immigrated to the United States. The psychiatric disorders included alcohol and drug use disorders, major depression, dysthymia, mania, hypomania, panic disorder, social and specific phobia, and general anxiety disorder. The researchers found that non-Hispanic Whites' lifetime rate of experiencing a psychiatric disorder (51.2 percent) was greater overall than that for all Mexican Americans (36.7 percent). Psychiatric disorders were more prevalent among U.S.-born survey participants (47.6 percent among Mexican Americans and 52.5 percent among non-Hispanic Whites) than among their foreign-born counterparts (28.5 percent and 32.3 percent, respectively). Lifetime rates of alcohol use disorder and specific mood and anxiety disorder among U.S.-born Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic Whites were nearly twice those of their foreign-born counterparts. Drug use disorder rates among U.S.-born non-Hispanic Whites were more than twice those of their foreign-born counterparts, whereas the corresponding rates among U.S.-born Mexican Americans (12 percent) were eight times those of Mexican Americans born outside the United States (1.7 percent).

Largest Ever Comorbidity Study Reports Prevalence and Co-Occurrence of Alcohol, Drug, Mood and Anxiety Disorders
August 2, 2004
CMHS: NIH News

An estimated 17.6 million American adults (8.5 percent) meet standard diagnostic criteria for an alcohol use disorder and approximately 4.2 million (2 percent) meet criteria for a drug use disorder. Overall, about one-tenth (9.4 percent) of American adults, or 19.4 million persons, meet clinical criteria for a substance use disorder - either an alcohol or drug use disorder or both - according to results from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC).

The Blueprint for Change report provides an outline of four action steps that states and communities can follow to prevent or end homelessness among people with serious mental illness. Often, these people also have co-occurring substance abuse disorders. The report can be used by organizations to plan, organize and sustain services for people with serious mental illnesses or co-occurring disorders who are homeless.

How States Can Use SAMHSA Block Grants to Support Services for People Who are Homeless
January 2004

This report focuses on the actions that have already been undertaken by states on behalf of the homeless. The homeless population is often beset with co-occurring disorders; approximately 20% of people who are homeless have a serious mental illness and about 50-70% have a substance abuse disorder. Recent efforts at the Federal level to address homelessness have prompted State and local health, mental health, substance abuse, homeless, and housing agencies to work collaboratively to integrate services, improve planning and coordination between treatment and housing providers, and increase access to needed housing, treatment and supports for people who are homeless and have multiple needs. The report profiles the actions several states have taken using SAMHSA sponsored grants.

CMHS Program Spotlight: Children, Adolescent and Family Programs
January 2004

The CMHS Web site provides a brief description of its Children, Adolescent and Family program and updates on recent activities and publications. The program provides grants for the improvement and expansion of systems of care to meet the needs to the estimated nationwide 4.5-6.3 million children with serious emotional disturbances and their families.

Other Resources

Rare STD Reported in U.S. Cities
May 31, 2005
MedlinePlus

CDC is currently working to establish a surveillance system to monitor the disease nationwide and to develop better screening for it in health clinics. So far, the cases of disease in the U.S. appear to be limited to gay and bisexual men; experts fear it could be a signal that gay men are returning to riskier behaviors.

For more information, see the article, "A foreign STD sets off worry in hub," in the May 30, 2005 edition of the Boston Globe.

HHS Announces $95 Million to Improve the Health of Minorities
May 6, 2005
HHS

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced $95 million in grants to develop a new program that will reduce the number of cancer deaths in minority and poor populations. This new initiative, called the Community Networks Program (CNP), was developed by HHS and National Cancer Institute. Its aim is to reduce cancer disparities through community participation in education, research and training. Up to 25 grantees will develop programs to increase the use of cancer interventions in underserved communities. Interventions will include proven approaches including smoking cessation, increasing healthy eating and physical activity, and early detection and treatment of breast, cervical and colorectal cancers.

Programs will be designed to reach communities and populations experiencing a disproportionate share of the cancer burden, and will address African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Hawaiian Natives and other Pacific Islanders, Asians, Hispanics/Latinos, and rural underserved populations.

A list for awards issued to date can be viewed at the website above.

A new study showed that students who said they started drinking by the 7th grade were more likely to say they had unprotected sex, multiple partners, sex while drunk or high, or been pregnant. Another related study showed that middle-schoolers who binge drink were more likely to binge drink in high school. However, kids who said their parents were involved in their lives were less likely to say they tried binge drinking. This suggests that parents can influence kids' choices.

Both of the studies appear in the May 2005 issue of American Journal of Public Health.

Genital Herpes Vaccine Making Progress
May 6, 2005
MedlinePlus

The largest study to date of a genital herpes vaccine under development by GlaxoSmithKline shows it is safe, well tolerated and produces an immune response. The antibody response seen with the vaccine, based on a surface protein of herpes simplex virus (HSV) 2, is at least as strong as that seen with natural infection. The study involved 7,460 men and women and was intended to explore the effects of gender and prior HSV infection on immune responses.

The findings of this study appear in the May 1, 2005 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Cheaper Group Tests Flag Infectious HIV Carriers
May 6, 2005
MedlinePlus

Health officials in North Carolina have found a cost-effective way to identify people whose infection with the AIDS virus is so recent that the standard screening test would not normally work. A new system pinpoints carriers earlier in the course of the disease, when they're at least 10 times more infectious than those detected by the standard test. The system involves combining blood samples from 90 patients so that a highly sensitive, but expensive, test known as nucleic aid amplification can look for traces of HIV. If HIV is found in a batch, smaller batches are tested until technicians pinpoint which person is the carrier.

For more detailed description and findings of this study, see the May 5, 2005 issue of New England Journal of Medicine.

Drug Might Lessen HIV Brain Impact
May 5, 2005
MedlinePlus

Researchers reported that an antibiotic in use for 30 years might help relieve brain and nervous system effects of the AIDS virus. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University found monkeys treated with the antibiotic minocycline had less brain damage and inflammation and less viral infection of the central nervous system.

Treatment with anti-retroviral medications can help control HIV infection elsewhere in the body, but the method can cause neurological problems, in part because Minocycline was formulated to cross the blood-brain barrier.

HIV, Hepatitis Patients Risky for Surgeons
May 4, 2005
MedlinePlus

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University reported that nearly 40% of surgeries may involve patients who have HIV or hepatitis, placing surgeons at risk of contracting the diseases. They suggested surgeons who want to avoid these risks should use alternatives to knives and meedles in high-risk procedures whenever possible. The researchers noted previous studies have shown 87% of surgeons will, at some point in their career, suffer an injury that breaks the skin and possibly exposes them to these disease.

Out of 709 surgical procedures involving adults over a one-year period, 38% of the patients were infected with HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Nearly half the men tested positive for one of these diseases.

The findings are reported in the May issue of the Annals of Surgery.

Contraceptives Do Not Hamper HIV Drugs
May 4, 2005
MedlinePlus

Data from the Women's Interagency HIV Study showed that birth control hormones do not impact the effectiveness of highly active anti-retroviral therapy for HIV infections. The scientists compared contraceptive users and non-users matched for age and ethnicity. No link between the use of hormonal contraceptive use and changes in viral suppression were found. The results did not change with the length of time the woman had been using hormonal contraception.

The findings appear in the May 1, 2005 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Insomnia Common in Depressed HIV Patients
Mar. 30, 2005
MedlinePlus

A recent medical literature review showed that HIV-infected patients who also have depressions are more likely to have sleeping problems, which may add to the burden of their disease. The researchers noted that ongoing insomnia can affect the ability to keep up with day-to-day responsibilities, and for people with a chronic illness such as HIV, those responsibilities include sticking to a medication regiment. They also noted that although insomnia is a well-recognized symptom of depression, because HIV-positive people have so many other health issues (commonly prescribed powerful medications and may have opportunistic infections), doctors may not realize that the reason patients can't sleep is because they are depressed. More information can be found in the March/April 2005 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

Half of U.S. Kids Face Parental Substance Abuse
Mar. 29, 2005
MedlinePlus

A report from Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse showed that half of all U.S. children live in a house where a parent or other adult uses tobacco, drinks heavily or uses illegal drugs. The center also stated that "Children of alcohol and drug abusers are at increased risk of accidents, injuries and academic failure. Such children are more likely to suffer conduct disorders, depression or anxiety, conditions that increase the risk children will smoke, drink and use drugs." The report is an analysis of the center's own research as well as dozens of reports including US government survey on families and health behavior and the Children's Defense Fund. It found that 35.6 million U.S. children, about half of all children in the country, live in a home where a parent or other adults uses tobacco, drinks heavily or uses illicit drugs. More than 37% of U.S. children live with an adult who uses tobacco, nearly 24% live with a binge or heavy drinker and 12.7% live in a household where a parent or other adult uses illicit drugs.

Hepatitis C Antibodies May Be Slow to Appear
Mar. 29, 2005
MedlinePlus

The findings of a long-term study of injection drug users newly infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) show that antibodies to the virus may not appear in the blood until two months after they have been infected. The researchers said these results "underscore the importance" of nucleic acid screening of blood donations to prevent HCV transmissions. The findings also reaffirm the need to follow HCV-positive injection drug users long-term to check for viral persistence. Among 179 HCV antibody-negative injection drug users followed in the study, an "alarming" 34% became infected despite risk reduction counseling. As expected, individuals with early-phase HCV infection were largely without symptoms. Virus in the bloodstream was the earliest sign of HCV infection, preceding the detection of HCV antibodies by 5 to 6 weeks, and in one case, by more than 12 months. In cases of viral persistence, stable blood levels of HCV RNA were noted in some individuals within 3 months after the virus was first detected in the blood, while in others, it was not apparent until more than 1 year later. More details for this study can be found in the April 1, 2005 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

AIDS Virus Destroys Immune Cells Fast – Studies
Mar. 28, 2005
MedlinePlus

Within days of infection, the AIDS virus destroys more than half of the immune cells that might recognize and help fight it – a finding that may force a re-evaluation of how to tackle the deadly infection. Two separate studies in monkeys showed that SIV, the monkey version of HIV, attacks CD4 memory T-cells right away and wipes out more than half of them. The findings will be difficult to replicate in people, because most people do not know exactly when they have been infected with AIDS virus, which gradually destroys the immune system, leaving patients vulnerable to numerous infections. The researchers noted that 30-60% of CD4 memory T-cells through the body were infected by SIV at the peak of infection, and most of these infected cells disappear within four days. Furthermore, the data demonstrated that the depletion of memory CD4 T-cells occurs to a similar extent in all tissues. As a consequence, over one half of all memory CD4 T-cells in SIV-infected macaques are destroyed directly by viral infection during the acute phase. This means any attempt to vaccinate against HIV or to provide efficient treatment must stop this process right away.

HHS Announces New Communication Tools to Help Parents Talk to Their Teens about Abstinence
Mar. 25, 2005
HHS

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced a new set of communication tools to help equip parents to talk with their teens about sex and relationships while encouraging them to remain abstinent from unhealthy behaviors. The new communication tools include the 4parents.gov website as well as Parent, Speak Up and Teen Chat guidebooks. The 4parents.gov website focuses on risk and promotes abstinence from multiple risk behaviors, including early sexual activity. In addition, the website provides medically accurate information about a variety of health topics. The parent guide titled Parents, Speak Up is designed to complement the 4parents.gov and equip parents of preteens and adolescents with the understanding, knowledge, skills and tools they need to talk with their teens about the risk associated with early sexual activity and the benefits of abstinence until marriage. The Teen Chat guidebook is designed for preteens and teens through age 19. Teen Chat provides information about sex and relationships, including sexually transmitted diseases, peer pressure, and abstinence. It provides suggested activities such as icebreakers for talking with parents, and short quiz to increase awareness of STDs. Teen Chat can also be used as a resource for parents and organizations or institutions that work with teens.

Africa Lags in Fight Against TB, WHO Report Says
Mar. 24, 2005

The World Health Organization reported that tuberculosis has reached "alarming proportions" in Africa, where co-infection with the widespread HIV-virus makes a lethal combination. In a report titled, "Global Tuberculosis Control," WHO said that the number of cases of tuberculosis is rising 3 to 4 percent annually across the African continent. There were an estimated 8.8 million new cases worldwide in 2003, 2.3 million of them in Africa. Most of the victims of TB live in developing countries and an estimated 1.7 million people died from the disease in 2003. Nearly one-third of the deaths were in Africa where HIV/AIDS is prevalent and health services are weak. TB and HIV form a deadly combination and TB is the leading cause of death among people who are HIV positive.

Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection – March 24, 2005
Mar. 24, 2005
AIDSinfo

An updated pediatric guidelines in using antiretroviral agents is available at the website above. The following can be accessed:

• Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in pediatric HIV infection
• Supplement I: Pediatric antiretroviral drug information
• Supplement II: Managing complications of HIV infection in HIV-infected children on antiretroviral therapy
• Supplement III: Adverse drug effects

HIV, Abuse Increase Suicide Risk
Mar. 24, 2005
MedlinePlus

A Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study suggests women who are HIV-positive or have been abused are more likely to consider suicide. The researchers analyzed data from Project WAVE (Women, AIDS, and the Violence Epidemic). They examined the rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts and compared how the rates relate to women's HIV and abuse experiences. Thirty-one percent of the 611 women interviewed reported suicidal thoughts and 16 percent reported having attempted suicide. Abused women were four times more likely than non-abused women to have though about suicide. The researchers also found that, among HIV-positive women, those recently diagnosed thought about suicide more frequently. Twenty-four percent of non-abused, HIV-negative women had problems with depression, whereas 72 percent of abused, HIV-positive women reported the same. The study is published in the March/April 2005 issue of Women's Health Issues.

Medicare Offers Counseling to Help Smokers Quit
Mar. 23, 2005
MedlinePlus

Officials for Medicare announced that older Americans who want to quit smoking can receive counseling through Medicare to help them kick their tobacco habit, but only if they suffer from certain diseases or health problems. To receive the counseling, Medicare patients must suffer from heart or lung disease, weak bones, cataracts or other diseases caused or worsened by tobacco use. It would also cover patients taking insulin or other medicines that can be less effective with smoking, including drugs to treat high blood pressure, depression, and blood clots. Not all enrollees will benefits, and the new coverage will not pay for drugs, patches or other products touted to curb smoking. Such medication, if they are a prescription, could be covered under a Medicare drug benefit that starts in 2006. Although it is unclear how many of the 41 million elderly enrolled in Medicare would quality for the benefit, the American Medical Association said most seniors would probably be able to claim the benefit because there are so many health problems among smokers.

Oklahoma Task Force Examines Jail Costs of Substance Abuse, Mental Health
Mar. 21, 2005
Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly

The Oklahoma Governor's and Attorney General's Task Force on Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence examined issues involving the criminal justice system and learned about Oklahomans who are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses in an overcrowded jail and prison system when treatment for an existing mental illness or substance abuse was a viable alternative. The report found that Oklahoma's criminal justice system spends 63 percent of its annual budget (over $1 billion) to address the needs of people with mental illness or substance abuse/addiction. The study found that almost 18 percent of prison inmates are being treated for a diagnosable mental illness and that 50 percent of all criminal justice system expenses are attributable to substance abuse issues. The task force suggests that the state expand and appropriately staff therapeutic-model courts and pre-trial conditional jail diversion programs. All counties should have regional access to therapeutic-model programs, including drug courts, mental health courts, and crisis centers, with oversight by the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

Treatment and Management of HIV Infection in the United States
When: September 15-18, 2005
Where: Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

This conference is designed for all frontline clinicians providing HIV care for adults, adolescent, children and pregnant women. Continuing education credits may be earned by participating health care providers, through University of California, San Francisco, and will follow FDA, ACCME, AMA and other professional group standards and guidelines. Health professionals who care for individuals with HIV disease are encouraged to register to attend this inaugural event. Selected collaborating federal agencies: CDC, HRSA, NIH, DOJ, VA For more information, please contact the conference organizers at 202-973-8658 or USHIVconference@courtesyaccoc.com.

Recommendations for Use of Antiretroviral Drugs in Pregnant HIV-1-Infected Women for Maternal Health and Interventions to Reduce Perinatal HIV-1 Transmission in the United States
Feb. 24, 2005
AIDS Info

This newly released guidelines include revisions to the December 17, 2004 Public Health Service Task Force Recommendations for Use of Antiretroviral Drugs in Pregnant Women Infected with HIV-1 for Maternal Health and for Reducing Perinatal HIV-1 Transmission in the United States made by the Perinatal HIV Guidelines Working Group. The full guideline is available in PDF format on the website above.

Heart Attack Risk with HIV Drugs a Concern
Feb. 24, 2005
MedlinePlus

A large multi-center study showed the risk of having a heart attack for HIV-positive people increases the longer they're on anti-HIV drug therapy. However, the researchers noted the overall absolute risk of a heart attack is still "modest." The latest analysis includes data collected between 1999 and 2004 for more than 23,400 participants who had been on combination antiretroviral drugs for an average of 4.5 years. During the study period, 277 patients had a first heart attack. Although not a large percentage, the researchers noted that the patients in the study are young, with an average age of just 39 years. After accounting for other potential risk factors, the researchers observed a 17 percent increase in heart attack for each year of combination antiretroviral therapy.

Condom Use, Not Abstinence, Cuts Uganda's HIV Rate
Feb. 24, 2005
MedlinePlus

The declining prevalence of HIV infection in Uganda has often been attributed to increased rates of abstinence and monogamy, but new data suggest that the decline is primarily the result of increased condom use, as well the effect of people dying from AIDS. The researchers have followed 44 communities continuously over the past decade in the Rakai district in southwestern Uganda. Over 85% of all adults participated and each year the surveys included data for about 10,000 adults. Overall, HIV rates declined significantly among all adults, from 18% to 11% and in young adults, from 17% to 8%, but no significant changes were noted in adolescents. It was noted that while significant and very encouraging increases in condom use among adults and adolescents were seen, rate of multiple partners also increased, with the rate of abstinence declining among young people during the same period.

Clue Found to How HIV Invades Cell
Feb. 23, 2005
MedlinePlus

Researchers at the Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School have shown that the HIV virus alters its shape and triggers changes that allow it to enter cells. They obtained a three-dimensional image of a protein called gp120, part of HIV's outer membrane or envelope, before it transforms and binds to so-called CD4 receptors on target cells. The researchers stated that the "Knowing how gp120 changes shape is a new route to inhibiting HIV – by using compounds that inhibit the shape change." The findings are reported in the science journal Nature.

Scientists Map Rare HIV Antibody
Feb. 23, 2005
MedlinePlus

U.S. researchers have mapped the structure of a rare human antibody that could neutralize HIV. For various reasons, most antibodies produced by humans are unable to neutralize the virus. However, the immune systems of some HIV patients have been able to produce antibodies that are more effective than others. Researchers have found the structure of one such antibody, called 4E10, which targets a protein called GP41 that exists on the surface of HIV. The virus uses GP41 to glue its membrane to the cell it is infecting. Because 4E10 attacks the virus before it enters cells, it can prevent HIV infection if it is present in the bloodstream prior to exposure to the virus. An HIV vaccine would seek to use 4E10 just as exiting vaccines against diseases use neutralizing antibodies.

Tenth Annual International Meeting of the Institute of Human Virology
Feb. 22, 2005
Institute of Human Virology/OMH

When: Aug. 29-Sept. 2, 2005
Where: Baltimore, MD

This conference will include presentations on the latest in HIV/AIDS basic, clinical, and epidemiological research and will be attended by elite scientists from around the world. Abstract submissions are due May 23rd. The event is organized by the Institute of Human Virology. For more information, please contact Gwen Fariss Newman at 410-706-4616(p), 410-706-1952(f), or newmang@umbi.umd.edu.

Mouse "Model" of AIDS Mimics Human Disease
Feb. 21, 2005
MedlinePlus

AIDS research has been hampered because mice, which usually provide an excellent model for studying human disease, cannot be infected by HIV. Now, researchers have created a modified HIV strain that can infect mice. The "chimeric" virus, dubbed EcoHIV, infects about 75% of mice tested – an efficiency that is comparable to that of HIV in humans. Researchers noted that this will assist in the development of an AIDS vaccine, since "if there's one place we ought to be able to discover how to get a good response it's in a mouse where you have live virus infection that you might be able to control" The findings are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, online February 22, 2005.

US Approves Treatment for Smallpox Shot Reaction
Feb. 21, 2005
MedlinePlus

U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of a product taken from the blood of people who have been vaccinated for smallpox to treat reactions from the shot. The product called Vaccinia Immune Globulin Intravenous is made out of human plasma. Current smallpox vaccine is decades old and in the past have killed about 1 in a million people who got the shot. The product above has been shown to help treat some of the adverse reactions to the vaccine, by boosting the body's immune response to the vaccinia virus.

HIV Patients Warned About Popular Drug
Feb. 18, 2005
MedlinePlus

A new study reported that a class of prescription drugs known as HIV protease inhibitors, widely used to keep the HIV-virus from progressing to AIDS, may cause potentially lethal heart rhythm disturbances in some patients. Though the researchers said they consider the drugs' therapeutic benefits still greater than the risk of heart problems linked to their use, they urge physicians to apply this new finding by following there patients more closely over the long term. The findings of this study appear in the British journal, The Lancet.

Uncoordinated Research Threatens HIV Progress, Says WHO
Feb. 18, 2005
Public Health News

WHO has called for international cooperation on testing potential vaccines for HIV/AIDS because it is concerned that the current boom in research could exhaust available clinical trial capacity. WHO vaccine research director has called for trials to be shared among a number of sites, each of which are responsible for testing vaccines on a particular strain of the disease. Other issues needing consideration include the appropriate use of trial sites for other HIV research, coordinating work on vaccine test trials and improving access to anti-retroviral treatment. It was also noted that despite more than 65% of worldwide infections being in sub-Saharan Africa, only four out of 70 clinical trials for phase I/II HIV vaccines have taken place in the region.

STD Rates Cut by Rapid Treatment of Sex Partners
Feb. 16, 2005
MedlinePlus

A study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that immediately treating the partners of people infected with gonorrhea or chlamydia can reduce rates of recurrence of these sexual transmitted diseases. The study observed 1860 patients with gonorrhea or chlamydia whose partners were randomly to receive expedited treatment or were referred for standard treatment. With the expedited treatment strategy, the patients who were diagnosed with an STD had the option of either giving antibiotic agents directly to their partners or indirectly through a member of the study staff. During 3 to 19 weeks after treatment, persistent or recurrent infections were noted in 10% of patients in the expedited treatment group, lower than the 13% rate seen in the standard referral group. When surveyed, patients in the expedited treatment group were less likely to report having sex with an untreated partner than those in the standard referral group. Details for the study can be found in the Feb. 17th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Sudden Rises in HIV Levels No Concern, Report Says
Feb. 16, 2005
MedlinePlus

A study from the Baltimore Institution found that sudden jumps of HIV levels in patients taking drugs for the AIDS-causing infection are harmless blips and do not mean the treatment against the virus is losing its punch. They reported that the blips are mathematical variations stemming from the test used to gauge the amount of virus in the body. A statistical analysis of blood samples from HIV-positive patients found that blips occurred in nine of the 10 patients and typically lasted less than three days. The tests found no mutations taking place. For more information, please see the February 16th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

AIDS Vaccine 2005
Feb. 15, 2005

This meeting will gather scientists from all fields with a special interest in the development of vaccines against HIV/AIDS.
When: Sept. 6-9, 2005
Where: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Sponsor: Canadian Network for Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics and others
Contact: (418) 658-6755 or aidsvaccine2005@agoracom.gc.ca

For more information, please visit www.aidsvaccine05.org.

Online Syphilis Testing Shows Promise
Feb. 14, 2005
MedlinePlus

According to a new report in the medical journal Sexually Transmitted Disease, online syphilis testing is a convenient alternative to standard testing in a clinic, and the Internet approach could potentially increase screening rates. To combat the growing epidemic of syphilis among men who have sex with men, the San Francisco Department of Public Health developed STDTest.org, a website that allows people to print out a laboratory requisition slip for syphilis testing, have their blood drawn at one of several locations, and then receive their result anonymously online. During the site's first year of operation in 2003, a total of 218 tests were performed. Thirteen subjects had positive screening tests and six new syphilis infections were diagnosed and treated. While initial start-up costs were around $20,000 for this online service, the authors note that maintenance costs were "much lower than other syphilis screening programs of men who have sex with men." For more information, please see the February issue of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

New York City Health Officials Announce Detection of Rare Drug-Resistant HIV Strain, Issue Alert
Feb. 14, 2005
Medical News Today

New York health officials announced a virulent strain of HIV that is resistant to most antiviral drugs and progresses from infection to full-blown AIDS within two or three months has been identified for the first time in a New York City resident. The city health department also issued an alert to physicians, hospitals, and medical providers asking them to test all HIV-positive patients for evidence of the strain. Although drug-resistant HIV strains are common in patients who have been treated with antiretroviral drugs, multiple-drug-resistant HIV is "extremely rare" in patients who are newly diagnosed and previously untreated, according to a health department release. In addition, HIV infection usually takes about 10 years to progress to an AIDS diagnosis, but this patient apparently progressed to AIDS in a matter of months. This combination of highly drug resistant HIV and rapid disease progression has not been identified before. The New York patient is a man in his mid-40s who reported multiple male sex partners and unprotected anal intercourse, often while using crystal methamphetamine. However, the doctors said the patient's crystal methamphetamine use did not account for his rapid decline from the virus. Crystal meth has become a major problem recently with men who have sex with men. It gives users increased energy and increased sexual desire. It impairs judgment, so users may forget to take their HIV medication, leading to higher amounts of the virus in blood and greater infectivity – and they may not use condoms.

International Trial of Two Microbicides Begins
Feb. 11, 2005
NIAID/NIH

A large, multisite trial designed to examine the safety and preliminary effectiveness of two candidate topical microbicides to prevent HIV infection has opened to volunteer enrollment. Although no licensed microbicides are available to the public currently, scientists hope these agents – designed to be applied to the surface of the vagina to prevent sexually transmitted infections – will one day be a key tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The first volunteers were enrolled this week at sites in Durban, South Africa, and at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Enrollment will begin shortly at sites in four additional African countries – Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Approximately 3,220 women will be enrolled in the trial, which is expected to last approximately 30 months.

Chlamydia Screening Hits the High Street
Feb. 11, 2005
Public Health News

Under new plans announced by the British Public Health Minister, free screening tests for chlamydia are to be offered by high street pharmacies; London and Cornwall will be the first areas to trial the new scheme, and the Department of Health is now inviting bids from interested pharmacies. Those successful in their bid will provide free screening for 16- to 24-year-olds – including partners of those who test positive. They may also be able to offer patients the choice of receiving treatment at the pharmacy. The scheme will be monitored for two years and, if deemed successful, could be rolled out nationally. According to the Public Health Minister, locating screening services on the high street would make it easier for young men and women to get tested for Chlamydia, speeding up the detection and treatment of chlamydia cases. Chlamydia is the UK’s most common sexually-transmitted disease, with almost 90,000 cases diagnosed in the UK, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Doctor Suggests Simple Drug for Malaria
Feb. 11, 2005
MedlinePlus

In this week's British's Medical Journal, James Tumwine at Kampala's Makerere Medical School said the simple artemether given as a suppository to children with severe malaria before they reach hospital can save many lives. His research in Uganda compared the effectiveness and safety of conventional treatment (intravenous quinine) with artemether, given as a suppository in 103 children aged between 6 months and 5 years with severe malaria. The study found two treatments broadly comparable. He said rectal artemether could be used to treat severe malaria where qualified staff and equipment for intravenous therapy is not available.

Genetic Testing Needed to Follow TB Outbreaks
Feb. 10, 2005
MedlinePlus

Simply tracing one exposed person to the next is not an accurate way to follow the spread of tuberculosis, Norwegian researchers report. Instead, formal genetic testing, or "genotyping," is needed. Reporting in the medical journal Thorax, researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo presented the findings following a tuberculosis outbreak that occurred in 2003 involving 15 recent immigrants in the same community. All 15 had social contact with each other and 13 belonged to the same church. Standard survey and culture techniques gave an incomplete picture of how the outbreak involved. Genotyping testing was needed to fill in the blanks. The authors emphasize that "traditional contact tracing needs confirmation by genotyping before transmission patterns of M. tuberculosis can be conducted...especially between patients with several risk factors for infection."

NIDA-Funded Studies Show Expanding HIV Screening is Cost Effective
Feb. 9, 2005
NIDA

Two multicenter research teams supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse have independently determined through the development of computer models that routine screening for HIV in health care settings is as cost effective as screening for such other conditions as breast cancer and high blood pressure, and can provide important health and survival benefits. The studies also suggest that screening that leads to a diagnosis of HIV infection may further lower health care costs by preventing high-risk practices and decreasing virus transmission. One study, led by David Paltiel of Yale University, found that testing of people with a 1-in-100 chance of carrying HIV, as currently recommended, is more cost-effective, every three to five years, than the routine screening widely used for breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. Paltiel also said that a one-time testing of the entire population would also be a good economic tradeoff. The other study, led by Gillian Sanders of Duke University, said testing should be offered at urgent care centers, emergency rooms and some primary care clinics - in any location where HIV prevalence is thought to be at least 0.5 percent. Both of the studies are reported in the Feb. 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Drug Interaction Warning: for Saquinavir/Ritonavir Co-administered with Rifampin
Feb. 8, 2005
AIDS Info

The website above contains a drug interaction warning to health care providers. Drug-induced hepatitis with marked transaminase elevations has been observed in healthy volunteers receiving Rifampin 600mg once daily in combination with Ritonavir 100mg/Saquinavir 1000mg twice daily. For all study participants, dosing of all study medications was immediately terminated and the study was discontinued. Following drug discontinuation, liver function tests in all affected subjects are returning to normal, clinical symptoms have abated and no deaths from this clinical study have been reported. Health care professionals are encouraged to report any unexpected events associated with the use of saquinavir/ritonavir directly to Roche Laboratories at 1-800-526-6367 or to the FDA MedWatch program by phone at 1-800-FDA-1088, by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178 or by mail (MED WATCH, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787).

Parents with HIV Avoid Some Contact
Feb. 7, 2005
MedlinePlus

A new study published in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggested more than a quarter of HIV-infected parents avoid physical contact with their children. Researchers said parents avoid hugging or kissing from fear of transmitting the disease or of catching an infection from the children. The RAND study involved interviews with 344 parents receiving health care for HIV in the United States. The researchers found 36.1 percent of HIV-infected patients interviewed felt at least "a little" fear and 19 percent felt moderate fear of transmitting HIV to their children. Fourteen percent of parents reported at least a moderate fear and 41.7 percent reported at least "a little" fear of catching infections from their children. A total 27.9 percent avoided certain types of interactions with their children. "The finding that more than one-third of parents fear transmitting HIV to their children suggests more work needs to be done to reassure parents about the limited transmissibility of HIV," the authors wrote. "It is concerning that more than one quarter of parents restricted interactions 'a lot' because of fears of contagion."

U.S. Foreign Aid Up for HIV/AIDS, Millennium Funds
Feb. 7, 2005
MedlinePlus

U.S. foreign aid would rise 10.7% under the proposed White House budget released recently, with more money to fight HIV/AIDS and help countries that reform economically and politically. Rather than being dedicated to specific nations, most of the rise would go to double funds for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which rewards nations that pursue "good governance and sound policies," to $3 billion from $1.49 billion. The other large increase was for the U.S. Global HIV/AIDS Initiative, whose funds would rise to $1.97 billion from $1.37 billion. This effort seeks to help the most severely afflicted countries around the world combat the disease.

Black Women Account for Most New HIV Cases
Feb. 7, 2005
MedlinePlus

Medical experts say the rate of HIV infection in some U.S. black neighborhoods is estimated to be as much as 10 times higher than in the general population. According to CDC, in 2003, the rate of new AIDS cases for black women was 20 times that of white women and five times greater than for Latinas. CDC also said black and Hispanic women accounted for 85% of new U.S. HIV cases last year.

Gays' Rising Meth Use Tied to New HIV Cases
Jan. 19, 2005
Los Angeles Times

FDA Public Health Advisory for Nevirapine (Viramune)
Jan. 19, 2005
AIDS Info

Alcohol Counseling Saves Hospitals Money
Jan. 19, 2005
MedlinePlus

Street Trade
Jan. 14, 2005
Public Health News

This article gives anecdotal evidence on the need for interagency coordination in addressing the problems of prostitution in communities in Britain. It describes the work done by 3D, an outreach service and drop-in center for street sex workers. Social service providers in the region claim that street prostitution is almost 100 percent fueled by drugs, with crack and heroin dominating. Many state that interagency work is essential. Problems in providing the appropriate services often result from lack of coordination at operational and strategic levels. The questions of how to house the women, address their health need, support them through care and social services to minimize their involvement in the trade, support parents misusing drugs, provide children with safe environment and early intervention, are few of the issues that service providers in the area must deal with.

$20.6 Million Available for Substance Abuse, HIV and Hepatitis Prevention Programs for Minority Populations
Jan. 13, 2005
SAMHSA

SAMHSA announced the availability of FY 2005 funds for cooperative agreements to help prevent the onset of substance abuse, and the transmission of HIV and hepatitis, among minority populations in communities with a high prevalence of substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis. It is expected that approximately $20.6 million will be available to fund approximately 59-82 cooperative agreements to support the implementation of minority substance abuse, HIV and hepatitis strategic prevention framework projects that build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective substance abuse prevention and related services. Applications are due March 17, 2005. For details on who is eligible to apply and instructions on how to apply, please see the website listed above.

Imperfect Adherence to HIV Therapy Fuels Resistance
Jan. 13, 2005
MedlinePlus

The results of a study presented in New York City on January 13, 2005 at the American Medical Association Media Briefing "HIV/AIDS: The Drug Resistance Epidemic" showed that among HIV-infected adults who have not been previously treated with HIV drugs who start on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), less than perfect adherence to medication schedules and high levels of HIV in the blood before therapy are two major predictors of drug resistance. Among 1191 HIV-infected adults monitored, 298 subjects (25%) developed drug-resistant virus mutations during follow-up. Of all the factors studied, adherence to medication had the greatest impact on the development of drug resistance. Patients with prescription refill rates between 80 and 90% were more than four time more likely to develop drug resistance than patients who refilled less than 20% of their prescriptions. Those with medication refill percentages of 95% or higher did not develop resistance during the study period. Another important predictor of the development of drug-resistance was blood levels of HIV at the start of therapy. Patients with high blood levels of HIV at the start of therapy had a 59% increased risk of developing drug resistance. Researchers stated that this implies that the HIV drugs were not sufficient to completely shut down virus replication in these individuals who had very high amounts of virus and that one should be most wary of potential resistance problems in those with high viral loads. This study is reported in the February 1, 2005 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Southern Capacity Building Conference
Updated Jan. 13, 2005
OMH

This conference is for community-based organizations, clinicians and AIDS service providers and is aimed at increasing and building capacity among organizations that provide HIV prevention and care services to minority populations throughout the southern region of the United States. It will be held Jan. 26-28 in New Orleans, LA. There is no registration fee for this conference. To reserve a hotel room, contact the hotel directly at Doubletree Hotel New Orleans (504-581-1300). This conference is sponsored by NMAC and the National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research, and coordinated by Brotherhood, Incorporated through a cooperative agreement. For more information, please see www.nmac.org/conferences/Regionals/SCB_Conference_RegMaterials.pdf

$70 Million Available for 2005 Drug Free Communities Support Program Coalition Grants
Jan. 11, 2005
SAMHSA/ONDCP

SAMHSA and ONDCP announced the availability of FY 2005 funds for Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFCSP) grants to improve community efforts to plan, promote, and deliver effective substance abuse prevention strategies. $70 million will be available for approximately 700 awards open to new applicants and those competing for renewal awards. The annual award amount will be up to $100,000 for up to five years. The actual award amount may vary, depending on the availability of funds in subsequent years. An announcement is expected later this winter on the availability of mentoring grants under this program. To view details on who can apply, how to apply, and technical assistance on applying to the grant, please visit the website above. The application is due March 11, 2005 for new applicants and April 5, 2005 for renewing applicants.

Indonesia Tackles Tsunami Mental Health Crisis
Jan. 12, 2005
MedlinePlus

In the wake of the tsunami disaster, Indonesia is launching its biggest ever mental health drive for traumatized survivors – many of whom have never heard of psychological counseling before. While the physical toll of the catastrophe is clear in the devastated towns of Aceh province, the invisible costs are more difficult to define in a country where people shun treatment for mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. In cooperation with the Indonesian Psychiatric Association and other groups, the program will draw on the experience of Indonesian counselors who have responded to earlier social crises, including a brutal separatist struggle in East Timor and unrest in Moluccas. Aid workers in Aceh report rising numbers of survivors exhibiting what Western psychologists would call post-traumatic stress disorder. Children will be a particular focus of the counseling program, which will develop "play-centered" programs aimed at easing shocked children back into normal social routines despite the devastation around them. Acknowledging the stigma surrounding mental problems in Indonesia, the health ministry said counselors would rely on simple communication rather than complex psychological analysis to help people cope.

Malaria Seen Among Soldiers Back from Afghanistan
Jan. 11, 2005
MedlinePlus

Dr. Russ S. Kotwal of the Navel Operational Medicine Institute in Pensacola, FL and colleagues reported that 38 soldiers from a 725-man Ranger Task Force were diagnosed with malaria up to 11 months after returning from deployment in eastern Afghanistan between June and September 2002. The group reported in the Jan. 12th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association that the outbreak occurred despite the fact that the soldiers were put on a malaria prevention regimen; the results of an anonymous compliance survey showed that only 52% of respondents complied fully with the weekly regimen, 41% complied with termination treatment, and 31% reported full compliance with both regimens.

AIDS Prevention and Treatment Must Combine
Jan. 11, 2005
MedlinePlus

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health reported in the Jan. 11th issue of the journal PloS Medicine that exclusive focus on either treatment or prevention would yield minimal benefits and could have a catastrophic effect on the global toll of HIV/AIDS by 2020. The study authors analyzed the epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa; the team predicted that with no change in current levels of prevention and care, 3.7 million new HIV infections would take place and 2.6 million adults would die of AIDS each year in the region within the next two decades. However, the team said a combination prevention and treatment efforts could lower the projected infections by 74% and annual mortality by half.

Stem Cells Treat HIV-linked Lymphoma
Jan. 10, 2005
MedlinePlus

Researchers at the City of Hope Cancer Center near Los Angeles treated 20 patients with both lymphoma and HIV, whose cancer had either reappeared or had not responded to standard chemotherapy, with stem cell infusion. They removed stem cells from the patients' bodies, freezing them for future use, before administering high-dose chemotherapy with or without radiation. Afterward, the stem cells were infused back into the patients to repopulate the bone marrow wiped out by the chemotherapy. All patients received antiretroviral HIV treatment during at least part of the time they were taking cancer treatment and the majority resumed antiretrovirals after leaving the hospital. Researchers found the underlying HIV infection did not worsen as a result of the transplant and associated treatment. Of the 20 patients, 17 are still alive and in remission. One died of a weakened heart and kidney failure, while two others died of lymphoma. The study will be published in the Jan. 15 issue of the journal Blood.

Scientists Find Clue to AIDS Origins, New Therapy
Jan. 10, 2005
MedlinePlus

Researchers at the National Institute of Medical Research in London reported that a single change in a human gene may hold the key to preventing people living with HIV from progressing to full-blown AIDS. They found a crucial difference between a gene in humans and one in rhesus monkeys that blocks infection of the virus in the animals – a finding that offers new insights into the origins of AIDS and gene therapy. Scientists had been aware that it was much more difficult to infect monkey cells with HIV than human cells in laboratory experiments, which suggested there was something different in the animal cells that blocked infection. A gene called Trim 5 alpha was later found to be the reason why. The researchers pinpointed one specific change in a protein in the gene that was important in blocking HIV. By substituting a human protein with a monkey-derived protein they found they could make the human cells resistant to HIV. The researchers stressed that more laboratory research, following by animal tests and human trials will be needed. The findings are reported in the journal Current Biology.

Senior Scholar Warns of Impending AIDS Crisis in Russia
Jan. 7, 2005
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

A recently released report by Murray Feshbach and Cristina Galvin of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars urged Russian authorities to take aggressive steps to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic. According to official statistics, Russia has some 300,000 HIV-positive people. But Feshbach, as well as Russian experts, said the true number is closer to 1 million. The study estimated the number of AIDS deaths in Russia at 13,000, almost three times the official figure of 4,800.

Adolescent Females and Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV/AIDS

Acute Hepatitis B Among Children and Adolescent . United States, 1990-2002
November 5, 2004
MMWR

To describe the epidemiology of acute hepatitis B in children and adolescents in the United State, CDC analyzed notifiable disease surveillance data collected during 1990-2002 and data collected during 2001-2002 through enhanced surveillance of reported cases of acute hepatitis B in children born after 1990.

This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that the rate of acute hepatitis B in children and adolescents decreased 89% during 1990-2002 and that racial disparities in hepatitis B incidence have narrowed. Many confirmed cases in persons born after 1990 occurred among international adoptees and other children born outside the United States.

Chlamydia Screening Among Sexually Active Young Female Enrollees of Health Plans.United States, 1999-2001
October 29, 2004
MMWR

To evaluate the rates of chlamydia screening among sexually active young females, CDC analyzed 1999-2001 data from the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) reported by commercial and Medicaid Health insurance plans.

This report summarizes the results from that analysis, which determined that screening rates were low despite slight increases in screening covered both by commercial and Medicaid plans during 1999-2001. Among sexually active female enrollees aged 16-26 years in commercial plans, 20% were screened for chlamydia in 1999, 25% in 2000, and 26% in 2001. Among enrollees aged 16-26 years in Medicaid plans, screening rates were 28% in 1999, 36% in 2000, and 38% in 2001.

HIV/AIDS Among US Women: Minority and Young Women at Continuing Risk
March 27, 2004
CDC

Since 1985, the proportion of all AIDS cases reported among adult and adolescent women has more than tripled, from 7% in 1985 to 25% in 1999. The epidemic has increased most dramatically among women of color. African American and Hispanic women together represent less than one-fourth of all U.S. women, yet they account for more than three-fourths (78%) of AIDS cases reported to date among women in our country. In 2000 alone, African American and Hispanic women represented an even greater proportion (80%) of cases reported in women.

This report provides various statistics regarding HIV/AIDS rates and strategies for prevention methods among women in the United States.

High Prevalence of Chlamydial and Gonococcal infection in Women Entering Jails and Juvenile Detention Center.Chicago, Birmingham, and San Francisco, 1998
September 17, 1999
MMWR

To assess the feasibility of screening women in corrections facilities for chlamydial and gonococcal infection using urine tests and to determine the prevalence of these infections, this report reviewed the data from Chicago Department of Public Health, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The preliminary results reported indicate that in the facilities reviewed by these agencies, testing for chlamydial and gonococcal infections is feasible and that a high percentage of women test positive for these infections.

At each juvenile facility, overall positivity for both chlamydial and gonococcal infection in 1998 was higher than at the adult facility in the same city. In Chicago during April-December, 27% of adolescent females were positive for chlamydial infection, and 11% were positive for gonococcal infection. In Birmingham during March-December, 22% and 17% were positive for chlamydial and gonococcal infections, respectively, and in San Francisco during January-December, 16% and 6% were positive, respectively.

HIV Infection in Adolescents and Young Adults May 2004
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

The AIDS epidemic among adolescents and young adults in the United States continues to be an increasing concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 41,287 cumulative cases of AIDS among people ages 13 through 24 through December 2002. Health experts estimate the number living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection to be much higher.

Because the average duration from HIV infection to the development of AIDS is 10 years, most adults with AIDS were likely infected as adolescents or young adults. HIV infection is the seventh leading cause of death for those ages13 through 24.

HIV Infection in Women
May 2004
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

By the end of 2003, according to the World Health Organization, 19.2 million women were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, accounting for approximately 50 percent of the 40 million adults living with HIV/AIDS.

By the end of 2002, 159,271 adolescent and adult women in the United States were reported as having AIDS. Based on cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through December 2002, more than 57,376 women have been infected with HIV. Among adolescent and adult women, the proportion of AIDS cases more than tripled from 7 percent in 1985 to 26 percent in 2002. Nonetheless, AIDS cases in adolescent and adult women have declined by 17 percent and have plateaued in the past 4 years, reflecting the success of antiretroviral therapies in preventing the development of AIDS.

Younger women are also increasingly being diagnosed with HIV infection, particularly among African-Americans and Hispanics. Through December 2002, women aged 25 and younger accounted for 9.8 percent of the female AIDS cases reported to CDC.

Women and HIV/AIDS
Updated Aug. 2004
The National Women's Health Information Center

This site offers information and resources for women with HIV/AIDS as well as news updates on HIV/AIDS and women.

TeensHealth HIV/AIDS Nemours Foundation

This site offers educational information regarding HIV/AIDS and how they can affect teenagers. It also answers basic questions related to HIV/AIDS and provides links to resources.

New Antibiotic Fights Tuberculosis, Study Shows
Dec. 9, 2004
MedlinePlus

Researchers said recently that a novel antibiotic that is working well in mice may be the first new drug enlisted in the fight against tuberculosis in 40 years. Experts hope it can cut down on the treatment time needed, helping patients to achieve a real cure and helping to stop the TB bug from mutating into forms that resist drug treatment. The drug works by shutting down the bacteria's source of power, an enzyme called ATP synthase. The drug, known only by its experimental name R207910, has been tested in people in a Phase I safety trial and seems to cause no serious side effects. The company is proceeding to Phase II, the second of the three phases of experiments needed before seeking U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. This study is reported in the December 10, 2004 issue of Science.

Pertussis Vaccination Recommended for Teens
Dec. 9, 2004
MedlinePlus

A report in Clinical Infectious Diseases said adolescents and some adults should be revaccinated against pertussis, also known as "whooping cough," to decrease the risk of transmission to infants. According to the finding, as many as 32 percent of adolescents and adults with a coughing illness lasting one to two weeks or longer have pertussis, but the largest risk is for infants, especially those not fully vaccinated. Waning immunity underlies the risk of pertussis in older individuals vaccinated in childhood, suggesting that vaccination strategies should be reconsidered.

Scientists Find Gene Clue in Hunt for AIDS Vaccine
Dec. 8, 2004
MedlinePlus

Researchers reported recently that they have identified key genes involved in the body's response to HIV – a finding that could narrow the search for an effective vaccine against the virus. Scientists at the Partners AIDS Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital focused their research on genes called HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-C, which produce molecules that sit on the surface of cells. They tell immune system killer T-cells when new viruses are produced within an infected cell and should be destroyed. They reported that HLA-B genes are the key players in the body's response to infections, including HIV. This study is reported in the science journal Nature.

U.S. Black Youth Overestimate Drug Use
Dec. 8, 2004
MedlinePlus

A study in Health Communication reported that black youths mistakenly believe their black peers use drugs more than whites or Hispanics. The study found that only 16 percent of the black youth queried admitted using drugs within the past few months, compared to 24 percent of the white youth surveyed. But of all blacks surveyed in the study, almost two out of three perceived that black adolescents take more drugs than white or Hispanic young people. Conversely, the findings showed young white adolescents overwhelmingly believe white youth use fewer drugs than other ethnic groups.

National Perinatal HIV Consultation and Referral Service
December
NCCC

The new National Perinatal HIV Consultation and Referral Services (Perinatal Hotline) at 888-448-8765, provides free 24-hour clinical consultation and advice on treating HIV-infected pregnant women and their infants as well as indications and interpretations of rapid and standard HIV testing in pregnancy. The Perinatal hotline is an expansion of the HRSA National HIV/AIDS Clinicians' Consultation Center (NCCC) at San Francisco General Hospital, which currently operates the National HIV Telephone Consultation Service (Warmline) and the National Clinicians' Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Hotline (PEPline). The Perinatal Hotline (888-448-8765) and the PEPline (888-448-4911) are both available 24 hours, seven days per week. The Warmline (800-933-3413) is available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday through Friday. All consultations are free and confidential.

FDA Approves Generic Formulation of Didanosine (ddl) Delayed Release Capsules
Dec. 3, 2004
AIDSinfo

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a generic formulation of Didanosine (ddI) Delayed Release capsules, 200 mg, 250 mg, and 400 mg for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents in the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults. The product, manufactured by Barr Laboratories, Inc. of Pomona, NY will be available for use within the United States and foreign countries. It is the first approval in the United States of a generic antiretroviral product to treat HIV/AIDS. Didanosine (ddI) is the generic version of the already approved Videx EC Delayed-Release Capsules manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb. It is a delayed-release capsule, taken once daily.

Bacterium Spread Via Hospital Equipment
Dec. 22, 2004
MedlinePlus

Johns Hopkins Hospital epidemiologists in Baltimore have traced an outbreak of a resistant bacterium to commonly used hospital wound care equipment. An antimicrobial resistant bacterium, Acinetobacter baumannii, infected 11 patients at Johns Hopkins during a two-month period in 2003 and was traced back to use of pulsatile lavage equipment for wound care. Three of the patients required admission to the intensive care unit for sepsis and respiratory distress. In the future, hospital staff using the water-gun like equipment will have to wear masks, gowns and gloves during procedures, to avoid passing infection along to patients. The procedures will also be performed in private treatment rooms that are fully disinfected to reduce the chances of cross contamination between patients and staff. As an added response, the Food and Drug Administration, along with a leading manufacturer of the device, agreed to change the product's labeling to include use of routine infection control procedures.

Teen Drug Use Declines 2003-2004
Dec. 21, 2004
DHHS

According to DHHS, results from the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey indicate an almost 7 percent decline of any illicit drug use in the past month by 8th, 10th, and 12th graders combined from 2003 to 2004. Trend analysis from 2001 to 2004 revealed a 17 percent cumulative decline in drug use, and an 18 percent cumulative drop in marijuana past month use. While overall drug use shows decline, use of some individual drugs increased. When all three grades were combined, there was a significant increase in past year OxyContin use between 2002 and 2004. The 2004 data also show that lifetime inhalant use for 8th graders increased significantly.

Antiretroviral Treatment: Adult and Adolescent Guidelines
October 29, 2004
AIDS Info

An updated guideline for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-infected adults and adolescents has been released. These guideline revisions represent a major rewriting of the document to improve its organization and readability. The tables are updated with the most current available information.

Other changes include: change in recommendation on when to start treatment; change in recommendation on selection of drug to start treatment with; and a special populations section, e.g. adolescents, injection drug users, and patients with co-morbid infectious diseases. The full text for this guideline can be accessed at the website listed above.

Capital Punishment
October 22, 2004
Public Health News

Sexually transmitted diseases spread 10 times faster in US prisons than on the outside. Of the 2 million inmates in America’s prisons, the proportion infected with hepatitis C is now estimated to be between 20 and 40 percent. The 9-12 million prisoners released into the community every year will include about 17 percent of the nation’s HIV-positive population.

This article discusses the policies regarding healthcare and the prison system and current state of healthcare and health education provided to the inmates.

* Note: This article is an editorial piece but may offer useful statistics.

Uganda Opens Africas Biggest AIDS Training Center
October 20, 2004
MedlinePlus

The biggest HIV/AIDS training center in sub-Saharan Africa opened in Uganda with officials hopeful it will significantly boost the continent's ability to fight the pandemic. The Infectious Diseases Institute, largely funded by Pfizer, aims to teach hundreds of health care workers advanced techniques in fighting a disease the United Nations estimates has infected 26 million people in Africa.

Uganda was chosen to host the center largely due to the success of a proactive government campaign that saw infection rates drop to 6 percent from around 30 percent in the mid-1990s.

The new facility, once fully operational, is expected to treat as many 500 patients a day and aims to train about 200 doctors a year.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Ad Council Launch National HIV Detection Campaign
October 19, 2004
HHS

The Advertising Council and USDHHS announced the launch of a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to communicate to young African-American men the importance of getting tested for HIV.

While the disease affects all Americans, HIV/AIDS has had a profound impact upon the African-American community. Experts estimate that one in 50 African-American men are currently infected with HIV and 67 percent of new AIDS cases among teens today are among African American teens. In addition, the disease ranks as one of the top three leading causes of death for African-Americans ages 25-54.

The new, national PSA campaign targets African-American men between the ages of 13 and 28 and communicates that knowing their HIV status is the first step in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. Created pro bono by ad agency VogtGoldstein (VG), the television spots encourage viewers to call 1-800-342-AIDS, a confidential, toll-free number where they can find out more information about HIV testing, prevention techniques and treatment options.

Hepatitis C Linked to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
October 19, 2004
MedlinePlus

Patients infected with the hepatitis C virus are six times as likely to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma than those virus free. Researchers at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver found hepatitis C infected patients have a 17 fold higher risk for developing diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma.

The spread of hepatitis C in the United States has dropped significantly since the 1980s and currently, the number of new cases per year is around 25,000. Approximately 3.8 million Americans have been infected with the virus -- most commonly by a blood transfusion or by needles shared by drug users.

The findings were presented during the Third Annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting in Seattle.

Hepatitis A May Have Spread from Canada
October 19, 2004
MedlinePlus

Canadian health officials say a restaurant worker in Kelowna, British Columbia, may have exposed as many as 2,400 people worldwide to the hepatitis A virus.

A bar manager at My Martini Place was diagnosed with hepatitis A after becoming ill late last month. Health officials are asking 400 people who ate or drank at the restaurant between September 28th and October 5th to seek vaccination as soon as possible. The time period coincides with the Okanagan Wine Festival, which attracted approximately 60,000 visitors from around the world.

The virus could have spread to as many as 2,000 more people during the months before Sept. 28, because the nightspot is popular with young adults. Health officials said it’s too late for them to be immunized effectively because they could be already incubating the virus.

TB Has High Hospital-Mortality in U.S.
October 19, 2004
MedlinePlus

A report in the October issue of CHEST, a journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, stated that high in-hospital mortality continues to plague tuberculosis patients in the United States despite the availability of medications. The study said the in-hospital mortality rate for TB patients was 4.9 percent, or double the 2.4 percent in-hospital rate of all other hospital admissions.

For those hospitalized with TB, 64 percent were men, 72 percent minorities, 50 percent lived in areas of median incomes less than $35,000, and 66 percent had publicly funded health insurance or no health insurance.

New Learning Techniques Improve Global HIV/AIDS Prevention October 12, 2004
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Researchers at the Center for AIDS Intervention Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin have found that advanced communication technologies (including multimedia CDs) can improve worldwide dissemination of new HIV/AIDS prevention models to providers of health services. The researchers tested high tech dissemination methods to communicate a strategy that enlists popular opinion leaders in local communities to convey AIDS prevention messages. In the study of 86 leading AIDS NGOs in 78 countries, they found that NGOs, which were provided comprehensive training via distance learning technologies, were better able to develop and modify programs than those given just basic materials.

Scientists Discover New Approaches to Manipulating AIDS Virus
August 26, 2004
Minority AIDS/HIV Initiative

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered new information about how human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency (AIDS), possibly evades eradication from the body. In a study published in the August 16, 2004 "Journal of Virology"*, NCI HIV and AIDS Malignancy

Branch scientists identified several possible gene targets and two drugs to flush out long-lasting HIV reservoirs that current treatments do not affect. They also established a connection between HIV and several other genes not previously associated with the virus and found new possible targets for blocking HIV replication.

Current AIDS drugs, called antiretrovirals, target HIV replication. However, these drugs cannot completely eradicate the virus from the body because HIV rests in some cells in a non-replicating stage called latent infection. The gene targets uncovered by the NCI researchers may be used to activate HIV within these cells, inducing its replication and thereby making the virus more vulnerable to treatment.

Researchers find new HIV gene target
August 16, 2004
Medline Plus

U.S. researchers have discovered a new gene target that may help eliminate reservoirs of HIV that are resistant to treatment. The scientists at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health also have linked HIV, which causes AIDS, with several genes not previously associated with it.

Current HIV/AIDS drugs, called antiretrovirals, target HIV replication but cannot fully eradicate the virus because HIV also rests latently in a non-replicating stage in some cells, researchers said. NCI researchers studied gene expression in latently infected cells and found they have a different pattern of gene expression than uninfected cells. They identified a gene target that could be used to activate HIV replication in latently infected cells so it can be treated or eradicated by drug therapy. They also found a compound, called resveratrol, activates a gene that slows cell growth so HIV replicates.

Heart Drugs May Target AIDS Virus, Study Shows
August 16, 2004
Medline Plus

Statin drugs that lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease may also help slow down the AIDS virus, Spanish researchers reported on Monday. Statins alone given to HIV-infected patients suppressed the virus and helped replenish immune cells known as T-cells. The drugs seem to stop the virus from infecting cells by stopping them from breaking through the cell membrane, and by stopping the virus from being released from cells that are already infected, the team at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research in Madrid reported.

India's New HIV Infections Rising: World Bank
August 13, 2004
Medline Plus

The number of Indians with HIV infection could rise to 5.5 million a year by 2033 -- more than the total number of existing cases -- unless urgent steps are taken, the World Bank said on Friday. Without a change in treatment policy and progress in prevention, HIV/AIDS will become the single largest cause of death in the world's second most populous nation, accounting for 17 percent of all deaths and 40 percent of infectious deaths, by 2033, the bank said in a report on HIV/AIDS in India. HIV/AIDS currently accounts for two percent of all deaths and six percent of infectious deaths.

The HEPP Report Infection Control in the Correctional Setting
July/August 2004
The HEPP Report

The crowded conditions that exist in many of the world's jails and prisons create an ideal environment for the transmission of contagious diseases. Restrictions on the availability of clean laundry, soap, water, condoms and needle exchange increase the probability that infectious diseases will be transmitted from one person to another. This article details the elements necessary to create an effective infection control program.

HIV 101:Essential Elements of Standard Precautions in the Correctional Setting
July/August 2004
The HEPP Report

This report outlines steps correctional facilities can take as a precaution against infectious disease. Some recommendations include; 1) gloves to prevent contact with blood, body fluid, mucous membranes, nonintact skin, and contaminated items ; 2) Masks & respirators To protect mucous membranes of the mouth avoid inhalation of airborne diseases 3) Inmate/patients who cannot or will not maintain appropriate hygiene should be placed in single cell housing; and 4) Treat all laundry as if it is contaminated; prevent contact with skin and mucous membranes.

Helping Teens in HIV-affected Families Pays Off
August 3, 2004
Medline Plus

For adolescents whose parents have HIV, programs designed to help them cope with a parent's illness may improve their own health and well-being, California researchers report. "Psychosocial interventions can improve health outcomes, and the impact lasts at least six years for adolescent children of parents living with HIV," lead author Dr. Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus of UCLA told Reuters Health. Besides helping individual teens, such programs may be beneficial to society at large, according to Rotheram-Borus.

She noted that teens who participated in the coping program were less likely to become teen parents and to go on public assistance. An estimated 125,000 children in the U.S. have lost a parent to AIDS, with about 15,000 parents dying each year. At least 750,000 children are living with a parent who has HIV.

U.S. Approves Two AIDS Drug Combinations
August 3, 2004
Medline Plus

U.S. regulators on Monday said they approved two AIDS drug combinations designed to simplify treatment for patients in the United States and in poor countries grappling with the epidemic. Makers GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Gilead Sciences Inc. said they intended to provide the medicines at "no-profit" prices for needy nations. Glaxo also said it would give a free, 60-day supply of its combination drug, called Epzicom, to U.S. patients. Proponents of aggressively treating AIDS around the world consider the easier-to-take combination pills vital to fighting the disease in Africa and the Caribbean.

Recovery Month Will Highlight Success of Drug Treatment
June 14, 2004

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today unveiled a new kit and other materials to be used as part of the 15th annual Recovery Month celebrations in September, as well as a new state report showing that overall 2.7 percent of persons 12 and older nationwide needed, but did not receive treatment for an illicit drug problem; and 7.3 percent needed but did not receive treatment for an alcohol problem. Recovery Month spotlights the need for alcohol and drug abuse treatment and recovery, and honors both those in recovery and treatment providers.

More Americans Abuse Alcohol, Study Finds
June 11, 2004

More Americans are abusing alcohol than in the 1990s, but fewer are technically alcoholics, U.S. government researchers said on Thursday. They found that the number of American adults who abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent rose to 17.6 million or 8.46 percent of the population in 2001-2002 from 13.8 million or 7.41 percent of the population in 1991-1992. The researchers cannot say why heavy drinking is up. The NIAAA study defines alcohol abuse as causing a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home; interpersonal social and legal problems; and/or drinking in hazardous situations.

Negative Counseling Approach Cuts Risky Sex
June 15, 2004

In motivating HIV-infected patients to reduce risky sexual behaviors, brief counseling about the negative consequences of unsafe sex is more effective than discussing the positive outcomes of safer sex, according to a new study.

The findings, which appear in the medical journal AIDS, are based on a study of 585 sexually active subjects who attended clinics emphasizing either of these risk reduction approaches or to clinics that only stressed the importance of taking anti-HIV drugs. With the positive consequence approach, the subjects were told "safer sex protects you from other STDs and from other strains of HIV." By comparison, subjects in the negative consequence group were told "unsafe sex may expose you to other STDs and other strains of HIV."

Among subjects with at least two sex partners, the negative consequence approach reduced the rate of self-reported unsafe sex by 38 percent. In contrast, the positive consequence approach produced no change in sex practices. Compared with the drug emphasis group, the negative consequence group was 58 percent less likely to report unprotected intercourse at follow-up, lead author Dr. Jean L. Richardson, from the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, and colleagues report.

New AIDS Test May Be More Sensitive, U.S. Group Says
June 15, 2004

A new test for the AIDS virus that detects proteins inside the microbe may be more sensitive than existing tests, U.S. researchers said on Monday. The test, which can also be adapted to detect the misshapen prions that cause mad cow disease and related sicknesses, may be useful for screening donated blood and monitoring patients, the developers at the University of Maryland's Institute of Human Virology said. They said it is 25 times more sensitive than the best technology currently available.

Japan Plans Free HIV Tests
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_18348.html (*this news item will not be available after 07/14/2004) June 14, 2004

Japan will make free and anonymous HIV tests available in its hospitals starting next year, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported Monday.

"Alarmed by an unabating increase in the numbers of full-blown AIDS patients and HIV carriers in the country, the ministry wants to encourage HIV patients to receive medical treatment in the early stages of the disease," the newspaper said. "It also aims to reduce the number of areas in which blood donor facilities are used as unofficial test carriers." Japan reported 976 carriers of the HIV virus, an all-time high in 2003, the paper said. "A number of AIDS patients died because of delays in detecting the disease," it said.

State Estimates of Persons Needing But Not Receiving Substance Abuse Treatment
June 11, 2004

Studies show that many individuals who have substance use problems do not receive treatment for those problems. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), formerly the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), asks persons aged 12 or older questions to determine whether they needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol problem within the past 12 months. Highlights of this study include:

In 2002, 2.7 percent of persons aged 12 or older nationwide needed but did not receive treatment for an illicit drug problem, and 7.3 percent needed but did not receive treatment for an alcohol problem

The States with the highest rates of individuals needing but not receiving substance abuse treatment were mainly in the West, and the States with the highest rates of individuals needing but not receiving alcohol treatment were mainly in the Midwest and West Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia, were among the States with the highest rates of illicit drug treatment need and alcohol treatment need

Recovery Month Will Highlight Success of Drug Treatment
June 14, 2004
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today unveiled a new kit and other materials to be used as part of the 15th annual Recovery Month celebrations in September, as well as a new state report showing that overall 2.7 percent of persons 12 and older nationwide needed, but did not receive treatment for an illicit drug problem; and 7.3 percent needed but did not receive treatment for an alcohol problem. Recovery Month spotlights the need for alcohol and drug abuse treatment and recovery, and honors both those in recovery and treatment providers.

Cigarette Use Among High School Students --- United States, 1991--2003
June 18, 2004

Cigarette use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. One of the national health objectives for 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of current cigarette use among high school students to <16%. To examine changes in cigarette use among high school students in the United States during 1991--2003, CDC analyzed data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that although 1) the prevalence of lifetime cigarette use was stable among high school students during the 1990s and 2) the prevalence of both current and current frequent cigarette use increased into the late 1990s, all three behaviors had declined significantly by 2003.

Updated Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents
National Institutes of Health
Guidelines
Slides

The Guidelines for the use of Antiretroviral Agents in the HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents and its updated version were developed by the panel on Clinical Practices for Treatment of HIV Infection, convened by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Human Trials of New Anti-HIV Gels Announced
Medline Plus
March 23, 2004

Researchers in England are planning large-scale human trials of two new gels designed to prevent HIV-infection in men and women.

Drug Overdoses Fuel Jump in U.S. Poisoning Deaths
Medline Plus
March 25, 2004

Illicit use of heroin, cocaine and other drugs helped fuel a 145% rise in the number of accidental and unexplained poisoning deaths in the United States between 1990 and 2001.

Antiretroviral Pocket Reference Cards for Clinicians
Florida/Caribbean AIDS Education and Training Center

This pocket guide provides detail on all currently approved antiretroviral medications for adult and pediatric use and highlight prescribing, side effect, and adherence information.

HIV Treatment Regimen Failure
AIDS Info
January 2004

This factsheet is for HIV patients who are currently undergoing or planning to begin HAART. Regimen failure occurs when the anti-HIV medications do not adequately control the infection. Some factors that cause regimen failure are poor health prior to starting treatment regimen, alcohol or drug use or medication side-effects. The three types of regimen failures are virologic, immunologic and clinical

2004 Conferences/Meetings/Trainings
Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, Office of Minority Health

The Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, part of the Office of Minority Health, maintains an online calendar of conferences, meetings and trainings pertaining to minority HIV/AIDS issues. If an organization wishes to publicize their event free of charge on the calendar, it can contact the Initiative office.

The HEPP Report
Tuberculosis Update
February 2004

The American Thoracic Society (ATS), Infectious Diseases Society of America and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidelines for the treatment of tuberculosis. The new guidelines stress the responsibility of successful TB treatment lies with the provider, not the patient, and that case management should be patient-centered. This month's report also provides guidelines for the use of Rifamycins for the treatment of TB in patients also taking other HIV drugs.

Spotlight: Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) in Corrections

EMRs are used for charting patients' information and recording data. They allow data to be accessed and manipulated by health care providers and are especially helpful in moving data for patients who are seen by multiple clinicians at many different facilities. The article highlights several programs that have been implemented nationwide and how the EMRs have been used to enhance their recording systems.

AIDS Drug During Pregnancy May Mean Problems Later
Medline Plus
February 9, 2004

Researchers have found that a single dose of a drug called nevirapine used with AZT can reduce mother-to-child HIV infection by 80%. However, 40% or more of the mothers developed resistance to the class of drugs nevirapine belongs to later on.

HIV Stalks African American College Students
Medline Plus
February 10, 2004

Researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill reported a "dramatic increase" in HIV infection among African American men who have sex with men in North Carolina. Many of the men are college students, 40% of whom also reported having sex with women.

The NNPTC Online STD Case Series
National Network of STD/HIV Prevention Training Centers

This training series provides two illustrative STD cases for health care practitioners who provide care to patients with or at risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Five more cases will be added this year.

Prevention and Management of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Persons Living with HIV/AIDS
Eastern Quadrant, STD/HIV Prevention Training Centers

This training module is designed for clinicians who participate in the care of persons living with HIV/AIDS. This 110 page pdf document provides recommendations for preventive STD clinical services for HIV-positive clines, clinical management of STDs and behavioral counseling for HIV-infected patients and partner management.

HIV Rate "Overwhelming" in New York City Men Medline Plus
February 10, 2004

The CDC reported that nearly 4% of men in New York City between the ages of 40 and 49 are infected with HIV. 2.8% of all men living in Manhattan have HIV infection or AIDS.

Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS

Now that new year has begun, be sure to put the upcoming 15th Annual Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS on your calendar. Sponsored by The Balm In Gilead, the event invites Black faith communities worldwide to participate in diverse AIDS-related activities during the week of March 7-13, 2004. Participating churches and religious organizations in the United States will work in partnership with Catholic, Christian and Muslims leaders in the African countries of Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe to deliver services and resources to people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Visit the website to learn more about the program and/or to order a copy of The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS Magazine, which details the event's goals and activities. Faith institutions interested in participating are encouraged to order supplies and register online as soon as possible or by paper registration form, available by request:
http://www.balmingilead.org/programs/weekofprayer2004/welcome.asp

Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection
National Institutes of Health
January 20, 2004

There are unique considerations for treating HIV-infected infants, children and adolescents. The Working Group on Antiretroviral Therapy and Medical Management of HIV-Infected Children, composed of specialists caring for HIV-infected infants, reviewed existing data and produced these considerations. The report addresses the pediatric-specific issues associated with antiretroviral treatment and provides guidelines to health care providers caring for infected infants, children and adolescents.

Patients Don't Heed ER Advice for HIV Testing
Medline Plus
January 21, 2004

A UCLA Medical Center researcher and colleagues found that only 10% of patients advised by emergency room personnel to have a HIV test actually showed up at an HIV clinic and of those who went to clinic, not all were tested. Of 494 patients referred to testing, only 56 went to an HIV clinic and completed pretest counseling. Of those, 51 were HIV-negative, 4 were HIV-positive and 1 patient refused the test.

Many Inner-city HIV Patients Not on anti-HIV Drugs
Medline Plus
December 26, 2003

Researchers in Chicago found that less than half of patients with HIV admitted in a Chicago hospital were taking anti-HIV drugs. Most of the patients were black males and three quarters were active substance abusers.

Optimizing Care for African-American HIV-Positive Patients
AIDS Patient CARE and STDs
Volume 17, Number 10, 2003

The African American community is disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. The journal authors cite several studies that may highlight some underlying causes of the higher rates of HIV infection, higher proportions of AIDS and more deaths among the African American population. Data suggests than African Americans are diagnosed later than whites, thus starting drug regimens later in the course of the disease. African Americans may have a lowered perception of risk about the disease, delaying testing and treatment. Understanding cultural factors surrounding HIV/AIDS in the African American community is vital for health care professionals working with the population.

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