National News  | Gov't Spending $544,188 to Promote HPV Vaccine CALIFORNIA :: STDs
CNSNews.com (07.24.2013) :: By Eric Scheiner | | | The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will partner with the University of California on a study funded by $544,188 from the National Institutes of Health to determine how to increase the county’s human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates. The study is called “Increasing HPV Vaccine Uptake in a Low Income Ethnic Minority Population.” Project Leader Dr. Roshan Bastani described it as a study to see if a simple intervention by an existing county service can increase HPV vaccination rates substantially for low-income girls in Los Angeles County.
The program plans to speak directly to mothers of their target population—girls ages 11–18. When the mothers call the health department for information or services, the intervention will educate them about the vaccine and refer them to a conveniently located clinic offering free or low-cost vaccines. The department is randomizing intervention so that callers only receive it every other week. Since the vaccine is administered in three separate doses, the department will follow up with patients to ensure they received their first dose and that they completed the full round of doses. The program will perform interventions in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Armenian.
Although there have been serious adverse reactions, including deaths attributed to the vaccine, both CDC and the Food and Drug Administration recommend the HPV vaccination to prevent the virus that can cause cervical, anal, penile, and throat cancers. CDC maintains that the benefits outweigh the risks, but the agency continues to monitor the vaccine’s safety and will act if necessary to protect the public.
|  Read Full Article | Share this Article     | | Back to Top  |  | | International News  | Zambia Launches HPV Vaccination Program ZAMBIA :: STDs
Voice of America (07.24.2013) :: By Chanda Chimba | | | The World Health Organization ranks Zambia as having the third highest mortality rate from cervical cancer and the highest rate in Africa. To counteract the cervical cancer rates in Zambia, one of the highest in the world at 90 per 100,000 women, the Zambian government is vaccinating girls ages 9–11 against human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer.
The program began in May at certain primary schools throughout the country, including Kalingalinga Primary School in the capital Lusaka, which vaccinated 100 girls. Euphrasia Mweshi Mutale, a Kalingalinga teacher, helped educate the community about the program. Mutale, parents, and other teachers attended sensitization meetings on the benefits of the vaccine before reaching out to the public. According to Mutale, almost all the girls received the vaccine. She believed that a great part of the success of the program was due to the absence of reported side effects.
Dr. Mulindi Mwanahamuntu, co-director of Zambia’s Cervical Cancer Prevention Program, said that the health authorities and cooperating partners planned to vaccinate 25,000 girls in the program’s first phase; so far, they have met 96 percent of this target. Mwanahamuntu noted they needed to overcome some resistance, such as myths, opinions of religious and cultural groups, and those who see the vaccine as giving permission for children to have sex. Zambian and international health officials are reaching out to the communities to fight such misinformation. One such official is United Nations physician and cancer activist Dr. Pelum-Hazely who plans to educate callers about the benefits and adverse effects of the vaccine on her regular local radio program.
| | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | Medical News  | New Peer-Led Intervention Helps Individuals with HIV Adhere to Their Treatment Plans MISSOURI :: HIV/AIDS
News-Medical.net (07.24.2013) | | | HIV-infected persons who have peer educators are more likely to adhere to their medical treatment plans, according to researcher Maithe Enriquez, associate professor at the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing. Adhering to medication regimens allows HIV-infected individuals to live long, healthy lives, but previous studies indicated that only half get medical care or follow their treatment plans.
“Being ‘peered’ is different from being doctored, nursed or counseled,” Enriquez said. “The peer educators in the intervention also have HIV, which gives them insider perspectives. Perhaps, the belief that only those living with HIV can truly understand what it’s like to live with the disease contributes to the meaningful connections between the educators and the patients struggling to adhere to treatment.”
Enriquez evaluated 15 peer educators’ insights into their roles in patients’ treatment progress. She found that peer educators felt they provided patients with more than just education about medical adherence; they also acted as role models, motivators, and advocates. Peer educators worked with the patients to recognize and overcome barriers that prevent them from taking medicines and going to medical appointments. The peers and patients set goals and develop strategies to help the patients defeat their challenges.
Enriquez believes peer-led interventions potentially can enhance HIV care and HIV-related health outcomes. “The encouraging thing about HIV care is that patients can remain healthy if they are engaged in their care, and their viral loads decrease, which makes them less likely to spread the virus to others,” Enriquez said. “Adherence to care and engagement in care go hand in hand. Having HIV is not a death sentence if patients follow their treatment plans.”
| | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | Local and Community News  | Boston World Hepatitis Day: July 28 MASSACHUSETTS :: Viral Hepatitis
SAMPAN (07.23.2013) | | | To address the high rate of hepatitis B and C infection among Asian populations in the Boston area, students from Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Brown University will hold a community health event as part of a worldwide Guinness Book of World Records effort to increase awareness and education. The event will take place on World Hepatitis Day, Sunday, July 28.
Hepatitis has a higher global prevalence than HIV and cancer, but awareness remains low. Locally, Asians form less than 10 percent of Boston’s total population but account for more than 50 percent of new chronic hepatitis B cases. They also have a liver cancer mortality rate three times higher than the city-wide average. The majority of those infected are unaware they have the disease, which is why viral hepatitis is known as a “silent epidemic.”
To garner awareness, the students, Quest Diagnostics, and the Massachusetts Asian and Pacific Islanders for Health will attempt to get this event in the Guinness Book of World Records. Participants will cover their eyes, ears, and mouth to mimic “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” as a way to invoke the proverbial principle of feigning ignorance. The event is part of the World Hepatitis Alliance’s larger attempt to win inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records by having the most people perform these actions in a 24-hour period at multiple global venues.
| | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | News Briefs  | Westport Weston Health District Offers Free Chlamydia Testing on Tuesdays CONNECTICUT :: STDs
The WestonForum.com (07.23.2013) :: By Loren Pace | | | Connecticut’s Westport Weston Health District provides free HIV and STD testing, including chlamydia testing, every Tuesday morning (the department does encourage participants to give a donation of $10 for testing services). Individuals also can make appointments on other days, based on schedule availability. Offices are located at 180 Bayberry Lane, Westport, Conn., and are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For further information, contact Loren Pace at (203) 227–9571, extension 231. CDC estimates that chlamydia infects 2.8 million individuals each year. The United States saw an increase of 104,898 reported cases of the infection from 2010 to 2011, with a total of 1,412,791 cases in 2011. Seventy-three percent of the cases were female. | | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | | | 'Street Challenge' Obstacle Course Brings New Energy to San Diego's Largest HIV/AIDS Fundraiser CALIFORNIA :: HIV/AIDS
San Diego LGBT Weekly (07.23.2013) | | | The 24th annual AIDS Walk, Run & Street Challenge San Diego has added the Street Challenge 5K obstacle course as a new element for this year’s event, scheduled for September 29 in Balboa Park. The obstacle course will be located at the park’s Marston Point and will feature obstacles intended to test participants’ strength, endurance, agility, and quick thinking. The run will have three stages that will begin at 9:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 10:00 a.m., respectively. Event planners also are encouraging participants to wear costumes, which obstacle course judges will rate. Judges will select one individual and one team to receive the “Best Dressed” trophy. The fundraiser, a program of the San Diego LGBT Community Center, is San Diego’s largest one-day HIV/AIDS fundraiser and raised approximately $400,000 for 10 local agencies last year.
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7/25/2013
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