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The
HIV/AIDS eNews is published by the British Columbia Persons With AIDS
Society. This publication is a compilation of various articles
collected from numerous news sources. Opinions and information
expressed are those of the individual authors and not necessarily those
of the Society. |
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BCPWA Volunteer Recognition
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Come out and wear yellow to support our BCPWA Volunteers!
When:
Thursday April 29, 2010, 6:00 - 9:30 PM
Where:
Hotel Chateau Granville (1100 Granville Street) |
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AccolAIDS
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Nominate your hero today! It's easy to do! Nomination form can be found here.
There are 8 award categories, which can be found here. Write a letter telling us why your nominee deserves an award, get an additional letters of support, and include any other materials you think may help convince us!
For more info click here. |
AccolAIDS is now a bi-annual event so nominate this year and don't wait till 2012. The deadline for AccolAIDS nominations is Friday, February 26th at 5 pm. |
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SUITS ANNIVERSARY DINNER
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SUITS is a monthly dinner group for Gay Poz Working Men. Come out to our next event!
Where: The Fishhouse (8901 Stanley Park Drive)
When: February 22nd 2010, 5:30 - 8:30 PM
Please RSVP with Richard at 604-893-2258. |
To learn more about SUITS, click here. |
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Income Tax Returns
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Need help with your income tax return?
We can help you with your return if you make less than $25,000 individual or combined incomes and have a straight forward return without complicated details. |
When:
Every Friday from March 5th to April 30th (excluding Good Friday), 9AM - 4PM.
Sign up at front desk reception or call 604-893-2200 for your 20 minute appointment. Please be prompt for your appointment. No shows will go to the back of the line. |
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AVERAGE JOE'S BOWLING

Come on out for an afternoon of bowling and pool with the Average Joe's social group! Average Joe's is a friendly and supportive group for HIV+ men. No BCPWA membership required! |
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When: Saturday March 20th, 2010, 1-3PM
Where: Commodore Bowling Lanes (838 Granville Street)
Cost: 5$, Limited to 58 participants.
Sign up at Front desk or at Average Joes/AJ's Café events. |
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Attention Ottawa: Insite is a health care service

An Insite supporter protests against the federal government's efforts to close the safe injection site.
Photograph by: Les Bazso, PNG, Special to the Sun
The federal government is once again appealing a court decision in favour of Insite, Vancouver's
internationally recognized supervised injection site. This time it is
appealing all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. It is challenging
the recent B.C. Court of Appeal ruling that Insite's supervised
injection service is a health care service which the government of British Columbia had the authority to implement.
This
is consistent with the position of the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation when,
in 2002 at the Dr. Peter Centre, it integrated supervised injection
service into its range of health care services for people living with
HIV/AIDS.
The
centre's approximately 300-day health program participants have a
complexity of illnesses and disabilities in addition to HIV/AIDS,
including serious mental illness and long-standing addiction issues.
About 35 per cent are homeless or have unstable housing. The centre's
health care services range from nursing care to nutritious meals, art,
music and recreation therapies. Counselling includes support for
reducing harm from drug use and assistance with referrals to detox and
other addiction treatment. The Dr. Peter Centre's 24-hour skilled
nursing care residence integrates supervised injection into nursing
practice.
The
galvanizing impetus to pursue integration of supervised injection
service was two overdoses -- one in a bathroom, the other in a laundry
room -- fortunately, neither fatal. Aware that there had never been a
death in a supervised injection site anywhere in the world, it seemed
inconsistent with our mission of care for people with HIV/AIDS to
ignore that there was a way to reduce their risk of death by overdose.
We also knew that injecting in clean conditions with sterile equipment
could prevent our severely immuno-compromised clients from having
serious and persistent, often life-threatening, infections.
The
foundation consulted the College of Registered Nurses of British
Columbia, the entity authorized and required, under B.C.'s Health
Professions Act, to establish standards for registered nursing
practice. The college's practice standards state it is the
responsibility of an employer to provide a work environment that
supports registered nurses in meeting those standards.
The
college confirmed it was within the scope of registered nursing
practice to provide clients with evidence-based information so they can
give themselves intravenous injections more safely. It noted that
teaching and promoting such self-care prevents illness and promotes
health, especially for clients with high-risk behaviour.
The College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses provided the foundation with the same nursing practice clarification.
When
the Dr. Peter Centre integrated supervised service, it did not request
an exemption under Section 56 of the federal Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act because it was undertaking a necessary health service.
The nurses do everything reasonably possible to observe federal law --
they do not touch, inject or provide the drugs.
The
foundation was granted intervener status in Insite's B.C. Court of
Appeal case. In her written summary of judgment, Justice Carol Huddart
stated, "The evidence [provided by the foundation] establishes how and
why the decision in this case will have significant effect on
registered nurses seeking to comply with the professional and ethical
standards to which they are held by their governing body. That concern
is at the root of the division of powers issue and the evidence will be
helpful to a full understanding of that issue."
In
an earlier decision, Justice Ian Pitfield found that the application of
federal laws to Insite violated its clients' rights to life, liberty
and security of the person under section 7 of the Charter. He noted the
"incontrovertible conclusion" that "the risk of morbidity and mortality
[death and disease] associated with addiction and injection can be
ameliorated by injection in the presence of qualified health
professionals." This reflects the Dr. Peter Centre experience.
I
hope that the Supreme Court will rule in favour of Insite. The Dr.
Peter Centre experience of integrating supervised injection into a
broader range of health care services offers the possibility of such a
service in any small town or large city in Canada. It does not require a separate facility and can build upon already existing staff resources.
It
is time to make this health care service available to many others who
so desperately need it. It is time to bring individuals in from the
street so they can inject safely and cleanly. It is time to create
therapeutic spaces of acceptance so that greater engagement in health
care is possible for some of our most unwell and disadvantaged citizens.
Maxine Davis is executive director of the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation.
By Maxine Davis, Special to the Sun
February 17, 2010
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
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Man disputes HIV risk
Wants 14-year sentence quashed
An
HIV-positive man convicted of not disclosing his health status to his
sex partners is seeking to overturn his 14-year prison sentence,
arguing he posed no significant health risk to the victims.
Clato
Mabior was convicted in 2008 of six counts of aggravated sexual assault
in relation to six victims and one count each of sexual touching and
sexual interference.
Mabior
appeared Wednesday before the Manitoba Court of Appeal, where his
lawyer Ian McNair argued
Mabior’s “viral load” was so low his sex
partners were at no significant risk of infection.
But what constitutes a significant risk, countered Crown attorney Liz Thompson.
“If one complainant is infected, can you say to them ‘Well, the chance was one in 100,000, so you’re out of luck?’
“We’re not criminalizing people with HIV,” Thompson said. “We’re saying as a person, you cannot put anybody in harm’s way.”
One
of Mabior’s victims was 12-years-old at the time of the offences and
three were 17. None of his victims have been diagnosed with HIV.
McNair said Mabior used a condom every time he had sex with two of the victims.
At
the time of his March 2006 arrest, police believed as many as 45 girls
and women may have been victimized by him. He stood trial in relation
to 11 alleged victims.
Prior
to his arrest, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority issued a public
warning Mabior was defying medical advice about his HIV and knowingly
having sex with unsuspecting partners.
Police said they believed Mabior had been luring runaways to his Sherbrook Street home with the promise of intoxicants and a place to stay. At his trial,
court heard Mabior plied some of his victims with alcohol and drugs.
At his sentencing, Mabior was credited five years for time served. His remaining sentence is just under 71/2 years.
Mabior is from Sudan and is expected to be deported once he has served his sentence.
The appeal court reserved its decision.
dean.pritchard@sunmedia.ca
By Dean Pritchard, WINNIPEG SUN
Last Updated: 10th February 2010, 8:04pm
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Medical marijuana prescriptions being stymied, advocates say
Biased policies against medical marijuana by Saskatchewan's governing body of medical practitioners are deterring doctors from granting prescriptions, say medicinal pot proponents.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan's policy doesn't prohibit doctors from
prescribing marijuana, but the policy states the college is uncertain
of the risks and benefits because evidence of marijuana's advantages is
lacking.
"(The college) appears to be deterring doctors, or at least giving them an excuse to deny prescriptions," said Daniel Johnson, Saskatchewan director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
The
college fails to recognize a growing body of medical studies that
suggest marijuana is an effective alternative to chemical-based drugs
as treatment for a wide-spectrum of ailments, from HIV-AIDS and
multiple sclerosis to anxiety and eating disorders, said Johnson.
"Some
of the studies are fairly conclusive," said Johnson. "Doctors should be
looking at the evidence that's there and comment on it directly."
Johnson's
organization has been approached by "a lot of people" who've tried to
get a prescription, but found only resistance in the medical community,
says a letter from NORML to the college.
At
www.norml.org, there are hundreds of links to studies -- some medical,
most anecdotal -- on marijuana's medicinal benefits, as well as a list
of support from medical and mental health organizations, said Johnson.
Patients
apply to the federal government for the right to secure a prescription
-- with the approval of a doctor -- for medical marijuana.
The
college does not interfere with a doctor's decision to prescribe
marijuana or apply pressure to discourage prescriptions, said Brian
Salte, the college's associate registrar and legal counsel.
The
policy statement on a lack of evidence on the advantages of marijuana
is "not a matter of extra scrutiny," he said. "It's a suggestion from
our college pertaining to current information on real evidence, not
anecdotal evidence.
"Marijuana
is a drug that hasn't been properly studied. . . . When you're talking
about palliative care patients who are dying anyway, the risks and
benefits are clearly on the side of little or no risk. For other
people, it's very unclear what the risks and benefits are."
Last updated in 2005, the medical marijuana policy is being studied this year as part of a college-wide policy review.
The review will consider the most recent scientific knowledge regarding marijuana risks and benefits, said Salte.
"Whenever you review a policy, you abolish it, change it or affirm it," he said.
Tim Selenski, owner of Head to Head Novelties in Regina,
hosts workshops for people wanting to secure medical marijuana
prescriptions but who need help navigating through bureaucratic
barriers.
"All
I want is people to have safe access to pot," said Selenski. "The black
market is dangerous. We do not want to see grow-ops all over town."
When
people with legitimate ailments sought Selenski for advice on how to
get a prescription, he originally sent them to "hip doctors," but he
said the doctors were eventually placed under extra scrutiny.
He now lets people find their own doctors.
jjwarren@sp.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Star Phoenix
By Jeremy Warren, The Star Phoenix February 12, 2010
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Canada: New HIV and Hepatitis C Treatment Center Opens
A clinic focusing on patients co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C is opening in Waterloo, about 70 miles southwest of Toronto.
"We want to be able to provide those people with the opportunity to get care here," said Dr. Chris Steingart, director of the Sanguen Health Center and a specialist in HIV and hepatitis C.
The Waterloo office is supported by Sanguen and the Masai Center in Guelph, about 20 miles away. In addition to Steingart, staff will include Dr. Ann-Marie Zajdlik, head of the Masai Center, and Cambridge physician Keith Hankinson. The official opening is Jan. 26, though physicians already are seeing patients at the new site.
The Waterloo clinic will follow the multidisciplinary approach of the Masai Center, where medical care is supplemented with education, counseling and nutritional advice.
The Masai Center was the first in the region to partner with the local AIDS committee to care for those with HIV. The Waterloo office has established links with AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo.
The Waterloo region has about 500 HIV patients and 3,500 to 4,500 with hepatitis C.
About one-third of those with hepatitis C are unaware they have the
disease, Steingart said.
Adapted from:
Waterloo Region Record
01.14.2010; Johanna Weidner
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HIV vaccine facility won't be built
A planned multimillion-dollar HIV vaccine manufacturing facility won't be built in Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed Friday.
The federal government was to contribute $88 million towards building the facility. It was to be a joint venture between Canada and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, offering manufacturing
capacity for HIV vaccines used by researchers worldwide in clinical
trials.
"After
weighing all of the evidence, the Government of Canada and the Gates
Foundation have decided not to proceed with the pilot-scale vaccine
manufacturing facility," said the notice on the agency's website.
A
study commissioned by the Gates Foundation concluded there is currently
enough vaccine manufacturing capacity in North America and Europe to meet research needs, the agency said.
Unofficially, Winnipeg had been the recommended site for the centre, said Terry Duguid, former
CEO of the city's International Centre for Infectious Diseases.
"Our
community has been cheated out of a major development that would have
brought $500 million into our community over the next 20 years," said
Duguid.
The new centre was also expected to employ 60 to 70 people in high-tech jobs.
Several factors killed the centre, including local politics, said Duguid, a Liberal candidate for Winnipeg South.
Duguid called the Friday afternoon announcement in the middle of the Olympics "typical" of the Conservatives.
Winnipeg spent three years and $750,000 on its bid.
From: CBC News website
Last Updated: Friday, February 19, 2010 | 5:31 PM ET
No author cited.
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Pedalling for HIV/AIDS awareness
Cyclists to embark on 5-day journey for Access AIDS Network

Gordon Beange has participated in the Friends for Life Bike Rally in Toronto for four years and is helping organize a similar event in Sudbury. Photo by Laurel Myers.
Despite
the snow on the ground and the chill in the air, the Access AIDS
Network has its mind on cycling — five back-to-back days of cycling, in
fact, from Sudbury to Manitoulin Island and back.
On
July 11, a group of cyclists, with the support of the agency, will
embark on a the 400-kilometre journey. Those who are up for the
challenge, or can offer their support in some way, are encouraged to
get involved.
The Friends for Life Bike Rally began in Toronto 12 years ago. The seven-day journey covers the 660 kilometres from Toronto to Montreal, and has grown to include more than 400 participants.
For four of those years, Sudbury resident Gordon Beange has been one of those participants. He
approached Access AIDS Network last spring with the idea for bringing
the ride to Sudbury.
“One of the people who sponsors me every year, asked me if the money (I raised) stays local,” he said.
But it didn’t. All the money he raised was going to a Toronto-based agency — the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation (PWA). In the past two years alone, the Toronto ride’s has collected more than $1 million annually.
Ty Cumming, co-ordinator of community resources at Access AIDS Network, said the agency was excited about the concept.
“It
is outside of the fundraising events we do here, (and it’s a) way to
promote our services and educate the public on HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis
C,” she said. “Unfortunately, unless you have a reason to look us up, a
lot of people don’t know about us, and fail to recognize that HIV and
AIDS is a problem in northern Ontario.”
The
Access AIDS Network provides support services and programs locally to
individuals living with HIV and AIDS, by means of food and travel
vouchers, injection drug outreach, education, and Hepatitis C
treatment, Cumming said. All funds raised through the bike rally will
be used to support these services and programs.
“We’re
looking for people to get involved who have been infected or affected —
who’ve lost a loved one, or have friends or family who are living with
the disease,” she said. “But also for people who are interested in the
actual physical activity of it. Through that, we’re hoping to educate
them on the reality of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C in northern Ontario.”
Beange
and Cumming emphasized this rally is not a race, and participants need
neither top-of-the-line equipment, nor extensive cycling experience.
“You
just need the commitment to train, fundraise on our behalf, and learn
how to ride safely,” Cumming said. “We want people of any capability to
join us.”
Cyclists
will be supported in every aspect of the challenge, from the physical
training to fundraising. Arrangements for camping accommodations,
meals, the transportation of gear and entertainment will also be taken
care of.
“We will also have a medical crew with us in case of any injuries,” Cummings said.
Beange said the demographic of the cyclists at the Toronto event varied from avid cyclists, to weekend warriors and first-timers.
Within half an hour of departing each day, the cyclists were spread out
over several hundred kilometres.
“There
could be a two to three-hour difference between the first person who
reaches the campsite and the last person,” he said. “There’s always
people called sweeps, they are the last people into the campsites and
never go past the last rider, for safety.”
The
Access AIDS Network is aiming to have at least 15 cyclists
participating in the ride. The deadline to register for the event, or
to volunteer, is March 29.
An information night will be held March 3, at the Days Inn, 117 Elm St.,
from 5-9 p.m. Those interested in participating as a cyclist or
volunteer, are asked to contact Cumming at 688-0500 ext. 32, or by
e-mail at tyc@accessaidsnetwork.com.
Feb 23, 2010
By: Laurel Myers - Sudbury Northern Life Staff
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Researchers' group slams decision to cancel HIV-vaccination facility

'Now
we've got a new, potentially better target on HIV to focus our efforts
for vaccine design,' said Wayne Koff of the International AIDS Vaccine
Initiative.
Photograph by: Prakash Singh / AFP / Getty Images, National Post
OTTAWA — The head of an association that represents Canada's
HIV researchers is criticizing a federal government decision to scrap
plans for a facility that would manufacture potential vaccines.
Dr.
Bill Cameron, president of the Canadian Association of HIV Research,
said this week that the move — which some have blamed on partisan
politics — will make it difficult for academic researchers to test
their work.
"You can't test a vaccine without a production facility," said Cameron, who's also an HIV researcher. "I'm disappointed."
The
Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed Friday it and the Gates
Foundation would not be moving ahead with plans to build an $88-million
HIV vaccine pilot manufacturing facility to produce experimental
vaccines for clinical trials.
The facility was to have been the signature project of the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative, a joint venture between Canada and the Gates Foundation announced to much fanfare three years ago.
The
Winnipeg-based International Centre for Infectious Diseases was among
the four finalists for the project and was told informally last summer
it had won.
However the other finalists were told three weeks ago they hadn't met the criteria.
In
explaining the decision, the Public Health Agency of Canada cited a
July 2009 analysis by the Gates Foundation showing there are already
enough manufacturers for test vaccines.That
analysis notes there are more suppliers available now than there were
five years ago and fewer clinical trials are expected in coming years
because scientists have added stricter criteria for advancing to the
trial stage.
It
acknowledged more research is needed to ensure the quality of the
suppliers but also said only two out of 30 research experts consulted
had issues with capacity for vaccine production available now or in the
future.
Cameron
said it's true the HIV vaccine research field has changed in recent
months after two promising vaccines had "ho hum" results in clinical
trials. However, he said introducing a new way for researchers to get
their vaccines produced may have served as a creative spark to the
field.
"Whatever we're doing is not working and I see nothing wrong with taking another approach," he said.
The
vast majority of clinical trials of HIV vaccines currently take place
with private sector funding and manufacturing because there is very
little manufacturing capacity available in non-profit companies.
Cameron
said private-sector trials are constrained by intellectual property and
market considerations, which can limit the kind of research undertaken.
"I
don't think that's the best way to find another creative research
project," he said. "This is why we need a public facility. Personally,
I'd like to see a vaccine facility constructed to meet the needs of
academic researchers."
So
far the Gates Foundation has remained silent about the issue. A
spokesperson for the foundation directed media to the Canadian
government for comment.
A
spokeswoman for Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said this week that all
the money for the vaccine project is still on the table.
"We
are working with the Gates Foundation on where to best invest this
money to achieve a safe, effective and affordable HIV vaccine," said
Josee Bellemare in an e-mail.
Terry Duguid, the former chief executive officer of Winnipeg bidder International Centre for Infectious
Diseases, who is now running
for the federal Liberals in Winnipeg South, said the government's
explanations in this case are a "massive coverup."
The Liberals on Tuesday demanded an independent third-party investigation of what happened, potentially by the auditor general.
Duguid
said to turn away from the project because of a sudden discovery of
capacity in private-sector drug manufacturing plants doesn't make any
sense.
"The
whole point of this facility was to have a not-for-profit facility for
repeatedly and cheaply testing for vaccines," said Duguid. "It's not
designed to make money. It's designed to break even."
Duguid, who ran for the federal Liberals in 2004 and 2006, was the CEO of ICID when it put in its bid.
He resigned as CEO in August when he decided to try to run for the Liberals again, in a Winnipeg-area riding.
In
mid-January, the office of Manitoba's regional minister, Vic Toews,
confirmed with ICID that Duguid was still working there on contract and
then sent an e-mail accusing Duguid of being misleading about his ties
with ICID "so that he could continue to receive a paycheque from this
government-financed agency while involving himself as a political
candidate for the federal Liberals."
Not
long after that e-mail was sent, a notice was posted on the Public
Health Agency of Canada website saying the vaccine facility was not
going ahead after all. The notice was removed quickly and the Public
Health Agency said it was posted in error.
FACT BOX:
There are several different ways researchers are looking for an HIV vaccine. They include:
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Sterilizing immunity — looking for 100 per cent protection from HIV
infection. It may be possible in everybody or in certain sub-groups;
- Transient infection — training the immune system to detect and kill of HIV-infected cells;
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Long-term controlled infection — Helping the body keep HIV infection an
undetectable or low-viral load, preventing HIV from advancing to AIDS
and preventing or eliminating the transmission of the disease to others;
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Altruistic vaccine — little benefit to infected person but could help
prevent transmission to another person by keeping the viral load in
body secretions low.
Source: HIV Vaccine Trials Network
© Copyright (c) Winnipeg Free Press
By Mia Rabson, Winnipeg Free Press February 24, 2010
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HIV spread among men traced
Scientists have made a key discovery in pinpointing how HIV is transmitted in men who have sex with men.
The
researchers hope that by better understanding how HIV spreads during
human sex, that they'll be better able to stop the epidemic.
"By
knowing the origin of the transmitted virus, scientists may be able to
develop new vaccines, vaginal microbicides and drugs to prevent the
spread of sexually transmitted HIV," study author Dr. Davey Smith, an
associate professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego, said in a release.
Semen is made up of sperm, white blood cells and the fluid around these cells, known as seminal plasma.HIV in semen comes in two contagious forms DNA in the white blood cells and free-floating RNA in the seminal fluid. Until now, researchers did not know whether HIV RNA or DNA was transmitted during sex.
Smith
and his colleagues used genetic analysis to trace the ancestral history
of the virus in six pairs of men, the source partners, who sexually
transmitted their HIV to other men, the recipient partners.
To
investigate, the researchers compared the virus found in the recipients
to the DNA and RNA versions in the men who infected them.
RNA was the closest match, leading the team to conclude HIV originated from RNA in the seminal fluid of the source partners.
The findings are reported in this week's issue of Science Translational Medicine.
Davey's team only looked at males, so the findings may not apply to HIV transmission in women. The
results also need to be tested in larger samples of pairs to determine
which features of viral genomes are linked with transmission.
Thu Feb 11, 7:09 PM
From: CBC.ca
No author cited
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Scrabble tourney counters AIDS in Africa

From
left, Sue Mouat, Jim Sinclair and Queenie Haddow play Scrabble on a
board that Queenie converted from a Snakes and Ladders game board some
70 years ago.
Photo by Derrick lundy
In
support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the Salt Spring Grandmothers
to Grandmothers group is sponsoring Second Annual Scrabble Fundraiser
in early March to help turn the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Recreational
and competitive Scrabble players are invited to participate in a
weeklong series of games at the Salt Spring Inn and the Salt Spring Elementary School, starting on March 2 and culminating with final games and an award celebration on March 6 at ArtSpring.
There
are several ways to play and donate: get pledges, pay to play or, if
you can’t get out to a game, the grandmothers suggest inviting some
friends in for a private event. Charitable tax receipts are available.
Last
year’s event raised nearly $8,000 to support African grandmothers who
have buried their own children and are courageously raising orphaned
grandchildren.
In
15 sub-Saharan countries, more than 300 projects funded by the
Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign provide funds for food, school
fees and uniforms, income-generating projects, counselling and social
support, and even coffins to allow for dignified funerals in areas
devastated by HIV/AIDS.
The
Scrabble fundraiser helps as well to raise the profile of the
Grandmothers group and new members — even non-grandmothers — are
heartily welcomed.
SCRABBLE FUNDRAISER
Turning the Tide of AIDS/HIV In Africa Games Schedule
March 2: Salt Spring Inn - 2 p.m.
March 3: Salt Spring Elementary - 7 p.m.
March 4: Salt Spring Inn - 2 p.m.
March 5: Salt Spring Elementary - 7 p.m.
March 6: ArtSpring - 7 p.m.
Published: February 17, 2010 10:00 AM
From: Gulfislandsdriftwood.com
No author cited
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When good ideas go bad
Is
this any way to save the world? Three years ago this week, Prime
Minister Stephen Harper and computer-billionaire-turned-philanthropist
Bill Gates sat side by side beaming as they announced a remarkable
joint venture to speed up development of an HIV/AIDS vaccine.
"...
Canada, in partnership with the (Bill and Melinda) Gates Foundation,
will provide the resources needed to help realize an HIV/AIDS vaccine,
which could one day spare millions of people from this horrific
disease," Harper told assembled reporters at the time.
Flash forward three years: Plans to build a $88-million non-profit vaccine manufacturing facility in Canada -- the centrepiece of the joint venture -- have been unceremoniously
scrapped after years of work by groups bidding to build the facility.
The decision has left questions, frustration, conspiracy theories and
anger in its wake.
"This thing smells to high heaven," says Terry Duguid, head of the Winnipeg consortium.
Stephen
Lewis, the former UN special envoy on AIDS and now a board member of
the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, called the government's
handling of the issue "arrogant, arbitrary and unacceptable."
"This isn't a game we are playing. This is a very serious thing involving millions of people."
If Canada doesn't have the capacity to build the badly-needed vaccine production
facility, he added, the money should be given to a country that can.
"They have a moral and scientific obligation to give that money to other groups who can pursue the research into a vaccine."
How did something that began as a feel-good story turn into such a mess? And why does this keep happening?
In
recent months, Rights & Democracy, the independent Canadian
institution created by Brian Mulroney's government in 1988 to promote
democracy and human rights around the world, has been the centre of a
controversy full of strange twists, turns, conspiracy theories, a
break-in and more. Earlier this year, the organization's head died of a
heart attack after a particularly tense meeting. The federal government
has been accused of attacking the organization without foundation and
stacking its board of directors.
And
Harper's most recent feel-good moment involving world health -- a call
for the G8 to tackle maternal mortality -- has also lost some of its
sheen after Minister for International Cooperation Bev Oda confirmed
the initiative would not include funding for contraceptives or abortion.
This
represents a policy change -- current government funded programs aimed
at improving maternal health include access to abortions and
contraceptives -- and a move away from the direction of other G8
countries. Critics say it will result in more deaths from unsafe
abortions.
Finally, this week, there are concerns the $85 million the federal government pledged to help rebuild Haiti is "recycled money" after Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said that the money "comes from budgets already in place."
The pattern of feel-good federal announcements going wrong is becoming all-too familiar.
Those
involved with the HIV vaccine initiative say the government's decision
represents a setback for vaccine research, as well as to its own
credibility. Finalists were told in January that their bids had been
rejected. Last Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada issued a
statement saying there is no longer need for such a facility and that
none of the applicants met the criteria.
The statement has left many of those who bid on the project gobsmacked.
Ted Hewitt, vice-president of research at the University of Western Ontario, one of the finalists, said the explanation raises more questions than it answers.
The
proposal was to build a non-profit facility which would make it easier
for researchers to develop vaccines, he noted. Since no such non-profit
facility currently exists, the government's explanation that there is
already "sufficient vaccine manufacturing capacity in North America" doesn't make sense, he said.
"I think the need still exists based on what I've seen."
Duguid, of Winnipeg,
said his group was told informally last summer that it had met all the
criteria and was being recommended for the facility. He said they
understood that their bid was "moving towards cabinet and for whatever
reason, that process got shut down."
Duguid, who is a Liberal candidate in Winnipeg,
resigned as CEO of the International Centre for Infectious
Diseases,
part of the vaccine consortium, when he began his campaign.
Last
month, Vic Toews' office confirmed he still worked there on contract
and accused him of being "misleading about his ties with ICID"
according to the Winnipeg Free Press. Soon after, a notice went up on
the Public Health Agency of Canada website saying the vaccine facility
would not be built. The agency said it was posted in error and the
notice was initially removed, but the agency confirmed its decision
with a second notice last week.
Meanwhile,
Winnipeg MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis is asking what role major
pharmaceutical companies played in the decision to scrap the non-profit
plant.
Many suggest it is a slap in the face to Canada's scientific and research community to suggest no one here is capable of building a vaccine manufacturing facility.
So what is the real explanation?
The
federal government says it remains committed to working with the Gates
Foundation to "fund HIV prevention," and that the development of safe,
effective, accessible and affordable HIV vaccines is a priority. It
also says scrapping the vaccine manufacturing facility doesn't mean it
will commit less money to the cause.
That sounds good, but the government has work to do to close the credibility gap on the issue.
Meanwhile, Canada is no closer to helping spare "millions of people from this horrific disease" than it was three years ago.
How did things go so wrong with the vaccine initiative? That's a good question and one that demands a credible explanation.
Elizabeth Payne is a member of the Citizen's editorial board.
By Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen February 25, 2010
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
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Treating herpes also buys time for HIV, doctors find
A
drug used to treat genital herpes can also slow progression of the AIDS
virus among co-infected patients, doctors report on Monday.
Most people infected with HIV are also coincidentally infected with type 2 herpes simplex virus, or HSV2.
Previous lab research has shown that using an anti-HSV2 drug called aciclovir reduces the amount of AIDS virus in the blood.
What was unknown, though, was whether this also had an impact on the spread of HIV in the body.
The
answer, according to a study published by The Lancet, is that aciclovir
does have a braking effect that is modest but could become a useful
option for doctors.
It could buy time before a patient has to be given powerful drugs to combat HIV.
Jairam Lingappa of the University of Washington led a trial in 14 sites in southern and eastern Africa,
recruiting 3,381 heterosexual volunteers who were co-infected with HSV2
and HIV-1, the main strain of the human immunodeficiency virus that
causes AIDS.
Half
of the group were assigned to aciclovir, taking twice-daily doses of
the drug, or to a dummy lookalike pill, and were followed for up to 24
months.
The
key question was whether the volunteers' count of CD4 cells, the immune
cells that are destroyed by HIV, fell below 200 per microlitre by the
end of the trial.
On
this score, aciclovir reduced the risk by 16 percent. Of the volunteers
on aciclovir, 284 fell below the 200 CD4 count, whereas the number
among the placebo group was 324. Using
another yardstick, the researchers also found that, among volunteers
whose immune system was in better shape, aciclovir also reduced by 19
percent the risk of a CD4 count falling below 350 cells per microlitre.
The
findings are important, says Lingappa, because they suggest another
weapon could be added to the skimpy pharmaceutical armoury for treating
HIV.
Recent
evidence has shown that people with HIV have a better chance of
survival if they are given antiretrovirals at an earlier stage of
infection.
As a result, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revised its guidelines for treating HIV in poor countries.
It
recommends that these daily drugs be administered when the CD4 cell
count falls to 350 per microlitre, rather than wait for the CD4 tally
to hit a lower level, when the immune system can become badly damaged.
These
recommendations have a wide-ranging impact, not least because they mean
cash-strapped countries
have to find extra money to treat people sooner
than before.
So
a drug that can slow progression towards this mark will ease the strain
on health budgets. It would also stave off the time when a patient has
to take a treatment that can have toxic side effects.
"While
the HIV disease-ameliorating effect we have observed is modest, it
could add one more tool to help people with HIV infection stay healthy
for longer," Lingappa said. Further investigation is needed, he added.
© Copyright (c) AFP
From: Vancouver Sun site
AFP February 16, 2010
No author cited
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Increased HAART Coverage Associated With 50% Drop in New HIV Diagnoses Among Injection Drug Users
Improved Uptake of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Also Leads to Decrease in Community HIV Plasma Viral Load
A
comprehensive population-based study, conducted by the BC Centre for
Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) and presented at the 17th Conference on
Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco, shows that
expanded highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) coverage was
associated with a 50% decrease in new yearly HIV infections among
injection drug users.
These
results were temporally related to an outreach effort specifically
targeting injection drug users. In addition, increased HAART coverage
was associated with a decrease in the community HIV plasma viral load
in British Columbia.
Providing
HAART treatment to HIV-infected drug users has been strongly debated by
researchers and clinicians. Some argue that social instability related
to illicit drug use can compromise HAART-related benefits. As a result,
on a global scale, drug users have been less likely to be prescribed
HAART and are consequently more likely to have worse health outcomes,
including higher rates of HIV disease progression to AIDS and death.
But
the BC-CfE’s study results point to the effectiveness of HAART in
providing life-supporting benefits to all HIV-infected people,
including those in marginalized communities such as injection drug
users. A previous BC-CfE study showed that five-year mortality is
similar between HIV-infected injection drug users and non-users
infected with HIV and treated with HAART. Today’s (February 18) results
show that HAART’s secondary benefit of HIV prevention will also be
realized among drug users.
“Our
results clearly reveal the need to develop specific initiatives to
increase HAART coverage among injection drug users,” said Dr. Julio
Montaner, Director, BC-CfE, and an early proponent of expanding HAART
coverage as a way to decrease progression to AIDS and death in
HIV-infected individuals and to prevent HIV infections among
individuals at risk.
Based on HAART’s proven efficacy and results from studies at the BC-CfE, the British Columbia government has announced a new C$48-million, four-year initiative to
enhance HAART outreach to hard-to-reach populations in B.C., including
injection drug users. This builds on the earlier developmental funding
($2.5 million over five years) provided by the National Institutes of
Drug Abuse at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Knowledge
Translation Award (C$100,000) from the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research.
The
project, known as Seek and Treat to Optimize Prevention of HIV and AIDS
(STOP HIV & AIDS), is aimed at curbing the transmission of HIV and
decreasing AIDS-related morbidity and mortality. These benefits will
occur by expanding HIV treatment, care and support, as well as
improving access to HIV drugs for hard-to-reach residents. The pilot
project will focus on Prince George and Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, where access to services remains sub-optimal.
As
part of this initiative, specific efforts will be made to identify and
test individuals at risk (seek) and engage them in care and on HAART if
medically appropriate (treat), all within a supportive environment that
includes harm reduction strategies. Medical care, laboratory monitoring
and HAART are all available free of charge as part of the universal
health care system in B.C.
The
results of the BC-CfE’s study come at a key time, given concerns raised
by a recent mathematical model based on the San Francisco experience
published by Smith et al (Science, January 14, 2010). The study
conducted in San Francisco suggested that the effectiveness of increased HAART coverage could be
seriously undermined by the emergence of an epidemic of drug-resistant
HIV.
“However,
our population-based results collected over the last decade demonstrate
that high levels of sustained viral suppression can be achieved and the
emergence of drug-resistant HIV can be prevented through the
appropriate use of modern antiretroviral regimens as currently
recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) coupled with
adequate patient support. These lessons are keys to the roll out of
HAART around the world,” said Montaner, who is Professor of Medicine,
Chair of AIDS Research and Head of the Division of AIDS at the University of British Columbia.
About the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS:
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) is Canada’s largest HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education facility. The BC-CfE is based at St Paul’s Hospital, Providence Health Care, and a teaching hospital of the University of British Columbia. Located in Vancouver, Canada,
the BC-CfE is dedicated to improving the health of British Columbians
with HIV through the development, monitoring and dissemination of
comprehensive research and treatment programs for HIV and related
diseases.
For More Information Contact :
Ian Noble
Karyo Edelman
(on behalf of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS)
T 604.623.3007 ext. 300
ian.noble@karyo-edelman.com
Vancouver, February 19, 2010
From: Canadian Health Reference Guide
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