[hivaids-twg] Fwd: Today's News (2009.11.19ex)

[HIV-TWG Moderator]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Diaz, Clara <diazc at unaids.org>
Date: Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 6:44 PM
Subject: Today's News (2009.11.19ex)
To:


 Please find attached the following AIDS-related articles compiled by UNAIDS







*AFRICA** AND MIDDLE EAST*

1. Ghana News Agency - *Wa Municipality records sharp drop in HIV prevalence
*

2. BuaNews, SA - *Sanac to Raise Awareness of HIV, Aids During 2010*

3. Daily Champion, Nigeria - *Adamawa Ranks High in HIV/Aids - Survey *

4. Sunday Standard, Botswana - *CSO’s urged to strengthen partnerships in
the fight against HIV/Aids *

5. Le Soleil, Senegal - *Vih /sida - L'Apaps veut lutter contre la
démobilisation *



*ASIA** AND PACIFIC*

1. Himalayan Times, Nepal - *A generation lost to scourge of AIDS  *

2. Fiji Times - *A decree to protect HIV positive people *

3. The National, PNG - *Health dept, agencies play vital role in HIV fight*

4. Sydney Star Observer - *Victoria** calls for HIV protocols*



*EUROPE***

1. BBC News, UK - *Poor women 'bear climate burden' *

2. TheTimes, UK - *Chinese police raid workshops producing counterfeit
condoms *

3. AFP - *La Convention internationale des droits de l'enfant a 20 ans: des
succès et des défis *



*LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN*

1. La Jornada, Mexico - *En ocho estados se sanciona a las personas que
contagian el VIH/sida *

2. La Hora, Ecuador - *Campaña del VIH-sida llegará a barrios*

3. O Globo, Brazil - *CCJ aprova punição para quem discriminar portador de
HIV*



*NORTH AMERICA*

1. UN Dispatch - *Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria is making do
with less*

2. Washington Post - *The HIV travel ban(Editorial)*

3. CNN - *U.N. chief: Hunger kills 17,000 kids daily*

4. The Scientist - *HIV trial vector specter*

5. Alabama Press-Register - *UA nursing professor to spend $100,000 studying
AIDS stigma among black rural men*



*UNAIDS WEB.SITE*

1. UNAIDS - Artists in Russia come together to spread awareness about HIV

2. UNAIDS - *Michel Sidibé awarded Monaco distinction by His Serene Highness
Prince Albert II *

3. UNAIDS - *UNFPA report: Exploring links between HIV and climate change*





===========================



*AFRICA** AND MIDDLE EAST*



===========================



*Wa Municipality records sharp drop in HIV prevalence**
**Ghana News Agency*

17/11/2009



The Wa Municipality recorded a drop in HIV prevalence rate from 5.8 per cent
to 2.0 per cent, a sentinel survey report from the Ministry of Health has
indicated.



The report showed that since the inception of the national HIV strategic
framework II in January 2006, the disease prevalence rate in the
Municipality has improved.



This was made known at a day's refresher course organised by the Wa
Municipal Anti HIV Committee for 50 coordinators of the School Health
Programme (SHEP) drawn from Junior High Schools in the Municipality.



The workshop, apart from updating the participants on current strategies in
fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic, was also aimed at encouraging teachers to
continue to educate students on the disease.



Mr Michael Bayel, Wa Municipal Monitoring and evaluation Focal Person on
HIV/AIDS, attributed the drastic decline to increased awareness creation
programmes by Non Governmental Organisations in the Municipality.



The Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) engaged by the Ghana AIDS
Commission and the Wa Municipal Assembly to undertake HIV programmes also
contracted Sunbawiera Foundation and Youth Alive, both local NGOs, to help
in fighting the disease.



He said although the Ministries of Health and Agriculture and the Ghana
Education Service never reported their activities to the Assembly, they
nevertheless, also helped a great deal to reduce the prevalence of the
disease in the Municipality.



Mr Duogu Yakubu, Wa Municipal Chief Executive said bad attitudes and
behaviours contributed significantly to the present HIV situation in the
country and advised the youth to be sensitive to good moral values.



*2*

*Sanac to Raise Awareness of HIV, Aids During 2010**
**BuaNews, SA*

18/11/2009



Pretoria — The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) symposium
currently taking place in Johannesburg is trying to find ways to use the
2010 FIFA World Cup as a platform to advance awareness about HIV and AIDS.



The symposium is focusing on communication, advocacy platforms and social
mobilization platforms that could be used pre, during and post World Cup to
raise awareness about HIV and AIDS in South Africa.



2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee Chief Medical Officer and
SANAC Sport & Entertainment Sector Chairperson, Dr Victor Ramathesele, said
the symposium will be developing a plan of action to be integrated with the
upcoming World Cup.



He said the organisation will engage with FIFA and the Local Organising
Committee to use the 2010 logo to co-ordinate activities around HIV and AIDS
during the World Cup.



"We have to take some bold steps in striving to convince FIFA courtesy of
the LOC to consider endorsing the SANAC Sport and Entertainment Sector as
the 2010 World Cup brand associates, because we firmly believe we are better
placed to streamline and position the numerous HIV and AIDS prevention and
treatment programs," Dr Ramathesele said.



The symposium, which is coordinated by the SANAC Sport and Entertainment
Sector, is one of the 19 civil society sectors represented in SANAC.



Its roles and responsibilities are spelled out in the SANAC procedural
guidelines and include implementation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP)
2007 - 2011 on HIV and AIDS.



*3*

*Adamawa Ranks High in HIV/Aids - Survey**
**Daily Champion, Nigeria*

18/11/2009



Terfa Ayaga



Yola — Asero-prevalence survey, recently conducted by the National Action
Committee on AIDS, NACA, has said the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is very high in
Adamawa State.



The national HIV sero-prevalence survey conducted, revealed that about 6.8
per cent of women attending antenatal clinics check in Adamawa State are
infected with HIV, thus, placing the state third in the North-East
sub-region and eighth in the country.



The NACA project manager, Adamawa State committee, Dr. Ibrahim Pariya made
this known at the stakeholders state strategic plan meeting, held last
weekend at the Adip Hotels Yola.



He said with the estimated population of over three million people in the
state, Adamawa may still be harboring over 234,000 people who are infected
with the virus, stressing that out of the number young women between the
ages of 14 and 24 and adult women between 15 and 49 are hit worse.



Pariya said for this reason, he has convened the meeting to enable
specialists and stakeholders look for a way out of the situation, just as he
stated that with the help of consultants, there would be a formulation of
effective plan for 2010-2015 on how to stem the menace.



He called on participants to give sets contributions for the plan, assuring
that Adamawa state is committed to see that the state rid of the disease "as
we approach this issue multi-sectorally."



Also, the team leader of the National Thematic Consultant Abuja, Mr.
Ipinnoye Ayodele called on all participants to help the group battle the
upsurge effectively.



He observed that the fight against HIV is not effective in the state saying
"I am sure if there were to be a physical war erupting, we will be running
helter-scelter to ensure the safety of our women and children."



"We are here, therefore, to help you effectively plan on how to rid the
state of HIV, the real war is going to be done by everybody in the state,
not leaving it in the hands of ADSACA or state government alone."



"The plan shall determine how far the state has done and what needs to be
added. It will also promote interaction between government agencies, remove
suspicion among them and enable the state have a focus for the future, among
other things," he said.



A partner of SACA, Dr. Fegbamigbe Johnson, also reiterated that out of
Adamawa's population of 3.1 million people, 215,000 persons are infected
with HIV, the number, which he said is very high.



Dr. Johnson called on the state government through SACA to involve Persons
Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in policy formulation on how to fight the
disease.



He appealed to the state government to buy more CD4 Machines and involve
nurses, traditional leaders and other stakeholders to administer Anti-
retroviral drugs to PLWHA.



*5*

*CSO’s urged to strengthen partnerships in the fight against HIV/Aids**
**Sunday Standard, Botswana*

19/11/2009



by Obusitse Kologwe



Civil Society Organizations have been called upon to build strong
partnerships with key stakeholders and complement government’s efforts to
fight HIV-Aids. The call to arms was made by National Aids Coordinating
Agency Chief Planner, Robinson Dimbungu, last week during a workshop
organized by Forum Syd.



Dimbungu stressed that government needs the assistance of CSOs in the fight
against HIV-Aids, especially as they understand the socio-economic
structures of the local communities better.



He further indicated that while NACA has always had a good relationship with
CSOs, there is still a need to strengthen such working relationships going
forward. Dimbungu further stated that Botswana is doing very well in terms
of providing access to treatment.



“While progress has been made in fighting HIV-Aids, government still spends
a lot of money on treatment and prevention, which is unsustainable in the
long term. It is only through positive behavior change that we can win the
fight HIV and Aids. The situation is also made worse by the fact that our
economy is vulnerable to external shocks,” he said.



In the current National Strategic Framework II (NSF II), prevention of new
infections has been identified as paramount, and information will be a top
priority in instilling behavior change to the communities.



Dimbungu added that NACA is willing to work with all stakeholders and
further link them to the other partners so that there is harmonization of
operations to ensure proper planning.



Forum Syd is an international NGO which was established in Sweden. Its
objective is to cooperate with a large number of organizations and networks
worldwide, especially the civil societies through development cooperation,
influences on public opinions, advocacy, capacity building and working with
the right approaches. It has four partners in Botswana, namely Botswana
Council of NGOs (BOCONGO), Botswana Network of Ethics on Law and HIV Aids
(BONELA), Botswana Network of Aids Service Organizations (BONASO) and lastly
the Botswana Network of People  living with HIV/AIDS(BONEPWA).



The prime purpose of the workshop was to strengthen the partnerships between
CSOs.

Copyright Sunday Standard 2009



*6*

*Vih /sida - L'Apaps veut lutter contre la démobilisation**
**Le Soleil, Senegal*

19/11/2009



Idrissa Sane



L'Agence pour la promotion des activités de la population-Sénégal (Apap-S)
cherche des solutions pour maintenir les associations des Personnes vivant
avec le Vih sur le front de la lutte contre la pandémie. Surtout que les
risques de démobilisation des malades dans la croisade sont réels avec la
fin du projet.



L'engagement des Personnes vivant avec le Sida (Pvvih) est dans une phase
cruciale. Le projet vers une Participation accrue des Pvvih à la lutte
contre le Sida au Sénégal (Paplus) prend fin au mois de décembre prochain.



Les risques de démobilisation des Pvvih dans la sensibilisation pour la
prévention, l'amélioration du traitement ou encore le soutien psychologique
sont réels à en croire les responsables qui ont organisé le mardi 17
novembre le comité consultatif du projet. Au juste, l'Apaps réfléchit sur
les voies de pérennisation des acquis de ces acteurs qui étaient jusqu'ici
marginalisés dans la lutte.



« Ces personnes vivant avec le Vih ont accepté de s'engager dans la
sensibilisation dans leur localité à visage découvert. Elles ont apporté une
grande contribution dans la sensibilisation, dans la prévention et dans la
lutte contre la stigmatisation. Il ne faudrait pas que tous ces acquis
soient perdus. Les collectivités locales, les programmes nationaux doivent
apporter leur soutien pour que le projet puisse continuer d'ici 2 ou 3 ans
», a plaidé le directeur exécutif de l'Apaps, le Dr Ibrahima Lamine Diop.



Le projet a financé 9 associations qui ont réalisé au total 575 visites à
domicile. Il a aussi soutenu la formation de 126 Pvvih en gestion de
financement. Le recentrage, du rôle des Personnes vivant avec le Vih dans la
lutte contre cette pandémie au Sénégal a réellement commencé avec le Paplus
qui a porté un sacré coup à la stigmatisation, à la discrimination dont les
malades faisaient l'objet.



« Ce projet est une contribution à l'amélioration de la réponse nationale au
Vih/Sida par la promotion de la dynamique associative chez les Pvvih. Il
vise deux axes prioritaires du nouveau plan stratégique national 2007-2011,
à savoir la lutte contre la stigmatisation et la discrimination des Pvvih et
le renforcement de la prise en charge communautaire », a fait savoir la
présidente de l'Apaps, Marième Diop.



En l'espace de deux ans, le projet a permis d'augmenter le nombre de membres
des 9 associations. Celui-ci est passé de 200 en 2007 à 600 en 2009.



*=======================*

* *

*ASIA AND PACIFIC*

* *

*=======================***



*A generation lost to scourge of AIDS  **
**Himalayan Times, Nepal*

17/11/2009



Tekendra Deuba

Dipayal,



Some families here comprise only children while others have only old people.
In villages under the grip of AIDS, the middle generation has been wiped
out.

This has compelled elderly people to take care of their grandchildren since
their offspring and their spouses died of AIDS. The situation arose when the
males transmitted the disease to their wife having contracted it first
themselves in course of working abroad.

It is difficult to find middle-aged people in settlements of Khirsain,
Lagagad, Gajari, Pokhari, Doud, Toleni and Banlek villages. According to
District AIDS Coordination Committee Doti, most persons who died of the
disease were middleaged.

Prem Bahadur Kathayat, coordinator of the committee, said the total number
of people infected with HIV was 619 in the district. The affected people are
between 14 and 40 years of age, 60 per cent of whom are women.

Devi Raut (60), is worried about the future of her granddaughter since she
is too old to work to earn for her upkeep.



*3*

*A decree to protect HIV positive people **
**Fiji Times*

19/11/2009



THE HIV Prevention and Treatment Decree, which is up for consultation,
states that it is illegal to stigmatise a person on the ground that the
person is living with HIV.



A consultation on the decree was held on Tuesday at the Novotel conference
centre in Lami, saw members from the health sector and non-government
organisations expressing their views on the document.



The consultation report will be submitted to Cabinet in February for
approval.



Clause 23 of the decree states that discrimination in relation to insurance,
superannuation or a provident fund is not unlawful if it involves an
assessment of risk and where the discrimination is based on actuarial or
statistical data on which it is or was reasonable to rely at the relevant
time.



Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Sala Saketa said the decree failed to
fully describe the responsibility of a HIV positive person in relation to
reporting his status and getting tested.



Dr Saketa said the decree should include clauses pertaining to the
responsibilities that a person living with HIV had in complying with
treatment and protection of those who were not HIV positive.



She said the burden of responsibility should not be placed on one part of
the community and it was important to have a law in place which would give a
shared responsibility on HIV testing and reporting.



Dr Saketa said the views of a wider selection of society would be taken on
the draft decree, however, she said the stakeholders would have to be
careful in what views they selected.



She said the decree stated that a HIV council of Fiji would be formed and
would be responsible for certain issues.



However, she said finalising the council's establishment would depend on
Cabinet and its budgetary allocation for the organisation.



*4*

*Health dept, agencies play vital role in HIV fight**
**The National, PNG*

19/11/2009



Despite the awareness on HIV/AIDS by the Health Department, National AIDS
Council (NAC), non-governmental organisations, people living with HIV/AIDS
(PLWHA), etc, it is not reaching everyone.

This is because most Papua New Guineans live in remote areas and the harsh
geographical terrains, traditional beliefs and different cultures make it
all the more difficult for the message to reach the people.

And when it does reach the people, not many are taking the message
seriously.

HIV/AIDS is spreading across the country and there is no place in the world
which is immune to the HIV virus.

I support the title of the letter “HIV/AIDS still spreading like bush fire”
(Nov 17) but not the entire content.

The Health Department, NAC, NGOs and donor agencies, etc, are playing a
vital role in HIV/AIDS awareness.

Many people are going to voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) centres
freely, which means people are aware that HIV/AIDS is spreading like a bush
fire.

The VCT centres are not only getting vital statistic but also help those who
are infected and affected.

Many people are confused over the use of condom.

When we talk about preventive measures, we talk about three main ways of
preventing HIV – abstain from sex, be faithful to one’s sexual partner
either married or otherwise, and use condom.

It is wrong for people to think that promoting condom use is promoting HIV.

The people who are vulnerable to contracting HIV/AIDS are the sex workers.

One way for them to avoid contracting HIV and other sexual diseases is to
use condom.

We must remember not all Papua New Guineans are faithful Christians or
faithful to their sexual partners.

These people are encouraged to use condoms to protect themselves from HIV or
other sexually transmitted infections (STI).

HIV positive people can prevent the spread of the virus by using condoms
when having sex.



*5*

*Victoria calls for HIV protocols**
**Sydney Star Observer, Australia*

19/11/2009



Victorian HIV bodies want to clarify protocols which exist between the
Health Department and Victoria Police when criminal law is used to deal with
people putting others at risk of HIV.

The call follows the release of a National Association of People Living with
HIV/AIDS monograph urging a move away from a growing trend to prosecute.

Victorian AIDS Council executive director Mike Kennedy said although there
were guidelines, a recent meeting of AIDS Council heads showed other states
were similarly unclear about exactly what circumstances trigger a referral
to police.

“I’m not aware of any Australian state that has any clear guideline to say
how this will happen, so that’s the missing bit from the reviews that were
done around the country,” Kennedy said.

“Our view is that [protocols] ought to be governed by a set of agreed
procedures, not just rely on goodwill and a set of relationships between
people in the Health Department and people in the police service because
those people change.”

There have been 22 HIV-related criminal prosecutions in Australia since 1993
with 12 of those before Victorian courts.

There has been a sharp spike across Australia in the last three years, with
half of the 22 cases occurring since 2007 — five of those in Victoria.

National guidelines are now in place after a 2007 review of policies for
managing people with HIV who risk infecting others following the prosecution
of Michael Neal who was found guilty of eight counts of attempting to infect
with HIV.

Kennedy said the protocols were still unclear.

“If someone goes out and deliberately attempts to infect, or attempts and
does infect someone with HIV, most people are going to say if it’s
deliberate and there’s intent, then that’s criminal,” he said.

“If a slip-up happens, which they do, most people, including a lot of
police, are going to say, ‘Well, that’s not criminal’, but there’s an awful
lot of space between the two of those.”

People Living With HIV/AIDS Victoria president Paul Kidd said the
uncertainty of where criminal charges would be pursued was creating concern
among some HIV positive people.

“They’re fearful that in the normal course of their sexual lives they could
put themselves in a situation where they inadvertently attract the attention
of the police,” Kidd said.

“We’re not talking about people who are deliberately spreading HIV or
behaving in a negligent fashion. We’re talking about ordinary gay men and
other people who are HIV positive who live in an environment where
unprotected sex is a part of [their] lives.”

Kidd said there is also no clear statement on what constitutes “adequate
precautions”.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said if a case is referred by the Health
Department, police have an obligation to investigate.



*========================*



*EUROPE***



*========================*



*Poor women 'bear climate burden'**
**BBC News, UK*

18/11/2009



Women in developing countries will be the most vulnerable to climate change,
a report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned.



The agency said there was a disproportionate burden on those women and
called for greater equality.



They do most of the agricultural work, and are therefore affected by
weather-related natural disasters impacting on food, energy and water, it
said.



Slower population growth would help cut greenhouse gas emissions, it added.



The report suggested family planning, reproductive healthcare and "gender
relations" could influence how the world adapts to rising seas, worsening
storms and severe droughts.



"[There] are fundamental questions about how climate change will affect
women, men, boys and girls differently around the world, and indeed within
nations, and how individual behaviour can undermine or contribute to the
global effort to cool our warming world," UNFPA executive director Thoraya
Ahmed Obaid said.



'Cycle of deprivation'

She called for any treaty that might come from the UN climate change
conference in Copenhagen next month to take into account individuals' power
to "reverse the warming of the Earth's atmosphere".



Temperatures are predicted to rise by 4C to 6C by 2100, with a "likely
catastrophic effect" on the environment, habitats, economies and people, the
report said.



Migration could be affected, as rising sea levels and droughts prompt people
to leave uninhabitable lands, and poor people could lose their livelihoods.



But women, particularly in poor countries, will be affected differently from
men, the UNFPA added.



Describing "a cycle of deprivation", the report said that women in
developing countries did a larger share of farming and had less access to
income-earning opportunities.



They also managed households and cared for families, which limited their
chances of moving around and increased "their vulnerability to sudden
weather-related natural disasters".



'Centuries' to tackle

When drought strikes, the women had to "work harder to secure food, water
and energy for their homes".



"Given women's significant engagement in food production in developing
countries, the close connection between gender, farming and climate change
deserves far more analysis than it currently receives," the UNFPA said.



Societies which will be more resilient to climate change are those with
education, healthcare and legal protection for all, and where people have
more say in their own lives, it added.



It warned it was a long-term goal - taking "decades, even centuries" - to
keep the atmosphere suitable for human habitation.



*3*

*Chinese police raid workshops producing counterfeit condoms**
**The Times, UK*

11/11/2009



Jane Macartney in Beijing



Safe sex may not be quite so safe in China. Police have uncovered
underground workshops churning out fake condoms in the latest expose of
China’s counterfeit industry.



The spread of knock-off prophylactics is rampant, state media said. Users
can expect little or no protection even though the condoms in question carry
the most famous brand names.



The scandal surfaced when police raided a workshop in central Hunan province
that was producing counterfeit condoms. The police warned that the
contraceptives had already been distributed nationwide and many people may
have already bought and used the poor quality items, risking both pregnancy
and disease.



Police are still looking for as many as a million condoms produced by the
illegal factory.



Four people have been arrested in that condom bust and police described the
operation as well organised in the 20-square-metre workshop.



Bare-chested employees were found using vegetable oil to lubricate the
condoms to make them smooth and shiny before placing them directly in fibre
bags without bothering with sterilisation.



Since March, the workshop had turned out 2.16 million unsterilised condoms
labelled as “Jissbon”, “Durex”, “Rough Rider”, “Six Sense” and “Love Card”.
The workshop had earned about 80,000 yuan (£7,000).



One police officer said: “This is by far the largest case involving
producing and selling fake condoms in Hunan Province."



He warned buyers that price was a good clue to a counterfeit condom. One
online shop based in Hunan province was offering Durex and Six Sense condoms
at 15 yuan (£1.30) per pack of 12. The normal market price for Durex condoms
in supermarkets and pharmacies is 49 yuan a pack.



The owner defended his products, before hanging up the telephone. “All my
products are genuine and sourced from the authorised agencies of the
manufacturers.”



The temptation is high to turn out fakes in China — whether DVDs, Louis
Vuitton handbags or BMW cars — due to the low cost of labour and raw
materials and the difficulty for the police in tracking down such enormous
and spread-out workshops.



Officials estimate that a third of all condoms in some areas are fake. The
condom market in China is the fourth-largest in the world with annual sales
of about two billion. The market is important in a country with a strict
family planning policy that restricts urban families to one child per couple



*5*

*La Convention internationale des droits de l'enfant a 20 ans: des succès et
des défis **
**AFP*

16/11/2009



De Franck MADOEUF



PARIS — Enfants malades, exploités, non scolarisés, enrôlés de force dans
les guerres, les défis pour améliorer le sort des enfants sont encore
nombreux malgré les énormes progrès permis par la Convention internationale
des droits de l'enfant qui fête ses 20 ans le 20 novembre.



"A l'épreuve des faits, c'est un texte qui tient vraiment la route, car
préparé pendant dix ans par un groupe multinational et multiculturel, et qui
qualitativement, a véritablement cristallisé des normes en ce qui concerne
le regard que portent les adultes sur les enfants", estime aujourd'hui
Jacques Hintzy, président pour la France du Fonds des Nations unies pour
l'Enfance (Unicef).



Il reconnaît l'ampleur des défis qui restent à relever, citant sida,
exploitation sexuelle, travail forcé. Mais il rappelle quelques chiffres
encourageants: 13 millions de décès d'enfants par an en 1990, 8,4 millions
aujourd'hui, notamment en raison des campagnes de vaccination, et 95
millions d'enfants non scolarisés aujourd'hui contre 115 millions il y a
vingt ans.



"L'enfant, en raison de son manque de maturité physique et intellectuelle, a
besoin d'une protection spéciale et de soins spéciaux, notamment d'une
protection juridique appropriée, avant, comme après la naissance", indiquait
en 1989 le préambule de la Convention, votée à l'unanimité à New York par
l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies.



En 54 articles, la Convention a reconnu et voulu mettre en place des
protections ciblées et des droits spécifiques pour tous les enfants, garçons
et filles jusqu'à l'âge de 18 ans.



"Avec la crise économique qui touche d'abord les pays pauvres, les
changements climatiques, les conflits armés, on est toujours dans un monde
douloureux pour beaucoup d'enfants, qui restent les premières victimes",
rappelle Dominique Versini, Défenseure des enfants en France, qui parle au
niveau mondial d'une "progression à petits pas".



Elue en septembre, présidente du réseau européen des défenseurs des enfants
regroupant 35 membres dans 28 états, elle cite au chapitre des avancées du
continent la Roumanie qui "a énormément progressé", mettant fin aux réseaux
de passeurs et de trafic d'enfants vers l'Europe de l'Ouest et créant "une
justice des mineurs adaptée aux mineurs".



Jacques Hintzy note "de bons progrès" en Amérique Latine mais rappelle que
"la zone à problèmes" reste l'Afrique subsaharienne, où vivent 13 des 15
millions d'orphelins du sida recensés dans le monde.



En France, la loi sur le handicap de février 2005 a constitué aux yeux de la
Défenseure des enfants "une avancée certaine".



"En France, globalement, la situation est satisfaisante. Déjà la convention
intervenait dans un paysage qui pouvait sembler satisfaisant. Il n'empêche
que le droit pénal des mineurs est en train de se renforcer du côté
répressif. C'est incontestable. Or c'est tout à fait contraire à l'esprit de
la Convention qui dit qu'il faut traiter le mineur d'une manière favorisant
plus son éducation que la sanction", affirme Claire Neirinck, professeur à
l'Université de Toulouse I, spécialisée en droit des enfants.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. Tous droits réservés



*========================*

* *

*LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN*

* *

*========================*



*En ocho estados se sanciona a las personas que contagian el VIH/sida**
**La Jornada, Mexico*

18/11/2009



Ángeles Cruz Martínez



La criminalización de la transmisión del VIH será uno de los temas del
próximo Congreso nacional de sida, el cual se efectuará en Tuxtla Gutiérrez,
Chiapas, del 27 al 30 de noviembre próximos. José Antonio Izazola, director
del Centro Nacional para la Prevención y Control de esa enfermedad
(Censida), comentó que en ocho entidades existen leyes que sancionan a las
personas que viven con el padecimiento e infectan a otra.



Aunque no se han reportado casos que violenten los derechos humanos de los
portadores, el riesgo existe, indicó. De ahí la importancia de abordar el
tema, para lo cual se invitará a legisladores estatales y federales, en
particular de las entidades donde están vigentes ordenamientos de ese tipo.



El lema del congreso, “Evidencia para la acción”, tiene la finalidad de
convocar a la revisión de las acciones que se desarrollan en el país para
contrarrestar esa epidemia y, principalmente, evitar duplicidades y lograr
sinergias entre gobiernos, organizaciones civiles e iniciativa privada.



Comentó que además de dos conferencias magistrales y ocho sesiones
plenarias, las organizaciones civiles que han recibido financiamiento para
la realización de acciones focalizadas en la prevención del VIH/sida
expondrán sus experiencias. Se trata, abundó, de conocer todos los éxitos y
fracasos de esos proyectos.

Carlos García de León, director de prevención del Censida, informó que se
otorgarán 300 becas completas para facilitar la participación de activistas
y portadores de la enfermedad, aunque también planteó la necesidad de hacer
que los participantes “poco a poco” también inviertan en su asistencia a los
congresos.



Se prevé la asistencia de mil 200 personas, entre ellas integrantes de 100
de las 211 organizaciones registradas en el centro.



“Éste es el único congreso que en lo personal conozco, donde no hay
inversión de los participantes. Entonces, para disminuir esa brecha y dada
la situación económica”, las personas también deben contribuir con recursos
para su traslado, “porque es un proceso de asistencia técnica que
beneficiará a los proyectos” que cada organización realiza, manifestó García
de León.



Aseguró, no obstante, que está garantizada la participación de los sectores
en mayor riesgo de contraer el VIH/sida: jóvenes, mujeres e individuos que
carecen de recursos económicos. También se abrieron espacios para la
asistencia de personal de salud involucrado en la atención de los
infectados.



*3*

*Campaña del VIH-sida llegará a barrios**
**La Hora, Ecuador*

17/11/2009



MANTA • Los miembros del Comité Técnico del VIH-sida,  representantes de la
Fundación D- Miro y  del PVS  (Personas Viviendo con Sida), ofrecieron ayer
una rueda de prensa para dar detalles sobre el concierto de VIH que se
desarrollará el sábado 28 a las 16:00 en la plaza cívica.

El objetivo del evento es congregar a  las personas  portadoras de la
enfermedad con el fin de concienciarlas  y enseñarles a vivir con ella.

Para esto se conformarán brigadas barriales que  multiplicarán el mensaje de
prevención  en todos los hogares de sus comunidades.

José Mosquera, asesor de la  Fundación D-Miro,  mencionó que  la ayuda
consiste en  otorgar  el producto “Vida”  a través de créditos  de hasta
1.200 dólares a 12 meses plazo, capacitación técnica para el emprendimiento
de sus  negocios y ayuda psicológica  para que acepten a vivir con la
enfermedad.



D- Miro es un organismo de Noruega, cristiano microfinanciero que entre
otras cosas contribuye a mejorar la calidad de vida de  las personas que
viven en sectores marginales.

Mosquera dijo que existen suficientes  fondos para ayudar a los pacientes
con VIH pero es  necesario que ellos se identifiquen.

Actualmente en la ciudad 14 personas se benefician de los créditos de la
Fundación.  En las ciudades en donde se desarrollan programas del VIH se han
identificado un aproximado de 4 mil personas portadoras del Virus de
Inmunodeficiencia Humana.

Cristóbal Zambrano, director del Área de Salud No 2,  informó que en lo que
va del año se han reportado 14 casos  de los cuales 12 son hombres  y dos
mujeres embarazadas.

Recordó que las únicas tres formas de contagio son las relaciones sexuales
sin protección, la vía sanguínea  y  la vertical (madres embarazadas que
contagian el producto).

Los pacientes  cuyos resultados  sean positivo en el Área de Salud No 2, son
enviados a una clínica de Portoviejo en donde se someten al  tratamiento
médico y psicológico.

La campaña de prevención que arranca con el concierto involucra a los
estudiantes de los colegios y  ciudadanía en general, dijo David Loor,
miembro del comité y director del Departamento de Desarrollo Comunitario



*4*

*CCJ aprova punição para quem discriminar portador de HIV**
**O Globo, Brazil*

18/11/2009



DA SUCURSAL DE BRASÍLIA



BRASÍLIA - A Comissão de Constituição e Justiça da Câmara (CCJ) aprovou
proposta que define como crime a discriminação dos portadores do vírus da
imunodeficiência humana (HIV) e doentes de Aids. O texto ainda precisa ser
aprovado pelo Plenário.



O texto aprovado foi o substitutivo do relator na comissão, deputado Regis
de Oliveira (PSC-SP), aos projetos de Lei 6124/05, do Senado, 2276/07, da
deputada Jô Moraes (PCdoB-MG), e 5448/01, do ex-deputado Nelson Pelegrino
(PT-BA).



Regis de Oliveira destacou que a medida ainda não existe no Brasil e é
fundamental. A proposta prevê reclusão de um a quatro anos e multa para quem
praticar a discriminação.



O parlamentar disse que também incluiu essa punição na Lei 7.716/89, que,
atualmente, já pune a discriminação de raça, cor, etnia, religião,
procedência nacional e doenças de qualquer natureza.



*========================*



*NORTH AMERICA*



*========================*



*Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria is making do with less**
**UN Dispatch*

18/11/2009



Alanna Shaikh



The Center for Global Development’s excellent Global Health Policy blog
noted today the huge resource deficit that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
TD, and Malaria is currently facing -- a $2.6 billion funding gap over the
next two years.



To cover those cuts, the Global Fund is taking ten percent off the top of
all grants, calling it an “efficiency cut.” In my own experience, that will
work for the first round or two, and then everyone will just start gaming
the system by padding their grant requests. They are also only committing to
pay 90 percent of grant funding and are assuming they’ll find a way to fill
in the other 10 percent in the next two years. Finally, they’re probably
going to delay grant approvals until more funding is available.



It adds up to the erosion of funding for HIV, TB, and Malaria, at a time
when the money is needed more than ever. All three of those illnesses are
made worse by poverty.  In a time of global financial crisis the need is
heightened not lessened.

*2*

*The HIV travel ban(Editorial)**
**Washington Post*

19/11/2009



THE UNITED STATES is a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Hundreds
of millions of dollars have been spent to assist those living with the
disease and to help the uninfected stay that way. But since 1987, there has
been a blot on that leadership. While the United States was urging an end to
the stigma that keeps people from protecting themselves, getting tested and
seeking treatment, it was one of 12 nations perpetuating that stigma by
enforcing a ban on entry by people who are HIV-positive. That ended last
month when President Obama lifted the prohibition.



This punitive policy took effect when AIDS was little understood. Today we
know that HIV is not spread through casual contact and that infection is
preventable. The same cannot be said for active tuberculosis, cholera,
yellow fever, smallpox, infectious leprosy, diphtheria and other diseases
that remain on the travel-ban list.



The process for eliminating the travel ban started under President George W.
Bush in July 2008, when he signed legislation that repealed the original
statute. The law designated HIV/AIDS as a "communicable disease of public
health significance." For those seeking to become residents of the United
States, the medical examination required testing for HIV. And applicants who
were HIV-positive were denied visas to visit; waivers could be requested but
were difficult to get. The prohibition discouraged foreign-born residents
from getting tested.



The new regulation ends mandatory testing for immigration and visitation and
will officially start on Jan. 4. This allows Mr. Obama to check off a
promise made to the gay community. More important, it will be a dignified
and humane change to a policy that no longer makes sense. "If we want to be
the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it," Mr. Obama
said during a ceremony to reauthorize the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS
Resources Emergency Act. Mission accomplished.



*3*

*U.N. chief: Hunger kills 17,000 kids daily**
**CNN*

17/11/2009



Rome, Italy (CNN) -- Somewhere in the world, a child dies of hunger every
five seconds -- even though the planet has more than enough food for all.



U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon laid out this sobering statistic as he
kicked off a three-day summit on world food security Monday in Rome.



"Today, more than 1 billion people are hungry," he told the assembled
leaders. Six million children die of hunger every year -- 17,000 every day,
he said.



The summit opened with the leaders adopting a declaration to renew their
commitment to eradicating hunger. They promised to do so by promoting
investment, reversing the decline in funding for agriculture and tackling
the effect of global warming on food security.



Urgent action is critical, Ban said. In 2050, the world will need to feed 2
billion more mouths -- 9.1 billion in all.



The steps Ban proposed included providing farmers with seeds and land and
offering them access to better markets and fairer trade.



"These small-holder farmers are the heart and soul of food security and
poverty reduction," he said. "Our job is not just to feed the hungry but to
empower the hungry to feed themselves."



The summit came under criticism even before it began, with some aid groups
skeptical that it would accomplish much.



The United Nations hopes that donors will go beyond affirming their support
to end hunger and fulfill a promise they made during a Group of Eight
meeting in July to increase food aid significantly.



Though more than 60 world leaders are at the summit, all but one of the G-8
leaders were absent.



Italian Prime Minister Silvio Belusconi is hosting the gathering. The United
States sent the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and
Britain sent two ministers.



During his speech, Ban also tied the global warming crisis to hunger
eradication.



The melting of Himalayan glaciers will affect the livelihood of 300 million
people in China and up to 1 billion throughout Asia, he said. And African
farmers might see harvests drop by 50 percent by 2020.



The United Nations has scheduled a climate summit next month in Copenhagen,
Denmark.



"There can be no food security without climate security," Ban said. "They
must produce results.



"The world is impatient for us to make a difference. I, too, am impatient.
And I am committed."



The United Nations also seeks commitment from the public, making an online
appeal for individual donations to fight hunger. The U.N. World Food
Program's "Billion for a Billion" campaign aims to reach 1 billion
individuals.



"If a billion Internet users donate a dollar or a euro a week, we can
literally transform the lives of a billion hungry people across the world,"
said Josette Sheeran, the World Food Program's executive director.



Small donations can make a big difference, Sheeran said.



"Year in, year out, governments have supported WFP in its mission to feed
the world's hungriest people, but they cannot be expected to do it alone,"
Sheeran said. "It's time for members of the public to act."



*4*

*HIV trial vector specter**
**The Scientist*

17/11/2009



Posted by Bob Grant



Did patients in a failed HIV vaccine trial halted in 2007 become more
susceptible to the virus due to the adenoviral vector used to deliver the
experimental vaccine? Researchers have speculated this may have been the
case, and a new study proposes a mechanism for how this could have occurred.




The in vitro study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences (PNAS) this week, reports that immune cells from people previously
exposed to an adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) -- similar to the vector used in
the Merck-funded STEP trial -- generate activated T cells primed to migrate
to mucosal surfaces such as the gut, where they are more available to HIV
infection.



"I'm not saying you should rule out adenovirus for all time, but you should
be aware that there are possible problems with the use of it," Imperial
College London vaccine researcher and main author Steven Patterson told The
Scientist.



The researchers stimulated T cell production in vitro by bombarding immune
cells from 20 healthy adults with Ad5. The T cells generated in cultures
from Ad5-seropositive participants expressed more α4β7 integrins and CCR9,
proteins that help T cells migrate to the intestinal lining. In those
people, "between 70 and 80% of [T] cells that proliferated in response to
Ad5 were α4β7 positive," Patterson noted.



Based on these results, STEP trial participants with no prior exposure to
Ad5 would have produced less "mucosal homing" T cells -- that is, T cells
that head for the gut -- when jabbed with the Ad5 vaccine, the researchers
speculated. "If it's the first encounter with the virus and it's through the
intramuscular route, it will tend to induce a response where most of the
cells are not mucosal homing," Patterson said.



But research published in Nature Medicine in July contradicted this
suggestion, concluding that Ad5 played little, if any, role in the boosted
infection rates seen in the STEP trial. In those studies, Harvard
immunologist Dan Barouch and University of Pennsylvania researcher Michael
Betts and their colleagues analyzed blood samples from human trials
preliminary to the phase IIb STEP trial. Barouch found that it was
Ad5-seronegative -- not Ad5-seropositive -- STEP volunteers who experienced
the largest increase in Ad5-specific T cells. Betts showed that the T cells
produced after vaccination in Ad5-seropositive vs. Ad5-seronegative
individuals didn't differ in the cytokines they expressed and would not have
migrated differentially to mucosal linings.



"While the results found by Benlahrech et al. are provocative and likely
accurate for their in vitro model," Betts wrote in an email to The
Scientist, "no such upregulation of mucosal targeting receptors was found in
two independent studies published in Nature Medicine performed on samples
directly isolated from Ad5-vaccinated humans."



"No data from humans vaccinated with Ad5 vectors are described in this
paper, and thus the implications of these findings for clinical trials
remain unclear," concurred Barouch in an email to The Scientist. "The
findings reported in the Benlahrech paper are derived from an artificial in
vitro experimental system and do not appear to be consistent with the data
obtained by two independent groups utilizing samples from the human clinical
trials of the actual Merck Ad5-HIV vectors."



Patterson contends that Barouch and Betts may have simply missed the mucosal
homing CD4 T cells in their analyses of blood samples from the STEP trial
participants. "The reason they didn't see them is because they migrated out
of the blood to the mucosal tissues," Patterson said. "That's the easiest
explanation."



"We're still puzzling over the STEP trial," Pat Fast, chief medical officer
of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, told The Scientist. "This
[paper] raises a lot of really important questions and points a way towards
much more detailed analysis in phase I clinical trials of immune responses."




Meanwhile, researchers in California are suggesting a different approach to
HIV vaccine vectors. In a paper also published in this week's PNAS,
California Institute of Technology biologist David Baltimore and colleagues
show it may be possible to deliver a vaccine directly to the immune system's
dendritic cells using a lentiviral vector wrapped in glycoproteins derived
from a Sindbis virus. They successfully tested a vaccine in mice and are
starting trials now in non-human primates. Lentiviruses and Sindbis viruses
are far less common in the general population than are adenoviruses, and
some suggest that this may make them safer vectors for HIV vaccines.



Though uncertainty continues to surround the role of the Ad5 vector's role
in the STEP trial's premature failure, Baltimore said that using a
lentivirus instead of an adenovirus as an HIV vaccine's vector simply seems
to be more effective.



"Our argument is that it's better than adeno[vectors], regardless of whether
there's a safety issue or not," he told The Scientist.



The NIH's PAVE 100 trial is currently testing an Ad5-vectored candidate.



*5*

*UA nursing professor to spend $100,000 studying AIDS stigma among black
rural men**
**Alabama Press-Register*

19/11/2009



By Press-Register staff



TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Susan Gaskins, a professor in the Capstone College of
Nursing at the University of Alabama, has received a $100,000 federal grant
to study the impact of disclosing an AIDS diagnosis on black rural men.



During the 2-year study, funded by the National Institute of Nursing
Research at the National Institutes of Health, researchers will interview 40
HIV positive African-American men recruited from rural AIDS service
organizations and clinics. Participants who have been diagnosed for at least
six months will be interviewed about their disclosure decisions and the
process of disclosing their HIV status.



Gaskins and Foster want to learn to whom the participants have disclosed
their HIV diagnosis, what motivated them to disclose, the content of the
disclosure message, and consequences and benefits of disclosure.



"The findings of this study will provide essential information for
developing culturally relevant interventions to guide disclosure decisions
which will be supportive of the health and quality of life of rural
HIV-postive African-Americans," Gaskins said. "These interventions will help
educate health care providers and case workers as they assist individuals in
managing their lives with HIV/AIDS."



According to the HIV/AIDS fact sheet provided by the Centers for Disease
Control, black Americans are disproportionately represented among people
with HIV/AIDS, accounting for 49 percent of the people with the disease,
although they represent only 13 percent of the U.S. population. In the rural
South, blacks account for 56 percent of all AIDS cases with men having the
highest rate of HIV infection.



The study aims to explore the process and context of HIV disclosure by black
men to partners and family, and the perceived health outcomes, benefits and
consequences of the disclosures, university officials said in a news
release.



*========================*



*UNAIDS WEB.SITE*



*========================*



Artists in Russia come together to spread awareness about HIV

*UNAIDS*

18/11/2009



UNAIDS and the All-Russian Union of People Living with HIV came together for
the second time to support the international project Art Against AIDS that
unites well-known artists in the response to the HIV epidemic in Russia.
This year, proceeds from the sale of art at the exhibition went to
low-income families raising children living with HIV.



More than 30 contemporary artists, photographers, and musicians from Russia,
the United States, Japan, Greece and Spain offered their work for the
charitable exhibition-sale held at the Central House of Artists from 12 - 26
November 2009. Last year, funds raised during the exhibition-sale went to
children living with HIV at the Vsevolozhsk Orphanage in Leningrad Oblast.



There is increasing political and financial commitment for universal access
to HIV prevention, treatment and care in Russia, even in the face of a
global financial crisis. The country is set to increase the number of people
on antiretroviral treatment by 50,000 in 2009. Through this exhibition,
artists, photographers and musicians are helping to speak openly about HIV
and to draw the attention of the wider public towards this issue.



Earlier in October during the 3rd HIV/AIDS Conference in Eastern Europe and
Central Asia, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé said that there has
been progress in the region with many countries set to achieve universal
access target goals. But the UNAIDS head also noted that the AIDS epidemic
continues to outpace the response as the estimated number of adults and
children living with HIV in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region has
doubled since 2001.



Injecting drug use is the main mode of HIV transmission across Eastern
Europe and Central Asia. HIV prevention among drug users and their sexual
partners is a vital component of an evidence-informed response. Although the
HIV epidemic in the Russian Federation is the largest in the region, there
are rising numbers in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the
Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.



*2*

*Michel Sidibé awarded Monaco distinction by His Serene Highness Prince
Albert II **
**UNAIDS*

19/11/2009



UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé was awarded the Order of Saint
Charles along with UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura in the
Principality of Monaco during the country’s National Day.



The order rewards merit and service to the state or Prince of Monaco and is
one of the country’s most prestigious distinctions.



The medal was awarded in the presence of His Serene Highness Prince Albert
II of Monaco, Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline of Hanover and Her Royal
Highness Princess Caroline of Hanover.



Expressing his appreciation for the award, Mr Sidibé emphasized the
importance of Monaco’s efforts in the response to the AIDS epidemic, noting
Monaco’s financial contribution to the response in priority countries
Madagascar and Burundi and the personal commitment of the royal family.



Her Serene Highness Princess Stéphanie, Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS, has
been working with the organization since 2006 focusing on HIV prevention and
raising awareness on the impact of discrimination against people living with
HIV.



Mr Sidibé praised the leadership of Her Serene Highness in her work to
increase the visibility of issues related to AIDS.



During his last visit to the country in May 2009, Mr Sidibé renewed the
existing funding agreement between UNAIDS and Monaco until 2011

*3*

*UNFPA report: Exploring links between HIV and climate change**
**UNFPA*

18/11/2009



The success of the global response to AIDS will rely on tackling not only
the encroaching virus itself but also the affects of climate change such as
food and water shortages, growth in poverty and an increase in natural
disasters, argues the State of World Population 2009, released today by the
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).



The report also contends that, equally, strengthening the response to the
AIDS epidemic will mean that individuals, communities and societies will
have greater social resilience in the face of a range of climate change
threats and will be better able to deal with their consequences. HIV and
climate change are perceived as profoundly linked, a perception shared by a
range of UN bodies, including UNAIDS and the United Nations Environment
Programme, UNEP.



Subtitled, ‘Facing a changing world: women population and climate’, The
State of World Population places women at the very centre of the attempt to
confront climate change and maintains that policies, programmes and
interventions are more likely to mitigate its worst effects if they reflect
the rights and needs of women.



Women are said to bear the brunt of climate change, partly because in many
countries they make up the majority of the agricultural workforce hard hit
in an environmental crisis, and because they often do not have sufficient
control of their lives and access to as many opportunities to generate
income as men – they are more likely to be poor and to see their poverty
increase. As UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid has it, “Poor
women in poor countries are among the hardest hit by climate change, even
though they contributed the least to it.”



Numerous examples of extreme climate change are cited, from melting glaciers
in Bolivia, to the destruction of crops by typhoons in the Philippines, and
from drought in east and southern Africa to floods in Vietnam. In each
scenario, women are shown struggling to keep their livelihoods and families
intact, and, in some cases, fighting for their lives.



According to the report, empowering women and girls, especially through
investments in health and education, help boost economic development and
reduce poverty, thus having a beneficial impact on coping with climate
change. Girls with more education are more likely to protect themselves
against HIV and to have smaller and healthier families as adults. In
general, access to reproductive health services such as family planning
means lower fertility rates and this has a clear bearing on lessening the
potential impact of environmental crises and making sustainable development
more likely.



“Women should be part of any agreement on climate change—not as an
afterthought or because it’s politically correct, but because it’s the right
thing to do,” says Ms Obaid. “Our future as humanity depends on unleashing
the full potential of all human beings, and the full capacity of women, to
bring about change.”



The State of World Population 2009 argues that ensuring gender inequity is
challenged in all its facets is an urgent necessity, not just to improve the
lives of individual women but to stave off the worst consequences of
environmental crisis. This sense of urgency is relayed to the leaders and
negotiators due to meet in Copenhagen for December’s critical climate change
conference. They are urged to “think creatively” not just about emissions
and targets but about population, reproductive health and gender equality
and how they can contribute to “a just and environmentally sustainable
world.”
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