IGIHE

Category: Health

  • Male Circumcision Reduces HIV Risk Behaviour, Says Study

    Male Circumcision Reduces HIV Risk Behaviour, Says Study

    {{Men who opt for circumcision are more likely to engage in responsible sexual behaviour than their uncircumcised counterparts, a new study shows.}}

    The study was published in the current July issue of the prestigious AIDS and Behaviour Journal titled Risk Compensation Following Male Circumcision: Results from a Two-Year Prospective Cohort Study of Recently Circumcised and Uncircumcised Men in Nyanza Province, Kenya.

    The long term study compared the behaviours of 1, 588 newly circumcised men with 1,598 uncircumcised men for a period of 24 months in Nyanza province.

    Researchers found that condom use among the newly circumcised men increased by 30 percent compared to the uncircumcised group where the use rose by only 6 percent.

    This is consistent with earlier research which found that circumcised men consider condoms more comfortable and easier to use.

    Dr Robert Bailey, Principal Investigator of the study from the University of Illinois stated that the results of the study also showed that circumcised men reported declines in other HIV risk behaviours.

    They included less frequent casual sex, reduced incidence of transactional (paid) sex and fewer sexual partners.

    There have been concerns from some policy makers and stakeholders that VMMC could increase the spread of HIV by encouraging risky behaviours – such as indulgence in unprotected sex – among circumcised men who believe that the ‘cut’ offers them immunity against the disease.

    “We hope that these findings will convince all those who’ve been sceptical about Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) to finally embrace it,” noted Professor Walter Jaoko, Chair of the University Of Nairobi Medical Microbiology Department and the Deputy Director of the Kenya Aids Vaccine Initiative (KAVI), who participated in the study.

    He noted that the new study has significantly reinforced the effectiveness of VMMC with regards to it reducing HIV transmission.

    Mr James Macharia, Cabinet Secretary of Health stated that the government will continue rolling out VMMC programmes in regions where male circumcision has historically been low, especially in Nyanza province.

    He noted that advocacy and sensitisation on the significance of VMMC is crucial to reduce stigma linked to the practice (mainly due to cultural beliefs) and promote its acceptance.

    “We are also encouraging parents to circumcise their children while they are still young as it’s easier and beneficial to do so then,” he said.

    Nyanza suffers the highest HIV prevalence in Kenya (15.1 percent) and contributes approximately one third of the nation’s new infections.

    It is also the region with lowest rate of male circumcision (66 percent), based on the current Kenya Aids Indicator Survey (KAIS).

    NMG

  • Malaria Leading Killer in CAR: Aid Group

    Malaria Leading Killer in CAR: Aid Group

    {{As a recent ceasefire deal boosts prospects for peace in Central African Republic, a key medical aid group warned on Thursday that malaria was the leading killer in the impoverished landlocked country.}}

    Malaria, a life-threatening disease transmitted to people via mosquitoes, kills more than half million people a year, mainly infants in the poorest parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

    Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) said it had seen a jump in cases in Central African Republic, where violence between Christian militia and Muslim rebels has killed thousands of people and forced a million from their homes.

    An MSF report found that malaria cases in Bossangoa, about 190 miles (300 km) north of the capital Bangui, had more than tripled to 6,507 in May with almost two-thirds of those children under the age of five.

    “What was already an extremely fragile state with an essentially non-existent health system, Central African Republic has devolved into a nightmare of even greater proportions,” said Sylvain Groulx, head of MSF in Central African Republic who began working in the country in 2003.

    “Throughout CAR, a major health crisis prevails. With the onset of the rainy season, cases of malaria, the leading cause of death in the country, continue to rise,” Groulx told reporters at the United Nations in New York.

    Central African Republic has been gripped by violence since Seleka, a coalition of mainly Muslim rebels, seized power in March 2013. Seleka’s rule was marked by abuses that prompted the creation of the Christian anti-balaka militia.

    Cycles of tit-for-tat violence have continued in the country of 4.6 million people despite Seleka’s leaders stepping down from power in January.

  • Sierra Leone’s Chief Ebola Doctor Contracts the Virus

    Sierra Leone’s Chief Ebola Doctor Contracts the Virus

    {{The head doctor fighting the deadly tropical virus Ebola in Sierra Leone has himself caught the disease, the government said.}}

    The 39-year-old Sheik Umar Khan, hailed as a “national hero” by the health ministry, was leading the fight to control an outbreak that has killed 206 people in the West African country. Ebola kills up to 90 percent of those infected and there is no cure or vaccine.

    Across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, more than 600 people have died from the illness, according to the World Health Organisation, placing great strain on the health systems of some of Africa’s poorest countries.

    Khan, a Sierra Leonean virologist credited with treating more than 100 Ebola victims, has been transferred to a treatment ward run by medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, according to the statement released late on Tuesday by the president’s office.

    Health Minister Miatta Kargbo called Khan a national hero and said she would “do anything and everything in my power to ensure he survives”.

    Khan told Reuters in late June that he was worried about contracting Ebola. “I am afraid for my life, I must say, because I cherish my life,” he said in an interview, showing no signs of ill health at the time.

    “Health workers are prone to the disease because we are the first port of call for somebody who is sickened by disease. Even with the full protective clothing you put on, you are at risk.”

    Three days ago, three nurses working in the same Ebola treatment centre alongside Khan died from the disease.

    The Ebola outbreak started in Guinea’s remote southeast in February and has since spread across the region. Symptoms of the highly infectious disease are diarrhea, vomiting and internal and external bleeding.

    reuters

  • Early HIV Drugs ‘May not Stop Virus’

    Early HIV Drugs ‘May not Stop Virus’

    {{HIV can rapidly form invulnerable strongholds in the body, dashing hopes that early treatment might cure the virus, according to new research.}}

    A baby was thought to have been cured with treatment hours after birth, but the virus emerged years later.

    Monkey research, published in the journal Nature, suggests untouchable “viral reservoirs” form even before HIV can be detected in the blood.

    Experts described it as a “sobering” and “striking” finding.

    Reservoirs of HIV in the gut and brain tissue are the massive obstacle in the way of a cure.

    Remarkable progress in developing antiretroviral drugs means HIV can be kept in check in the bloodstream and patients have a near-normal life expectancy.

    But if the drugs stop, the virus will emerge from its reservoirs.

    International research is focused on flushing the virus out of its reservoirs, but there had been hope that early treatment could prevent them forming in the first place.

  • HIV Infection Rate in U.S. Falls By Third in a Decade

    HIV Infection Rate in U.S. Falls By Third in a Decade

    {{The rate of HIV infections diagnosed in the United States has fallen by a third over the past decade, researchers say}}.

    After examining cases from all 50 states, the study found that the diagnosis rate fell to 16.1 per 100,000 people in 2011 from 24.1 in 2002.

    Experts celebrated the findings as a hopeful sign that the Aids epidemic may be slowing in the country.

    However, there was a rise in new cases of HIV among gay and bisexual men aged under 24 and over 45.

    HIV is the virus that causes Aids, a disease which destroys the immune system.

    The World Health Organization estimates 35 million people globally have the virus. More than 1 million people in the US are thought to be infected, with 18% unaware of their infections.

    From 2002 to 2011, 493,372 people were diagnosed with HIV in the US, researchers said.

    As well as an overall decline, declines were also seen in the rates for men, women, whites, blacks, Hispanics, heterosexuals, injection drug users and most age groups.

    Researchers said the only group in which diagnoses increased was gay and bisexual men.

    “Among men who have sex with men, unprotected risk behaviours in the presence of high prevalence and unsuppressed viral load may continue to drive HIV transmission,” the report said.

    The study also found diagnosis rates dropped even as the amount of testing rose.

    In 2006, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended routine HIV testing for all Americans aged 13 to 64.

    The percentage of adults ever tested for HIV increased from 37% in 2000 to 45% in 2010, according to CDC data.

    Although experts say reasons for the US decline in infections are unknown, it is in line with a global downturn in the Aids epidemic.

    Last week, the United Nations said that there were 2.1 million new HIV infections worldwide in 2013, down 38% from 2001.

    The study was released online by the Journal of the American Medical Association ahead of the International Aids Conference that starts in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday.

  • Foods You Eat Impacts Your Vagina

    Foods You Eat Impacts Your Vagina

    {{Every woman who cares for her health should know by now that you are what you eat! And if that is the case then you probably know what you eat will influence your health. For a woman, eating for two should mean eating clean not only for your overall health but for a healthy vagina.}}

    I’m sure you have now noticed that some foods you eat will alter the natural acidic PH of your vagina hence altering the smell of your pee and your vagina.

    {{So what should you feast on for a normal smelling, healthy vagina?}}

    A healthy vagina has a natural acidic PH. It also has healthy bacteria that helps keep infections at bay but the foods you eat can alter this.

    {{Spices, garlic, onions, red meat, asparagus, broccoli, dairy and alcohol}} are those foods that will influence the PH balance of your vagina and give it an unnatural smell.

    For an acceptable natural body odor and for maintenance of a healthy acidic PH balance and not forgetting less trips to the gynae it is always best to eat{{ fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, yoghurt and drink plenty of water}}.

    Certain fruits and fruit juices can also change the smell of things for the better. It is also best to cut back on unnatural sugars .

    {captialfm}

  • UN Says End to Aids by 2030 ‘is Possible’

    UN Says End to Aids by 2030 ‘is Possible’

    {{There is a chance the Aids epidemic can brought under control by 2030, according to a report by the United Nations Aids agency. }}

    It said the number of new HIV infections and deaths from Aids were both falling.

    However, it called for far more international effort as the “current pace cannot end the epidemic”.

    And charity Medecins Sans Frontieres warned most of those in need of HIV drugs still had no access to them.

    The report showed that 35 million people around the world were living with HIV.

    There were 2.1 million new cases in 2013 – 38% less than the 3.4 million figure in 2001.

    Aids-related deaths have fallen by a fifth in the past three years, standing at 1.5 million a year. South Africa and Ethiopia have particularly improved.

    Many factors contribute to the improving picture, including increased access to drugs. There has even been a doubling in the number of men opting for circumcision to reduce the risk of spreading or contracting HIV.

    Fewer than four in 10 people with HIV are getting life-saving antiretroviral therapy.

    And just 15 countries account for three-quarters of all new HIV infections.

    The report said: “There have been more achievements in the past five years than in the preceding 23 years.

    “There is evidence about what works and where the obstacles remain, more than ever before, there is hope that ending Aids is possible.

    “However, a business-as-usual approach or simply sustaining the Aids response at its current pace cannot end the epidemic.”

    Michel Sidibe, the executive director of UNAids, added: “If we accelerate all HIV scale-up by 2020, we will be on track to end the epidemic by 2030, if not, we risk significantly increasing the time it would take – adding a decade, if not more.”

    Dr Jennifer Cohn, the medical director for Medecins Sans Frontieres’ access campaign, said: “Providing life-saving HIV treatment to nearly 12 million people in the developing world is a significant achievement, but more than half of people in need still do not have access.”

    In Nigeria, 80% of people do not have access to treatment.

    Dr Cohn added: “We need to make sure no-one is left behind – and yet, in many of the countries where MSF works we’re seeing low rates of treatment coverage, especially in areas of low HIV prevalence and areas of conflict.

    “In some countries, people are being started on treatment too late to save their lives, and pregnant women aren’t getting the early support they need.”

    BBC

  • India to Provide Four Free Vaccines

    India to Provide Four Free Vaccines

    {{ India will provide four new vaccines free of cost as part of a programme to reduce child mortality, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.}}

    They include one for rotavirus, which kills thousands of children a year.

    The disease causes dehydration and severe diarrhoea. It spreads via contaminated hands and surfaces, and is common in Asia and Africa.

    The move brings to 13 the number of free vaccines provided against life threatening diseases.

    “The introduction of four new life-saving vaccines will play a key role in reducing childhood and infant mortality and morbidity in the country,” Mr Modi said in a statement.

    “Many of these vaccines are already available through private practitioners to those who can afford them. The government will now ensure that the benefits of vaccination reach all sections of society, regardless of social and economic status.”

    The four new vaccines will combat rotavirus, rubella, polio and Japanese encephalitis.

    Diarrhoea caused by rotavirus kills nearly 80,000 children each year and results in up to a million hospital admissions in India, the statement said.

    Regular outbreaks of encephalitis also kill hundreds of children every year.

    A new adult vaccine against Japanese encephalitis will now be introduced in the 179 worst-affected districts in nine states.

    agencies

  • West Africa Adopts Common Strategy to Fight Ebola

    West Africa Adopts Common Strategy to Fight Ebola

    {{West African countries and international health organizations adopted a fresh strategy on Thursday to fight the world’s deadliest Ebola epidemic, which has killed hundreds of people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.}}

    At a two-day meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, officials committed to better surveillance to detect cases of the virus, enhance cross-border collaboration, better engagement with local communities and closer cooperation with the U.N. World Health Organization and other partners.

    Ministers also recommended setting up a sub-regional control centre in Guinea to coordinate technical support. The decisions involve governments, the United Nations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, aid agencies and the private sector.

    At least 467 people have died of the virus since February, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

    “The governments are required to mobilise relevant sectors, community, religious and political leaders to improve awareness, psycho-social support and understanding of the Ebola situation,” Francis Kasolo, WHO Africa director for disease prevention and control, told a news conference.

    The meeting’s final communique made no reference to increased financial support for the effort and there was little detail about how the measures would be implemented. Even so, ministers said the meeting had provided a valuable forum to share ideas.

    Health ministers also said it was essential for regional bodies such as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States to lead the effort.

    There is no plan to close borders in a bid to prevent the spread of the disease but instead efforts at the border to educate people about risks should be stepped up, said Liberian deputy health minister Bernice Dahn.

  • Deadly Anthrax Disease ‘Discovered in Hungarian Beef’

    Deadly Anthrax Disease ‘Discovered in Hungarian Beef’

    {{Five people are being monitored at a Hungarian hospital after the discovery of the deadly anthrax disease in samples of beef, reports say.}}

    The five were admitted to hospital over concerns that they may have been infected by the disease.

    The disease was discovered in frozen meat from two animals that had been slaughtered illegally, the Hungarian health agency says.

    Anthrax is caused by a bacteria that occurs naturally in soil.

    The animals in the latest outbreak were reportedly slaughtered at a farm in Tiszafured, a town 160km (99 miles) east of Budapest.