AFRO-NETS> Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Thu, 30 Aug 2001

[Cecilia Snyder <csnyder@ccmc.org>]

Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Thu, 30 Aug 2001
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HIV/AIDS to be Discussed at Upcoming U.N. Conference on Racism

At the upcoming U.N. World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimina-
tion, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, which begins tomorrow and 
runs through Sept. 7 in Durban, South Africa, HIV/AIDS will be given 
attention as a source of discrimination. Sections of the draft decla-
ration to be discussed and adopted at the convention recognize that 
HIV-positive individuals may "suffer multiple or aggravated discrimi-
nation" because of their infection. The draft declaration also notes, 
"[I]n many countries," people infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS 
"belong to groups vulnerable to racism," which may "negative[ly] im-
pact and imped[e] their access to health care and medication." The 
draft program of action asks nations to "promote and protect the hu-
man rights" of HIV-positive individuals and to "take ... measures" to 
combat discrimination against those with HIV/AIDS. The action plan 
also urges governments and private organizations to "adopt and imple-
ment policies and programs" to increase access to HIV/AIDS care and 
treatment. On Sept. 5, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot will hold 
a press conference to release the "UNAIDS Compendium on Discrimina-
tion, Stigma and Denial," a set of results of studies on the issues 
conducted in India and Uganda. On the same day, UNAIDS, the World 
Health Organization and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human 
Rights will sponsor a panel discussion, "Exploring the Link: 
HIV/AIDS, Stigma, Discrimination and Racism," that will address the 
"relationship between multiple forms of racism and discrimination as 
determinants of and responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic (UNAIDS re-
lease, 8/29).

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HIV-Positive Women Can Safely Use IUDs, Study Shows

In contrast to guidelines from the World Health Organization and the 
Planned Parenthood Federation, a new study has found that HIV-
positive women can "safely use the intrauterine device (IUD) for con-
traception, provided they see a doctor regularly," Reuters Health re-
ports. Researchers at North Carolina-based Family Health Interna-
tional placed the device in 636 women in Nairobi, Kenya -- 156 of 
whom were infected with HIV -- and examined any complications at one, 
four and 24 months after insertion. Dr. Charles Morrison, who led the 
study, said there was "little difference in any side effects" between 
HIV-positive women and HIV-negative women, "suggesting that the IUD 
is likely an appropriate [contraceptive] method" for HIV-positive 
women. The study, published in the August issue of the British Jour-
nal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, also showed that HIV-positive women 
did not shed more HIV from their cervix four months after IUD inser-
tion, compared to HIV-negative women. Previous studies have shown 
that increased viral shedding occurs with the use of oral contracep-
tives and Depo-Provera, an injectable contraceptive. Morrison said, 
"This is an important issue, because there are 16 million women liv-
ing with HIV and lot of them have a critical need for contraception." 
The study, however, did find that women with gonorrhea or chlamydia 
were more likely to develop IUD complications, a conclusion on par 
with guidelines recommending that women with STDs besides HIV avoid 
IUDs. Morrison concluded, "What this study suggests is that you need 
to avoid IUD use in women with a cervical infection but not women 
with HIV infection. Women with cervical infections are at increased 
risk of complications; women with HIV infection are not" (Reuters 
Health, 8/28).

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The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, 
a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, by National 
Journal Group Inc. c 2001 by National Journal Group Inc. and Kaiser 
Family Foundation. All rights reserved. 

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