VATICAN
CITYNews (Updated
November 21,
2010)
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Nov 20 2010
By Philip Pullella
VATICAN
CITY
In excerpts published in
the
While some Roman Catholic
leaders have spoken in the past about the limited use of condoms in specific
cases to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS as a lesser of two evils, this is the first
time the pope has mentioned the possibility himself in public.
The
The pope's words appeared
to be a major shift in the
The late cardinal John
O'Connor of
Last year, the pope caused
an international uproar when he told journalists taking him to
The new book, called Light
of the World, is made up of Benedict's responses to questions by German Catholic
journalist Peter Seewald over a month of meetings at the papal summer residence.
The pope says that the
"sheer fixation on the condom implies a canalization of sexuality"
where sexuality is no longer an expression of love "but only a sort of drug
that people administer to themselves."
After the pope first
mentions that the use of condoms could be justified in certain limited cases,
such as by prostitutes, Seewald asks: "Are you saying, then, that the
Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of
condoms?"
The pope answers:
"She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this
or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of
infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more humane way,
of living sexuality."
(Additional reporting by Tom Heneghan; Editing by Peter Graff)
Pope's condom remarks draw mixed reaction,
welcomed as step toward more discussion
Some church members in
though Filipino bishops stressed Sunday the church leader still opposes
contraceptives.
Speaking to a German journalist whose book was excerpted in a
represent a first step in assuming moral responsibility "in the intention
of reducing the risk of infection."
The U.N. AIDS agency welcomed the pope's comments but cautioned they were only a
first step toward making the use of condoms acceptable among Catholics.
"This is a significant and positive step forward taken by the
important roles in HIV prevention."
A UNAIDS spokesman in Geneva said that while over 80 percent of HIV infections
are caused through sexual transmission, only 4 percent to 10 percent result from
sex between men. There are no reliable statistics about how many infections
might be prevented if male prostitutes routinely used condoms, said Mahesh
Mahalingam.
However, even the limited example cited by the pope was a step in the right
direction, said Mahalingam. "We are welcoming this as an opening up of
discussion," he said.
While the Roman Catholic Church's ban on artificial contraception was not in
question, Benedict's stunning remarks could re-ignite debate on contraceptive
use in places like the
"If a condom is used as a contraceptive, certainly it will be condemned by
the church," the Rev. Deogracias Yniguez of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the
Such rare cases, however, should be spelled out by church leaders now that the
pontiff has apparently cited an example, he said, adding that he had not yet
read the pope's full remarks.
Shay Cullen, a Columban missionary who has helped sexually abused children in
the
"We welcome the pope's change of opinion because it is meant to save life
and to protect people," Cullen said. "We see here an enlightened pope
putting his concern over human life as a priority first."
Businessman George Gueco said the pope's remarks did not amount to any change in
the Catholic Church’s long-standing stance against contraceptives, a position
he strongly backs."There may be extreme, extreme exemptions for the church
to allow its use," Gueco said. "I'm thinking hard, but I can't think
of any right now."
Housewife Benita Vitualla, 72, expressed relief at the pope's flexibility, which
she said could help people deal with problems like sexually transmitted diseases
and surging populations.
"The pope has become more practical; he knows what's happening to the
world," said Vitualla, who wore rosaries around her neck.
"There are contagious diseases and very high population growth that need to
be controlled," she said.
Public debate over condom use has simmered in the predominantly Catholic
Aiming to avoid a head-on collision with the Roman Catholic Church, Aquino met
Catholic bishops last month and explained that he was leaving it to Filipino
couples to choose family planning options, including artificial birth control.
Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in
contributed to this report.
Nov 19, 2010
By Jon Herskovitz
JOHANNESBURG
(Reuters) - South Africa could cut the number of new HIV infections to below
200,000 a year by 2020, more than half the current level, with the right
policies, but reaching the goal will be costly, a report on Friday said.
"This situation poses
huge financial dangers and risks for the country, particularly at a time when
The report recommends
drawing up and funding more effective plans for prevention, treatment and
halting the transmission of the virus from infected parents to their children.
Even if it implements
these plans, a further 5 million more South Africans will be infected with HIV
over the next two decades, according to the report from the Centre for Economic
Governance and AIDS in Africa and the Results for Development Institute.
The government has
allocated several billion dollars a year for treatment, prevention and drugs
aimed at keeping HIV infections in check.
Total costs over the next
two decades to reduce the number of new infections are estimated to be as much
as $102 billion if the country steps up spending on drugs, increases the number
of those receiving treatment and plans to prevent the spread of the disease, the
report said.
"South Africa is
beginning to make important inroads in its efforts to slow the number of new
infections and bring life saving treatment to those who need it", said
Robert Hecht, one of the report's authors and managing director of the Results
for Development Institute.
UNAIDS said access to
treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -- an incurable viral
infection that causes AIDS and infects around 33.4 million people around the
world -- has increased 12-fold in six years, and 5.2 million people are now
getting the drugs they need.
Sub-Saharan
African nations whose
populations have been devastated by AIDS have made big strides in fighting HIV,
with new infections down 25 percent since 2001 in some of the worst hit places,
a recent U.N. report said.
18 Nov 2010
Written by: Katie Nguyen
 |
| A
Swazi child looks on during an AIDS awareness meeting outside |
The southern African
kingdom of 1 million people has the world's highest HIV prevalence rate, with
around 26 percent of the adult population infected with the virus that causes
AIDS.
The dual epidemic of HIV
and TB has contributed substantially to halving life expectancy in the country
over the past two decades - to 31 years from 60.
"The high mortality
due to HIV and TB is a tragedy that is affecting communities and the economy:
parents are dying, children are becoming orphans, and the workforce is slowly
disappearing," the report said.
A shortage of medical
staff, a lack of capacity to diagnose diseases, and patients' failure to
complete treatment - often because they cannot afford to travel long distances
to remote health clinics - are all obstacles in tackling the emergency, MSF
said.
'ONE-STOP' CARE
The international aid
group, which has worked in Swaziland's southwestern Shiselweni region since
2007, has supported a plan to scale up health care by shifting responsibilities
from doctors to nurses, and from nurses to community health workers, which means
patients can be treated closer to home.
That initiative is part of
a bigger government programme, which includes bringing "one-stop"
services - everything from HIV and TB testing to treatment and counselling - to
21 state-run health facilities in
MSF said the number of
people tested for HIV each month has more than tripled in the past 18 months,
and the number of people starting antiretroviral therapy has doubled.
Despite such efforts, the
dual epidemic is still far from under control, the group added.
"Unfortunately,
there's been no significant reduction in infections, although more people are
now receiving treatment," Aymeric Péguillan, MSF's head of mission in
"Only a third of the
Swazi population know their HIV/AIDS status. What's more, many people who
urgently need treatment still don't have access to it."
Polygamy and multiple
sexual partners have helped spread HIV in
Some activists say the
king - sub-Saharan
Last year, a member of
parliament, Timothy Myeni, was forced to apologise after calling for
HIV-positive people to be branded on the buttocks to stop the spread of the
virus ravaging the country.
18 Nov 2010 Source: IRIN
KAMPALA,
18 November 2010 - At least 40 East
African chief executive officers (CEOs) recently took public HIV tests, a move
designed to show their commitment to fighting HIV in the workplace in an
increasingly integrated region.
"The objective was to
encourage them [CEOs] to be role models, to plan properly for the future but
also to plan for employees who are HIV-positive," said Rosemary Ssenabulya,
executive director of the Federation of Uganda Employees.
"As a CEO it [taking
an HIV test] makes it easier to decide that an HIV policy is set out and workers
are encouraged to test too; after testing I encouraged all my staff to
test," she added.
The event was organized in
"Businesses must
recognize how much the wage bill is impacted by the HIV epidemic, a condition
that predisposes the affected individual to any infection they come in contact
with due to a compromised immune system," said Lillian Awinja, the GTZ
adviser to EABC on HIV and health.
In recent years, companies
in the region have developed workplace HIV policies to prevent HIV as well as
care for HIV-infected employees, but statistics show that many businesses are
lagging behind. The Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA), for instance,
reports that just 47 out of 751 registered companies have HIV workplace
policies.
"We have a big
workforce which is vulnerable and illiterate about HIV," said Mustapher
Ssebaggala, the executive director of UMA. "We want a healthy work force
and we targeted CEOs because we believe the fish rots from the head."
A 2010 EABC and GTZ study
[ http://www.gtzkenyahealth.com/blog3/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/EABC_GTZ-Report-on-Sector-Approach-Study_03-2010.pdf
] of the chemical, manufacturing and hotel sectors in
In July, the East African
Common Market Protocol was launched, allowing free movement of labour, capital,
goods and services within the region. Senior business figures attending the
event noted that this would require more integrated efforts to fight HIV.
According to David
Kihumuro Apuuli, director-general of the Uganda AIDS Commission, East African
businesses have a duty to fund the fight against HIV in the region. He hoped
local businesses could set up an HIV trust fund where all private sector
companies pool resources and contribute to funding of HIV programmes.
East Africa's nations all
have generalized epidemics, with HIV prevalence ranging from 2 percent in
en/kr/cb
(AFP) – Nov 13, 2010
A new report by the
National AIDS Commission said the number of HIV infections on the island had
jumped almost 19 percent to 3,778 this year, with another 597 cases.
"The figure is only
the tip of the iceberg... we estimate the actual number of cases to hover around
7,000 as many cases were unreported," said the commission's spokesman in
Bali, Nyoman Mangku Karmaya.
"Many people are
reluctant to go for medical check-ups as there's still a stigma and
discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS," he told AFP.
The number of cases this
year has risen sharply from 1,253 cases in 2006 and 590 in 2004.
Karmaya said about 25
percent of the estimated 8,800 sex workers in
While describing the trend
as "worrying", he said most tourists visit
"There might be some
who get acquainted with the sex workers, but they're aware about using
condoms," Karmaya said.
However, he warned that
there could be more than 840 new infections in
"We will increase our
efforts to provide more information and educate the sex workers as well as the
public. We'll also intensify campaigns promoting condom use," he added.
More than a million
tourists visit
(AFP) – Nov 14, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR — Children
as young as six will be given sex education in Malaysian primary schools from
next year, an official said Sunday, as part of a drive to curb 'baby-dumping',
promiscuity and HIV.
Deputy education minister
Wee Ka Siong told AFP that pupils aged between six and 11-years-old will study
the new curriculum, which has been designed with the help of parents and civil
society groups.
The plan follows
Thursday's announcement that sex education will be taught in secondary schools
across the conservative Muslim-majority country from next year.
"We want to also give
primary school students aged between six and eleven years, a better
understanding of family values and how to protect yourself from high-risk
behaviour," he said.
"Together, the
lessons in primary and secondary school provide a comprehensive sex education
curriculum that will help to reduce promiscuity, unwanted pregnancies, baby
dumping, HIV infection and other social ills."
Last month, Deputy Prime
Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the classes were being
considered as part of a plan to tackle the issue of baby-dumping, in which
babies have been left to die in toilets and rubbish dumps.
Giving birth out of
wedlock carries a strong social stigma in
In 2009 there were 79
cases of baby-dumping but as of mid-September this year there had already been
about 70, sparking alarm among authorities and the public.
Malaysia's first school
for pregnant teenagers opened in September in central Malacca state and in May
the nation's first "baby hatch" centre for unwanted newborns was
introduced in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.