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Wednesday, January 16, 2008 |
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In this issue: |
The Left Hand Not Knowing the Right HandConfused? Read the following articles on human organ/tissue donation. It seems that men who have sex with men have again become the focal point of regulations that are seemingly based on ideology. Sadly, the issue leaves a foul taste after years of progressive human rights gains in Canada. The question remains; what is the policy about, anal intercourse or human organ/tissue donations? You decide!
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Concerns About Canadian Health Ministry Ban on Organ Donations From MSMHIV/AIDS Advocates Raise Concerns About Canadian Health Ministry Ban on Organ Donations From MSM (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report) Some HIV/AIDS advocates in Canada recently raised concerns about a regulation adopted by Health Canada, the country's health ministry, in December 2007 that bans organ donations from men who have sex with men, the Toronto Star reports. According to the Star, the ban prohibits organ donations from sexually active MSM, injection drug users and people living with hepatitis to limit the risk of spreading bloodborne infections, including HIV. Gary Levy, head of the University Health Network -- the country's largest organ transplant program -- said Health Canada's new regulation formalizes precautions in use across Canada for at least 10 years. The regulations are based primarily on blood donor criteria that exclude MSM, Levy said, adding that the restrictions likely go too far in excluding all sexually active MSM. Levy said transplant surgeons will continue to make the final decision on which organs are suitable for use. He added that many organs from known MSM have been used after physicians determined from retrieval agencies that the donor's sexual behavior did not carry a significant HIV risk. Under the new regulations, physicians will have to sign a form stating they authorized the use of an organ that would normally be excluded, the Star reports.
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CAS Clarifies - Gay Men Not BannedThe Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) released a memo to its membership on Friday, January 11th in the hope of bringing some clarity to the issue of human organ/tissue donation and the recent disclosure on barring men who have sex with men from donating. An article on the topic in January 10th's Globe and Mail states that British Columbia Transplant Society will still consider using organs and tissue donated by gay men (MSM), depending on a "risk assessment". CAS has consulted the Organ Donation Ontario and Health Canada for clarification on this new interpretation of the regulations governing human organ/tissue donation. Click Here for the Globe & Mail Article.
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Photography Project on HIV/AIDS in RwandaToronto Star Profiles Canadian Photography Collective Photosensitive, Project on HIV/AIDS in Rwanda (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report) The Toronto Star on Sunday featured an article by Christopher Maughan, an intern with the journalism partnership Rwanda Initiative, about the Canadian photography collective PhotoSensitive and its efforts to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Rwanda. PhotoSensitive, which was formed in 1990 by former Star photographer Andrew Stawicki and former Star graphics editor Peter Robertson, features social documentary projects, such as exhibits on homelessness, child poverty and literacy. PhotoSensitive's current project in Rwanda is its third on HIV/AIDS and is part of an effort to teach the Rwandan and Canadian public about the disease, according to Maughan. Seven journalists visited Rwanda for the project to document the social impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The photographers took pictures of HIV-positive commercial sex workers on the streets of Rwanda's capital, Kigali, and of women who contracted HIV as a result of being raped during the 1994 genocide. >> Click Here for Access to Photographs
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The Canadian
HIV/AIDS Information Centre posts information to this listserv
on a bi-weekly basis as well as any additional more urgent
information as it arises. Included in this issue: HIV in the
News, Conferences, Events & Workshops, Noteworthy Research,
Community Initiatives & Projects, and
Resources HIV Edmonton E-Update will periodically include
this listserv as part of regular postings. Enjoy!
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"Stick it in your pipe, mayor told" - Ottawa(Ottawa Sun) A city councillor says the mayor shouldn't be surprised the provincial government has decided to pay for the crack pipe program. On Friday, Mayor Larry O'Brien sent a letter to local MPP Jim Watson, who is also Ontario's minister of municipal affairs, demanding to know why the province decided to fully fund the program after council voted to cancel it. Yesterday, Bay Coun. Alex Cullen called O'Brien "disingenuous" and said he shouldn't be surprised by the province's decision.
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Concerns About Health Problems Seen Among Long-Term HIV/AIDS Survivors(Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report) Some experts and doctors recently have voiced concerns that people who were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the early years of the epidemic are experiencing "prematur[e]" or "disproportionate numbers" of ailments associated with aging, the New York Times reports. CDC estimates show that the number of people ages 50 and older living with HIV increased by 77% between 2001 and 2005 and that this population now represents more than 25% of all HIV/AIDS cases in the U.S. The "graying of the AIDS epidemic" has raised interest in the link between AIDS and cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, diabetes, osteoporosis and depression, the Times reports. Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are associated with lipodystrophy, which results in fat redistribution that can leave the face and lower limbs gaunt, the stomach swollen and the back humped. Lipodystrophy also raises cholesterol levels and causes glucose intolerance, which could be particularly harmful to black people, who are predisposed to heart disease and diabetes. >> Click Here for Article & Link to Full Report
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Amino Acid Mutations in Protein Might Make HIV Vulnerable to Immune System Attack(Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report) Mutations found in four amino acids in the protein that surrounds HIV might make the virus vulnerable to the immune system, according to a study published in the January issue of PLoS Medicine, ANI/Thailand News reports. For the study, Julie Overbaugh of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and colleagues analyzed the HIV strain of a woman living in Mombasa, Kenya, whose virus was inactivated by antibodies produced by her body. The study found that the woman's virus contained mutations in four amino acids located in HIV's outer envelope protein. Two of the amino acids when introduced to unrelated HIV strains in a laboratory setting provided sensitivity to inactivation by a number of antibodies produced by HIV-positive people, according to the researchers.
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273 Human Proteins That Play a Role in HIV Transmission, ProgressionResearchers Identify 273 Human Proteins That Play a Role in HIV Transmission, Progression (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report) Researchers at Harvard Medical School have identified 273 human proteins that HIV uses to infect cells and reproduce, according to a study published Thursday in Science magazine, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, the study's findings could lead to the development of new HIV/AIDS therapies (McNeil, New York Times, 1/11). For the study, Stephen Elledge, a Harvard geneticist, and colleagues used a relatively new technique called a "genome-wide scan," according to the Washington Post. The researchers scanned the 21,000 human genes that encode proteins and blocked each one individually to see whether the blocked protein affected HIV's ability to infect a cell. Of the 273 proteins identified, 36 -- including the CD4+ T cell and CCR5 receptors that HIV uses to attach to a cell's surface -- previously had been identified and linked to HIV. According to the Post, although it is likely that not all of the 273 proteins are necessary for HIV transmission and progression, most of them appear to be.
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Drug-Resistant MRSA Strain Spreading Through MSM Communities(Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report) A drug-resistant strain of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is appearing among men who have sex with men in Boston and San Francisco, according to a study published online in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the New York Times reports (Altman, New York Times, 1/15). HIV-positive people "seem especially prone" to the infection, according to the San Francisco Chronicle (Russell, San Francisco Chronicle, 1/15). For the study, Binh Diep, a researcher at the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues reviewed the charts of 183 people treated for MRSA at the San Francisco General Hospital's Positive Health Program, an outpatient program for HIV-positive people. They also reviewed the charts of an additional 130 people at Fenway Community Health clinic in Boston. The review found that MSM ages 18 to 35 were the most likely to have the infection.
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HIV Edmonton's New HoursPlease be advised that in order to facilitate staff meetings and to maintain the number of service hours we are offering our clients, we have made a few minor changes to our hours of operation...EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. Mondays and
Thursdays 9:00 AM -
5:00
PM Our offices are closed for Lunch Mondays - Thursdays from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
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Dynamics of HIVThis 2-day workshop focuses on HIV/AIDS including related health and social issues impacting the lives of those at risk for, living with and affected by this disease. It will be of particular interest to those directly impacted by HIV/AIDS, those working or volunteering with organizations serving hard to reach populations, youth counselors; post secondary students in nursing and medicine; social and behavioural sciences; recreation and fitness, and others. Please consider registering for both workshops. Click
Here for More Info
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Global Lung Health ConferenceDrs. Ann Fanning and Dean Befus are pleased to announce a conference on Global Lung Health to be held here at the University of Alberta, March 27-28, 2008. This conference has an outstanding faculty with wide-ranging experience in international lung health program development and implementation.The best evidence for program impact on lung health will be presented, by those with vast field experience – with WHO, PAHO, The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD), and Canadian NGOs with international development experience. Click Here to Register or for More Info
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Third Annual Memorial for Homeless Persons
The third annual Homeless Memorial Service is set for 4pm January 19th, 2008 at Boyle Street Community Services. This event will bring together Edmontonians from all walks of life to remember and celebrate the lives of those who have died as a result of homelessness and the lack of safe, affordable housing in this city. In 2007, 44 people lost their lives due to homelessness – 20 women and 24 men; 3 more deaths than in 2006. Click Here for Notice
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