brdgt | Harvard World Health News - HIV, Vaccines, Ebola, and allergies

(BBC News Online, September 22, 2207)
"A false belief among young HIV patients that the virus can be cured is fuelling a rise in infection levels, a specialist has claimed. Dr Veerakathy Harindra says a quarter of his young HIV patients wrongly believe a cure has already been found. This leads them to fail to take adequate precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, he said."

(The Economist, September 20th 2007)
"There can be no surer way of averting a sexually transmitted infection such as AIDS than avoiding sex. That much is obvious…But is it realistic? Those lobbyists argue that a popular alternative -- known in the jargon as ‘abstinence-plus’…is likely to make things worse by encouraging earlier intercourse…Kristen Underhill and her colleagues at the University of Oxford have, over the past few months, been testing it…Their conclusion is…[a]bstinence-only does not work. Abstinence-plus probably does." Free registration required.

Study Finds Brain Problems, Vaccines Not Linked
(Associated Press, September 27, 2007)
"A mercury-based preservative once used in many vaccines does not raise the risk of neurological problems in children, concludes a large federal study that researchers say should reassure parents. The study did not examine autism, however."

Congo: Ebola Outbreak Spreads in DRC Region
(Mail & Guardian, South Africa, September 22, 2007)
“Nine cases of Ebola virus have been confirmed in the West Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that is at the epicentre of an outbreak that has killed at least 174 people, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official said on Friday.”

Allergic Britain: 20 Million Will be Affected as Conditions Approach Epidemic Levels
(The Guardian, London, September 26, 2007)
“Britain is lagging far behind the rest of Europe in its efforts to tackle allergies, which are fast reaching epidemic proportions, according to a report from an influential House of Lords committee. About a third of the UK population will develop an allergy of some sort during the course of their lives, says the report from the science and technology committee, as allergic diseases have trebled in the last 20 years to the point where the UK has one of the highest incidences in the world.” Free registration required.