Brazil intends to distribute three billion free condoms every year, mainly to the poor and young, to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids. But the plan faces opposition from the Roman Catholic Church which says that condom distribution will encourage promiscuity.
“The NHS is expanding, but we’re not going to do that at the expense of other countries. We are determined not to destabilize the healthcare systems of developing countries,” said British health minister John Hutton. NHS hospitals are already forbidden to recruit nurses from almost all developing countries and from next year, private nursing agencies that supply temporary staff will have to comply or will lose NHS contracts.
A Swiss study has found the country’s HIV positive population has a much lower life expectancy than the rest of the population. The general Swiss population has a 90 per cent chance of living to 60, whereas a person infected with HIV at the age of 20 and on antiretrovirals has only a 50 per cent chance. People living with HIV are seven times more likely to die than HIV negative people of a similar age.
People under 25, who make up just one-third of the US population, now account for about 50 per cent of all new HIV infections, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Young adults are particularly vulnerable, because they’re under the false impression HIV is a manageable disease,” said Adele Webb, of the Association of Nurses in Aids Care
Visitors to POZ.com in the US can now request absentee ballots prior to the next presidential election in the autumn. “It is vital that the vote of every person living with HIV/Aids is both cast and counted,” said Sean Strub, POZ founder and publisher.
