Compiled by Martin Flynn & Brucec Wainwright
South Africa threatens TB detentions

As World TB Day (24 March) approaches, moves are afoot in South Africa to detain people with the extremely multi-drug resistant form of the disease, XDR-TB.
Worldwide, more than nine million people are infected each year with tuberculosis. As many as 20 per cent will recover without treatment, but 1.7 million die because they are undiagnosed and miss out on appropriate drugs.
A high proportion of people with HIV in Africa dying each year are believed to be co- infected with TB.
Late last year, a literacy class held for a group 13 South African HIV patients proved lethal when someone joined the group with XDR-TB. All 13, who were taking antiretrovirals, died shortly afterwards.
At Tugela Ferry, in South Africa, 170 cases have recently been diagnosed and all but one died within 25 days, alerting medical authorities to the fatal combination of HIV and TB.
As many as 5.5 million South Africans have tested positive for HIV and many more are believed to be carrying the latent TB bacterium.
The World Health Organisation said the outbreak of XDR-TB should be treated as seriously as the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
WHO guidelines recommend patients voluntarily restrict their movements and keep away from the general population, but South Africa's medical authorities are not convinced this is sufficient.
They are now considering the kind of compulsory quarantine allowed in the US.
A six-month course of treatment for TB costs around $16 and diagnosing the disease is not difficult. But when TB patients begin to feel better, some stop taking the antibiotics before the course is completed and a drug-resistant strain can develop.
Multi drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) is a strain resistant to two of the four first-line TB drugs. It costs $10,000 to treat over two years.
Between 300,000 and 600,000 people worldwide contract MDR-TB each year and a further two per cent go on to develop the deadly XDR-TB. Estimates for treating this last group do not exist as patients usually die within weeks.
The Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria is now funding over 1.4 million people a year across the world with directly observed treatment (DOTS) for tuberculosis to ensure adherence to the drugs.

Oprah Winfrey takes public HIV test
US chat show host Oprah Winfrey encouraged students at her school in South Africa to test for HIV by taking a public test herself.
Students at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, in Henley-on Klip, are offered HIV testing and free treatment if necessary.
About 950 people die each day in South Africa from Aids-related diseases.

Sir Elton raises millions at Oscars
Sir Elton John and partner David Furnish host the 15th Annual Elton John Academy Awards Dinner and After-Party on 25 February at LA’s Pacific Design Center. Over the past 14 years, the party has raised over $125 million for the Elton John Aids Foundation (EJAF). Elton and David are pictured at last year’s event.

HIV prosecutions increase worldwide


People living with HIV around the world are facing an increasingly likely to face criminal prosecutions for transmitting the virus.
And in several western countries, courts are coming down particularly hard on people who pass on the virus.
A Canadian is now standing trial for the first-degree murder of two women who both died of Aids-related illnesses. He is also to be tried on 13 counts of aggravated sexual assault for sleeping with women when he knew he was HIV positive.
He is believed to be the first person in Canada to be charged with murder in an HIV infection case.
In Toronto, another HIV positive man, convicted of having unprotected sex with two women was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
The court heard he lied about his status to the women and when asked why he had not told them about his condition, he admitted that he had no excuse.
Passing sentence, Justice Arthur Gans said: “There is no excuse for this wanton, reckless, self-indulgent behaviour.”
In a similar court case in the German city of Würzburg, a 38 year old Kenyan immigrant was imprisoned for five-and-a-half years following conviction for assault and attempted assault.
The court heard he failed to tell the women he was HIV positive before having unprotected sex with them. He said because he was taking antiretrovirals, he believed he would not be very infectious.

Drug company faces law suit over Viagra

Manufacturers of Viagra are facing prosecution for allegedly boosting the spread of sexually transmitted infections.
The lawsuit follows claims that gay men are using recreational drugs like crystal meth to increase sexual desire and combining this with Viagra to ensure sexual performance.
The Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in the US has brought a lawsuit against manufacturers Pfizer accusing the pharmaceutical giant of boosting sales with an ad campaign which allegedly promotes Viagra as a party drug.
Worldwide sales of Viagra earned over $1.2 billion last year.
The foundation claims Viagra is contributing to an epidemic of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. The Los Angeles law suit seeks to prevent the company from running ads which use younger-looking men to pitch for sales.
A US newspaper ad for Viagra in December features a smiling and handsome young man asking: ‘What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?”
“Pfizer is advertising it as a drug to improve your sex life,” the foundation’s president Michael Weinstein said.
“Erectile dysfunction is a medical condition, performance anxiety is not.”
Pfizer has denied promoting Viagra for recreational use.
“We have always been committed to the safe and appropriate use of Viagra for the treatment of erectile dysfunction,” a company spokesman said.

Words

“Antiretroviral therapy is the most cost-effective therapy known to mankind – other than smoking cessation. In 1996, we had HIV patients in over 250 beds. Currently, we’ve got 15 HIV in-patients.”
Dr Mike Youle, Royal Free Hospital

“There will be no executions. Libya is not Iraq.”
Seif al-Islam, son of Libyan leader Gadhafi, on five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death for ‘deliberately’ infecting 400 children with HIV

“Now I’m in a relationship with someone who’s positive and it’s easier, but it took time to think of sex normally.”
Zodwa (not her real name), from Plus News, Johannesburg

“With gay HIV infection rates at an all time high, charities like THT and GMFA must get back to basics and start promoting hard-hitting campaigns, particularly aimed at many under 21s who are barebacking in ignorance. If we won’t save our own then who will?”
Ben Roma, in a letter to Pink Paper.

“Between a quarter and two-thirds of untreated children with HIV will be dead by their fifth birthday.”
Gus Cairns, uk.gay.com

“If you don’t know your status, you can’t be imprisoned for non-disclosure.”
Regan Hoffman, editor of Poz magazine