AIDS Action Weekly Update

• This Week in Washington
  • AIDS Action Gets Tested
  • Harm Reduction Coalition Presentation
  • Improving the Health of Mothers and Children Around the World
  • Kaiser Hosts Lunch Briefing on Welfare Reform and Healthcare
  • International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain
  • Annual NAACP Convention
  • Office of Minority Health Releases Funding Opportunities
  • United States Conference on AIDS
  • Harm Reduction Coalition Conference
• In the News
  • UN Team Compares China's HIV Cases to Titanic
  • WHO Warns Nonoxynol-9 May Boost Risk of HIV
  • UN Says 70 Million People Will Die of HIV by 2022
  • NIH Approves Grant for HIV Research in China
  • CDC Director Suggestions Sent to Bush
  • California to Track All New HIV Cases by Code
  • AIDS Organization Sues GlaxoSmithKline
  • UN: 90% of HIV+ Indians Do Not Know Status
• AIDS Action Board Member Highlight

This Week in Washington

AIDS Action Gets Tested

On June 27, 2002, AIDS Action staff joined the nation in recognizing National HIV/AIDS Testing Day by joining Pat Ware, Executive Director of PACHA, at the Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington, DC for an HIV test. National HIV testing day is a national public awareness campaign is designed to encourage people to get tested for HIV so they can take better care of themselves. To learn more, click here.

Harm Reduction Coalition Presentation

On June 27, 2002, the Harm Reduction Coalition gave a presentation at Howard University advocating for more harm reduction efforts aimed at African American communities in the nation's capital. AIDS Action attended the meeting and advocated for a follow-up meeting to set goals and organize activism. The follow-up meeting should be held in the next month, and will be announced in the weekly update. For more information on the Harm Reduction Coalition, click here.

Improving the Health of Mothers and Children Around the World

Thursday, June 25, 2002, AIDS Action staff attended a reception jointly sponsored by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, US Coalition For Child Survival, the Global Health Council and Save The Children. The goal of the event was to focus attention on maternal and child health internationally. Among the highlights of the evening were the remarks of Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) supporting H.Con.Res. 404, a resolution to reinforce the US commitment to the health of mothers and children around the world, of which she is a cosponsor.

Kaiser Hosts Lunch Briefing on Welfare Reform and Healthcare

AIDS Action staff attended a lunch briefing on June 26, 2002, held by The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured to discuss welfare reform and its affects on healthcare coverage and the uninsured. Presenters included Diane Rowland (Kaiser), Ron Haskins (Bush Administration), Laurie Rubiner (National Partnership for Women and Families) and Paul Offner (Georgetown University). Issues discussed included expanding coverage, efforts to get more people who currently qualify enrolled, and the effect state budget crises may have on Medicaid enrollment. Although not directly related to HIV/AIDS, Medicaid and access to healthcare are core issues for people living with the disease. To view the briefing, click here.

International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain

AIDS Action has been selected to host a special satellite session during the XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain on Wednesday, July 10, 2002 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The session is entitled "U.S. Domestic HIV/AIDS Agenda, 20 Years Later: A Global Conversation." AIDS Action staff will be sending daily updates on the activities and special sessions at the conference. To view a webcast of the AIDS Action session, as well as other coverage of the conference, click here.

Annual NAACP Convention

The NAACP will be holding it's 93rd annual conference in Houston, Texas from July 6-11, 2002. The conference theme this year is "Freedom Under Fire." For more information, click here.

Office of Minority Health Releases Funding Opportunities

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) Competitive Grant Announcements FY 2002 were published in the federal register June 25, 2002. For a full listing of the grant opportunities, click here.

United States Conference on AIDS

The United States conference on AIDS will take place September 19-22, 2002, in Anaheim, California. For more information, click here.

Harm Reduction Coalition Conference

The Harm Reduction Coalition will be holding their 4th annual conference from December 1-4th, 2002 in Seattle, Washington. The title of this year's conference is "Taking Drug Users Seriously." For more information, click here.

In the News

UN Team Compares China's HIV Cases to Titanic

On June 28, 2002, a United Nations team warned that China faces an AIDS epidemic of "proportions beyond belief." The team compared Chinese leaders to officers aboard the Titanic who, until it was too late, refused to believe the ship was sinking. The team cited statistics that estimate that as many as 1.5 million Chinese contracted HIV last year. At this rate, China could soon become the country with the most HIV cases in the world. To read the article, click here.

WHO Warns Nonoxynol-9 May Boost Risk of HIV

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement on June 28, 2002 stating that women and men who have multiple acts of sexual intercourse should not use products containing Nonoxynol-9 because the chemical may increase the risk of transmission of HIV. While WHO no longer condones the use of Nonoxynol-9, the statement reinforced that a condom with N-9 is still better than no condom at all.

UN Says 70 Million People Will Die of HIV by 2022

The United Nations (UN) released figures this week estimating that AIDS will kill 70 million people over the next 20 years unless rich nations step up their efforts to curb the disease. The UN report warned that the epidemic is still in its early stages and called AIDS an "unprecedented epidemic in human history." The report called for more money from rich nations to tackle the disease. The money needed is estimated to be between seven and ten billion dollars a year by 2005.

NIH Approves Grant for HIV Research in China

On June 28, 2002, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) approved a grant to China to expand its research on HIV prevention and treatment. The grant will allow China to make vast improvements to its blood supply and provide more HIV testing. It will also fund HIV prevention and vaccine research.

CDC Director Suggestions Sent to Bush

The Department of Health and Human Services has reportedly sent two names for President Bush to consider for the position of Director of the Centers For Disease Control (CDC). Both recommendations have HIV/AIDS backgrounds, and one, if chosen, would become the first female director of the CDC. A decision is expected as early as next week. To read the article, click here.

California to Track All New HIV Cases by Code

California will begin to track all new cases of HIV through the use of codes reported to the state. Until now, researchers have had to rely on full-blown AIDS cases and estimates of HIV cases to report statistics on the spread of the disease. Officials say that this will help track the spread of HIV better. The code used to track the spread of HIV will include the individual's date of birth, gender, and last four digits of their social security number; no names will be included. Clinics that offer anonymous testing will not be required to report any data about the individual. To read the article, click here.

AIDS Organization Sues GlaxoSmithKline

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation has taken GlaxoSmithKline to court, accusing the British drug manufacturer of overcharging for its drugs and of violating antitrust legislation. The suit is part of a campaign to force drug companies to slash HIV/AIDS drugs in wealthier counties. The lawsuit charges that the prices "exorbitantly exceed its costs of licensing, manufacturing and distributing". GlaxoSmithKline has stated that they do not believe litigation is the way to solve such matters. To read the article, click here.

UN: 90% of HIV+ Indians Do Not Know Status

India's UNAIDS chief said on July 2, 2002 that India has roughly 4 million HIV cases, 90% of whom do not know there status. This figure makes India the country with the second largest population of HIV+ individuals; South Africa has the largest. The epidemic seems to be where South Africa's was 10 years ago, creating concern about the spread of the disease within the coming years, especially among migrating families. "The fact that migrating men generally leave their wives and families behind increases the likelihood that they will visit sex workers while away from home -- a risk factor for both them and their families when they return home," the report said.

AIDS Action Board Member Highlight

The AIDS Action Council Board of Directors consists of local HIV/AIDS service providers throughout the United States. Each week, the Update will highlight one of these service providers and the work they are doing to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic in their region.

The Los Angeles County Health Department, through the Office of AIDS Programs and Policy (OAPP), develops an effective response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic throughout Los Angeles County. OAPP coordinates and monitors a continuum of care for HIV/AIDS services including residential, mental health, medical outpatient, adolescent HIV, psychiatric evaluation, medication, women's early intervention and transportation services. The agency delivers approximately 300 contracts to over 145 community based organizations and 10 county facilities.