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|  5/28/2014 | National News  | Alaska Again Leads Nation in Tuberculosis Infection Rate ALASKA :: TB
Alaska Dispatch (05.25.2014) :: By Sean Doogan | | | The Alaska Dispatch reported that for the third year in a row, Alaska had the highest rate of new TB infections in the United States. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) reported a new-case TB infection rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people for 2013, compared with the nationwide rate of three per 100,000 people. The rates are highest in rural Alaska, and Alaska Natives have the greatest risk of contracting the disease. In Southwest Alaska, the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) region reported a TB infection rate 700 percent higher than the rest of the state.
In 2013, Alaska reported 71 new TB infections; California reported 2,170, for the fourth highest rate of new TB infection. Alaska has approximately 731,000 residents, while California has more than 38 million. Since rates are calculated per 100,000 people, the high rates in Alaska can result from a few outbreaks. This means that the increase in Alaska’s TB rates may not indicate new problems. In 2013, 17 people were infected with TB in a Y-K Delta village with fewer than 1,000 people.
Many people in Alaska may have acquired latent TB infection (LTBI) in previous outbreaks, such as the outbreak in rural Alaska in the early- to mid-20th century. Without treatment, LTBI can become an active disease, which can spread quickly in a village with crowded homes and few doctors and health facilities. TB is not confined to the rural areas. Anchorage reported 24 new cases in 2013, compared with 10 cases in 2012. The Anchorage DHSS supplies temporary housing at local motels for homeless TB patients to supervise their treatment under the direct observation program and to isolate patients during the contagious period. Last year, DHSS housed eight such patients at two motels.
Health officials concluded that although the TB rate has increased since 2011, it is not in danger of reaching former epidemic levels. |  Read Full Article | Share this Article     | | Back to Top  |  | | International News  | HPV Canada Says Last Hold-Out Publicly-Funded School Board to Allow Vaccine CANADA :: STDs
Winnipeg Free Press (05.27.2014) :: By John Cotter | | | The Winnipeg Free Press reported that after a two-year lobbying effort, Alberta’s St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School District in Leduc has become the final public school district in Canada to allow female student vaccinations for human papillomavirus (HPV), with parental permission. Countering critical arguments that the vaccine will challenge the teachings of abstinence and promote promiscuity, HPV Canada said the top priority has always been the health of children and the final decision will be given to parents, not the schools.
HPV causes cervical cancer, as well as head, neck, anal, and penile cancers. According to Juliet Guichon, an HPV Canada spokesperson, health clinics always have offered the vaccine free of charge, but making appointments and arranging transportation have put a burden on low-income families. "Now poor kids will have as easy access as rich kids to this vaccine because it will be available in schools," Guichon said. HPV Canada next will lobby private schools to offer the HPV vaccine.
Alberta’s government plans to allow school vaccinations for boys this fall. Research shows that all head and neck cancers in men younger than 40 are HPV-related, said Dr. James Talbot, Alberta's chief medical health officer. | | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | Medical News  | Tobacco Smoking Impairs Immune System in HIV-Infected People UNITED STATES :: HIV/AIDS
Digital Journal (05.24.2014) :: By Sara Curran Tagan | | | Digital Journal reported on a study of the effects of smoking in HIV-infected individuals. Researchers from the University of Miami analyzed the effect of HIV and smoking on the immune system of infected smokers on antiretroviral therapy (ART). The researchers studied four groups of participants: 25 HIV-infected smokers, 25 HIV-infected nonsmokers, 15 HIV-uninfected smokers, and 15 HIV-uninfected nonsmokers. The HIV-infected participants were on ART and had achieved viral suppression. Participants completed questionnaires on drug, tobacco, and alcohol use as well as past and present history, and received physical and laboratory tests.
HIV-infected and -uninfected smokers had significantly higher CD4+ and CD8+ or “helper” T cells, with a greater number in HIV-infected smokers. Microbial translocation was higher in both groups of smokers and correlated with T-cell activation. Also, markers for immune exhaustion were higher in smokers.
Results suggest that smoking in HIV-positive individuals causes increased immune activation, microbial translocation, and impairment of T-cell functions that could influence disease progression and management. Findings also confirmed that T-cell function was reduced in smokers regardless of HIV status, which means that HIV-infected smokers are at higher risk of bronchitis and bacterial pneumonia due to higher immune defects. This finding agreed with that of previous studies on altered immunity in smokers. The researchers suggest additional studies to further evaluate the effect of smoking on immune system impairment and increased disease progression.
The full report, “Tobacco Smoking Increases Immune Activation and Impairs T-Cell Function in HIV Infected Patients on Antiretrovirals: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study,” was published online in the journal PLoS ONE (2014; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097698). | | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | Local and Community News  | Alameda County Pilot Program Decreases Hospital Readmission for HIV/AIDS Patients CALIFORNIA :: HIV/AIDS
Daily Californian (05.19.2014) :: By Brennan Maclean | | | The Daily Californian reported that a program that reorganizes primary medical care with a model centering on individual needs has greatly decreased need for hospitals to readmit patients. The University of California-funded program, called patient-centered medical homes (PCMH), is a healthcare system rather than a physical space, which five medical centers in the San Francisco Bay area piloted.
Highland Hospital saw a 44-percent decrease in readmission rates. Before PCMH, Highland admitted 89 patients for HIV treatment, 35 of whom needed readmission within one month. After initiation of the program, Highland admitted 63 patients for HIV treatment, with only 14 needing readmission within a month.
“Patients with HIV/AIDS benefit from the PCMH approach because it helps clinics centralize patient care information and better track individual patient needs,” said George Lemp, director of the California HIV/AIDS Research Program through the University of California. Lemp added that the program will continue for another year, and that program directors plan to expand the model to treat patients with other chronic diseases, with a $5 million investment from Alameda County. | | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | | News Briefs | | | | |
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