CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update 6/6/2014

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. "PNU is a prevention and treatment news summary service. NPIN redistributes summaries as a public service. Inclusion of an article does not constitute CDC endorsement of the content. More details in footer." NOTICE Due to a reduction in funding and competing government priorities the daily CDC HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention News Update (PNU) service is being discontinued as of June 30, 2014. Between now and June 30, the PNU frequency will change to three times per week. While the government understands the convenience of this service for our stakeholders we hope that you will be able to utilize one of the available news alerts from search engines such as Google and Yahoo to receive disease specific news. 6/6/2014 National News Syphilis, Gonorrhea on the Rise in Oregon International News New "90-90-90" Targets for Controlling the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean Medical News Shorter TB Treatment Regimens Will Reduce Cost for Patients and Their Families Local and Community News Syphilis Continues to Spread in Nunavut News Briefs Durham Youth Encouraged to Get Chlamydia Testing Henan Province Students to Face HIV/AIDS Test Before Entering College National News Syphilis, Gonorrhea on the Rise in Oregon OREGON :: STDs Statesman Journal (05.29.2014) :: By Saerom Yoo The Statesman Journal reported that Oregon’s syphilis and gonorrhea rates have increased dramatically in recent years. Syphilis prevalence recently tied high numbers from more than two decades ago and is now twice the national average. Gonorrhea rates saw a sharp 18-percent increase between 2012 and 2013. Dr. Sean Schafer, a medical epidemiologist with the Oregon Health Authority, thinks the numbers are distressing. “We haven't seen numbers like this since the late ‘80s, early 1990s. And this year is looking like another bad year,” he said. When syphilis is in its early stage of infection, it is the most contagious. The first symptoms of syphilis, a sore then a rash, often go undetected and a person can transmit the disease easily to another person. There was nearly a 25-percent increase of early syphilis cases between 2012 and 2013, from 312 to 404. This year has already seen two cases of congenital syphilis in infants, causing one death. Schafer reports that 96 percent of 2013 syphilis cases were in men, with 77 percent of them among men who have sex with men. More than 50 percent were coinfected with HIV. Seventy-seven percent of 2013 gonorrhea cases were also among men. Gonorrhea often has no symptoms and is unknowingly transmitted to other partners. HIV-infected gay men often choose HIV-positive partners to avoid using condoms, but they still can transmit STDs. Schafer recommends that all gay men and women younger than 24 should get a syphilis and gonorrhea test every year. Both STDs are easily treated with antibiotics if detected early. Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top International News New "90-90-90" Targets for Controlling the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN :: HIV/AIDS TheDominican.net (06.02.2014) TheDomincan.net reported on the First Latin American and Caribbean Forum on the HIV Continuum of Care, which took place in Mexico City recently. A coalition of partners organized the forum, including Mexico’s Secretariat of Health, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization. The Latin American and Caribbean countries and partner organizations adopted new targets for increasing diagnosis and antiretroviral therapy (ART) and reducing patients’ viral loads by 2020. According to UNAIDS estimates, in 2012, approximately 1.8 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean were HIV-positive, and there were 98,000 new infections. The new targets, known as “90-90-90,” are: increase the proportion of people with HIV who know their diagnosis to 90 percent; increase the proportion of people receiving ART to 90 percent; and increase the proportion of people under treatment who have an undetectable viral load to 90 percent. The group also agreed on a fourth target: reduce delayed diagnosis. Data showed that in many countries, one-third of patients were at an advanced stage of the disease at diagnosis. Meeting the targets calls for expanding testing, increasing availability of tests, encouraging more people to get tested and seek treatment, expanding treatment, and promoting adherence. Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top Medical News Shorter TB Treatment Regimens Will Reduce Cost for Patients and Their Families TANZANIA; BANGLADESH :: TB Medical Xpress (06.05.2014) Medical Xpress reported on a study of out-of-pocket costs experienced by TB patients from Tanzania and Bangladesh. The study aimed to determine the savings of a four-month treatment regimen compared to a six-month regimen. A number of new drugs being tested may shorten treatment time to four months. The researchers noted that when these drugs become available, treatment programs will need to make decisions about whether to use them. Bertie Squire of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and colleagues from six different organizations examined costs for 94 TB patients from Tanzania and 96 from Bangladesh. The researchers interviewed patients at four and six months of treatment concerning expenses in the first two months of treatment (the intensive phase) and the two months before the interview (the continuation phase). Lost productivity was considered income lost due to TB for those who were not at work because of the disease, including family members taking care of the patient. Patients also reported on cost of travel to appointments and to pick up drugs, hospitalization, and food supplements. Results show that total costs in the continuation phase were half that of the initiation phase, but were 77 percent of the two-month national income per capita in Tanzania and 89 percent of the two-month national income per capita in Bangladesh. According to the researchers, decisions on the drug regimen usually are made to benefit the health system. The researchers contend that in the decision-making process, any savings that could reduce TB patients’ huge expenses are very important. The full report, “Patient Costs During Tuberculosis Treatment in Bangladesh and Tanzania: The Potential of Shorter Regimens,” was published in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (2014; 18 (7): 810–817). Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top Local and Community News Syphilis Continues to Spread in Nunavut CANADA :: STDs NunatsiaqOnline (06.05.2014) Nunatsiaq Online reported that a syphilis epidemic in Nunavut territory in northern Canada continues to climb at an alarming rate. Health workers first identified an outbreak in 2012 after diagnosing 13 cases. That number has now grown to 110 cases, said Monica Ell, the territory’s health minister. Since early infections are easily treated, she encouraged everyone at risk to seek treatment. “This preventable infection is alarmingly on the rise,” Ell said. “Nunavut is experiencing an outbreak and continued rise in the spread of syphilis.” Ell stresses the importance of syphilis awareness and testing in the region. The STD, which often goes undetected, can lead to serious health problems and even death. A mother also can pass it on to her infant during pregnancy. The territory’s health centers provide free condoms, and frontline health workers receive ongoing training and education. Ell warns that drinking and drug use reduce inhibitions and lead to unsafe sexual health behaviors. Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top News Briefs Durham Youth Encouraged to Get Chlamydia Testing CANADA :: STDs durhamregion.com (Ontario, Canada) (06.03.2014) DurhamRegion.com reported that with more than 1,700 reported chlamydia cases among residents in 2012, Canada’s Durham Region Health Department is encouraging young adults to get tested for the STD during the month of June. The disease is most commonly diagnosed in individuals 15 to 24 years old. Chlamydia screening is free of charge at the health department’s sexual health clinics throughout the region, located in Pickering Town Centre, 1355 Kingston Road; Oshawa Centre, 419 King Street West; and on the second floor at 181 Perry Street, Port Perry. Residents can get further information on clinics and sexual health services at www.durham.ca/sexualhealth or by calling the Durham Health Connection Line at (800) 841–2729 or (905) 666–6241. For more information on chlamydia and testing, visit www.findoutthewholestory.ca. Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top   Henan Province Students to Face HIV/AIDS Test Before Entering College CHINA :: HIV/AIDS CCTV.com (China) (06.03.2014) CCTV.com reported that according to local education authorities, students at all universities and post-secondary technical schools in central China’s Henan province will have to undergo HIV testing during their entrance medical examinations. Health Bureau officials said the screening is a part of prevention and control efforts since health workers recently have diagnosed a growing number of college students with HIV. Officials intend the screening process to help those diagnosed understand the disease and treat the virus at an early stage. Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top The CDC National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention provides the above information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, other sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. The above summaries were prepared without conducting any additional research or investigation into the facts and statements made in the articles being summarized, and therefore readers are expressly cautioned against relying on the validity or invalidity of any statements made in these summaries. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted above for full texts of the articles. The Prevention News Update electronic mailing list is maintained by the National Prevention Information Network (NPIN), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Regular postings include the Prevention News Update, select articles from the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report series, and announcements about new NPIN products and services. Questions? Contact Us STAY CONNECTED: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Help

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