United Press International - Monday, December 29, 2003
Claude Salhani and Ed Susman
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The old adage that no news is good news, alas, does not apply to Africa. The only news emanating from Africa this past year has been of fratricidal wars or devastating epidemics that continue to claim lives by the tens of thousands. Yet little news from Africa, if any, gets reported in the
William M. Reilly, UPI United Nations Correspondent
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The U.N. Children s Fund Thursday called for a drastic revision in international development efforts, which are drastically short-changing hundreds of millions of girls and women. Popularly known as UNICEF, the agency said development efforts are leaving them uneducated and unable to co
United Press International - Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Ed Susman, UPI Science News
Last in a series of UPI articles examining the worldwide AIDS epidemic. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- For centuries, men have journeyed to the South Pacific, drawn by warm temperatures, blue lagoons and tempting women. Today, tourism remains crucial to the economies of many of the small island nations of the region, but the
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Despite news reports that recent, federally funded research on the effectiveness of a sex education program may have included fabricated data, the researchers involved actually were exposed more than two years ago and the skewed information was excluded from the final study, the National Ins
United Press International - Wednesday, December 03, 2003
Steve Mitchell, Medical Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The editor of a major medical journal has taken the unusual step of penning an editorial defending federally funded sexual behavior research in an effort to ward off attacks from Congress. The editorial, by Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, defends t
United Press International - Friday, November 28, 2003
Dar Haddix, UPI Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- More trade and increased investments into the agricultural sector would not only bolster economic growth, but also reduce hunger in the poorest countries of the world, according to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The report, The State of Food Insecuri
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Global goals to halve the number of the world s hungry by 2015 is unattainable at the present rate of reduction, says a new report issued Tuesday by a U.N. body. The report by the Food and Agriculture Organization said though during the past decade the number of chronically undernourished p
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Despite pledges of billions of dollars for treatment and prevention programs and increasing political momentum, the worldwide AIDS epidemic grew in 2003, United Nations officials said Tuesday. The grim statistics: -- About 40-million people are living with the disease or infectio
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Syphilis rates rose dramatically for the second straight year in the United States , particularly among gay and bisexual men, a finding that has health officials worried about an increase in HIV/AIDS cases in the coming years. Overall, the U.S. syphilis rate rose by 9 percent between 2001 a
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- There s an old conservative saw that the American news establishment has a left-leaning bias. But now African-American journalists and policy experts are taking those same media to task for their coverage of corruption, wars and pandemic diseases in Africa. Not only does that coverage reinf
United Press International - Thursday, November 13, 2003
William M. Reilly, UPI United Nations Correspondent
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Recently voices have been raised by human rights defenders that actions by law enforcement agencies in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were eroding human rights in the United States . The special representative of the secretary-general on human rights defenders, Hina J
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Republicans have blinked in the bitter partisan standoff over whether traditional Medicare should compete with private health plans -- but don t read that to mean they have caved in to the Democrats. Not by a long shot -- if history serves as teacher -- are Republicans ready to give up thei
United Press International - Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Katrina Woznicki, United Press International
WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- An organization representing family doctors said Wednesday it is forming an alliance with 10 technology companies to bring electronic health record technology to thousands of small-to-medium-sized medical practices that are struggling to afford digital upgrades. The American Academy of Fami
NEW YORK, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The nation s first museum devoted to the history and psychology of sex has completed its first year of operation with financial problems that have forced a cutback in its exhibition schedule despite satisfactory attendance figures. The Museum of Sex (MoSex) at Fifth Avenue and 27th Street has
Peter Roff and Jillian Jonas, UPI National Political Analysts
The U.S. Supreme Court has let stand a lower court ruling that the federal government cannot revoke the licenses of doctors who recommend medical marijuana to sick patients. Without comment, the court rejected the Bush administration s appeal of two lower court decisions finding federal policy violated Constitutional g
In the end, size does matter. And apparently, one size doesn t fit all. Just like brassieres for women come in many sizes anddesigned to fit all shapes and curves, condoms are now being offered in an array of lengths and widths to ensure maximum comfort and support. It s a true personalization of condoms, said Adam Gli
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Scientists have developed a tiny implantable microchip that can be loaded with several doses of multiple drugs to be released at specified intervals over a period of months. The chip -- about the length and thickness of a fingernail -- could be useful for delivering drugs that must be taken
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- In the end, the destiny of the world s dwindling rainforests may depend on drugs, diversity and dividends, conclude researchers who spent five years determining the pragmatics of pinpointing plants with pharmaceutical potential beneath the lush canopy of the Panamanian jungle. In complet
WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- In a surprise move, the Supreme Court indicated Tuesday it would not intervene in a medical marijuana case in which the federal government came out the loser in the lower courts. At issue in the case is whether the federal government may revoke the license of a physician to prescribe medica
DALLAS, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Have you ever had a conversation with your doctor and afterwards asked yourself, What did he say? You re not alone. Bad communication is the number one communicable disease. It is literally killing us. A recent estimate suggests that medical misunderstandings and miscommunication costs the
This is the fifth in a multipart series of articles by United Press International on the status of the global AIDS epidemic. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (UPI) -- In the late 1990s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reported the AIDS epidemic in the United States appeared to have reached a plateau. In
PARIS, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Nearly two decades after quitting UNESCO, the United States rejoins the body Wednesday amid much pomp and circumstance along with quiet fears that Washington will impose its agenda on the Paris-based international organization. Much of the pomp and circumstance came Monday, with an appearance b
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- A new survey has found half of all Internet marketers of herbal products have violated federal law by making false claims or omitting legally required disclaimers and medical warnings. The findings suggest many consumers are vulnerable to purchasing substandard or potentially dangerous pro
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Four of the largest outbreaks of hepatitis in the United States have been traced back to healthcare workers in doctor s offices reusing needles and employing other unsafe procedures, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concludes in a new study. The findings could portend a mo
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- The following is the text of President Bush s speech Tuesday to the U.N. General Assembly: Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen: 24 months ago -- and yesterday in the memory of America -- the center of New York City became a battlefield an
William M. Reilly, UPI United Nations Correspondent
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS Monday the international community is not doing enough to battle the pandemic. The all-day session, on the eve of the annual General Debate in the U.N. General Assembly where heads of state, governments and minis
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- If a novelist had come up with the plot in 1980, his editor would have vetoed it. A deadly epidemic ravages Africa. People by the millions die a slow, wasting death in the worst health calamity since the Middle Ages, when the bubonic plague killed its victims relatively quickly. In some pl
This this the fourth in a multipart series of articles by United Press International on the status of the global AIDS epidemic. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (UPI) -- Dr. Scott Hammer bit his lip and thought about how to describe the what is happening with AIDS in Eastern Europe and the regions that made up the former Soviet U
This is the third in a multipart series of articles by United Press International on the status of the global AIDS epidemic. AIDS outbreaks in Africa and the huge population masses of central and southern Asia might seem far from the United States , but the epidemic rages just as ferociously in the nearby Caribbean and
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- It produces and exports 95 percent of its illicit drug crop to the United States , it recently decriminalized medical marijuana and it is considering offering government-subsidized heroin to addicts. Yet few Americans are aware that the country in question is our mild-mannered northern
This is the second in a multipart series of articles by United Press International on the status of the global AIDS epidemic. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (UPI) -- As bad as the AIDS epidemic is in Africa, it could easily become worse in Asia, where grim statistics quietly continue to gain momentum. AIDS researchers and gover
This is the first of a multi-part series by United Press International on the state of the global AIDS epidemic. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (UPI) -- The tragedy of AIDS begins and ends in Africa. AIDS most likely occurred first in Africa, probably early in the 20th Century, when an as-yet-unknown carrier animal transmitted
MIAMI, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- For many students heading off to college this month, it will be like stepping into a minefield. Waiting for students -- freshmen in particular -- are bouts with depression including thoughts of suicide along with drug and alcohol abuse and sexually transmitted diseases. Of the 4 million students
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- As the new school year starts, students across the nation are more likely than in years past to receive sex education that focuses only on abstinence and does not give them information about contraceptives. As a result, some groups are concerned this growing trend could portend a rise in te
HONG KONG -- China is facing an AIDS epidemic that already affects at least a million people, and AIDS patients are living in a healthcare vacuum, says a report released Wednesday by a major human rights group. The report alleges that government indifference, health workers carelessness, and widespread discrimination t
New research indicates the human immunodeficiency virus is able to replicate by hijacking a normally protective gene called ATR and turning it into an outlaw gene. Scientists at the University of Rochester and the University of Utah School of Medicine report the ATR gene -- which normally stops damaged cells from repli
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Climate-driven decimation of fish in an East African lake -- a main source of sustenance, sustainability and stability for four countries -- portends potential trouble for other lake regions, particularly in the southeastern United States , scientists told United Press International.
GENEVA, Switzerland -- There are simply not enough condoms in Asia, the World Health Organization announced Monday. The shortage is heightening fears over the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the BBC reported. Unless extensive prevention efforts are undertaken immediately, the region -- which currently has seven millio
TORONTO, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- More and more, men and women are using the World Wide Web to look for sexual partners, although each gender s intentions might be somewhat different. Swedish researchers have found only 17 percent of men deny they use the Internet for online sexual activity, while one-third of women claim neve
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Financial ties between medical researchers and pharmaceutical companies have been a growing and controversial trend in recent years. Now a new study reveals the arrangements also are pervasive among medical school faculty charged with reviewing medical studies to ensure they do not endanger patient
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Single women tend to underestimate their risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and many have convinced themselves of a false sense of security that birth control pills and serial monogamy protects them from catching anything from their sexual partners. A national team of researc
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 18 (UPI) -- It began as way to enroll the public in a serious but government-scorned effort to hunt for extraterrestrials. A graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley had an inkling to make use of idle computer hours to analyze recorded radio signals for non-naturally occur
QUERETARO, Mexico , July 18 (UPI) -- We have the global means, the know-how and the record of development success...to state categorically that if today Africa and the world make the commitment of will and resources, then tomorrow, 2015, we can reach the Millennium Development Goals of halving poverty, removing hunger,
WASHINGTON -- The incidence of AIDS is running higher in Washington than in other large U.S. cities, a new study says. The report, for an upcoming national conference on HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, showed in 2001, the latest year for available data, the District of Columbia had 678 diagnosed AIDS cases that year g
PARIS, July 15 (UPI) -- Congress could appropriate at least $2 billion this year to fight AIDS in poor nations, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said Tuesday. During a news briefing at the 2nd International AIDS Society Conference, Thompson predicted the $2 billion would include about $400 millio
WASHINGTON, July 2 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush casts a long-delayed gaze at Africa next week with a weeklong, five-nation swing through to promote democracy and economic development, banner U.S. efforts to combat AIDS and offer support for African efforts to resolve major conflicts on the continent. Most pressing
CLEVELAND, June 27 (UPI) -- While the world s daily news headlines track the troubles in the Middle East and the latest emerging diseases -- SARS, monkey pox and West Nile virus -- nearly 11 million children are dying quietly, victims of the ancient villains: diarrhea, malaria and measles. These children die without ev
Lots of people are claiming victory now that the House has approved the president s Global AIDS initiative. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said: The situation in Africa is desperate. Millions of children are now orphans because both of their parents have been stricken by AIDS and have died. I had a chance to vis
WASHINGTON, April 29 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush on Tuesday unveiled an initiative intended to pump another $15 billion in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, as he fielded criticism that legislation did not focus enough on abstinence as a solution to the pandemic. Fighting AIDS on a global scale is a massive and
QUERETARO, Mexico (UPI) -- Severe acute respiratory syndrome afflicts China and Hong Kong and economists begin to question its economic impact. U.S. gross domestic product growth comes in at a disappointing 1.7 percent in the first quarter of 2003.
WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- The global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, has spotlighted the inadequacies of the international system for tracking emerging diseases, and the need for better transnational interventions to stem the spread of new epidemiological threats, according to experts on inf
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a new initiative Thursday to make HIV tests a more routine part of medical practice to help detect those who are infected but may not know it and thereby help limit the spread of the virus, which causes the deadly illness AIDS. The aim of the i
WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) -- The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, has spotlighted the Chinese government s ineffectual approaches to fighting dangerous communicable diseases, and has emphasized the significant international economic, healthcare and security implications of China s failure to addr
PARIS, April 9 (UPI) -- A Paris judge has opened an inquiry into allegations a French company exported suspect blood to developing countries long after it was deemed dangerous, opening a new to France s long-running scandal involving HIV-tainted blood. The investigation was opened following charges filed in November, b
BEIJING, April 3 (UPI) -- China s minister of health said Thursday that the epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome is under control, while a growing number of residents in the country s capital are donning protective masks. Chinese society is stable, and it is safe to travel in China, Dr. Zhang Wenkang added.
OXFORD, England, April 3 (UPI) -- Mounting evidence suggests that medical scientists armed with a rapid new blood test may be able to eradicate the ancient threat of tuberculosis once and for all by hunting down reserves of the microbe hiding dormant in billions of people worldwide. We need every tool we can in our arm
WASHINGTON, March 13 (UPI) -- The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it has approved the first in a new class of drugs for treating HIV/AIDS. The drug, Fuzeon, prevents HIV from infecting cells and can be particularly beneficial to people with advanced AIDS who are failing on currently available drugs. Other AI
CHICAGO, March 11 (UPI) -- A significant percentage of Chinese men are contracting chlamydia from engaging in unprotected sex with prostitutes and passing the disease onto their wives, research released Tuesday reveals. The findings, published in the March 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Associat
BOSTON, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- A long-acting type of interferon usually used to treat hepatitis C also could be a potent treatment for early HIV infections, researchers reported Wednesday. Six months of treatment with the drug called PegIntron not only reduced active human immunodeficiency virus but also boosted the immune s
BOSTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Researchers at an AIDS conference Tuesday described promising new drugs that have found new vulnerable areas to attack and defeat human immunodeficiency virus. I would say we have a bumper crop of new drugs, said Dr. John Mellors, professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. The messa
BOSTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Former President Bill Clinton has some suggestions as to how to make President Bush s $15-billion initiative to fight AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean more effective. First of all, It should never be a political issue, Clinton said Monday night at major AIDS conference in Boston. Clinton told t
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A new study shows that sex is still a dominant topic on TV shows, and that references to safer sex, including abstinence, are becoming more frequent. Sex on TV 3: Content and Context -- presented in Beverly Hills on Tuesday by the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation -- found that two-third
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- President Bush requested a $61 million increase in the 2004 budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday, with most of the agency s budget slated for bioterrorism preparedness and programs to prevent chronic diseases and AIDS. In this budget, we are redoubling and buil
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Although prostitution is technically illegal, the government in China winks at the sex for sale by women and men, who have grown more brazen in peddling their bodies to foreign diplomats and businessmen, according to a newspaper report Saturday. Proceeds help fill the coffers of some local g
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.