‘A Relief To Women’: Injectable Birth Control Does Not Raise HIV Risk, Study Finds, And Is As Safe As Other Methods
The safety rating for the hormone shot Depo-Provera was lowered several years ago, frustrating women in Africa who found it an easier method to hide and sometimes the only option offered. In other news on HIV: a new documentary and harmful syringe practices.
The New York Times:
Depo-Provera, An Injectable Contraceptive, Does Not Raise H.I.V. Risk
For decades, many African women in need of birth control they could use in secret have relied on intramuscular hormone injections that prevent pregnancy for three months. But in recent years, women have been terrified — and family planning officials frustrated — as studies suggested that women using injectables were far more likely to get infected with H.I.V. (McNeil, 6/13)
The Associated Press:
'5B' Documentary Tells Story Of Pioneering AIDS Caretakers
The impact of San Francisco General Hospital's ward 5B — the first hospital division dedicated to treating people with AIDS — has far outlasted its existence. The ward, which opened in 1989, is the focus of a new documentary, "5B," which has nurses, patients, and supporters recount the fight for non-discriminatory health care for those diagnosed with AIDS until 5B transitioned to treating a broader spectrum of patients in the late 1990s. (6/13)
The Wall Street Journal:
Reusing Syringes, Drips Infected Hundreds Of Pakistani Children With HIV
Unsafe, but common, practices such as reusing drips and syringes caused hundreds of Pakistani children to be infected with HIV, according to a World Health Organization team investigating a sudden outbreak in a poor southeastern town. The WHO’s preliminary findings, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and presented to Pakistani health officials Friday, offer a window into how more than 650 children tested positive for HIV in one town over six weeks of government tests, while nearly all their parents tested negative. (Rana, 6/14)
