Also In Global Health News: Uganda Male Circumcision; Malaria Vaccine; Potential Global Fund Grant In Cambodia; PMTCT Of HIV In Botswana

Cost Of Male Circumcision Prevents Wider Use In Uganda, Analysis Shows

The cost of male circumcision is preventing it from being used more widely adopted in Uganda as a way to help prevent men from contracting HIV, according to analysis of several districts in the country conducted by Makerere University School of Public Health researchers and the Ministry of Health with technical support from Family Health International, the Daily Monitor reports. Most household respondents thought medical male circumcision should be either free or government-subsidized or at a cost of about $2.40 (Kirunda, 7/29).

Crucell Partners With PATH, USAID To Speed Development Of Malaria Vaccine

The biotechnology company Crucell said it has entered into the collaboration with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) and the USAID Malaria Vaccine Development (MVDP) Program that will speed up development of a malaria vaccine, Reuters reports. "Via funding from the MVDP, both Crucell and MVI will conduct studies to determine the effectiveness of Crucell's vaccine against the malaria parasite. Crucell did not disclose any financial details," the news service writes (Gray-Block, 7/29).

Cambodia Submits $145M Global Fund Proposal To Reduce HIV/AIDS

Cambodia has submitted a $145 million proposal to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria that aims to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS over a five-year period, Mean Chhivun, director of the National Centre for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STD, said on Tuesday, the Phnom Penh Post reports. "'Now we are waiting for an outcome,' he said, adding that the government expected to hear a decision on the proposal by September," the newspaper writes (Rith, 7/29).

Botswana Has Lowest Mother-To-Child HIV Transmission Rate In Africa, Study Says

Botswana has the lowest rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission for a breastfeeding population in Africa, according to a study by the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute, Mmegi Online reports. "The Mmabana Study, as the programme is called, also revealed that Maternal Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) from early in the third trimester of pregnancy through six months of breastfeeding is a safe and effective strategy for preventing mother-to-child-transmission of HIV/AIDS while allowing for the benefits of breastfeeding," Mmegi Online writes (Baputaki, 7/28).