Topic: HIV/AIDS

A Journalist's Guide to Sexual and Reproductive Health in East Africa
Sexual and reproductive health encompasses health and well-being in matters related to sexual relations, pregnancies, and births. It deals with the most intimate and private aspects of people's lives, which can be difficult to write about and discuss publicly. As a result, the public often misunderstands many sexual and reproductive health matters. The media play a critical role in bringing sexual and reproductive health matters to the attention of people who can influence public health policies. This guide aims to help journalists educate the public and policymakers on these issues by bringing together the latest available data on sexual and reproductive health for seven East African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. (September 2011)

Integrating Reproductive Health and HIV Services: Fact Sheet
Many studies have recommended integrating reproductive health and HIV services because sexually active individuals have overlapping needs: They are at risk of both unintended pregnancies and HIV infection. A 2009 World Health Organization review of the studies on this issue found that integrating family planning and HIV services leads to higher-quality and better used services and is cost-effective. However, linking the services, whether in one integrated facility or through referrals, faces political as well as programmatic challenges. This fact sheet outlines the benefits and challenges of integrating family planning and HIV services. (August 2011)

The World at 7 Billion - Interactive Map
Which countries will grow the most by 2050? Where is infant mortality highest? How does contraceptive prevalence vary worldwide? Find the answers in PRB’s interactive map. Browse through 17 indicators organized in six tabs, ranging from life expectancy, HIV/AIDS, family planning, poverty, and more. View data on global, regional, or country maps or tables. You can easily embed the map on your blog or website.

2011 World Population Data Sheet
Global population will reach 7 billion later in 2011, just 12 years after reaching 6 billion in 1999. Today's world population is double the population in 1967. But while the overall growth rate has slowed, the population is still growing, and growth rates in some countries show little if any decline. The Population Reference Bureau's 2011 World Population Data Sheet and its summary report offer up-to-date demographic, health, and environment data on 18 population, health, and environment indicators for more than 200 countries. (July 2011)

PRB Discuss Online: What Works for Women and Girls: Evidence for HIV and AIDS Interventions
What Works for Women and Girls: Evidence for HIV and AIDS Interventions synthesizes the vast research literature on program interventions (through the end of 2009) to provide clear evidence of what works and what seems most promising for women and girls that improve a range of HIV outcomes. In a PRB Discuss Online, website authors Karen Hardee, Visiting Senior Fellow, PRB; Jill Gay, President, J. Gay Associates; and Melanie Croce-Galis, President, Global Artemis Consulting answered questions from participants about interventions related to HIV and AIDS programming and the evidence base needed for those designing policies and programs for women and girls. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (June 2011)

Gender-Based Violence Increases Risk of HIV/AIDS for Women in Sub-Saharan Africa
Approximately 68 percent of people infected with HIV worldwide live in sub-Saharan Africa, where the virus disproportionately affects women. Gender-based violence has been identified as a significant driver of HIV/AIDS infections in women in the region, and international organizations are increasingly focusing on the elimination of violence against women as key in the battle against the spread of the epidemic. Prevention strategies need to address the unequal power between men and women, and norms and practices that put women at a higher risk of exposure to HIV. (April 2011)

Progress Against HIV/AIDS Amidst Persistent Challenges
A new report from the international organization, UNAIDS, has good news about the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Although the number of people living with HIV remains high—33.3 million in 2009—fewer people are becoming infected with HIV. Four decades into the seemingly intractable epidemic, UNAIDS reports that "the world has turned the corner—it has halted and begun to reverse the spread of HIV." Since peaking at about 3.2 million in 1997, the number of new annual infections has fallen 19 percent to 2.6 million. The number of AIDS-related deaths fell from a peak of 2.1 million in 2004 to an estimated 1.8 million in 2009. (December 2010)

Earthquake Magnifies Haiti's Economic and Health Challenges
Even before the massive earthquake in January 2010, Haiti's nearly 10 million people ranked as the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. The destruction has been devastating for Haiti's population and economy. Some analysts maintain that the earthquake interrupted and possibly ended promising economic development initiatives that were just beginning to bear fruit. Others see hope in the resilience of the Haitian people and an opportunity to rebuild Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas to be safer, healthier, and more efficient. For the time being, thousands of Haitians lack adequate food, sanitation, and shelter despite massive international assistance pledged to the country after January 2010. (October 2010)

PRB Discuss Online: What Do We Know About the Relationship Between HIV/AIDS and the Natural Environment?
During a PRB Discuss Online, Lori Hunter, associate professor of sociology and environmental studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder; Ben Piper, director of research and programs for the University of Washington at KEMRI in Kenya; and Jason Bremner, program director of Population, Health, and Environment at Population Reference Bureau, answered participants' questions about what is being done to address HIV/AIDS and the environment. This Discuss Online session was sponsored by the BRIDGE project, a cooperative agreement between USAID's Global Health Bureau and PRB. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (September 2010)

Targeting Gender-Based Violence to Reduce HIV Among Women
Women with an abusive sexual partner are at greater risk of HIV infection than other women. Several studies have shown this association between HIV and gender-based violence, but the link has now been further documented. How can this cycle of abuse and sexually transmitted diseases be broken? Many countries in Africa, and also the Latin-American country of Nicaragua, have implemented intervention programs to inform and educate about gender equity in hopes of reducing HIV transmission. (September 2010)