Infectious Diseases News Brief - September 11, 2009

[Current Issue -Table of contents]

HIV/AIDS among Florida's Men Reaches Critical Levels

The Florida Department of Health released a report, "Man Up: The Crisis of HIV/AIDS among Florida's Men."  The report, which seeks to mobilize men to eliminate their risk for acquiring or transmitting the virus, revealed that 1 in every 123 adult men in Florida was living with HIV/AIDS through 2008. The report quantifies racial/ethnic disparities and ranks the 67 counties in the state accordingly.  Several key findings: 1 in 209 white men, compared to 1 in 44 black men and 1 in 117 Hispanic men, is living with HIV/AIDS; the state-wide rate among black men was 4.8 times that of white men and 2.7 times that of Hispanic men. Hispanic men were impacted with HIV/AIDS 1.8 times more than white men.  The report found that while minority men are more heavily impacted than white men, HIV cases among black men decreased during 1999-2008. Death rates among all racial/ethnic groups have also decreased. Compared with 2006, HIV/AIDS deaths decreased 11 percent among white men, 16 percent among black men and 15 percent among Hispanic men.

Source: Medical News Today 4 September 2009
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162943.php

Health officials consider HPV vaccination for males

With one human papillomavirus vaccine on the market and another on the way, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the FDA have several factors to consider in determining whether to extend the vaccine’s use to boys and men. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is expected to discuss use of the vaccine in young men at its next regular meeting and the FDA could make a decision by the end of the year.  Merck officials said at the ACIP meeting in June that they hope that data on Gardasil, approved for use in women since 2006, will convince both the ACIP and the FDA that the vaccine is effective for the prevention of the malignancies that HPV can cause in men, such as penile and anal cancers, and cancers of the mouth and throat.  CDC data indicate that about 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV, and another 6.2 million people become newly infected each year. Considering only new cases in men believed to be affiliated with HPV, the American Cancer Society expected almost 10,000 new cases of cancer in 2008.  

Source: Infectious Disease News 1 September 2009
http://www.infectiousdiseasenews.com/article/43493.aspx

Cholera, flu outbreaks in Papua New Guinea

An outbreak of cholera has killed at least five people and infected about 80 others in Papua New Guinea, health authorities say.  The outbreak occurred in two villages in Morobe Province, on the country's north coast.  Health Minister Sasa Zibe has called for emergency measures to contain the outbreak — the first time the disease has been officially confirmed in the country by the World Health Organization.  Eating uncooked shellfish may have led to the outbreak.

Source: CBC News 31 August 2009
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/08/31/cholera-papua-new-guinea-flu.html?ref=rss