Today’s Video: The struggle against HIV

Today is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, a date in which we reflect on the millions of people affected by the disease.

There is the worry among some experts that complacency and the global economic crisis will lead to less treatment and prevention of the disease. Such is a concern in the Americas, particularly in developing countries marked by high poverty and few social opportunities. The Latino population in the U.S. continues to be susceptible after one Californian researcher found that Latinos wait the longest to get medical attention after being diagnosed.

Yet as we mentioned earlier this morning, there are numerous organizations still going strong in order to create awareness and education of the problems of HIV/AIDS in the Americas.

The following video was co-produced by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and examines how Dominican sex workers struggle to survive in light of the heightened risk of contracting HIV:

Sources- The Latin Americanist, Reuters, Caribbean World News, Jamaica Gleaner, YouTube, Global Voices Online

Inaccurate Puerto Rico data in AIDS study

Latino health advocates have blasted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recent study on AIDS for excluding Puerto Ricans on the island as Hispanics. The CDC’s decision also leaves out Latinos living in overseas territories from being accurately counted. According to one source, the number of Latino AIDS cases jumps from 17.3% to 22% when island-based Puerto Ricans are counted.

The CDC’s inaccurate count of Latinos with AIDS in the U.S. has several serious consequences like affecting public finding in HIV/AIDS prevention. The lack of precise information in the AIDS report also creates confusion for a community where it can be difficult to have proper health care.

Unfortunately, it has been worrying to see the delays by the CDC in releasing a report showing a 40% increase in estimated AIDS cases in the U.S. These problems are shameful as the International AIDS conference continues in Mexico.

As the head of the Latino Commission on AIDS observed:

"The decision to exclude Puerto Ricans from the Hispanic incidence analysis is perplexing. The CDC made a positive step forward in its original decision to include Hispanics, but has subsequently taken two steps back by again excluding Puerto Ricans from the Hispanic incidence rates. We will never have accurate estimate of HIV incidence in the Hispanic community if this discrimination continues", said Dennis deLeon, President of the Latino Commission on AIDS.

Image- AFP (“Activists and delegates hold a protest against HIV policies of many governments.”)

Sources- El Diario La Prensa, International Herald Tribune, FOX Business, New York Times

Global AIDS conference opens in Mexico

The 17th International AIDS Conference commenced today in Mexico City with numerous appeals for increased efforts to combat the spread of HIV worldwide. A UNAIDS study released last week concluded that several gains were made in HIV prevention, yet U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon observed that ”we are still facing a huge shortfall in resources.” World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan warned that “we dare not let down our guard” and become complacent against the global AIDS pandemic.

The conference was preceded by a march yesterday where thousands of protestors called for better worldwide access to anti-retroviral drugs as well as less discrimination against those with AIDS. As this video notes, “cultural stigmas” serve as a massive barrier for those infected with the disease:

The conference will last six days and is expected to have over 20,000 attendees from around the world. This figure does not include certain groups who had their petitions to be at the forum rejected such as Mexican sex workers.

According to UNAIDS, 1.7 million people in Latin America are infected with AIDS and overall levels of HIV infections in the region have changed little in the past decade. In the Caribbean, AIDS is one of the main causes of death in adults between 15 and 44 years old.

Sources- AFP, BBC News, YouTube, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, Al Jazeera English

U.N.: 1.7 million LatAm AIDS cases

A UNAIDS report released today showed that AIDS fatalities decreased in 2007 as prevention programs have worked in some countries and more drugs have been distributed to keep HIV in check. UNAIDS executive director Peter Piot said that the report represents “the most positive” study on the pandemic by the agency as the number of AIDS deaths worldwide decreased for the second straight year.

Not all was good news in the UNAIDS report; despite praising prevention plans in countries like Chile and Brazil, Latin America had more HIV infections (1.7 million) than any other region except southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the study found that:

• 40% of those infected in Latin America come from Brazil
• Over half of Mexicans infected with HIV got it through unprotected male sex
• HIV is typically spread through some Central American countries via intercourse with sex workers
• An estimated two-thirds of AIDS cases in Uruguay came about from unprotected sex

Though the percentage of people worldwide with AIDS has been roughly the same since 2000, Piot warned that “short-term gains should serve as a platform for reinvigorating combination HIV prevention and treatment efforts and not spur complacency.”

The report was publicized in anticipation of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City which starts next Monday.

Image- Guardian UK (“Drugs to suppress the HIV virus and prevent full-blown Aids have been rolled out in Africa and Asia and 3 million people are now surviving who would have died.”)

Sources (English)- AFP, Bloomberg, Monsters & Critics, Reuters UK, BBC News

Sources (Spanish)- La Nación

Daily Headlines: July 11, 2008

* Venezuela: Will Alvaro Uribe’s visit to see Hugo Chavez today lead to renewed diplomatic ties between Colombia and Venezuela?

* Panama: A legal battle has continued over the will of an “eccentric American millionaire” who bequeathed $50 million to combat child malnutrition in Panama.

* Cuba: According to officials less foreign investment projects have taken place on the island since Raul Castro first took over on an interim basis in July 2006.

* El Salvador: Over 300 hundred new cases of HIV were found after a “National HIV Test Day” was carried out two weeks ago.

Image- AFP

Sources- The Press Association, The Independent, Reuters, Xinhua

The Weekender: April 11 to 13

The work week is finally done and the weekend has fallen upon us. Do you have any plans for the next few days? If not, then please check out the following items:

• Havana Film Festival NY

The ninth edition of the Havana Film Festival New York starts tonight with the U.S. premiere of “La Noche de los Inocentes”. Yet if you can’t plunk down $100 for the tonight’s opening then check out the schedule where over 40 films from the Americas will be playing for a small price or even for free. (The Havana Film Festival NY lasts until April 18).

• “Torrijos: The Man and the Myth”

A photographic exhibition at the Americas Society comes to a close on Saturday. “Torrijos: The Man and the Myth” looks at snapshots of ex-Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos by Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide. (FYI- The event is free).

• “Hope: Living and Loving with HIV in Jamaica”

For Sunday, why not check out “Hope: Living and Loving with HIV in Jamaica”. It’s a multimedia project created by the Pulitzer Center that highlights the impact of HIV in Jamaica. The interactive website contains essays, poems, music, and is done in conjunction with the Center’s “Global Gateway” initiative.

Lastly, we began the week with some glum news regarding Argentine rock group Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. Yet we end the week with news from a commenter that the rockeros are planning a new album and reunion tour. (Yay!)

Let’s celebrate the news with some Quilmes and a sing-a-long to “El Matador”!