Circumcision is a common practice in the more developed regions of the world especially in Europe and America. About sixty percent of newborn boys in the U.S. are circumcised, usually within a few days after birth. The reason for circumcision varies according to culture and religion. For some, circumcision is done for hygiene and health [...]

A branch of southern Sudan’s HIV/AIDS on Saturday said that ignorance and communication breakdown is hindering efforts to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. The United Nations estimate that 1.4% of 15 to 49 year olds in Sudan have HIV/AIDS. Majok Dut Ayany, who heads the commission in Juba told reporters on his recent visit to [...]

Ethiopia’s opposition Oromo People’s Congress criticized a report by a donor group into allegations that the government manipulated foreign aid for political gain ahead of general elections in May. The Development Assistance Group, an Addis Ababa-based body comprising 26 agencies that give assistance to Ethiopia, examined four programs that receive about $1.5 billion a year [...]

Nothing about Ijeoma Akobundu’s demeanour suggests her profession. The 26-year-old indigene of Imo State is a gentle soft-spoken lady, and was recently elected as the secretary of the tenants’ association of her Surulere residence. She is a commercial sex worker. Every evening, she leaves for her current place of business; a seedy unnamed hotel near [...]

Vienna: For a while now, the AIDS epidemic was believed to have stabilised but now there’s concern that it may be on the rise once again. Countries in Eastern Europe and former CIS states are now reporting an exponential rise in HIV cases all because of unsafe injectible drug use. Injecting drug users or IDUs, [...]

Researchers have found that a vaginal gel containing a prescription drug could dramatically cut the prevalence of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in woman. Results of a study conducted in South Africa showed that the microbicide gel reduced the HIV infection rate by 39 per cent over two and a half years. Experts at [...]

A primary school principal in Sudan’s twin capital of Omdurman have expelled one of their students who is infected with HIV according to a newspaper report. The Akhir-Lahza newspaper quoted the Secretary General of ’LIGHT’ organization Masha’er Mohamed Badawi as saying that the unidentified private school initially agreed to admit the child despite being aware [...]

Jimmy is 40 years old and has been married for four years. He has three children. To the outside world his is the average Kenyan family. But he has a secret that threatens the very core of his family’s existence. He is gay. “I love my wife but I have sexual relations with men. I [...]

Durban – Better drugs and understanding should see tuberculosis treated like any other respiratory disease in future, the TB Alliance said in Durban on Thursday. “TB should be treated like any respiratory disease with improved understanding and the better discovery of new drugs,” said Dr Christo van Niekerk, a senior director in clinical development at [...]

The M2010 Microbicides conference in Pittsburgh, in the US, finished tonight after days of science and advocacy, achieving its goal of “Building Bridges in HIV Prevention”. As the world waits to see whether the tenofovir microbicide tested in South Africa will block HIV infection – the results will be released in July – marketing expert [...]