Sexual Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News

After a decade, global AIDS program looks ahead

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:09:37 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — The decade-old law that transformed the battle against HIV and AIDS in developing countries is at a crossroads. The dream of future generations freed from epidemic is running up against an era of economic recovery and harsh budget cuts.

Experimental Gilead drug effective in early-stage leukemia trial

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:12:27 -0400

By Deena Beasley (Reuters) - An experimental drug from Gilead Sciences Inc shrank tumors in half of leukemia patients whose cancer had returned, according to an early-stage trial that represents a new foray into oncology by the world's biggest seller of HIV medications. The pill, idelalisib, is part of a new class of medications designed to selectively block a type of protein known to promote tumor growth in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and other types of blood cancer. ...

Judge in NYC refuses to suspend his Plan B ruling

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:05:34 -0400

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge on Friday refused to delay enforcement of his decision giving women of all ages broad access to morning-after birth control, calling the government's appeal frivolous, a "silly argument" and an insult to the intelligence of women.

HPV-related cancers rose before vaccines hit market

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:07:52 -0400

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The number of some cancers related to the human papillomavirus (HPV) increased throughout the U.S. before vaccines against the sexually transmitted infection were available, says to a new study. Researchers found an increase in many early-stage cancers and anal and head and neck late-stage cancers across the U.S. between 1978 through 2007 that are thought to be related to the infection. "Our findings support an important need for HPV vaccination given the absence of effective screening for tumors at these sites," Dr. ...

Sex supplements often contain Viagra ingredients

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:15:28 -0400

By Kerry Grens NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Herbal supplements aimed at improving men's sexual abilities often contain the active ingredients in erectile dysfunction pills such as Viagra, according to a new study. Additionally, researchers found that some of these over-the-counter herbal remedies contained more of the ingredient than is allowed in prescription-only pharmaceuticals. "It's pretty scary stuff," said Neil Campbell, the lead author of the study and a researcher at Pfizer, which sells Viagra. "These products are not herbal at all, they're adulterated." The U.S. ...

Merck, GSK cut price of cervical cancer shots for poor countries

Thu, 09 May 2013 07:17:00 -0400

By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Drugmakers Merck and GlaxoSmithKline have cut the price of cervical cancer shots in a deal that will deliver them to poor countries for less than $5 a dose. The new record low price for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines should mean millions of girls in developing countries can be protected against the disease, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) said on Thursday. "By 2020 we hope to reach more than 30 million girls in more than 40 countries," Seth Berkley, the group's chief executive, said in a statement announcing the price deal. ...

Judge in NYC rips opposition to Plan B order

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:03:54 -0400

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge, asked by the government on Tuesday to freeze his plan giving teenage girls broader access to morning-after birth control, instead seized the chance to accuse health officials of taking steps that would end up hurting poor people and improve their chances of prevailing in a protracted legal fight with reproductive rights advocates.

Op-Ed: What's Your HIV Infection Risk? If You're Under 24, Probably Higher Than You Think

Fri, 03 May 2013 14:32:55 -0400

Over 50,000 new HIV infections occur annually and of those new HIV infections, one in four occur among young people ages 13-24. One in four! As a public health professional, and as a mother of two young people in this age group, this recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made me gasp. We have entered the fourth decade of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S., and know more about the disease and how to prevent and treat it than ever before and, yet, the December 2012 CDC report reveals:

Most women back over-the-counter birth control pill

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:26:09 -0400

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Close to two-thirds of women favor making contraceptive pills available over the counter, according to a new nationally-representative survey. In addition, about 30 percent of women using either no birth control or a less effective method - such as condoms - said they would likely take the Pill if it was sold without a prescription, researchers found. "Of course it's a hypothetical question, and it remains to be seen how this would play out in reality," said Dr. ...

Calif. Initiative Mails Condoms to Teens

Thu, 02 May 2013 09:49:51 -0400

A California-based program that sends teenagers free condoms in the mail has expanded to San Diego and Fresno counties, which have a combined population of over 4 million. The initiative, the Condom Access Project, is meant to help lower teenage STD and pregnancy rates...

California Initiative Mails Free Condoms to Teens

Thu, 02 May 2013 09:11:51 -0400

Justice Department appeals morning-after case

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:28:11 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Wednesday appealed a federal judge's order to lift all age limits on who can buy morning-after birth control pills without a prescription.

Justice Dept to appeal morning-after case

Wed, 01 May 2013 19:55:24 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is appealing a judge's decision lifting all age limits on the Plan B morning-after birth control pill and a cheaper generic.

Govt mulls next step on contentious Plan B pill

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:36:39 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — Selling the morning-after birth control pill right next to condoms, even if limited to buyers 15 or older, marks a big societal shift in the long battle over women's reproductive rights. Backed into a corner by a federal court, the Obama administration is considering how to proceed after what looked like a stab at compromise just made both sides madder.

Study Finds HPV Vaccine Might Be Just as Effective at Lower Doses

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:45:00 -0400

A new study published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association's (JAMA) May 1 issue has found that giving women and girls only two doses of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine may actually be just as effective as giving them three doses of it. Researchers analyzed a group of some 830 women and girls between the ages of 16 and 26 to gauge the efficacy of the vaccine at the lower doses.

U.S. Panel Changes Stance, Says All Adults Should Get Tested for HIV

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:24:00 -0400

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued a new recommendation statement on Monday regarding adults and HIV testing. The statement, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, asserted that all adults between the ages of 15 and 65 should be tested for HIV, regardless of whether or not they are considered high risk.

Task force calls for routine HIV testing for all adults

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:42:16 -0400

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - An influential U.S. panel is calling for HIV screening for all Americans aged 15 to 65, regardless of whether they are considered to be at high risk, a change that may help lift some of the stigma associated with HIV testing. The new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a government-backed panel of doctors and scientists, now align with longstanding recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing of all adults aged 15 to 65, regardless of their risk. ...

Is ‘Slut-Shaming’ Contributing to the Rise of STDs?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:52:59 -0400

Slut-shaming is at the root of all problems. Well, it seems to be at the root of a lot of mine, anyway. Anyone who’s ever been slut-shamed understands that it can alter your sexual health decisions, erode your self-esteem, and change how you interact with both sexes. ...

FDA rejects two Gilead HIV drugs as standalone products

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:35:34 -0400

By Toni Clarke WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gilead Sciences Inc said on Monday that U.S. health rejected two of its HIV drugs as standalone therapies, citing deficiencies in documentation and validation of certain quality testing procedures. Gilead said it is working with U.S. Food and Drug Administration to address the questions raised in the rejection letter in order to prove the application forward. The company is seeking approval for its drug elvitegravir for people with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, who have already been treated with other products. ...

NIH Halts Trial of HIV Vaccine After it Fails to Work

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:53:00 -0400

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been forced to halt a study involving a potential vaccine for HIV, after finding that it was ineffective. In a statement regarding the decision on Thursday, the NIH stated that the vaccine also proved ineffective at reducing the amount of HIV found in the blood of those already infected.

You Know What’s Depressing? Finding Out You Have an STD

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:36:18 -0400

When you think about “sexual health,” you may think “STDs”—as in, herpes, HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and a host of other infections I won’t go into. One thing that probably doesn’t pop into your head is how having a sexually transmitted disease can affect someone mentally and emotionally. But for many, the impact beyond the physical effects of an infection—and of course sometimes there is no clear evidence that one’s infected at all—can be huge. However, since we rarely talk about the taboo subject of STDs, we often don’t talk about the mental impact of having one, either. ...

Sickle cell disease accounts for many priapism cases

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:48:40 -0400

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Thanks to commercials for erectile dysfunction drugs, men know to seek medical attention for "erections lasting more than four hours," but a new study suggests a blood disorder is the cause of many prolonged erections. While the condition - formally known as priapism - is rare, researchers report in The Journal of Urology that between 14 percent and 30 percent of cases that show up in U.S. emergency rooms are men with sickle-cell disease. ...

Latest HIV vaccine doesn't work; govt halts study

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:02:45 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest bad news in the hunt for an AIDS vaccine: The government halted a large U.S. study on Thursday, saying the experimental shots aren't preventing HIV infection.

U.S.-backed HIV vaccine fails; study halted

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:09:20 -0400

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - The National Institutes of Health on Thursday halted a study testing an experimental HIV vaccine after an independent review board found the vaccine did not prevent HIV infection and did not reduce the amount of HIV in the blood. The trial, started in 2009, is the latest in a series of failed HIV vaccine trials. The study, called HVTN 505, had enrolled 2,504 volunteers in 19 U.S. cities, and was looking at men who have sex with men and transgender people who have sex with men. ...

Another HIV vaccine fails as govt halts US study

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:53:14 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bad news in the fight against the AIDS virus: The government is halting a large U.S. study of a possible HIV vaccine because the experimental shots aren't preventing infection.

Catholic Church withdraws subpoena to Obama on birth control

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:47:39 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scaling down a legal fight with the White House, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York has agreed to drop a request for documents about the government's requirement of insurance coverage for birth control, a court filing on Monday said. The archdiocese sent a subpoena to President Barack Obama's administration in February asking for documents from White House staff, including Obama himself, for use in a church lawsuit against the contraception mandate. ...

U.S. justices conflicted over AIDS funding case

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:00:21 -0400

By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supreme Court justices appeared divided on Monday as they considered a challenge to a law requiring non-profit organizations to adopt an anti-prostitution policy in order to obtain federal funding for HIV/AIDS programs abroad. Several justices voiced concerns that the law imposes unconstitutional limits on freedom of speech, but others indicated the government had a right to direct how its money should be spent. ...

Tulsa Dentist's Patients Test Positive for Blood-Borne Diseases

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:58:00 -0400

When the unsanitary practices in the dental offices of Dr. W. Scott Harrington first came to light in March , it was as a result of one of the dentist's patients having tested positive for the blood-borne diseases HIV and hepatitis C in the absence of other risk factors. Since then, more than 3,000 people who had been Harrington's patients have received testing through the Tulsa Health Department -- and more than 50 of these people have learned they've tested positive for hepatitis C, according to a situation update provided Thursday by the Oklahoma State Department of Health .

Dental Patients Positive for Hepatitis, HIV

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:39:24 -0400

At least 60 people have tested positive for hepatitis or HIV after visiting an Oklahoma dentist slammed by the state dental board for poor sterilization practices.

Dozens of Oklahoma dentist's patients test positive for hepatitis

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:19:15 -0400

By Steve Olafson OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Blood tests conducted on patients treated at an Oklahoma oral surgery practice that has been closed over health concerns show that 57 have hepatitis C, three have hepatitis B and as many as three have HIV, the virus than can lead to AIDS, officials said on Thursday. Health officials said it will take more investigation - including interviews with each patient and blood tests of the remaining patients - before they can determine whether the viruses were contracted at the dental offices, an extremely rare occurrence. ...