KENYA: HIV Strain Among Gays Same as Strain in Heterosexuals

Because of societal pressure and the criminality associated with men who have sex with men (MSM) in Kenya, Omondi Maina* married a woman. This is despite being involved in a homosexual relationship for the last 10 years.

Women Vital in Global Fight Against AIDS

Empowering women could more effectively help in curbing the spread of HIV, Bill Gates, Microsoft chairman and philanthropist said at the AIDS conference here Monday.

More Information to be Shared on AIDS Vaccine

Scientists participating in the 18th International AIDS conference that opens in Vienna Sunday promise to share more information on vaccine research.

HEALTH: To Fight AIDS, Fight Gender Inequality

Under the banner that gender inequality is one of the main drivers of the spread of AIDS, women from around the world are uniting to demand a stop to the epidemic among all females -- whether adults or girls.

SOUTH AFRICA: Trauma of Children Caring for HIV-Positive Parents

Nine-year-old Nomasonto* had no choice but to switch roles with her mother and care for the HIV-positive woman who gave birth to her. Instead of worrying about homework and going out to play with her friends, Nomasonto’s daily concerns were now a matter of life and death.

Former Presidents Denounce Drug War Ahead of AIDS Meet

The failed "war on drugs" has not only badly damaged countries where it is waged, it is responsible for driving up HIV infection rates in some countries, says an official declaration endorsed Wednesday by three former Latin American presidents in advance of the XVIII International AIDS Conference that begins Jul. 18 in Vienna.

MALAWI: Concerns over Cost of New HIV/AIDS Treatment Regime

As government implements a new HIV/AIDS treatment regimen according to latest world standards, a major grouping of non-governmental organisations are concerned that the high cost of the new medication will mean government will no longer be able provide free treatment to as many people as before.

HIV Vaccine Advances Made Ahead of Global Conference

In 1984, then-U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Margaret Heckler famously declared, "We hope to have such a vaccine ready for testing in approximately two years." The vaccine in question would prevent AIDS and the goal Heckler set has been missed by over 26 years.

ZAMBIA: Parents’ Fears Slowing Uptake of Paediatric AIDS Treatment

Diana Banda* is quickly running out of excuses to give her six-year-old son about why he has to take a schedule of drugs every day.

UGANDA: HIV-positive Teens Infecting Other Teens

HIV-positive Phiona* (19) had unprotected sex with her best friend and she prays that she did not infect him with the virus. She knew she should not have let it happen but Phiona was too scared to tell him her status, and the teenagers did not have access to condoms.

HEALTH-KENYA: Agency Unaware of Anti-Counterfeit Law Suspension

The agency tasked with implementing the Anti-Counterfeit Act of 2008 in Kenya is unaware of the Constitutional Court’s suspension of the law’s application to medicines. Moreover, a large multinational pharmaceutical company has offered to assist the agency in implementing the law with regards to medicines despite the court decision.

MEXICO: Laws Criminalising HIV Transmission Are Discriminatory

In 30 of Mexico's 32 states there are laws penalising transmission of HIV, the AIDS virus, which are regarded by experts as discriminatory and ineffective in curbing the epidemic.

UGANDA: Too Young to Know, Yet Too Young to Die

Thirteen-year-old Jacinta Okello and her fellow primary school classmates call it "doing bad manners". But when you ask her what she knows about sex, she breaks into a shy smile, looks to her feet and giggles.

KENYA: Rural Parents Prevent HIV Transmission to their Children

When Samuel Mwangi’s one-year-old HIV-positive son died five years ago, he thought the death of his child also meant the death of his family’s legacy. "I wept. And to the bottom of my heart, I knew that that was the end of my generation," said HIV-positive Mwangi.

SWAZILAND: Focus on Infants in HIV Prevention

A proud mother, Nonhlanhla Mabuza cuddles her one-day-old baby boy, at the circumcision clinic of Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital. A day after delivering her second son, Thabiso Dlamini, the 20-year-old mother is not only beaming because she has just successfully delivered her tiny little tot – her bundle of joy has just undergone male circumcision.

ZIMBABWE: Learning to Survive the Mean Streets

Twelve-year-old Tapuwa Bakare* darts through the traffic as irate motorists hoot at him and the tyres of speeding vehicles screech to a halt to avoid hitting him. Miraculously, the box filled with sweets and chewing gum that he carries does not fall from his grasp.

AFRICA: Less Funds Will Cause Unnecessary AIDS Deaths

Backtracking by international donors in funding the fight against HIV/AIDS risks widening the treatment gap in Africa, undermining years of positive achievements in the field, warns a new Medecins Sans Frontières report. And many more unnecessary HIV-related deaths will be caused by these shifts in international donor funding

SOUTH AFRICA: Tuberculosis in Children Neglected

Even though tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause for illness and mortality in children, South Africa lacks the political will to tackle the disease, health experts say.

BURMA: HIV Infection on the Rise Among Men Who Have Sex with Men

The only son in his family, Maung Maung Oo was forced to marry when he was 24 years old. By then he had been carrying on a sexual relationship with a man for four years – which he continued even after his marriage.

SOUTH AFRICA: Lack of Quality Health Care Causes Rise in Orphans

Two small boys play quietly on a jungle gym, some distance away from other children. The six-year-old twins, who live at the Masigcine children's centre in Mfuleni township, 35 kilometres out of Cape Town, are severely traumatised from being orphaned at the age of one and have difficulty relating to their peers.

Haitian Group Honoured for AIDS Work, Earthquake Aid

A non-profit group founded in Haiti nearly three decades ago to fight what was then a mysterious killer disease later identified as AIDS has been awarded the prestigious 2010 Gates Award for Global Health.