HEALTH-U.S.: Women Seniors Battle HIV/AIDS

Miriam Schuler cannot say enough about sex. Over bingo at the senior centre and on the street outside the grocery store, she discusses the topic with unabashed chutzpah, offering up hearty laughter and no-nonsense advice.

HEALTH: Taxi Drivers Becoming Agents of Change in AIDS-Ridden Rwanda

Transporters and taxi drivers from Rwanda are learning how to fight HIV/AIDS from their counterparts in neighbouring Uganda.

HEALTH-AFRICA: A Church Group Makes Strides in Supplying ARVs

The case for providing anti-retroviral drugs to as many HIV-positive Africans as possible was made again this week in South Africa, by the Community of Sant' Egidio, a Catholic organisation.

HEALTH-ZAMBIA: Anger at Move to Declare Schools Condom-Free Zones

One step forward, three steps backwards: that's how various AIDS activists, parents and teachers in Zambia are describing government's decision to ban the distribution of condoms in schools on the grounds that it promotes promiscuity.

RIGHTS-CAMEROON: Report Paints Bleak Picture of Women’s Lives

"The situation of women in this country is worrisome. At home, women are beaten, girls are sexually abused, there is violence linked to the dowry and there is marital rape," says a new report about the challenges facing women in Cameroon.

/CORRECTION*/HEALTH-BRAZIL: AIDS Spreading Six Times Faster Among Teenage Girls

HIV/AIDS is spreading at an alarming rate among teenage girls in Brazil, with six13 to 19-year-old girls infected for every boy in that age group.

HEALTH-KENYA: Gender Equality Key to Combating AIDS

The importance of placing gender equality at the heart of efforts to combat AIDS was highlighted in Kenya this week, with the release of a new plan by the gender sub-committee of the National AIDS Control Council.

HEALTH-BRAZIL: AIDS Spreading Six Times Faster Among Teenage Girls

HIV/AIDS is spreading at an alarming rate among teenage girls in Brazil, with six 13 to 19-year-old girls infected for every boy in that age group.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: Reproductive Care a Work in Progress

With the world marking International Women's Day this week, women in South Africa might find themselves asking what benefits 10 years of democracy have brought them - especially in the important area of reproductive health.

HEALTH-ZAMBIA: NGOs in the Hot Seat

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has had an uneasy relationship with civil society from the beginning of his term in office. However, matters worsened recently when he accused AIDS activists of monopolising the funds provided by donors to fight the pandemic.

RIGHTS-SOUTHERN AFRICA: AIDS the Focus of Int’l Women’s Day

"As a woman, I can't bring a condom home. If I do, then I'm not a wife - I'm a prostitute. My husband will ask me whether I have a secret lover. If I say I don't, he will want to know where I had learnt how to use a condom," says Siphiwe Hlophe.

HEALTH-BRAZIL: Carnival’s Condoms Sliced by Censorship

Safe sex and condom use are the themes of this year's main acts during the Rio carnival, adding fuel to the debate sparked by the Catholic Church when it cast doubt over the effectiveness condoms in preventing AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

HEALTH-U.S.: AIDS Activists Slam New Bush Strategy

President George W. Bush's new, five-year, 15-billion-dollar strategy for fighting the global HIV/AIDS pandemic provoked dismay among health activists here Monday, just hours after the 103-page document was released and the first disbursements - totalling 350 million dollars - were announced.

HEALTH: AIDS Spreading Rapidly in Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is seeing the fastest growing AIDS epidemic in the world, studies by UN agencies show.

HEALTH-UGANDA: Renewed War Against Teenage Pregnancies

"A baby boy weighing two kilogrammes was abandoned in Mulago hospital labour suite last evening. The mother, Peace Busingye, 17, had delivered earlier that day."

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: A Qualified Welcome for AIDS Budget

South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel has received mixed reviews from AIDS activists for the annual budget he announced last week.

HEALTH-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Business Reeling Under the Impact of HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS has not been seen as only a medical problem since the 1990s. The disease's negative economic impacts on businesses in Southern Africa are being confirmed by surveys conducted by health and business groups.

RIGHTS-ZIMBABWE: Virginity Testing Strips Girls of Their Dignity – Groups

They form a single file. Some are singing, though their voices have been dwarfed by the hum of the stream. The girls, estimated around 50, are being accompanied home by three middle-aged women from a nearby river.

RIGHTS: Once The Best In Africa, Zimbabwe’s Health System Is Now In Shambles

Zimbabwe's rural health delivery system, once regarded as one of the best in Africa, is now in a state of distress.

HEALTH-AFRICA: A "How To" Manual for Churches Which Help AIDS Orphans

A Baltimore-based aid agency, World Relief, this week issued a guide in Kenya to assist churches with caring for AIDS orphans in Africa.

RIGHTS-AFRICA: AIDS, Plight of San to be Key Issues at CIVICUS Meeting

More than 600 civil society activists from around the world will meet in Botswana's capital, Gaborone, next month to exchange information and ideas about development in Africa and elsewhere.