HIV/AIDS: IRIN/PlusNews Weekly Issue 511, 12 November 2010
NAIROBI, 12 November 2010 (PlusNews) - CONTENTS:
KENYA: Exxxposed! A high-risk porn business
KENYA: Need to reduce HIV risk among health workers
AFRICA: EU-India deal could threaten access to essential HIV drugs
SOUTH AFRICA: Preventative TB therapy halves risk of death among ARV patients
SOUTHERN AFRICA: No sex for a month to prevent HIV
SOUTH AFRICA: No change in HIV rate among pregnant women
AFRICA: Five ways to reduce trauma in HIV orphans
EVENTS/RESOURCES
1. Fourteenth Bangkok International Symposium on HIV Medicine, 19-21 January 2011 - Bangkok, Thailand
2. The HIV Prevention Revolution on Twitter - UNAIDS
VACANCIES
1. Technical Specialist (HIV and Most at Risk Populations), Sub-Regional Office for West and Central Africa, UNFPA - Dakar, Senegal
2. Research Advisor (HIV and TB), Population Services International (PSI) - Washington DC, USA
KENYA: Exxxposed! A high-risk porn business
The US adult film industry was brought to a virtual standstill recently after an actor tested HIV-positive and all his sexual partners were tested for the virus. There are no such precautions in Kenya's porn industry, where actors usually perform without a condom or routine HIV testing.
full report
KENYA: Need to reduce HIV risk among health workers
The Kenyan government is working to reduce health workers' risk of HIV infection but experts say there is a need for greater focus on providing health workers with proper safety equipment and education.
full report
AFRICA: EU-India deal could threaten access to essential HIV drugs
As Indian and European officials meet in Brussels to thrash out the details of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), civil society activists are concerned the deal could mean tighter intellectual property protections that could reduce access to cheap Indian generic drugs.
full report
SOUTH AFRICA: Preventative TB therapy halves risk of death among ARV patients
Preventative tuberculosis (TB) therapy can reduce death among patients on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment by about half, according to new research from South Africa.
full report
SOUTHERN AFRICA: No sex for a month to prevent HIV
An aggressive national campaign to persuade people to abstain from sex or commit to 100 percent condom use for a month could make a significant contribution to HIV prevention efforts, says a leading HIV expert.
full report
SOUTH AFRICA: No change in HIV rate among pregnant women
About 29 percent of South African pregnant women were living with HIV in 2009 - a figure that has barely shifted over the past four years, despite increased levels of commitment from the country's health department and numerous prevention campaigns.
full report
AFRICA: Five ways to reduce trauma in HIV orphans
When a child loses a parent to HIV/AIDS, grief counselling helps with the trauma of loss, but when the child is both poor and orphaned, the chances of a fulfilling life are significantly diminished.
full report
EVENTS/RESOURCES
1. Fourteenth Bangkok International Symposium on HIV Medicine, 19-21 January 2011 - Bangkok, Thailand
The symposium aims to provide updated information on HIV treatment and research for physicians, health care workers and members of the HIV-infected and affected community from Thailand and countries in the region. It aims to stimulate debate through a series of panel discussions on issues such as access to care and the cost of ARV in developing countries.
For more information, visit: www.hivnat.org
2. The HIV Prevention Revolution on Twitter - UNAIDS
UNAIDS is encouraging people to learn more about HIV prevention in the lead up to World AIDS Day 2010. The collective goal is to make the hashtag #PreventionRevolution shared as much as possible on Twitter on 1 December 2010.
Follow the conversation on Twitter by visiting: http://bit.ly/ddyQlP
VACANCIES
1. Technical Specialist (HIV and Most at Risk Populations), Sub-Regional Office for West and Central Africa, UNFPA - Dakar, Senegal
Responsibilities:
- Effective co-ordination and delivery of country and regional level programme support
- Programme assessment and support to Common Country programming processes
- Support to resource mobilization efforts by country-offices and at the regional level
- Support to Policy and Programme Development and Implementation
- Capacity Development
- Knowledge Development, Sharing and Management
- Technical Representation and Improved Coordination
Qualifications:
- Advanced University Degree or equivalent in public health, medicine, sociology, demography, gender, health education, behavioural sciences, international relations, international development, or other related field
- Seven years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the technical area, of which at least three years are at the international level
- Substantive knowledge and practical experience in population and development, sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, and gender programming
- Understanding of human rights, gender, and cultural dimensions of HIV and AIDS
- Experience working with vulnerable and most at risk populations, community and traditional leaders and civil society working with sex workers, an asset
- Experience in programme and/or technical assistance within the UN System
- Strong communications and writing skills in English or French (with a very good working knowledge of the other language)
- Field experience is required
Application deadline: 24 November 2010
To apply, download the step-by-step guide to applying in the E-Recruit system of UNFPA at: www.unfpa.org
2. Research Advisor (HIV and TB), Population Services International (PSI) - Washington DC, USA
Responsibilities:
- Provide strategic guidance for research for interventions in the following areas: intravenous drug use; prevention of HIV; counselling and testing; male circumcision; concurrent sexual partnerships; male and female condom use; water-based lubricant use; sexually transmitted infections; tuberculosis; reproductive health/HIV integration; mother-to-child transmission and positive prevention
- Monitor trends in disease and HIV/TB indicators
- Improve existing model study designs and create new ones. Pilot new research methods and standardize strategies. Design, propose, and implement operations research
- Participate in interdisciplinary working groups to develop research tools that are responsive to stakeholder needs
- Build capacity among researchers at the regional and country platform level; develop and deliver trainings at headquarters and in the field
- Supervise researchers and consultants as needed
Qualifications:
- Medical degree or PhD in public health, epidemiology, behavioural sciences, population studies/demography, or a related field
- At least four years' professional experience in the design, analysis, dissemination, and management of research pertaining to HIV and/or STI interventions in developing countries
- Management of multiple research studies and capacity building of in-country research staff
- Design and implementation of operations research and population-based surveys
- Extensive knowledge of a statistical analysis program (SPSS, STATA or SAS); strong analysis skills
- Experience designing qualitative studies and analyzing qualitative data (in Ethnograph, Atlas TI, or similar program)
- Ability to develop research training tools and materials for a variety of contexts, learning curves and needs
- Ability to travel up to 30 percent of the time internationally
- Excellent written, verbal and inter-personal communication skills
Application deadline: 1 Jan 2011
To apply, visit www.psi.org
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