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Gallaudet University and Howard University will sponsor an international conference on Deaf Women and HIV/AIDS in Africa on 10 to 12 June 2005 at the Gallaudet University Kellogg Centre in Washington D.C. A call for proposals has been issued, with a deadline of 10 December 2005.

The purpose of the conference is to increase awareness of the importance of reaching all segments of the African population in the fight against HIV/AIDS. A special focus will be to identify effective ways to reach and communicate with HIV-positive deaf women in Africa.

Participants will include representatives from deaf organisations, higher education institutions from the United States and abroad, government and non-government agencies, and public and private health organisations. Recommendations from the conference will include the development of an agenda for combating the HIV/AIDS crises, particularly as it affects deaf women, including new and enhanced research initiatives and improved healthcare.

For more information:
Dr Ovetta Harris - Howard University,
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders,
525 Bryant Street, NW,
Washington, DC, USA
Email:
www.deafafricawomen.edu

A new educational resource on HIV/AIDS in Africa provides tools to guide secondary school students through an examination of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa and the impact that crisis has, both on the lives of Canadians and on the lives of Africans, especially young Africans.

The package includes a teacher's guide with classroom activities; springboard stories and background information sheets; web links students can use for further research; and connections to secondary school curricula across Canada.

View PDF version: www.acdi-cida.gc.ca

The fourth International Conference and Exhibition on Traditional Medicine: "Traditional Healing and HIV/AIDS", which was initially set to take place in Dakar, Senegal, from 4 to 6 October 2005, has been postponed until 11 to 13 April 2005. The conference will bring together traditional healers and modern doctors to search for low-cost, effective and sustainable natural therapies against HIV/AIDS.

For more information: www.africa-first.com

A series of briefing papers developed for the Global Campaign of Microbicides and International Family Health by the HIV Tools Research Group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are now available on-line. Each briefing paper provides an easy-to-read synopsis of the London School's work on various issues related to microbicides. The entire series is available at the Global Campaign's download centre:

www.global-campaign.org

The series includes briefing papers on:

- Are people using condoms? November 2003

The authors analyse data to examine condom use in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. They recommend both increased investment in condom promotion and distribution, as well as increased investment in microbicides to fill the current gap of condom use in long-term steady relationships, where condom use is generally low.

- The potential impact of microbicides in Johannesburg, South Africa - June 2004

The authors use mathematical modelling in combination with site-specific data to project the extent to which a microbicide will reduce HIV transmission in Hillbrow, an inner-city area of Johannesburg.

- A comparison of the potential impact of microbicides in two contrasting African settings - August 2004

In a similar analysis, the authors compare the extent to which a microbicide reduces HIV transmission in two contrasting African settings: Hillbrow, an inner-city area of Johannesburg and Cotonou, an urban area in Benin, which has a less generalized HIV epidemic, lower HIV incidence and lower condom use in long-term partnerships.

- Preparing to deliver: introduction of microbicides - July 2004

In an effort to prepare for microbicide introduction, the authors conducted an economic review of the issues related to market development, including delivery and costs, of both contraceptives and other health products (e.g. mosquito nets). The authors compare public sector distribution, social marketing, and commercial provision of these health products.