IRIN Examines Increasing Number Of Hospital Births In Guinea-Bissau IRIN examines the increase in the number of women giving birth in hospital settings rather than delivery by a traditional birth attendant – a behavior that health officials hope will lead to a drop in the country’s maternal mortality rate. “According…

During the Forum of the African AIDS Vaccine Program (AAVP) in Kampala, Uganda, on Wednesday, Alan Bernstein, the director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, discussed ongoing efforts to launch an experimental HIV vaccine trial – similar to the recent trial in Thailand – in Africa, the Daily Monitor reports.

Cases of polio have been reported in some African countries that have eradicated the disease, Luis Gomes Sambo, the WHO’s Africa regional director, said Monday at the opening of a child immunisation conference in Zimbabwe, Agence France-Presse reports (12/14).

Pro 2000, a vaginal microbicide gel designed to reduce women’s risk of HIV infection, showed “no evidence that it reduces the risk of HIV infection,” according to the results of a series of clinical trials in Africa, Britain’s Medical Research Council (MRC) said on Monday, Reuters reports.

McClatchy published a three-part series examining the “population boom” in Africa. Summaries appear below. One article looks at the relationship between Africa’s rising population and poverty. “Although it’s frequently portrayed as a continent decimated by epidemics, starvation and war, Africa is gripped by one of the greatest population explosions ever…

Forbes examines the ongoing discussions between aid groups and drug manufacturers over the formation of an HIV/AIDS drugs patent pool to help drive down costs for developing countries.

A Lancet study published online Tuesday validates the safety of administering first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) to patients with HIV without routine toxicity and efficacy lab tests, “[b]ut tests of immune-system function might still be a good idea to monitor the progression of the disease and guide the second year of treatment,” HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports. Patients in Africa “often receive [HIV] drug treatment … without routine laboratory monitoring,” according to the article.

The decade 2000-2009 “is very likely to be the warmest since record-keeping began in 1850, and 2009 could rank among the top-five warmest years,” the World Meteorological Organization said on Tuesday at the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen, the Associated Press reports.

Illegal Drug Trade Turning East Africa Into Major Crime Center, U.N. Official Says In a speech to the U.N. Security Council Tuesday, Antonio Maria Costa, head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, said the unstable situation in Somalia is contributing to the spread of illegal drug trafficking and…

West African Group Calls For Governments To Vaccinate Children Against Rotavirus The West African Rotavirus Advisory Board is calling on governments to vaccinate children against rotavirus, IRIN reports. At a recent meeting in Dakar, Senegal, which was “financed by GlaxoSmithKline, makers of one of two rotavirus vaccines” the board issued…