PHA-Exchange> Unsafe sex still main cause of HIV infection

[Aviva]

From: "Dieter Neuvians MD" <neuvians at mweb.co.za>

> Unsafe sex still main cause of HIV infection
> --------------------------------------------
> Source: Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)
> 
> JOHANNESBURG, 20 February (PLUSNEWS) - New research findings suggest-
> ing that unsafe medical practices are the main cause of HIV transmis-
> sion have been rejected by medical experts in South Africa.
> 
> They insist that unsafe sex continues to be the main cause of infec-
> tion.
> 
> The controversy began when a team of eight researchers from three 
> countries who reviewed data on HIV infection in Africa estimated only 
> about a third of adult cases are sexually transmitted. They said 
> healthcare practices, especially contaminated medical injections, 
> could also be a major cause.
> 
> The findings, reported in the International Journal of STD and AIDS, 
> contradict widely-held views about the spread of the HI virus.
> 
> The World Health Organisation (WHO) currently estimates 5 percent of 
> all global HIV infections are through unsafe medical care and injec-
> tions. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 2.5 percent of new infections were 
> attributed to this, Dr George Schmid, a research scientist at the WHO 
> HIV/AIDS Unit, told PlusNews.
> 
> "The authors of the paper have raised an interesting point that has 
> not been seriously addressed in recent years. But whatever the pro-
> portion, 5 or 60 percent we should all be working towards ending un-
> safe injections," Schmid said.
> 
> But, he added, "the most important message we should not lose sight 
> of is that unsafe sex is still the leading cause of HIV infection."
> 
> South Africa's Medical Research Council (MRC) doubted the study find-
> ings. "Its an important issue that should not be ignored, but the ex-
> tent of it has been over represented," Dr Debbie Bradshaw, director 
> of the MRC's Burden of Disease research unit, told PlusNews.
> 
> The researchers had ignored sexual behaviour and looked at unsafe 
> medical care in isolation, she said.
> 
> WHO will be holding meetings with the researchers and other medical 
> experts next month, to "come up with a consensus and a way forward 
> from this," Schmid noted.
> 
> "In the meantime, the population can have confidence in the health 
> system, particularly in South Africa," he added. [END]