j6 Just out . fahniary 18. 2Û05 _________________________________________ ____________________________________ ThnTminews M aking P rogress I 503.224.661 806 sw B roadway ^ j P ortland , O regon J ames D. M c V ittie Aitorney-at-Law, Lie. in OR & WA by Bob Roehr WWW.MCVITTie-U iSH ff"""" I wwww«| pæ numher ... of people in the devel- Big City Produce 2004 BEST Award winner - Best Sustainable Food System (gifts for Romance in an 'Eiegant Setting Esquire Motors, Inc. Complete Foreign Car Repair & Service \ ■ ¿ ■ More people in the developing world ore taking anti-HIV drugs; Kenyan study indicates circumcision prevents transmission - oping world who are receiving anti-HIV drugs jumped 60 percent tn in tne the last six montns months or of 2004, to 700,000. That is more than the number of people on combination therapy in the United States. The World Health Organization announced the “3 X 5” campaign in December 2003, with the goal of having 3 million people in the devel­ oping world on anti-HIV therapy by the end of 2005. Even its most fervent supporters acknowl­ edged it was an ambitious goal that would be difficult to meet. These latest updated treatment figures, con­ tained in a WHO report released Jan. 26, show both the progress being made and the distance left to travel. Only one in eight people in the developing world who would benefit from ther­ apy are receiving it. . “A bigger commitment from South Africa, Nigeria and India is crucial if the developing world is to meet this year’s treatment goals,” said Jim Yong Kim, the head of WHO’s HIV/AIE3S programs. X • Quality Services Guaranteed • Serving Downtown Portland Since 1968 www.esauiremotors.com 1853 SW Jefferson * Portland 503.221>.6269 equivalency to the branded products that they copy. They have not yet been approved by the FDA and do not qualify for purchase under the president’s emergency plan. The Bush administration will propose spending $3.2 billion for the emergency plan in the fiscal year 2006 budget, unnamed adminis­ tration and congressional sources told Reuters. Administration critics contend that the United States should be spending roughly dou­ ble the amount it spends—last year it proposed $2.8 billion in international spending, and Congress upped that to $2.9 billion inter­ nationally—but they acknowledge little sympa­ thy in Congress for such massive increases while other programs are receiving little or no increase. Tire HIV viral load of people nearly doubles when they become infected with malaria. This is likely because of the additional challenges of a dual infection to the immune system. Other research has shown that the likelihixxJ of trans­ mitting HIV to an uninfected person increases proportionally with his or her viral load. Co­ infections with other diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases— often untreated or undertreated because of lim­ ited access to health care—helps explain the higher incidence of infection and faster progres­ sion of HIV disease that is seen in much of the developing world. C ircumcision Home Theatre • Home Audio • Sound Advice nother factor affecting the rates of trans­ mission is circumcision, or the lack of it. A study published in rhe Feb. 15 edition of The Journal of Infectious Disease found that among presumably heterosexual Kenyan men having multiple sexual partners, the uncircumcised had more than twice the risk of acquiring HIV than did those who were circumcised. The study was conducted between 1993 and 1997 among 745 male truck drivers in Kenya. All were initially HIV-negative. Periodically throughout the trial, they were asked about sex­ ual encounters with wives, casual partners and prostitutes and were screened and treated for sexually transmitted infections as well as HIV. Statistical analysis showed that the un­ circumcised men became infected once every 80 times they had sex, while rhe circumcised men became infected once every 200 times. Earlier studies had pointed to similar find­ ings, hut there was a question as to whether cul­ tural practices, such as those associated with being Muslim, were a factor in helping explain the different rates of infection. Subgroup analy­ sis of this study found that was not the case. Even when controlling for such factors, rhe probabilities of becoming infected with HIV remained the same. The likely explanation is that rhe head of an uncircumcised penis remains a softer mucus membrane that HIV can more easily enter, while the head of a more exposed circumcised penis develops a tougher layer of skin that is more resistant to viral entry. Three large-scale trials are under way in Africa to determine if voluntary adult circumci­ sion offers similar protection. The outcome of those trials should he known in one to three years. JRl A NADL73, 999.00 w . * rJ: > BROADWAY FLORAL HOME and GARDEN 1638 NE Broadway • 503.2Ô8.5537 Don’t Miss the Rate Train! Your Schedule is My Schedule • • • • Free Consultations Interest Only No Down Payment Options First Time Home Buyers Russell Leggroan • cell: 503-750-3350 • LRusseII5@yahoo.com 503-722-3842 • 888-635-5446 415 17th Street, Suite 5 • Oregon City, OR 97045 Gallery Wonderful Rugs, Wonderful Prices! Jim Yong Kim, head of the World Health Organization’s HIV/AIDS program One thing that can help speed that prixiess along is greater use of less expensive generic drugs. The F