KENYAN PARENTS RANKED LAST AS SEXUAL HEALTH EDUCATORS FOR THEIR ADOLESCENTS

Source: International Dateline, A Population and Development News and Information Service, March 1995.

According to a peer-to-peer youth sexuality survey conducted in Kenya in early 1994, most young people between the ages of 13 and 19-half in school and half get information about sex from their friends or peers. The next most common sources were books, magazines and movies. Parents were mentioned the least number of times in the survey as being sources of information about sex.

Nearly all the young people interviewed said that their peers were sexually active, noting that the average age for girls to start is 12, while boys begin at age 13. But both sexes said that the ideal time to begin sexual activity is not until age 20. When asked about sexually-transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS, the teens said that they got most of their information from radio and television, followed by schools and school teachers. Again, parents were mentioned the least number of times. When asked what parents, teachers and the older generation were currently telling them about sex, the most common response from the teens was "nothing." If anything was said, according to the survey, it was usually to tell the teenagers not to have sex or that sex was only for marriage. The teens surveyed said that the biggest changes they had witnessed in their lifetimes were the beginnings of multi-party system and drastic inflation in Kenya. They said that AIDS is the biggest threat facing both them and their country.

TEEN MOTHERS' BODIES CAUSE RISK OE PREEMIES

Teenage girls who become pregnant have long been known to face a higher risk of having premature babies and other complications, and a new study says Biological factors may be an important reason.

Researchers at the University of Utah said that a study of more than 130,000 pregnancies indicated that teenagers faced higher risks than older women even when such risk factors as low income, poor education, bad health habits, e.g. smoking, and inadequate access to health care are taken into account.

They say the results suggest biological problems associated with miniature bodies of the youngest mothers may contribute to prematurity and their babies' low birth weights. They speculated that young mothers might compete with their fetuses for certain nutrients or that their wombs might not be sufficiently developed.

The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, challenges the belief that pregnancy problems associated with young mothers are mostly related to their poor socio-economic status, including the fact that many are poor, under-educated, come from racial minorities and get poor prenatal care.

The researchers found even that even white, middle-class teenagers who get good health care are almost twice as likely as older women to deliver premature babies. The study 'challenges the contention that teenage mothers who receive adequate prenatal care will have reproductive outcomes as good as, or better than, those of older mothers," said the researchers.

PRESIDENTIAL VETO GOES AHEAD IN POLISH ABORTION

Source: Pro-Choice News-Writer, 1995.

Poland's lower house of Parliament (Sejm) has failed to overturn a presidential veto on amending the 1993 law which forbids abortion on the grounds of economic or social hardship. As soon as the law came into effect at the beginning of 1993, pressure began for an amendment to allow abortion for social reasons. President Walesa, a traditional and loyal Catholic, invoked his powers as president to veto the resolution.

The Sejm then referred the issue to three of its standing committees, at the end of August 1994, they reported that the Sejm should try to overrule the veto and criticized Poland's exclusively Catholic stance at the Cairo ; conference saying that it should instead reflect the diversity of views in Poland. Accordingly, the Sejm once again voted on the proposed amendment but did not get the two-thirds majority necessary to overturn the presidential veto.

Meanwhile, according to an article in Studies in Family Planning, Polish women, especially those in rural areas, have experienced fear, anxiety and humiliation since the March 1993 law severely restricted access to abortion.

ILLEGAL ABORTIONS AMONG YOUNG GIRLS

by Malika Ladjali, Sante Sexuelle et reproductive des jeunes, study carried out for the Independent Commission, April 1994

Source: CAFRA News Vol. 8 No. 4.

One per cent of illegal abortions is estimated to result in the death of the woman. This mortality rate is more than 1,000 times lower when the abortion is done legally and under medical supervision. Five million of the 50 million abortions carried out each year are amongst young girls aged between 15 and 19. Because they are inexperienced, they realise they are pregnant at an advanced stage, frequently after the first three months.

They often consult backstreet abortionists after having tried dangerous drugs, bleach, quinine, detergents or having to tried to stick pointed objects such as knitting needles into their womb. Abortion complications among young girls are often more serious than amongst older women because they are often badly informed about available health service facilities and are afraid of consulting them. In many African countries, as many as 60 per cent of women in hospital due to abortion complications are under 20 years old.

STANDARDIZATION OF ABORTION LAWS DEMANDED IN MEXICO

Source: FEM, feminist monthly Mexico, Dec 1994; reprinted in Women s Global Network for Reproductive Rights Newsletter no. 49, Jan - Mar 1995.

On September 28, 1994 (Day of Action for the Decriminalization of Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean), during the ceremony at the Monument to the Mother in Mexico City, Ana Maria Hernandez, of Salud Integral para la Mujer (SIPAM), pointed out that it is necessary to standardize laws specifying the grounds for legal abortion across the different Mexican states. She explained that the Penal Code of Mexico Federal District allows abortion when the pregnancy is due to carelessness of the woman, result of rape, and when the woman's life is at risk. In Yucatan, Puebia, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Colima, it is allowed for malformation of the fetus. In Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, TIaxcala and Zacatecas, abortion is allowed when continuation of the pregnancy constitutes a risk to the woman's life.

"The decriminalization of abortion is a public health matter, and a question of democracy and social justice," said Hernandez during the ceremony.

YOUNG, VULNERABLE AND FEMALE

Source: Decade Link No. 16, March 1995.

Young women are the group most susceptible to HIV infection. According to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) study on AIDS, 70% of the 3,000 women a day who contract HIV and the 500 women who die daily from AIDS worldwide are between the ages of 15 and 25. The study, which was conducted in three African and two Asian countries found:

- In Thailand, the HIV infection rate is greater among women between the ages of 15 and 25 than among all other women combined.

- In Uganda, there are more than twice as many reported AIDS cases among 15-to-25-year-old women than among men of the same age.

- In Rwanda, more than 25% of women who become pregnant and about 17% of those who engage in intercourse before they are 17 years old will become HIV-positive.

Dr. Michael Merson, Executive Director of the WHO Global Programme on AIDS, has listed three causes for high infection rates in young women.

Women are biologically more vulnerable. As the receptive partner, women have a large mucosal surface exposed during sexual intercourse; moreover, semen contains a far higher concentration of HIV than vaginal fluid. Women thus run a bigger risk of acquiring HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Women are epidemiologically vulnerable. Women tend to marry or have sex with older men, who may have more sexual partners and hence be more likely to have become infected. Women are also epidemiologically vulnerable to HIV transmission through blood. In the developing world women frequently require a blood transfusion during pregnancy or childbirth — for example, because of anaemia or hemorrhage.

Women are socially vulnerable to HIV. Men are expected to be assertive and women passive in their sexual relationship. In some cultures, men expect sex with any woman receiving their economic support. Whenever these traditional norms predominate, the result is sexual subordination, and this creates a highly unfavorable atmosphere for AIDS prevention.

When subordination leads to disaster

Women's sexual subordination is a direct result of their lower status in society, lack of independent income and lack of control over their sexual and economic lives. This dependency only heightens women's vulnerability to HIV infection.

In many societies, girls are married at a very early age. They are also the most frequent victims of incest and rape. Non-consensual, hurried or frequent intercourse can inhibit mucus production and cause genital trauma, increasing the likelihood of infection. Young women's lack of control over the circumstances under which intercourse occurs thus puts them at greater risk of HIV infection. Men often prefer to have sexual relations with younger women, who are assumed to be sexually inactive and thereby "safe" from HIV. These also places these girls at high risk of infection.

Setting Priorities

Though women are at the center of the growing HIV epidemic, the national and international response to this major health issues is weak and inadequate. For women, mothers and children, large gaps exist between need — medical psychological and welfare — and services or support to meet those needs. Nor is sufficient effort directed towards policy development. Policies on HIV- infected pregnant women, for example, do not generally take into account reproduction rights. Screening policies are discussed without considering the capacity of the prenatal care system. Economic factors are rarely considered while discussing prostitution. Most importantly, women are rarely involved in the formulation of AIDS policies. As in most other health and social issues, policies of AIDS are "made by men - for men".

PEOPLE WITH HIV/ AIDS HAVE RIGHTS, TOO

Source: TODAY May 11, 1995

The Manila based organization REACHOUT AIDS Education Foundation, an AIDS service organization that advocates non, discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, recently released it's new poster that focuses on the basic human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS.

The following are the rights reflected in the information, education and communication materials: the right to confidentiality, the right to disclosure, the right to counseling, and the right to social-support services.

The person with HIV/AIDS has the right to the assurance of confidentiality on all information pertinent to their health status and health behavior. It is the person's discretion to disclose their HIV status to whoever, whenever and wherever they please. The individual's wish for privacy should be respected.

Also, a person with HIV/AIDS has the right to be provided with access to correct, accurate and unbiased information which will guide in making informed choices. The individual has the sole right to decide on the alternatives most beneficial in relation to their sexual behavior, health practices and family life. People with HIV/AIDS have the right to avail of basic health-care services. They should not be deprived of their right to social services, insurance services, spiritual guidance and legal aid.

The intent of this communications effort is to enlighten people about the social implications or the disease and at the same time replace irrational fear, existing biases and prejudices with a deeper sense of humanity, compassion and understanding. The Reach Out office in Manila can be contacted at 632- 8951369.

PREGNANCY RELATED HORMONE USED TO TREAT AIDS PATIENTS

Source: TODAY May 11, 1995

Hormone produced during pregnancy could become the newest treatment for Kaposi's sarcoma, the most common cancer in AIDS patients, according to a new study.

The report offers scientists a clue as to why men develop the cancer at a much higher rate than women, the study's author's said.

The research, published in the journal Nature, shows that human chorionic gonadotropin HCG), a hormone present in high levels during the first trimester of pregnancy, destroys Kaposi s sarcoma cells by binding to them.

In the study, newborn and adult mice were injected with Kaposi's sarcoma cells. All of the adult mice and the male newborns later developed tumors. But the four female newborn mice did not, and they remained tumor-free after they became pregnant.

The cancer cells also were injected into mice in early-and late stage pregnancy; those injected in the early stages of pregnancy did not develop tumors, and the late-stage pregnant mice showed smaller tumors that did not spread.

"The hormone was not blocking, but killing Kaposi cells, and it doesn't kill normal counterpart cells. This is without apparent toxicity to the animals," said Dr Robert Gallo, chief of the National Cancer Institute's Tumor Cell Biology team and a coauthor of the study.

If further studies confirm the new report, the pregnancy hormone may be used to treat Kaposi's sarcoma, according to the government researcher

Gallo speculated that the reason HIV-infected women have a low rate of Kaposi's sarcoma even if they are not pregnant is because one element of HCG is similar to a hormone released during the menstrual cycle.

Because HCG is not a feminizing hormone, it should not cause problems eventually used to treat men with Kaposi s sarcoma, Gallo said.

Kaposi's sarcoma tumors typically develop as purple blotches on the skin. Although the cancer is common among homosexual men who are infected with the AIDS virus, it rarely develops in uninfected people.

Treatment with HCG would ease the concern about the negative effects of strong cancer medications on patients with already weak immune systems, the Nevada researchers said.

AIDS WOMEN TAKE RISK OF BEARING KID

Source: TODAY May 10, 1995

NEW YORK (NYT) - Sandy L. spent years in soul-searching discussions with her husband before they decided, out of love, to have a baby despite the risk. In Brooklyn, Monica Hernandez went through similar heartache, pregnant with a fifth child when so much about her future was uncertain.

These two women, the first a doctoral candidate with a good job, the second a homemaker who relies on welfare, share a AIDS. After learning they had the virus they both decided to risk the odds that the children would someday have it, too.

Yeah, it is selfish," said Sandy L.. "Having a child is always selfish. I don't think my reasons are any different from any other woman. I think I can be a good mother."

the risks of infecting the baby are no worse than other dangers in their lives or that the medical advances allow them to manage the risks in an acceptable way. The odds of an HIV-infected mother passing the virus to her child are 15 percent to 30 percent. New studies suggest that by taking the drug AZT during pregnancy and labor, women can reduce the risk to 8 percent.

Hernandez, 30, four months into an unplanned pregnancy, said she could not bring herself to have an abortion.

More women who have HIV or AIDS are knowingly taking the same risk, according to doctors and social workers. Their choice springs from the intersection of new science and new attitudes among people with AIDS, who are living longer and more comfortably than ever and are choosing not to see the virus as a death sentence.

BANGLADESH: MORE WOMEN THAN MEN DIE AS A CONSEQUENCE OE CYCLONES/FLOODS

Source: Development and Gender in Brief trial issue, BRIDGE. Institute o{ Development Studies. University of Sussex, Brighton, BNI 9RE. U.K.; Tel. no. 01273 678491.

Environmental disasters are not fender neutral in impact, Studies in Bangladesh show that women suffered most after the 1991 cyclone and flood. Among women aged 20-44, the death rate was 71 per 1000, compared to 15 per 1000 for men. Since emergency warnings were given mainly by loudspeaker and word of mouth, women's lower literacy does not explain these findings.

Other factors lay behind women's higher mortality. Women were left at home by their husbands to care for children and protect property. Women's saris restricted their mobility. Women were malnourished compared to men and physically weaker. During the cyclone, the lack of purdah in public shelters may also have deterred women from seeking refuge.

Following the cyclone, the lack of female personnel in emergency medical teams inhibited women from seeking medical care. Equipment taken into disaster areas was inadequate to meet the needs of women. Many women lose breastfeeding infants during environmental disasters. Pumps to express breastmilk are essential to avoid serious infection and debilitating pain. Equipment and medication are also needed to handle the increase in miscarriages which always follows disasters.

HIDDEN DANGERS IN NAIL POLISH

Source: Utusan Konsumer mid-March 1995 No. 324.

Ladies, think twice before you paint your nails. That harmless-looking nail polish which you use to color your nails can cause you serious harm. Surveys shows that some popular brands sold (eg: Revlon and Cutex) contain toluene.

Toluene, also known as methyl benzene, is a toxic solvent. Low-level exposure to this chemical can affect one's mental functions, behaviour, menstruation and hormonal levels, and fetuses in pregnant women.

Exposure to toluene can also have long-term effects on the liver, heart and nervous system. Mild side-effects include irritation of the mucous membrane, headache, vertigo (giddiness), nausea and loss of appetite. Toluene is easily absorbed through the skin but it is eliminated slowly from the body, especially in obese people.

NORPLANT REMOVALS DELAYED

Source: International Dateline, A Population and Development News and Information Service. March 1995

Women are often forced to endure delays and censure from over- zealous service-providers when requesting removal of Norplant, the five-year sub-dermal contraceptive implant. This conclusion is from a study of 1,151 women in Bangladesh. Reasons for delays can include over-worked physicians, understaffed clinics, or not enough personnel trained in Norplant insertion and removal. But the study also shows that women are often forced to negotiate with doctors who cite the cost of the implant and refuse to comply with the removal request. The authors say that "providers walk a fine line between encouraging clients to continue using the implant in the face of non-threatening side-effects and refusing outright to remove the implants." In a related study, researchers found that clients in Bangladesh and other countries learn which reasons are deemed acceptable to Norplant removers and use those reasons when requesting removal. The Bangladesh study authors say that, placing barriers to removal and allowing providers, rather than clients, to decide the legitimacy of reasons for removal will undermine the credibility of both the method and the family planning program."