In the News

New Analysis: Failure to Address Pandemic Among Gay Men and Other Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) Imperils Goal of “AIDS-Free Generation”
New report calls for urgent reforms by donors, multilateral institutions, and national governments
18 January 2012

NEW YORK, —Funding to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS consistently fails to reach programs designed to control the disease among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), according to a new analysis released today by amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research and the Center for Public Health and Human Rights (CPHHR) at Johns Hopkins University. The report finds that resources dedicated to addressing the epidemic among MSM are grossly insufficient, and that funding intended for this population is often diverted away from MSM-related services.

Despite recent efforts by the Obama Administration to highlight the human rights of MSM and other sexual minorities, including a historic speech by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in December, U.S. government aid intended to prevent and treat HIV infection among MSM continues to encounter obstacles throughout the world.

The new report, “Achieving an AIDS-Free Generation for Gay Men and Other MSM,” provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of HIV-related funding and programming for this population. Focusing on eight countries, the report finds that national governments have failed to adequately tackle the epidemic among MSM. The findings are especially dire in countries that criminalize MSM. In those settings, governments spend fewer resources on HIV-related health services for MSM, do less to track and understand the epidemic, and are more likely to repurpose donor funds intended to fight the epidemic among MSM. Report.

New Guidelines to Respect, Protect and Fulfill the Needs of Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in HIV Research
5 December 2011

ADDIS ABABA; NEW YORK: Research for new HIV treatment and prevention interventions that involve men who have sex with men (MSM) requires improved collaboration between researchers and community-based organizations, according to a new guidance document released in conjunction with the International Conference on HIV/AIDS and Other STIs in Africa (ICASA), currently being held in Addis Abba, Ethiopia.

Entitled “Respect, Protect, Fulfill,” the guidance offers practical advice on how to best engage MSM in research trials of promising HIV prevention and treatment interventions, including HIV vaccines, rectal microbicides, combination prevention, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The guidance aims to maximize the benefits to MSM, communities, and researchers, and to minimize negative consequences for those engaging in research.

“What we found in the course of conducting research was that creating formal strategies for community engagement and capacity-building–including budgets–was vital to obtaining optimal research results in MSM/HIV-related studies,” said Dr. Stefan Baral, Associate Director at Johns Hopkins University-Center for Public Health and Human Rights. “Too often, researchers discount the role of community activists in conducting their research, which can lead to negative outcomes for the community, and at times put them in harm’s way.”

Read.

Myanmar National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS 2011-2015

The HIV epidemics in Myanmar are concentrated among key populations with higher risk, in particular female sex workers and their clients, men who have high rick sex with men, people who inject drugs, and increasingly among the mostly female sexual partners of all of these groups. Although HIV epidemics are in the declining phase, Myanmar still has one of the highest HIV prevalences and caseloads in Asia. NSP II aims to reduce HIV transmission and HIV-related mortality, morbidity, disability and social and economic impact. It's objectives are to: reduce HIV transmission and vulnerability, particularly among people at highest risk; improve the quality and length of life of people living with HIV through treatment, care and support; and mitigate the social, cultural and economic impacts of the epidemic.
Click here for the full report

Sao Thusandi Leadership Award
15 December 2011

The Sao Thusandi Leadership Award was presented to Sai Bayta in recognition of his achievements and contributions as a senior medic. The award, established by the American humanitarian organization Burma Lifeline, is to honor “young people from Shan State who are committed to taking a leadership role in establishing a democratic, peaceful and thriving Shan State,” and “to encourage and support the awardees in their work to uphold local customs and culture, and to inspire others in Shan State to follow their example in pursuit of a democratic society in their homeland, which presents opportunities for all.” Read more.

Just Released!
14 December 2011

Against the Odds: Helping Mothers and Babies Survive in Eastern Burma
Reproductive Health in conflict-affected communities: A report by CPI partner organizations the Burma Medical Association and the Mae Tao Clinic.

In eastern Burma half a million internally displaced persons live in the cross-fire of the world's longest on-going civil conflict, and women face grave risks giving birth. Surveys conducted by CPI local partners showed that the vast majority of women gave birth at home without a trained attendant, and fewer that five percent had access to emergency obstetric care.

In 2004, leaders of community-based organizations along the Thailand-Burma border proposed to pilot the Mobile Obstetric Maternal Health Workers (MOM) Project, with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, and technical support from Johns Hopkins University Center for Public Health and Human Rights and our health branch, the Global Health Access Program. (GHAP). The MOM Project has shown that with modest resources and proper training, health workers in collaboration with traditional birth attendants significantly increase delivery of services that save mothers' lives.

The MOM Project brought high quality maternal health care to mothers, families and communities, rather than requiring people to travel to clinics or providers, which can be extremely challenging in isolated and conflic-affected regions. The MOM Project's innovative, mobile, community-based approach to reproductive health has been replicated in other conflict-affected and underserved areas of Burma — providing a groundbreaking model that could be adapted to similarly affected communities around the world.

Click here for the full report