Angels in the Dust - Virtual Orphanage

%3Cp%3EFrom%20LA%20Watts%20Times%20--%20%20President%20Barack%20Obama%20enters%20the%20latest%20stage%20of%20the%20HIV%2FAIDS%20story%20in%20America%20with%20a%20pending%20national%20strategy%20goal.%26nbsp%3B%20But%20what%20will%20this%20strategy%20be%3F%26nbsp%3B%20%22Social%20architect%22%20--%20and%20obvious%20HIV%2FAIDS%20advocate%20--%20Cleo%20Manago%20believes%20its%20the%20tired%20and%20ignorant%20black%20leadership%20is%20the%20first%20thing%20that%20should%20be%20overhauled.%26nbsp%3B%20For%20the%20past%20years%20AIDS%20has%20been%20taken%20lives%20within%20the%20black%20community%20at%20an%20extremely%20disproportionate%20rate.%20The%20numbers%20have%20not%20decreased%20because%20the%20black%20community%20and%20its%20leadership%20is%20approaching%20the%20problem%20the%20wrong%20way%20and%20using%20old%20outmoded%20models%20that%20will%20not%20work%20for%20them%2C%20plus%20there%20is%20the%20instituitionalized%20fear%20and%20inner%20racism.%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0A%3Cblockquote%3E%26ldquo%3B%26nbsp%3BYet%20the%20carrots%20of%20funding%2C%20pretenses%20of%20power%2C%20and%20notoriety%20attract%20the%20same%20tired%20pool%20of%20leadership%20that%20has%20besieged%20the%20black%20community%20for%2020%20years%20now.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B%26rdquo%3B%3C%2Fblockquote%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20The%20Associated%20Press%20--%26nbsp%3BThe%20humanitarian%20situation%20in%20Zimbabwe%20continues%20to%20worsen%2C%20as%20malnutrition%20rates%20rise%20and%20cholera%20spreads%20uncontrollably.%20%20According%20to%20Save%20the%20Children%2C%20acute%20child%20malnutrition%20in%20parts%20of%20the%20country%20has%20increased%20by%20almost%20two-thirds%20since%20last%20year%2C%20and%20about%20half%20of%20Zimbabwe%27s%20population%20is%20in%20need%20of%20food%20aid.%20%20The%20percentage%20of%20patients%20dying%20from%20Cholera%20rose%20a%20whole%20percent%20in%20the%20month%20of%20December%20alone%2C%20and%20authorities%20from%20the%20World%20Health%20Organization%20say%20the%20situation%20is%20not%20under%20control%20and%20neighboring%20countries%20Botswana%20and%20South%20Africa%20are%20under%20threat.%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0A%3Cblockquote%3E%26ldquo%3B%26nbsp%3BAgency%20spokesman%20Paul%20Garwood%20said%20that%20the%20outbreak%20is%20not%20under%20control%20and%20that%20neighboring%20countries%20such%20as%20South%20Africa%20and%20Botswana%2C%20where%20the%20disease%20has%20also%20been%20reported%2C%20should%20step%20up%20monitoring%20and%20preparedness.%26nbsp%3B%26rdquo%3B%3C%2Fblockquote%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EThe%20New%20York%20Times%20--%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0A%26nbsp%3B%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0ANicholas%20D.%20Krisoff%20goes%20to%20Cambodia%20to%20find%20out%20about%20the%20business%20of%20buying%20and%20selling%20girls%20in%20the%20Poipet%2C%20Cambodia.%20%20In%20the%20past%20young%20girls%20were%20bought%20for%20%242%20each%20time%20they%20were%20with%20a%20man.%20%20This%20was%20done%20over%20and%20over%20until%20the%20girls%20died%20from%20AIDS.%20%20Cambodia%20has%20been%20cracking%20down%20but%20brothels%20do%20still%20exist.%20%20They%20are%20not%20as%20lucrative%20as%20the%20used%20to%20be.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20AIDsmap.com%20--%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EHIV-positive%20gay%20men%E2%80%99s%20experiences%20of%20stigma%20and%20rejection%20by%20sexual%20partners%20strongly%20influence%20their%20involvement%20in%20casual%20sex%20and%20discourage%20them%20from%20practicing%20many%20risk-reduction%20strategies%2C%20report%20Sigma%20Research%20in%20their%20Relative%20Safety%20II%20report%20published%20this%20week.%20The%20men%20they%20interviewed%20wished%20to%20balance%20their%20desire%20for%20sexual%20pleasure%20with%20a%20need%20to%20maintain%20their%20sense%20of%20moral%20integrity%2C%20but%20were%20often%20unable%20to%20avoid%20sex%20that%20could%20result%20in%20HIV%20transmission.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20Emaxhealth.com%20--%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EA%20total%20of%20435%20new%20cases%20of%20Human%20Immunodeficiency%20Virus%20%28HIV%29%20were%20reported%20to%20the%20Hong%20Kong%20Department%20of%20Health%20%28DH%29%20last%20year%20%282008%29%2C%20the%20highest%20annual%20number%20ever%20recorded.%20The%20figure%20showed%20a%205%25%20increase%20compared%20to%20the%20414%20reported%20cases%20in%20the%20preceding%20year.%20Reviewing%20the%20AIDS%20situation%20in%20Hong%20Kong%20at%20a%20press%20conference%20today%20%28March%203%29%2C%20the%20CHP%27s%20Consultant%20%28Special%20Preventive%20Programme%29%2C%20Dr%20Wong%20Ka-hing%2C%20said%20that%20sexual%20transmission%20had%20continued%20to%20be%20the%20major%20mode%20of%20HIV%20spread%20in%20Hong%20Kong.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20chron.com%20--%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20majority%20of%20HIV-infected%20Texas%20prison%20inmates%20don%E2%80%99t%20fill%20their%20prescriptions%20in%20an%20appropriate%20time%20period%20after%20their%20release%2C%20causing%20a%20serious%20public%20health%20threat%2C%20according%20to%20a%20report%20by%20local%20researchers.%20Such%20interruptions%20in%20treatment%20can%20lead%20to%20the%20development%20of%20resistant%20strains%20of%20the%20AIDS%20virus%2C%20allow%20virus%20levels%20to%20increase%20and%20put%20the%20former%20prisoner%20at%20risk%20of%20acquiring%20infections%20and%20transmitting%20the%20virus%20to%20others.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20BBC%20News%20--%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDespite%20reports%20saying%20the%20percentage%20of%20people%20infected%20with%20HIV%20is%20around%2050%25%2C%20one%20village%20in%20Malawi%20is%20still%20hopeful.%20The%20village%20of%20Njoho%20is%20suffering%20greatly%20in%20Malawi%27s%20AIDS%20pandemic%2C%20but%20its%20people%20remain%20positive.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20The%20Citizen%20--%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ESouth%20African%20youth%20idolizing%20their%20favorite%20soap%20stars%20and%20their%20sexual%20habits%20have%20experts%20worried.%20Especially%20troubling%20is%20the%20recurring%20theme%20of%20lead%20characters%20having%20multiple%20sexual%20partners.%20Experts%20worry%20that%20when%20this%20behavior%20is%20re-enacted%20in%20real%20life%20by%20youths%20wanting%20to%20be%20like%20their%20idols%2C%20it%20could%20increase%20the%20spread%20of%20HIV%20infections.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20AllAfrica.com%20--%20%20Officials%20in%20Angola%20are%20calling%20on%20women%20in%20Angola%20and%20around%20the%20world%20to%20increase%20their%20efforts%20in%20the%20fight%20against%20AIDS.%20This%20was%20part%20of%20a%20ceremony%20marking%20International%20Women%27s%20Day.%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0A%3Cblockquote%3E%26%23147%3B%26nbsp%3B%26%23147%3B%26nbsp%3BThe%20official%20recalled%20that%20since%20peace%20was%20attained%20in%20Angola%20the%20situation%20of%20women%20in%20all%20spheres%20of%20society%20has%20been%20noted%2C%20which%20contributes%20to%20the%20sustainable%20development%20of%20the%20nation.%26nbsp%3B%26%23148%3B%26nbsp%3B%26%23148%3B%3C%2Fblockquote%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20Jakarta%20Post%20--%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAn%20increased%20rate%20of%20HIV%2FAIDS%20among%20prostitutes%20and%20their%20clienteles%20has%20been%20registered%20along%20with%20a%20rise%20in%20the%20spread%20of%20sexually%20transmitted%20infections%20%28STI%29%20in%20general%20among%20sex%20workers.%20According%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Bali%20AIDS%20Commission%20%28KPAD%29%2C%20the%20prevalence%20of%20sexual%20infection%20among%20sex%20workers%20rose%20to%2014%20percent%20last%20year%2C%20a%20huge%20jump%20from%203%20percent%20in%202003.%20Doctors%20attributed%20the%20rise%20in%20infections%20to%20the%20fact%20that%20sex%20workers%20are%20taking%20greater%20risks%2C%20which%20is%20exacerbated%20by%20their%20high%20mobility.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A