Jezebel: Hiv

New Yorkers Winning The Race For Immortality

Anna North — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST

Mayor Bloomberg is interpreting new life expectancy statistics showing New Yorkers live longer than anybody else to mean that other Americans should relocate to NYC for their health. However, you may not need to move to the city to reap some of the benefits New Yorkers enjoy. More »

Measure Requiring Condoms In Porn Qualifies For L.A. Ballot

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:13:00 EST

The ballot measures to require porn actors to wear condoms has qualified to go before Los Angeles voters in June, though some are still working to stop it. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation gathered far more than the required 41,000 signatures needed for the initiative, but L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich has filed a legal challenge, saying only the state of California, not the city, has the authority to mandate condom use and charge fees to pay for inspections. More »

CDC Cracks Down On Our Slutty, Slutty Organs

Anna North — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:10:00 EST

New CDC organ donor guidelines could discourage many healthy people from donating — because they demand that any donor who's had two or more sex partners in the last year be designated "high-risk." More »

L.A. Likely To Vote On Making Condoms In Porn Mandatory

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:46:00 EST

There's been debate about whether or not condoms should be required on porn sets for some time, and now a group says they've collected more than enough signatures to put the issue before voters in Los Angeles in June. Though there have been several recent scares that temporarily shut down production, opponents insist the current system of consistently testing performers is working and say it's wrong to regulate what people do in their sex lives. Proponents of mandatory condoms counter that they aren't trying to push their morals on anyone, it's just a worker safety issue. More »

HIV-Positive Chinese Teachers Fight For Right To Work

Anna North — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:30:00 EST

Three teachers in China were denied the right to work by local authorities because of provincial rules stating "civil servants should not be carriers of an infectious disease." But now they're petitioning China's State Council to let them teach, saying a national law protecting employment rights for HIV-positive people should apply in their case. HIV activist Yu Fangqiang says, "The State Council has the responsibility to check if there is any contradiction between departmental regulations and the law of the state: if there is, the regulations of the departments should be removed." Let's hope the Council chooses to uphold the teachers' rights. More »

Anti-H.I.V. Gel Less Magical Than Originally Thought

Margaret Hartmann — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:37:00 EST

Despite countless warnings about things that seem to good to be true, we were pretty excited by the news that researchers had developed a vaginal gel that can protect women from HIV (and possibly herpes too). Unfortunately, this weekend there was a major setback. A new trial of the gel was canceled because it doesn't appear to be working. More »

Now Teens Need To Get Tested For HIV, Too

Erin Gloria Ryan — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:35:00 EDT

As if the SAT's, ACT's, PSAT's, Driver's License Exam, and that weird scoliosis test where you have to stand topless behind a screen in the locker room wasn't enough, American teenagers have one more test to add to their to-do list: an HIV test. More »

Magic Anti-HIV Gel May Also Protect Against Herpes

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:40:00 EDT

Last year AIDS researchers gave fellow scientists a standing ovation when they announced they'd developed a gel that reduced HIV infections by 39%. Now a new study has proven that the product can also protect against herpes. The gel was originally intended to cut HIV infection rates in Africa, but now there's talk of bringing it to the U.S. too. More »

Gates Foundation May Have Stopped 100,000 HIV Infections

Anna North — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EDT

According to a new study, the Gates Foundation's Avahan program, which involves sex ed, needle exchanges, and condom distribution among other efforts, has averted over 100,000 cases of HIV in India. And because every silver cloud has a dark lining, some are criticizing the study methodology. Still, World Health Organization experts are calling the study an "encouraging first step." More »

Birth Control Shot Found To Double HIV Risk In African Women

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:20:00 EDT

As if the AIDS crisis in Africa wasn't bad enough, scientists now believe that a birth control method that's popular in the eastern and southern parts of the continent is increasing women's HIV risk. A major peer-reviewed study found that women who get a hormone shot every three months double their risk of becoming infected with HIV, and the male partners of HIV-positive women are twice as likely to conract the disease. More »

Gay British Men Can Now Give Blood — If They're Celibate

Anna North — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:20:00 EDT

As of November 7, gay men in England, Scotland, and Wales will be allowed to give blood — as long as they haven't had oral or anal sex with a man, with a condom or without, in the last year. Previously, gay men had been completely banned from donating (they're still banned in the US). Carl Burnell of the gay men's health group GMFA, says "the removal of the ban to a one-year deferral is great news but it's going to leave some gay men frustrated that they still can't donate blood." They're so demanding! Why won't they accept an entire year of celibacy as a prerequisite for helping others? More »

Porn Industry HIV Scare Was A False Alarm

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:40:00 EDT

Adult performers can breathe a sigh of relief — and carry on with their important work — because a second test revealed that the anonymous actor who sparked the shutdown of L.A.'s porn industry is not HIV positive. Diane Duke of the Free Speech Coalition, a porn industry trade group, says: More »

Clinic May Have Exposed Thousands Of Patients To HIV & Hepatitis

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:57:00 EDT

When it comes to disease exposure from unsterilized instruments, few images can compare with a dirty speculum, but using any unclean instrument can be just as horrifying. Yesterday a clinic in Wisconsin informed 2,345 people that they may have been exposed to a variety of blood-borne diseases by a clinician who treated diabetic patients. More »

Zimbabwean Cabinet Ministers Asked To Get Circumcised For AIDS Prevention

Irin Carmon — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:40:00 EDT

Citing a South African study showing that male circumcision reduces HIV transmission, the deputy prime minister of Zimbabwe is trying to get all the male ministers to get circumcised themselves as a promotion. As it happens, said deputy prime minister is a woman, and some of her colleagues are reluctant. One very unconvincing rebuttal: "I am sure in other countries women get circumcised and DPM Khupe must sacrifice herself first and have her organ mutilated. She must also say women in turn should also be circumcised in this manner before asking the male counterparts to do that." More »

Adult Performer Tests Positive For HIV, Shuts Down L.A. Porn Industry

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:29:00 EDT

Porn sets across L.A. were quiet today, after an anonymous porn star's positive HIV test prompted adult film studios to temporarily halt production. The companies should be back to cranking out the smut Americans crave later this week, but the news has reignited the debate over the best way to prevent the spread of HIV and other STDs within the industry. More »

Catholic Condom Ads Banned In Spain

Anna North — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:45:00 EDT

Starting tomorrow, young people will flock to Madrid for World Youth Day, where they'll see concerts, speeches by bishops, and appearances by the Pope. But they won't be seeing ads supporting condom use — because Spanish transit authorities banned them. More »

New York To Require Sex Ed In Schools

Anna North — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EDT

Starting this year, students in New York City will receive state-mandated sex education. That's a change from previous years, when kids had to learn about HIV but not necessarily sex per se. More »

Could This Little Pill Stop HIV Transmission?

Anna North — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:50:00 EDT

Some hopeful news in the battle against HIV: a daily pill shows promise in preventing transmission of the virus. So much promise, in fact, that scientists stopped the trial so they could start giving the pills to the control group as well. More »

Celebs Talk About HIV Testing

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:12:00 EDT

Yesterday was the Center For Disease Control's National HIV Testing Day. Black people count for 45 percent of new HIV cases and 51 percent of annual AIDS-related deaths, so The Root rounded up some black celebrities and asked them about getting tested. Real Housewives of Atlanta and Good Hair star Derek J Says: "No matter how safe you play it, you should get tested annually along with your annual physical. It's very relieving to know your status." More »

Paper Reveals Strauss-Kahn Accuser's Possible HIV Status

Anna North — Wed, 18 May 2011 09:50:00 EDT

In a disturbing new development, media sources have come perilously close to revealing the address — and HIV status — of Dominique Strauss-Kahn's accuser. And some say DSK himself is now on suicide watch. More »

FDA Lambastes Phony HIV, Herpes Cures

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:20:00 EDT

The Food and Drug Administration announced this week that it's going after over a dozen companies selling non-prescription pills and supplements—like Medavir, Herpaflor and C-Cure—that purport to cure STDs like HIV, Herpes and HPV. Federal health officials say that none of these products have been proven to be effective treatment for such diseases and are in fact a public health hazard, since patients could put off seeking proper medical care by taking the phony pills, allowing their conditions to worsen. More »

Porn Studios Fined For Not Using Condoms

Anna North — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EDT

In a rare move, California regulators have fined two porn companies for failing to use condoms on their sets. If some groups have their way, such fines will become more common. More »

DC To Lose Needle Exchange As HIV Rate Climbs

Anna North — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:18:00 EST

Though it has the highest rate of HIV infection in the country, DC is about to lose its free needle exchange program, PreventionWorks, due to lack of funds. Writes Petula Dvorak for the Washington Post, More »

Porn Industry Paper Blasts New York Times Coverage

Irin Carmon — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:35:00 EST

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Last week, The New York Times published a piece about the ongoing debate about condoms use in pornography production. Now, a reporter on the inside is calling bullshit. More »

Air Force's Swinging Sergeant Discharged For Lying About HIV

Anna North — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:38:00 EST

An Air Force sergeant will be dishonorably discharged for failing to disclose his HIV status at swinging parties, meaning he'll lose the medical benefits he needs to manage the disease. More »

DJ Suspended For Comments About Haitian Women And HIV

Irin Carmon — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:23:11 EST

"The reason I'm HIV negative is because I don't mess with Haitian girls," New York radio DJ Cipha Sounds recently said on air. He's apologized and has been suspended, but he's reopened some very painful wounds. More »

Is This The HIV-Prevention Pill?

Jessica Coen — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:26:00 EST

Major breakthrough: In a study conducted on a group of 2,500 high-risk gay men, researchers found that taking a daily dose of HIV-treatment drugs may actually help to prevent contracting the virus by as much as 70%. More »

Pope Says Condoms Okay For Women Too

Anna North — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 09:36:00 EST

The Pope recently (kind of) okayed the use of condoms for male prostitutes to guard against HIV transmission — now he's clarified that his stance applies to women too. More »

Sex-Ed Murals Depict Boners, Butts — And Monogamy

Anna North — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:32:00 EST

In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, students have helped create a new kind of sex ed: murals that warn of the dangers of unprotected sex, pervy teachers, and "big mamas." More »

HIV-Positive Porn Star Didn't Infect Partners

Irin Carmon — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:21:49 EST

Good news: the porn actor who tested HIV positive did not infect any of his partners, personal or professional. But the battle over condoms in porn isn't over. More »

Porn Star Tests Positive For H.I.V.

Katie Luscombe — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:21:00 EDT

The anonymous adult-film star's infection is the first such case in over a year; the news has shut down both Vivid and Wicked's studios. Two more performers are currently being tested. Are stricter condom regulations forthcoming? More »

Heavy Drinkers Live Longer Than Non-Drinkers

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EDT

A recent study found that heavy drinkers live longer than teetotalers. However, before you go on a bender, researchers also found that moderate drinking—defined as 1-3 drinks per day—is even better for the body.

German Pop Star Admits Infecting Her Ex With HIV Was "A Mistake"

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:18:00 EDT

The trial of a German pop star accused of knowingly infecting her former boyfriend with HIV has raised some important questions about responsibility, disease, and the meaning of consensual sex. More »

HIV-Positive Man Infects 8; Goes On Trial For Endangering Life

Sadie Stein — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:03:00 EDT

An HIV-positive man is on trial in Australia for lying to partners, engaging in unprotected sex, and endangering their lives. It's expected to be a long and complicated case: More »

DC Seeks To Stop AIDS By Distributing Female Condoms

Katy Kelleher — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:47:00 EDT

When is the last time you used a female condom? If you're like 99% of the population, you probably have never even tried one. But the city of Washington, D.C. is seeking to change that with their new initiative. More »

Agreeable Women More Likely To Become Moms, Study Says

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:35:00 EDT

According to a recent UK study, women who are "agreeable" are more likely to have children at a young age than those who are "open-minded." Open-minded women tended to choose education over babies, and "risk going through life childless."

New Maybe-Miracle Gel Protects Women From HIV

Anna North — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:30:00 EDT

A vaginal gel has shown effectiveness in preventing HIV infection, making it the first-ever workable HIV prevention that women alone can control. More »

Study Says Women Peak At 31

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:09:00 EDT

A recent survey of 2,000 Brits found that women are generally perceived to be at their "most attractive" at the ripe old age of 31. Researchers also found that confidence was more importance than looks in defining beauty.

Legendary Porn Star Defends Bareback Sex And Shaved Vulvas

Anna North — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:35:00 EDT

We were so impressed with porn star Nina Hartley's appearance in the documentary Exxxit, we had to talk to her more. After the jump, her thoughts on condoms, shaving, and why Who's Nailin Paylin was a victory for feminism. More »

What The View Got Wrong About Black Women And AIDS

Irin Carmon — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:00:40 EDT

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A few weeks ago, Sherri Shepherd argued on The View that black men on the "down low" are behind the high rate of HIV infection among black women. Not true — and ABC is being pressed to retract it. More »