Investing in Young People’s Health and Development: Research that Improves Policies and Programs to be held in Abuja, Nigeria, April 27-29. The conference is being hosted by the Gates Institute with its partners: Department of Community Health, Obafemi Awolowo University; and Center for Population and Reproductive Health, University of Ibadan; in partnership with a consortium of more than 40 international and national organizations. See you there?

MALE ATTITUDE NETWORK (WEB LITERATURE)

INTRODUCTION

The MALE ATTITUDE NETWORK (MAN) is a non-governmental organization that is consumer centered. It offers state of the art bilingual treatment and care, as well as information on issues faced by, and behaviors of the masculine gender. MAN, as a privately held NGO, has representatives in ABUJA, CALABAR, LONDON, TORONTO, and MAIDUGURI. Our Nigerian office has full-time staff strength of ten (10), while contract staffs (i.e. Doctors, Counselors, Psychologists, lawyers, etc) are hired on specified project basis. We offer a broad range of specialized services to individuals and organizations across Nigeria, and Africa. We maintain close contacts with national and International organizations such as;
Sexual Minorities Against AIDS in Nigeria (SMAAN)
Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE)
International Gay and Lesbian Association (ILGA)
Population Council
International Center for Reproductive health and Sexual Rights (INCRESE).

WHAT WE DO

We provide counseling, care, and treatment to men who;
Are living with HIV/AIDS
Are addicts (to drugs, violence, sex etc)
Are challenged by their sexual orientation
Have marital issues
Suicidal
Are socially discriminated against because of their mental status (e.g. Pedophiles, Rapists etc)
These are among other problems/challenges males face, both emotionally and physically. We also organize workshops and awards. MAN provides information/services to individuals and organizations through a comprehensive treatment and care method, through our semi-annual publications, and through exhibitions at conferences.

WHY WE DO IT

There is a growing concern about the rising toll of Mental and Social Tiredness in males in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, with its large population representing 1 out of 5 Nigerians. The increase of these challenges, e.g. HIV, is no longer a problem of developing countries, but has become a global issue. The rate of spread and increase of this epidemic has also been found to be increasingly high in young people, with young males in the forefront (due to the current economic and mental hardship that is significantly more pronounce in Africa).
By promoting access to reliable, up-to-date treatment and care, both directly and indirectly, through community and individual intermediaries, MAN helps to enable people make informed choices about their health, to optimize their qualities and quality of life, to prevent the progression of HIV and other opportunist infections, and reduce the impact of side effects.

HOW WE DO IT

MAN leads workshops at national and regional conferences in Nigeria and Africa. We provide training known as ‘Train the Trainers’ program, to enhance the ability of our employees in delivering treatment and care to our clients. MAN also provides legal services to our clients (Pro Bono, if need be). Our semi-annual publication covers it all. From the basics of Living With HIV/AIDS and other psychological and emotional challenges---to the cutting edge researches. With sections like;
Treatment Update – This section reports on advances on conventional and complimentary therapies, side effects, drug interventions, and nutrition.
Innovations – This section is a current awareness service for health care professional, and others interested in the latest medical articles on clinical treatment for mental and health challenges.
MAN News – This section takes the latest news about mental and health challenges from around the world, and puts it in an African context, in bite-sized bulletin.
The Positive Side – This section has empowering real life stories on all aspects of living. It features holistic health information, views, and more…including special/private issues for men (courtesy Blackgold Pride International).For information on Membership and Volunteering, send a mail to man_nigeria@hotmail.com

Visit http://www.sa-aidsconference.com for more details.

hope to meet you there. By the way, have you heard of the Youth Sexuality Institute?

reports from the just concluded YSI in Abuja Nigeria will be upoaded to you soon. keep in touch.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

What is AIDS and HIV?
Aids is the English acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (a “syndrome” = a complex of various different symptoms). The immune system is there to protect you against the various infections – like bacteria, fungi and viruses – that can get into your body.Aids is caused by an infection with HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

HIV-1 was discovered in 1983/84 followed a little later by HIV-2. Both types of virus and their subgroups (subtypes) show special features and appear with degrees of frequency that vary from continent to continent. But whatever type the virus might be, the selfsame ways of protecting yourself against it still apply. Aids refers to the stage of HIV infection where the body can develop certain life-threatening infectious diseases and tumours.

How does HIV weaken the Immune System?
HIV infects the white blood cells (also known as CD4 cells or T4 cells) and uses them to make new copies of HIV. The white blood cells are important because it is they that set the immune system in motion when the body is invaded by organisms like bacteria and viruses. When HIV infects a body, the white blood cells mount a defence against it. But the antibodies produced by the defence mechanism cannot rid the body of HIV. A small number of infected CD4 cells are directly destroyed by the virus while many more have their indirect mechanisms damaged by the virus so that the defence they provide is inadequate or faulty. In this way the number of healthy CD4 cells is greatly reduced. And as the number of CD4 cells decline this means that the body is less and less able to defend itself against infection. In an advanced stage of immunodeficiency life-threatening diseases or “opportunistic infections”, allergies and various cancerous growths can occur.

What is the cause of an HIV infection and what symptoms are there?
The course of an HIV infection can vary widely from person to person and each single case generally shows a wide degree of fluctuation. Symptoms can – but must not necessarily – appear. And between the various stages of the illness there are often long periods when no symptoms at all appear. A fully developed immunodeficiency can even occur without there being any signs of sickness (= symptoms) until the outbreak of very serious illness. Measuring the “virus load” (= the number of viruses per millilitre of blood) is a way of showing how far the virus has reproduced itself and damaged the immune system. The greater the virus load is, the quicker the body’s immune system will be destroyed. But also counting the number of white blood cells per millilitre of blood tells us about the condition of the immune system – the fewer CD4 cells there are, the more the immune system is damaged.The First WeeksShortly after infecting a body the HIV virus begins to reproduce itself heavily. In this period the risk of infecting someone else is particularly high! Usually in the first weeks after infection flu-like symptoms appear (“primary effects”) which then disappear by themselves after one to two weeks. Many people hardly notice these symptoms or take them to be signs of an ordinary cold or flu. But in each case where there is an HIV infection the body reacts by producing antibodies. And these can usually be reliably diagnosed by an HIV antibody test [Link] about 12 weeks after the initial infection.

Symptom-free Phase
The HIV infection then enters into a discreet phase – in other words there are no noticeable symptoms. This phase can last a few months or a few years. But the virus still continues to reproduce and damage the immune system.

Phase with General Symptoms
At some point symptoms can occur. They are usually general symptoms like prolonged lymph node swellings at various points of the body (under the armpits, around the top of the legs), heavy night sweats and prolonged periods of diarrhoea. The symptoms which appear with an HIV infection are all non-specific – in other words they can equally occur with many other forms of illness. This is why only doctors who are experienced in this field are able to tell whether the immune system has been damaged or not.

Chronic Immunodeficiency
If certain opportunistic infections occur in a person whose immune system has been badly damaged by HIV we speak of “Aids”. These opportunistic infections include pneumocistis carinii pneumonia (PCP), a rare form of pneumonia, and infections of body organs like the gullet with the fungus candida albicans. Viruses like herpes simplex and herpes zoster can also cause serious infections. The most common tumours occurring in connection with AIDS are virus-caused forms of cancer like kaposi sarcoma, cervical cancer and lymphomas (malignant immune system tumours). Because HIV also infects the central nervous system, during the course of an HIV infection this can also lead to nerve damage and brain damage which usually begin slowly and without any symptoms.

How is HIV NOT transmitted?
HIV is one the infections which is very difficult to transmit. The virus itself is sensitive and cannot live long outside the human body under normal conditions. Standard hygiene at home and in hospital is enough to make it ineffective. Even so, the virus can still survive for several days in blood smears in used injecting needles! Although HIV has been detected in urine, shit, spit, sweat and tears, it has been in such very small quantities that there is generally no danger of transmission. This means that there is no danger of transmission through shaking hands, hugging, play and sport, coughing and sneezing or using the same plates, cutlery or glasses. Equally there is no danger of transmission from using the same toilet, towel, bed linen, using the same swimming pool or sauna or working and living with people with HIV/AIDS. Nor is there any danger of HIV transmission with kissing (so long as there are no cuts on the lips or in the mouth). And insects like mosquitoes and animals cannot transmit HIV either.

How can HIV be transmitted?
HIV can only be transmitted when a sufficient quantity of it enters into the bloodstream or comes into contact with a mucous membrane. Infection is possible with blood – including menstrual blood – sperm, vaginal fluid and breast milk – all of which can hold high concentrations of the virus. The risk of infecting yourself and others with HIV is also much greater if you already have a sexually transmitted infection like syphilis, gonorrhoea or herpes. This is why it is very important to recognise these infections at an early stage and get them treated!

The HIV Test
An HIV test tells you for sure whether you have an HIV infection (“positive” test result) or not (“negative” test result). Knowing that you have an HIV infection enables you to start an early course of treatment which will stop or slow down serious damage to the immune system and the resultant chronic opportunistic infections.Whether you take an HIV test or not is your own decision to make. An HIV test should never be made without your knowledge and consent, and nobody should force anyone to take a test. What is truly vital is that you should be given enough information about the test and feel that you have been adequately counselled. A counsellor should also inform you about the possible social and legal disadvantages that could result from the test or a possible positive test result. If you want to know for sure about your HIV status you should take the test three months after the last HIV risk situation at the earliest. But the HIV test is not a preventive measure. You can only protect yourself against HIV by practising Safer Sex and sticking to the Safer Sex guidelines.

Costs/Anonymity
To find out the place to take the test that’s best suited to your own circumstances, you should consult with your local charity or trust specialised in helping people with HIV / AIDS. As a general rule, though, public health agencies usually offer the test for free. The big advantage here is that the test is made anonymously – in other words your name is not mentioned and the result is not “documented”. If the test is made for instance at a GP’s, it will indicate your name – in other words the test and its result will be documented and this can have all kinds of consequences (for instance for your insurance). If you have reason to believe that you have been infected, your health insurance scheme will bear the costs of the test.

Reasons for taking an HIV Test
To be certain after being in a situation where a risk of transmission was involved.You’re not sure whether you’re infected with HIV because you’ve been in a situation where a transmission risk was present – and you want to know for sure. The “Stock-taking Test” / “Engagement Test”You are in a closed relationship and want to do away with using condoms. And you want to be certain that neither of you is HIV positive.

Symptoms/ Starting Therapy
You have symptoms that could indicate a HIV infection and/or want to start early treatment. The HIV test has a high therapeutic significance.

Taking out a Health Insurance Policy
Some insurance companies require you to take an HIV test or present the result of a recent test before you can take out a policy.

SYPHILIS - the new threat

Syphilis rise in gay, bisexual men causes worry

- Syphilis has risen sharply among gay and bisexual men in the United States this decade, driving up the country's rate for the disease and placing these men at higher risk for AIDS, federal health officials say. Since dropping to the lowest level on record in 2000, the U.S. rate of syphilis, a sexually transmitted bacterial disease, has risen steadily, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said on Friday. The rate rose five years in a row through 2005, the most recent year for which the CDC had figures. Gay and bisexual men accounted for 7 percent of syphilis cases in 2000 but more than 60 percent in 2005, CDC experts estimated. "The most devastating consequence of this increase in syphilis cases would be an increase in the rates of HIV infection," said Dr. Khalil Ghanem of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. "Syphilis and HIV have a close, deadly symbiotic relationship." CDC epidemiologist Dr. James Heffelfinger said syphilis, like many other sexually transmitted diseases, raises the likelihood of infection by or transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS. Syphilis raises these risks by an estimated two to five times, he said. Condom use can greatly reduce the risk of getting syphilis, which is readily curable with antibiotics in its early stages but capable of causing severe medical problems and even death if left untreated. "We are seeing that syphilis is on the rise among a very specific subset of gay men: those who are having a great deal of sex with multiple sex partners," said Joel Ginsberg, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association in San Francisco. Many are HIV-infected or test positive for HIV for the first time when they learn they have syphilis, he said. 'WHY BOTHER?' "Among these men, there seems to be decreased condom use, perhaps related to an attitude of 'I already have HIV, so why bother?' or because HIV is seen as a chronic disease that can be managed well with medications," Ginsberg said. Tremendous progress was made against syphilis in the 1990s. In 1999, the CDC announced an initiative to fully eliminate it from the United States. After reaching 50,000 cases and a rate of 20.3 cases per 100,000 people in 1990 -- the highest since 1949 -- public health efforts helped drive down the rate to 2.1 per 100,000 people in 2000. But the rate rose to 3 per 100,000 in 2005, with 8,724 cases, the CDC said. "We're concerned that we're seeing this upturn among men who have sex with men because it could foreshadow bigger increases," CDC epidemiologist Dr. Hillard Weinstock said. Ghanem of Johns Hopkins faulted the gay and bisexual community, public health leaders and the medical establishment for failing to get across a message of prevention, citing "safe-sex fatigue" after the advent of powerful AIDS drugs in the 1990s. "Once these wonder drugs came along, patients no longer saw HIV as a death sentence, and clinicians unfortunately became more lackadaisical about conveying prevention messages," Ghanem said. Use of a smokable form of the illegal drug methamphetamine known as "crystal meth" also is associated with unsafe sexual practices linked to syphilis, Ghanem said. The syphilis rate among men is nearly six times higher than for women. The vast majority of male cases is among gays and bisexuals.

..:: STOP AIDS, KEEP THE PROMISE ::..

..:: MAN NIGERIA ::..
Stop AIDS, Keep the Promise

World Aids Day is a global event organized by the World Aids Campaign. In 2007 and 2008 the theme for World AIDS Day "leadership", a theme which is being promoted with the slogan, "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."As an example to national leaders and decision makers, individuals are asked to pledge their leadership and commitment to fighting HIV and AIDS by making their own pledge. We hope all MAN NIGERIA users will support this action and take the pledge. You can do this online by clicking the link under this logo:Make your pledge here.Why the theme of leadership?Since the beginning of the epidemic, experience has clearly demonstrated that significant advances in the response to HIV have been achieved when there is strong and committed leadership. Leaders are distinguished by their action, innovation and vision; their personal example and engagement of others; and their perseverance in the face of obstacles and challenges. However, leaders are often not those in the highest offices. Leadership must be demonstrated at every level to get ahead of the disease - in families, in communities, in countries and internationally.Much of the best leadership on AIDS has been demonstrated within civil society organisations challenging the status quo. Making leadership the theme of the next two World AIDS Days will help encourage leadership on AIDS within all levels and sectors of society. We hope it will inspire and foster champions within a range of different groups and networks at local and international levels.AccountabilityLeadership as a theme follows and builds on the 2006 theme of accountability. Despite the efforts to hold leaders accountable in 2006, progress in halting HIV is falling far short of targets.Over 5700 people died each day from AIDS-related illnesses in 2007. Over 6800 people are still being infected with HIV daily, about 1200 of whom are children under 15 and about 2900 are women 15 years and older. The infection rates in young people ages 15-24 remain frighteningly high.In North America and across Western Europe (particularly in the UK) infection rates among men who have sex with men continue to rise alarmingly. We know these infections and these deaths are preventable and avoidable if promises by countries to scale up access to prevention, treatment, care and support for all are to be fulfilled by 2010.In high level meetings, governments of rich countries promised to increase the spending on development aid to 0.7 percent of their annual budget. Only a handful of countries have done so. In the Abuja Declaration, African leaders committed to allocating 15 percent of their budgets to health. This has happened in just one or two countries, with only one-third of African countries spending over 10 percent. Promises are not being kept because there is a lack of leadership at every level. For more information about HIV and AIDS around the world,please visit the following websites:World Aids Campaign (International)UNAIDS (International)EuroHIV (International)Deutsche Aids Hilfe (Deutschland)Aids Fonds (Niederlande)Gay Mens Health Crisis (USA)Terence Higgins Trust (GB)AIDeS (Frankreich)Lega Italiana per la Lotta Contro l'AIDS (Italien)Stop Sida (Spanien)Aids Portugal (Portugal)

A BETTER MAN, FOR A BETTER TOMORROW