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Thai HIV/AIDS Advocates Urge Increased Treatment Access For IDUs
The Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group recently called on the country to launch a comprehensive harm reduction program for injection drug users in an effort to help curb the spread of HIV, Thailand"s The Nation reports. According to the group, many IDUs are unable to access drug treatment and substation therapy because of the stigma surrounding drug use in the country. Karyn Kaplan, director of development and policy for the group, said, "Health care workers have denied many injecting drug users access to an antiviral drug and the use of methadone." Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai recently announced that the country"s harm reduction programs have helped to curb the spread of HIV among IDUs, adding that local substitution programs have reduced the number of HIV-positive IDUs and that the country needs increased support from UNAIDS for such efforts. TTAG called for the government to provide prevention and treatment options, such as substitution therapy and needle-exchange programs. The Nation reports that methadone treatment is offered at hospitals across the country as part of the national health care scheme, but many health care workers refuse to administer treatment. In addition, government treatment is offered for 45 days. Kaplan said that the government should revise its policy regarding treatment access for IDUs, as a majority of IDUs are incarcerated and living with HIV or hepatitis-C without treatment access. She called on the government to "implement the international standards of medical treatment for [IDUs], without discrimination and human rights violations" (The Nation, 5/27).
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Obama Highlights Health Care Reform Progress In Weekly Address
In his weekly radio and Internet address, President Obama discussed efforts by congressional leaders and health care industry groups on health care reform legislation, The Hill reports. He said that "while there remains a great deal of difficult work ahead, I am heartened by what we have seen these past few days: a willingness of those with different points of view and disparate interests to come together around common goals -- to embrace a shared sense of responsibility and make historic progress" (Youngman, The Hill, 5/16). He said, "I have always believed that it is better to talk than not to talk, that it is far more productive to reach over a divide than to shake your fist across it," which has "been an alien notion in Washington for far too long, but we are seeing that the ways of Washington are beginning to change."In the Republican radio and Internet address. Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.), a cardiovascular surgeon, said that a "government takeover of health care will put bureaucrats in charge of health care decisions that should be made by families and doctors." He added, "It will limit treatment options and lead to rationed care," and "to pay for government health care, your taxes will be raised." Boustany, a member of the House Republican Health Care Solutions Group, said, "That is something we cannot support, and frankly, it would clearly violate some of the principles the president himself has endorsed" (Superville, AP/Washington Post, 5/16). In related news, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag on Sunday said on CNN"s "State of the Union" that the administration might support taxing health care benefits to health pay for health care reform (Barr, Politico, 5/17). Timeline
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Welsh Assembly Government Written Statement On Swine Influenza, Wlales
This statement updates Members on the Influenza A (H1N1v) swine flu outbreak and the latest developments in Wales and across the UK.
Mental Health

Protect Children From The Allure Of Smoking, Say Doctors

BMA Scotland has warned that children who smoke face years of tobacco addiction that can lead to life-threatening diseases and premature death. The association also called on MSPs to support the proposals contained in the Tobacco and Primary Medical services (Scotland) Bill in order to reduce children"s exposure to tobacco products. Findings in the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) published today show that although it is illegal to sell cigarettes to children under the age of 18, 42% of 13 year old regular smokers and 57% of 15 year old regular smokers reported buying cigarettes from a shop and 13% of 13 year old regular smokers and 10% of 15 year old regular smokers from a vending machine. In order to achieve a smokefree Scotland by 2035, BMA Scotland wants to see a robust approach to tobacco control in order to reduce the number of teens who smoke. Dr Peter Terry, Chairman of the BMA in Scotland, said: "It is essential that cigarettes are made less accessible to children. Banning point of sale displays and getting rid of tobacco vending machines will go some way to doing this. "Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems. It ages skin, makes your breath smell and stains fingers yellow. Every day doctors witness the death and despair caused by smoking. "We need to break the tobacco trap. Young smokers will become tomorrow"s parents who smoke and they will continue the cycle of smoking-related ill-health." The British Medical Association.


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