Mexico City, 6 August 2008, (IAS) - The invisibility of men who have sex with men (MSM) in many low- and middle-income countries across the globe is contributing to inadequate resources being given to HIV prevention programmes despite MSM accounting for significant proportions of new infections in those countries, delegates were told today at the XVII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2008). Criminalization, prejudice, social hostility and human rights abuses towards MSM are boosting the spread of HIV.

Mexico City, 6 August 2008 (PlusNews) - As the search for an effective HIV prevention strategy intensifies, scientists are hoping that antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, normally associated with HIV treatment, may provide part of the answer.

Mexico City, 6 August 2008 (KaiserNetwork) - Former leaders of Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, as well as other well-known African figures, launched an initiative Tuesday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City to put pressure on politicians whom they believe have not done enough to fight HIV/AIDS, Reuters reports (Rosenberg, Reuters, 8/6). The campaign is called "Champions for an HIV-Free Generation." Its founding members include former Botswanan President Festus Mogae; Joaquim Chissano, former president of Mozambique; former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda; South African Archbishop and Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu; and Miriam Were, head of the Kenyan National AIDS Control Council (Ingham, AFP/Khaleej Times, 8/6). The initiative calls for more government actions and public educ ation campaigns to prevent new HIV cases in countries where up to one in four people are living with HIV/AIDS (Reuters, 8/6). Mogae also said the campaign's members would aim to launch "a dialogue" with governments about changing behavior, unsafe sex, stigma and discrimination against women. He added that the campaign would be open to prominent leaders all over Africa, as well as people "from all walks of life" (AFP/Khaleej Times, 8/6).

Mexico City, 6 August 2008 (HDN and SAfAIDS) - Volunteer caregivers form the backbone of AIDS care in Zimbabwe but lack access to the basic resources they need to provide care for people with HIV in the country. According to a new report released today at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, volunteer caregivers are the front-line of home-based care (HBC) services in Zimbabwe, especially in communities where anti-HIV drugs are not available, and urgent steps are needed to recognize and support the vital role they fill.

Mexico City, 5 August 2008 (KaiserNetwork) - Swiss researchers on Sunday at the opening of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City discussed a report finding that some HIV-positive people who take antiretroviral drugs do not transmit the virus during unprotected sex, AFP/Australian Broadcasting Company reports. While the majority of conference delegates gave the presentation a "warm welcome," some challenged the presentation, fearing it could encourage unsafe sex practices, according to AFP/Australian Broadcasting Company (Courcol, AFP/Australian Broadcasting Company, 8/4).