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Michigan And New York Now Accepting Applications For Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans – Michigan and New York have begun accepting applications for their new pre-existing condition insurance plans. The plans are available to individuals with certain pre-existing conditions, including HIV, who have been without health insurance for at least six months and are residents of the respective state. The plans are part of the new federal health care reform law, which requires every state to develop an insurance plan for individuals who have been denied coverage due to chronic illness or permanent injury (see related AIDS Beacon news). For more information, please see the NY Bridge Plan website, the Michigan PHP website, or the federal Healthcare.gov website.

Studies Find That Vitamin A Increases The Amount Of HIV In Breast Milk – Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health have found that vitamin A and beta-carotene supplements are not safe in HIV-positive women who are breastfeeding because they may increase the amount of HIV in breast milk, raising the risk of transmitting HIV to the baby. The researchers think the supplements may increase the risk of breast inflammation, which can allow small amounts of blood to leak into the milk. Breastfeeding is not recommended for women with HIV in the United States, but is recommended in places where clean drinking water is scarce as long as women are receiving antiretroviral therapy. For more information, please visit the University of Michigan website.

Coalition For A National AIDS Strategy To Host Webinars On The National HIV/AIDS Strategy – The Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy will host two identical webinars to provide more details about implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which was introduced by President Obama on July 13. The presenters will cover the important aspects of the Strategy, current efforts in implementation, and the need for community advocacy. The 90 minute webinars will be held on Thursday, September 2 at 1 p.m. EST and Tuesday, September 7 at 6 p.m. EST. For more information, please visit the AIDS.gov website.

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Last week in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave the latest statistics on racial and ethnic discrepancies among children diagnosed with perinatal HIV infection. Perinatal HIV infection is any form of HIV transmission from mother to child during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and breastfeeding.

Despite significant progress in other areas of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, studies are still reporting the majority of new perinatal infections to be among African Americans, seconded by Hispanics/Latinos.

This statistic is reflected in the latest data on perinatal…

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On November 30, 2009, the eve of World AIDS Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) released new recommendations on treatment, prevention, and infant feeding with respect to HIV. It is hoped that implementation of these new guidelines will improve the health of HIV-positive individuals, decrease the number of new HIV infections each year, and ultimately, save lives around the world.

“These new recommendations are based on the most up to date, available data,” said Dr. Hiroki Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director General for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases,…