Teen/Youth News Archives

News Briefs

New Resources

What’s in the News - consolidated clips of articles pertaining to adolescents, HIV and other STIs, and prevention education from the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update. Feel free to print and use the  PDF as a handout at trainings, meetings etc. It includes September through November 30 of 2007.

"DVD Reveals Risk of Child Prostitution"
Arizona Republic (Phoenix), (12.17.2007) Cecilia Chan
A new educational DVD on the risks of child prostitution has been released. Titled "Bait and Switch: The Terror and Tragedy of Child Prostitution," the DVD targets middle- and high-school students. CDC Summary
 

Find Resources; and more on the Teen/Youth Page.

 December News Titles, briefly and Links

Following are links to the Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report (and occasionally other sources) and summaries from the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update.

FDA Requires Warning Statement for spermicides with nonoxynol 9
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule on December 18, 2007 requiring manufacturers of over-the-counter (OTC) stand-alone vaginal contraceptive and spermicidal products containing the chemical ingredient nonoxynol 9 (N9) include a warning stating that the chemical N9 does not provide protection against infection from HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) or other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). FDA is requiring that the labels warn consumers that the chemical N9 in stand-alone vaginal contraceptives and spermicides can irritate the vagina and rectum, which may increase the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS from an infected partner.  -more-
 

Washington Post Examines Indian Nationwide Train Trip To Raise HIV/AIDS Awareness Among Youth in Rural Villages
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=49268

NIDA to Launch Educational Campaign for Hispanic Youth on World AIDS Day
At-A-Glance Volume 3 Issue 50 - World AIDS Day Edition
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced that it will launch a national public service campaign to educate Hispanic teens on the link between noninjection drug use and HIV transmission.

The campaign, which will begin on World AIDS Day, will feature television, Internet, and print components, along with community events and partnerships. This holiday season, the campaign's public service announcement is running on TV screens in New York City's Times Square and inside New York City buses that travel through areas with large Hispanic populations.

For more information about the campaign, see www.hiv.drugabuse.gov.  

See November Archives

Summaries

FDA Requires Warning Statement for spermicides with nonoxynol 9
FDA Release (12/18/07)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule on December 18, 2007 requiring manufacturers of over-the-counter (OTC) stand-alone vaginal contraceptive and spermicidal products containing the chemical ingredient nonoxynol 9 (N9) include a warning stating that the chemical N9 does not provide protection against infection from HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) or other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

 
Stand-alone spermicides include gels, foams, films, or inserts containing N9 that are used by themselves for contraception. Consumers can protect themselves from the transmission of STDs and HIV by practicing abstinence, being in a monogamous relationship where neither partner is infected, and using condoms consistently and correctly.

FDA is issuing the rule in an effort to correct misconceptions that N9 protects against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection.


Nonoxynol 9 is approved as a vaginal contraceptive that works by damaging the cell membrane of sperm. It has been shown in laboratory studies to damage the cell walls of certain organisms that cause STDs and to be active against some STD-causing bacteria and viruses. Over the years, many consumers have come to believe that N-9 could reduce the potential for transmission of HIV and other STDs. FDA believes that the membrane-damaging effect can harm the cell lining of the vagina, cervix and rectum, thereby increasing the risk of HIV and STD transmission.


FDA is requiring that the labels warn consumers that the chemical N9 in stand-alone vaginal contraceptives and spermicides can irritate the vagina and rectum, which may increase the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS from an infected partner.

 

UNITED STATES:
"Abstinence Programs Face Rejection"
Washington Post, (12.16.2007) Rob Stein
Most federal dollars for abstinence-only sex education go directly to community organizations, and Congress is considering boosting support for the overall effort by $28 million, to $204 million. Even so, the number of states choosing to apply for a portion of the $50 million allocated for state-run abstinence-only programs is in decline.

At least 14 states have notified Washington that they will no longer apply for the funds. In 2000, California became the first state to drop out of the abstinence-only effort, which was launched as part of welfare reform in 1996. Maine followed suit in 2005. The latest state to forego the funds is Virginia. Ohio and Washington have stipulated that they will use the money to support comprehensive sex education, which makes them ineligible to receive it, federal officials say.

The move to reject federal abstinence-only dollars has drawn strong reactions:

*William Smith of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US said he hopes Congress gets the message that "states need to be able to craft a program that is the best fit for their young people and that is not dictated by Washington ideologues."

*"How can [Congress] ignore so many states slapping a return-to-sender label on this funding?" asked John Wagoner of Advocates for Youth.

*"My greatest concern about states dropping out is that these are valuable services and programs," said Stan Koustaal of the Department of Health and Human Services, which runs the program. "It's the youths in these states who are missing out."

*"We're talking about the health of millions of youth across the United States," said Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association. "We know abstinence education offers the best for them. Now is the time to put more emphasis on that message, not less."
 

ARIZONA:
"DVD Reveals Risk of Child Prostitution"
Arizona Republic (Phoenix), (12.17.2007) Cecilia Chan
A new educational DVD on the risks of child prostitution has been released. Titled "Bait and Switch: The Terror and Tragedy of Child Prostitution," the DVD targets middle- and high-school students. Arizona schools will be notified in mid-February on how to order a copy of it, said Joannie Collins of the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education, which developed a lesson plan to accompany the program.

The DVD is the brainchild of Lex Anderson, a Youngtown Municipal Court magistrate and a judge pro tem. Anderson said the issue of child prostitution was raised before he retired last year as a justice of the peace: Police brought in a 15-year-old girl who said she was lured into prostitution by gang members who promised her a modeling career. Anderson received a $42,000 grant to develop the DVD, which took two years to complete.

The video aims to dispel the myth that pimps are "slimy guys in a trench coat," said Anderson. Instead, they are more often slick predators who use persuasive tactics to entice young girls into the trade.

And according to an undercover sergeant with the Phoenix police vice enforcement unit, seven years ago the average age of a child prostitute was 15. Today, it is 13, the sergeant said.

The DVD won praise from a group of educators and school-resource and probation officers who viewed it an annual state conference in October, said Phoenix police Sgt. Ed DeCastro. "I think it's a very good video that shows the reality of what happens to these kids on the streets," he said. "Showing these young girls, who are very impressionable, how these guys do it and why will open their eyes when they are in the mall or stores or wherever they are and random people approach them and start talking to them."
 

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