Doctors, health experts call on N.S. to cover birth control and HIV-prevention drug
HALIFAX - Nova Scotia physicians and other sexual health experts are calling on the provincial government to fund birth control and increase access to a medication used to prevent HIV.
Four doctors, the head of the Halifax Sexual Health Centre, and a pharmacy professor made the comments today at a legislature committee hearing in Halifax.
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BBC News
33 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Brave and beautiful people' remembered in Aids quilt display
Frankie O'Reilly was nine-years-old when he met his future partner Georgie Long at primary school in Northern pair moved to London at the start of the 1980s, where Frankie worked as a traffic warden by day and a drag queen by night. By that time the two had long been inseparable - first as childhood best friends, and then as 1985, both aged 25, Frankie and Georgie were diagnosed with HIV."I started seeing friends slowly dying," Frankie says. "It was like being at a bus stop with your friends and they start getting on buses, and then you're the last person at the stop." In 1992, Georgie died of an Aids-related Georgie and hundreds like him are being remembered as part of the UK Aids Memorial Quilt, a patchwork creation of 42 quilts and 23 textile panels representing nearly 400 people who lost their lives to HIV/Aids in the UK, made by the people who loved huge quilt will be on display in the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall in London between 12 and 16 June. Although different parts of it have been on display before, the showing at the Tate will be the largest public display of the quilt in its entirety since it was created in 1994. It was a month after Georgie died that Frankie decided to take part in the memorial quilt project, which had been brought to the UK from America by Scottish activist Alistair Hulme, who had seen an early display of the American version of the quilt, which was created in 1985, in San Francisco."I had nursed Georgie at home while he was sick and the last three years had been just awful," Frankie says, adding that helping to create the quilt helped him through the worst of his grief. Now 65 and describing himself as the "last man standing" of his friendship group, he says the quilt is a "reminder of the bravest and most beautiful people" he knew. Cathy John and Grace McElwee also took part in creating the UK Aids memorial quilt in the 1990s by making a panel for friend Michael Trask, who died in 1993."We were both librarians and got on like a house on fire as soon as we met in 1985," Cathy became ill five years later, but "didn't want to talk about it" at first. For a while Cathy says they "didn't know what was wrong with him", before eventually coming to terms with the fact that he had Aids. She chose to take part in the project after Michael died as a way to "create an enduring tribute to him".It took Cathy and Grace around a month to complete the textile, which Cathy says was "part of the healing process". The women chose to stitch on to their panel the houses of Camden, where Michael lived, and the tree of life, to represent the parks in London he was fond of. The quilt was last on show in Hyde Park in 1994, when Cathy worked as a volunteer on the display. The project has always been more than a display of activism for Cathy - she says the quilt has "got the stitches of love in it". She says she is excited to see the quilt on display at the Tate Modern as an "outpouring of love and friendship and dedication". Author Charlie Porter initiated the exhibition after writing to the Tate's director in July 2024 asking them to display the quilt. "The history of the quilt involves it being displayed in iconic locations," Porter tells the BBC, referencing how the US quilt was displayed for the first time on the National Mall in Washington DC, during the national march for lesbian and gay hopes the UK quilt being on display again will allow more people to see it, but also "give people a chance to grieve", after many were unable to do so properly at the time of their loved ones' deaths in the 80s and 90s due to the stigma attached to HIV. The 384 people commemorated on the quilt include notable figures such as novelist Bruce Chatwin and actors Denham Elliot and Ian Charleston. Alongside the quilt, a documentary will be played that captures footage from when the quilt was last displayed in 1994 in Hyde Park. "A documentary was made at the time but no one would take it," Porter says."We thought the footage was lost, but it has been found and digitised." In the mid-90s there was no treatment for people living with HIV, and Porter says the documentary along with the quilt highlights "the breadth of devastation" caused by the disease. Karin Hindsbo, Tate Modern director, says the quilt is "an incredible feat of creative human expression" and believes it will be a "deeply moving experience" for those who come to see it.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump Admin Brings Back Hundreds of CDC Staffers it Previously Fired
The Trump administration is reversing its decision to fire hundreds of staffers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a humiliating about-turn. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told STAT that the CDC will be bringing back more than 450 employees that were fired in an attempt to reorganize the agency. Some of the departments that will be reinstating employees are: The National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; the Global Health Center; the National Center for Environmental Health; the Immediate Office of the Director. These divisions helped track and prevent HIV, prevent lead poisoning in children, as well as ensure that cruise lines were safe from disease. HHS, which also oversees the CDC, first announced this 'dramatic restructuring' in March, saying that they would downsize from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees, claiming that it would 'save taxpayers $1.8 billion per year.' The department also revealed that it would be creating a new division called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), which would be led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'We aren't just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,' Kennedy said. 'This Department will do more—a lot more—at a lower cost to the taxpayer,' he claimed. He reaffirmed this sentiment in an X post in March, noting that these cuts would help eliminate the current 'alphabet soup of departments.' 'We are streamlining HHS to make our agency more efficient and more effective. We will eliminate an entire alphabet soup of departments,' he said. As a result, around 10,000 employees were fired under the guidance of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Yet Kennedy has already backtracked on these sweeping federal layoffs, admitting in April that too many cuts were made in the effort to 'Make America Healthy Again,' though he said that 'was always the plan.' 'We're streamlining the agencies. We're going to make it work for public health, make it work for the American people. In the course of that, there were a number of instances where studies that should have not have been cut were cut, and we've reinstated them,' Kennedy said. 'Personnel that should not have been cut were cut—we're reinstating them, and that was always the plan,' he stated.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Researchers issue urgent warning over spread of dangerous disease carried by snails: 'Leading to outbreaks in new locations'
Harmful parasites carried by snails may be spreading, in part due to human-caused climate change, according to reporting from The Telegraph in May. Marginalized populations, including women and girls, may suffer disproportionately from increased prevalence. Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection caused by snail-carried worms. Infection typically starts with making contact with the worms in freshwater, such as in a canal, river, or pond. Person-to-person transmission can continue when urine or feces containing the parasite's eggs contaminates a water source. Symptoms — including fever, chills, coughing, and aches — can manifest within a couple of months, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic infections can lead to anemia, bloody stools, urinary problems, organ damage, and more. Historically, 90% of the schistosomiasis cases requiring treatment have been located in Africa, but infections have also been documented in Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East. While the London-based outlet has reported more recent spreading in parts of Europe may be largely tourism- and migration-driven, researcher Bonnie Webster also told the publication that transmissions may emerge in further locations due to shifting weather patterns. Rising global temperatures are driving more frequent and more intense flooding events, causing snails to appear in new wet settings and increasing water contamination. "Climate change will likely cause dramatic changes in transmission which need to be understood," Webster, who studies the disease at London's Natural History Museum, told The Telegraph. "Some areas will become drier and other areas will become flooded, creating new water bodies. This will lead to snails changing where they can be found and cause the prevalence of schistosomiasis to increase and spread, leading to outbreaks in new locations." Communities in low- and middle-income countries lacking sufficient sanitation infrastructure are already disproportionately impacted by this serious issue, and women and girls are additionally vulnerable to its effects. All people can become infected by these parasites, but one manifestation of the disease — female genital schistosomiasis, or FGS — can cause sexual, reproductive, and other health concerns for women and girls. Gendered labor dynamics can make this group additionally susceptible to infection through activities like washing laundry in contaminated water. Unlimit Health says that around 56 million women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa are infected with FGS, which can go undiagnosed and, especially when misdiagnosed as a sexually transmitted infection or otherwise left untreated, can lead to bleeding, pelvic pain, ulcers, miscarriage, and infertility. It may also contribute to increased risks of HIV and cervical cancer. Overall, schistosomiasis impacts hundreds of millions of people each year, resulting in up to 20,000 deaths annually, according to The Telegraph. Unfortunately, as Webster said, "Once one snail is infected, they can infect a whole population of humans." Do you worry about getting diseases from bug bites? Absolutely Only when I'm camping or hiking Not really Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. While treatments exist, potential drug resistance and current medical shortages could hamper attempts to curtail infections. Experts relayed to The Telegraph that recent substantial cuts to the United States Agency for International Development may also stymie research and response efforts for neglected tropical diseases like schistosomiasis. NTDs disproportionately impact marginalized populations. The World Health Organization says they affect over 1 billion people globally and that NTDs are "often related to environmental conditions." Of course, because of travel and climate change, many such infections may spread to more communities and farther regions. The CDC notes that prevention includes clean-up of contaminated areas, implementation of sanitation systems, and avoiding swimming, wading, and washing in unsafe water. A number of these measures require funding. Staying updated about how human-caused climate change can impact health and well-being everywhere can be key to organizing effective responses to rising global temperatures. Especially together in groups, friends and neighbors can make a difference by exploring these issues, raising awareness, supporting pro-environment policies, and taking on climate-conscious shifts at home to help address the extreme weather that imperils billions worldwide. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
