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South Africans have recently launched their own version of the Silver Ring Thing, a Christian-themed abstinence campaign that has made headlines in the United States and Britain. At rallies, the South African Silver Ring Thing team entertains the crowd with slick video clips and skits about the dangers of STDs and the emotional consequences of sex, urging teens to buy silver rings symbolizing a pledge to abstain from sex until marriage. The Silver Ring Thing presentations are anti-condom, which critics consider dangerous in a country with one of the world's highest HIV/AIDS rates.
"Young people are exposed to media that is very sexual, and they are going through a developmental phase where they might want to experiment, and they need to know how to protect themselves," said Aadielah Makur, senior manager of Soul Buddyz, a health education program for children. "We wouldn't advocate an abstinence-only program."
But even critics of the campaign acknowledge that despite the ABC (Abstain, Be faithful, use Condoms) message touted across Africa, not enough emphasis has been put on delaying sex, at least in South Africa. "There may have been an emphasis on condoms, but people have just been glib with the abstinence part," said Makur. "We need to help young people unpack what it means to abstain and delay their first sexual experience."
Christian minister Elvis Mvulane, who runs the Silver Ring Thing in South Africa, said campaigns urging young people to use condoms have failed, and that if South Africans want to save the next generation and halt the spread of HIV, they must have less sex with fewer people. "It is unreal to see parents burying their children," Mvulane said. "For us this was an intervention to stop our young people dying."
Reuters (11.30.06):: Rebecca Harrison
We are providing the above information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases does not constitute endorsement. The above summaries were prepared without conducting any additional research or investigation into the facts and statements made in the articles being summarized, and therefore readers are expressly cautioned against relying on the validity or invalidity of any statements made in these summaries. This CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on MMWR articles, fact sheets and announcements.
HIV 2 ELISA
Persons at risk for HIV-2 infection include:
Sex partners of a person from a country where HIV-2 is endemic (this category includes persons originally from such countries).
Sex partners of a person known to be infected with HIV-2.
Persons who received a transfusion of blood or a nonsterile injection in a country where HIV-2 is endemic.
Persons who shared needles with a person from a country where HIV-2 is endemic or with a person known to be infected with HIV-2.
Children of women who have risk factors for HIV-2 infection or who are known to be infected with HIV-2.
Additionally, testing for HIV-2 is indicated when there is clinical evidence for or suspicion of HIV disease (such as an AIDS-associated opportunistic infection) in the absence of a positive test for antibodies to HIV-1 and in cases in which the HIV-1 Western blot exhibits the unusual indeterminate pattern of gag (p55, p24, or p17) plus pol (p66, p51, or p32) bands in the absence of env (gp160, gp120, Or gp41) bands.
Although most HIV infections in the United States are of HIV-1 group B subtype, current ELISAs can accurately identify infections with nearly all non-B subtypes and many infections with group O HIV subtypes. Infections with HIV-2 and HIV-1 group O are rare in the United States and routine screening for these subtypes is not generally recommended as part of diagnostic testing except in areas where several such infections have been identified. Routine screening for HIV-2 might be appropriate in certain populations where potential risk for HIV-2 infection is higher (e.g., in areas where West African immigrants have settled). Since June 1992, FDA has recommended routine screening for antibody to HIV-2 (in addition to HIV-1) for all blood and plasma donations. Clients with clinical, epidemiologic, or laboratory history that suggests HIV infection and negative or indeterminate HIV-1 screening tests should receive further diagnostic testing to rule out HIV infection, potentially including testing for HIV-1 non-B subtypes and HIV-2 .
