Gay online encyclopaedia debuts
WikiQueer, a gay, bi and trans online encyclopaedia has launched publicly this week.
The wiki site began collating content after its soft-launch last year and has now gone live.
How does recreational drug use affect HIV?
Recreational drug use can make people more likely to be infected by HIV. Also, for people taking antiretroviral medications (ARVs) to fight HIV, there can be some serious interactions between drugs and ARVs. These interactions can lead to under- or overdoses of ARVs or recreational drugs. Some of these may be fatal.
HIV and the risk of anal cancer
A local health orientated website reports that anal cancer rates are higher among people infected with HIV, according to new data published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The highest rates of anal cancer were found in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM), but rates of anal cancer among HIV-positive men and women in general were also higher than rates in the general population.
Dr Kevin Rebe, the Specialist Medical Consultant at Ivan Tom’s Health4Men in Cape Town, comments on this article.
Famous faces can hurt efforts aimed at addressing HIV
In the wake of local actress Lesego Motsepe’s astonishing public announcement, a column in Tuesday’s (14 February 2012) The Times questions the value of using celeb power as a driver of causes and campaigns.
HPV Article
Human papillomavirus (also known as HPV or simply genital / anal warts) is the diarrhoea of sexually transmitted infections. It’s the most common of all STIs, yet gets the least press. Nobody wears coloured ribbons in aid of it or makes Oscar-winning movies about its victims. In fact, nobody even likes to talk about it, as I recently discovered at a dinner party when I mentioned that I was being treated for the virus. The conversation spluttered and jerked, then ground to a complete halt. I reckon I would have received a warmer response if I’d admitted that I shagged goats or was converting to Mormonism.
Disclosure and your rights
The Constitution of South Africa protects the rights of people living with HIV. It doesn’t allow discrimination and protects people’s right to privacy and confidentiality. In South Africa, there aren’t any laws that force people to tell others about their HIV status. People who do test positive should tell their partner, so that they can be protected and also have an HIV test. People with HIV/AIDS in South Africa are protected by the Bill of Rights and have the same rights which protect all citizens.
Health4Men Connect taps into cellphone technology
Health4Men’s ground-breaking mobi site provides access to important sexual health information specifically for MSM who may not have access to the Internet.
Clinic gave me second chance, says ex-addict
Heroin addict, cocaine addict, crystal methamphetamine (tik) addict, drug dealer, teenage prostitute, porn actor, HIV-positive by 15, TV star. You name it, Zack Smit has pretty much been there, done that.
‘Fighting A Double Stigma’
Working up the courage to discuss your sex life openly with a nurse or doctor at a hospital is challenging at the best of times. For men who have sex with men and transgender women, it’s simply too tough to contemplate…
Top2Btm Symposium on Health Care For Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) Conference Report
Until recently, African MSM have been under-researched and under-resourced, and this has contributed to their stigmatisation. Fortunately this deficiency has been recognised locally and a number of innovative programmes have been developed to address this.