Next Steps in Controlling HIV in Africa: Behavior, Biology, or Both?
The Johns Hopkins Population Center and the Population Reference Bureau sponsored their second annual symposium on population and health on May 2, 2008, in Washington, D.C.: "Next Steps in Controlling HIV in Africa: Behavior, Biology, or Both?" View a webcast of the symposium. (May 2008)

Next Steps in Controlling HIV in Africa: Behavior, Biology, or Both?
The Johns Hopkins Population Center and the Population Reference Bureau sponsored their second annual symposium on population and health on May 2, 2008, in Washington, D.C.: "Next Steps in Controlling HIV in Africa: Behavior, Biology, or Both?" (May 2008)

Women Prevail Against Violence
Mama Joyce and Josephine are unlikely heroines. Both women were brought low by abusive husbands who beat them, took away their dignity and choices, and left them with AIDS. Yet both women emerged as heroines in "SASA! A Film About Women, Violence and HIV/AIDS." This film tells the story of how these courageous women triumphed over gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS and gained power that helped them organize, become activists in their communities, and build meaningful and rewarding lives. (January 2008)

National Surveys Trigger Lower Estimates of Global HIV Prevalence, but Pandemic Still Devastates Lives, Families
UNAIDS has released new estimates of the prevalence of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2007, 33.2 million people are estimated to be infected with HIV. This represents a significant decrease from the estimate made in 2006 of 39.5 million. Much of the impetus for the lowered estimate stems from the results of HIV testing conducted as a part of the Demographic and Health Surveys.(December 2007)

Misconceptions About Attitudes Toward AIDS in Africa
In the world of HIV prevention, policy researchers and program officers have long puzzled over why information and educational campaigns have failed to significantly change behaviors in Africa. Some experts believe that many people are in denial about AIDS in Africa and that part of the problem is that talking about AIDS or sex is taboo. Many assume that Africans don’t think they can do anything to prevent themselves from catching HIV. Others contend that people are afraid to be tested, because they fear social stigma. The author of an ethnographic study based in Malawi says her findings challenge these assumptions. (November 2007)

Community Theater and Peer Education Help Tanzanians Discuss HIV and Gender-Based Violence
Cheza Chezeka is unfaithful to his partner, engages in unsafe sex, and acquires a sexually transmitted infection. Fikirini, on the other hand, learns how to communicate and resist sexual temptation and peer pressure. Tino Mashakani abuses his girlfriend and brags about his violent behavior to his friends until one of them steps forward with advice on how to stop the violence. Each of these dramatic characters was developed by the Tuelimishane project in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Tuelimishane used community-based theater and peer education to heighten awareness of HIV and gender-based violence and change behaviors. (September 2007)

How Does HIV/AIDS Affect the Elderly in Developing Countries? (PDF: 71KB)
This e-newsletter is the sixth in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "How Does HIV/AIDS Affect the Elderly in Developing Countries?" highlights National Institute on Aging-funded research and other recent research that explores the impact of HIV/AIDS on the elderly in developing countries, especially the economic and health consequences. (August 2007)

World Population Highlights 2007: HIV/AIDS
The AIDS epidemic is one of the most destructive health crises of modern times, ravaging families and communities around the world. By 2006, more than 25 million people had died and at least 35 million people were living with HIV. An estimated 4.3 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2006. Nearly 63 percent of all people with HIV worldwide live in sub-Saharan Africa--25 million people. While southern Africa has been hardest hit, other regions also face serious AIDS epidemics. This article is excerpted from the Population Bulletin: "World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2007 World Population Data Sheet." (September 2007)

World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2007 World Population Data Sheet (PDF: 945KB)

 This Population Bulletin is the companion report to PRB's 2007 World Population Data Sheet. The Bulletin highlights key findings from the data sheet on: world population trends, malnutrition, environment, HIV/AIDS, urbanization, and migration. (BUL62.3, September 2007)

PopWire: New Estimates Show Lower HIV Prevalence in India
Some 2.5 million people in India have HIV, according to recent new 2006 estimates released by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), supported by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization. This figure is less than half the earlier estimate of 5.7 million people with HIV, which would have been the largest caseload in the world. (July 2007)