Nation+Beyond

A new survey has shown that while fewer teens in Canada are having sex, older teens are less likely to use condoms. Reported condom use for people ages 15'17 was 81%, compared to 70% of 18- and 19-year-olds. -------------------- A new study shows that AIDS stigma is strong in Mexico, with only 40% of people responding to a national survey saying they'd be willing to live with someone who is HIV-positive and only 20% willing to employ an HIVer. -------------------- More than 55,000 residents of El Salvador received HIV antibody tests as part of the country's second annual National HIV Testing Day. Around 300 new infections were identified through the tests, 56% of which were among men. -------------------- Two hospital patients in Argentina were infected with HIV after receiving blood transfusions containing tainted blood. The blood was given by a donor who had seroconverted so recently before donating that standard antibody tests were unable to detect the infection. -------------------- The National AIDS Trust in the United Kingdom reports that schools in the suburban counties of Hertfordshire and Lancashire, England, have illegally turned away students who are HIV-positive, a violation of the U.K. Disability Discrimination Act. The charity is asking the government to instruct teachers across the nation on implementing the nondiscrimination law. -------------------- Although the HIV epidemic in Russia is fueled primarily by injection-drug users, who account for 66% of the nation's new HIV cases, the government continues to refuse to allow methadone replacement therapy for heroin addicts, claiming it is ineffective. -------------------- A widespread lack of knowledge about HIV'even among medical professionals'in Afghanistan has made the country ripe for an epidemic, health experts say. Already 3% of injection-drug users are HIV-positive, they say, and the virus is poised to spread among other groups, including refugees, sex workers, and men who have sex with men. -------------------- Lawmakers in Yemen are considering a bill that would guard against discrimination directed at HIVers. Backers of the bill say the measure is needed to ensure that the nation's 2,370 reported HIVers receive proper medical care. -------------------- A sweeping male circumcision program in Swaziland aimed at lowering HIV risks among men is having an unexpected and dangerous side effect'a growing belief the procedure makes them immune to the virus. Health officials worry this mistaken belief will lead to a rise in risky sex among those undergoing the procedure. -------------------- Catholic bishops in the Philippines, breaking from the church's position against the use of condoms in any circumstance, are urging married couples to use the prophylactics to prevent HIV transmission. -------------------- Condom use among senior-age men and women in Australia is low, putting the them at risk for HIV, according to a study. Only 5% of women and 17% of men 50 and older reported using condoms every time they have sex; nearly 40% of the men and 45% of the women reported never using them.