via PBS Newshour, by Talea Miller
A study showing injected hormonal birth control could make women more vulnerable to HIV is raising big questions about medical guidance in regions with high HIV rates.
Policymakers are moving cautiously in response to the findings, which were first released this summer at an HIV conference and published again this week by the Lancet. The World Health Organization has scheduled a January 2012 review of the research, but for now the organization and the U.S. Agency for International Development are making no new contraceptive recommendations and the two groups have emphasized the study's limitations.
In a statement released in August when the study first surfaced, USAID noted flaws in the study's design and called for a randomized, controlled version to flesh out the results. The agency also noted that while a few previous studies show a connection between hormonal contraception and HIV transmission, the majority of previous research found no association.
"USAID does not believe that a change in contraceptive policy or programming is appropriate or necessary at this time," the statement said, and a USAID spokesperson said Tuesday that finding still stands.
The WHO also took issue with the study's reliance on data based off observations in a written response to the Lancet publication.
Read the rest.
[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]
A study showing injected hormonal birth control could make women more vulnerable to HIV is raising big questions about medical guidance in regions with high HIV rates.Research conducted by the University of Washington in seven African countries found use of injected hormonal contraceptives doubled women's risk of contracting HIV and the chances of passing HIV to a partner.
Policymakers are moving cautiously in response to the findings, which were first released this summer at an HIV conference and published again this week by the Lancet. The World Health Organization has scheduled a January 2012 review of the research, but for now the organization and the U.S. Agency for International Development are making no new contraceptive recommendations and the two groups have emphasized the study's limitations.
In a statement released in August when the study first surfaced, USAID noted flaws in the study's design and called for a randomized, controlled version to flesh out the results. The agency also noted that while a few previous studies show a connection between hormonal contraception and HIV transmission, the majority of previous research found no association.
"USAID does not believe that a change in contraceptive policy or programming is appropriate or necessary at this time," the statement said, and a USAID spokesperson said Tuesday that finding still stands.
The WHO also took issue with the study's reliance on data based off observations in a written response to the Lancet publication.
Read the rest.
[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]
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