Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 47 992 821 as at 10.36am on Wednesday August 7 2002.
A Kenyan study has found that HIV-positive men with low CD4 counts are at a higher risk of reinfection with bilharzia. Taken with other evidence, including resistance to reinfection that appears with age and after treatment that kills the flukes that cause bilharzia, researchers argue that a preventive vaccine may be possible.
A study from Zimbabwe has failed to confirm previous reports that people with HIV were less likely to shed bilharzia in their urine than people without HIV. Both studies reflect a growing recognition of the importance of interactions between widespread, mostly tropical, diseases and HIV.
In the blood: A South African research team has shown that it is possible to use dried blood spots to transport samples safely for testing at a central laboratory, to get an accurate picture of rates of HIV infection among mothers and their babies.
Researchers have shown that HIV rates among young mothers in parts of rural KwaZulu-Natal are up to 40% among mothers aged 21-30 in communities close to a major highway. Results were slightly lower in communities more than 50km away from main transport routes, at 29% to 34%.
Source: Aidsmap