BIRCH team

Male Birth Control Gel Trial Starts in Kenya

By Pauline Kairu, Daily Nation 

An exciting global study on male contraception is happening in Kenya.

A phase-two clinical trial, participants in the trial will be required to apply a gel on their shoulders. This gel is intended to lower sperm count to a point at which the men cannot impregnate a woman.

Air Pollution May Worsen Brain Function in HIV-Infected Children

by Janelle Weaver

The combination of air pollution and HIV infection may have a greater detrimental impact on the cognitive abilities of school-aged children than exposure to either factor alone, according to an NIEHS-funded study. The findings, published in January 2018 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, also reveal an alarmingly high prevalence of air pollution exposure, regardless of HIV status, in children living in urban settings in Sub-Saharan Africa.

BIRCH team

Q&A with Jared Baeten: 2018 HIV/AIDS Facts on Rates, Cost & More

In the 1980s, at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, more than 59,000 Americans lost their lives to the brutal disease. The $146.6 billion that federal funding has contributed to the battle against AIDS since 2012 is paying off, but AIDS still claims far too many lives and HIV is still far too costly, increasing the average patient’s healthcare costs by roughly 20%. An infographic by WalletHub summarizes HIV/AIDS statistics, along with Q&As with a panel of experts about the disease’s costs.

World in Mental Health Crisis of 'Monumental Suffering', Say Experts

The Guardian

Every country in the world is facing and failing to tackle a mental health crisis, from epidemics of anxiety and depression to conditions caused by violence and trauma, according to a review by experts that estimates the rising cost will hit $16tn (£12tn) by 2030.

A team of 28 global experts* assembled by the Lancet medical journal says there is a “collective failure to respond to this global health crisis” which “results in monumental loss of human capabilities and avoidable suffering.” 

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