Top 5 Global Health Headlines: HIV Breakthrough, Pope’s Condom Remarks

New Hope for Preventing HIV Infections

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine this week found that regular doses of an antiretroviral combination called Truvada helped protect healthy gay men from contracting HIV. Overall, patients who took the drug were 44 percent less likely to become infected, while men who took the drug with the highest regularity saw protection over 90 percent.

Vatican Shifts Stance on Condoms for HIV Protection

Pope Benedict XVI said in a new book that use of condoms could be justified to prevent transmission of HIV in certain circumstances, citing the example of a male prostitute. The Vatican then clarified the statement Tuesday, calling condom use a lesser evil than transmitting HIV, marking a major shift in the staunch anti-birth control position of the Church.

U.N. Doubles Haiti Cholera Projection

The cholera epidemic in Haiti is threatening to spin out of control and the United Nations has more than doubled its projection for the number of cases in the first six months to 425,000. The outbreak has killed more than 1,400 Haitians by the government’s count, but U.N. officials say the death toll is likely closer to 2,000.

HIV Infections Dropped over Last Decade

UNAIDS reports the number of new HIV infections fell by 20 percent over the last 10 years. In 2009, 2.6 million people contracted HIV virus, down from 3.1 million people in 1999. The number of AIDS-related deaths has also declined by 20 percent since 2004 as access to HIV medication has increased.

Second-Hand Smoke a Major Killer

Second-hand smoke killed 600,000 people around the globe in one year, according to a new study out in The Lancet. According to data gathered in 192 countries, second-hand smoke was responsible for one out of every 100 deaths in 2004.