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AIDS 2010: An Embargo Gone Bust

Two more days to go at AIDS 2010.  Hundreds of stories to report.  And countless others to tell in the months ahead, as we return to our newsrooms around the world. 

We are collecting your work and will publish on the Helpdesk in the coming days.  Send me your links at douglas@nationalpress.org.  If you work is not in English, just include a short paragraph (in English) about the story. 

There are plenty of themes to explore, people to interview and scores of political debates worthy of attention.  But the truth is conferences of this scale rarely produce "breaking" news.  So there was quite a bit of anticipation about the CAPRISA microbicide trial.  The buzz surrounding its release was unavoidable.  In fact, I emailed my editor at NPR just to check myself.  Was I getting too caught up in the hype?  Should I file a story or stick to the news spots? 

As it turns out, I didn't have much of a choice.  Monday evening, the Financial Times broke the embargo, which was set for Tuesday at 1pm.  The journal Science then released the embargo, early. Long story short, dozens of journalists were left scrambling to beat the news cycle.  For reporters based in Europe, it was especially challenging because the bust occurred after many papers were already on the press. 

Today, AIDS 2010 put out a statement blasting the Financial Times for breaking the embargo:

"To date, the International AIDS Conference has operated in a spirit of trust, with an understanding of the ethical obligations of journalists with respect to the conference's abstract and media embargo policy. We were therefore disappointed by the actions of the Financial Times, which went against the spirit of the conference embargo policy..."

Conference organizers say they will launch a formal complaint with the newspaper.

Did the reporter, Andrew Jack, intentionally break the embargo?  That has yet to be determined or made public, to my knowledge.  Without having spoken to Jack, it seems right to offer the benefit of doubt.  Possibly it was a case of miscommunication ..? 

Even so, the incident raises some important questions about the very notion of an embargo policy. Let us know what you think. 

Why should journalists respect time lines set by organizations?  Is it a simply matter of professional courtesy?  In the case of trials, there are concerns about notifying participants before the news breaks.  But when (if ever) does information become so important it trumps the requested refrain?  

Have you ever considered defying an embargo because you felt obligated as a journalist?

How did this situation affect the way you reported the story? 

AIDS 2010: Inside The Media Center

J2J Fellows Leonardo Batisda Aguilar and Emani Krishna Rao work on reports in the media center at AIDS 2010 in Vienna, Austria.  Aguilar says he has already filed more than a dozen stories.  Stay tuned for links to more J2J work from AIDS 2010.

Here in the media center, most people (several hundred journos) are head-locked by their laptops, so the mood is fairly calm.  There is, of course, a constant background buzz of endless press conferences, chatter from neighbors and the occasionally overwhelming barrage of pitches from media reps. 

But on occasion, a fierce (to borrow a word from J2J fellow Don Duncan) protest penetrates the strangely mind-numbing hum... like yesterday when a group of sex workers infiltrated the media center to stage a protest of the "anti-prostitution pledge" in the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). 

 
I am not sure how the group made it into the media center, but it sure seemed to be an effective strategy.  Several dozen reporters (including me of course) grabbed their cameras and captured the moment.  At the very least, their message was spread through social media like Facebook and Twitter. 

Meanwhile, the organization Housing Works tells me they plan to build a "slum" outside the center tomorrow to draw attention to the connection between housing and HIV prevention / treatment.  J2J Fellows, if you are still around the conference, please grab a shot of the makeshift slum and send it to me.  I'll post it on the blog.  

AIDS 2010: In the Words (and Photos) of J2J Fellows

Busy times here in Vienna.

We wrapped up the J2J training on Saturday. Now the fellows are fanned out throughout the conference center, collecting sounds, meeting the players, pitching stories to their editors back home... and already filing several stories. 

Aabida Allaham, from Trinidad and Tobago, kicked off her reporting with a piece about a topic on nearly everyone's mind: funding (or the lack thereof).  Yesterday, at the opening ceremony, IAS President Dr. Julio Montaner made an impassioned pitch.  Allaham reports in the Trinidad Express:

"The more we treat the more we prevent and this is not just talk. With treatment you render those infected almost unable to transmit," Montaner said.

He said current funding threats were beginning to have an impact on how health systems in low-income countries operated. Overall, support for global AIDS efforts from donor nations flattened in the midst of last year's global economic crisis, according to a new analysis of the 2009 funding levels from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)."

Iana Seales, from Guyana, also focused her attention funding, but from a different angle.  She examines what some are calling the hidden epidemic: tuberculosis.  Seales is reporting for her newspaper Stabroek News:

"Tuberculosis is the forgotten disease says Peg Willingham, Senior Director for External Affairs at Aeras Global and she also points out that funding is not enough at the global level to effectively tackle the illness in many countries."

Mehru Jaffer, who's originally from India and now lives here in Vienna, filed this curtain raiser about vaccine research.

"Scientists participating in the 18th International AIDS conference that opens in Vienna Sunday promise to share more information on vaccine research.

Dr. Alan Bernstein, Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise executive director, told journalists on the eve of the conference that the search for safe and effective HIV vaccines is one of the greatest challenges for modern science." (Global Geopolitics and Political Economy)

Jaffer followed up with a piece for IPS-Inter Press Service:

"Experts are optimistic that breakthroughs in HIV vaccine research are possible if they work together. Linda Gail Bekker, deputy director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre at the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine in South Africa, said it has become essential to pool the resources of experts working in different parts of the world."

And without further ado, I introduce you to the work of Dmitry Kolbasin.  He produced one of five very impressive audio slide shows during the J2J training.  Kolbasin, who works in Kazan, Russia, for Open Information Agency, used Soundslides to tell the story of Sveta Izambaeva, a Russian woman who was denied custody of her child because she was HIV-positive.

"This is one of the most famous stories about the discrimination faced by people living with HIV in Russia.  I knew that Sveta Izambaeva would be at AIDS 2010 and I wanted my fellow journalists to know about this case."

Remember: even if you are not here in Vienna, the conference is still within reach.  You can catch virtually all of the major presentations via webcast and load up on all sorts of material at AIDS 2010. 

J2J Fellows Tour HIV/AIDS Hospital Departments in Vienna

The HIV/AIDS departments of two Viennese hospitals welcomed our J2J group yesterday. The journalists got a chance to meet with hospital staff and interview people living with HIV/AIDS. The consensus among the journalists was that both visits were extremely moving. By prior agreement journalists did not take photographs and did not use real names.

The Otto Wagner Hospital’s HIV/AIDS Department specializes in lung health and respiratory diseases. Thirty-two journalists took part in a Q&A session with Dr. Brigitte Schmied, head of the HIV/AIDS Department and president of the Austrian AIDS Society, Dr. Christian Zagler, HIV Physician and Intern in Respiratory Medicine, Mag. Wilfried Peinhaupt, Psychologist, and Manuela Teleu, Adherence nurse. The hospital opened at the turn of the 20^the century and is named in honor of a famous architect.

The HIV/AIDS Department of the Vienna General Hospital focuses more closely on dermatological issues associated with HIV/AIDS. The other half of our 59 J2J fellow group also met with the head of the hospital department, Dr. Armin Rieger.

Other speakers from today’s training included Regina Aragon of the International AIDS Society and Peg Willingam of Aeras Global. Regina gave the journalists tips on covering AIDS 2010, while Peg spoke on TB and HIV/AIDS co-infection. Hear audio of both of their presentations here. Douglas Hopper, a producer for National Public Radio who is also an NPF multi-media consultant, led the group in a practical session on the use of a program called SoundSlides.   Linda Streitfeld and Bob Meyers of NPF led a session generating ideas for future stories.

(Ana Zovko)

Reporter Tip: 'The Big Five at AIDS 2010'

PlusNews, a news service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, has published a top five list of major topics on the AIDS 2010 agenda. The international AIDS conference, which is expected to draw some 25,000 participants, begins this Sunday, July 18, in Vienna. The 'Big Five':

Universal Access 

"Under different circumstances, the champagne would be on ice as the December 2010 deadline for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care approaches; instead, the HIV/AIDS fraternity at AIDS 2010 will be going back to the drawing board, as pitifully few countries have achieved the universal access targets set by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in 2005."

New Science 

"Researchers will use AIDS 2010 to unveil progress in new prevention technologies. A positive result from CAPRISA 004, a large South African trial of a microbicide gel containing the ARV drug, tenofovir, would give a welcome boost to a field that has promised much but produced few positive results."

Cost-saving in HIV Programming

"As international donor support for HIV shrinks, policy-makers and implementers are keen to find cheaper and more efficient ways to run HIV treatment programmes."

Treatment and Prevention 

"Evidence is mounting that ARV treatment greatly lowers the likelihood of transmitting HIV, as well as mortality from tuberculosis and other opportunistic infections. Mathematical modelling studies show that implementing voluntary universal testing programmes, and immediately starting ARV treatment for people who test positive, could eventually eliminate HIV all together."

HIV and Injection Drug Use

"One of the main modes of transmission in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America will be discussed in presentations on preventing high-risk behaviour among injecting drug users (IDUs), their human rights, and their inclusion in HIV prevention and treatment programmes... On 13 July, former presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, Ernesto Zedillo of México and César Gaviria of Colombia - countries with major drug-trafficking problems - formally endorsed the Vienna Declaration."

Learn more about the AIDS 2010 Vienna Declaration: "The Vienna Declaration is a statement seeking to improve community health and safety by calling for the incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies. We are inviting scientists, health practitioners and the public to endorse this document in order to bring these issues to the attention of governments and international agencies, and to illustrate that drug policy reform is a matter of urgent international significance. We also welcome organizational endorsements."

J2J Fellows Debate: Publishing Photos of HIV+ and Underage—Ethical or not?

We kicked off our J2J training on HIV/AIDS w 
ith a heated debate: Do journalists have the right to publish photographs of HIV+ children? Should written consent be required? Can those that are underage ever give permission?

Our J2J group of 59 journalists representing 40 countries had a wide range of opinions.  Some said publishing such photos is unethical. The positively identified children may become victims of lifelong stigma at the cost of a story. Others suggested that this is all part of the job—journalists must report on difficult stories, and the use of images is part of this responsibility. In some countries showing photographs of underage children is against the law. Hear the full discussion. Also, tell us what you think by commenting on this post!

Today’s J2J agenda included presentations by on the following topics: HIV and prisons, AIDS in Children, the International AIDS Conference, and a refresher course on HIV/AIDS. Hear full audio from today’s presentations and see full program agenda.

--Ana Zovko, National Press Foundation

White House Launches National HIV/AIDS Strategy, UNAIDS: 10 Million Lives Could Be Saved

The Obama administration has unveiled a new plan to curb HIV infections in the United States. About 56,000 Americans become HIV positive every year.  Obama says he wants to cut that number by a fourth. The White House says it will prioritize prevention efforts and push more money toward reaching people at highest risk, including African-Americans and gay and bisexual men.  

Yesterday on NPR's Tell Me More, we heard from Science Correspondent Brenda Wilson. She says the formal strategy is a first of its kind in the U.S. Now the question remains: Will the dollars manifest to back up the plan?  Kenya Hutton also joined the conversation.   He's an HIV prevention specialist at Us Helping Us, a group here in Washington, D.C., focused on the health of African-American gay and bisexual men.  

UNAIDS: 10 Million Lives Could Be Saved

Just ahead of AIDS 2010, which kicks off this Sunday in Vienna, UNAIDS has issued a new Outlook report. We'll be digging through the findings and bringing you more as the conference gets underway.  

In the meantime, some key points: 

UNAIDS spells out a new treatment strategy - dubbed "Treatment 2.0" - which it says could avert 10 million lives by 2025 and prevent 1 million new infections annually.   

HIV infections are dropping among young people in the 15 countries most affected by the epidemic.

A UNAIDS / ZOGBY poll shows most countries still rank AIDS "high on the list of the most important issues facing the world." 

Download the report here.

Discovery Of New Antibodies May Boost Vaccine Research

A team of US-based scientists has found two new antibodies that neutralize nearly 90% of HIV strains and demonstrated how one of the antibodies did its work.  The findings, published in the journal Science, are being hailed as a breakthrough for HIV vaccine research.  

“The discovery of these exceptionally broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV and the structural analysis that explains how they work are exciting advances that will accelerate our efforts to find a preventive HIV vaccine for global use," says Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health, “In addition, the technique the teams used to find the new antibodies represents a novel strategy that could be applied to vaccine design for many other infectious diseases.”

IMAGE: the atomic structure of the antibody VRC01 (blue and green) binds to HIV (grey and red).

The NIH-led scientists found the two naturally occurring antibodies - called VRC01 and VRC02 - in the blood of person living with HIV.  They did so using a "device" that "hones in on the specific cells that make antibodies against HIV."

"The device is an HIV protein that the scientists modified so it would react only with antibodies specific to the site where the virus binds to cells it infects." (NIH)

NIH says developing the special tool (and knowing how to apply it) was critical because HIV antibodies are generally elusive. 

"Finding individual antibodies that can neutralize HIV strains anywhere in the world has been difficult because the virus continuously changes its surface proteins to evade recognition by the immune system."

BACKGROUND

NIH: The two research teams included NIAID scientists from the VRC, the Laboratory of Immunoregulation, and the Division of Clinical Research, all in Bethesda, Md.; as well as researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston; Columbia University in New York; Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health in Boston; The Rockefeller University in New York City; and University of Washington in Seattle.

AIDS 2010: The Conference Blog, New Research In The Lancet

Whether you are attending the upcoming AIDS 2010 in Vienna or following it from afar, be sure to keep your eyes on the AIDS 2010 Conference Blog. 

In today's post, Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, explains why he supports the Vienna Declaration - "a statement seeking to improve community health and safety by calling for the incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies."

Kazatchkine says in most countries the approach to drug abuse is punitive, rather than rehabilitative.

"As a result, people who use illegal drugs worldwide continue being denied harm reduction services, have poor and inequitable access to antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection, suffer abuse and sometimes torture at the hand of law enforcement officials, and are often incarcerated for lengthy periods of time simply for using or possessing drugs."

Also take note: Leading up to AIDS 2010, The Lancet uses its July edition to publish several articles about HIV/AIDS research. 

One paper examines how HIV/AIDS treatment has affected other public health issues:  "Since the unprecedented UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS in 2001,1 more than 4 million people globally have now received HIV care, including provision of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). This effort has strained health-resource capacity in many countries, and has led to occasional criticism that the effort is lopsided and removes resources from other pressing public health needs."

And scientists tackle this important question: Should nurses play a bigger role in HIV/AIDS care and treatment?  No problem, according to the study: "Nurse-monitored ART is non-inferior to doctor-monitored therapy. Findings from this study lend support to task shifting to appropriately trained nurses for monitoring of ART."

Read more about The Lancet's lead up to AIDS 2010 - including articles about the politics surrounding injecting drug use in Russia, gender-based violence and the risk of HIV among South African women... and an editorial about the potential outcome of AIDS 2010. (NOTE: Many of the articles are available via free registration.) 

HIV Vaccine Reporting Tips, 'The AIDS Funding Dilemma'

The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise is gearing up for AIDS 2010 in Vienna July 18-23.  Get ready for several events and a special report focused on vaccine research.  And you don't have to be in Vienna to get the scoop. 

At the top of the conference, the Enterprise will release a report on the state of HIV vaccine research: "The Road To Prevention."  The report is embargoed until Sunday, July 18 11:15am CET.  Let me know if you'd like an early look; I can put you in touch with the right folks for an embargoed copy. 

Also on the agenda, a satellite session with some of the most important players in vaccine research, including Dr. Alan Bernstein, the executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise.  Stay tuned for more on the AIDS 2010 schedule.

'The AIDS Funding Dilemma' by Paul Webster

J2J Fellow Adam Graham-Silverman recently posted a lengthy piece about AIDS funding from Miller-McCune.  The writer, Paul Webster, begins with a comparison of two hospital labs in Uganda.  One is well-funded and has state-of-the-art equipment and HIV testing capability; the other is underfunded and "antiquated."

"The disparity between the two labs means that, while many HIV/AIDS patients can get reasonable care, vastly larger numbers of patients — in an area long stricken with numerous other killer diseases besides AIDS — cannot."

Webster explores the origins of the disparity and what it may reveal about how AIDS funding is allocated. 

"...even while attention to AIDS grew rapidly in Uganda and across Africa in recent years, many diseases that kill far more people — especially women and children — remain neglected."

At issue here is the question of AIDS exceptionalism: Is the global AIDS response disproportionately funded at the expense of other health issues? 

Read Webster's piece and let us know what you think.