Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius promised to end the travel ban yesterday during her keynote address at the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference. She thanked the 21,000 people who submitted comments in support of lifting the ban—many of them PHR supporters—and said HHS is going through the comments now.Check out Secretary Sebelius' comments below—and know you were part of ending this discriminatory ban:

We know that HIV/AIDS stigma remains a huge problem with real repercussions in people's lives.? There are people who don't get tested because they're afraid they could get beaten up or lose their place to live if the test comes back positive.? They don't pick up a flyer about treatment because they're afraid if they're seen with it, someone will make a judgment about their sexual orientation or their drug use.? Because we care about all of our friends, families, and neighbors, we need to send a message that HIV/AIDS may be a serious condition, but we have the knowledge and tools to help people live successfully with this condition.Sometime later this year, we will strike a major blow against this stigma when we finally lift the rule -sometimes referred to as the "HIV entry ban"-that includes HIV on the list of diseases that can bar entry into this country.? This change has been a long time coming.The ban was not only unfair.? It was also unsafe.? The more accepted people with HIV/AIDS feel, the more open they are about their HIV status.? The more open people can be about their HIV status, the more likely other people are to get tested.? The more likely people are to get tested, the slower the spread of HIV.? It's a virtuous cycle and it starts with ending the stigma.(Read the rest of Sebelius' comments.)

Thousands of supporters like you have called for the Obama Administration to investigate torture and other detainee abuses. Our voices have been heard.Yesterday, the Obama Administration took actions that demonstrate a commitment to ending detainee abuse and beginning a process to hold accountable those responsible for the torture regime.Attorney General Holder's decision to appoint a prosecutor to re-examine a number of cases of alleged torture and abuse is the latest sign that the Administration's 'don't look back' policy is being reassessed. We first saw this welcome reconsideration in July when the President ordered his national security team to gather the facts about the alleged Dasht-e-Leili massacre in Afghanistan in 2001.Since 2005, PHR has documented the systematic use of psychological and physical torture by US personnel against detainees held at Guant?namo Bay, Abu Ghraib, Bagram airbase and elsewhere in its groundbreaking reports, Break Them Down, Leave No Marks and Broken Laws, Broken Lives. The CIA Inspector General's report (PDF) released today confirms the use of abusive and illegal interrogation techniques documented in these PHR reports.This is yet another milestone. While much work remains to be done—to restore the US commitment against torture, ensure humane treatment of detainees, and mobilize the health professional community to adopt strong ethical prohibitions against participation in interrogations—this is a historical turning point.Thank you for your commitment and financial support, which makes possible the vital work of PHR's Campaign Against Torture. We couldn't do it without you.

Physicians for Human Rights anticipates in Zimbabwe an imminent outbreak of cholera. Cholera has killed more than 4,200 people there and infected another 100,000 since August 2008,?because the coalition government has failed to address the underlying causes of this entirely preventable disease.In our January 2009 report, Health in Ruins: A Man-Made Disaster in Zimbabwe, PHR showed how the 2008 cholera outbreak was?a direct outcome of the malfeasance of the Mugabe regime. ?We detailed numerous reasons (listed below) for the disease outbreak and spread. Humanitarian organizations like MSF, UNICEF and OCHA, have greatly improved access to care for cholera patients in Zimbabwe and helped halt disease spread; however, as the government has not adequately addressed some of the underlying causes (1-7, below), PHR believes the likelihood of increased cholera deaths is high once the rainy season begins in November. Time is running out before the last chance for preventive action.

Causes of the 2008 Cholera Outbreak in Zimbabwe

1. Dumping human waste into Harare's main water reservoir
2. Willfully allowing water supplies to go untreated
3. Failure to procure water treatment chemicals
4. Failure to maintain reticulated water systems
5. Failure to maintain inoperable sewerage systems
6. Failure to provide adequate sanitation
7. Failure to provide access to alternative sources of potable water (e.g., bore holes)
8. Failure to heed warnings from civil society of an impending outbreak
9. Shuttering of public hospitals and clinics / denial of access to treatment
10. Prohibitive transport costs to cholera clinics / denial of access to treatment
11. Failure to pay healthcare professionals
12. Insufficiently trained medical staff to treat cholera patients
13. Failure to secure essential medicines and supplies
14. Failure to launch an early public health education campaign
15. Obstruction and politicization of humanitarian aid
16. Denial of access to humanitarian organizations

Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by bacteria in contaminated water and leads to severe dehydration and death within several hours if not treated quickly. It spreads through water and food contaminated with human feces from people infected with the bacteria. Treatment is simply oral rehydration (fluids that contain salt and sugar). Epidemics arise almost uniquely when a government fails to maintain water, sanitation and sewerage systems—for example, during times of war or natural disaster.

Thanks to all of you who sent in comments urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to end the HIV travel ban.Your voices were heard loud and clear.The count, as of last Thursday, was 18,997 comments in favor of ending the ban, the majority of which were generated by PHR and Human Rights Campaign. There were just 510 comments against ending the ban. 70 organizations around the world, from UNAIDS to Immigration Equality to Human Rights Watch to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, sent in organizational comments supportive of lifting the ban. And PHR and 316 other organizations also signed on to a group organizational letter supporting the right of people living with AIDS to enter the United States.Thanks for making PHR one of the most important voices in this debate.So, what happens next? The travel ban should finally be repealed, hopefully by the end of this year. According to procedure, HHS must read over the comments, and make any necessary adjustments to the proposed rule change. HHS then must send it to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for budgetary approval. After OMB passes the final regulation, HHS must once again enter the change into the federal registry for another review period (1-2 months), at which point it will automatically go into effect. While Congress could act to block the change during that time, that is highly unlikely.We'll keep you posted on the process. And thanks again — your action is making the US a better place for people living with AIDS.

The Department of Health and Human Services is requesting comments through August 17th on the pending removal of the HIV travel ban. Public comment periods allow anyone to submit thoughts on new government policy before it is implemented.

In November and December 2007, the Department of Homeland Security held a public comment period on the travel ban when it was considering increasing restrictions on HIV-positive individuals seeking entry into the US. PHR mobilized 345 health care professionals and other activists to submit comments opposing the proposed regulations and supporting a repeal of the ban. Comments from PHR supporters made up over 85% of the total comments the Department of Homeland Security received.

The proposed restrictions were not implemented, and the responses from the public comment period helped spark debate in Congress on removing the ban. Following the comment period, key legislative leaders contacted PHR directly for advice and information on the best public health and human rights practices in regard to the travel ban. Public comments make a difference!

Submit a public comment today and help end this human rights violation.

During the 2007 public comment period, one PHR member told the Department of Homeland Security:

I, an American citizen, have suddenly found myself living this nightmare…

Three weeks ago my Italian-born husband was diagnosed with HIV during a required HIV exam taken per the U.S. Consulate in Italy. In a matter of moments… our goals, dreams and aspirations were shattered. In addition to the shock of the discovery of my husband's diagnosis, we were denied the visa.

The normal immigration process is not easy. The immigration process for an HIV-positive intending immigrant is a true nightmare. This is true today. Tomorrow, if what is being proposed is implemented and enforced, the realities of those who find themselves in similar situations will be hellish.

HIV-positive people seeking entry into the US and their families face situations like this every day.

Take action to end the discriminatory travel ban! Submit a public comment today. Although Congress has already voted the travel ban repeal into law, public comments are needed to push the Department of Health and Human Services to quickly and fully implement the repeal.

On July 24, the US House of Representatives voted to end the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs. Representative Jos_ Serrano publicly applauded PHR for our work on needle exchange funding issues:

I also wish to recognize the incredible efforts of the various national and local groups that have been working for years to make this possible, especially AIDS Action, Physicians for Human Rights and the Harm Reduction Coalition. Without the work of these valiant groups all across the nation, the step we took today never would have been possible.

Unfortunately, the House passed an amendment appropriations bill that restricts federal funding from needle exchange programs that operate within 1,000 feet of day care centers, schools, universities, public pools, parks, playgrounds, video arcades or youth centers or an event sponsored by these organizations. This provision makes the House vote a half-victory for PHR and other AIDS activist groups because it unnecessarily limits the programs that could receive federal funding. (This Washington Post article has more information on the House vote.)Before the Senate began its summer recess Senators were discussing the appropriations bill in committee. The full Senate is expected to vote on the bill in mid-September. As the legislation moves through the Senate, there is a possibility that the 1000 foot restriction could be removed before the bill reaches the president's desk.People around the US are working to tell the Senate that "Clean needles save lives!" A recent New York Times editorial began:

Nearly 600,000 Americans with AIDS have died since the beginning of the epidemic. Nearly a third of those cases can be traced to intravenous drug users who became infected with the virus that causes AIDS by sharing contaminated needles and who sometimes infect wives, lovers and unborn children. Many of the dead would never have been infected if Congress had allowed federal financing for programs that have been shown the world over to slow the spread of disease, without increasing drug use, by making clean needles available to addicts.

A Washington Post editorial echoed that sentiment. We must continue to advocate on behalf of the drug users and their families, people without a strong voice in Congress. Needle exchange funding will save lives.In a few weeks PHR will launch a postcard campaign to let Senators know that their constituents support federal funding for needle exchange services. To kickoff the academic year, the Student Program will provide the resources and support for student chapters nationwide to hold postcard drives and other awareness-raising initiatives as the Senate vote approaches.Please email me at skalloch [at] phrusa [dot] org if you would like to be involved in this action in your community, or contact Danielle if you are a student and want to learn more. Look for more updates on this exciting campaign throughout the next couple weeks.Thank you for all of your support so far! This progress would be impossible without you.

Last week, The Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) released a public comment (PDF) on the repeal of the HIV travel ban.

ANAC has long … viewed the restrictions [of the travel ban] as violations of human rights. The travel ban has had no scientific, medical or public health benefit. It is important to note the US is one of only twelve countries that restrict entry of HIV-infected non-citizens. The other countries include Iraq, Libya, Russia and Sudan.

When an association of over 2,300 HIV/AIDS nurses says that the travel ban has no scientific, medical or public health benefit, it is time for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take notice.

ANAC supports [repeal of the travel ban] and believes that it will move the US a step closer to restoring human rights and dignity for HIV-infected individuals seeking to travel or emigrate to the U.S.

HHS is collecting input on the repeal before acting to lift it. You can join with ANAC in letting HHS know you want to see the travel ban lifted. Your comment will pressure HHS to reverse the ban quickly and completely.? Take action today to ensure that the US government upholds human rights.

Wednesday, August?5, 2009 4:00?p.m.

Amnesty International USA Presents: The Ongoing Crisis in Darfur

Land Hall,?Belfer Building, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard, 79 JFK St., Cambridge

Speakers: Eric Reeves (Smith College) and Sondra Crosby, MD (Boston Medical Center and Physicians for Human Rights)

The panel will explore:

• What is the current US policy on the Darfur crisis?
• Is humanitarian aid still available to displaced refugees?
• What are the prospects for accountability and international justice for officials responsible for atrocities?

Co-sponsored by: Physicians for Human Rights, The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, The Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, My Sister's Keeper

Monday, August 10, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

Nowhere to Turn: The Women of Darfur

Join Lin Piwowarczyk MD?and Sondra Crosby MD as they share research findings and personal reflections from their investigative trip to Chad in November 2008 which resulted in the report Nowhere to Turn: Failure to Protect, Support and Assure Justice for Darfuri Women

Thomas Crane Public Library, 40 Washington St., Quincy

Photographs taken by Dr. Piwowarczyk during her visit to Chad will be on exhibit in the Coletti Reading Room from August 4 to 31.

A public reception will be held on Thursday, August 6 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

In an effort to protect and defend their human rights, dozens of immigration detainees being held in a Basile, Louisiana, immigration detention center have engaged in a multi-day hunger strike in protest of inhumane and unsanitary conditions.

Over the past month, immigration detainees have recorded dozens of complaints and made serious allegations of violations that, if proven, would violate the Department of Homeland Security’s National Detention Standards.

While the medical care standards (pdf) mandate that DHS treat immigration detainees' “health care needs…in a timely and efficient manner,” a New Orleans-based immigrant rights organization reports (pdf) that the Basile detainees, many of whom suffer from chronic illnesses, were never examined upon arrival at the detention center, and their conditions continue to deteriorate while in DHS custody.

One detainee who reports that he suffers from chronic leukemia and diabetes says,

When I came to this detention center, no one gave me a medical examination. I informed them that I had leukemia and diabetes. I have never had a blood test for my diabetes, and I’m only given a blood sugar test once a month.

Detainees also allege unsanitary living conditions, overcrowded and poorly ventilated living spaces, inappropriate food and clothing, and short supply of personal hygiene items. DHS needs to undertake a detailed investigation of these allegations. Taken together they may constitute violations of the rights of detainees to be held in humane environments that protect their health.

Over the past several years, stories of inhumane detention conditions like the ones from Basile have become more and more common. PHR, along with dozens of other national and local human rights and immigrant rights organizations, have signed a letter (pdf) urging Congress to support legislation to overhaul the immigration detention system and standards by which immigration detainees are treated.

On July 31, US Senators Menendez (D-NJ) and Gillibrand (D-NY) unveiled legislation aimed at establishing in statute minimum procedures and standards of treatment for those impacted by immigration enforcement and detention operations. They also introduced legislation to set minimum detention standards.

Introducing this legislation is a step in the right direction. DHS must systematically overhaul the immigration detention system and put a mechanism in place to enforce standards of conditions and treatment of immigration detainees.

NPR's Morning Edition recently reported on a visit to Capitol Hill by the Afghanistan Minister of Health Sayid Fatimie. This short report asked the question: should foreign aid for global health be viewed as a way of helping poor countries or should it serve foreign policy objectives? In looking at this question, NPR also suggested a false opposition that I have noticed in global health funding conversations: funding for HIV/AIDS is pitted against support for other global health programs. In this case, US funding for international HIV/AIDS programs is seen as competing with US funding for maternal mortality in Afghanistan.The funding conversation should not pit diseases against each other in a competition for funding. Instead, we should concentrate on ensuring that enough funding is available guarantee basic health for all.NPR host Steve Inskeep noted that US assistance for the health sector in Afghanistan is crucial—especially for maternal and child health. Afghanistan has the second highest rate of maternal and child mortality.? Globally, over 500,000 women die each year in childbirth or during pregnancy—unnecessary loss of life and an unacceptable statistic. Maternal mortality is not only a health issue—it is a human rights issue—specifically a woman’s human right to life, health, equality and non-discrimination, amongst other human rights. Many of these deaths are preventable and would not require a huge investment to address.PHR welcomes the increase of funding in this area by the Obama Administration. Financial support for maternal health has remained stagnant or even declined over the past decade. At the same time it is essential that the US commit to scaling up HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs. The AIDS pandemic appropriately prompted an international response to what is a huge health crisis. The pandemic catalyzed the political will necessary for an ambitious commitment of resources to global health and engaged an active and vocal global community that ranged from people living with HIV/AIDS, to international organisations, to the private sector. Now is not the time to step back.A recent article, by Peter Piot, Prof Michel Kazatchkine, Mark Dybul, Julian Lob-Levyt, called "AIDS: lessons learnt and myths dispelled," points out that while there is a decrease in rates and fewer AIDS-related deaths, the pandemic is not over. Some argue that the pandemic has shifted money away from other critical public health issues and general health systems strengthening. Piot et al?note that the reality is that the resources to fight AIDS have frequently had the reverse effect: from the provision of laboratory services in Nicaragua, to the freeing up of health workers in Rwanda, to the refurbishment of health centers—including delivery suites, which not only help to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV, but also maternal deaths. Piot et al also note that both the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) include components for health systems strengthening.It is time to move away from the pitting of one disease or health issue against another. We need to build upon the momentum developed in response to the AIDS pandemic and ensure that the US keeps its commitment to addressing HIV/AIDS and other critical global health initiatives such as maternal and child health. HIV/AIDS specialist Ken Mayor, MD, pointed out that?AIDS money can continue to assist with addressing other health issues as health workers trained under PEPFAR have skills that can be used in other programs. ?As Pat Daoust, PHRs Health Action AIDS Campaign Director said, in a letter to the editor of the Boston Globe:

[W]e must remember that the United States has the resources and the responsibility to keep its promise to scaling up HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs while at the same time strengthening its commitment to other critical global health initiatives. The nation’s leaders must commit to doing both.

The recession is affecting people everywhere, particularly the most vulnerable. People with HIV/AIDS are still at risk. Disruptions in the supply of ARVs are occurring in many countries in Africa. People in need of ARV therapy are being turned-away. Reductions in funding will negatively affect accepted standards of care, are potentially a death sentence for those who are HIV-positive and may result in health-worker layoffs and hence fewer people to monitor and treat people with HIV infection. By keeping its promise, the US will be assisting countries to address not only HIV/AIDS but also maternal and child health, including maternal mortality, and other country identified priority health issues.