Condoms & AIDS

Abundant data exist to show the severe limitations of relying on condoms to solve the AIDS problem. A letter from Australian-based bioethicist Amin Abboud, published July 30 by the British Medical Journal, noted that any change in the Catholic Church's position on condoms would be detrimental for Africa.

According to Abboud, a statistical analysis of the situation in the continent shows that the greater the percentage of Catholics in any country, the lower the level of HIV. "If the Catholic Church is promoting a message about HIV in those countries," he added, "it seems to be working."

Data from the World Health Organization puts the figure for HIV infection in Swaziland 42.6% of the population. Only 5% of the population is Catholic. And in Botswana, where 37% of the adult population is HIV infected, only 4% of the population is Catholic. In Uganda, however, where 43% of the population is Catholic, the proportion of HIV infected adults is 4%.

Abboud commented that since the death of John Paul II there has been a "concerted campaign ... to attribute responsibility to him for the death of many Africans." But, he continued, "Such accusations must always be supported by solid data. None has been presented so far."

Recognition of the value of promoting abstinence, instead of just relying on condoms, came in a commentary published in The Lancet last Nov. 27. Written by a group of medical experts, and endorsed by a long list of health care experts, the article noted that when campaigns target young people who have not initiated sexual activity, "the first priority should be to encourage abstinence or delay of sexual onset, hence emphasizing risk avoidance as the best way to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections as well as unwanted pregnancy."

The article did support condom use, but also pointed out that even for those who have already engaged in sexual activity, "returning to abstinence or being mutually faithful with an uninfected partner are the most effective ways of avoiding infection." This goes even for adults: "When targeting sexually active adults, the first priority should be to promote mutual fidelity with an uninfected partner as the best way to assure avoidance of HIV infection," stated the article.

This argument is based on solid medical evidence, the authors pointed out: "The experience of countries where HIV has declined suggests that partner reduction is of central epidemiological importance in achieving large-scale HIV incidence reduction, both in generalized and more concentrated epidemics."

Notice of Annual General Meeting

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Dear members,

Please be informed that our annual general meeting shall be held on

Date: 22nd October 2005

Time: 7.30pm

Venue : Dewan Fatima

Church of Our Lady of Fatima

Brickfields, Jln Sultan Abd Samad,

Kuala Lumpur.

The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be :

a) To accept the minutes of the previous AGM

b) To receive the Council’s report on the working of the Society during the previous year( Annual Report).

c)To receive the Treasurer’s report and the audited accounts of the Society for the previous year

d)To elect a Council and to appoint auditors for the ensuring year.

e)To deal with such other matters as may be put before it.

Any proposals for amendments to the constitution should be submitted to the secretary 7 days prior to the date of the AGM.

All are invited to attend the 6.30pm Eucharistic Celebration in commemoration of the Feast of St. Luke, Patron Saint of Physicians, followed by AGM and fellowship dinner at RM 20.00 per person.

Please confirm attendance with Dr Andrew Choo, Tel: 03-62582120 (office) or Dr Anthonysamy Tel 03-42572875 (office), Dr Assunta Davadass( 012-3070204).

Yours sincerely

Dr Assunta Davadass

(Hon. Secretary )

Donations to the Tsunami Victims

This is an update on the many donations that the AFCMA member countries have contributed to the Tsunami victims in Aceh and Sri Lanka.

CASH and other Donations:
1)Japan donated US $ 5,000
2) Korea donated US$3,000
3)Singapore managed to raise S$202,400 on behalf of FIAMC and AFCMA which was given to Perdhaki(the Indonesian Medical Catholic Associations) for purchaase of an ambulance in Aceh as well as to support mobile clinics in Nias and Aceh.
4) Singapore also raised S$10,000 worth of logistics (Masks, gloves, medicines) which were sent to Sri Lanka and Aceh.
5) Korea sent 6 shipments of medicine to Aceh
6) Malaysia sent a medical team to Aceh as well as 2 shipments of medicines and supplies and food to Aceh.The Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia also remitted a sum of RM 10,181.00 to the Jesuit Refugee Service in Aceh.

There may have been other donations that I am not aware of and if I have inadvertently omitted these I apologise for the oversight and will be delighted to publish these as soon as I receive the info from you. Please contact me at: cdamail@yahoo.com if you wish to have your contributions published on this website.

Posted by Dr K Y Chong(Malaysia)

Oral Contraceptives & the risk of Cancer

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Lyon-based cancer research agency of the World Health Organization, in its press release of the 29th of July 2005, informed of the publication of a monograph on the possible carcinogenicity [of] combined estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives and combined estrogen-progestogen menopausal therapy, based on the conclusions of an international ad hoc working group of 21 scientists from 8 countries.

Previously, combined oral contraceptives had been determined to be carcinogenic to humans, but only primary liver cancer was specifically implicated. The Working Group, after a thorough review of the published scientific evidence, concluded that combined oral contraceptives alter the risk of several common cancers in women.

Estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives were classified in the Group 1 of carcinogenic agents. This category is used when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans.

These conclusions are of enormous public health importance, since it is estimated that worldwide, more than 100 million women -- about 10% of all women of reproductive age -- currently use combined hormonal contraceptives. In addition, there has been widespread use of hormonal menopausal therapy: approximately 20 million women in developed countries.

For all these women, the message is that the use of oral contraceptives increases the risk of breast, cervix and liver cancer. On the contrary, the risks of endometrial and ovarian cancer are decreased in women who used combined oral contraceptives.

Regarding combined estrogen-progestogen menopausal therapy, WHO warns that it increases the risk of breast cancer and endometrial cancer (at least when progestogens are taken fewer than 10 days per month) and that there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that hormonal therapy has a protective effect at any cancer site.

The WHO experts call to a rigorous analysis to demonstrate what can be, at the end, the overall net public health outcome of the use of oral contraceptives. In addition, each woman who uses these products is now invited by WHO to discuss the overall risks and benefits with her doctor, taking into consideration her personal circumstances and family history of cancer and other diseases.

FIAMC invites all health care providers to attentively consider the results of the WHO study, which sheds new light on the prophetical value of Paul VI's "Humanae Vitae" and of John Paul II's "Evangelium Vitae" encyclicals, and encourages Catholic doctors to spread the methods for natural family planning also in Western affluent societies.

Gian Luigi Gigli, MD
President FIAMC

Annual General Meeting

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Dear members,

Please be informed that our annual general meeting shall be held on

Date: 22nd October 2005
Time: 7.30pm
Venue : Dewan Fatima
Church of Our Lady of Fatima
Brickfields, Jln Sultan Abd Samad
Kuala Lumpur
.

All are invited to attend the 6.30pm Eucharistic Celebration in commemoration of the Feast of St. Luke, Patron Saint of Physicians, followed by AGM and fellowship dinner.

Please confirm attendance with Dr Andrew Choo, Tel: 03-62582120 (office) or Dr Anthonysamy Tel 03-42572875 (office) Dr Assunta Davadass Tel: 03-77823433 ext 147( office).





Yours sincerely



Dr Assunta Davadass
(Hon. Secretary )