Risks for HIV infection among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia.

The majority of early cases of HIV in Russia were among men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite this and the current resurgence of HIV among MSM globally, little systematic work has been done to assess current HIV risks. We conducted a rapid assessment of HIV and associated risk behaviors among MSM in Russia.

Impact of community-based maternal health workers on coverage of essential maternal health interventions among internally displaced communities in eastern Burma: the MOM project.

Background: Access to essential maternal and reproductive health care is poor throughout Burma, but is particularly lacking among internally displaced communities in the eastern border regions. In such settings, innovative strategies for accessing vulnerable populations and delivering basic public health interventions are urgently needed.

Methods: Four ethnic health organizations from the Shan, Mon, Karen, and Karenni regions collaborated on a pilot project between 2005 and 2008 to examine the feasibility of an innovative three-tiered network of community-based providers for delivery of maternal health interventions in the complex emergency setting of eastern Burma.

Male sex workers in Moscow, Russia: a pilot study of demographics, substance use patterns, and prevalence of HIV-1 and sexually transmitted infections.

The Russian federation has been undergoing a concentrated epidemic of HIV-1 with high rates of infection among injecting drug users. Less is known about the relative risk and contribution to the country's HIV epidemic by other at-risk populations including sex workers and men who have sex with men. The goals of this project were to explore demographic characteristics, substance use patterns, and estimate the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and high-risk behaviors among male sex workers (MSW) in Moscow and to assess the feasibility of prospective cohort recruitment and retention among this population.

The US anti-prostitution pledge: First Amendment challenges and public health priorities.

In order for an HIV organization to receive funding from the United States, grantees must explicitly oppose prostitution.