The following will be published in the July 24 issue of The Lancet:

New US HIV strategy The Obama administration has announced a new national strategy to reduce the annual number of HIV infections in the USA by 25% within 5 years. The plan also aims to increase the proportion of newly diagnosed patients who receive care within 3 months of their diagnosis, and to redirect resources to populations that are at the highest risk of HIV infection.

Namibia lifts travel ban Namibia has drawn international praise for its decision earlier this month to remove all travel restrictions on people with HIV or other infectious diseases. Namibia joins the likes of the USA and China, who also removed their restrictions this year; however, 51 countries still refuse entry to travellers if they are HIV-positive.

Diet success Results of two studies from the UK’s Medical Research Council suggest that the com­mercial weight-loss programme WeightWatchers works better than the strategy recom­mended by the National Health Service. The support, education, and motivation offered by WeightWatchers was seen to promote the behavioural and lifestyle changes needed for consistent and long-term weight loss.

HIV levels fall The prevalence of HIV has decreased by at least 25% in people aged 15–24 years in 12 of the world’s most affected countries, according to the UNAIDS Outlook report. The agency believes the dramatic de­crease is due to prevention campaigns warning of the dangers of HIV/AIDS and the need for people to change their sexual behaviour.

Waterborne worry Three preventable water­borne diseases–legionellosis, crypto­sporidi­osis, and giardiasis–cost the US health-care system up to US$539 million every year, according to research presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases. Low-cost inter­ventions such as increased public education campaigns could reduce health-care costs, say the authors.

Teen smoking A survey by lobby group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in New Zealand has shown that smoking in the country’s 14–15-year-olds dropped by two-thirds between 1999 and 2009. The number who had never smoked doubled during this time. ASH say that the decline was largely due to youth-focused anti-tobacco campaigns.

Child mortality Timor-Leste has achieved substantial reductions in fer­tility rates and in infant and child mortality, according to a national Demographic and Health Survey. The infant mortality rate has fallen from 60 deaths per 1000 births in 2003 to 44 now, and the rate in those younger than 5 years decreased from 83 to 64. The fertility rate now stands at 5·7, two children less than in 2003.

Overseas student health A study by researchers at the University of British Columbia suggests that Asian high-school students who lodge with Canadian families are more likely to smoke, use drugs, and binge drink than are similarly aged immigrants and Canadian-born Asians. The region’s “homestay” in­dustry generates CAN$60 million per year, but there are no formal checks on host families.

Sickle-cell anniversary 100 years after the publication of the first description of the characteristically shaped red blood cells symptomatic of sickle-cell anaemia, the First Global Congress on Sickle Cell Disease took place this week in Accra, Ghana. In addition to discussion of key topics such as treatment, workshops provided a chance for international collaboration.

Rosiglitazone reprieve Two advisory committees to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have voted to keep rosiglitazone on the market, but under greater restriction. Panel members at a 2-day hearing last week discussed the drug’s cardiovascular risk profile and the reliability of the studies on which this information is based. The FDA must now decide whether to heed the committees’ advice.

Village health teams The Government of Uganda has launched an Integrated Community Case Management pro­gramme aimed at using village health teams to provide households with basic health services. The teams will comprise four or five people who will promote health education, distribute health kits, advise mothers during pregnancy, and mobilise communities to use health services.

Cold snap hits tropics At least nine people have died in Argentina after a period of extremely cold weather saw temperatures dip to –14°C in some parts of the country. Paraguay, Uruguay, and even Bolivia, which is within the Tropic of Capricorn, have also recorded deaths from the antarctic weather front that has hit the continent.

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