An International Clinical Research Center-led study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases showed a troubling link between hormonal contraception and HIV. The study received widespread press coverage because of the popularity of injectable birth control like Depo-Provera in parts of Africa hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic. The observational study of nearly 3,800 couples in Africa found that women using hormonal contraception --such as Depo-Provera – are at double the risk of acquiring HIV. Moreover, HIV-infected women who use hormonal contraception have twice the risk of transmitting the virus to their HIV-uninfected male partners. New York Times, NPR, BBC, CBS Radio, NBC, The Guardian were part of the many news outlets covering this.
As an interesting aside, UW researchers Jared Baeten and Renee Heffron, in Kenya when the news was released, could only conduct broadcast-quality interviews using a special app on an iPhone. Check out the interview on NPR.