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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - December 2020
CAHR 2021 Virtual
December 31, 2021 - CAHR 2021 Virtual will take place May 5-7, 2021.
Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 30th Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research (CAHR 2021) will be going virtual.
People living with HIV face starvation in Amuru
Amuru, Uganda - THE INDEPENDENT - December 31, 2020
- More than 3,000 people living with HIV in Pabbo Town Council in Amuru District are facing severe starvation.
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Remembering 18 HIV Leaders We Lost in 2020 [SLIDESHOW]
December 30, 2020 - By Trenton Straube - By any measure, 2020 was a rough year. Amid escalating political, racial and economic turmoil, the COVID-19 pandemic struck; thus far, it has claimed the lives of over 340,000 Americans.
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POZ at Home: HIV and Weight Gain
December 30, 2020 - Oriol R. Gutierrez Jr. discusses the challenges of weight gain while living with HIV with Lepena Reid and Liz Highleyman
In an upcoming episode of POZ at Home, Oriol R. Gutierrez Jr. has a conversation with HIV advocate Lepena Reid and POZ science editor Liz Highleyman about the challenges of weight gain while living with HIV. The trio will also discuss New Year’s resolutions for 2021.
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Inside the fight to include HIV-positive people in Covid-19 vaccine trials
Dec. 29, 2020 - By Steven Blum -People living with the virus were initially excluded from Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine trials, but that changed with the help of committed activists.
When Jeff Taylor, a longtime AIDS advocate and survivor, learned about clinical trials for the new Covid-19 vaccine in his hometown, Palm Springs, California, he leapt at the opportunity to participate.
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South Africa’s Lessons For America’s COVID-19 Denialism
Dec. 29, 2020 - By Steven Blum -The African nation’s experience confronting AIDS shows the deadly dangers of neglect and misinformation at the highest levels of government.
When Jeff Taylor, a longtime AIDS advocate and survivor, learned about clinical trials for the new Covid-19 vaccine in his hometown, Palm Springs, California, he leapt at the opportunity to participate.
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‘Luna Unleashed’ Takes a Superpowered Approach to HIV Prevention for Black Women
Dec. 28, 2020 - Terri Wilder, M.S.W. - Black women are at the same time disproportionately impacted by HIV and frequently left out of the broader discourse on HIV prevention. Nakesha Powell, M.P.A.—an HIV/AIDS advocate for women and girls and the HIV program manager for the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI)—and Giovanni N. Dortch, Ph.D.—an activist and certified HIV counselor and tester—are doing their part, creatively, to change that.
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How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Impacted People With HIV In Sub-Saharan Africa
Dec 28, 2020 - Infectious disease expert Dr. Dave Wessner explores how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted HIV patients in parts of Africa.
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Multimorbidity prevalence increases among older people living with HIV
December 27, 2020 - By Caitlyn Stulpin -
Multimorbidity prevalence increased from 2006 to 2016 among older adults living with HIV who visited one Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clinic, according to a study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.
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First US case of gonorrhea with novel resistance gene identified in Nevada
December 26, 2020 - By Caitlyn Stulpin -
The first case of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with the emerging mosaic penA60 allele — which confers reduced susceptibility to cefixime and ceftriaxone — has been identified in the United States, according to a recent study.
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U.Va. research discovers the initial phases of HIV entry into cells
December 26, 2020 - By Vivian Mok - The research studies HIV entry by utilizing Nobel Prize winning techniques and has potential applications to understanding the COVID-19 infection
A team of researchers at the University School of Medicine recently published an article in the Journal of Biological Chemistry about their study of HIV fusion to cell membranes using cryo-electron microscopy. The study determined the initial steps of HIV infection in cells — information that can be applied to understanding the infection process of other viruses including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that leads to COVID-19 infection.
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Larry Kramer: The Irascible AIDS Activist Whose Message Lives On
12/26/2020 - By JOANNE KENEN - Larry Kramer, the author, playwright and activist, is best known for helping to define the AIDS era. In 2020 and beyond, he also will be remembered because the AIDS epidemic helped to define the coronavirus era.
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Study calls for safeguarding rights of people living with HIV
AMMAN - Dec 26,2020 - By Maram Kayed - International AIDS awareness month concludes
As the International AIDS Awareness Month comes to an end, a study recommended the necessity of developing a national plan based on a human rights approach to protect and respect the rights of people living with HIV.
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Janssen Alerts Counterfeit SYMTUZA® (darunavir/ cobicistat/ emtricitabine/ tenofovir alafenamide) is Being Distributed in the United States
December 24, 2020 - The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson have been made aware that counterfeit SYMTUZA® (darunavir/ cobicistat/ emtricitabine/ tenofovir alafenamide) has been distributed to three pharmacies in the United States.
Here's where efforts to end HIV in eastern and southern Africa must focus
December 24, 2020 - The World AIDS Day commemoration of 2020 took place in the midst of a global pandemic. It served as another reminder that people are not only susceptible to pathogens, but to the political, social and economic inequities that determine vulnerability to infections.
HIV remains a major global public health challenge and COVID-19 has added to it. This is especially so in the eastern and southern Africa region – the epicentre of the HIV epidemic, with 800,000 new HIV infections each year, just under half of the global total.
How HIV Research Laid the Foundation for Covid Vaccines
Dec 24, 2020 - By Gregory Zuckerman and Betsy McKay -
Scientific techniques developed in the ongoing fight against AIDS helped scientists combat the new coronavirus
People are receiving Covid-19 vaccines less than a year after public health authorities discovered SARS-CoV-2, the deadly new coronavirus. How did it happen so quickly? In part, the world can thank decades of frustrating and often fruitless research to find a vaccine for Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Many of the new technologies and approaches employed to create potent Covid-19 vaccines and therapies trace their origins to the desperate search, starting in the early 1980s, to slow the spread of HIV.
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AIDS activists recruit Barbra Streisand for surprise Fauci birthday party on Zoom
December 24, 2020 - BY ZACK BUDRYK -
A group of friends who worked with Anthony Fauci during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s hosted a surprise Zoom birthday party Thursday for the nation’s top infectious diseases expert.
Treatment Action Group (TAG) co-founder Peter Staley tweeted that he and “a small gang of Tony Fauci's HIV/AIDS comrades managed to surprise him" on his 80th birthday.
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Mediaplanet and Chef Gabe Bertaccini Bring Awareness to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
NEW YORK (PRWEB) DECEMBER 23, 2020 - Mediaplanet’s Living with HIV/AIDS Campaign found within USA TODAY and online, creates an open conversation surrounding an ongoing epidemic.
Following World AIDS Day on December 1, Mediaplanet announces the launch of this year’s edition of “Living with HIV/AIDS.” This campaign will look to break down the stigma surrounding the virus and highlight new and innovative technologies and therapies in prevention, detection, and treatment. It will also showcase organizations advocating for patients and their loved ones.
In UK study, people with HIV at increased risk for death from COVID-19
December 22, 2020 - By Caitlyn Stulpin -
A study of more than 17 million people in England revealed that those living with HIV had a higher risk for death from COVID-19 than people without HIV, according to findings published in The Lancet HIV.
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Gates Foundation helps UC study sexual health of South African youth
December 22, 2020 - By Angela Koenig - Study shows rural girls look outside modern medicine to prevent HIV/AIDS and pregnancy
An important new finding by University of Cincinnati researchers could help slow the transmission of HIV/AIDS and reduce pregnancies among adolescent girls in rural South Africa.
AHF World AIDS Day Recap 2020
December 21, 2020 - AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy regardless of ability to pay to over 1 million people in 41 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe.
Researchers Propose Process to Detect and Contain Emerging Diseases
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Dec. 17, 2020 - Assistant professor Kristian Forbes, along with colleagues from Africa, Europe and North America, have proposed a four-part approach to detect and contain zoonotic diseases, those that begin in animals but spillover into humans, like COVID-19 and HIV.
See “Can You Save Superman? II” exhibition by artist Jordan Eagles in 2021
December 17, 2020 - by Shannon Thomason - “Can You Save Superman? II,” an exhibition by artist Jordan Eagles that confronts the Federal Drug Administration’s blood donation policy against the LGBTQ community, will be on exhibition at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2021.
Eagles’ ongoing cycle of art and activism addresses the stigma of “queer” blood and challenges these policies.
HIV is turning gray: Will the Biden White House Accept the Challenge?
TURLOCK, Calif., Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - The following is an open letter by Jeffrey Lewis, President and CEO of Legacy Health Endowment
Since 1982, more than 690,000 Americans have died of HIV-related illnesses. That's more Americans than were lost in any armed conflict in this century or last – combined.
Impaired blood vessel and kidney function underlie heart disease risk in people with HIV
DALLAS, Dec. 17, 2020 - - People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have impaired blood vessel function, which increases cardiovascular disease risk, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB). The connection between impaired blood vessel function and cardiovascular disease was especially strong among people with HIV and kidney disease.
An Oral History of Fashion’s Response to the AIDS Epidemic
December 16, 2020 -- In honor of HIV/AIDS Awareness month, Phillip Picardi speaks to 25 fashion luminaries, including Marc Jacobs, Bethann Hardison, and Ralph Lauren—to highlight a previously untold history of the AIDS crisis.
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AIDS and LGBTQ lobbyist Laurie McBride dies
Dec 16, 2020 - by Karen Ocamb - Laurie McBride, the highly regarded longtime advocate for people with HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ equality, died December 4 of a heart attack, according to her beloved wife Donna Yutzy, whose comment was posted on Facebook by friend Julia Mullen.
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The HIV Research for Prevention conference, HIVR4P // Virtual, now welcomes media registrations
15 December 2020 - Journalists are invited to apply for media credentials for HIVR4P // Virtual (27 & 28 January, 3 & 4 February 2021), the world’s only conference dedicated exclusively to biomedical HIV prevention. Sponsored by IAS - the International AIDS Society - HIVR4P // Virtual features the latest research developments in HIV vaccines, microbicides, PrEP, treatment as prevention and other biomedical interventions to stop the spread of HIV.
How Activists Were Finally Heard About The AIDS Epidemic
December 15, 2020
- In 1992, hundreds of people gathered on the National Mall to view a memorial. It was a 48,000 panel quilt. Each square commemorated a life lost to HIV/AIDS.
But a few blocks away, demonstrators marched to the front of the White House for a very different type of action.
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I’m living with HIV and have had the COVID vaccine
15 December 2020 - Michael Carter - I’m fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Isn’t that an extraordinary statement? Twelve months ago nobody had heard of COVID-19. Yet here I am with vaccine-induced antibodies that provide a significant level of protection against a virus that has caused so much illness, death, grief, hardship and loneliness, and made 2020 miserable.
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Gay men blood donation rules changed in favour of individual assessments
14 December 2020 - Men who have sex with men in a long-term relationship will soon be able to donate blood in the UK.
The Government has announced changes to blood donation rules with a move to individualised risk assessments for all potential donors. This is the result of a review of the three-month deferral period for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
World AIDS Day: Live with Leadership
Dec 14, 2020 - Watch a special Live with Leadership - World AIDS Day Edition conversation to learn directly from key HHS and community leaders about new and ongoing work to further the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE) initiative.
HIV-hit Yunnan mulls legal punishment for HIV/AIDS patients who conceal conditions from spouses, sex partners
14 Dec 2020 - By Fan Anqi
- Southwest China's Yunnan Province, a region most affected by HIV in China, will roll out a new regulation next year where HIV/AIDS patients who conceal their condition from their partners will be prosecuted for criminal liability. The regulation has immediately sparked heated discussions.
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Let the people lead if responses to tackle HIV are to be effective
14 Dec 2020 - Miriam Were
- My community has been at the centre of my work all my life. So, it was a great joy to me when the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids) identified community-led interventions as key to a successful pandemic response.
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These Photos Depict Life With HIV Today—and They’re Free to Use
December 14, 2020 - By Trenton Straube - ViiV Healthcare teams with stock photography provider Shutterstock to offer a stigma-busting gallery of images.
The online photo gallery HIV in View shows real people living and thriving with HIV. Not only do the images aim to break down negative stereotypes of HIV, but they’re also available for the public to download through Shutterstock, a stock photography provider.
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New Zealand, Britain ease rules on blood donations by gay men
LONDON - December 14, 2020 - Rachel Savage - New Zealand and Britain became on Monday the latest countries to ease rules on blood donations by gay and bisexual men, as supply concerns caused by COVID-19 increase scrutiny of AIDS pandemic-era restrictions that LGBT+ rights advocates say are homophobic.
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HIV victims suffer declining support
13 December 2020 - Voun Dara - Civil society organisations and people living with AIDS have called on the government and generous people to continue providing aid to those affected by the virus.
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Australia Scraps Covid-19 Vaccine That Produced H.I.V. False Positives
December 11, 2020 - by Rob Watson - Of the dozens of coronavirus vaccines being tested worldwide, the one under development at the University of Queensland was the first to be abandoned.
Australia on Friday canceled a roughly $750 million plan for a large order of a locally developed coronavirus vaccine after the inoculation produced false positive test results for H.I.V. in some volunteers participating in a trial study.
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Trump Rule Makes Asylum 'Impossible' for LGBTQ+, HIV-Positive People
DECEMBER 11 2020 - BY TRUDY RING - The rule makes it much harder to prove one's identity, so Lambda Legal and Immigration Equality plan to sue.
Lambda Legal and Immigration Equality plan to sue the Trump administration over a new policy they say will make it “virtually impossible” for LGBTQ+ or HIV-positive refugees to gain asylum in the U.S.
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More weight gain in people starting HIV treatment with newer integrase inhibitors or darunavir
11 December 2020 - Alain Volny-Anne - A US study has concluded that weight gain is greater by around 2 to 4 kg in HIV-positive people taking bictegravir or dolutegravir as part of their first antiretroviral therapy (ART), compared to their counterparts using other drug regimens. A similar effect was reported in those using the protease inhibitor darunavir.
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Australia Scraps Covid-19 Vaccine That Produced H.I.V. False Positives
December 11, 2020 - by Rob Watson - Of the dozens of coronavirus vaccines being tested worldwide, the one under development at the University of Queensland was the first to be abandoned.
Australia on Friday canceled a roughly $750 million plan for a large order of a locally developed coronavirus vaccine after the inoculation produced false positive test results for H.I.V. in some volunteers participating in a trial study.
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Celebrating a long life with HIV
December 11, 2020 - by Rob Watson - We just commemorated World AIDS Day, in the middle of a new pandemic. For those who have survived, and will continue to live strong, it is a good moment to look at what we have learned, and what we can offer a confused world around us.
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Scientists at Texas Biomed aim to test therapeutic effects of CBD/THC against HIV-induced neurological disorder
San Antonio, Texas (December 10, 2020) - Research will inform development of better therapeutics for HIV patients suffering from neurocognitive disorders
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Professor Mahesh Mohan, D.V.M., Ph.D., and collaborators more than $3.5 million over five years to investigate the effects of cannabinoids on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). This research project aims to evaluate whether delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) alone or in combination can potentially alter DNA methylation, which is a biological process that can create a change in the expression of certain genes.
Fund to help key populations during COVID-19 launched
GENEVA, 10 December 2020 - UNAIDS announces the launch of its Solidarity Fund, which will support social entrepreneurs and micro-business owned by key populations facing special hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Developing Research Priorities for Chronic Pain in People Living with HIV
December 9, 2020 - The Global HIV Pain Task Force seeks input from the HIV/AIDS community.
People living with HIV experience chronic pain more commonly than others. Chronic pain is associated with reduced quality of life, poorer physical function, mental health problems, trouble working or staying in school, and in some cases greater difficulty adhering to antiretroviral therapy and keeping up with other basic health care needs.
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HIV Ally Rochelle Walensky Will Lead the CDC Under Biden. Can She Rehab the Agency After Four Years of Trump?
Dec. 9, 2020 - Tim Murphy - For the second time in less than a month, HIV advocates have been generally elated by news that one of their own has taken a senior job at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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MISTR, the nation’s leading telemedicine platform for PrEP, now available in Spanish
MIAMI, FL, December 9, 2020 - As World AIDS Day recently highlighted, many advances have been made in the fight against AIDS, but there's so much more to be done, especially within the Spanish speaking population. Recognizing this, MISTR has made its' telemedicine (telePrEP) platform available in Spanish to better serve the Latinx community. MISTR has already made in-roads within the Latinx community, currently representing more Latinos than any other ethnicity in the state of California. However, MISTR wants to do more.
MISTR, la plataforma de telemedicina de PrEP líder en el país, ahora disponible en Español
MIAMI, FL, 9 de Diciembre de 2020 - Como se destacó recientemente en el Día Mundial de la Lucha contra el SIDA se han logrado muchos avances en la lucha contra la enfermedad. Pero aún hay mucho por hacer, especialmente entre la población hispana. Sabiendo ésto, MISTR ha puesto su plataforma de medicina (telePrEP) ahora disponible en Español para servir mejor a la comunidad latinx. MISTR ya se ha hecho un lugar dentro de la comunidad latinx representando actualmente más latinos que a cualquier otro grupo en el estado de California. Sin embargo, como explica el fundador de MISTR Tristan Schukraft, él quiere hacer aún más:
U=U encourages men in South Africa to test for HIV
9 December 2020 -Paul Clift -As men in sub-Saharan Africa test for HIV less often than women, a team led by Dr Philip Smith of University of Cape Town, South Africa, wanted to know if men would be encouraged to test more when they knew about the U=U message. The team found that when peer promoters told men that an undetectable viral load means that, if they test positive, they cannot pass the virus to sexual partners, they were more likely to go for HIV testing.
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How did the HIV pandemic begin?
08 December 2020 - Interview with Rowena Johnston- What is HIV, and where did it come from?
So what’s the history of the virus? HIV was discovered by the Paris Pasteur Institute scientists Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier in 1983. But it had been circulating in humans for almost a century by then. How do we know that, though, and where did HIV come from in the first place? To shed some light on this, Adam Murphy spoke to Rowena Johnston, director of research at the Foundation for AIDS Research in New York
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New Report From Grantmakers In Aging Offers Recommendations to Improve Care, Increase Inclusion for Older People Living With HIV/AIDS
WASHINGTON, Dec. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Closer Connection between Aging Services and HIV Networks Is Needed to Fill Gaps in Care, Reduce Isolation, Improve Quality of Life
HIV has become an aging issue now that more than half of people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. are 50 or older. Thanks to advancements in treatment, people with HIV can now live for decades but longevity with HIV is relatively new, under-explored, and under-resourced, and the HIV/AIDS and aging services networks operate almost totally separately, with few age-specific services. Grantmakers In Aging, a national membership organization of philanthropies, created Moving Ahead Together: A Framework for Integrating HIV/AIDS and Aging Services to help end the painful isolation and improve the care of older people living with HIV.
Study adapting HIV/AIDS behavioral interventions to mitigate COVID-19
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - DEC 8, 2020 - BY SHARITA FORREST - A research project is exploring whether interventions that have been effective at engaging high-risk populations in HIV/AIDS testing and treatment can be adapted to achieve similar effects in mitigating COVID-19.
Gov. Cuomo touts historic low for new HIV cases on World AIDS Day
December 8, 2020 - by ANNA VALLONE - To mark World AIDS Day — Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York state has “bent the curve” on the HIV epidemic.
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State minister commends support for National HIV/AIDS programme
KINGSTON, Jamaica - December 08, 2020 - State Minister for Health and Wellness, Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, has hailed the support from the global community and local stakeholders which has enabled the national HIV/AIDS programme to continue to offer services at all levels, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Growing old with HIV: Challenges and opportunities
DECEMBER 8, 2020 - Written by James Kingsland - The remarkable success of antiviral therapy means that most people with HIV can now expect to live long and fulfilling lives. However, the increasing number of older people with HIV still face a range of challenges to their physical and mental health.
In 1995, with the advent of antiviral drug mixtures known as combination antiretroviral therapy, it became possible to reduce the amount of HIV in the blood to undetectable levels.
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Sir Elton John and David Furnish Join Line-up Saluting HIV/AIDS Survivors
December 8, 2020 - Mark S. King - Sir Elton John and David Furnish have sent a special video message of support for long-term HIV/AIDS survivors, joining a growing list of celebrity guests for “Mark S. King’s 60th Birthday Bash” on December 16th. The event will also feature appearances by Olympian Greg Louganis, Broadway Hamilton star Javier Munoz, and dozens of long-term HIV/AIDS survivors who will be sharing personal greetings.
Northern Alberta clinics try out Canadian-made dual syphilis and HIV tests in effort to provide faster diagnosis and treatment
December 07, 2020 By Gillian Rutherford - Alberta sees a record number of preventable syphilis infections, stillborn babies.
A University of Alberta clinical trial will screen 1,500 people with point-of-care dual HIV and syphilis test kits in an effort to combat the syphilis outbreak in Edmonton and northern Alberta.
Stigmatisation our greatest challenge in Sokoto — HIV positive persons
DECEMBER 7, 2020 - The Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Sokoto State Chapter, said on Sunday that stigmatisation was their greatest challenge in the northwestern state.
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Biden names HIV researcher to lead CDC
Dec. 7, 2020 - by Jocelyn Kaiser - President-elect Joe Biden has moved to fill two top health positions in his administration, his transition team announced today. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will be nominated as secretary of health and human services (HHS), and HIV/AIDS researcher Rochelle Walensky of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital has been selected to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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SA still recording distressing HIV/Aids infections and deaths despite strides made against the pandemic
Dec 5, 2020 - By Norman Cloete - Despite having made great strides against the HIV/Aids pandemic, South Africa recorded 200 000 infections and 72 000 deaths last year.
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Stigma, discrimination hindering people from owning up to HIV status — CHISAN
December 5, 2020 - Stigma and discrimination are factors that stop many people from owning up to their HIV status and also stop them from availing themselves for testing and accessing treatment and care.
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How a Midwestern HIV Clinic Rapidly Adjusted to the Spreading COVID-19 Pandemic
Dec. 4, 2020 - Larry Buhl - Back in the old days, when COVID-19 was truly novel in the U.S.—i.e., March—the increasing number of cases and uncertainty about how bad the pandemic might get set off a mad scramble among many health care providers to move to telemedicine. The question was: How can health care centers quickly make the shift without losing patients, and while still providing quality care?
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Smoking Poses a Clear and Present Danger to People With HIV
December 4, 2020 - Benjamin Ryan - A study comparing matched groups of people with and without HIV found that smoking was a powerful cancer risk factor, especially for women.
A large, important study comparing closely matched groups of people with and without HIV over time has concluded that smoking is a potent independent risk factor for cancer in the HIV population, especially for women, aidsmap reports.
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How the vaginal microbiome may affect HIV prevention
3-DEC-2020 - Healthy Lactobacillus bacteria in the vagina are critical for women's health, but the accumulation of additional bacterial genera can imbalance the vaginal ecosystem. Such an imbalance may result in bacterial metabolism of drugs designed to prevent HIV infection, thereby decreasing their effectiveness and enhancing risks to women, according to a study published December 3, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Dr. Nichole Klatt of the University of Minnesota Medical School, and colleagues.
After coming out as HIV+, Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas is honored at British LGBT awards
Dec 3, 2020 - Alex Reimer - Thomas was honored as a sports personality at this year’s British LGBT awards for his HIV advocacy.
Former Welsh pro-rugby player Gareth Thomas came out last year as HIV-positive after learning that tabloids planned to out him. He made the announcement in an emotional video, where he vowed to break the stigma around the virus.
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Campbell Foundation Awards Grant to UM Researchers Seeking to Develop Functional Cure for HIV
December 2, 2020 - An HIV researcher with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has been awarded an $80,000 grant from the Campbell Foundation to continue work in the development of a single vaccine injection resulting in a functional cure for HIV.
Jose M. Martinez-Navio, Ph.D., associate scientist in the Miller School’s Department of Pathology, and his team have been able to suppress the HIV virus for more than five years in one monkey and for extended periods in two others through the delivery of potent broadly neutralizing antibodies.
The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation Hosts The Elizabeth Taylor Ball To End AIDS: Virtual On World AIDS Day, December 1, 2020
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Event Supported by Presenting Sponsor Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Diamond Sponsor BVLGARI
The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) hosted The Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS: VIRTUAL broadcast. The elegant evening, hosted by ETAF ambassador Kathy Ireland, was generously supported by Presenting Sponsor Gilead Sciences Inc., and Diamond Sponsor BVLGARI.
Dr. Michael Davidson, Who Studied Infectious Disease, Dies at 77
Dec. 2, 2020 - He told a friend that he would have relished the chance to help end the coronavirus pandemic had he still been active in the field. The virus claimed him instead.
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Ending social stigma: Families living with HIV, hep B and hep C
DECEMBER 2, 2020 - Rachel Gray - A group of UNSW Sydney researchers has released a groundbreaking report expected to improve the lives of people with bloodborne viruses.
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UNAIDS calls on more to be done for paediatric HIV treatment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kinshasa, 2 December 2020 - On World AIDS Day, the UNAIDS Executive Director visited an HIV community village and a children’s hospital
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima visited an HIV community village in Kinshasa as part of the World AIDS Day ceremonies in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She commended the country on its vast experience in responding to pandemics such as Ebola after the country announced the end of the latest Ebola outbreak on 18 November.
Messages of Hope on World AIDS Day 2020
Dec 1, 2020 - While this year has been life-changing and difficult in so many ways, our strength has always been in each other.
Kelly Austin Finds Link Between Drought and Women and HIV in Less-Developed Countries
December 1, 2020 - By Emily Collins - New research explores the consequences of drought and lack of environmental resources on women in less-developed countries and shows the direct and indirect associations to women’s percentage of HIV.
Current research predicts that by 2025, 1,800 million people are expected to be living in countries or regions with insufficient water resources, and models show increased severity of droughts in years to come. Food insecurity and other consequences of droughts will become intensified, influencing disease vulnerabilities among populations in less-developed countries. New research from Kelly Austin, associate professor of sociology, explores how droughts shape gender inequalities in the HIV burden, indirectly through increased food insecurity.
Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. David Ho Honored on World AIDS Day with National AIDS Memorial’s Leadership Recognition Award
San Francisco, Dec. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Powerful, Inspirational Voices on the Frontlines of two Pandemics Speak Out During Virtual Event
The National AIDS Memorial’s annual World AIDS Day commemoration brought together powerful voices from the AIDS and Covid-19 pandemics together for an inspiring conversation about health justice, social activism, remembrance, and hope.
With emotional Instagram memorial, AIDS victims' stories reach new generation
Dec. 1, 2020 - Alexander Kacala - The AIDS Memorial Instagram account pays homage to those who have died of AIDS-related illnesses and ensures that their memories live on.
Nearly two decades after Bruce Bozzi Jr. lost his first love to AIDS, he revisited their love story in a social media post shared with tens of thousands of strangers.
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On World AIDS Day, Those Who Fought the 1980s Epidemic Find Striking Differences and Tragic Parallels in COVID-19
DECEMBER 1, 2020 - OLIVIA B. WAXMAN
- More than three decades after the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the first World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, 1988, the world’s leading global health organization faces another public health crisis in COVID-19. On this World AIDS Day, those who raised awareness of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, find devastating similarities and haunting differences in America’s response to both crises.
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World AIDS Day 2020 - A National Conversation
BUFFALO, N.Y., December 1, 2020 - David J. Hill - Sarahmona Przybyla, PhD, an HIV and AIDS researcher at the University of Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions, was honored today by New York State Commissioner of Health Howard A. Zucker as part of a virtual summit marking 2020 World AIDS Day.
Elton John honors Anthony Fauci on World AIDS Day
DECEMBER 1, 2020 - Jennifer Hansler - CNN - Dr. Anthony Fauci's effort to educate the public on the coronavirus pandemic has earned him scores of admirers, but his work on the global HIV/AIDS crisis saw him cheered on Tuesday by one star-studded fan -- Elton John.
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World AIDS Day 2020 - A National Conversation
December 1, 2020 - An inspiring 3-hour forum with powerful leaders on the frontlines of the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics for an important discussion about health, advocacy, remembrance and hope.
Vaccine and cure remain focus on World AIDS Day
DECEMBER 1, 2020 - Jimmy Dikeakos, PhD, understands why virologists like himself quickly pivoted their focus to COVID-19 when the global pandemic struck earlier this year: Vaccines and treatments were needed and the international research community responded. The issue, he said, is that countless other epidemics currently raging — and killing millions every year — have been forgotten, at least for now.
On World AIDS Day, Dikeakos points out that in 2019 roughly 38 million people around the world were living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. While there have been nearly double that number of COVID-19 cases in 2020 (61.3 million), 39.3 million of them have been resolved. But there are no resolved cases of HIV.
Ending HIV/AIDS in Mali and Worldwide: Resilience and Impact
December 1, 2020 - Seventeen years ago, when the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) began, HIV was a death sentence in many parts of the world. Now, we have the opportunity to control this disease for which there is no vaccine or cure. December 1, World AIDS Day, we remember those who have been lost, celebrate the progress made together and rededicate ourselves to work still to be done.
World AIDS Day: 'Why did I survive?'
Germany - December 1, 2020 - For most people, an HIV diagnosis in the 1980s was an automatic death sentence. But many survived for longer than anyone would have expected — like Gerhard from Germany, who has lived with the virus for over 30 years.
"At first I just didn't want to know if I was HIV-positive," Gerhard Malcherek remembers. "I went to the hospital, and I begged the doctors not to tell me." But they did — and the news was bad.
Now Malcherek leads a life like many other German retirees.
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New HIV/AIDs documentary shares message of hope
Dec 01, 2020 - Julie Kotsis - Greg Scratch just turned 69 years — an age he never thought he’d see after being diagnosed with HIV 33 years ago.
But he’s a survivor. And he hasn’t just survived, he’s thrived.
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