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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - February 2015
Final CROI 2015 Highlights from NIH’s Dr. Carl Dieffenbach
Published on Feb 27, 2015 - As the 2015 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle came to a close on Thursday, February 26, we spoke again with Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, Director of the Division of AIDS at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) about a highlight from the day’s presentations as well as his reflections as the meeting concluded.
Youth educating youth about HIV
February 27, 2015 - REGINA - As HIV rates continue to rise among young aboriginals, a Regina organization is trying to educate students about the virus before the problem gets any worse.
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UNAIDS Hails Nigeria’s Signing Of HIV Anti-Discrimination Law
February 27, 2015 - AHEAD of the World Zero Discrimination Day tomorrow, the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) has expressed full support of the Federal Government of Nigeria
for her commitment towards ending stigma and discrimination against people living with and affected by
Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), even as the world body hails President Goodluck Jonathan for signing the HIV/AIDS Anti-Discrimination Law.
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Statins reduced non-calcified coronary plaque in HIV patients
February 27, 2015 - SEATTLE - Statin therapy may reduce the volume of non-calcified coronary plaque in patients with HIV and subclinical atherosclerosis, according to data presented here at CROI 2015.
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Preventing one case of HIV saves over $225K, study shows
February 27, 2015 - How much money would be saved if one high-risk person was prevented from contracting HIV in the United States? A new study led by a researcher at Weill Cornell Medical College and published online Feb. 24 in Medical Care, answers this question: from $229,800 to $338,400,
depending on the continuity of treatment.
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GLAAD and partners release guide for talking about HIV and AIDS in the media
February 27, 2015 - The reality of HIV and AIDS has evolved in the United States since it was first brought to public consciousness in the 1980s. While we have seen significant progress on prevention and treatment, public understanding
lags and the unwarranted negative stigma associated with the disease continues to be an obstacle to eradication. GLAAD partnered with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and AIDS United to release a guide for talking about HIV and AIDS in the media.
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No HIV transmissions from HIV-positive partner seen in Australian gay couples study
27 February 2015 - An Australian-based study of gay male couples of opposite HIV status (serodifferent couples) has so far seen no transmissions from the HIV-positive partner within the couple in a two-year interim analysis.
The Opposites Attract study started recruiting in May 2012. It recruits gay male serodifferent couples regardless of whether the HIV-positive partner is on antiretroviral therapy (ART) or has an undetectable viral load, and also regardless of whether or not they use condoms. It is now recruiting not only in the three Australian cities mentioned (Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne) but also in Cairns, Australia and (from 2014) in Bangkok, Thailand and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Doctor who cured ‘Berlin patient’ of HIV: ‘We knew we were doing something very special’
February 27, 2015 - Dr. Gero Hütter and Timothy Ray Brown speak about the transplant that forever linked them in medical history
When Dr. Gero Hütter gave Timothy Ray Brown a bone marrow transplant at a Berlin hospital on Feb. 7, 2007, he knew he could be making history. If, that is, Brown survived long enough to see whether the grueling transplant
cured not only his leukemia but also his infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
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NATIONAL COALITION RELEASES PRINCIPLES FOR HIV CRIMINAL LAW REFORM
February 27, 2015 - Today, in the wake of recent court decisions rejecting several applications of the criminal law to people with HIV, the Positive Justice Project (PJP), a national coalition challenging HIV criminal law policies in the United States,
released a set of principles to guide the modernization of state HIV criminal laws across the country.
Poster International AIDS Candlelight Memorial 2015
February 27, 2015 - The poster for the 2015 International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on 17 May 2015 is now available.
The theme ‘Supporting the future’ calls on people from communities around the world to unite and demand a sustainable AIDS response.
The end of AIDS?
February 27, 2015 - In this issue of The Lancet HIV, a study by Viviane
Lima and colleagues provides irrefutable evidence of just how comprehensive coverage with antiretroviral
drugs can drive down the incidence of AIDS. Using data on people living with HIV in British Columbia,
Canada, from 1990 to 2013, the researchers from the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in
Vancouver show how the introduction of combination antiretroviral drugs in 1996 precipitously reduced
AIDS morbidity and mortality.
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Conversations from CROI 2015: White House Director of ONAP - Douglas Brooks
Published on Feb 27, 2015 - While at the CROI this week in Seattle, Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, HHS talked with Mr. Douglas Brooks, Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy.
Zero Discrimination Day to be celebrated around the world
GENEVA, 26 February 2015 - Discrimination continues to affect the lives of millions of people around the world. On 1 March, Zero Discrimination Day, people
from all corners of the world will unite under the theme of Open Up, Reach Out in order to celebrate diversity and reject discrimination in all its forms.
Starting HIV treatment at CD4 count above 500 reduces the risk of serious illness and death by 44%, African Temprano trial shows
26 February 2015 - Starting HIV treatment at a CD4 cell count above 500 reduced the risk of serious illness including tuberculosis (TB), and death, by 44% when compared to starting
treatment according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, results from the seven-year Temprano study show. The findings were presented on Wednesday at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2015) in Seattle, USA.
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HIV Controls Its Activity Independent of Host Cells
February 26, 2015 - NIH-Supported Researchers Find Latency Gives Virus Survival Advantage
A major hurdle to curing people of HIV infection is the way the virus hides in a reservoir composed primarily of dormant immune cells. It is generally believed that HIV does not replicate in these cells because the virus depends on active cellular machinery to do so.
Now, two new papers by NIAID grantees propose that the virus itself—not cells—controls whether HIV is replicating, and that periods of latency paradoxically give the virus a survival advantage. The findings may explain why HIV cure strategies to awaken cells in the latent reservoir have not succeeded.
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PrEP use high, effective among HIV serodiscordant African couples
February 26, 2015 - SEATTLE - Pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among high-risk HIV serodiscordant couples in Africa appears to be high, and a time-limited approach to treatment nearly eliminated HIV transmission in this population, researchers reported here.
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US PEPFAR abstinence and faithfulness funding had no impact on sexual behaviour in Africa
26 February 2015 - Nearly US$1.3 billion spent on US-funded programmes to promote abstinence and faithfulness in sub-Saharan Africa had no significant impact on sexual behaviour in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, an analysis of sexual behaviour data has shown. The preliminary findings were presented by Nathan Lo of Stanford University School of Medicine at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2015) in Seattle, USA, on Thursday.
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Starting HIV treatment at CD4 count above 500 reduces the risk of serious illness and death by 44%, African Temprano trial shows
26 February 2015 - Starting HIV treatment at a CD4 cell count above 500 reduced the risk of serious illness including tuberculosis (TB), and death, by 44% when compared to starting treatment according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, results from the seven-year Temprano study show. The findings were presented on Wednesday at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2015) in Seattle, USA.
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New study on PrEP offers hope but a rights-based approach must be central
February 26, 2015 - The development and availability of a new prevention tool (in addition to condoms) is very good news for sero-discordant couples, also reflected in the positive results of a study released during CROI,
The Partners PrEP Demonstration Project, as it supports the rights of people living with HIV and their sexual partner(s) of negative status to enjoy healthy, satisfying sex lives.
However, whilst the results offer new options for prevention of HIV, GNP+ is mindful of the fact that freedom of choice and respect for the rights of individuals must remain at the heart of all decisions around prevention and treatment of HIV.
Using 90-90-90 strategy to end AIDS
26/02/2015 - There is consensus that there is a need for a clear strategy to end AIDS by 2030. UNAIDS and other actors in the global response to HIV have come up with a fast-track strategy known as the ‘90-90-90.’
According to this approach, all actors in the HIV and AIDS response need to move towards ensuring that 90% of all people living with HIV know HIV status, 90% of those who test positive to HIV are provided with anti-retroviral therapy, and of those, 90% should achieve virologic suppression-levels of virus below those detectable by standard tests.
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HIV CARE IN NYC
Published on Feb 25, 2015 - Linkage to Care and Viral Suppression Among New HIV Diagnoses, New York City, 2006-13 Lucia Torian, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,
Long Island City, NY, US
Conversations from CROI 2015: CDC's Dr. Jonathan Mermin
Published on Feb 25, 2015
British Columbia researchers examine past and future directions in the HIV epidemic
25 February 2015 - Researchers at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (CfE) in Vancouver have amassed extensive health-related data collected from HIV-positive people.
These data have been stripped of information that could be used to identify individual patients. From time to time this data is analysed to produce reports. Recently, researchers at the CfE sought to examine trends in
AIDS-related illnesses (infections, cancers and complications) between 1981 and 2013. They found that rates of AIDS-related illnesses and deaths fell once potent combination anti-HIV therapy (commonly called ART or HAART) became available in the mid-to-late 1990s. Data from the CfE has also contributed to many reports, including one that predicts near-normal life span for some HIV-positive people.
Disappointing result for tenofovir-gel microbicide shows that young women still lack HIV prevention methods they can use
25 February 2015 - Among some highly promising results from HIV prevention studies presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2015) in
Seattle, USA, today, there was one disappointment. FACTS 001, a study testing the efficacy against HIV of a vaginal microbicide gel containing tenofovir, produced a null result: there was no difference in the HIV infection rate in young women given the gel and the rate in young women given a placebo gel.
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A research agenda for HIV survivors
February 25, 2015 - Chronic disease among HIV positive people has been overlooked, say K. M. Venkat Narayan and Sten Vermund.
Over 35 million people worldwide are living with HIV. Massive global efforts and investments to deliver combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) have transformed a fatal infectious disease into a chronic, treatable disease.
HIV-infected people who comply with ART now have near-normal lifespans — but as a result they may face the new threat of chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Stress, stigma, aging and HIV-related inflammatory changes increase the risk of some
cancers as well as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease and mental health problems.
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Caribbean countries concerned over new strain of HIV/AIDS virus
February 25, 2015 - CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) - Caribbean countries were on Wednesday expressing concerns over a new strain of HIV virus that has been identified by Cuban scientists.
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7-country study shows triple-drug combination superior for preventing infant HIV infection
25 February 2015 - Implementing the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of three-drug antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy leads to a significantly lower rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission, a 7-country randomised study has shown. The results of the PROMISE study, conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and India, were presented on Tuesday at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2015) in Seattle, USA.
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PrEP use rising in San Francisco, but scaling up could further cut new infections
25 February 2015 - Use of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) pre-exposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, is increasing in San Francisco, but it is still only reaching about one-third of people who could benefit, and wider use
could reduce new HIV infections by 70%, according to a report yesterday at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2015) in Seattle, USA.
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CDC Statement on IPERGAY Trial of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention among Men Who Have Sex with Men
February 23, 2015 - Today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), the French national HIV research agency ANRS announced results of the IPERGAY trial,
which examined a novel dosing strategy for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, among men who have sex with men (MSM). The study evaluated a three-day PrEP regimen of tenofovir plus emtricitabine (brand name Truvada) designed to be taken orally before and after sex. The researchers reported that PrEP reduced HIV risk among the MSM who were prescribed this regimen by an average of 86 percent.
HIV Stigma in Health Care Settings: A Need for Greater Partnership of Doctors and Lawyers in Ending AIDS
February 24, 2015 - The global health community has been debating when we will reach the end of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As of 2012, 96% of governments had stepped up to the challenges of managing the epidemic within their own borders by redoubling country investments and integrating HIV planning with national
health agendas. However, it is increasingly apparent that ending AIDS cannot be achieved without national plans that address gender inequalities and the disproportionate discrimination against HIV-positive women, including within health care settings. As an M.D./J.D. student studying the care of HIV-positive women and the diverse legal systems
supporting their human rights, I see the global HIV response as lacking vital partnerships between medical and legal communities.
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'On-demand' PrEP regimen successful among MSM
February 24, 2015 - SEATTLE - An “on-demand” pre-exposure prophylaxis regimen was highly successful at preventing HIV among men who have sex with men, according to results of the ANRS Ipergay trial.
The regimen involves taking Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine, Gilead Sciences) before and after each sexual encounter: two pills taken 2 to 24 hours before sex, one pill taken 24 hours later and one pill taken 48 hours after the first drug intake.
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PrEP demonstrates more protection than expected in real-life setting
February 24, 2015 - SEATTLE - In a real-world setting, pre-exposure prophylaxis conferred even higher levels of protection against HIV among men who have sex with men than previously observed in placebo-controlled trials, according to data from the PROUD study, presented at CROI 2015.
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BIOLYTICALS INSTI HIV ASSAY RECEIVES FDA APPROVAL FOR HIV-2
RICHMOND, B.C., Feb. 24, 2015 - bioLytical Laboratories Inc., a leading manufacturer of point-of-care rapid diagnostic tests, announced today that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
approval of its INSTI HIV Antibody Test for use in detecting antibodies to HIV type 2 (HIV-2). With this approval, the INSTI HIV-1/2 Antibody Test is available for use in detecting HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies in as little as 60 seconds.
Fungal disease deaths: just ‘$30 a person’ for global AIDS reduction
24 Feb 2015 - Currently about 1,500,000 people die of AIDS and its complications each year.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) stops 86% of HIV infections in PROUD study
24 February 2015 - A study of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the English PROUD study, demonstrated the highest effectiveness yet seen for this method of HIV prevention, the Conference on Retroviruses
and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2015) in Seattle, USA, heard today.
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Report: Impact of HIV on Black Gay Men is ‘Greatest’ Failure of US Response to AIDS
Feb 24, 2015 - “Our nation’s inability to effectively address HIV infections among Black gay men . . . is one of the greatest failures of the U.S. HIV/AIDS response,” according to health policy analysts from The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). Writing in HIV and the Black Community:
Do #Black(GAY)Lives Matter?, the amfAR analysts note that while HIV infections have decreased among members of the Black community vulnerable to HIV (Black women; babies; and injection drug users), they continue to increase among Black gay and bisexual men. In fact, Black gay men currently account for more than half (53%) of all
new HIV infections among Black Americans each year.
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Study That Paid Patients to Take H.I.V. Drugs Fails
FEB. 24, 2015 - SEATTLE - A major study testing whether Americans would take their H.I.V. drugs every day if they were paid to do so has essentially failed, the scientists running it announced Tuesday at an AIDS conference here.
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AIDS drug taken before and after sex can help prevent HIV infection in gay men: study
February 24, 2015 - Seattle - The study, done in France and Canada, is the first to test "on demand" use of Truvada, a pill combining two AIDS drugs, by people planning to have risky sex. The uninfected men who took it were 86 per cent less likely to get HIV compared to men given dummy pills.
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Venezuelan Health Ministry to Distribute 18 Million Free Condoms
Caracas, February 23, 2015 - The Venezuelan Health Ministry announced on Friday that the National Public Health System will distribute 18 million condoms for men and women free of charge over the course of 2015.
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Local spending on HIV prevention in England plunges to 70p per person, per year
24 February 2015 - Cuts to HIV Prevention England programme also confirmed
HIV prevention in England is underfunded and deprioritised, says the National AIDS Trust (NAT). Whereas £55 million was allocated to local activities in 2001-02, the figure for high-prevalence areas in 2014-15 was just over
£10 million – which works out as just 70p (US$1) per person, per year. The charity says that this level of spending is unlikely to have any impact on the rate of new infections.
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Most HIV Infections Come From Undiagnosed or Untreated
Feb. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) - Findings suggest there's a long way to go in containing spread of the disease
If an American becomes infected with HIV, chances are he or she contracted the virus from someone who didn't know they were infected or wasn't getting proper treatment.
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Scientists hope an AIDS vaccine lies in llamas
February 23, 2015 - LIMA, Peru - The cute Andean animal’s antibodies are nearly 100 percent effective in stopping the deadly virus from spreading, researchers say.
The discovery was made after three llamas were injected with a portion of the AIDS virus. After the antibodies were given a chance to develop, the animals' blood was then extracted and examined.
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Jakim’s anti-homosexuality flyers do more harm than good, say HIV experts
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 - Anti-homosexuality flyers distributed by the federal Islamic authorities have been derided by experts on HIV and AIDS, who said that its “misinformation” and “stigmatisation” will only drive vulnerable groups away.
The flyers by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) was also panned for providing allegedly misleading facts, and ignoring the purported environment of hate, discrimination, violence and judgment against local homosexuals.
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HIV transmission at each step of the care continuum in the United States
23-Feb-2015 - Individuals infected but undiagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and those individuals diagnosed with HIV
but not yet in medical care accounted for more than 90 percent of the estimated 45,000 HIV transmissions in 2009, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine .
New edition: HIV, mental health & emotional wellbeing booklet
23 February 2015 - Living well with HIV
Looking after your health is not just about medical tests, taking antiretroviral treatment, eating well and exercising, although all of these things are important. Emotional difficulties and problems with mental health can affect anybody, but living with a long-term
illness like HIV can mean that you are more likely to experience mental health problems. This booklet provides information on emotional wellbeing and mental health for people living with HIV.
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WHO calls for worldwide use of "smart" syringes
23 February 2015 | Geneva - Use of the same syringe or needle to give injections to more than one person is driving the spread of a number of deadly infectious diseases worldwide.
Millions of people could be protected from infections acquired through unsafe injections if all health-care programmes switched to syringes that cannot be used more than once. For these reasons, the World Health
Organization (WHO) is launching a new policy on injection safety and a global campaign with support from the IKEA Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to help all countries tackle the pervasive issue of unsafe injections.
9 in 10 new U.S. HIV infections come from people not receiving HIV care
February 23, 2015 - New CDC analysis reinforces importance of HIV testing and treatment for health and prevention
More than 90 percent of new HIV infections in the United States could be averted by diagnosing people living with HIV and ensuring they receive prompt, ongoing care and treatment. This finding was published today in JAMA Internal Medicine by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Low CD4 count important risk factor for oral HPV infection in patients with HIV
23 February 2015 - A low CD4 count is the single most important risk factor for oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in HIV-positive patients, investigators from the United States report in the online edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
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New Hepatitis C drug Sovaldi needed in B.C., say desperate patients
February 20, 2015 - One pill of Sovaldi costs $650 - it can take up to $110,000 to treat one patient with Hep C
Hepatitis C patients in B.C. are fighting to get access to new drug Sovaldi, which could cure them, but could also cost the provincial government up to $2.75 billion.
There are currently up to 60,000 British Columbians living with the contagious liver disease, which begins as a mild viral infection lasting a few weeks but can lead to a chronic, lifelong illness.
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Kaiser reverses plan to sharply boost patient cost of HIV drugs
February 20, 2015 - Kaiser Permanente has backed off of a move to increase the cost of certain HIV drugs — in some cases charging patients hundreds of dollars a month for medications to
control their infection — after a major backlash from patient advocates and politicians.
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The Origin Story of the Worldwide AIDS Epidemic [Excerpt]
February 20, 2015 - Author David Quammen traces HIV from a forest in Africa in his new book, investigating how it came to infect more than 60 million people
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“Anti-Black racism has been central to the structuring of HIV vulnerability in the US and globally.”
February 20, 2015 - Antiblack Racism and the AIDS Epidemic: State Intimacies, Adam M Geary works to flip the script, arguing that within HIV movements we need to focus on the state and the role it plays in reducing life
chances for those most impacted, leading with the fact the state is rooted in antiblack racism. Geary is part of a long legacy of thinkers who work to expose ways in which violent systems govern our lives. In the interview below with Ted Kerr, he discusses his influences, the book, and ways in which
we can understand homophobia as fueling current HIV prevention methods.
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HIV vaccine hopes raised by new method for blocking virus
February 20, 2015 - Scientists in the United States are working on a method to block the HIV virus from infecting cells and causing AIDS -- a new approach that could one day lead to a human vaccine.
The new method stimulates muscle cells to produce proteins that act like a gum that binds up the virus’s surface and prevent it from latching onto and infecting healthy cells.
Without host cells to attach to, the virus eventually disintegrates in the body and gets flushed out.
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Scientific Advances in HIV and HCV To Be Examined Next Week at CROI 2015
February 20, 2015 - The 2015 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) Exit Disclaimer takes place next week in Seattle, Washington, and AIDS.gov will be there. This annual scientific meeting of the world’s
leading researchers working to understand, prevent, and treat HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C (HCV), Ebola, and related infectious diseases provides a vital forum for translating laboratory and clinical research into progress against these diseases. Several thousand HIV/AIDS and
infectious disease research leaders from dozens of countries will assemble to share the latest studies, important developments, and research methods.
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HIV-infected women with HPV at increased risk for high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia
February 20, 2015 - Women with HIV and a history of HPV-related cervical disease are at heightened risk for developing high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia, and screening for anal cancer may be warranted in this population, according to recent findings.
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Government urged to spend more on HIV prevention
Feb. 20, 2015 - A report by leading HIV charity the National AIDS Trust (NAT), has said not enough money is being spent on HIV prevention to have any impact on new infections.
The NAT estimates that in 2014/15, £15 million was spent across the UK on HIV prevention, compared to £55 million which was allocated in the years 2001/02.
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Timothy Ray Brown: the accidental AIDS icon
Feb. 20, 2015 - The ‘Berlin patient’ didn’t ask to be cured of HIV; now he wants a cure for all
Timothy Ray Brown became an icon the day he came out as the previously anonymous “Berlin patient” — the first and still only person in the world to be cured of the virus that causes AIDS. But the path to becoming the personification of hope
for the 35 million people worldwide infected with HIV has been more challenging — and more convoluted — than many people realize.
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NO HIV/AIDS in 2022 – King
Feb. 20, 2015 - …His Majesty assures the nation that he will personally see to it that the First World Swaziland is HIV and AIDS free.
THERE was unprecedented clapping of hands in the House of Assembly as His Majesty King Mswati III assured the Swazi nation that he would personally see to it that the First World Swaziland is HIV and AIDS free.
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CWRU dental researcher demonstrates how T cells cause inflammation during infections
20-Feb-2015 - Case Western Reserve University dental researcher Pushpa Pandiyan has discovered a new way to model how infection-fighting T cells cause inflammation in mice.
The hope is that the discovery can lead to new therapies or drugs that jump-start weakened or poorly functioning immune systems, said Pandiyan, an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine.
100 Women of D.A.P. to mark National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Tuesday, March 10 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM
PALM SPRINGS, CA, February 20, 2015 - Everyone is invited to hear a bit of “Generation Y” perspective from HIV activist and author, Paige Rawl, at a free event at the Sinatra Auditorium at Desert Regional Medical Center on Tuesday, March 10, beginning at 5:00 PM.
Everyone is invited to hear a bit of “Generation Y” perspective from HIV activist and author, Paige Rawl, at a free event at the Sinatra Auditorium at Desert Regional Medical Center on Tuesday, March 10, beginning at 5:00 PM.
UCSF Physicians, SFGH Nurse Honored by San Francisco General Hospital Foundation
February 19, 2015 - Two longtime UC San Francisco physician-researchers and a nurse with the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) have received the 2015 Heroes & Hearts Award bestowed by the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Diane Havlir, MD, Edgar Pierluissi, MD, and Maya Vasquez, RN, were honored at the Foundation’s annual awards luncheon on Feb. 12 for their “impact on the community through their work at The General.”
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BARBER AND BEAUTY SHOPS SPREAD HIV INFO
February 19, 2015 - Health officials have been going to a new source to try to get the word out about HIV and AIDS prevention, education and treatment. They are partnering with local barbershops and beauty salons.
Watch video...
Celibacy Challenge
Published on Feb 19, 2015 - Sign GLAAD and GMHC’s petition at www.celibacychallenge.com to pressure the FDA to screen all prospective blood donors based on risk, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
With future of HIV prevention “on the line,” AVAC calls for sharper, bolder strategy to end the epidemic
Feb. 19, 2015 - NEW YORK - In a report issued today, AVAC warned that global HIV prevention efforts are in jeopardy due to an absence of strategic targets, resources and specific
implementation plans to translate science, slogans and goals into action. The report calls for a robust set of global HIV prevention targets tailored to specific interventions and demands action in several key areas of the
global AIDS response, including expanded rollout of daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, and alignment of science and human rights-based agendas.
Some HIV Strains Cause Early Damage to Immune System, Study Finds
Feb. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) - Fast-replicating strains of HIV damage the immune system in the very early stages of infection, resulting in quicker disease progression, a new study says.
The results confirmed previous findings that people with faster-replicating HIV strains have a quicker decline in levels of infection-fighting immune system CD4 T-cells, the researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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amfAR Announces $100 Million Investment Strategy Aimed at Curing HIV
NEW YORK, N.Y., Feb. 19, 2015 - Plan Includes $20 Million, Five-Year Grant to Establish and Fund a Cure-Focused HIV/AIDS Research Institute
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research , today announced that it has created a $100 million investment strategy in support of its Countdown to a Cure for AIDS initiative, launched last year with the aim of developing
the scientific basis of a cure by 2020. The establishment of the amfAR Institute for HIV Cure Research within a major academic research institution with a grant of $20 million will be the centerpiece of the investment strategy.
Q&A with Dr. Julio Montaner, M.D
February 2015 - Once a person is diagnosed with HIV, it is important they receive treatment as soon as possible in order to reduce the amount of virus in their blood and sexual fluids.
Once the virus is at undetectable levels, the disease is virtually in remission (that is to say that the chances of progression to AIDS and death are virtually eliminated), and additionally, the chances of transmitting HIV are dramatically reduced.
6 Ways You Can Get HIV
February 19, 2015 - If you think that HIV happens to other people, you may want to think again.
People make assumptions about the kind of people who get HIV. Some think that it is only an issue for people who are promiscuous, poor, a minority, or gay. With the false safety of these beliefs, people make mistakes that could result in a rude awakening.
More than half of young people who are living with HIV are unaware of their status, and HIV infections are on the rise. So don’t be naïve about the kinds of people who can get HIV, because no one is immune to infection and almost everyone has had an experience that could have been life changing.
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NIH-sponsored HIV vaccine trial launches in South Africa
18-Feb-2015 - Early-stage trial aims to build on RV144 results
A clinical trial called HVTN 100 has been launched in South Africa to study an investigational HIV vaccine regimen for safety and the immune responses it generates in study participants. This experimental vaccine regimen is based on the one tested in the U.S. Military HIV Research Program-led RV144 clinical trial in Thailand--the first study to demonstrate that a vaccine can protect people from HIV infection.
AIDS Committee of Ottawa celebrates its new home
Feb 18, 2015 - A move to an independent building marks new changes, new plans
The AIDS Committee of Ottawa (ACO) has completed its move to a new, expanded office on Main Street.
Scripps Florida Scientists Announce Anti-HIV Agent So Powerful It Can Work in a Vaccine
JUPITER, FL – February 18, 2015 - In a remarkable new advance against the virus that causes AIDS, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have
announced the creation of a novel drug candidate that is so potent and universally effective, it might work as part of an unconventional vaccine.
MS drug Tysabri shows promise in efforts to combat HIV's 'viral reservoirs'
CHESTNUT HILL, MA (Feb. 18, 2015) - Experimental results show drug can block seeding of virus in the brain and gut
A drug used to treat patients with Crohn's disease and multiple sclerosis has helped scientists confirm how "viral reservoirs" form in patients living with HIV and also proven
effective in animal trials at blocking the pathways to those reservoirs in the brain and gut, a team of researchers reported recently in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
Be actively involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS
February 18, 2015 - Whether positive or negative, we all have an HIV status and alleviating the virus from all corners of the world is in everyone’s best interest.
In Canada, it is safe to say the virus is well under control. The few people struggling with the infection have free access to drugs and programs to ensure they don’t get to the AIDS stage.
That’s not so much the case in most African countries where AIDS is the leading cause of death among adolescents.
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With genetic engineering, scientists use decoy molecule to trick HIV
February 18, 2015 - Instead of using a vaccine to stimulate the body's own immune system, so that it produces HIV antibodies, scientists are bypassing the immune system entirely.
In experiments involving rats and monkeys, the researchers have used non-life-threatening viruses to alter the animals' genome so that its cells produce designer molecules capable of neutralizing HIV.
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HIV-positive status will not impede visa eligibility
February 18, 2015 - An HIV infection used to be considered a public health condition, which prevented non-US citizens from entering the United States.
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Early antiretroviral treatment reduces seizure risk by two-thirds for children with HIV
18 February 2015 - Early antiretroviral therapy prevents the development of epilepsy in children with HIV, results of a study conducted
in Botswana and published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes demonstrate.
Starting treatment early reduced the risk of developing epilepsy by almost two-thirds.
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amfAR Report Examines Controversial Pricing of Hepatitis C Treatment
NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2015 - CDC says one in three Black gay men in the U.S. is living with HIV; Report urges stronger national effort to reduce HIV disparities and better support community
Despite important price reductions for some low- and middle-income countries, the exorbitant drug pricing of breakthrough treatments for hepatitis C (HCV) infection will inevitably limit access to the drugs, leading
to unnecessary loss of life, according to a new report from amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. While the new drugs have made curing HCV easier and more effective, the report finds that the aggressive pricing of the treatments will
place an unjustifiable and unsustainable burden on healthcare systems in the U.S. and around the world, with potentially devastating consequences for people living with HCV.
Leaders from around the world are All In to end the AIDS epidemic among adolescents
17 February 2015 - AIDS has become the leading cause of death for adolescents in Africa and the second leading cause of death among adolescents globally. Just one in four children and adolescents under the age of 15 have access to life-saving antiretroviral treatment. Deaths are declining in all age groups, except among 10–19 year olds.
Patients with lymphoma can achieve long-term survival regardless of HIV
February 17, 2015 - Patients with the most common aggressive forms of AIDS-related non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas who receive appropriate therapy can achieve outcomes comparable to those experienced by patients who are not immunocompromised, according to results of a pooled analysis.
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CWRU researcher gets nearly $4 million to study effect of leaky gut in HIV/AIDS patients
February 17, 2015 - CLEVELAND, Ohio - A researcher at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is one of five scientists nationwide to receive the 2015 National Institute on Drug Abuse Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research.
Alan Levine, a professor of medicine, molecular biology and microbiology, pathology and pharmacology at CWRU, will use the five-year, $2.5 million award - plus an additional $1.4 million from the National Institutes of Health - to study if the combination of having HIV and abusing illegal drugs increases the severity of gut leakiness.
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Malaysia is ‘world leader’ in battling HIV spread with needles, says UK report
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 - A UK-based group has commended Malaysia as a “world leader” in harm reduction for the country’s controversial needle exchange and methadone programme hailed for its relative success in combating the HIV epidemic caused mainly by injecting drug use.
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To end the AIDS epidemic, start focusing on adolescents
17 February 2015 - When you are an adolescent, you are supposed to feel as if you could live forever. And, indeed, adolescents are less vulnerable to disease and more resilient. Their survival rates are as high as their youthful spirits.
But HIV changes everything. It is shocking that more adolescents die every year from AIDS-related illnesses than from any other cause except road accidents. In 2013 alone, 120 000 adolescents died from AIDS-related causes: more than 300 every day.
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BIOLYTICALS INSTI HIV/SYPHILIS MULTIPLEX TEST CLEARED FOR EUROPEAN MARKET
RICHMOND, B.C., Feb. 16, 2015 - bioLytical Laboratories Inc., a leading manufacturer of rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests, announced today that its INSTITM HIV/Syphilis Multiplex Test has been cleared for immediate market entry in the European Union through its Notified Body. With this approval, the INSTITM HIV/Syphilis Multiplex Test is available for simultaneous detection of Syphilis, HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies in as little as 60 seconds.
Grandmothers of Prince Albert host third annual ‘Heart to Heart’ tea
February 16, 2015 - The third annual Grandmothers For Grandmothers Heart to Heart Tea was sold out in spite of the blustery weather that swirled outside the Mann Art Gallery on Saturday.
Grandmothers For Grandmothers is a national organization, which fundraises for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. The foundation invests in grassroots organizations, which works with communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, providing grandmothers and the children in their care with life’s necessities such as food,
educational supplies, uniforms, school fees, medical care and HIV counseling.
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Nigeria passes law to stop discrimination related to HIV
ABUJA, 16 February 2015 (UNAIDS) - The President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has signed a new antidiscrimination bill into law that protects the rights and dignity of people living with HIV.
The HIV/AIDS Anti-Discrimination Act 2014 makes it illegal to discriminate against people based on their HIV status. It also prohibits any employer, individual or organization from requiring a person to take an HIV test as a precondition for employment or access to services.
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New sex worker law causes 'grave concerns'
February 16, 2015 - The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, and some 190 lawyers across the country also do not believe that the new sex work laws will withstand constitutional scrutiny.
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Patients with HIV can safely receive kidneys from deceased HIV-positive donors, with good five-year survival rates
16 February 2015 - HIV-positive patients can safely receive kidneys from deceased HIV-infected donors, investigators from South Africa report in the February 12th edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. Survival rates one, three and five years after transplantation
were comparable to those observed in HIV-negative kidney transplant patients. HIV infection remained well controlled but infections were an important cause of death and hospitalisation.
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Women living with HIV: a matter of safety and respect
February 16, 2015 - Last month the results of a global survey on women living with HIV were published. The survey was designed and conducted by women, and commissioned by the World Health Organisation. Will the findings be acted upon?
In 2014 the World Health Organisation commissioned the largest international survey to date on the sexual and reproductive health and human rights of women living with HIV. The survey was designed, led and conducted by women living with HIV. Last month the global survey was published: Building A Safe House On Firm Ground.
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Low condom use aids spread of HIV
February 16, 2015 - Low use of condoms is impacting negatively the fight against HIV and Aids.
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70% sex workers HIV positive
Feb. 16, 2015 - STUDIES have revealed that there is about 70 percent HIV and AIDS prevalence rate within sex workers in the country.
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Fast-acting HIV strain in Cuba troubles AIDS researchers
February 15, 2015 - The strain of human immunodeficiency virus — a combination of three subtypes of the virus — progresses so fast that researchers worry infected patients may not seek antiretroviral therapy until too late.
A strain of HIV that progresses to full-blown AIDS within three years if left untreated has become “epidemic” among newly infected patients in Cuba who reported having unprotected sex with multiple partners, according to a study published last week by international researchers
working with patients and doctors in the Caribbean island nation.
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Children being treated for STIs
Feb. 15, 2015 - It seems the country’s fight against HIV/AIDS is yet to intensify as children as young as 12 years are now being treated for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
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Cricket champions bat for HIV prevention at ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Feb. 15, 2015 - Islamabad: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has launched a new edition of its HIV awareness campaign, THINK WISE in partnership with the Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). During the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand, cricket stars will unite to support the initiative, which has been active since 2003.
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Nigeria will soon get herbal solution to HIV/AIDS –Researchers
February 15, 2015 - If the current efforts by local scientists and researchers are sustained and encouraged by the Federal Government, very soon Nigeria will get an indigenous herbal remedy that will
be accepted internationally for the management of HIV/AIDS.
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Prostitution should be legalised – Malawi study
February 15, 2015 - Laws criminalising women working as prostitutes should be scrapped, a study commissioned by the Coalition of Women Living with HIV and Aids (Cowla) to document, review
and analyse the existing literature on key variables around violence against women, has concluded.
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Brazil uses covert Tinder campaign to raise AIDS awareness
February 14, 2015 - "Looking for men and women for no-strings attached sex, preferably no condoms?" reads the enticingly explicit message seemingly posted by a young Brazilian woman on popular meet-up mobile site Tinder.
In reality, though, the poster is not a sultry Brazilian redhead. Rather, the message has been sent by the ministry of health as part of an in-your-face AIDS prevention campaign.
Anybody responding to the invitation purportedly sent by "Alana" gets not a hot date but a phone screen warning message reading: "Attention, it is difficult to know who is an AIDS carrier. Enjoy yourself -- but take care. This is a campaign by the ministry of health."
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After HIV outbreak, focus on unlicensed doctors
14 February 2015 - The vast majority of Cambodians turn to travelling doctors, pharmacies or traditional healers when they get sick. Are they doing more harm than good?
Private healthcare has overshadowed the public system for decades, and remains beyond the regulatory grasp of the government. But since an HIV/AIDs outbreak was discovered in December in Battambang’s Rokha commune,
unlicensed medics have come under increased scrutiny. The outbreak, which affected more than 200 people, was blamed on an unofficial medic’s reused needles.
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Opera Arts Palm Springs Honors Greg Louganis' LGBT Work
Feb. 14, 2015 - Documentary film gives Olympic champion diver a platform to reach a new audience
With the publication of his biography, Breaking the Surface in 1995 followed by a made-for-TV movie, Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis left his comfort zone behind.
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Opera Arts Palm Springs Honors Greg Louganis' LGBT Work
Feb. 14, 2015 - Documentary film gives Olympic champion diver a platform to reach a new audience
New research from South Africa shows that HIV infection is not a barrier for kidney transplants between people living with HIV (PLHIV), making kidney transplantation from an HIV-positive donor an additional treatment option for PLHIV requiring renal-replacement therapy.
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HIV Experts to Present Cutting-Edge HIV Science in Vancouver
13 February 2015, (Geneva, Switzerland) - IAS announces plenary line-up for 8th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2015)
The International AIDS Society today announced the 12 plenary presentations that will lead the 8th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2015) held in Vancouver, Canada from 19-22 July 2015.
This year’s conference, hosted in partnership with the University of British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, is expected to bring together more than 6,000 participants from over 125 countries.
IAVI RECEIVES GSK FUNDING FOR THE HUMAN VACCINES PROJECT TO ACCELERATE DEVELOPMENT OF VACCINES FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND CANCER
NEW YORK, February 13, 2015 - The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) has received a grant of US$350,000 from GSK to support implementation of the Human Vaccines Project, a new public-private partnership seeking to transform global disease prevention by collaboratively addressing some of the key scientific challenges in vaccine development across diseases.
“To make an active change within the community, women living with HIV need to find their self-love.”
February 13, 2015 - LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN (LPW) is an ongoing project established by Visual AIDS artist member Jessica Whitbread in 2013. LPW is an international series of grassroots events that uses Valentines Day as a backdrop, creating a platform for
individuals and communities to engage in public and private acts of love and caring for women living with HIV. Working from a place of strength, LPW focuses on the idea of interconnectedness, relationship building, loving oneself and loving ones community.
Marissa Smith was one of LPW's earliest collaborators, and in the interview below, she discusses her LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN Makeover Photoshoot, the particular experiences of women living with HIV, and the importance of self-care.
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The 20 Most Amazing HIV-Positive Women of 2015
February 2015 - Tami Haught: A leading organizer and champion of anti-criminalization efforts for people with HIV, Haught helped organize the world's first HIV Is Not a Crime conference.
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Fenway Institute To Serve As Testing Site For Innovative HIV Vaccine Studies
02.13.2015 - Since the 1980s, Fenway Health has been a leader in HIV/AIDS prevention research and education. In that tradition, The Fenway Institute will soon serve as a site for two upcoming vaccine studies that
have the potential to significantly reduce the number of new HIV infections: HVTN 106 and HVTN 110.
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Health Officials Hand Out NYC-Branded Condoms at Sex Museum
Feb. 13, 2015 - The new condom campaign will include subway ads and social media ads with the message, "Be sexy, be safe."
Health officials announced a new campaign Friday to promote New York City's condom giveaway program, which distributes tens of millions of condoms annually in an effort to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies.
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The Search for a Permanent Alternative to HIV Drugs
Feb. 13, 2015 - Researchers Carefully Tailor a Study to Find Patients to Test Going Off Antiretroviral Medication
A handful of patients here infected with HIV are about to stop taking the medicine that has turned their condition from a death sentence into a manageable condition.
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New form of HIV turns into AIDS before victims realise they are infected
13 Feb 2015 - A new ‘aggressive’ form of HIV develops into AIDS so quickly patients can develop symptoms before they realise they are infected.
The new variant can progress to AIDS in just three years, say scientists from Belgium’s KU Leuven.
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Rise in HIV cases
February 13, 2015 - THE number of HIV cases in the country is slowly increasing, says President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau.
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Health Officials Visit Sex Museum to Promote Condom Handouts
NEW YORK — Feb 13, 2015 - Health officials announced a new campaign Friday to promote New York City's condom giveaway program, which distributes tens of millions of condoms annually in an effort to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies.
"We have successfully wrapped this city in high-quality latex," city Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said at a news conference at the Museum of Sex.
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Positive Living BC Annual Members' Holiday Season Dinner
- Member Testimonial
by Bradford McIntyre
February 12, 2015 - Vancouver, BC: - I have lived with HIV for 31 years. Positive Living BC has played a large supportive role in my life and I have been a Member for the last 19 years.
The Members Dinner gives us the opportunity to spend an evening together socializing and celebrating with one another for the holiday season. Through the evening, I am reminded of the help I have received, the friendships made and I remember too those who are no longer with us.
B.C. treatment as prevention strategy gains ground on HIV/AIDS
Feb. 12 2015 - The number of people becoming newly infected with HIV and those dying of AIDS-related causes have both plummeted in British Columbia, thanks largely to the widespread use of antiretrovirals.
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An aggressive form of HIV uncovered in Cuba
12-Feb-2015 - Engaging in unprotected sex with multiple partners increases the risk of contracting multiple strains of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Once inside a host, these strains can recombine into a new variant of the virus. One such recombinant
variant observed in patients in Cuba appears to be much more aggressive than other known forms of HIV. Patients progress to AIDS within three years of infection - so rapidly that they may not even realise they were infected.
Views from the front lines: Counselling serodiscordant couples
Spring 2015 - We spoke to three service providers to find their views and approaches to counselling serodiscordant couples
HIV Among Transgender People
February 2015 - Transgender communities in the United States are among the groups at highest risk for HIV infection.
The term gender identity refers to a person's basic sense of self, and transgender refers to people whose gender identity does not conform to a binary classification of gender based on biological sex, external genitalia, or their
sex assigned at birth. It includes gender-nonconforming people with identities beyond the gender binary who self-identify as: male-to-female or transgender women; female-to-male or transgender men; two-spirit; and people who self-identify simply as women or men.
Olympic diver discusses overcoming HIV/AIDS
February 12, 2015 - Louganis is known for his outstanding performance in both the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games, where he took home gold medals in both the springboard and platform diving competitions. During his presentation,
he shared his experience as an Olympic gold medalist, as a member of the LGBT community and as a survivor of HIV.
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Activists Claim India’s Free HIV/AIDS Program Is In ‘Shambles’
Feb 12, 2015 - India has run out of critical supplies under its state-run HIV/AIDS program, activists say, leaving tens of thousands of infected patients without access to life-saving drugs.
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Pilot study suggests that PrEP for other STIs might work
12 February 2015 - Doxycycline cuts STI rate by 70% in at-risk gay men
A small pilot study using a daily dose of the antibiotic doxycycline as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has found that a group of HIV-positive gay men taking doxycycline was more than 70% less likely
to be infected with an STI than men given financial incentives to avoid STIs, a significant difference. There were 76% fewer cases of syphilis, although the small size of the study meant that this difference was not statistically significant.
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Jamaica on track to end mother-child transmission of HIV
February 12, 2015 - JAMAICA is on track to be among the first countries in the world to reach the targets for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, according to the Ministry of Health.
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CWGHR Announces New Executive Director
Toronto, February 12, 2015 - The Board of Directors of the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR) is pleased to announce that Tammy C. Yates
has been selected as the new Executive Director (ED). The selection was made after an extensive national search and recruitment process, which was managed by executive recruitment firm Odgers Berndtson.
Volunteer Posting – CHIWOS Study: More participants needed for study about the health of women living with HIV in Canada
February 11, 2015 - Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Study (CHIWOS), is seeking at at least another 30 participants for a study about the health of women living with HIV in Canada. To date, 320 women in BC and over 1,250 women nationally have participated.
CHIWOS would like to recruit at least another 30 participants by March including 17 in the Interior, and 3-6 in all other regions, and strongly encourage participation from young women (under 30), trans women, African Caribbean and Black Canadian women, and women in rural communities to ensure their priorities are represented.
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Kidneys From HIV Donors May Be OK for HIV Patients, Study Finds
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) - South African researchers report 'impressive' results in 27 cases
New research from South Africa suggests that HIV may not be a barrier for kidney transplants between people infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
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Vancouver drug users seek Insite for crack smokers
February 11, 2015 - We need to do a lot more to identify effective treatments for crack and cocaine addiction, but while we’re working on that, we need to keep people alive and free from disease and safe from violence,” said Dr. Thomas Kerr, co-director of the
Addiction and Urban Health Research Initiative at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.
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In the Fight Against HIV/AIDS, We’re All In This Together
February 11, 2015 - Justin Lofton considers himself a “warrior” against HIV/AIDS, a fitting term for a young gay Black man living in Mississippi. In 2013, African Americans accounted for 76 percent of the new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in Mississippi;
and in 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the state capitol, Jackson, ranked fourth among all major metropolitan areas in the nation for the highest rates of HIV infection.
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Outliving Ourselves: Long-Term Survivors of AIDS Come Together
February 11, 2015 - 23 men ranging in age from 44 to 77 sit in a circle. It's a big carpeted space in Lower Manhattan. They are self-described as Long Term Survivors (LTS) of HIV/AIDS.
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AIDS ACTIVISTS PRESS HRC ON UPPING EFFORTS TO FIGHT HIV
February 11, 2015 – New York, NY – The AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) released the text of an open letter to Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as a follow up to its protest of HRC´s gala held on January 31 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.
ACT UP´s open letter to HRC demands more involvement by the nation's largest LGBT organization in the fight against HIV by funding community groups and establishing a liaison to support and coordinate with their work.
Give back safe smoking room to Vancouver crack users, study says
February 11, 2015 - According to the authors of a recently-published study titled “We need somewhere to smoke crack," the room protected crack users from violence, connected them with health care services, kept them away from public spaces and prevented the spread of disease from pipe-sharing
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Call to discuss HIV/ AIDS
February 11, 2015 - PRESIDENT Ratu Epeli Nailatikau has called on parents to start HIV/AIDS education in their homes.
Speaking to students and parents at the Bua Central College hall on Monday, Ratu Epeli reiterated the need for parents to actively talk about HIV/AIDS to their children.
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Boosted PIs lower Kaposi sarcoma incidence
February 10, 2015 - Recent data suggest longer duration of treatment with protease inhibitors boosted with Norvir was associated with a reduced incidence of Kaposi sarcoma among veterans with HIV after at least 1 year of treatment.
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Bringing life back to communities
February 10, 2015 - REGINA - National and local HIV research focused on aboriginal women is underway in the province. And Margaret Poitras could not be happier.
Poitras, executive director of All Nations Hope Network, for several years she has worked directly with those who are living or have been impacted by HIV/AIDS in Regina.
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Building Mini-Brains to Study Disorders Caused by HIV and Meth Use
February 10, 2015 - A University of California, San Diego School of Medicine project involving the creation of miniature models of the human brain – developed with stem cells – to study neurological disorders caused by HIV and methamphetamine
use has been named one of five recipients of the 2015 Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Revivals sadly says farewell to San Diego
PALM SPRINGS, CA, February 10, 2015 - Hillcrest store contributed more than $80,000 in cash and merchandise to area AIDS service organizations
For four years, the Revivals store at 1644 University in Hillcrest has been helping to provide financial support, merchandise vouchers, and in-store promotion to Mama’s Kitchen, the LGBT Center, and Being Alive as they serve those living with or affected by HIV or AIDS.
GNP+ Board co-Chair Ryan Maduro steps down
February 10, 2015 - The Board of Directors of the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) has announced that Ryan Maduro resigned from his position as co-Chair on 16 December 2014 for personal reasons. The
Board extends their heartfelt thanks to him for the time and expertise he has dedicated to the organization since he became a Board member in 2008.
HIV a growing problem in Edmonton and northern Alberta
February 9, 2015 - EDMONTON - An alarming report from the Alberta Health Department shows a continuous increase in the number of sexually transmitted infections in the province.
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1983. HIV/AIDS: Quentin Crisp declares AIDS is ‘just a fad’
February 9, 2015 - Despite becoming one of the most celebrated homosexuals on both sides of the Atlantic, Quentin Crisp was no advocate of LGBT rights. Quite the opposite: he built an entire image as the self-hating outcast.
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Homosexuals in Tanzania excluded from HIV prevention efforts
February 9, 2015 - Homosexuality has been illegal in Tanzania since colonial times. This legislation is still in force, and during the first 30 years of the HIV epidemic homosexuals were almost never mentioned
in HIV prevention campaigns. Today, a growing number of homosexuals in the country have taken up the fight for equal health rights.
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Study yields insight into generating antibodies that target different strains of HIV
February 9, 2015 - Through an investigation of a fundamental process that guides the maturation of immune cells, researchers have revealed new insights into possible ways to vaccinate people to generate potent
antibodies of the type that are predicted to offer protection against diverse strains of the highly mutable HIV.
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2015 Avant-Garde Awards offer extraordinary ideas in HIV/AIDS research
9-Feb-2015 - NIH's awards showcase potentially transformative research on prevention, immune system, drug
A major barrier to finding a cure for HIV/AIDS is the presence of latent HIV in the cells of chronically infected individuals. But a team of Yale and Johns Hopkins researchers may have pinpointed a strategy for eliminating the residual virus.
With proposals ranging from innovative therapies to the development of unique organoid models of the brain, five scientists have been selected to receive the 2015 Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Larry Kramer to Be Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award for AIDS Activism
09 Feb 2015 - Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) will honor playwright and activist Larry Kramer with the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual spring gala March 23.
As reported in The New York Times, GMHC announced that it would create a lifetime achievement award bearing Kramer's name and that he would be its first recipient. In subsequent years, the Larry Kramer Activism Award will be given to new advocates.
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Dame Shirley Bassey Performs at amfAR's New York Gala
February 9, 2015 - On Wednesday, February 11, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, will hold its annual New York Gala. The Foundation will honor legendary activist and revered entertainer, Harry Belafonte; amfAR supporter
and actor, Rosario Dawson; and photographer Patrick Demarchelier, for their exceptional contributions to the global struggle against HIV/AIDS.
The black-tie benefit will be held at Cipriani Wall Street, and will feature a special performance by Dame Shirley Bassey. Harry Winston, Inc. will generously serve as the event's presenting sponsor as part of a new and unprecedented multi-event
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Pioneering AIDS doctor reflects on first cases in S.F. as city strives to eradicate virus
February 8, 2015 - When it comes to one of the world’s deadliest epidemics, Dr. Paul Volberding knows better than anyone how important San Francisco has been in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
On July 1, 1981 — his first day as an oncologist at San Francisco General Hospital — Volberding treated The City’s very first patient with Kaposi’s sarcoma, a previously rare disease that became one of the original AIDS-defining illnesses. The patient was among the first with AIDS to be cared for at the hospital.
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HIV-positive migrants denied care at Thai public hospitals
Feb 8, 2015 - BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Zaw, an illegal Burmese migrant dying of AIDS-related illnesses, spent a weekend hunched over in waiting rooms at three Thai hospitals near Bangkok – each denying him care as he gasped for breath, his lungs full of fluid.
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HIV/AIDS symposium aims to stop discrimination, stigma
February 8, 2015 - Stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS is still an issue in this country and certain laws are contributing to the problem.
So said co-chair of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) Dona Da Costa Martinez as she delivered an address at the opening ceremony of a two-day HIV/AIDS symposium at The Normandie, St Ann’s, on Wednesday.
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Condom Couture Event Benefits AIDS Program
February 8, 2015 - The event was inspired in part by Alexander Brown ’15, AIDS week co-chair, who spoke on his personal struggle with HIV.
“I hope sharing my status helps everyone see HIV and AIDS can happen to anyone,” Brown said of the event. “The stigma still exists.”
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International Women’s Day 2015 Call To Action
February 7, 2015 - International Women's Day is a time for women living with HIV to celebrate individual and shared acts of courage and determination by ICW members worldwide
who play an extraordinary role every day in securing the rights of women living with HIV. It also a day to collectively reflect on the progress we have made together and the work left to be done to achieve equality and improve the lives of women living with HIV.
Actress and advocate Sheryl Lee Ralph talks HIV/AIDS awareness
February 7, 2015 - ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) - Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph is a well known advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness. She is in St. Louis for the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event at Harris-Stowe State University being held Saturday, February 7.
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Steve Chase Awards asks for a world without HIV
February 7, 2015 - A world without HIV/AIDS is what several hundred of the
Coachella Valley's best dressed were asked to "imagine" Saturday night at the 21st annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards.
"We have all been imagining a world without HIV/AIDS," Jim Casey, co-chair of the annual Steve Chase Awards gala, the signature fundraiser for the Desert AIDS Project, told the some 1,350 guests gathered in the Palm Springs Convention Center on Saturday night.
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Why Canada's African, Caribbean and Black Communities Are Most Affected by HIV and AIDS
02/07/2015 -
Last year Joseph walked into a downtown emergency room with a persistent cough and trouble breathing. After a long wait he was examined by a doctor and was immediately admitted. He had a serious case of pneumonia that was getting worse by the day. After
some testing Joseph was informed that he was living with HIV and that his body's immune system had almost lost its ability to fight off infections. Joseph had AIDS and he was totally unaware of it.
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Available for download: Global Fund New Funding Model Country Dialogue Fact Sheets
Trying to understand the Global Fund’s New Funding Model?
APCOM releases 17 tailored country fact sheets to help MSM and transgender civil society engage in Global Fund New Funding Model Country Dialogue
The key feature of the Global Fund’s New Funding Model (NFM) is to ensure the inclusiveness of civil society and key populations (KP), including men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people.
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GAP MAP: LEFT BEHIND IN THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS
February 7, 2015 - Mapping vulnerable HIV populations
“Gap Map” is a new Pulitzer Center visualization that highlights those who are most disproportionately affected by the disease, from transgender sex workers and people who inject drugs to men who have sex with men.
The initiative draws on Pulitzer Center reporting in Russia, India and Uganda, amplifying the voices of these marginalized communities and raising awareness about the stigma and discrimination that many face—and that almost always contributes to increased incidence of HIV.
CAHR 2015- Registration Is Now Open
February 7, 2015 - Registration is open for the 24th Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research (CAHR 2015), which will be held in Toronto, April 30th to May 3rd, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Positive Living BC Urges Health Canada to Provide and Regulate Home HIV Test Kits
February 6, 2015 - Vancouver, BC: - Positive Living BC is calling on Health Canada to take direct action and make federally standardized and regulated home HIV test kits available to Canadians.
If provided, federally regulated and standardized home HIV test kits would be an important, low-barrier healthcare option empowering people to know their HIV status and take necessary steps to care for their health.
amfAR Report Examines Heavy Impact of HIV/AIDS on Black Gay Men in the United States
NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2015 - CDC says one in three Black gay men in the U.S. is living with HIV; Report urges stronger national effort to reduce HIV disparities and better support community
The nation’s inability to effectively address HIV infections among Black gay men is one of the greatest failures of the U.S. HIV/AIDS response, according to a new report released today by amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Despite their disproportionate risk, the report finds that efforts to address the HIV epidemic among Black gay men have been consistently inadequate, and immediate steps must be taken to reduce new HIV infections among this underserved population.
Why do new strains of HIV spread slowly?
5-Feb-2015 - Most HIV epidemics are still dominated by the first strain that entered a particular population. New research published in PLOS Computational Biology offers an explanation of why the global mixing of HIV variants is so slow.
Hundreds of babies born with HIV unnecessarily in Ukraine due to fighting
February 06, 2015 - The war in Ukraine has severely impacted some of the tiniest victims as hundreds of babies were born with HIV unnecessarily last year due to a shortage of vital drugs, a new report says.
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Though Rare, It Is Possible to Develop Drug-Resistant HIV While on PrEP
February 5, 2015 - Resistance can develop to PrEP medications, including Truvada.
A recently published study shows it is possible to develop a medication-resistant strain of HIV while on PrEP.
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500 new cases of HIV/AIDS every year in Baltimore
Feb 5, 2015 - It is no longer a fatal diagnosis, but HIV/AIDS is still a major problem in 2015.
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Khan wants laws to protect sex workers
February 5, 2015 - The challenge ahead to end discrimination and stigma against the HIV-vulnerable group of sex workers, men who have sex with men and drug users, requires enactment of new legislation says Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan.
“In future, legislation will be enacted, hopefully, to make legal, these entities and behaviours,” he said.
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More African Americans still die of HIV than whites and Latinos combined, CDC says
February 5, 2015 - More African Americans still die of HIV than whites and Latinos combined, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, but the black death rate is generally declining more quickly than it is for those other groups.
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Packs of Condoms in Venezuela Now Cost $755
2/5/15 - Venezuela’s faltering economy is so out of control that a pack of 36 condoms now costs close to the monthly minimum wage, and even then they’re difficult to find.
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Pastors discouraging ART treatment warned
Feb 5, 2015 - The Ndola Central Hospital (NCH) NCH Head of Clinical Care Dr. Sebastian Chinkoyo says it is unfortunate that some clergymen in the country were discouraging HIV/AIDS patients from taking the life saving Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART ) drugs leading to their untimely deaths.
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Love, Behavior, and Incentives in the Time of HIV/AIDS
Risk Management and Vulnerability
Date: February 17, 2015
Time: 12:30 - 2:00 pm
Webstreaming
This talk focuses on the behaviors shaping the profile of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Who is more likely to become infected and why? How is HIV risk related to gender, education, or occupation?
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Dr. Julio Montaner speaking on Treatment as Prevention, February 2015
Published on Feb 4, 2015 - Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS speaks on Treatment as Prevention®: Building on the HIV Experience to
Promote Health Care Sustainability and 90-90-90, An ambitious treatment target to help end the AIDS epidemic.
10 Things You Need to Know Before You Have Middle Aged Sex With a New Partner
04/02/2015 - In Canada, research by Fang, Oliver, Jayaraman and Wong (2010) found that between 1997 and 2010, there was a bigger increase in the spread of STI's in people aged 40-59 than there was in those aged 15-29.
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Heart attack risk can decline if the right steps are taken
4 February 2015 - Nearly 15 years ago researchers with the California-based health maintenance organization (HMO) Kaiser Permanente reported a signal of increased risk for heart attacks among HIV-positive people. In their latest report,
the Kaiser researchers reveal a startling change: In recent years the risk for heart attack among HIV-positive people has declined to the same level as among HIV-negative people. We now explore their findings and reasons for this change.
NBLCA to Host “State of HIV in Black America” Forums to Highlight the Ongoing HIV/AIDS Public Health Crisis Impacting African Americans
February 4, 2015 - In observance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (February 7), an annual initiative designed to promote HIV/AIDS prevention education and testing among African Americans, the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, Inc. (NBLCA)
will host the first in a series of national forums, “State of HIV in Black America,” on February 6. The forums will focus public attention on the ongoing HIV/AIDS health crisis disproportionately affecting black communities.
Smartphone accessory tests for HIV, syphilis
February 4, 2015 - Researchers have developed a low-cost smartphone accessory that can be used at the point of care to test for HIV and syphilis infection within 15 minutes, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine.
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An End To HIV In Africa Draws Near As Drugs Are Better Than Ever, But Stigma May Be Final Hurdle
February 04 2015 - Researchers on the front lines of HIV/AIDS eradication have often operated on shoestring budgets and faced an ever-evolving enemy, but perhaps the greatest obstacle to ending the pandemic that has
killed an estimated 39 million people in three decades has been stigma.
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First Combination ARV Vaginal Ring for HIV PreventionFinal results of the HIV prevention study VOICE are published in NEJM Being Tested in Phase I Safety Trial
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 4, 2015 - Secondary analysis suggests many women in the trial probably never used the products but those who did use tenofovir gel had lower risk of HIV
Researchers who conducted VOICE, a major HIV prevention trial involving more than 5,000 women in Africa, describe the study's primary results in this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), outlining in detail how the three products tested were safe but overall not effective in preventing HIV.
ViiV Healthcare Announces $10 Million Initiative to Accelerate Response to HIV/AIDS Among Black Gay and Bisexual Men
Research Triangle Park, NC – February 4, 2015 - Initial Investment to Help Research, Identify and Apply Innovative Solutions in Baltimore, Maryland and Jackson, Mississippi – Two of the Cities Hardest Hit by HIV/AIDS
ViiV Healthcare today announced the launch of a four-year, $10 million initial investment to fuel a concerted community response to the HIV epidemic among Black Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in Baltimore, Maryland and Jackson, Mississippi, two U.S.
cities hard hit by HIV/AIDS. The goal for this new initiative named ACCELERATE!, is to help speed up community-driven solutions to increase access and engagement in supportive HIV care and services by Black MSM.
Fast-tracking Canada’s fight against HIV/AIDS
February 04, 2015 - OTTAWA - Mylan Inc. and the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) recently announced a collaborative initiative to raise funds and awareness for Canadians who are living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS.
Mylan Inc. and the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) recently announced a collaborative initiative to raise funds and awareness for Canadians who are living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS.
On World AIDS Day, the two organizations unveiled that a team of athletes will run across Canada in the Mylan Relay for Hope, beginning in April 2015 in St. John’s, NL, and ending in October 2015 in Hope, BC.
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A Failed Trial in Africa Raises Questions About How to Test H.I.V. Drugs
FEB. 4, 2015 - The surprising failure of a large clinical trial of H.I.V.-prevention methods in Africa — and the elaborate deceptions employed by the women in it — have opened an ethical debate about how to run such studies in poor countries and have already changed the design of some that are now underway.
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No improvements in CD4 count at diagnosis in African patients in last decade
04 February 2015 - Very high incidence in some populations should guide testing and prevention strategies
A study by Harvard Medical School has found that the average CD4 count in sub-Saharan African people who are diagnosed with HIV has not risen since 2002. Neither has the average CD4 count
on initiation of treatment, which remains well below the AIDS-defining limit of 200 cells/mm3. The authors call for far more active HIV testing and facilitated referral programmes, and continued global financial support for HIV testing and treatment.
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New Report Calls for National Movement to Raise HIV Science Literacy to End AIDS Epidemic in the U.S.
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ - The scientific evidence is clear. As a result of extraordinary advances in biomedical research, we now have the tools we need to end the HIV epidemic in the United States. Or do we?
Hepatitis C more prevalent than HIV/AIDS or Ebola yet lacks equal attention
3-Feb-2015 – Loyola's HepNet study reveals high frequency of active infection
More than 180 million people in the world have hepatitis C, compared with the 34 million with HIV/AIDS and the roughly 30,000 who have had Ebola.
Yet very little is heard about the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the way of awareness campaigns, research funding or celebrity fundraisers.
Researchers identify key mechanisms underlying HIV-associated cognitive disorders
February 3, 2015- While antiretroviral therapies have significantly improved and extended the lives of many HIV patients, another insidious and little discussed threat looms for aging sufferers - HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders
(HAND). The disorders, which strike more often in HIV patients over age 50, can result in cognitive impairment, mild to severe, making everyday tasks a challenge.
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Nancy Reagan rejected Rock Hudson plea for help with AIDS treatment sent just months before his death
February 3, 2015 - The First Lady and then President Ronald Reagan turned down a 1985 request for White House intervention in helping the famed actor get treatment from a leading French hospital.
Hudson would die later that year.
As AIDS drained away Rock Hudson's life, his publicist telegrammed the White House with a frantic plea for help in getting him care at a renowned French hospital.
First Lady Nancy Reagan just said no.
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The Mystery of the Elite Controller and How We Will Cure HIV
February 3, 2015 - I am a millennial, which means that along with my deft technology skills and love for social media, I am also a member of the first generation to have never lived in an HIV-free
world since the illness was first diagnosed in humans. The fact that 1.5 million people die from AIDS-related illnesses every year has been a part of my reality since birth.
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Survivors of 1980s AIDS crisis reveal what happened to them
February 2, 2015 - From the role of lesbians to the vanishing of whole neighborhoods, real LGBTI people share their experiences
Survivors of the 1980s AIDS crisis have shared accounts of their experiences.
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Your HIV Isn't Just About You
February 2, 2015 - When something devastating in your life happens, it's very easy to take shelter under the wings of your support system, and in the case of an HIV-positive diagnosis, rightfully so.
This type of news isn't necessarily the easiest news to accept and everyone will handle it in his or her unique way. There's nothing wrong with taking some time to focus solely on what you are feeling inside, but once that period expires, it's important to acknowledge how others in your life might be feeling as well.
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Alarming rise in HIV-infected in Karbi Anglong
Feb 2, 2015 - DIPHU - The number of HIV-infected people in the hill district is increasing at an alarming rate, creating a panicky situation among the people.
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An African Misstep in Looking to Mugabe?
Feb 2, 2015 - The stats are astounding. Per capita income is around $600 a year, according to the CIA Factbook. Unemployment in the formal economy is as high as 80%, while industrial production has fallen
below 40% of the nation’s potential, the International Crisis Group noted. Many companies have shut their doors. Life expectancy has dropped to 54 years. Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS, which accounted for more than half of all deaths in 2011
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Positive Women’s Leadership Training Project
Feb 2, 2015 - In the Summer and Fall of 2014 we recorded a series of videos with a group of women graduates of the PLDI program as part of our Positive Women’s Leadership Training Project. Seven videos were created. We hope you find
them as moving and engaging as we do.
Watch Videos...
Screening for bone fracture risk should be routine for over-40s with HIV, new guidelines recommend
02 February 2015 - Screening for fracture risk should be a routine part of HIV care for all over-40s, and all postmenopausal women, all men over 50 and people at high risk for fractures of any age should undergo DEXA screening (a type of X-ray) to assess bone mineral density and their need for treatment, experts on bone disorders recommend in new guidelines published online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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Treatment of the First HIV Positive Patient in ABIVAX's Phase IIa Clinical Trial With ABX464
Paris, February 2nd, 2015 – ABX464's innovative mechanism of action could produce a long lasting reduction in the viral load in patients
ABX464 could be administered less frequently and for shorter periods than current HIV treatments due to its long lasting impact on viral load
ABIVAX, a leading clinical stage biotech company developing and commercialising anti-viral compounds and human vaccines, today announced that enrolment has been initiated and the first HIV positive patient dosed in a Phase IIa clinical trial of ABX464.
Rwanda: HIV Strain Reinfection, a Scary Burden
February 2, 2015 - The US National Library of Medicine, on September 14, 2002, reported on their web site that doctors have reported a rare case of HIV 'superinfection,' in which a person already infected with HIV became reinfected with a different strain of the virus.
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AIDS ACTIVISTS ZAP HRC 1% GALA
February 2, 2015 – New York, NY – On Saturday night, activists from the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) gathered outside the Waldorf Astoria at a gala sponsored by Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to honor Fortune 500 corporations.
Activists kicked things off with a pizza party and rally across the street from the Waldorf. Fifty activists attended in below-freezing temperatures to challenge HRC to do more in the fight against HIV.
Matshidiso Moeti steps into WHO’s most challenging position
February 2, 2015 - The job was already daunting when Dr. Matshidiso Moeti set her sights on it more than two years ago: becoming the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa. But then came the mother of all health crises — Ebola.
The world has high hopes for Moeti, too — and it will be watching her closely. Long before Ebola, Africa was already grappling with a long list of overwhelming health problems: HIV, health-worker shortages, widespread malnutrition, and high maternal and child mortality rates, to name a few.
Media Advisory for 21st Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards on Saturday, February 7
February 2, 2015 - What: 21st Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Presented by Integrated Wealth Management
SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO JOAN RIVERS
WHEN: Saturday, February 7, 2015
WHERE: Palm Springs Convention Center
277 N. Avenida Caballeros
Palm Springs, CA
Survivors of 1980s AIDS crisis reveal what happened to them
February 2, 2015 - From the role of lesbians to the vanishing of whole neighborhoods, real LGBTI people share their experiences
Survivors of the 1980s AIDS crisis have shared accounts of their experiences.
Read more...
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