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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - January 2024
Detecting hepatitis viruses in wastewater
31-Jan-2024 - Newswise - Ruhr-Universität Bochum - In addition to collecting water samples from the Rhine-Herne canal and the Emscher river over the course of a year, Fiona Rau had access to further wastewater samples from 21 sewage treatment plants in NRW. The subsequent analysis focused on the search for viral RNA of the hepatitis E virus. The results showed that HEV RNA was detectable in almost 73 percent of the 605 water samples taken. By comparing untreated wastewater and the water that left the treatment plants, the researchers found that the viral load was reduced by treatment. Nevertheless, some viral RNA was left in the water.
Starting HIV Treatment Sooner Leads to Better Immune Recovery
January 31, 2024 - By Liz Highleyman - Each day of delay during primary HIV infection lowered the odds of reaching a CD4 count above 900.
People who start antiretroviral therapy (ART) soon after acquiring HIV are more likely to experience full immune recovery, according to study findings published in the journal AIDS. In fact, each day of delay during the first six months after infection reduced the chances of reaching a normal CD4 T-cell count and CD4/CD8 ratio.
“[T]he sooner ART is started after primary HIV infection diagnosis, the greater the chance of immune recovery,” the study authors wrote. “This is a key message to support rapid or immediate ART start amongst all new HIV-1 diagnoses, but especially in primary HIV infection.”
Read more...
Syphilis Soars: AHF Urges Congress to Boost Prevention Funding
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- January 30, 2024 - AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) - With alarmingly high rates of preventable syphilis and congenital syphilis skyrocketing to nearly 20% higher than in 2023, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) urges U.S. Congress to reverse proposed cuts and increase funding for sexually transmitted infection prevention programs and improved access to testing and treatment.
Greater Supports for At-Risk Mothers Through Increased Funding for Sanctum Care Group Programs
January 30, 2024 - Government of Saskatchewan - New mothers and pregnant women taking part in Sanctum Care Group Inc. (Sanctum) programs now have greater access to supports thanks to an enhanced partnership between the Ministry of Social Services, Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA). As announced in the 2023-24 provincial budget, each ministry is providing an additional $325,000 to support Sanctum's Prenatal Outreach and Resource Team (PORT) and Sanctum 1.5 programs, for a total increased government commitment of $650,000.
"Sanctum does incredible work helping mothers live healthier lives in the community with their children," Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky said. "Investments in prevention services, such as those provided through Sanctum, support parents to safely care for their children. This additional funding will help them enhance their services and further their ability to do this important work."
HHS Announces Department Actions to Slow Surging Syphilis Epidemic
January 30, 2024 - U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - U.S. syphilis cases reach highest levels since the 1950s, creating a critical public health need.In response to the surging number of syphilis and congenital syphilis cases nationwide, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is taking action to slow the spread with a focus on those most significantly impacted. Through the establishment of the National Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Syndemic (NSCSS) Federal Task Force, the Department is utilizing its agencies, its expertise, and its stakeholder network to respond to the U.S. syphilis and congenital syphilis epidemic. The actions of the Task Force leverage federal resources to reduce rates, promote health equity, engage impacted communities and direct resources to support those most impacted.
“The syphilis crisis in our country is unacceptable. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to addressing this urgent issue and using all available means to eliminate disparities in our health care system,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “These actions we are taking will help ensure we are improving outcomes for birthing parents and newborns. We must prevent more deaths caused by congenital syphilis, an entirely preventable disease.”
Dolutegravir-based triple therapy effectively suppresses HIV-2 viral load in small study
30 January 2024 - Zekerie Redzheb - Limited data to guide treatment of HIV-1's milder cousin
Although integrase inhibitors such as dolutegravir are recommended for the treatment of HIV-2, there is little clinical data showing their effectiveness. In a small Portuguese cohort, dolutegravir combined with two other drugs suppressed HIV-2 viral load and maintained undetectable status after one year. In their paper published in the journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases, the authors conclude dolutegravir-based triple therapy is a safe and effective initial therapy option for the treatment of HIV-2.
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Drug counsellor defends Sask.'s move away from clean pipes, free needles
Jan 30, 2024 - Louise BigEagle - CBC - The government plans to address the province’s addiction crisis, adding 500 new treatment spaces
An addictions counsellor who was involved with advising the Saskatchewan government on its move to a "recovery-oriented" addictions model is defending the province's decision to stop providing clean pipes and require people to return used needles to receive new ones.
The province announced its decision on Jan. 18.
Read more...
This Team Fights Viruses that Cause Cancer
January 29, 2024 - by Michael Blanding - Tufts Now - In research labs and clinical settings, faculty across Tufts are investigating cancer caused by herpes, HIV, HPV, and other viruses
Years ago, people thought HIV couldn’t cause cancer, since HIV usually kills the cells that it infects. But Professor John Coffin has long studied the connections between cancer and retroviruses such as HIV.
Contrary to how it may seem, most viruses do not want to kill their hosts. “They want to hang out as long as possible, make more viruses, and infect as many other hosts as they can,” says Karl Munger, the Dorothy Todd Bishop Research Professor and chair of developmental, molecular and chemical biology at Tufts University School of Medicine. Unfortunately, that nasty proclivity of viruses to multiply and infect has some unintended consequences.
People Are Inclined to Hide a Contagious Illness While Around Others, Research Shows
29-Jan-2024 - Newswise - by Association for Psychological Science - A startling number of people conceal an infectious illness to avoid missing work, travel, or social events, new research at the University of Michigan suggests.
The findings are reported in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Across a series of studies involving healthy and sick adults, 75% of the 4,110 participants said they had either hidden an infectious illness from others at least once or might do so in the future. Many participants reported boarding planes, going on dates, and engaging in other social interactions while secretly sick. More than 61% of healthcare workers participating in the study also said they had concealed an infectious illness.
Interestingly, the researchers found a difference between how people believe they would act when ill and how they actually behave, said Wilson N. Merrell, a doctoral candidate and lead author on the study.
Comprehensive Care Clinic’s Ruby Gala set for Feb. 10
Janaury 29, 2024 - by Bill Snyder - VUMC Reporter - The Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic (VCCC), Nashville’s original nonprofit medical home for people living with HIV, will hold its annual Ruby Gala on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, at Marathon Music Works, 1402 Clinton St. in Nashville.
Presented by title sponsor NPS Pharmacy, and other sponsors including Gilead Sciences and Music City PrEP Clinic, the Gala will feature live and silent auctions, a plated dinner curated by Chef’s Market, an open cocktail bar, and entertainment by one of Nashville’s most popular party bands, Burning Las Vegas.
Funds raised during the Gala directly benefit VCCC clients, supporting necessities including transportation, nutrition, housing, utilities, medical equipment, medication copays, dental care, harm reduction, newborn essentials and caregiver services, and help support the recruitment and training of HIV practitioners.
Measles cases are mounting in the US as the UK declares a ‘national incident’ over the disease. What parents need to know to keep their kids safe
January 27, 2024 - BYERIN PRATER - Fortune - U.S. healthcare providers should be on alert for patients with symptoms of measles amid a global rise in cases of the disease, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
The CDC has been notified of 23 confirmed cases of measles since Dec. 1, including seven cases from international travelers and two outbreaks involving more than five cases each, the agency said in a Clinician Outbreak and Community Activity email sent to health care providers.
Read more...
Immunocompromised patients and COVID infections: Who’s at risk?
January 26, 2022 - Kelly Malcom - Michigan Medicine - Study allays fears that prolonged infections are driving emergence of SARS-CoV2 variants
Early in the pandemic, clinicians noticed that certain immunocompromised patients were experiencing persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections, some lasting weeks to months at a time.
This raised concerns that one of these cases could be the source of an emerging viral variant that has benefited from an extended battle with the immune system.
A prospective study published in the journal Lancet Microbe provides more clarity on which patient populations are at higher risk for prolonged infections —and hints that this fear is likely unwarranted.
Expert calls out province over claim drug policy increased HIV, overdose rates
Jan 26, 2024 - Alec Salloum - Regina Leader Post - "There are still harms from car accidents when people wear seatbelts but our response to those accidents, to those harms, is not to get rid of seatbelts."
A case of the highly contagious disease measles has been identified in Saskatoon.
Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said in a news release on Friday that one case of measles had been confirmed in a Saskatoon resident who had travelled overseas. Measles is a nationally notifiable disease in Canada.
Read more...
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Therapeutics Forecast and Market Analysis to 2030 -Persistence Market Research
January 25, 2024 - Persistence Market Research - HIV therapeutics, crucial for combating the virus and preventing AIDS, are expected to be led by North America, holding the largest market share globally
The global market for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Therapeutics is projected to experience a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 1.9%, reaching a value of US$12.12 billion by the end of 2030, up from US$10.65 billion in 2023.
The HIV therapeutics market involve pharmaceutical interventions designed to manage and treat infections caused by the retrovirus HIV, leading to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by targeting the immune system. The key components of this therapeutic landscape are antiretroviral medications, aimed at inhibiting viral replication, boosting immune function, and improving the overall quality of life for those living with HIV.
Alarming Surge in Needlestick Injuries Tackled With Essential Guide to Proper Medical Waste Disposal
HOUSTON, January 25, 2024 (Newswire.com) - BioMedical Waste Solutions Encourages Healthcare Facilities, Professionals and Individuals Utilizing Needles to Read Its Comprehensive Guide for Assistance With the Proper Disposal of Sharps and Medical Waste
In light of alarming statistics surrounding needlestick injuries, BioMedical Waste Solutions, a leading national medical waste disposal company, is taking a proactive approach to raise awareness about the risks associated with improper disposal of medical waste (needles).
Stay Alert for Measles Cases
January 25, 2024 - CDC - Between December 1, 2023 and January 23, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was notified of 23 confirmed U.S. cases of measles, including seven direct importations of measles by international travelers and two outbreaks with more than five cases each. Most of these cases were among children and adolescents who had not received a measles-containing vaccine (MMR or MMRV), even if age eligible.
Due to the recent cases, healthcare providers should be on alert for patients who have: (1) febrile rash illness and symptoms consistent with measles (e.g., cough, coryza, or conjunctivitis), and (2) have recently traveled abroad, especially to countries with ongoing measles outbreaks. Infected people are contagious from 4 days before the rash starts through 4 days afterwards.
The Astellas Global Health Foundation Provides $2.6 Million in New Funding to Address Urgent Health Needs in Africa, South America, and the Middle East
NORTHBROOK, Ill. – January 25, 2024 - Astellas Global Health Foundation - Grants to International Medical Corps, PATH, and Plan International Intend to Improve Access to Healthcare, Community Resilience, and Disaster Preparedness for Vulnerable Communities
Today, the Astellas Global Health Foundation (“Foundation”) announced it has awarded three new grants for a combined $2.6 million to non-profit organizations working to make a sustained impact on improving access to health in Kenya, strengthening community resilience in Yemen, and providing disaster support in Peru.
The selected organizations -- International Medical Corps, PATH, and Plan International -- are expected to use the Foundation grants to impact nearly 750,000 lives combined over the next three years. This latest funding, in addition to active grants in progress with Amref Health Africa and AMPATH Kenya, reinforces the Foundation’s objective to help high-need populations within low- and middle-income countries where Astellas does not have a business presence.
How does HIV get into the cell's centre to kickstart infection?
25 JAN 2024 - UNSW SYDNEY - UNSW Sydney medical scientists have cracked a mystery whose solution has long eluded researchers.
UNSW medical researcher Dr David Jacques and his team have discovered how the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) breaches the cell nucleus to establish infection, a finding that has implications beyond HIV biology.
To infect cells, HIV must enter the target cell and make its way to the nucleus in the cell’s centre where enough copies of its genetic code can be produced to infect other cells.
To safely complete this quest, the virus builds a protective protein coat – a capsid – to shield itself from the host’s immune defences geared to destroy it. Until now, it has remained a mystery exactly how the entire capsid moves through the pores embedded in the nuclear envelope to enter the nucleus.
But the research published in Nature today reveals just how the HIV capsid gets into the nuclear pore barrier channel.
RESEARCH MANITOBA NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR HIV EPIDEMIOLOGY FELLOWSHIP HONOURING THE LATE DR. DICK SMITH
January 25, 2024 - Province of Manitoba - Applications are now open for interested researchers to apply for the Dr. Dick Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Epidemiology, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara, Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable and Research Manitoba announced today.
“This fellowship is a fitting tribute to an individual who committed himself to normalizing HIV health care,” said Asagwara. “In a time of extreme stigma, Dr. Smith provided care and compassion when very few would. This award honours his advocacy and ensures his legacy lives on through supporting the work of our province’s passionate HIV research community.”
Capsid of HIV-1 behaves like cell’s cargo receptor to enter the nucleus
January 24, 2024 - Lillian Eden - MIT News - Biologists demonstrate that HIV-1 capsid acts like a Trojan horse to pass viral cargo across the nuclear pore.
Retroviruses cannot replicate on their own — they must insert their genetic code into the DNA of a host and exploit the host cell's resources to make more copies of themselves, furthering infection. Some retroviruses only infect cells as they divide, when the nuclear envelope that protects the host's genetic material breaks down, making it easily accessible. HIV-1 is a type of retrovirus, called a lentivirus, that can infect non-dividing cells.
How HIV smuggles its genetic material into the cell nucleus
JANUARY 24, 2024 - Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Science - Around one million individuals worldwide become infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, each year. To replicate and spread the infection, the virus must smuggle its genetic material into the cell nucleus and integrate it into a chromosome. Research teams led by Dirk Görlich at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Science and Thomas Schwartz at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have now discovered that its capsid has evolved into a molecular transporter. As such, it can directly breach a crucial barrier, which normally protects the cell nucleus against viral invaders. This way of smuggling keeps the viral genome invisible to anti-viral sensors in the cytoplasm.
Forty years after the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered as the cause of AIDS, we have therapies that effectively keep the pathogen under control, but there is still no cure. The virus infects certain immune cells and hijacks their genetic program in order to multiply and replicate its own genetic material. The infected cells then produce the next generation of viruses until they are finally destroyed. The immunodeficiency symptoms of AIDS result from the massive loss of immune cells that normally fight viruses and other pathogens.
The Emotional Triumph of Playwrights Living with HIV
Jan 24 2024 - By Mark S. King - You should know the end of the story first, because the ending demands to be heard. It took place last month in the largest event space at The LGBT Center in New York City, where hundreds of people were excitedly greeting each other, grazing at the food table or sitting in rapturous anticipation for a unique evening of theater.
Over the course of the next two hours, seven pairs of actors would take turns on stage, presenting individual scenes filled with insight, humor, and moments of joyful, sometimes painful truth.
The night was a triumph. There was laughter, emotional silences, nods of recognition and roars of approval. Those roars were only multiplied when, after the final scene, the playwrights who wrote the seven scenes were invited to the stage.
How the coronavirus defends itself against our immune system
Newswise - 24-Jan-2024 - University of Göttingen - Research team identifies "protective switches" in the protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
Over 700 million people were infected and almost seven million died, making SARS-CoV-2 the most devastating pandemic of the 21st century. Vaccines and medication against Covid-19 have been able to mitigate the course of the disease in many people and contain the pandemic. However, the danger of further outbreaks has not been averted. The virus is constantly mutating, which enables it to infect human cells and multiply more and more effectively. In addition, it is developing a variety of strategies against the human immune system in a "molecular arms race". A team led by researchers from the University of Göttingen has now discovered various "protective switches" in the coronavirus that shield it from attacks by the immune system. The results were published in Nature Communications.
Government of Canada supports community-based projects addressing HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections
January 23, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Public Health Agency of Canada - Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced more than $9.5 million in funding through the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund (CAF) and the Harm Reduction Fund (HRF) for 12 projects to support the work of community-based organizations addressing HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) throughout the Atlantic region.
STBBI are preventable, treatable and in many cases curable. However, these infections remain a significant public health concern in Canada, especially among Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+, and other equity-deserving communities. Today's funding includes more than $6.6 million through the CAF, which will support 7 community-based interventions to address HIV, hepatitis C and other STBBI. For example, the Getting to Zero project by the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc will use a layered approach to address challenges related to HIV, hepatitis C, and other STBBI risks for key populations in Newfoundland and Labrador. It also aims to expand access to quality, evidence-based education and services, and increase the public's knowledge and awareness on transmission and testing options.
ReiThera Srl, the Ragon Institute and IAVI announce collaboration to advance highly networked T-cell HIV vaccine candidate towards Phase I clinical evaluation
ROME, ITALY, NEW YORK and CAMBRIDGE, USA — January 22, 2024 - IAVI - Novel HIV vaccine candidate based on Gorilla adenoviral vector (GRAd-HIV) funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to alleviate the disease burden and improve the lives of the millions who lack access to prevention options.
ReiThera Srl, the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard, and IAVI are pleased to announce a collaboration to develop a novel HIV vaccine candidate that will be composed of ReiThera’s GRAd vector and HIV T-cell epitopes identified by the Ragon Institute, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation..
Measles is the most infectious disease known to science – adults should consider getting another MMR vaccine
January 19, 2024 - The Conversation - Imagine a disease more infectious than any other known to medical science, that would kill 2.6 million young children every year and leave millions more with deafness and even brain damage. It sounds like something from pandemic horror fiction, but such a disease does exist – measles.
Yet even measles was tamed across the world, at least for a while. In the aftermath of the successful eradication of smallpox in the 1970s, a similar global vaccination effort crushed measles mortality from 2.6 million in 1980 down to 73,000 by 2014.
Measles’ R number (the average number of people someone with the virus will go on to infect) of 15 or more puts even the most rampant variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the shade. Because of this infectiousness, it’s never been quite possible to achieve eradication, but many countries have been declared measles-free by the World Health Organization.
Case of highly contagious disease measles found in Saskatoon
Jan 19, 2024 - Saskatoon StarPhoenix - Anyone who was at the retail stores and café listed, or Royal University Hospital ER, should monitor for symptoms, SHA said
A case of the highly contagious disease measles has been identified in Saskatoon.
Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said in a news release on Friday that one case of measles had been confirmed in a Saskatoon resident who had travelled overseas. Measles is a nationally notifiable disease in Canada.
Read more...
Reflections From ONAP 2021–2024
January 19, 2024 - Harold J. Phillips, MRP, Director, White House Office of National AIDS Policy - As my time as Director for the White House Office of National AIDS Policy ends, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey we’ve undertaken together over the past two and a half years. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in a role dedicated to addressing one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time—HIV.
What’s the Leading Cause of Death Among People With HIV?
January 19, 2024 - By Trent Straube - The annual American Cancer Society report on U.S. cancer statistics notes that the leading cause of death for people with HIV is cancer.
Cancer is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV, according to data in the annual American Cancer Society report Cancer Statistics, 2024, which was released January 17 and is also available in a consumer-friendly companion, Cancer Facts & Figures, 2024.
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SafePoint pause putting lives at risk, advocates say
Jan 19, 2024 - Kathleen Saylors - SafePoint paused operations on Jan. 1
SafePoint is Windsor's drug consumption and treatment site. Right now, it's operating with federal government approval as an urgent public health needs site. (CBC News)
The pause in operations at Windsor's SafePoint supervised consumption site means the community will "see people die," advocates say.
Read more...
REMODELING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO FIGHT TUBERCULOSIS
January 18, 2024 - UMass Amherst - Collaborative team from UMass Amherst and Seattle Children’s Research Institute uncovers how prior exposure to bacteria changes the lung’s innate immune response – and what it might mean for vaccines
Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) kills upwards of 1.6 million people a year, making it one of the leading causes of death by an infectious agent worldwide—and that number is only growing larger. How, exactly, Mtb evades the immune system isn’t yet known, but a collaborative team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Seattle Children’s Research Institute recently discovered something surprising: prior exposure to a genus of bacteria called Mycobacterium seems to remodel the first-line defenders in the body’s immune system. Furthermore, how those cells are remodeled depends on exactly how the body is exposed. These results, published recently in PLOS Pathogens, suggest that a more integrated treatment approach that targets all aspects of the immune response could be a more effective strategy in the fight against tuberculosis.
Experts condemn Sask.'s move to stop providing pipes, limit needle exchanges
Jan 18, 2024 - Alexander Quon - CBC - Change ends policy meant to help drug users transition away from using needles
A front-line worker and a professor of public health are condemning a policy change on illicit drug use that Saskatchewan announced Thursday, saying it shows a disregard for human life, sets back efforts to stop the transmission of HIV/AIDs and flies in the face of decades of science.
On Thursday, the province's Ministry of Health said it will no longer provide clean pipes for drug use and instructions on how to use them.
Third party organizations will also not be able to use provincial funds to do so.
Read more...
UVA Researchers ID Novel Factor in HIV Transmission
January 17, 2024 - By Josh Barney - UVA Today - University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have found long-sought answers to questions about HIV transmission, and those findings could lead to new ways to prevent the disease’s spread.
More than 1 million people worldwide are infected with HIV every year, even though the virus is not easily transmitted – especially via sex. When transmission does occur, it is usually caused by a single virus that has made its way past many different biological and cellular defenses. The researchers’ questions have been how and what factors make for successful transmission?
Now UVA researchers have identified what they believe is a previously unknown, but critical factor. Successful transmission, they believe, is influenced by a protein the virus makes and how that protein interacts with the RNA of the virus. Natural variation in this process, the researchers say, could be a key factor in determining whether HIV is passed on, especially during unprotected vaginal sex.
amfAR TO HONOR DIONNE WARWICK AND DEE OCLEPPO HILFIGER AT THIRD ANNUAL PALM BEACH GALA
Palm Beach, FL, January 17, 2024 - amfAR - Tom Ford to present to Ocleppo Hilfiger; Sting to perform
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, will honor Dionne Warwick and Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger in Palm Beach on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at its third annual fundraising gala. Seventeen-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting will give a special performance at the event, which will take place at the home of Event Chairs James and Lisa Cohen. Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, John and Amy Phelan, Howard and Michele Kessler, and amfAR Board Co-Chairs T. Ryan Greenawalt and Kevin McClatchy will join the Cohens as Chairs of the event.
The exclusive event will include a cocktail reception, a seated gala dinner, a live auction of exquisite contemporary art and luxury experiences, and award presentations.
World leaders are gathering to discuss Disease X. Here's what to know about the hypothetical pandemic.
January 17, 2024 - By Simrin Singh - CBS News - World leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday to discuss Disease X, a hypothetical virus 20 times deadlier than COVID-19.
While such a virus isn't known to currently exist, researchers, scientists and experts are hoping to proactively come up with a plan of action to combat such a virus and prepare the health system if it were to emerge as a pandemic — a possibility one expert told CBS News could happen sooner than we think.
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Global Fund Applauds Cabo Verde for Eliminating Malaria
Geneva, 12 January 2024 - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund) - In a remarkable public health achievement, Cabo Verde was certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) today. This certification is granted when a country proves that it has interrupted indigenous transmission of the disease for at least three consecutive years.
“This is an extraordinary accomplishment, a beacon of hope at a time when climate change threatens to slow down our progress in the global fight against malaria,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “What’s now crucial is that we do not lower our guard, and that we help Cabo Verde sustain this achievement and prevent the reintroduction of malaria. With this aim in mind, we will continue to fund vector control interventions and ensure quality case management and disease surveillance for another three years.”
Smallpox vaccine efficiently induces immunity against monkeypox virus infection in people living with HIV
12-JAN-2024 - Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona - An observational study conducted by researchers at Pompeu Fabra University and Hospital del Mar determine that intradermal administration of the JYNNEOS vaccine against smallpox induces an efficient immune response that should protect people living with HIV from contracting the monkeypox virus.
Researchers from the Infection Biology Lab at the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS) at Pompeu Fabra University and the HIV Unit at Hospital del Mar Research Institute have shown that intradermal vaccination with the JYNNEOS vaccine against smallpox is the best option to protect people living with HIV from contracting the monkeypox virus. This route of vaccine administration requires less material to inject each patient, extending the available vaccine doses by a factor of five. The results of this observational study also indicate that individuals with a low level of CD4 T cells, a type of white blood cell essential to properly fight new infections, need a booster dose 28 days after the first dose to compensate for their immunosuppressed status.
African women living with HIV have an effective option to prevent malaria during pregnancy
12-JAN-2024 - BARCELONA INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL HEALTH (ISGLOBAL) - The combination of two antimalarial drugs (DHA-PPQ) reduces the risk of malaria infection and disease in pregnant women on HIV treatment, according to results from the MAMAH trial
In women living with HIV, preventive treatment with DHA-PPQ is a safe and effective strategy to prevent malaria during pregnancy, according to the final results of MAMAH, a clinical trial funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and coordinated by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by “la Caixa” Foundation. The study, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, could help protect the health of the estimated one million pregnant women who suffer from a double infection with malaria and HIV every year.
Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to malaria infection. Hence the recommendation to offer preventive treatment (IPTp) based on sulphadoxine and pyrimethamine (SP) to pregnant women living in malaria-endemic areas. The problem is that these drugs are incompatible with co-trimoxazole (CTX), an antibiotic given to people with HIV to prevent bacterial infections.
UK’s largest survey of people living with HIV published
12 January 2024 - UK Health Security Agency - Positive Voices 2022 survey reveals high satisfaction with treatment and care, but stigma and mental health conditions remain prevalent.
People living with HIV continue to report a high level of satisfaction with their HIV care service and treatment, a new survey by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) into those living with the virus has found.
Despite this, the survey also shows that levels of stigma remain high. One in 25 (4.3%) people reported having been verbally harassed because of their HIV status in the last year, and a similar proportion (4.3%) felt that family members had made discriminatory remarks.
The Positive Voices survey 2022 was completed by 4,618 people living with diagnosed HIV who were invited to take part through their local HV clinic between April 2022 and March 2023, making it the largest UK survey of people living with HIV.
Self-testing HIV kits available at Western University to help remove screening barriers
January 12, 2024 - Arfa Rana - CBC - Nearly 700 people in the London area are living with HIV, experts say
Self-testing HIV kits are now available at Western University as a part of a nation-wide project to break stigma and to get more people diagnosed through low-barrier testing.
St. Joseph's Health Care London estimates that in Ontario alone, there are 31,000 people living with HIV — and about 700 of those people are from the London region.
Read more...
Mpox (monkeypox) outbreak: epidemiological overview, 11 January 2024
11 January 2024 - GOV.UK - This epidemiological overview provides an update to the number of confirmed and highly probable mpox cases in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Mpox is a zoonotic infection, caused by the monkeypox virus, that occurs mostly in West and Central Africa. Prior to 2022, cases diagnosed in the UK had been either imported from countries where mpox is endemic or contacts with documented epidemiological links to imported cases. Between 2018 and 2021, there had been 7 cases of mpox in the UK. Of these, 4 were imported, 2 were cases in household contacts, and one was a case in a health care worker involved in the care of an imported case. There was no documented community transmission in previous outbreaks.
BC-Cfe Webinar: 3 Cases Exploring the Spectrum of HIV
BC-CfE webinar Learning Series Event
Cost: Free Registration
Wednesday, January 24th, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 PM (PST).
This webinar will be presented by:
Dr. Silvia Guillemi
Dr. Zabrina Brumme
Dr. Mark Hull
Dr. Sarah Stone.
Presentations will be followed by a discussion where participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive real-time responses from presenters.
Higher viral load during HIV infection can shape viral evolution
11 January 2024 - Oxford University Press - A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, finds that HIV populations in people with higher viral loads also have higher rates of viral recombination. In effect, the more HIV in the blood, the easier it is for the virus to diversify.
One of the reasons HIV has historically been so difficult to combat is the virus’s exceptionally high rate of recombination. Recombination enables the exchange of genetic information across strains of the virus and drives HIV’s evolution within people. This genetic exchange helps the virus evade the immune system and become resistant to many drugs designed to treat HIV.
Hepatitis Linked to Alcohol Increasingly Drove Emergency Department Visits, Especially Among Younger Adults, In Recent Years
6-Jan-2024 - Newswise - by Research Society on Alcoholism - Hepatitis linked to alcohol, the most severe form of alcohol-associated liver disease, is increasingly prevalent, severe, and likely to involve emergency departments, according to a new analysis. The findings reflect increased drinking and alcohol-linked liver disease in the general population. Rising rates of alcohol-associated hepatitis, including among adults aged 25–44 years, are known to be causing greater disability, mortality, and health care and economic costs. The growing use of emergency departments for alcohol complications, rather than more cost-effective primary care services, further amplifies that burden. A better understanding of how patients with alcohol-associated conditions use emergency departments can potentially inform interventions. Although most hospitalized patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis are admitted from the emergency department, little is known about emergency department use by people seeking help with this condition. For the study in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, investigators at the Cleveland Clinic aimed to evaluate the rate of emergency department visits for alcohol-associated hepatitis in addition to disease severity and its complications.
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