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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - June 2021
HIV disclosure disrupts the lives of Black gay and bisexual men in Louisiana
30 June 2021 - Mariah Wilberg - A qualitative study among Black gay and bisexual men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana sought to understand how HIV disclosure impacts a person’s life and relationships. The study explored how participants’ intersecting identities and the structural inequities they faced impacted their experiences with HIV disclosure. Men in the study experienced multiple negative consequences from disclosure, including changes to sense of self, strained family and social relationships, and loss of income and housing.
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Infections seen among HIV patients hit Covid survivors
JUN 29, 2021 - Sumitra Debroy - MUMBAI - Superinfections, which typically affect those with highly suppressed immune systems like people living with HIV/AIDS or organ transplant patients, are increasingly seen in patients who have recovered from Covid-19. Notably, many are contracting these rare co-infections despite not being 'bombed' with steroids or treated for diabetes, underlining the possibility of Covid-19 itself causing massive immune weakening.
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Blood-based biomarkers may predict HIV remission after stopping antiretroviral therapy
PHILADELPHIA - (June 29, 2021) - The newly identified sugar and metabolic signatures may help predict duration and probability of HIV remission after antiretroviral therapy interruption during cure-directed clinical trials
New biomarkers that predict HIV remission after antiretroviral therapy (ART) interruption are critical for the development of new therapeutic strategies that can achieve infection control without ART, a condition defined as functional cure. These biomarkers can also provide critical clues into the biological mechanisms that control HIV replication after stopping therapy, and can help design novel strategies to cure HIV. Scientists at The Wistar Institute have identified metabolic and glycomic signatures in the blood of a rare population of HIV-infected individuals who can naturally sustain viral suppression after ART cessation, known as post-treatment controllers. These findings were published in Nature Communications and may provide new, non-invasive biomarkers to predict both the likelihood and duration of HIV remission after treatment interruption.
In Mexico, an HIV-Positive Man’s Death Sparks Protests for Reform
June 29, 2021 - Tim Murphy - Americans who’ve been to places like Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, or Tulum may think of Mexico as a kind of paradise: full of vivid natural beauty, replete with diverse cultures and foodways, cosmopolitan—and LGBTQ-friendly. After all, the country passed national LGBTQ protections and legalized same-sex marriage years ago, and many cities are popular and festive international queer destinations.
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Gilead Submits New Drug Application to U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Lenacapavir, an Investigational, Long-Acting Capsid Inhibitor for the Treatment of HIV-1 in People With Limited Therapy Options
June 28, 2021- FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)- – If Approved,Lenacapavir Would be the First Capsid Inhibitor and the Only HIV-1 Treatment Option Administered Every 6 Months –
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) announced today that the company completed submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval of lenacapavir, an investigational, long-acting HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in heavily treatment-experienced (HTE) people with multi-drug resistant (MDR) HIV-1 infection.
RESEARCHER RECEIVES NIH DIRECTOR’S AWARD TO HELP END HIV GLOBAL EPIDEMIC
June 28, 2021 - (BRONX, NY) - International organizations and countries around the world are working to eliminate HIV/AIDS by 2030. To reach this goal, new approaches are needed—particularly among difficult-to-reach groups such as people who inject drugs (PWID), who are 30 times more likely to contract HIV/AIDS compared with the general population.
Matthew Akiyama, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and an internist at Montefiore Health System, is one of only two recipients of a one-year, $2.5 million HIV/AIDS Research Avenir Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which will fund his efforts to use advanced genetic epidemiological tools to curb infection among PWID. The NIDA award is part of the National Institute of Health’s Director’s Pioneer Awards program.
People living with HIV/AIDS have a significantly higher risk of suicide
HERSHEY, Pa. - June 28, 2021 - Tracy Cox - A new study by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine indicates that people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) — approximately 38 million worldwide — are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and die from suicide than members of the general population. The researchers said that despite significant medical advancements related to HIV treatment and patients’ quality of life, risk of suicide in these patients is high and health care providers should prioritize mental health screenings in this population.
AIDS Art Visionary
June 28, 2021 - Trenton Straube - Patrick O’Connell, the first director of Visual AIDS, died of AIDS-related illness in March 2021.
Founded in 1988, Visual AIDS produces exhibitions and publications, supports HIV-positive artists, catalogs their artwork (via galleries on VisualAIDS.org) and uses art to remind the world that AIDS is not over. The group’s first director, Patrick O’Connell, who served from 1989 to 1995, died of AIDS-related illness in March 2021. He was 67 and had lived with HIV for nearly 40 years.
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Canadian Blood Services will request to end ban on donations from gay men this year
JUN 25, 2021 - By ERICA NATIVIDAD - Canadian Blood Services (CBS) says it is taking another step forward in ending the ban on donations from gay and bisexual men.
In a statement to CityNews a spokesperson for the agency said: “I am confirming that our goal is indeed to remove the current waiting period for men who have sex with men (MSM) and use sexual behaviour-based screening for all donors instead. To this end, we intend to make a submission recommending this change to Health Canada, our regulator, by the end of 2021.”
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L.O.U.D. to Premiere “Your Life, Your Power!” Film On Nat’l HIV Testing Day
June 25, 2021 - LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- L.O.U.D., an affinity group of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) which stands for “Latino, Outreach, Understanding, Division,” is set to premiere a powerful film entitled “Your Life, Your Power!”, centered around improving the transition of adolescent HIV care to adult HIV care. The film will be followed by a youth panel discussion directly after the screening. LOUD seeks to address the social and health disparities that remain a threat to Latino communities through innovative strategies and community mobilization.
The early days of AIDS, a physician’s perspective
| Ohio State Medical Center
Jun 25, 2021 - Susan Koletar, MD, Director, Division of Infectious Diseases and Principal Investigator, AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, recalls what it was like to treat patients at the very start of the HIV/AIDS crisis in central Ohio during the early 1980s. She also outlines some of the parallels she sees between the HIV crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opinion: Ohio law codifies fear, discrimination for people living with HIV/AIDS
Jun 25, 2021 - Graig Cote - Testing positive for HIV in the 1980s was a death sentence for nearly everyone. Most people died within two years of diagnosis.
I was diagnosed in 1986 and lived.
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Researchers receive $122 million to study monthly HIV pill
June 24, 2021 - The study has started screenings and enrollment in the United States; screening in Africa will begin in June.
Global health researchers at the University of Washington have received a $122 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to test the effectiveness of a once-a-month oral pill to prevent HIV.
The five-year grant will support the implementation of a Phase 3, randomized trial of islatravir among women in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Islatravir is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor in development by Merck for the treatment and prevention of HIV-1 infection.
This Week in HIV Research: Tipping the Scales
June 24, 2021 - Barbara Jungwirth - Myles Helfand - Over the past year or two, a whole mess of conversations within HIV clinical circles have focused on weight gain among people on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Many of these conversations have centered on dolutegravir (DTG, Tivicay), as data increasingly emerged showing weight increases among people who switched to this relatively recently approved integrase inhibitor.
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L.A.’s BLACK AIDS Monument (BAM) to Be Unveiled on Nat’l HIV Testing Day
June 24, 2021 - LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)- - Timed to the 40th anniversary of the CDC’s first Morbidity and Mortality Report (MMWR) citation of a ‘strange new immunodeficiency disease’ which would become known as AIDS, advocates from In The Meantime Men’s Group and other key stakeholders will unveil the ‘Black AIDS Monument’ at Carl Bean House in West Adams on Sunday, June 27, National HIV Testing Day
An estimated 1.2 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV/AIDS, with over 33 million cumulative deaths and more than 76 million infections 40 years into the AIDS pandemic
In The Meantime Men’s Group, Inc. (ITMT) and key community members and advocates of the HIV/AIDS community will host an unveiling of the “Black AIDS Monument” (BAM) on Sunday, June 27th in the West Adams District in South Los Angeles. The event will include a gong sound bath, poem selections, and a performance by the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, String Quartet to honor and celebrate the lives of those lost to AIDS and to serve as a reminder that the fight to eradicate this disease is far from over. The event is closed to the general public due to COVID restrictions, limited seating, and social distance requirements. However, the event can be viewed live on Facebook via the In Mean Time Men’s Group Inc.’s website.
Meet the woman who cared for hundreds of gay men dying of AIDS when no one else would
Jun 24, 2021 - By Alexander Kacala - In honor of the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in 1981, TODAY interviewed Ruth Coker Burks on her legacy and impact.
Ruth Coker Burks never intended to be an advocate, activist or even an angel. She just wanted to do the right thing.
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Research provides a roadmap to HIV eradication via stem cell therapy
June 23, 2021 - (SACRAMENTO) - Study uncovers stem cells’ ability to restore immunity and repair gut damage caused by HIV
In a groundbreaking study, a team of UC Davis researchers has discovered a special type of stem cell that can reduce the amount of the virus causing AIDS, boosting the body’s antiviral immunity and repairing and restoring the gut’s lymphoid follicles damaged by the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the equivalent of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in non-human primates.
Indigenous-led HIV research centre opens in Sask.
Jun 22, 2021 - The centre at USask will work in Indigenous communities in Sask. and Man.
An Indigenous-led research centre that focuses on HIV, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and other sexually transmitted blood-borne infections (STBBI) has launched in Saskatoon.
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How likely is England to achieve zero new HIV cases by 2030?
June 22, 2021 - by Kevin Lloyd - In 2014, the United Nations developed a strategy for addressing the HIV epidemic, and this set out “90-90-90 targets.”
These targets aim for three things. The first is for 90% of people with HIV to be aware of their status. The second is for 90% of people who know their HIV status to be receiving antiretroviral therapy. The third target is for 90% of people taking antiretroviral therapy to have achieved “viral suppression,” which means having fewer than 200 copiesTrusted Source of the virus per milliliter of blood.
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AIDS @40: The White House laughs as gays try to save themselves
June 21, 2021 - By Karen Ocamb | LOS ANGELES - Over a third of them have died. It’s known as “gay plague.” (Laughter.) No, it is. I mean it’s a pretty serious thing […]
Like so many others in California, lesbian feminist Ivy Bottini had high expectations for the federal government to finally intervene in the growing AIDS crisis after the first congressional committee hearing on the mysterious new disease, chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman, (D-CA) on April 13, 1982.
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Condoms will be given to Olympic athletes — but not until they’re leaving Tokyo Games
Jun 18, 2021 - Josh Peter and Tom Schad - The Olympic Village, purportedly a hotspot for sex and carousing among athletes, will be stripped of its party atmosphere at the Tokyo Games as organizers continue to take steps to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Condoms will be distributed to the athletes — but not until they’re leaving the Tokyo Games. Athletes will be allowed to bring alcohol into the village — but allowed to consume it only if they’re alone in their rooms.
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HIV self-tests hard to come by in Saskatchewan
Jun 18, 2021 - Zak Vescera, Gillian Francis - Advocates for people with HIV say self-administered tests could be a game-changer in curbing Saskatchewan's sky-high transmission rate.
Saskatchewan advocates for people with HIV say self-administered tests could be a game-changer in curbing the province’s sky-high transmission rates.
But the newly approved tests are scarce, available mostly as part of research pilots, leaving many to wonder if and when they’ll become more accessible.
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AI app could help diagnose HIV more accurately
JUNE 17, 20211 - Pioneering technology developed by UCL (University College London) and Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) researchers could transform the ability to accurately interpret HIV test results, particularly in low- and middle-income countries
Pioneering technology developed by UCL (University College London) and Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) researchers could transform the ability to accurately interpret HIV test results, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
“Smart” segmented ring device delivers medications to stop HIV transmission
JUNE 17, 20211 - Researchers have designed a device that delivers two medications that help stop HIV transmission.
Researchers have designed a device that delivers two medications that help stop HIV transmission.
Although condom usage is the best strategy for preventing HIV transmission, the researchers are working to design a device that can be used by sex workers and in situations where women are not in a position to negotiate condom use.
Justice Department Settles with North Carolina Dental Offices Over HIV Discrimination
June 17, 2021 - The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement to resolve a claim that Night and Day Dental Inc. discriminated against a woman with HIV in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Extensive Study in Canada to Assess COVID-19 Vaccine Immune Responses and Effectiveness among People Living With HIV
June 16, 2021 - People living with HIV are less likely to mount an adequate immune response, which may put them at higher risk for both serious COVID-19 illness and reduced response to COVID-19 vaccination. The Government of Canada, through its COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) and Vaccine Surveillance Reference Group (VSRG), is investing approximately $1.75 million in a study that will assess the immune responses, safety, and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination for this vulnerable population that has been understudied with respect to COVID-19. The study is further supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) and Stop the Spread Ottawa, bringing the total funding to more than $2.6 million.
ACT UP: A History Of AIDS/HIV Activism
June 16, 2021 - By Simon Little & Aaron McArthur - Forty years ago this month, the CDC reported on patients with HIV/AIDS in the United States for the very first time. In the years since, LGBTQIA+ Americans have been fighting for treatment and recognition of a disease that was was understudied, under-reported, and deeply stigmatized. Sarah Schulman is the codirector of the ACT UP Oral History Project, and the author of Let The Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993.
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B.C. researchers leading study of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in people with HIV
June 16, 2021 - By Simon Little & Aaron McArthur - Vancouver researchers are helping spearhead a national study on how well COVID-19 vaccines work in people living with HIV.
Researchers say HIV-positive people are less likely to produce a strong immune response to common vaccines, and may need higher doses or more booster shots for protection.
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High rates of adolescents living with undiagnosed HIV in five high-burden countries
16 June 2021 - Mercy Shibemba - High rates of undiagnosed HIV were found amongst adolescents (aged between 10 – 19) across five high-burden countries in southern Africa, while the low rates of undetectable viral loads in those accessing treatment raises concerns around treatment effectiveness. This is the first study to estimate the number of adolescents living with HIV across Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Eswatini and Lesotho, and is published by Dr Andrea Low of Columbia University in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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Pioneering Research Institute In Los Angeles Moves One Step Closer To Finding A Cure For HIV
LOS ANGELES, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: ENOB) - Promising Treatment Using Cell Therapy Moves to First Stage of FDA Approval Process
A promising cure for HIV is moving one step closer to FDA approval. The novel approach to treating HIV in humans using cell therapy, developed by Dr. Serhat Gumrukcu (Dr. Serhat), Director of the Seraph Research Institute (SRI), and his team, will move forward to the first stage of the approval process with the FDA – a Pre-Investigational New Drug (Pre-IND) meeting.
Why AIDS history is repeating in COVID-19
June 15, 2021 - BY SARAH WHEATON - Millions died in poor countries because effective antiretrovirals were out of reach. The same could happen with coronavirus vaccines.
This is a POLITICO case study, a look at what works — and what doesn’t — in the fight against HIV. The article is part of Telescope: The New AIDS Epidemic, a deep-dive investigation into the modern face of a disease that transformed the world.
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How children are paying the price in Pakistan’s mass HIV outbreak
15 Jun 2021 - Hundreds tested positive in 2019 after a whistle-blower doctor uncovered a scandal involving reuse of needles in southern Sindh province.
Since his son was diagnosed with HIV during a mass outbreak among babies and children in Pakistan, Shahzado Shar has often been forced to choose between food and medicine.
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ACTG honors the 40th anniversary of HIV/AIDS, convenes virtual annual meeting
Los Angeles, Calif. - June 15, 2021 - The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the largest global HIV research network, commemorates the 40th anniversary of the initial publication of reports of what came to be known as HIV/AIDS in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on June 5, 1981. The anniversary coincides with the 2021 Virtual Annual ACTG Network Meeting. ACTG has played a critical role in HIV research for nearly four decades and has done so in close partnership with the HIV community. ACTG research includes landmark studies that have changed the treatment and care of people living with HIV around the world. This year's annual meeting will highlight ACTG research and efforts over the past year, including those to address COVID-19, as well as future research directions.
Remembering Marcie Summers
June 14th, 2021 - It’s with great sadness that we acknowledge the death of long-time advocate and ally Marcie Summers. Marcie was active in the community-based HIV movement beginning in 1986, working as a volunteer in the Speaker’s Bureau at AIDS Vancouver. In 1993, she began working as Executive Director for Positive Women’s Network. In 1996, she was a founding volunteer for PAN – and served for many years on the board of directors. She also was a long time board member at CATIE. Marcie started her career teaching on a reserve in Northern Alberta, and also worked within the shelter system for women fleeing violence before she turned to HIV advocacy in her early 40’s.
Mad Hat Maven Creative’s AIDS-Awareness Campaign Wins International Awards
June 14, 2021 - Marene Gustin - Their online strategies helped AFH programs during a difficult year.
When AIDS Foundation Houston (AFH) teamed up with MISTR—a gay-owned and -operated group that offers PrEP (the once-a-day pill regimen for AIDS prevention) through online prescriptions with home delivery—they thought that a traditional person-to-person information campaign would be the way to get people signed up.
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HIV self-testing kits available in Manitoba
WINNIPEG - June 14, 2021 - Daniel Halmarson - There are nearly 1,300 Manitobans living with HIV, and Nine Circles Community Health Centre anticipates 20 per cent of people living with HIV are undiagnosed.
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HIV treatment choice affects improvement in liver after hepatitis C cure
14 June 2021 - Keith Alcorn - People with HIV who were cured of hepatitis C experienced greater reductions in liver stiffness if they were taking an antiretroviral regimen that contained a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), Spanish researchers report in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
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United Nations High-Level Meeting on AIDS draws to a close with a strong political declaration and bold new targets to be met by 2025
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 14 June 2021 - After weeks of robust discussions, the 2021 United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS is drawing to a close with the adoption of a new, ambitious and achievable Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030. The declaration is based on evidence, grounded in human rights and will serve as an important road map to advance the global HIV response over the next five years.
Self-testing kits available in Sudbury for people who might have HIV and want to know for sure
June 14, 2021 - By: Sudbury.com Staff - Réseau ACCESS Network is a pickup point for the I’m Ready campaign, providing an Northerners with access to free testing kits so they can determine their HIV status, and their options to find help and support
I'm Ready To Know is a position more and more people are putting themselves in as the campaign continues to end HIV in Canada. In Sudbury, the Réseau ACCESS Network is a pick-up point for test kits for individuals who suspect they have HIV and want to know for certain one way or the other.
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Model shows sharp decrease in HIV incidence in England
11-Jun-2021 - England on track to achieve elimination of HIV transmission by 2030
The annual number of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) in England is likely to have fallen dramatically, from 2,770 in 2013 to 854 in 2018, showing elimination of HIV transmission by 2030 to be within reach - suggests work by researchers from the MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge and Public Health England (PHE), published in The Lancet HIV.
Dr. Julio Montaner: Canada must recommit to targets which will bring an end to HIV/AIDS by 2030
June 11, 2021 - Dr. Julio Montaner - June 5 marked 40 years since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first described cases of what came to be known as AIDS. Since then, UNAIDS estimates nearly 33 million people have died from HIV/AIDS, and about 38 million people currently live with HIV.
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South African HIV Patient Was a Natural Laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 Mutations
Jun 10, 2021 - By Gail Dutton - An immunocompromised patient in South Africa became a veritable COVID-19 variant laboratory as the virus mutated more than 30 times in 216 days of her infection, according to recent, not-yet-peer-reviewed research paper published in medRxiv.
ACTG Launches Phase 1 Combination HIV Cure Study
Los Angeles, Calif. - June 10, 2021 - The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the largest global HIV research network, today announced the launch of A5386, a phase 1 HIV cure study evaluating two promising therapies. A5386 will study whether N-803 (a clinical-stage biologic also called Anktiva?) can control HIV alone or together with combination broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) after participants stop their antiretroviral therapy (ART) and they are carefully monitored.
UCSF: 40 Years of AIDS
Jun 9, 2021 - UC San Francisco (UCSF) - In 1981, a mysterious illness began overwhelming the San Francisco community. Since those early days of the epidemic, UCSF has steadfastly been at the forefront of patient care, research and community partnerships in the battle against HIV and AIDS.
HIV Prevention Trials Network Launches HPTN 094 (INTEGRA) Study
DURHAM, N.C. - Jun 9, 2021- Testing mobile health units to bring services to people with opioid use disorder
The HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) announced today the launch of HPTN 094 (INTEGRA), a study to determine whether using mobile health units to deliver integrated health services for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) can improve HIV and substance use treatment and prevention. This study is being conducted by the HPTN and is sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) with funding from the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), both part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Study products for HIV treatment and prevention are provided by Gilead Sciences, Inc.
New global pledge to end all inequalities faced by communities and people affected by HIV towards ending AIDS
NEW YORK, 8 June 2021 - World leaders agree to reduce the annual number of new HIV infections to under 370 000 and AIDS-related deaths to 250 000, eliminate new HIV infections among children, end paediatric AIDS and eliminate all forms of HIV-related discrimination by 2025. They also committed to providing life-saving HIV treatment to 34 million people by 2025.United Nations Member States adopted a set of new and ambitious targets in a political declaration at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS, taking place in New York, United States of America. If the international community reaches the targets, 3.6 million new HIV-infections and 1.7 million AIDS-related deaths will be prevented by 2030.
A U.N. Declaration on Ending AIDS Should Have Been Easy. It Wasn’t.
June 8, 2021 - By Apoorva Mandavilli - Even with U.N.’s previous goals unmet, delegates tried to water down provisions regarding protections for vulnerable populations and patents for essential drugs.
The United Nations on Tuesday adopted new targets for ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, seemingly a goal most countries could easily have agreed to. But consensus had been elusive.
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Forty years a survivor
8 June 2021 - Gus Cairns - Saturday 5 June, a date now enshrined as HIV Long Term Survivors’ Awareness Day, was the 40th anniversary of the discovery of HIV's effects in White US gay men, and the beginning of our awareness that the plague before last had arrived.
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Injectable HIV therapy should only be given after a check for innate resistance, French study suggests
8 June 2021 - Gus Cairns - A French study of pre-existing mutations in different subtypes of HIV – both alterations due to drug resistance and naturally-occurring ones – has found that a significant proportion of people starting HIV treatment had mutations in their HIV which, while not necessarily affecting the performance of either drug in themselves, could predispose them to virological failure when other factors such as poor adherence or lower absorption are present.
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People with HIV are at higher risk of ageing-related genetic changes
Monday, 7 June 2021 - Forty years after the first diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, Australian scientists from the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre have uncovered a vital link in the relationship between HIV and ageing. The results were published today in the journal Nature Medicine.
The study found that people living with HIV had a higher rate of clonal haematopoiesis (CH), which results when a genetic mutation develops in a small number of blood stem cells and is a common finding among older people.
AIDS @40: Gay men terrified, stigmatized by mysterious new fatal disease
LOS ANGELES - June 7, 2021 - By Karen Ocamb - “If this article doesn’t rouse you to anger, fury, rage, and action, gay men may have no future on this earth…”
Before the CDC’s first report on AIDS, there was news from the New York Native, a biweekly gay newspaper published in New York City from December 1980 until January 13, 1997. It was the only gay paper in the City during the early part of the AIDS epidemic and it pioneered reporting on AIDS.
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Nature Communications Publishes Study of CytoDyn’s Leronlimab Preventing HIV Infection in Primates
VANCOUVER, Washington, June 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leronlimab to be studied as potential HIV PrEP drug in humans through an early clinical trial
The HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) announced today the launch of HPTN 094 (INTEGRA), a study to determine whether using mobile health units to deliver integrated health services for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) can improve HIV and substance use treatment and prevention. This study is being conducted by the HPTN and is sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) with funding from the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), both part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Study products for HIV treatment and prevention are provided by Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Halifax man who did not tell sex partner he was HIV positive gets 7.5 months in jail
Jun 07, 2021 - Blair Rhodes - A Halifax man who failed to disclose his HIV-positive status to a sexual partner has been sentenced to 7 ½ months in jail.
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Monoclonal antibody prevents HIV infection in monkeys, study finds
Portland, Oregon - June 7, 2021 - By Franny White - Leronlimab to be studied as potential HIV PrEP drug in an early human clinical trial
An experimental, lab-made antibody can completely prevent nonhuman primates from being infected with the monkey form of HIV, new research published in Nature Communications shows.
High-Level Meeting on AIDS – End Inequalities. End AIDS
8 - 10 June 2021 - The High-Level Meeting on AIDS will take place between 8 and 10 June 2021. The high-level meeting will review the progress made in reducing the impact of HIV since the last United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on HIV and AIDS in 2016. The General Assembly expects to adopt a new political declaration to guide the future direction of the response.
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Every time you buy Mac Cosmetics Viva Glam lipstick, you’re supporting vital HIV and AIDS charities
JUNE 7, 2021 - JONNY YATES - Viva Glam is the popular Mac Cosmetics lipstick range that gives back all year – not just during Pride Month.
The lipstick collection was launched by Mac Cosmetics in the 90s to raise vital funds to support people living with HIV and AIDS worldwide.
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Peng Liyuan calls for global efforts in AIDS and TB prevention and treatment
Jun 7, 2021 - CGTN - Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, calls on people from all walks of life in all countries to join hands and take action to strengthen the prevention and treatment of AIDS and tuberculosis (TB), in order to benefit all mankind and build a global community of health for all. Peng, also World Health Organization (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, made the remarks on Monday at the opening ceremony of a special high-level event on the sidelines of the United Nations High-Level meeting on AIDS via video link.
Dr. Anthony Fauci Introduces National AIDS Memorial Short-Film Honoring Long-Term HIV Survivors
Jun 5, 2021 - National AIDS Memorial - Dr. Anthony Fauci introduces a powerful short-film produced by the National AIDS Memorial that captures four decades of stories from HIV long-term survivors.
Forty years after first documented AIDS cases, survivors reckon with 'dichotomy of feelings'
June 5, 2021 - By Alex Berg - On June 5, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a now-historic report about five "active homosexuals" with a rare pneumonia.
For Eric Sawyer, the 40th anniversary of the first scientific report that described AIDS as a new disease brings up “a dichotomy of feelings.”
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Pneumocystis Pneumonia --- Los Angeles
June 5, 2021 - Epidemiologic Notes and Reports
In the period October 1980-May 1981, 5 young men, all active homosexuals, were treated for biopsy-confirmed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia at 3 different hospitals in Los Angeles, California. Two of the patients died. All 5 patients had laboratory-confirmed previous or current cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and candidal mucosal infection. Case reports of these patients follow.
40 years ago, the first cases of AIDS were reported in the US
June 5, 2021 - By Harmeet Kaur, CNN - On June 5, 1981, a curious report appeared in the Center for Disease Control's weekly public health digest: Five young, gay men across Los Angeles had been diagnosed with an unusual lung infection known as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) -- and two of them had died.
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Statement by President Joe Biden Recognizing the 40th Year of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
June 5, 2021 - Forty years ago today, five young men in Los Angeles were confirmed as the first known patients stricken with an illness that the world would later come to know as AIDS. In the decades since, more than 700,000 Americans and 32.7 million people worldwide have been lost to AIDS-related illnesses – a heartbreaking human toll that has disproportionately devastated LGBTQ+ communities, communities of color, and underserved and marginalized people around the world.
A novel tuberculosis regimen shortens treatment course for patients
4-JUN-2021 - Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina and elsewhere find a new antibiotic regimen that shortens the treatment course for patients with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly infection that occurs in every part of the world. The standard treatment for TB, a six-month multidrug regimen, has not changed in more than 40 years. Patients can find it difficult to complete the lengthy regimen, making it more likely that treatment resistance will develop.
A research team led by a Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) investigator reports in the May 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that a four-month treatment regimen using rifapentine is effective for treating TB. Shortening the treatment duration is an important step toward increased patient adherence.
Pelosi Statement Marking 40 Years of HIV/AIDS in America
June 4, 2021 - Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement marking 40 years since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report on what would later be understood as the first documented cases of AIDS on June 5, 1981
“Today, Americans mark a solemn milestone: forty years since the discovery of HIV/AIDS, a disease that has inflicted nearly unparalleled anguish, pain and devastation on our country and world. On this day, we take time to mourn the hundreds of thousands of Americans we have lost to this vicious disease and pray for all grieving their tragic loss. We also pay tribute to the more than one million Americans living with HIV today, who have bravely battled not only the virus but its cruel stigma.
Greg Louganis talks 40 years of HIV/AIDS, fighting the stigma
JUN 4, 2021 - As we mark 40 years since the first HIV/AIDS cases in the U.S., Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Louganis discusses how attitudes about the virus have changed since he was diagnosed in 1988.
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THE ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION AND WALMART JOIN FORCES TO LAUNCH BREAKTHROUGH — A NEW INITIATIVE TO HELP ACCELERATE THE END OF AIDS IN AMERICA
June 4, 2021 - Today, at the Walmart Associate celebration at the Walmart AMP, Walmart and the Elton John AIDS Foundation announced they are joining forces to change the course of HIV in the United States with the launch of “Breakthrough.” This new initiative aims to accelerate the end of AIDS in America by increasing access, education and awareness to safe, convenient HIV testing and services in the southern United States. The three-year engagement will begin by expanding access to stigma-free testing in local communities through testing events, a vital first step at effective prevention and treatment for people living with the disease, as well as education and awareness.
40 Years of AIDS in SF
June 4, 2021 - Trenton Straube - AIDS: A Story of Courage and Collaboration
In 1981, a mysterious illness began overwhelming the San Francisco community. Since those early days of the epidemic, UCSF has steadfastly been at the forefront of patient care, research and community partnerships in the battle against HIV and AIDS.
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After 40 years of AIDS, here’s why we still don’t have an HIV vaccine
June 4, 2021 - By Erin Garcia de Jesús - The complex biology of HIV makes the virus a tough target to tackle
That long-lasting infection is just one reason why no vaccine against HIV exists yet. It’s also a tricky virus to pin down, with many variants and an uncanny ability to evade the immune system.
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HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day 2021
June 4, 2021 - Trenton Straube - This year’s #HLTSAD is Saturday, June 5, the 40th anniversary of the first AIDS cases reported in the United States.
Saturday, June 5, is HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day (HLTSAD) 2021. The date also marks “the 40th anniversary of the start of the AIDS pandemic,” as HLTSAD organizers put it. For this reason, this year’s HLTSAD theme is “AIDS at 40: Envisioning a Future We Never Imagined.”
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2020 HIV rates show world ‘sleepwalking towards AIDS emergency’
03 Jun 2021 - by Frontline AIDSNew figures from the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV and AIDS have revealed there were 1.5 million new HIV infections worldwide in 2020, while deaths from AIDS-related illnesses showed no fall on the previous year.
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40 Years of AIDS
June 3, 2021 - UC San Francisco (UCSF)
Forty years on and new UNAIDS report gives evidence that we can end AIDS
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 3 June 2021 - UNAIDS urges world leaders to adopt a bold political declaration on HIV at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS, being held in New York and online next week, and to commit to achieving a new set of targets for 2025 to end AIDS by 2030
Four decades after the first cases of AIDS were reported, new data from UNAIDS show that dozens of countries achieved or exceed the 2020 targets set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2016—evidence that the targets were not just aspirational but achievable.
UM Avenir Award Recipient to Leverage Telehealth to Reach Injection Drug Users
2-Jun-2021 - Newswise - For the past five years, Hansel Tookes, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has focused on developing community-based engagement in care interventions for persons living with HIV/AIDS and people who inject drugs (PWID).
Perspectives on HIV/AIDS, 40 years after the first cases were officially reported
June 2, 2021 - Saturday, June 5, marks the 40th anniversary of the first official reported cases of what became known as AIDS. The University of Michigan has experts who can discuss.
How HIV infection shrinks the brain’s white matter
June 2, 2021 - Researchers from Penn and CHOP detail the mechanism by which HIV infection blocks the maturation process of brain cells that produce myelin, a fatty substance that insulates neurons.
It’s long been known that people living with HIV experience a loss of white matter in their brains. As opposed to gray matter, which is composed of the cell bodies of neurons, white matter is made up of a fatty substance called myelin that coats neurons, offering protection and helping them transmit signals quickly and efficiently. A reduction in white matter is associated with motor and cognitive impairment.
CAAN LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
Barcelona, June 1, 2021 - COMMUNITIES, ALLIANCES & NETWORKS (CAAN)
With a great deal of hard work from the CAAN Communications Committee and Type C Consulting, we are pleased to announce the launch of our renewed website: www.caan.ca.
“Our website is an important resource for connecting with our membership and sharing our resources. We are very excited with the new look of the site and look forward to communicating even more about the important work we are doing on behalf of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.” Margaret Kisikaw Piyesis, Chief Executive Officer.
Communicable Diseases Module: 29. Positive Living and Prevention of HIV Transmission for PLHIV
June 1, 2021 - Study Session 29 Positive Living and Prevention of HIV Transmission for PLHIV
In previous study sessions, you have learnt about the basic biology of HIV and opportunistic infections associated with AIDS. You have also learnt about the treatment used by people living with HIV (PLHIV) to prevent and/or slow down progression to AIDS. Remember that patients infected with HIV need to follow their treatment correctly and strictly in order to maintain a healthy life. In this study session we will be discussing positive living, which means a lifestyle for PLHIV that is aimed at maintaining their quality of life for as long as possible. To encourage a positive living lifestyle, PLHIV should actively sustain the following practises: be informed about health issues; take medications as prescribed; work as their energy allows; avoid stress; maintain good nutrition; prevent infections; practise regular exercise; and seek regular medical care. Most importantly, positive living for PLHIV also involves playing an active role in preventing the spread of HIV, and you should stress the importance of safer sex practises in this context.
A fungus is major cause of death among people with HIV in the Brazilian Amazon
Barcelona, June 1, 2021 - A series of autopsies performed in an infectious disease hospital in the Brazilian Amazon reveals that infections by the Histoplasma fungus are a major cause of death in people with HIV. The study, led by Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by “la Caixa” Foundation, in collaboration with a team in Manaus, highlights the need of implementing sensitive methods to detect these infections in Histoplasma-endemic regions.
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