|
Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - November 2023
A Proclamation on World AIDS Day, 2023
November 30, 2023 - JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. - The White House - On World AIDS Day, my message is simple: Let us finish the fight.
Since recognizing the first World AIDS Day 35 years ago, we have made enormous progress in preventing, detecting, and treating HIV — greatly reducing annual HIV diagnoses and transmission. But despite these advancements, about 39 million people continue to live with HIV, including more than one million people in the United States. Far too often, people living with HIV face discrimination that prevents them from accessing the care they need. So, as we reflect on our progress today, we must also come together to renew our promise to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Dr. Brian Conway: World AIDS Day 2023: Miles to go before I sleep
Nov 30, 2023 - Dr. Brian Conway- Science - Opinion: We have come a long way since I first saw people living with AIDS in the emergency room in 1984. But the battle is not won. There is more work to do. We must go on.
I still remember the first cases of AIDS I saw as a resident physician at Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital in 1984. Young gay men who couldn’t breathe. Or maybe they were bleeding from their guts or had disfiguring dark red skin lesions. The best we could do was comfort them in their final months (often weeks) of life.
Read more...
HIV research that takes a village
NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - Exploring the potential of Indigenous HIV doula work in Manitoba
Imagine that you’ve just tested positive for HIV. This was the reality for 517 Manitobans between 2018 and 2021 according to the latest Manitoba HIV Program Report. Now imagine that you’re able to connect with an HIV doula: someone who has been exactly where you are in this moment, who can provide emotional support, help you advocate for yourself and guide you through this new life experience. What kind of impact could this have on your health and well-being?
Unraveling the mystery of AIDS: CWRU researcher Jonathan Karn shares his insights
NOVEMBER 30, 2023 - Case Western Reserve University - Just over 40 years ago, the first case of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome—more commonly known as AIDS—was reported, setting into motion a worldwide panic about the unknown, devastating disease. At the time, AIDS was universally considered to be a death sentence.
“It’s very hard to recapture the widespread panic by the public when AIDS was first reported, although we had a little flavor of that with the SARS pandemic,” said Jonathan Karn, Distinguished University Professor and director of the Case Western Reserve University Center for AIDS Research.
Breaking Down Barriers for Those Living With HIV
November 30, 2023 - By Christopher DeFrancesco - UConn Health - UConn Health’s Ryan White Program offers treatment adherence and supportive resources
Annamarie Shand says when she learned she was HIV-positive, she knew her life was over.
What she didn’t know at the time was how wrong she would turn out to be.
It was 1992, a time when such a diagnosis was largely considered a death sentence. She contemplated taking her own life. Instead she called an 800 number for guidance, and a counselor referred her to UConn Health.
DOH ANNOUNCES RECIPIENT OF 2023 SUZANNE RICHMOND-CRUM AWARD ON WORLD AIDS DAY
HONOLULU - Nov 30, 2023 - State of Hawaii, Department of Health - The Hawai‘i State Department of Health Harm Reduction Services Branch (HRSB) is pleased to announce Keiva Lei Cadena as the recipient of the 2023 Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award. The award will be presented during the annual World AIDS Day ceremony on Friday, December 1, 2023. Cadena is being honored for her outstanding contributions to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) services in Hawai‘i. The award was established in honor of Suzanne Richmond-Crum who died in 2004 after serving for more than 10 years as director of the Hawai‘i Seropositivity and Medical Management Program of the Department of Health HRSB. The award is presented each year to an individual in Hawai‘i for outstanding contributions in providing HIV and AIDS services with competence and compassion, just as Richmond-Crum demonstrated in her work.
UNAIDS — On our way to Zimbabwe for World AIDS Day and ICASA!
November 30, 2023 - UNAIDS - First, what’s happening on World AIDS Day in Zimbabwe?
All roads will lead to Chinotimba Stadium in Victoria Falls for the commemorations of World AIDS Day. On 1 December, the Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima will commemorate the 40 million lives lost to AIDS and highlight the critical role of communities following the powerful launch of the 2023 UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report ‘Let Communities Lead’.
In the afternoon, Ms Byanyima will visit a community led initiative enabling people most affected by HIV, including sex workers, access health services.
THIS WORLD AIDS DAY, THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA MUST ACT TO END THE HARMS OF HIV CRIMINALIZATION
Thursday, November 30, 2023 – Toronto - HIV LEGAL NETWORK - Law reform has long been promised; the time for change is now
Tomorrow, World AIDS Day, marks nearly a year that people living with HIV in Canada have been waiting for the Government of Canada to take decisive action following national, government-led consultations on reforming the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure. Nearly 1000 submissions were received in these consultations and the takeaway from people living with HIV and their allies was clear: the status quo is unacceptable. We must enact law reform in this country.
GILEAD SCIENCES AWARDS OVER US$1.5 MILLION TO STRENGTHEN SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY-LED HIV PROJECTS IN ASIA PACIFIC
SINGAPORE, Nov. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/-- Gilead Sciences Inc. today announced the recipients of its 2023 Asia Pacific Rainbow Grant ("Grant"), proudly supporting this year's World AIDS Day call by UNAIDS for communities to lead on the path to end HIV.
The Grant supports community-led responses to address HIV-related needs with a focus on tackling inequalities and diverse barriers in Asia Pacific to eliminate HIV as a public health threat. Projects supported by the Grant empower underserved communities to overcome obstacles to care and help people living with HIV (PLHIV) lead healthy and enriching lives.
How Canadian scientists helped uncover sexually transmitted cases of a deadlier mpox strain
Nov 29, 2023 - By Lauren Pelley - CBC News - Team included researchers from Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mpox outbreak is still raging
If 2022 was the year mpox infections exploded globally, 2023 was the year much of the world stopped paying attention.
Yet Canadian researchers, in collaboration with scientists working on the ground in hot spots such as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), are still shining a spotlight on the virus that sparked last year's unprecedented global outbreak — and one that still seems capable of new surprises.
Read more...
Amid Congo’s deadliest mpox outbreak, a new worry: virus has become sexually transmissible
November 29, 2023 - BYJON COHEN - Science - A related viral strain caused a global mpox outbreak in men who have sex with men
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was experiencing its largest, most deadly outbreak of mpox ever, with more than 12,000 suspected cases so far this year and nearly 600 deaths, far surpassing those from the global outbreak of the same viral disease over the past 2 years. The WHO report and a study out today also explore a worrisome possibility: that the strain of virus in the DRC, far deadlier than the one that drove the global outbreak, is in some cases spreading between sexual partners.
This documentary tracks the experiences of multiple people impacted by the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s as they learned to live with HIV. It also highlights how the landscape of HIV has changed over the past 40 years.
Read more...
Loma Linda University receives $1.5 million federal grant to house HIV prevention and care program in Emergency Department
LOMA LINDA, CA - Nov. 29, 2023 - By DonaJayne Potts - LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY HEALTH - School of Behavioral Health and Emergency Department partner to aid vulnerable minority populations in the Inland Empire
Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health, in partnership with Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC), received a $1.5 million grant to house a comprehensive behavioral healthcare and HIV prevention and care program inside the LLUMC Emergency Department.
In recent years, the Inland Empire has seen a 23% rise in new HIV diagnoses, according to the California Department of Public Health. Alarming rates of HIV in the region emphasize the need for HIV testing.
ELTON JOHN WELCOMES UK’S EXPANSION OF OPT-OUT HIV TESTING
29 November 2023 - ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION - Elton John welcomes expansion of opt-out testing for HIV to 46 Accident & Emergency sites across England and calls on all political leaders to do more to end AIDS in a speech at Speaker’s House
Elton John was honoured at a reception hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on HIV/AIDS at the Speaker’s House today in recognition of his enduring commitment to ending the AIDS epidemic, both personally and through the work of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Earlier today, Victoria Atkins, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care outlined how the UK Government will be expanding the hugely successful NHS opt-out blood-borne virus testing programme for HIV and Hepatitis to 46 new emergency departments across England. Expansion of the programme, from the current 33 sites to every high prevalence area, could identify a significant proportion of the estimated 4,500 people living with undiagnosed HIV, prevent new transmissions and save more lives.
He Was There When the HIV Epidemic Erupted. Now, at 87 He Sees Potential for a Cure.
November 29, 2023 - With the 35th anniversary of World AIDS Day coming up on December 1, 87 year old Dr. Marcus Conant is in a hurry. He could be lying on a beach, or living out his dream of moving to Paris — but instead, this physician is commuting from NYC to Maryland every week to oversee a gene therapy clinical trial in hopes of curing HIV.
As a physician in early-1980s San Francisco, Conant started to see patients showing up with unexplained skin lesions — now known as Kaposi sarcoma — caused by a then-unknown disease. Those were some of the first cases of what became the HIV/AIDS epidemic. He lost 94% of his patients, some of whom were his friends, to the mysterious disease back then. Ever since, he’s been on a mission to help end the epidemic ever.
Congenital syphilis cases set new annual record in Japan
November 29, 2023 - The Japan Times - The number of congenital syphilis cases in Japan this year has already set a new annual record high, according to data recently released by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
Read more...
Documentary on the history of HIV/AIDS in the Quad Cities premieres at Figge Art Museum
MOLINE, Ill - November 29, 2023 - WQAD - The Project QC hopes this documentary will raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in our community.
"We're Still Here: The Past and Present of HIV in Our Country and Community," a documentary created by The Project of the Quad Cities to highlight people in the Quad Cities living with HIV and AIDS, made its debut at the Figge Art Museum on Thursday, Nov. 30.
This documentary tracks the experiences of multiple people impacted by the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s as they learned to live with HIV. It also highlights how the landscape of HIV has changed over the past 40 years.
Read more...
World AIDS Day 2023 – events in Geneva and around the world
1 December 2023 | Geneva, Switzerland and around the world
On 1st December, WHO, together with communities and partners will commemorate World AIDS Day 2023, under the theme “Let communities lead”.
Research spotlight: Improvements in HIV care in Black and White men who have sex with men
28-Nov-2023 - MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL - Katherine Rich, MD MPH, resident in the MGH Department of Medicine, is the first author of a recently published paper in JAMA Network Open, “Projected Life Expectancy Gains from Improvements in HIV Care in Black and White Men Who Have Sex With Men.” Aima Ahonkhai, MD MPH and Emily Hyle, MD MSc, physician investigators in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, are co-senior authors.
Antiretrovirals– the gold standard in HIV treatment
November 28, 2023 - Saskatchewan Health Authority - “If you engage in care and treatment, HIV is extremely manageable.”
That’s the message from Dr. Johnmark Opondo, Medical Health Officer (MHO) for the Saskatchewan Health Authority. “HIV can be nearly undetectable and untransmissible with proper treatment. You can live a full life.”
Patients diagnosed with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) were once required to take handfuls of medication to boost their immune systems. Now, they are managing their health with one pill a day or, in some cases, just one injection every four weeks.
Ending the HIV Epidemic May Require Addressing “Everyday” Discrimination
Newswise - 28-Nov-2023 - Rutgers University-New Brunswick - Medical technology alone will not stop transmission, Rutgers researchers say
Latino sexual minority men who experience racial, ethnic and sexual prejudice are more likely to delay HIV testing, complicating efforts to end the more than 40-year epidemic, according to a new Rutgers study.
“Total HIV infection rates in the United States are stabilizing, which is good news,” said Gabriel Robles, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Social Work and coauthor of the paper published in the journal AIDS Education and Prevention. “What’s bad is that the trend for some subgroups, including some Latino/x sexual minority men, is going in the opposite direction. Our study offers a possible explanation.”
No time to waste: to tackle its HIV epidemic, the European region must urgently increase testing and address persistent stigma
28th November 2023 - With more than 2.4 million people diagnosed, yet many others unaware of their status, critical action is needed
Although the European Region has made progress in tackling HIV, significant challenges remain in identifying and treating cases, as well as preventing infection in the first place. Expanding access to HIV testing and treatment, along with acknowledging and addressing the persistent HIV-related stigma and discrimination that prevents people from seeking diagnosis and care, are key steps to stop the rise in infection in several parts of the region.
This urgent call to action stems from a newly released surveillance report based on 2022 data and jointly published by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Released ahead of World AIDS Day 2023, the report highlights the progress, challenges and trends in HIV/AIDS across the European Region.
Ahead of World AIDS Day UNAIDS is calling for urgent support to Let Communities Lead in the fight to end AIDS
LONDON/GENEVA, 28 November 2023 - UNAIDS - A new report by UNAIDS demonstrates the critical role communities play, and how underfunding and harmful barriers are holding back their lifesaving work and obstructing the end of AIDS.
As World AIDS Day (1 December) approaches, UNAIDS is urging governments across the world to unleash the power of grassroots communities across the world to lead the fight to end AIDS. A new report launched today by UNAIDS, Let Communities Lead, shows that AIDS can be ended as a public health threat by 2030, but only if communities on the frontlines get the full support they need from governments and donors.
Four Toronto Public Health vaccination clinics to close on
Dec. 13
November 27, 2023 -By Nawa Tahir - TORONTO STAR - The city opened the clinics in August. Vaccines provided at these clinics include COVID-19, human papilloma virus, mpox and measles.
The city will be closing four vaccination clinics in downtown Toronto, Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough on Dec. 13, according to a Monday press release. The four fixed-site vaccination clinics began operating in August this year.
Advanced Imaging Gives New Insight into HIV Infection
November 27, 2023 - Laboratory Equipment - Researchers employed advanced imaging to characterize an elusive HIV protein structure and improve understanding of how the virus infects cells.
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is difficult to treat because it mutates rapidly and shields itself from recognition and attack by antibodies and therapeutics. However, if researchers can understand how HIV infects cells, they can design better treatment options.
Meticulous and principled: Stella Musungu receives VC’s Service Excellence Award
November 27, 2023 - University of Cape Town - Stella Musungu’s crowning moment came in an afternoon email, sent by University of Cape Town (UCT) Vice-Chancellor (VC) interim Emeritus Professor Daya Reddy. And the email brought good tidings. To her delight, she was named the winner of the 2023 UCT VC’s Service Excellence Award – a salient honour, and her UCT career highlight by a mile.
Tools that we already have available for treating and preventing HIV
27-Nov-2023 - by University of Miami Health System, Miller School of Medicine - Susanne Doblecki Lewis, MD, Chief of Infectious Disease and Director of HIV Prevention at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Can you tell me a little bit more about maybe your current research and what you're working on?
"So some of the things that we're working on now are trying to improve approaches so that people can really easily access the tools that we already have available for treating and preventing HIV. So we have wonderful medications right now that are extremely effective in treatment and prevention. The problem is that people can't access them or aren't easily able to access them."
UN confirms sexual spread of mpox in Congo for the 1st time as country sees a record outbreak
LONDON - Nov 24, 2023 - CTV - The World Health Organization said it has confirmed sexual transmission of mpox in Congo for the first time as the country experiences its biggest-ever outbreak, a worrying development that African scientists warn could make it more difficult to stop the disease.
Read more...
HIV-positive and pregnant
Nov 26, 2023 - Jamaica Observer - At the onset of the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the 1980s in Jamaica, being HIV-positive was considered a death sentence, and the truth is that a number of people died in the early years of the pandemic. Fear, anxiety, uncertainties, homophobia, stigma, and discrimination led the way as people at all levels of society went more into panic mode, rather than showed genuine care and support for the infected and affected.
Read more...
Ugandan sculptor uses Art for HIV/AIDS awareness
Nov 24, 2023 - SABC News - A sculptor in Uganda is using Art to create awareness about the dangers of HIV/Aids. Lillian Nabulime says her sculptures help create a deep insight into the World of HIV/AIDS. SABC News Correspondent, Leon Ssenyange reports.
Syphilis cases hit record high for third straight year in Japan
Nov 24, 2023 - The Japan Times - The number of syphilis cases in Japan totaled 13,251 this year as of Sunday, hitting a record high for the third consecutive year, national data showed Friday.
Read more...
UKHSA statement on reported clusters of respiratory illness in children in China
24 November 2023 - UK Health Security Agency - The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is monitoring reports of clusters of respiratory illness in children in northern China.
Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission have reported an increase in incidence of respiratory diseases in China. This increase has been attributed to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19.
These are all common pathogens but due to changes in social mixing may not follow usual seasonal infection patterns. The UK experienced similar trends in 2022.
Sudbury group targets the stigma surrounding HIV
Nov 24, 2023 - By Heather Cassell - Sudbury Star - Reseau ACCESS Network to host HIV Awareness Week
Réseau ACCESS Network has announced the launch of HIV Awareness Week, a week-long campaign aimed at raising awareness about HIV, combating stigma and promoting education and support for those affected by HIV.
Read more...
Village Apothecary, independent pharmacy specializing in HIV, turns 40
November 24, 2023 - By Heather Cassell - Gay City News - A historic independent pharmacy, Village Apothecary, continues to fight for its customers 40 years after it first opened its doors at the eruption of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Greenwich Village.
The award-winning pharmacy on the corner of Bleecker and West 10th Streets in the heart of New York’s historic gayborhood has truly been a good neighbor since its founding in 1983 by the late Micheal Konnon, an out gay Greek American pharmacist.
Read more...
Mpox kills 600 in largest ever DRC outbreak
November 24, 2023 - By Maeve Cullinan - The Telegraph - Experts warn the strain of the disease behind the new outbreak has the potential to spread worldwide
Nearly 600 have died of suspected mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year, with a further 11,988 infected, in what has become the nation’s largest-ever outbreak.
The death toll surpasses the 112 global fatalities recorded during last summer’s outbreak, when the disease spread among multiple Western nations for the first time, including the UK.
Read more...
Gene editing may not be the safest HIV cure strategy, early findings warn
24 November 2023 - Zekerie Redzheb - Aidsmap - Findings only apply to CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing
Despite recommendations for universal screening, less than 1% of people attending emergency departments in the United States are tested for HIV, with no improvement in recent years, according to a report published in the journal AIDS.
Read more...
UK experts recommend statins for all people with HIV aged 40 and over
23 November 2023 - Keith Alcorn - Aidsmap - The British HIV Association (BHIVA) has recommended that everyone living with HIV aged 40 and over should take a statin to reduce their risk of heart disease, even if they do not have raised cholesterol or a high risk of heart disease.
The new guidance, issued this week, is the first in the world to respond to the results of the REPRIVE study, presented at the International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science in July. The study showed that taking pitavastatin daily reduced the risk of a major cardiovascular event such as heart attack, stroke or a clinical intervention to treat a serious heart disorder by 35% in people with HIV. Crucially, the study only recruited people with a low-to-moderate risk of serious heart disease within ten years.
Read more...
Adeeba: Ending AIDS Impossible Without Engaging People Who Use Drugs
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 - By Boo Su-Lyn - CodeBlue - Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman says without engaging people who inject drugs (PWIDs), ending AIDS by 2030 will “remain a pipe dream”. A new GCDP report urges countries to decriminalise drug use. Only 54.5% of PWIDs with HIV in Malaysia currently receive ART.
The global HIV/ AIDS epidemic cannot be ended by 2030 without significant reform to drug policies that criminalise people who use drugs, said the Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP).
Ahead of World AIDS Day, GCDP released a 2023 report titled “HIV, Hepatitis & Drug Policy Reform” that found that even though getting people living with HIV on antiretroviral treatment (ART) tripled globally over the past two decades to nearly 30 million today, the situation for people who inject drugs (PWID) living with HIV has not improved much.
World AIDS Day: How Far We’ve Come and Where We Still Need to Go
22-Nov-2023 - Patti Zielinski - Rutgers University-New Brunswick - A national HIV expert at Rutgers discusses the progress made and the challenges to overcome in ending the disease by 2030
The United Nations’ World Health Organization declared December 1 as World AIDS Day, an international day of awareness and education about the challenges that remain to achieve the goals of ending HIV/AIDS by 2030. This year’s theme is “Let communities lead.”
Jeffrey Kwong, a professor at the Rutgers School of Nursing and co-medical director of the American Academy of HIV Medicine’s HIV and Aging Initiative, was appointed in October as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Clinical Ambassador for the “Let’s Stop HIV Together” campaign.
Fighting AIDS: Why the goal is to diagnose HIV before symptoms appear
Nov 22, 2023 - Newswise — ROCHESTER, Minnesota - Mayo Clinic - HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), can hide in the body for many years before symptoms appear. Meanwhile, it is quietly killing part of the immune system. That is why the goal is catching HIV before symptoms appear, making routine testing essential so people know they are infected and can be treated, explains Stacey Rizza, M.D., an infectious diseases expert and HIV researcher at Mayo Clinic.
“The problem with HIV is it kills part of our immune cells, called the CD4 cell. And that makes people vulnerable to getting infections as well as cancers,” Dr. Rizza says. “It can hide away in the body in a latent state for many years. And that's why it's so difficult to cure HIV."
Janet Jackson Fever Sweeps Houston
November 22, 2023 - HOUSTON, Texas --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AHF administers 125 HIV tests in three hours during World AIDS Day concert ticket giveaway; Schedules encore Test for Tickets event for Wednesday November 29th
Janet Jackson enthusiasm hit a fever pitch on Saturday, November 18, 2023 at Out of the Closet thrift store in Houston as AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) held a Test for Tickets promotional event in partnership with local radio station Majic 102.1 for the AHF World AIDS Day Concert at NRG Arena in Houston, Texas on December 1, 2023.
The Republican attack on the U.S. HIV program undercuts American influence
November 22, 2023 - ROBERT ROTBERG - THE GLOBE AND MAIL - The U.S. program to eradicate HIV is one of America’s most respected soft-power contributions to African development. Now, a posse of Republican representatives is holding up the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for political gain. They are trying to turn the enormous attributes of PEPFAR into dangers, all for narrow attention in the culture wars. Africa should not be held captive to wildly misplaced Republican political publicity seeking.
Read more...
Netherlands Man in Remission 23 Years After Stopping HIV Treatment
November 22, 2023 - By Liz Highleyman - While not cured, the man has maintained viral suppression for more than two decades after stopping antiretroviral therapy..
A man in the Netherlands who started antiretroviral therapy very soon after infection has maintained viral suppression for 23 years after stopping HIV treatment, according to a case report described in the journal AIDS.
The man still has detectable latent virus, so he is not fully cured, but this report adds further evidence that having a small viral reservoir at the time of treatment initiation may be key to post-treatment control. A strong CD8 T-cell response also plays an important role in this case.
Read more...
 
bioLytical Laboratories Inc. Donates Tests to Help Boost International Testing Access Ahead of International Testing Week
RICHMOND, British Columbia, Nov. 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - bioLytical Laboratories Inc., in partnership with NGO Coalition Plus, Leads the Charge to Promote the Importance of Rapid Testing during International Test Week with the Donation of Rapid Tests Worldwide
bioLytical Laboratories Inc. ("bioLytical"), a global leader in rapid in-vitro medical diagnostics and partner Coalition PLUS, a global NGO, announced that together, they have donated and distributed over 8,000 tests across 25 countries to help boost testing access worldwide.
International Testing Week, scheduled for November 22- 28 this year, helps raise awareness of the importance of accessible testing for individual and public health. As one of the vital tools to help connect people to care and to reduce the spread of onward infection, boosting access to testing is critical in the fight to end severe public health challenges such as HIV and hepatitis.
Path to Ending AIDS Runs through Communities, Supporting Front-Line Leadership, Secretary-General Says in Message Marking World Day
22 November 2023 - United Nations - Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World AIDS Day, observed 1 December.
World AIDS Day arrives at a defining moment.
AIDS-related deaths have fallen by almost 70 per cent since their peak in 2004, and new HIV infections are at the lowest point since the 1980s.
But AIDS still takes a life every minute. We can — and must — end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Less than 1% in US emergency departments are tested for HIV
22 November 2023 - Roger Pebody - Routine, opt-out testing is recommended by CDC and US Preventive Services Task Force
Despite recommendations for universal screening, less than 1% of people attending emergency departments in the United States are tested for HIV, with no improvement in recent years, according to a report published in the journal AIDS.
Read more...
SF World AIDS Day event to honor Olympic diver Louganis
November 21, 2023 - by John Ferrannini - Bay Area Reporter - The Olympian dubbed the "greatest diver in history" will be recognized at the National AIDS Memorial Grove's World AIDS Day commemorations, which will also include its Light in the Grove benefit the night before.
Louganis, a gay man who has been living with HIV since 1988, will receive the grove's National Leadership Recognition Award at 1 p.m. Friday, December 1, during the grove's public observance. Previous recipients of the award have been former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Read more...
The Healing Power of Art and Community: Viewing the AIDS Quilt at 36
November 21, 2023 - By Paul Theerman - New York Academy of Medicine - The first panel of the AIDS quilt was put together in 1987—this year the Quilt is 36 years old!
The AIDS Quilt was the brainchild of gay activist Cleve Jones. A protégé of Harvey Milk, the San Francisco city supervisor murdered in 1978, Jones honored Milk’s life and service with candlelight marches through the city. For the 1985 march he saw the ravages that AIDS was making in the gay community and asked that marchers write the names of friends lost to AIDS on posters. Placed on a wall, the posters resembled a quilt; by 1987 the names had been captured in fabric, a traditional way of memorializing people and events. The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt was born.
Timothy Ray Brown to get star on Palm Springs Walk of Stars
NOV. 21, 2023 - PALM SPRINGS - Spectrum News 1 - A star dedication ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on Dec. 1 at the downtown Palm Springs Park, according to chamber officials.
The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that the late Timothy Ray Brown, who was the first person successfully cured of HIV/AIDS, will be honored with a star on the Palm Springs Walk of the Stars next month.
Read more...
HOOKIPA Pharma Announces FDA Clearance of its Investigational New Drug Application for HB-500 for the Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus
NEW YORK and VIENNA, Austria, Nov. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --Novel arenaviral therapeutic vaccine, developed in collaboration with Gilead Sciences, Inc. (‘Gilead’), to be evaluated as a potential curative regimen for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Phase 1 trial to commence in the first half of 2024
Nature Partner Journals (NPJ) Vaccines published peer-reviewed preclinical data that provides a preclinical proof of concept for the trial as the tested, representative vaccine design was safe, immunogenic, and efficacious
HOOKIPA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOK, ‘HOOKIPA’), a company developing a new class of immunotherapeutics based on its proprietary arenavirus platform, today announced that the Company has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for HB-500, a novel arenaviral therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of HIV. HOOKIPA is responsible for advancing the HIV program through the completion of a Phase 1b clinical trial. Gilead has the exclusive right to assume further development of the program thereafter.
New HIV infections explode in Luxembourg
20/11/2023 - by Yannick Hansen - Luxembourg Times- Number of new cases recorded in country have doubled since 2020, health ministry says
New cases of HIV infections exploded last year in Luxembourg, the health ministry said, as a European-wide testing scheme for the virus gets underway on Monday.
A specialist unit at the CHL hospital in Luxembourg City recorded 67 new infections in the Grand Duchy last year, up from 50 the year before and 33 in 2020, the health ministry said in a press release on Monday. Women accounted for 39% of all new infections.
Read more...
Redesigning health and well-being for all
20-Nov-2023 - By Angelica Marie Sanchez - University of Waterloo - Canadian researchers share how they are redesigning health and technology solutions to improve health care
The University of Waterloo welcomed Royal Society of Canada (RSC) academics from across Canada, as they participated in a full-day symposium on Health and Well-being for All by 2030: Application of technology to global health problems, held at Federation Hall on November 16.
The RSC and Waterloo share a common goal of addressing local and global challenges through future-focused solutions that have real-world impact. So, it was fitting that Waterloo hosted this year’s RSC Celebration of Excellence and Engagement conference (#COEE2023) to discuss the future of health.
Mount Sinai Expert Available in Observance of World AIDS Day
20-Nov-2023 - by Mount Sinai Health System - As communities across the world gather to commemorate World AIDS Day on Friday, December 1, pediatrician and researcher Dr. Rachel Vreeman, a global expert in the care of children and adolescents living with HIV, is available to comment on the international day dedicated to awareness and remembrance of lives impacted by the epidemic.
Antibiotic resistance causes more deaths than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. What Africa is doing to fight this silent epidemic
November 20, 2023 - Tom Nyirenda, Stellenbosch University - Each year antimicrobial resistance – the ability of microbes to survive agents designed to kill them – claims more lives than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. Africa bears the brunt of this development, which thrives on inequality and poverty. Nadine Dreyer asked Tom Nyirenda, a research scientist with over 27 years’ experience in infectious diseases, what health organisations on the continent are doing to fight this threat to medical progress.
What is antimicrobial resistance?
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines (including antibiotics). This makes infections harder to treat and increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
In Africa, drug resistance is already a documented problem for HIV, malaria, tuberculosis (TB), typhoid, cholera, meningitis, gonorrhoea and dysentery.
More than 7,000 run in 30th annual God's Love race
NOV. 19, 2023 - BY LOUIS FINLEY - Spectrum News 1 - In 1993, Diane Johnson ran in the first God’s Love We Deliver: Race to Deliver 4-miler. 30 years later she hasn’t forgotten why she runs.
Read more...
Concern as HIV/AIDS cases soar in Amudat
November 19, 2023 - PML Daily - Health workers in Amudat District have expressed concern about the rising cases of HIV /AIDS infections.
While speaking to reporters, Dr Patrick Sagaki the District Health Officer said that before 2021, they had 175 confirmed HIV/AIDS cases but as of now the numbers have more than tripled.
“According to the current survey, there is a rise in new infections. In 2021, we had 175 HIV positives on treatment but right now we have about 600 people on treatment,” he stated.
Countries With Visa Restrictions for People Living With HIV
November 17, 2023 - By Bleona Restelica - VisaGuide.World - Key Takeaways
Twelve world countries have visa restrictions for short-term stays, and 54 countries have visa restrictions for long-term stays for people living with HIV, according to HIV Travel.
Around 39 million people globally were living with HIV in 2022.
NGOs and human rights advocates call HIV-related travel restrictions discriminatory.
In an era characterized by unprecedented global connectivity, the ability to cross borders freely is often considered a fundamental aspect. However, for individuals living with HIV, the freedom to explore is constrained by a web of visa restrictions imposed by various countries.
Harm reduction at LHSC: The importance of lived experience in connecting with patients
November 17, 2023 - London Health Sciences Centre - Within the walls of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) there are patients who are receiving care while also experiencing the symptoms of withdrawal due to substance use.
To support patients in hospital who are experiencing addiction, LHSC has partnered with the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC) and Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services (CMHA TVAMHS) to create the Addiction Medicine Consult Service.
Why Congress Must Reauthorize a Lifesaving Program To Fight HIV/AIDS
NOV 17, 2023 - Author Sarnata Reynolds - Center for American Progress - Despite extremists’ assertions, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) does not facilitate abortion access but does improve pregnancy and other health outcomes for women and girls, as well as promote strong partnerships and democratic principles in key nations; it is also indispensable to the elimination of HIV/AIDS by 2030.
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), uniformly cited as one of the United States’ most successful foreign assistance initiatives, has saved more than 25 million lives throughout the world and ensured care for millions of children orphaned by the disease. Over PEPFAR’s 20-year history, Congress has reauthorized and fully funded the initiative on a bipartisan basis every five years; but 2023 has been different. Now, what should be another routine five-year reauthorization of PEPFAR has become an anti-abortion soapbox: A small group of extreme right-wing members of Congress are holding captive PEPFAR’s reauthorization—and the welfare of millions of adults and children in Africa and other parts of the world—to advance a radical anti-abortion agenda.
amfAR ANNOUNCES CLOSE TO $3 MILLION IN NEW FUNDING TO RESEARCHERS PURSUING A CURE FOR HIV
NEW YORK, November 17, 2023 - By Robert Kessler - amfAR - Several studies focus on the potential of powerful antibodies for controlling, perhaps curing HIV.
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, announced Friday that it has awarded new research grants totaling $2.86 million in support of innovative studies aimed at developing a cure for HIV.
Three of the funded projects involve the use of broadly neutralizing antibodies. These bNAbs are produced naturally in 10 to 30 percent of people living with HIV, but only years after infection when the virus is too deeply entrenched to eradicate. In lab studies, these potent antibodies are capable of neutralizing a broad range of HIV strains, and researchers are exploring their potential for both preventing and curing HIV..
BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS launches new initiative targeting sexually transmitted infections in BC
The doxycycline initiative is the first program of its kind in Canada in response to the doubling of syphilis rates since 2020
Vancouver, B.C. - November 16, 2023 - BC-CfE - The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) is proud to announce the launch of a new Doxycycline initiative for the prevention of bacterial sexually transmitted infections including syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. With the support of BC Minister of Health Adrian Dix, the targeted program will begin for BC-CfE patients who meet the criteria on December 1, 2023.
VCU Health Sciences Library spotlights the past and present of HIV/AIDS
November 16, 2023 - Virginia Commonwealth University - Nationally and locally sourced exhibits and programs offer a reflection on the evolution and impact of the health crisis.
AIDS deaths and HIV infection rates no longer dominate the headlines – medical advances in the past 40 years have dramatically improved the landscape for patients.
But in 2022, about 39 million people worldwide were living with the virus, and more than 1 million new infections were reported that year, according to KFF. As HIV/AIDS continues to strongly impact lives and our health care system, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Health Sciences Library is spotlighting opportunities to reflect on the crisis.
They include two exhibits – on loan from The Valentine in Richmond and from the National Library of Medicine – as well as a documentary screening and a virtual experience with the AIDS Memorial Quilt. A companion display from VCU Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives will showcase artifacts of Richmond’s public health crisis of the 1980s and ’90s. The programming will be at the VCU Health Sciences Library through Dec. 1 – World AIDS Day – and beyond.
Philippines faces HIV surge with new strain
November 16, 2023 - MANILA, PHILIPPINES (ANN/PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER) - The number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in the Philippines has almost doubled this year, with nearly half of them affecting teenagers. This surge is potentially linked to a newly identified strain of the virus.
According to the most recent data, Philippines Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa revealed on Tuesday that daily HIV infections have risen to around 50 new cases, up from last year’s daily average of 22.
Read more...
Government of Canada supports community-based projects to address HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections
November 15, 2023 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Public Health Agency of Canada - Today, during a visit to the Nine Circles Community Health Centre, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced $14.5 million through the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund (CAF) and the Harm Reduction Fund (HRF) for 15 projects. This investment will support the work of community-based organizations addressing HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) in the Prairie region.
AdvaMed Calls for Reauthorization of AIDS Relief Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 15, 2023 - AdvaMed - Today, AdvaMedDx, a division of AdvaMed representing manufacturers of innovative in vitro diagnostic tests, sent a letter urging Congressional leaders to prioritize the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. PEPFAR funding lapsed at the end of the fiscal year 2023.
The group wrote in the letter, “Ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat requires a sustained commitment from the U.S. Government. In the last twenty years, PEPFAR has brought reliable medical technology, including diagnostic tests, and quality medicine to Africa and other regions around the world while reducing the global threat of disease. Without the U.S.’s continued, long-term investment in this work, the fight against HIV/AIDS could decelerate and the reliability of health systems in PEPFAR countries could falter.
How COVID-19 Compromised U.S. Gains in Controlling HIV
November 15, 2023 - By Victoria Colliver - UCSF - New data show the country may not reach its goal to eliminate HIV by 2030 as part of federal initiative.
The COVID-19 pandemic slowed previous gains made in controlling HIV blood levels and worsened health disparities, according to UC San Francisco researchers leading the largest U.S. evaluation of the impact of the public health crisis on people with HIV.
While the country had been making progress on its goals to reduce HIV before COVID-19, the researchers found the pandemic compromised those gains by leveling off improvements in the overall population and worsening outcomes among Black patients and people who inject illicit drugs.
Photos: Go Inside Playbill's Remember the Ribbon: A Tribute to World AIDS Day Concert
NOVEMBER 15, 2023 - BY MEG MASSERON - PLAYBILL - The fifth annual event, sponsored by Gilead Sciences, benefited Broadway Cares.
Get an inside glimpse at Playbill's Remember the Ribbon: A Tribute to World AIDS Day concert, held November 13 at Sony Hall. The fifth annual event benefiting Broadway Cares honors the lives lost due to HIV and AIDS, and the lives that continue to be impacted today.
The benefit, hosted by Playbill and sponsored by Gilead Sciences, was attended by Broadway stars and industry members alike. The evening kicked off with a celebratory red carpet, with attendees including drag queen Brita Filter, playwright Donja R. Love, and influencer Jae Gurley. Then performers and speakers took to the stage to share stories and songs highlighting the experiences of those living with HIV/AIDS and those who have lost loved ones. The night concluded with a dessert buffet DJ set hosted by DJ Mike Borowski.
Read more...
AIDSVu Releases New 2021 HIV Data for Over 50 U.S. Cities
Washington, DC – November 14, 2023 - AIDSVu releases updated data for more than 50 U.S. cities, which represent more than 50% of all U.S. HIV prevalence and nearly half of all U.S. HIV new diagnoses.
Data highlights that Black Americans continue to be disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic.
Today, AIDSVu—a leading organization that makes HIV data widely available—released 2021 ZIP Code-level HIV data and interactive maps for more than 50 cities across the U.S., illustrating how the HIV epidemic impacts cities and neighborhoods at a fine geographic level. AIDSVu works with state and local health departments across the country to publish the most recent HIV data available, and is the only site to make it publicly available and comparable across the country. A full list of the cities is available below.
SIGNIFICANT "POST-COVID" RESURGENCE IN INVASIVE MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE
2023.11.14 - A team of scientists from the Institut Pasteur has used the database of the National Reference Center for Meningococci to trace the evolution of invasive meningococcal disease cases in France between 2015 and 2022, revealing an unprecedented resurgence in the disease after the easing of control measures imposed during the COVID-19 epidemic. Recently reported cases have mainly been caused by meningococcal serogroups that were less frequent before the pandemic, and there has been a particular uptick in cases among people aged 16 to 24. The results, published in the Journal of Infection and Public Health on October 12, 2023, should help guide adaptation of the vaccine strategy for this fatal disease.
Another step toward the HIV-1 vaccine: Dynamics of neutralizing antibodies
14-NOV-2023 - UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE - An international team has for the first time researched the longevity of neutralizing antibodies in HIV-1-infected people. Currently, it is assumed that an HIV-1 vaccine can only be effective if it produces these antibodies in vaccinated humans. The findings improve understanding of the dynamics of such antibodies and are an important building block for further research into an HIV-1 vaccine. Professor Dr Florian Klein, Director of the Institute of Virology at the University Hospital Cologne, and Dr Dr Philipp Schommers, Head of the Laboratory for Antiviral Immunity at Department I of Internal Medicine of the University Hospital Cologne, were involved in the study. The publication was published under the title ‘Dynamics and durability of HIV-1 neutralization are determined by viral replication’ in the journal Nature Medicine.
Study uncovers mediators of persistent HIV viremia
14-NOV-2023 - BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL - Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) works by entering specific immune cells and replicating inside them. People with HIV are treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART), which prevents viral replication, but some individuals taking ART continue to have low levels of viral presence in the bloodstream, or viremia. This condition is usually attributed to drug resistance or ineffectiveness of ART, but recent studies have found that low-level viremia can occur even without these driving forces, a condition known as non-suppressible HIV viremia (NSV).
A team led by researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, recruited eight participants with NSV despite receiving ART and analyzed both the virus and host immune response.
MSF warns governments are failing to test, treat and prevent TB in children
Geneva, 14 November 2023 - Governments must immediately implement latest WHO guidelines to stop children dying from this deadly yet curable disease
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) welcomed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ‘Roadmap towards ending TB in children and adolescents’ released today, and urged all countries with high TB burdens to prioritise adoption, implementation and scale-up of the WHO’s consolidated guidelines on management of tuberculosis to reduce the number of children killed by this deadly yet curable disease. TB remains a major killer in children, causing the death of a child every 3 minutes.
Remarks by Ambassador William W. Popp for the 2023 National HIV/AIDS Symposium | November 14, 2023
November 14, 2023 - U.S. Embassy in Uganda - Good afternoon. I am honored to attend my first National HIV Symposium in Uganda and have the opportunity to highlight the tremendous and lasting impact of the PEPFAR program, celebrating 20 years since its creation. Among all U.S. government programs, PEPFAR is one of the clearest demonstrations of the power of drawing scholars, researchers, scientists, engineers, and others together to find bold, innovative, and audacious solutions to big challenges.
Becoming an HIV Advocate
November 13, 2023 - By Mike Isbell - A long-term survivor urges people living with HIV to get involved.
Over the years, Michelle Lopez, a bisexual woman living with HIV, has shown how resilient, empowered individuals and communities can serve as agents for positive change. She would know. The daughter of a Black mother and a Latino father, the long-term survivor has overcome racial and ethnic health disparities.
Read more...
Tulane scientists invent single, rapid test for both HIV and TB
13 Nov, 2023 - TULANE UNIVERSITY - New blood test aims to deliver faster and more effective treatment to fight co-infections
Researchers at Tulane have developed a new and rapid test that can detect both HIV and tuberculosis at the same time with just a small amount of blood.
In a new paper published in Clinical Chemistry, researchers led by Tony Hu, Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation and director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics at Tulane University School of Medicine, describe the new blood-based test that can not only detect the two diseases but also measure their viral and bacterial loads in patients.
Saskatchewan non-profit seeks funding to fight substance abuse, HIV spread
November 13, 2023 - By Brooke Kruger - Global NEWS - The Persons Living with AIDS Network (PLWA) of Saskatchewan is seeking permanent funding from the federal and provincial governments to battle substance use in the community.
Read more...
‘An extreme response’: Republicans move to kill Trump’s HIV-fighting program
11/13/2023 - By EVAN PENG - POLITICO - The GOP-controlled House has proposed a deep cut to the former president’s AIDS-fighting program.
President Donald Trump convinced lawmakers it was possible to end AIDS in America — and to put hundreds of millions of dollars behind the effort.
Four years later, House Republicans plan to slash the budget by 95 percent.
Read more...
Northern Alberta patients, advocates call for better HIV supports amid health-care restructuring
Nov 13, 2023 - Aaron Sousa - CBC - Edmonton-based program for HIV patients has not had a psychologist since March
Two years ago, Brad Buxton grieved when he learned his psychologist of two decades was leaving Alberta Health Services (AHS) for the private sector.
The 63-year-old Edmonton resident has been receiving physical and medical care, including access to a psychologist, through the Northern Alberta Program since he was first diagnosed with HIV in 1998.
Read more...
France on its way to drastically reduce new HIV infections
13 November 2023 - Alain Volny-Anne - Drastic decreases in the time it takes people to move through the HIV cascade of care in France are reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Median time from diagnosis to viral control has been reduced from around eight months to two months, thus shortening the period during which people can pass the virus to others.
Read more...
Injectable HIV drug less accessible to patients in B.C. than other provinces: doctor
November 12, 2023 - By Camille Bains - The Canadian Press - HIV drug less accessible in B.C., doctor says
British Columbians with HIV have less access to an injectable drug compared to patients elsewhere in the country who can get a shot every two months instead of taking a daily pill, says an infectious diseases specialist.
Read more...
Worrying signs as monkeypox virus mutates
NOVEMBER 12 2023 - By PAULINE KAIRU - The East African - The monkeypox virus, also known as mpox, is undergoing significant evolutionary changes as a result of ongoing transmission among humans, scientists have said.
This evolution is marked by emergence of various lineages characterised by mutations resulting from interactions with the human immune system.
Read more...
Stony Brook in Groundbreaking Partnership Addressing Healthcare Disparities
November 11, 2023 - Stony Brook University - Five universities receive $3.8M NIH grant focusing on Latinx and migrant low-income communities
A unique initiative to address the many healthcare disparities in the Latinx and migrant low-income communities will assess the social and legal hurdles that that these populations face when receiving primary care medical services. The project involves researchers from Stony Brook University and four other universities. They will work to assistant these medically underserved communities in order to improve access to primary care. The research program is supported by a five-year $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).
Los Angeles Times Readers Vote AHF Best Charity in the Southland
November 11, 2023 - LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Out of the Closet Thrift Store and HIV testing site wins annual readers’ choice award
The Los Angeles Times has awarded AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Long Beach Out of the Closet Thrift Store “Best Charity” in its annual Best of the Southland reader survey.
“The lives we save and improve are their own reward, but it always is wonderful to be recognized,” said Michael Weinstein, AHF president and cofounder. “Our 7,600 staff in 45 countries work hard every day in service of AHF's mission, and they richly deserve the community's support.”
How medication could help Hong Kong end HIV transmission by 2030
November 11, 2023 - By Jerome Yau - Hong Kong Free Press - HIV/AIDS has been a major global public health threat for more than four decades. Locally, the epidemic began in 1984, and the Department of Health has recorded a cumulative total of close to 12,000 HIV infection cases and nearly 2,500 AIDS cases, as of June 2023.
Read more...
Amber Hollibaugh, LGBTQ+ rights & HIV activist has died at 77
BROOKLYN, N.Y., November 11, 2023 - By Duncan Osborne - Los Angeles Blade - Amber Hollibaugh, who inspired generations of feminist and LGBTQ activists, died suddenly on October 20 in her Brooklyn home due to complications from diabetes. She was 77.
Read more...
‘Commitment To Life’ Documentary On L.A. HIV/AIDS Mobilization Acquired By NBCUniversal
November 10, 2023 - By Bruce Haring - DEADLINE - NBCUniversal has acquired Commitment to Life, a documentary about the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The film from Emmy Award-winning documentarian Jeffrey Schwarz (Vito) will premiere on Peacock on Dec. 1, designated as World AIDS Day. Its cable network debut will be in early 2024 on MSNBC.
Read & Watch Video...
More evidence that integrase inhibitors don’t raise heart disease risk
10 November 2023 - Keith Alcorn - Integrase inhibitors do not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events such as a heart attack or stroke compared to other types of antiretroviral drug over four years of follow-up, a large multinational study reports in Lancet HIV.
The study confirms research from the Swiss HIV Cohort, which used a similar method of calculating the risk, and contradicts the findings of a study of people with HIV in Europe and Australia which found a raised risk during the first two years on treatment.
Read more...
Toronto City Council endorses joining the UNAIDS Fast Track City Network
NOVEMBER 10, 2023 - Toronto Public Health - Yesterday, Toronto City Council adopted a motion from Mayor Olivia Chow and Toronto Board of Health Chair Councillor Chris Moise to officially endorse the City of Toronto’s participation in the UNAIDS Fast Track City Network, thereby gaining access to several benefits including: enhanced HIV monitoring and data analysis, faster implementation of prevention and treatment best practices and improved collaboration among governmental, public health and community partners.
As part of this decision, City Council formally requested Mayor Chow to sign the Paris Declaration and the Sevilla Declaration. The Paris Declaration focuses on prioritizing people in the HIV response. The Sevilla Declaration, introduced at the Fast-Track Cities 2022 conference, outlines 10 commitments for cities to boost community engagement and leadership in achieving initiative goals.
JCVI advises on gonorrhea and mpox vaccinations
NOVEMBER 10, 2023 - GOV.UK - The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the UK government on vaccination and immunisation matters.
The JCVI has today issued its advice to government for a routine targeted vaccination programme for the prevention of gonorrhoea, alongside advising on a routine vaccination programme against mpox for those at highest risk.
The JCVI advice is that both programmes should be offered on an opportunistic basis through specialist sexual health services which have the experience in assessment and identification of those who are at increased risk of infection with bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
20 die of AIDS in 6 months
10 November 2023 - SHAYAL DEVI - The Fiji Times - Twenty AIDS-related deaths were recorded between January and June of this year, which included three children – two girls and a boy — 12 men and five women.
In response to queries, Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong said all 20 were diagnosed this year.
Read more...
Edelman CCCA professor lands prestigious Pew grant for historic documentary
NOVEMBER 9, 2023 - By Seve Levine - Rowan University - The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage has awarded Professor Keith Brand $300,000 to help fund a feature-length documentary about civil and gay rights activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya.
Brand, a faculty member in the Department of Radio, Television & Film in Rowan University’s Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts, is a longtime Philadelphia broadcast veteran who once interviewed Kuromiya, a longtime activist who died in 2000.
US to Cover HIV Prevention Drugs for Older Americans to Stem Spread of the Virus
NOVEMBER 8, 2023 - By Michael Scaturro - KFF Health News - A proposed federal policy aims to protect older Americans from contracting HIV by offering free preventive medication, the latest effort to catch up to much of Europe and Africa in stemming the spread of the virus.
Under the plan from the Biden administration, Medicare would cover patients’ full cost of preexposure prophylaxis drugs, which prevent HIV transmission. The drugs, known by the shorthand “PrEP,” would be free in pill form and — for the first time — as long-acting injectables through the government insurance program designed for those 65 and older. Those 50 and over make up half of all people in the U.S. already living with HIV.
America’s Heartbreak: 10-fold Increase in Congenital Syphilis Cases
NOVEMBER 8, 2023 - By Marie Rosenthal, MS - Infectious Disease Special Edition - More than 3,700 cases of congenital syphilis were reported in 2022, which was more than 10 times the number seen a decade ago, according to new data released by the CDC.
The increase in congenital syphilis follows a rising syphilis epidemic among people of all ages, including women of reproductive age, combined with social and economic factors that create barriers to quality prenatal care and ongoing declines in public health resources, according to the CDC.
Canada shines light on gender equality champions in Jamaica
Nov 08, 2023 - By Petulia Clarke-Lawrence - JAMAICA OBSERVER - THE inaugural Gender Equality Awards, hosted by the High Commission of Canada in Jamaica, were a resounding success. The event celebrated significant achievements in the pursuit of gender equality in Jamaica, with 12 awards presented to individuals, private sector and local organisations for their extraordinary contributions to the advancement of gender equality and women's empowerment.
Read more...
This doctor treated HIV/AIDS patients when no one else would. His advocacy continued as he prepared to die
Nov.08, 2023 - By Bryce Hoye - CBC - Dr. Dick Smith, 80, provided health care to gay, bisexual men at height of HIV/AIDS crisis
A Winnipeg doctor hopes his legacy of providing health care to LGBTQ patients — one of only a few local physicians doing so at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis — extends beyond his life.
Dr. Dick Smith, who had pancreatic cancer, died with medical assistance on Tuesday. He was 80.
Read more...
Can HIV be cured using gene editing? We will soon find out
November 8, 2023 - Kalpana Surendranath, University of Westminster - HIV, the virus that causes Aids, was first identified in 1983. To catch this virus was initially a death sentence, but today, thanks to antiretroviral drugs, it can be kept in check. However, there is still no cure.
A small biotech company in San Francisco called Excision BioTherapeutics is trying to change that with its infusion, called EBT-101. The company recently reported positive results on the one-off gene-editing treatment – but only regarding safety. There were no severe side-effects in the three patients given the experimental drug.
It Ends With Us: CANFAR Unveils Theme of 2023 Bloor Street Entertains Fundraising Gala and Leads National Campaign to Commemorate World AIDS Day
TORONTO, Nov. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - United efforts reinforce the critical role communities play in ending the HIV epidemic
The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) today revealed It Ends With Us as the theme of its 27th annual fundraising gala, Bloor Street Entertains (BSE). The sold-out marquee event, which has raised over 20 million dollars for HIV research, testing and awareness, takes place on November 30, 2023, in Toronto, on the eve of World AIDS Day. This year's edition, presented by Signature Partner BMO, highlights the pivotal role of communities in ending the HIV epidemic.
ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION AND MARMITE REUNITE
6 November 2023 - ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION - MARMITE’S LATEST COLLABORATION WITH THE ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION CELEBRATES THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF ELTON’S GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD ALBUM.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation has reunited with Marmite to launch a second limited-edition jar, inspired by the 50th anniversary of Elton John’s critically acclaimed ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ album and iconic artwork.
Monkeypox virus mutating, posing new threats to public health – study
NOVEMBER 6, 2023 - By JERUSALEM POST STAFF - The monkeypox virus was once only spreadable from rats to humans but, with prolonged exposure to the human immune system, new strains have become more viral than ever before
Much like the Coronavirus did during the pandemic, the monkeypox (mpox) virus has begun to evolve into new deadlier strains, according to a new study released on November 2.
Read more...
Patients, doctors, advocates launch campaign to press for increased use of key HIV medication in B.C.
Nov. 6, 2023 - By Moira Wyton - CBC - Centre for Excellence says Cabenuva suitable only for few people due to safety, efficacy, resistance concerns
Patience Magagula says every day, for more than 15 years, she has taken a pill to treat HIV.
Having arrived in Canada after fleeing a 2007 coup in Zimbabawe, she says receiving treatment shortly after being diagnosed was "a blessing in disguise."
But Magagula says the pills are daily reminders of her condition, and she wishes she and others living with the human immunodeficiency virus in British Columbia had more access to another treatment option.
Read more...
A small settlement in HIV/hepatitis scare, but a notable legal win.
Nov. 6, 2023 - By Randy Richmond - CBC - The class action lawsuit began with 3,000 potential members and ended up with four.
The woman who represented all those 3,000 learned more than a year ago that she didn’t qualify for any compensation, but stayed on the case anyway.
Read more...
LGBTQ+ and AIDS Activist Susan Cowell Dead at 71
NOVEMBER 4, 2023 - TRUDY RING - ADVOCATE - Susan Cowell, a prominent LGBTQ+ activist and AIDS services pioneer in Rochester, N.Y., has died at age 71.
Read more...
Project gets $2 million to put sexual health services into local pharmacies
Nov. 4, 2023 - By Arlette Lazarenko - CBC - Researchers are looking for ways to put the studies into action
A project dedicated to making sexual health services accessible in pharmacies has received $2 million in funding from a federal agency.
Doctors and researchers from across the country collaborated on a project looking at ways to make sexual health care more accessible to Canadians by getting more of it into pharmacies.
Read more...
Long a bipartisan effort, a program to fight global HIV is stuck in Washington gridlock
Nov. 4, 2023 - By Eduardo Cuevas - USA TODAY - Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr was visiting a rural village in Tanzania about a decade ago when a farmer thanked her for saving his family.
The farmer had received medication for HIV/AIDS, which devastated impoverished areas in Africa and other countries.
Read more...
Toronto's Casey House creates horror flick to raise awareness about HIV stigma
Nov. 3, 2022 - Joanna Lavoie - CTV News Toronto - Toronto’s Casey House is using cinematic horror to raise awareness about the stigma associated with having HIV.
Recently, Canada's first and only hospital for people living with and at risk of human immunodeficiency virus released an 18-minute horror film called ‘Others
Read more...
2023 C-Suite Awards: bioLytical Laboratories CEO Robert Mackie
November 3, 2023 - By BIV staff - BIV - Linking tens of millions to care through improved and accessible testing
BIV is proud to recognize eight exceptional corporate executives with 2023 C-Suite Awards.Six CEOs and two CFOs were recently featured in BIV's print edition, including bioLytical Laboratories chair and CEO Robert Mackie, who will be recognized with a BC CEO Award at an in-person event Nov. 15.
With more than 30 years of business experience, Mackie has built an extensive portfolio of successful ventures, including co-founding and owning one of the largest mobile communications companies in Western Canada. He founded and continues to lead bioLytical Laboraties, which provides a range of instant, accurate tests for infectious diseases, including COVID-19, HIV and Hepatitis C. Born and raised in B.C., Mackie received a real estate management and broker’s licence from the University of British Columbia in 1992. BioLytical was federally incorporated 10 years later.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Ryan Murphy to Bring an AIDS Story to the Screen
November 3, 2023 - By Trent Straube - The story of Glenn Burke, a Black gay baseball player who died of AIDS, has long inspired HIV and LGBTQ advocate Jamie Lee Curtis.
Jamie Lee Curtis, who won an Oscar this year for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, is currently gracing the cover of the national LGBTQ publication The Advocate for a profile titled “A Mother’s Nature: Jamie Lee Curtis Is Our Advocate of the Year.” The obvious reason for the accolade is that Curtis, 64, has been a vocal champion of her trans daughter, Ruby, and the transgender community. But read the interview and you’ll learn that Curtis has a long history of supporting the HIV and LGBTQ communities.
Read more...
Brazil Once Pioneered Generic Drugs, and Then Came a Patent War
November 3, 2023 - By Amy Maxmen - High prices for brand-name pills are hampering HIV treatment in a country that once prided itself on offering affordable medicines.
Faded posters marking pivotal moments in HIV history adorn the walls of Veriano Terto Jr.’s office. One announces Brazil’s first meeting of homosexuals in April 1980. In another, for World AIDS Day in 1988, Portuguese words wrapped around a globe demand an end to discrimination.
Read more...
Internationally Renowned Public Health Expert Sten Vermund Appointed President of the Global Virus Network (GVN)
BALTIMORE, Nov. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - The Global Virus Network (GVN) today announced the appointment of Sten Vermund, MD, PhD, as President of the GVN. Dr. Vermund is the Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Public Health, former Dean of the Yale School of Public Health (2017-2022) and serves as a Professor in Pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Vermund transitions into his new role as Christian Bréchot, MD, PhD, ends his second term as GVN President, becoming Vice Chairman of the GVN Board of Directors.
Alaska’s rise in HIV cases is driving a push to boost access to medication that can prevent infections
November 2, 2023 - By Annie Berman - The Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association is launching a new initiative to begin offering daily, drop-in services and resources that include rapid HIV testing and starter packs of pre-exposure prophylaxis, also known as PrEP, medication that’s highly effective at preventing an HIV infection.
Read more...
World AIDS Day 2023 - join us!
November 2, 2023 - National AIDS Memorial - On December 1st, we’re bringing leaders together from across the country for a national conversation to shine a light on the ongoing struggle to end the epidemic. This year, we’re joined by Olympian and activist Greg Louganis, a panel on bodily autonomy, and more.
FSU College of Nursing Leads groundbreaking HIV prevention project in Sub-Saharan Africa
November 2, 2023 - FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY - A team of Florida State University researchers has embarked on a new project to expand HIV prevention and care resources in sub-Saharan Africa.
Founding director of Institute on Digital Health and Innovation Lisa Hightow-Weidman and IDHI Associate Director Kathryn Muessig, both faculty at the FSU College of Nursing, traveled to Lusaka, Zambia through the RISE Project. RISE is part of the National Institutes of Health’s PATC3H Consortium, an effort to expand care for HIV-affected adolescents living in areas of the world with fewer resources.
NIH grants support UCLA and Charles Drew University researchers' efforts to end HIV epidemic
2-Nov-2023 - Newswise - By UCLA Health - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has granted $2.1 million to UCLA’s Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) and the UCLA-CDU Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) to support four research projects and an implementation science consultation hub. These awards will fund projects to strengthen research-community collaborations and enhance implementation strategies needed for the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative.
Doctors alarmed by complex needs of elderly people living with HIV
2 November 2023 - Roger Pebody - While HIV is often described as a chronic, manageable condition and the growing number of people ageing with HIV as a success, this does not describe the complete picture, Dr Frederico Duarte told the recent 19th European AIDS Conference (EACS 2023) in Warsaw. “The real scenario in clinical practice is much more complex and can be a bumpy road,” he said.
While people over the age of 70 make up only 5% of the patient cohort (65 people) in the town of Matosinhos, Portugal where Dr Duarte practices, their medical histories are complex. They have been on HIV treatment for an average of 10 years (but some have been treated for 25 years), most have several co-morbidities and as a result, need to take multiple medications. Four in ten of those over 70 are taking ten or more pills a day, with some taking as many as 18 pills.
Read more...
Researchers develop model for treating HIV/AIDS, depression
LOS ANGELES (Nov. 1, 2023) - by Cedars-Sinai - Cedars-Sinai Research Shows That a Metabolism-Related Molecule Identified in Blood Samples May Prevent Heart Disease and Death in People With HIV
nvestigators from Cedars-Sinai have made two important discoveries about fiber and the gut microbiome in patients with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV.
Their findings, published today in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports, could aid future studies looking at the effects of diet and the microbiome, especially the process of fiber metabolism by gut microbes.
The End of HIV?
November 01, 2023 - By: Joey Garcia- Miller School of Medicine - The Fall 2023 issue of University of Miami Medicine magazine explores the latest in HIV research and care, and more exciting work from the Miller School of Medicine.
HIV is not an easy virus to defeat. But the collective efforts of University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers are inching us closer to eradicating one of the world’s most fatal infectious diseases.
Read more...
Progress Against HIV and AIDS Is Fragile
November 1, 2023 - By Tim Murphy - In advance of World AIDS Day, the executive director of AVAC weighs in on the future of the HIV epidemic.
As we mark the 35th annual World AIDS Day, commemorated annually on December 1, we find that we have made great strides in the fight to end the global HIV epidemic. However, we still have a long way to go until all countries affected reach levels of HIV diagnoses, treatment and undetectability high enough to essentially halt new infections.
Read more...
Student addresses Sierra Leone HIV epidemic in Lancet
November 1, 2023 - Washington University in St. Louis -
Samuel Kizito, a third-year PhD student in public health sciences at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, co-authored a correspondence published in The Lancet addressing the current HIV epidemic among adolescents in Sierra Leone.
“Without prompt intervention, the country risks a surge in HIV cases and poorer outcomes that might lead to a broader HIV epidemic,” he wrote.
Nurse practitioner recognized at national conference for HIV/AIDS care
November 1, 2023 - By G. Ashley Johnson, UT Physicians -
UT Physicians HIV medicine expert Robin L. Hardwicke, PhD, FNP-C, was honored by the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) at its national conference on October 26, 2023.
For the second time, Hardwicke received ANAC’s Joanne Ruiz Achievement for Excellence in Clinical Practice in HIV Award, honoring an outstanding nurse clinician who brings knowledge and care to people infected with the disease. In addition, Hardwicke was installed during the conference as ANAC’s national secretary for 2024-2026.
HIV Associated Solid Malignancies: A Medical Oncology Perspective
BC-CfE webinar Learning Series Event
Cost: Free Registration
Wednesday, November 15th, 2023, 12:00 – 1:00 PM (PST).
This webinar will be presented by:
Dr. Alannah Smrke
Medical Oncolgist, BC Cancer
Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC.
Presentations will be followed by a discussion where participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive real-time responses from presenters.
|
