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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - October 2022
NCI Grants Awarded to IHV to Prevent Cancer and Improve Screening in Sub-Saharan Africa
October 31, 2022 - by Vanessa McMains - Institute of Human Virology (IHV) researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have received two five-year awards from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) for a total of $7.5 million. One award aims to reduce the incidence of lung cancer and other cancers associated with using tobacco in Botswana. The other is focusing on improving screening and treatment of anal precancer in Nigeria. Both grants will make use of existing HIV treatment and prevention infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries to reach people living with HIV who are most at risk for these particular types of cancers.
New COVID Vaccine Could Be Excellent Option for People With HIV
October 31, 2022 - By Andrew Stillman - A Phase I trial showed positive results, including for those immunocompromised.
Results from a Phase I CORAL-BOOST and CORAL-CEPI trial under biotechnology company Gritstone Bio shows their self-amplifying mRNA (samRNA) vaccine can induce a safe, strong, and durable immune response against COVID-19.
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After viral rebound, dolutegravir-based treatment more likely to suppress HIV
31 October 2022 - Keith Alcorn - Dolutegravir-based treatment is significantly more likely to result in re-suppression of HIV after viral rebound than treatment containing efavirenz, a meta-analysis of four large clinical trials has reported.
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UNAIDS urges Russia to repeal 'LGBTQ propaganda' law
GENEVA, 29 October 2022 - Responding to the statement by the Russian government that it intends to extend the so-called “LGBTQ propaganda” law, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima has joined with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in expressing deep concern.
“Extension of this law,” said Ms Byanyima, “is a further violation of the rights of people to autonomy, dignity and equality.
Howard University Pharmacy Researcher Receives $1.3 Million in NIH Grants to Study HIV Cure and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Washington, DC - Oct 28, 2022 - By Sholnn Z. Freeman - Emmanuel O. Akala, Ph.D., professor in the Howard University College of Pharmacy, has been awarded $1.3 million in grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study complex drug therapy problems related to battling two diseases that disproportionately impact African Americans: triple-negative breast cancer and HIV/AIDS.
EUROPEAN MEDICINES AGENCY VALIDATES ViiV HEALTHCARE’S MARKETING AUTHORISATION APPLICATION FOR CABOTEGRAVIR LONG-ACTING INJECTABLE FOR HIV PREVENTION
London, 28 October 2022 - The marketing application is based on results from the HPTN 083 and 084 phase IIb/III studies in which the injectable medicine, given as few as six times per year, demonstrated superior efficacy to a daily oral PrEP option (FTC/TDF tablets) in reducing the risk of HIV acquisition
ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK, with Pfizer and Shionogi as shareholders, today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has validated the company’s marketing authorisation application (MAA) seeking approval of cabotegravir long-acting injectable for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1. Cabotegravir long-acting for HIV prevention is administered six times per year, after initiation.
HIV skews the SARS-CoV-2 B cell response toward an extrafollicular maturation pathway
Oct 27, 2022 - eLife - HIV infection dysregulates the B cell compartment, affecting memory B cell formation and the antibody response to infection and vaccination. Understanding the B cell response to SARS-CoV-2 in people living with HIV (PLWH) may explain the increased morbidity, reduced vaccine efficacy, reduced clearance, and intra-host evolution of SARS-CoV-2 observed in some HIV-1 coinfections.
UC San Diego Joins National Trial to Test Drug for Treating MPOX
October 27, 2022 - By Scott LaFee and Nicole Mlynaryk - The University of California San Diego will be one of multiple sites assessing the safety and efficacy of tecovirimat as a potential treatment for human monkeypox. Marketed as TPOXX, tecovirimat is an antiviral currently approved for treatment of human smallpox in adults and children caused by the variola virus.
The Study of Tecovirimat for Human Monkeypox Virus (STOMP) is a Phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and led by the AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG), the world’s largest and longest running HIV clinical trials network. The AntiViral Research Center (AVRC) at UC San Diego School of Medicine is part of ACTG.
HIV, AIDS training center at UIC goes national with help of $3M grant
October 26, 2022 - The Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center at the University of Illinois Chicago will expand its services nationwide with the help of a new $3 million grant.
The center, which was founded in 1988 to provide HIV/AIDS training for medical students and primary care physicians, already works to bring the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration‘s National HIV Curriculum to medical students and professionals in 10 midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Casey House releases Others, a horror film created to help smash HIV stigma
TORONTO, Oct. 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cinematic short marks the first time an actor is cast specifically because of their HIV status
Casey House – a hospital unlike any other providing care to those living with and at risk of HIV – is utilizing cinematic horror to bring attention to HIV stigma. Others – directed by renowned filmmaker and screenwriter Paul Shkordoff - sets out to highlight the impact of judgement and what it can feel like to be haunted by stigma. This film marks the first time a professional actor living with HIV was intentionally cast to play an HIV+ lead protagonist.
Monkeypox worse for those with weakened immune systems, HIV, new data show
October 26, 2022 - By Stephen Feller - Although the number of new monkeypox cases has slowed in recent weeks, new data published Wednesday show people with weakened immune systems, especially those with HIV, are at risk for severe disease.
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ViiV HEALTHCARE PRESENTS POSITIVE PROOF-OF-CONCEPT FINDINGS FOR N6LS, AN INVESTIGATIONAL, BROADLY NEUTRALISING ANTIBODY (BNAB) OFFERING A POTENTIAL NEW APPROACH FOR THE TREATMENT OF HIV
London, 25 October 2022 - Data from the BANNER study show antiviral efficacy, safety, and tolerability of N6LS, supporting its continued study in phase IIb
ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK, with Pfizer and Shionogi as shareholders, today announced positive findings from its phase IIa proof- of-concept study of N6LS (VH3810109), a novel, investigational, broadly neutralising antibody (bNAb) that is being studied at two dosing levels – a high dose and ten-fold lower dose (40 mg/kg and ~4 mg/kg (280 mg), respectively), in adults living with HIV. The study showed that a single infusion of N6LS demonstrated strong antiviral efficacy at both doses while also being well-tolerated by study participants.1 The results were presented today at the 30th HIV Glasgow Conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland from 23 – 26 October.
ViiV HEALTHCARE PRESENTS POSITIVE DATA SHOWING VOCABRIA (CABOTEGRAVIR) AND REKAMBYS (RILPIVIRINE) CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED ACROSS A RANGE OF EUROPEAN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS
London, 24 October 2022 - Healthcare teams from diverse European HIV clinics reported that the implementation of the complete long-acting regimen was acceptable, appropriate, and feasible, with the majority of practices achieving optimal implementation within one to three months
ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority-owned by GSK, with Pfizer and Shionogi as shareholders, today presented findings from the CARISEL study (Cabotegravir And Rilpivirine Implementation Study in European Locations). The study, which evaluated the perspectives of people living with HIV and healthcare teams through surveys and interviews in addition to evaluating clinical effectiveness, demonstrated that ViiV Healthcare’s Vocabria (cabotegravir injection) and Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson’s Rekambys (rilpivirine long-acting injectable suspension) was successfully implemented across a range of European healthcare settings.1 The 12-month findings from the implementation study of the first and only complete long-acting regimen for HIV treatment were presented today at the 30th HIV Glasgow Conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland and virtually, from 23 – 26 October.
Paying for plasma is the new normal: Why policy has changed decades after Canada’s tainted blood scandal
October 23, 2022 - Sandor Demeter, University of Manitoba - There has been a monumental policy shift in paying plasma donors in Canada.
In September, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) made a 15-year deal with Spanish health-care giant Grifols for blood plasma collection and products. The deal upends the 1997 recommendations from the commission of inquiry into the tainted blood scandal that urged no paid donations of blood or blood products.
More than 30,000 Canadians were infected with hepatitis C and another 2,000 contracted HIV from tainted blood and blood products during the ‘70s and ‘80s, resulting in more than 8,000 deaths.
World Polio Day: Joint statement by Commissioners Stella Kyriakides, Jutta Urpilainen and Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Dr Andrea Ammon
23 October 2022 - Tomorrow, 24 October, is World Polio Day. To mark this occasion, Commissioners for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, and the Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Dr Andrea Ammon, made the following statement:
“Polio remains an international health threat. It is a threat that we can tackle, and we have the preventive tool for. The EU has remained polio-free for 20 years thanks to the broad vaccination we have achieved against it. But the recent discovery of vaccine-derived poliovirus and a case of paralytic polio in Europe and the United States are stark reminders that we must remain vigilant.
Scottish infected blood victims to receive payouts next week
October 22, 2022 - Scottish victims of the infected blood scandal of the 1970s and 80s will receive compensation by the end of October, the UK government has said.
It confirmed that thousands of patients who contracted Hepatitis C or HIV from contaminated blood will be given an interim payment of £100,000.
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‘No new HIV cases by 2030’: England hopes to become first country in the world to defeat virus
Oct 22, 2022 - New medicines will be made available across the country to end regional disparities
The NHS believes it will prevent all new cases of HIV by 2030 after signing a series of deals to ensure new medicines are available across England to end regional disparities.
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Early HIV diagnosis and treatment important for better long-term health outcomes
October 21, 2022- Starting antiretroviral treatment (ART) early in the course of HIV infection when the immune system is stronger results in better long-term health outcomes compared with delaying ART, according to findings presented today at the IDWeek Conference in Washington, D.C.
ACTG Presents Data Showing Success Of Hepatitis B Vaccine Among People Living With HIV At IDWeek 2022
Los Angeles, Calif. - October 20, 2022 - The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the world’s largest HIV research network whose focus has expanded to include evaluating outpatient treatment for COVID-19, today presented a session demonstrating that a three-dose regimen of the HEPLISAV-B vaccine fully protected people living with HIV at IDWeek 2022, taking place in Washington D.C. from October 19-22, 2022.
Reforming the criminal law regarding HIV non-disclosure: Government of Canada launches public consultation
October 20, 2022 - The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that our criminal justice system keeps communities safe, supports victims, and holds offenders to account, while respecting Charter rights.
As promised during the International AIDS conference in July, the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the launch of a public consultation on reforming the criminal law regarding HIV non-disclosure.
“The London Patient” Adam Castillejo Speaks at William Way Community Center to Spread Hope for a Future HIV Cure
PHILADELPHIA—(October 20, 2022) - William Way Community Center, Philadelphia FIGHT, BEAT-HIV Delaney Collaboratory, Philadelphia Foundation, The Penn Center for AIDS Research, and The Wistar Institute are proud to announce that “The London Patient” Adam Castillejo will take part in a reception, followed by a panel conversation and Q&A on Wednesday, October 26 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the William Way Community Center.
Castillejo is the second person known to be cured of HIV when his body became resistant to HIV infection after receiving a bone marrow transplant. In his case the transplant was to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Timothy Ray Brown, known as the “Berlin Patient”, was the first person cured of HIV with a stem cell transplant, similar to Castillejo. Brown died in 2020 from a recurrence of cancer, and Castillejo revealed his identity that year so he could be an “Ambassador of Hope” to inspire others living with HIV.
Cambridge researchers join new £2 million UK consortium to tackle monkeypox outbreak
20 Oct 2022 - Cambridge is among 12 institutions across the UK that will be working together to tackle the monkeypox outbreak, developing better diagnostic tests, identifying potential therapies and studying vaccine effectiveness and the virus’ spread.
The consortium has received £2 million from the Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council and the Medical Research Council, both part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It is led by the Pirbright Institute and the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.
Researchers will work closely with experts at government agencies – the Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK Health Security Agency, and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory – to study the current outbreak and inform the public health response in the UK and internationally.
Stigma and discrimination against people with HIV are as big an issue as ever
20 October 2022 - Gus Cairns - Preliminary results from a survey of stigma and discrimination conducted by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) show that people living with HIV in Europe are as likely to have experienced stigma in recent years as a decade ago. This is particularly the case with some types of stigma experienced in healthcare settings, where the fear of stigma, and to some extent the reality, are if anything stronger than ever. These early results were announced at the fifth Standards of Care meeting organised by the European AIDS Clinical Society in Brussels last week.
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Three-dose hepatitis B vaccine regimen protects people with HIV
October 20, 2022- Finding is part of an ongoing clinical trial.
A three-dose course of the hepatitis B vaccine HEPLISAV-B fully protected adults living with HIV who had never been vaccinated against or infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), according to study findings presented today at the IDWeek conference in Washington, D.C. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, sponsors the ongoing Phase 3 ACTG A5379 clinical study.
B.C. health officials warn of monkeypox-related scam calls
October 19, 2022 - BCCDC says scam calls are going out about exposures, test results
To mark the 35th anniversary of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, New Yorkers who lost loved ones or whose lives have been impacted by HIV will have a chance to add to the 54-ton tapestry this weekend.
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Sexual health test vending machines launch in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
19 October 2022 - New vending machines offering free sexual health testing kits have been launched in four venues across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire by Unity Sexual Health, the sexual health service led by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.
The vending machines aim to provide an easy, free, fast and confidential way to test for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The service will be evaluated by researchers from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West) and the Health Protection Research Unit in Behavioural Science and Evaluation (HPRU) at the University of Bristol.
Ancient viral remnants in the human genome are active in normal tissues
October 18, 2022 - Presence of endogenous retrovirus RNA in non-diseased tissues could affect use as a cancer biomarker
Remnants of ancient viruses in the human genome are active in healthy tissues as well as diseased ones, limiting their utility as disease biomarkers, according to a study by Aidan Burn at Tufts University in Boston, USA and colleagues, publishing October 18th in the open access journal PLOS
Biology.
Gilead Presents Real-World and Long-Term Data From HIV Research Programs at HIV Glasgow 2022
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- October 18, 2022 - – New Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes in People with HIV on Biktarvy® in Observational BICSTaR Study Demonstrate Consistent Efficacy Profile in Real-World Setting –
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced the company’s upcoming new data from its HIV research and development programs to be presented at the 30th International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection (HIV Glasgow 2022) in Glasgow, Scotland and virtually from October 23-26, 2022. Gilead will present data supporting its current and pipeline innovations in HIV treatment and the latest research from its ongoing cure development program, reflecting the company’s innovative approach to continuous scientific discovery.
Emergex Confirms Synthesis of a CD8+ T cell Adaptive Vaccine for Smallpox and Monkeypox
Abingdon, Oxon, UK, 18 October 2022 - Emergex Vaccines Holding Limited (‘Emergex’), a clinical-stage biotechnology company addressing major global infectious diseases through the development of fully synthetic CD8+ T cell Adaptive Vaccines, announces today that it has formulated and confirmed the synthesis and assembly of a CD8+ T cell Adaptive Vaccine for smallpox and monkeypox, comprised predominantly of early “eclipse phase” antigens.
bioLytical Laboratories Inc. receives WHO PQ for its iStatis COVID-19 Antigen Home Test
Richmond, B.C., October 18, 2022 - bioLytical Laboratories Inc. announced its immediate entry into the African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and South American markets with its COVID-19 home test on its new lateral flow platform, iStatis
bioLytical Laboratories Inc. (“bioLytical”), a global leader in rapid in-vitro medical diagnostics, announced today that it is launching its iStatis COVID-19 Antigen Home Test after receiving Health Canada Interim Order authorization, allowing its immediate entry into the Canadian market.
Second update of ECDC monkeypox rapid risk assessment published by ECDC 18 October 2022
18 October 2022 - The European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control today published the second update to the Monkeypox multi-country outbreak rapid risk assessment. Since early May 2022 and as of 11 October, more than 20 000 cases of monkeypox (MPX) have been reported in 29 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. This is nearly a third of the roughly 68 000 cases reported worldwide in 2022 until the end of September 2022.
Inequity in HIV Prevention
October 18, 2022 - Study Finds Medicines to Reduce HIV Risk are Underprescribed for Black People, Women, Injection Drug Users and Others Who it Would Benefit
Medicines to prevent HIV infection, called “pre-exposure prophylaxis” (or PrEP), are known to dramatically reduce a person’s risk of getting HIV from sex and IV drug use, cutting the risk by 99 percent and 74 percent, respectively. Yet, a majority of the people who could most benefit from taking PrEP are not being prescribed these drugs, according to a study led by researchers in the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
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Danish-led study takes major step in pursuit of HIV cure
17-OCT-2022 - While the standard treatment for HIV can hold the disease in check, a new Danish study shows how experimental medicines can boost the body’s own ability to suppress the virus. An important step towards a cure, say researchers behind the study.
For around 40 years, scientists all over the world have been unsuccessfully trying to find a cure for HIV, but now a team of researchers from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital have apparently found an important element in the equation.
New Yorkers mark 35th anniversary of AIDS Memorial Quilt by adding to the 54-ton folk art piece
Oct. 14, 2022 - By Muri Assunção - To mark the 35th anniversary of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, New Yorkers who lost loved ones or whose lives have been impacted by HIV will have a chance to add to the 54-ton tapestry this weekend.
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My Hurricane Experience in Puerto Rico as Someone Living With HIV
Oct. 14 2022 - Alejandro Acosta - I didn’t expect a picture-perfect, post-wedding celebration to veer into a frightening, distressing disaster-management situation, but that’s exactly what happened to me after Fiona swept across Puerto Rico.
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See the Magic of 2022’s U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS in 17 Pics and Posts
October 13, 2022 - By Trent Straube - Held in Puerto Rico, #2022USCHA highlighted HIV in Latino populations, language justice, storytelling, music and much more.
For the first time since 2019, the nation’s largest annual HIV-related gathering took place in person. The joy of escaping our screens and reconnecting with friends was palpable at the U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (#2022USCHA), held October 7 to 11 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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UNAIDS warns that HIV, COVID and other health investments are in danger due to a looming debt crisis in Africa and the developing world
WASHINGTON/GENEVA, 13 October 2022 - In 2020 highly indebted countries already used four times more of their revenues on debt repayments than on health investments, reveals UNAIDS report A Pandemic Triad. The report was presented at an event hosted by Georgetown University in Washington DC during the Annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank
COVID-19 and the debt crisis, now aggravated by the consequences of the war in Ukraine, have created an unprecedented setback in global health, and put the global response to AIDS in jeopardy, risking 7.7 million deaths to AIDS-related causes by 2030, according to a new report by UNAIDS.
Better understanding of viral protein could lead to more effective COVID drug treatments with fewer side effects
October 13, 2022 - Although the COVID-19 pandemic may feel like it is winding down for many people, there is still much to be learned about the virus that could help us to keep it at bay in the future.
Mark Paetzel, a molecular biologist at Simon Fraser University, Natalie Strynadka, a structural biologist at the University of British Columbia and colleagues Jaeyong Lee, Calem Kenward and Liam Worrall used the incredibly bright light of the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan to study the structure and characteristics of one important viral protein that makes a tempting target for antiviral drugs.
George W. Bush to be honored in Washington on World AIDS Day
WASHINGTON - October. 13, 2022 - By DARLENE SUPERVILLE - Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, are returning to Washington next month to be recognized for their work on combatting HIV/AIDS worldwide.
The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition announced Thursday that it will honor Bush and the former first lady on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, during its annual Tribute Celebration.
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amfAR Awards $1.5 Million to Researchers Pursuing Innovative Approaches to Eliminating the HIV Reservoir
NEW YORK, October 13, 2022 - Strategies involve mRNA and gene-editing technologies, and souped-up natural killer cells
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, announced a new round of grants Thursday, providing almost $1.5 million to researchers proposing innovative ways of overcoming the barriers to a cure for HIV.
The main barrier remains the persistent reservoir of HIV, which has so far resisted virtually every attempt to eliminate it. The only exception to this is the handful of cases of a cure via high-risk stem cell transplantation in people living with both HIV and certain blood cancers.
Department Of Aging Hosts 621 Attendees During Its Virtual LGBTQ Aging Summit And Institute On HIV
Harrisburg, PA - October 12, 2022 - The Pennsylvania Department of Aging today announced that 621 participants from 27 states and Washington D.C. in the continental U.S., and St. Croix, Guam, and parts of Canada, attended its virtual LGBTQ Aging Summit and Institute on HIV and Aging on October 6 and October 7.
The summit provided the department and the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs with the opportunity to continue working on issues raised by community advocates, Area Agencies on Aging staff, providers, and other stakeholders since the last summit convened in 2018. This year's summit delivered information on supports and resources for LGBTQ older adults and how advocates, aging service providers, and allies can support and lift up LGBTQ communities.
ViiV HEALTHCARE TO SHOWCASE INNOVATIVE HIV TREATMENT AND PREVENTION PORTFOLIO AT IDWEEK™ AND HIV GLASGOW
London, 12 October 2022 - More than 50 abstracts at the two scientific congresses will showcase new mechanisms of action, implementation of the only complete long-acting treatment regimen and key insights into real-world treatment outcomes
ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority-owned by GSK, with Pfizer and Shionogi as shareholders, today announced the presentation of over 50 abstracts from the company’s diverse portfolio of innovative licensed treatment and prevention options at IDWeek™ 2022, being held in Washington, D.C., from 19 – 23 October and at HIV Glasgow taking place between 23 – 26 October 2022 in Glasgow, Scotland.
EC-ECDC-WHO statement: Working together towards COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccinations for this winter
Brussels, 12 October 2022 - Joint Statement by Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge and Director of the ECDC Dr Andrea Ammon: working together towards COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccinations for this winter
Although we are not where we were one year ago, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over. We are unfortunately seeing indicators rising again in Europe, suggesting that another wave of infections has begun. With the arrival of autumn and winter, the resurgence of influenza can also be expected. In light of this, we reconfirm the need to protect people’s health, especially the most vulnerable, using all the available tools, including vaccination. Preparedness measures need to continue in the European Region, we should not let our guard down.
Ebola outbreak in Uganda under ECDC monitoring
12 October 2022 - ECDC is actively monitoring the Ebola outbreak in Uganda through its epidemic intelligence activities and regular communication with Africa CDC, WHO (Ebola Disease caused by Sudan virus – Uganda) and GOARN partners. Weekly updates are available in the ECDC weekly communicable disease threats report.
The outbreak is still relatively limited in size (48 cases). More importantly, transmission has not been documented in densely populated areas. The spread of the ongoing outbreak to other areas within Uganda and/or in neighbouring countries cannot be excluded.
HIV: The forgotten pandemic
10/12/2022 - By CARMEN PAUN, RUTH READER, BEN LEONARD and GRACE SCULLION - From San Francisco to Asia, the number of HIV infections is rising at a speed that’s alarming U.S. and global health officials.
In 2021, 1.5 million people were infected with HIV, a million more than public health officials' target, according to a Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS estimate. Experts suspect the Covid-19 pandemic played a role.
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HIV Infection Leaves a ‘Memory’ in Cells
GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Anti-HIV DuoCAR-T cell therapy offers potential to eliminate HIV-infected cells and suppresses HIV infection long-term in the body
Groundbreaking clinical trial being conducted in collaboration with University of California, San Francisco, University of California, Davis, and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)
Caring Cross, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to accelerating the development of advanced medicines and enabling access to cures for all patients, everywhere, announced the dosing of the first participant in a Phase 1/2a clinical trial evaluating the organization’s Anti-HIV DuoCAR-T cell therapy. Caring Cross has designed its Anti-HIV DuoCAR-T cell therapy to potentially eliminate HIV-infected cells and suppresses HIV infection long-term in the body after a single infusion.
HIV/AIDS Is NOT Over! Says AHF
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- October 11, 2022 – As the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS and its partners convene an emergency meeting in South Africa on HIV prevention this week, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) urges UNAIDS, government leaders, and all relevant stakeholders to urgently place the focus of the global HIV/AIDS response on testing, treatment initiation, and late presentation.
The NIH/DAIDS Cross-Network (ACTG/HVTN/IMPAACT) TB Vaccine Working Group calls for people living with HIV to be included in tuberculosis vaccine development
10/03/2022 - October 11, 2022 - International experts issue recommendations calling for this vulnerable group to be included in TB vaccine trials
People living with HIV must be included in clinical trials for new tuberculosis vaccine candidates currently in the development pipeline, say experts on an international panel convened last year to address gaps in the current TB vaccine landscape.
Their recommendations, which appear in a new paper published Oct. 11, 2022, in The Lancet HIV, are designed to shape the future of TB vaccine development and help ensure people living with HIV have access to safe and effective TB vaccines like those for the general population.
Federal Grant to Duke University School of Medicine Expands HIV Research
10/03/2022 - October 11, 2022 - The Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) and the Department of Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine received a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for HIV vaccine research that could total $25.9 million with full funding over five years.
The funding supports a multi-institutional effort called The Consortium for Innovative HIV/AIDS Vaccine and Cure Research that is built around two areas of scientific focus: identification of the components and the mechanisms of protection of preventive vaccines; and the use of the newly identified preventive vaccines along with other immune therapies in advancing potential treatments and/or cures.
USCHA Day 4- Monkeypox Update from Dr. Daskalakis and Closing Reflections
Oct 11, 2022 - HIV gov - During the third day of the US Conference on HIV/AIDS, HIV.gov focused on community. Hendryx Malaret, Special Projects Director for Migrant Health Center, Inc. in Puerto Rico spoke about what it meant to the community to host USCHA in San Juan. We also spoke with Justin Smith a PACHA member. Justin reflected on the PACHA-to-the-People session held in September.
Risk of lung cancer is higher for people with HIV
11 October 2022 - Keith Alcorn - UK should consider offering lung cancer screening to people with HIV under 55, say experts
People in their 40s living with HIV in the United States were at twice the risk of developing lung cancer compared to the rest of the population, while people with HIV in their 60s were at 30% higher risk, a large study of cancer diagnoses between 2001 and 2016 in the United States has found.
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USCHA Day 3- Community in Focus
Oct 10, 2022 - HIV gov - During the third day of the US Conference on HIV/AIDS, HIV.gov focused on community. Hendryx Malaret, Special Projects Director for Migrant Health Center, Inc. in Puerto Rico spoke about what it meant to the community to host USCHA in San Juan. We also spoke with Justin Smith a PACHA member. Justin reflected on the PACHA-to-the-People session held in September.
With new infections 1 million higher than the 2020 target, UNAIDS and partners convene emergency meeting on HIV prevention
JOHANNESBURG/GENEVA, 10 October 2022 - HIV experts and implementers from around the world join UNAIDS in South Africa to set targets and put precision prevention programming into practice
New HIV infections are rising in an alarming number of countries, regions and cities around the world. There were 1.5 million new HIV infections in 2021—1 million higher than the 2020 target of 500 000. To support countries in driving down new infections UNAIDS and partners have brought together HIV prevention experts and implementers from the 28 countries with the highest rates of new infections to establish why they are failing to decline at scale, to discuss solutions and to help countries set ambitious prevention targets.
USCHA Day 2 Highlights- Celebro mi salud Launches
Oct 9, 2022 - HIV gov - At USCHA, the Spanish language version of "I am a Work of ART," "Celebro mi salud," launched. HIV.gov spoke to Dr. Tim Harrison, Principal Deputy Director for the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy and the campaign lead, about the need for a national viral suppression campaign. Joining him was Joey Jai, one of the creative partners from the campaign. Joey talked about his experiences with the campaign.
USCHA 2022- Highlights from Day 1 in San Juan
Oct 9, 2022 - HIV gov - On the opening day of the US Conference on HIV/AIDS in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the opening plenary celebrated Puerto Rican culture and discussed the history of HIV in Puerto Rico. HIV.gov spoke with Lt. Alberto Pina, a PACE Office in Los Angeles about his thoughts on the session and the significance of the conference being hosted in San Juan.
Judy Tenuta, brash 'Love Goddess' comedian, dies at 72
Oct. 7, 2022 - Lynn Elber - Judy Tenuta, a brash standup who cheekily styled herself as the "Love Goddess" and toured with George Carlin as she built her career in the 1980s golden age of comedy, died Thursday. She was 72.
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A Firebird Ascends: Honoring the Great Ballerina Stephanie Dabney
Oct. 7, 2022 - Juan Michael Porter II - The death of the great American ballerina Stephanie Dabney was announced by Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) on Sept. 28. A longtime survivor of HIV, Dabney was celebrated for her elegance, dramatic characterizations, impeccable technique, long line, and seemingly endless range of flexibility-particularly in her back and arabesque.
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The Power of an HIV-Positive Community of Men to Transform Their World
OCTOBER 07 2022 - BY ALEX GARNER - HIV/STI Data Report also sheds spotlight on City’s strategic investment in Population Centered Health Homes, connecting those with HIV to medication, care, other services
The number of Chicagoans newly diagnosed with HIV and AIDS in 2020 was at the lowest level in four decades, according to a comprehensive new HIV and STI (sexually transmitted infections) report from the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), released today. The report – which presents the first COVID-era picture of HIV and STIs among Chicagoans – also notes increases in the number of Chicagoans living with HIV who have achieved viral suppression, a key factor in living a high-quality life and reducing the likelihood that HIV will be passed to others. People achieve viral suppression by consistently taking prescribed HIV medications.
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CDPH Report: New HIV, AIDS diagnoses at lowest points since 1980s, as other STIs rise
Chicago - October 6, 2022 - The Lifelong AIDS Alliance began in 2001 when two Seattle organizations fighting AIDS — the Chicken Soup Brigade and the Northwest AIDS Foundation — merged into one. As the number of AIDS-related deaths declined in subsequent years, the consolidated agency expanded its reach. By 2022, it was working "to remove barriers to health for all people, so that no one faces illness and injustice alone. Our comprehensive services include food and nutrition, healthcare navigation, aging and disability support, and connection to housing and other vital resources" ("About Us"). Now known simply as Lifelong, the agency works with a yearly operating budget of more than $20 million and has dozens of fulltime employees at its headquarters on Capitol Hill.
Audio Interview: Infectious Disease in Africa
October 6, 2022 - Eric J. Rubin, M.D., Ph.D., Lindsey R. Baden, M.D., John N. Nkengasong, Ph.D., and Stephen Morrissey, Ph.D.
In this audio interview conducted on October 4, 2022, the editors are joined by U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy John Nkengasong to discuss the impact of Covid-19 and other infectious diseases in Africa.
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HIV-specific factors contribute to increased risk for MDR-E
October 6, 2022
- BY MADELEINE CARLISLE - People with HIV are at an increased risk for multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales infection because of HIV-specific factors in addition to already established risk factors, a recent study showed.
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‘We Just Lost Two Years.’ How COVID-19 Disrupted the Fight Against HIV
October 06, 2022
- By Caitlyn Stulpin - Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrés Cantero tried to see his doctor every three months to discuss his treatment for HIV. He’d visit four times per year, asking questions about his antiretroviral medication, discussing side effects, and confirming he still had an undetectable viral load, meaning he could not transmit the virus to his partner.
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Vanderbilt’s Crowe receives the Building the Foundation Award from Research!America
Oct. 6, 2022 - by Bill Snyder - James Crowe Jr., MD, director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has received the Building the Foundation Award from Research!America, a national biomedical research advocacy organization, for his team’s role in developing human monoclonal antibodies and vaccine candidates against COVID-19.
The Curious Case Of Accelerated Aging With HIV
October 6, 2022 - By Landon Gray - The phenomenon of accelerated aging in people living with HIV is the complex result of various biological, environmental and social factors; however, it is predominantly the body’s response to the chronic inflammation associated with HIV.
Rise in syphilis cases in newborns causes concern
SANTA FE - October 5, 2022 - The New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) renewed a 2021 Public Health Order (PHO) to protect newborns from syphilis on September 30, 2022. The PHO mandates that all medical providers serving pregnant women follow best practices by testing all pregnant women for syphilis multiple times.
HIV: How 175 British children were infected with disease
October 5, 2022 - By Jim Reed - At least 175 children with the blood disorder haemophilia were infected with HIV in the 1980s, according to documents from the national archives seen by BBC News. Some of the families affected are giving evidence at a public inquiry into what has been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.
It was almost 36 years ago - in late October 1986 - but Linda will never forget the day she was told her son had been infected.
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How a select few people have been cured of HIV
October 5, 2022 - BY BENJAMIN RYAN - Scientists have cured a handful of people of HIV by piggybacking on treatments they received for blood cancer. But does that bring a widespread cure any closer?
Over the past year, news of two new people cured of HIV grabbed headlines, stirring hopeful talk of what these scientific wonders might portend for the four-decade fight against the virus.
To researchers working in the HIV cure arena, these cases are inspiring because they prove it is in fact possible to eradicate this extraordinarily complex virus from the body.
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A Bold Effort to Cure HIV—Using Crispr
OCT 5, 2022 - An experiment tests whether the gene-editing technology can stop the virus from replicating, which would ultimately wipe out the infection.
IN JULY, AN HIV-positive man became the first volunteer in a clinical trial aimed at using Crispr gene editing to snip the AIDS-causing virus out of his cells. For an hour, he was hooked up to an IV bag that pumped the experimental treatment directly into his bloodstream. The one-time infusion is designed to carry the gene-editing tools to the man’s infected cells to clear the virus.
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Watch the PBS Special “Ending HIV in America” [VIDEO]
October 5, 2022 - By Trent Straube - Focused on San Francisco and Birmingham, the “Nova” film explores the progress, advocacy and challenges involved in ending HIV in America.
In the 41 years since AIDS was first identified, scientists and public health advocates have made much progress in tackling the HIV epidemic, but many hurdles remain. A new one-hour special from Nova, the documentary science series on PBS, highlights advances in HIV treatment and the obstacles that stand in the way of efforts to stamp out the virus.
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UNAIDS welcomes Angeli Achrekar and Christine Stegling as Deputy Executive Directors
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 5 October 2022 - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has today announced the appointment of UNAIDS two Deputy Executive Directors.
Angeli Achrekar, who is currently Principal Deputy U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, PEPFAR, will be UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director for the Programme Branch. Christine Stegling, who is currently Executive Director of Frontline AIDS, will be UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director for the Policy, Advocacy and Knowledge Branch.
Peterborough’s Brittany Cameron receives June Callwood award for her activism
Oct. 4, 2022 - By Alex Schummer - Champion for people living with HIV/AIDS awarded began her work after being diagnosed with HIV 17 years ago
Peterborough’s Brittany Cameron has won a June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for her activism for the rights of women and those living with HIV/AIDS.
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ACTG Announces Results From Investigational Inhaled COVID-19 Treatment In ACTIV-2 Phase 2 Study
Los Angeles, Calif. - October 4, 2022 - ACTG Announces Results from Investigational Inhaled COVID-19 Treatment in ACTIV-2 Phase 2 Study
The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the largest global HIV research network, which recently expanded its focus to include evaluating outpatient treatment for COVID-19, today announced results from a trial comparing SNG001, an inhaled formulation of interferon beta, with placebo in the ACTIV-2 Outpatient Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Therapies Trial (ACTG A5401).
‘Old style’ tenofovir really may protect against COVID, large US study finds
3 October 2022 - Gus Cairns - A study in over 20,000 men living with HIV in the United States has found the strongest evidence yet that tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF – the older formulation of tenofovir, which in the US has been largely replaced by the newer tenofovir alafenamide or TAF) may help to protect against symptomatic COVID infection, hospitalisation and admission to intensive care.
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Lifelong AIDS Alliance (Seattle)
10/03/2022 - By Nick Rousso - The Lifelong AIDS Alliance began in 2001 when two Seattle organizations fighting AIDS — the Chicken Soup Brigade and the Northwest AIDS Foundation — merged into one. As the number of AIDS-related deaths declined in subsequent years, the consolidated agency expanded its reach. By 2022, it was working "to remove barriers to health for all people, so that no one faces illness and injustice alone. Our comprehensive services include food and nutrition, healthcare navigation, aging and disability support, and connection to housing and other vital resources" ("About Us"). Now known simply as Lifelong, the agency works with a yearly operating budget of more than $20 million and has dozens of fulltime employees at its headquarters on Capitol Hill.
Nova Scotia Health reports increase in HIV cases
Oct. 3, 2022 - Natalie Lombard - Health officials in Nova Scotia say there has been an increase in the number of people diagnosed with HIV in the province this year.
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