Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News
HIV, AIDS and Infectious Disease News
from around the world
Worldwide 91.4 million people have been infected with HIV.
Worldwide 44.1 million people with HIV have died.
Worldwide, 40.8 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2024.
.
Practicing Safe Sex is our best resource in preventing HIV infection through sexual contact.
Sexual contact accounts for 95 percent of all new HIV infections worldwide.
Safe Sex = Disease Prevention – STAY SAFE!
Use A Condom Every Time!
“HIV needs to be in the media each and every day as most people only see snippets of news and these are not effective enough. For this reason, in 2007, I decided to include an HIV/AIDS News page where people could find information on many HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) related issues, Infectious Disease,
and more.
I collaborate with individuals, groups, and organizations throughout the world, to include their HIV/AIDS news articles, press releases, events, workshops, conferences, and more on PositivelyPositive.ca. News items stay on the HIV/AIDS News page for a month,
and then News items go into the HIV/AIDS News Archives.”
Bradford McIntyre
T cells may be key to stopping measles virus—and its deadly relatives
LA JOLLA, CA -June 2, 2026 - La Jolla Institute for Immunology - LJI researchers discover that 'cross-reactive' T cells can recognize measles and the highly lethal Nipah virus
Measles cases are rising, and many are concerned about a closely related virus called Nipah virus.
Scientists are eager to develop vaccines or therapies to fight these viruses and their relatives across the paramyxovirus family.
In a new study, scientists from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) show exactly how “cross-reactive” T cells can recognize many species of paramyxovirus at once.
These findings may guide the development of new vaccines and therapies that stop measles, Nipah, and other paramyxovirus infections before they turn deadly.
T cells are some of the immune system’s most important warriors. They can stop tumor growth and even fight off severe infections. Now scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have discovered how T cells target paramyxoviruses, a viral family that includes measles virus and Nipah virus.
Paramyxoviruses are pathogens of pandemic concern. Measles virus is highly infectious, and Nipah virus has a high mortality rate. The new study shows how we might harness T cells to save lives.
University Libraries to Host Traveling HIV/AIDS Poster Exhibit
June 2, 2026 - UToday - THE UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO - University Libraries at The University of Toledo will host a traveling exhibition, AIDS, Posters & Stories of Public Health: A People’s History of a Pandemic, from June 1 through July 10 across two campus locations.
The exhibition will be on display at the Carlson Library North Gallery from June 1–20, followed by the Mulford Library from June 21–July 10.
Produced by the National Library of Medicine, the exhibit explores the history of HIV/AIDS through public health posters created by artists, activists and community organizations.
The Long Run Against AIDS
Jun 2, 2026 - By Christina Ray Stanton - TIME - In the early 1980s, as AIDS began its terrifying spread through New York’s gay community, Brent Nicholson Earle was an actor and house manager finally living openly in the city he adored. One morning, after a long night out dancing at The Saint, record executive and nightclub boss Mel Cheren stopped Earle with a challenge that would change his life.
“If all you’re doing is taking,” Cheren said, “you’re not really part of us. You have to give something back. And your community is in trouble. Figure out what you can do to help.”
Read more...
Bepirovirsen leads to functional cure in one fifth of people with long-term hepatitis B
1 June 2026 - By Liz Highleyman - aidsmap - One in five people with chronic (long term) hepatitis B who were treated with the investigational agent bepirovirsen were functionally cured and no longer needed to take daily antiviral therapy, according to late-stage study results presented last week at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Congress in Barcelona and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
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From denial to hope: How community support is helping HIV patients stay on treatment
June 1, 2026 - By Sarah Owermohle - The Herald - WHEN Ms Bridget Moyo* tested positive for HIV in November last year, her world came crashing down.
After 36 years of marriage, the Beitbridge village health worker discovered that the virus had entered her home through her husband’s extra-marital affair. Although both were immediately placed on antiretroviral therapy (ART), she could not bring herself to accept the diagnosis.
Read more...
IDSA Warns of Escalating U.S. Measles Threat
May 28, 2026 - By Ethan Covey - Infectious Disease Special Edition (IDSE) - Cases Far Above Historical Levels
Large measles outbreaks in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are raising concern among infectious disease experts, who warn that declining vaccination rates, gaps in public health capacity, and limited clinical familiarity with measles are allowing the once-eliminated disease to spread.
45 Years In, We’re Not Done Yet: NMAC Convenes National Advocacy Roundtable on Capitol Hill to Defend HIV Funding
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ - NMAC - Forty-five years after the CDC first reported what would become known as HIV/AIDS, NMAC (formerly the National Minority AIDS Council) will convene national HIV leaders, long-term survivors, public health experts, business partners, and congressional champions for a National Advocacy Roundtable on Capitol Hill focused on sustaining the HIV response and shaping the next chapter.
The high-profile roundtable, hosted in partnership with the Congressional HIV Caucus, Equality Caucus, and the Democratic Task Force on Aging and Families, will take place on Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 9-10:30am at the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2075. The gathering comes ahead of HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day (June 5) and during a critical appropriations season, as proposed federal cuts threaten HIV prevention, surveillance, research, housing, and other programs that people living with HIV rely on.
CAR-T Therapy Shows Promise for HIV
May 28, 2026 - By Liz Highleyman - POZ - Best known as a treatment for cancer, engineered T cells might lead to a functional cure, or durable HIV remission after stopping antiretrovirals.
A one-time infusion of CAR-T therapy using engineered T cells that target HIV appears safe and led to delayed viral rebound or sustained viral suppression in a small early study presented at the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy annual meeting this month in Boston. This approach is in its early stages, however, and years of further research lie ahead.
Read more...
Then, Now, Next - 40 Years of HIV
27 May 2026 - KING's COLLEGE LONDON - Professors Melanie Abas, Richard Harding and Michael Malim discussed the last 40 years of HIV research and the significance of continuing to research this virus and their hope for the future.
The virus that we now know as HIV was not originally discovered under that name.
As the AIDS crisis emerged, in 1983 three groups of researchers managed to isolate the virus that caused it and in May 1986 it was officially named as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This marked a turning point that paved the way for antiretroviral treatment.
A lot of progress has been made in the last four decades and some of our academics have been at the forefront of patient care and academic research on HIV/AIDS. In our new short film, marking the anniversary, we speak to three of our senior staff who have all had first-hand experience of working in the field.
PrEP-ping T cells for HIV exposure
May 27, 2026 - By A Person - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - From the Lund Lab, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division
Nearly half a century after its emergence as a recognized global health crisis, HIV remains a major challenge. UNAIDS estimates that in 2024, there were 40.8 million people living with HIV worldwide, and over 1 million people newly acquired HIV. Despite major advances in treatment, a protective vaccine and functional cure remain out of reach.
In recent years, the uptake of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has revolutionized HIV prevention. By taking PrEP, people at greater risk of HIV acquisition can reduce the chances of viral transmission by up to 70%. PrEP consists of the same drugs used for HIV treatment, which work by blocking the spread of the virus between cells. In people living with HIV, this suppresses the virus in the body and reduces virus-related health issues, allowing them to live long and healthy lives. It is presumed that PrEP prevents the establishment of HIV infection by blocking early viral replication in people exposed to the virus. However, there is limited research confirming this or investigating other mechanisms of how PrEP may protect against HIV.
How a health clinic in South Africa is navigating Trump’s cuts to HIV funding
May 27, 2026 - NPR - Community health programs in South Africa have been heavily impacted by U.S. cuts to global aid. Which means there are fewer community and health workers to support low-income people with HIV and AIDS.
We recently visited one of those programs, called We Care, to learn more about the experiences of the few employees who still remain.
Listen...
AIDS activists mark 45 years with week of health advocacy
May 27, 2026 - by John Ferrannini - BAY AREA REPORTER - As the Bay Area and the world remember the grim milestone of 45 years since the first reported cases of what later became known as AIDS, longtime activists are planning a seven-day campaign to call attention to cuts to health services. That includes funds for HIV/AIDS services, as well as healthcare in general.
“Seven Days in June,” from June 1-7, is the brainchild of Cleve Jones, a gay man living with HIV known for co-founding the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Jones said he was inspired to draw public attention to the defunding of health services after Elon Musk, then-senior adviser to President Donald Trump, famously wielded a chainsaw in the air on a stage as the administration abruptly slashed foreign aid — including to people’s life-saving HIV medications.
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ECDC increases activities as Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda intensifies
May 27, 2026 - European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC) - As the Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda develops rapidly, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is ratcheting up its support on the ground, while continuing to emphasise that the risk of infection to the general population in Europe remains very low.
The current outbreak is of serious concern, and is in many ways not comparable with previous Ebola outbreaks. The highly complex situation in the affected region makes it considerably more difficult to take effective countermeasures. The circumstances are made still more challenging by the fact that this outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment.
Exclusive: Trump admin shutting key US researchers out of global virus response talks, documents and sources reveal
May 25, 2026 - By Sarah Owermohle - CNN - Key officials responsible for leading US research on infectious disease threats have been barred from speaking directly with the World Health Organization — effectively shutting some of them out of the global discussions on virus outbreaks, according to documents and multiple sources who spoke to CNN.
The Trump administration issued the directive stopping individuals at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from communicating with the WHO.
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US voters support HIV/Aids relief – will Trump’s cuts backfire in the midterms?
24 May 2026 - By Melody Schreiber - The Guardian - Global Pepfar program has long had Republican leadership and bipartisan support, but initiative is under fire
Epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist Vadim Pokrovsky, one of the country’s leading experts on HIV/AIDS and a key figure in the Soviet and Russian response to the epidemic, has died at the age of 71, public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said Wednesday.
Read more...
Study suggests diet-derived compound could repair gut damage caused by HIV
May 22, 2026- By Leslie Tate - Tulane University - For many people living with HIV, today’s treatments can suppress the virus and dramatically improve health. But even when HIV is controlled, damage to the gut caused by the disease can persist, fueling chronic inflammation linked to serious health problems. A new Tulane University study published in JCI Insight helps explains why.
Researchers found that long-term antiretroviral treatments did not fully restore key immune functions that protect and repair the gut lining. The study also found early evidence that diet-derived compounds found in vegetables from the mustard family, such as broccoli and cabbage, may help support immune activity involved in gut repair.
Poll highlights Americans’ uneven knowledge of STI prevention, treatment
May 22, 2026 - Mary Van Beusekom, MS - CIDRAP - Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy - University of Minnesota - While 75% to 95% of Americans know that diseases such as human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and genital herpes are sexually transmitted, gaps in knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain, including whether there are vaccines against them.
Those findings, from a poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania, underscore the need for more education against a backdrop of elevated and rising rates of some STIs, the authors say.
$20 Million Raised to Support Innovative Research at 32nd Edition of amfAR Gala Cannes
Antibes, France – May 22, 2026 - amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research - Geena Davis Hosted
Robbie Williams, Zara Larsson, and Lizzo Performed
Presented by Chopard
On Thursday night, amfAR raised $20 million, the highest total since 2016, to support lifesaving biomedical research at the 32nd edition of amfAR Gala Cannes. The black-tie gala, which took place at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, was hosted by Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis, and featured captivating performances by iconic multi-Brit Award-winning artist Robbie Williams, Grammy-nominated artist Zara Larsson, and Grammy and Emmy winner Lizzo. The evening also included dinner, a live auction of one-of-a kind luxury items and contemporary art, and a fashion show curated by Carine Roitfeld.
HIV Is Not Out of Control—But the World Is at a Dangerous Tipping Point
May 21, 2026 - By Frank Ayim Damptey - Modern Ghana - The global fight against HIV has made undeniable progress over the past three decades. But as of 2024–2025, that progress is no longer accelerating—it is stalling. The world hasn’t lost control of HIV, but it is standing at a fragile tipping point where gains could either be consolidated or reversed.
What the World Has Brought Under Control
Compared to the devastating peaks of the 1990s and early 2000s, the situation today is far more manageable.
By the end of 2024, an estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV worldwide. Annual new infections have fallen to 1.3 million, representing a 40% decline since 2010 and a 61% drop from the 1996 peak. Even more striking, AIDS-related deaths have dropped to 630,000, down 54% since 2010 and 70% since their peak in 2004.
The driving force behind this progress is treatment. About 32 million people are now on life-saving antiretroviral therapy, enabling them to live longer, healthier lives. Crucially, when treatment suppresses the virus to undetectable levels, it also prevents transmission—turning HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition.
By historical standards, this is control.
Where Progress Is Slipping
Despite these gains, the momentum has slowed—and in some areas, it is faltering.
Rami Malek Nearly Passed on AIDS-Era ‘The Man I Love’ Fearing Freddie Mercury Comparisons
24 May 2026 - By Jada Yuan - THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER - Malek almost passed on Ira Sachs’ AIDS-era Cannes drama 'The Man I Love,' fearing comparisons to his Oscar-winning turn as Freddie Mercury in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’
Rami Malek almost turned the down his role in Ira Sach’s The Man I Love, as a gay, singing performance artist in 1980s New York at the height of the AIDS crisis, because he worried he’d be accused of self-plagiarizing his Oscar-winning role as Freddie Mercury in 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
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Russian HIV/AIDS Pioneer Vadim Pokrovsky Dies at 71
May 21, 2026 - The Moscow Times - Epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist Vadim Pokrovsky, one of the country’s leading experts on HIV/AIDS and a key figure in the Soviet and Russian response to the epidemic, has died at the age of 71, public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said Wednesday.
Read more...
Bacterial STIs reach record highs in Europe, and congenital syphilis cases nearly double
Stockholm, 21 May 2026 - European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC) - New data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show that sexually transmitted infections reached record levels across Europe in 2024, driven by sharp rises in gonorrhoea and syphilis, and widening gaps in testing and prevention. Targeted action is urgently needed to prevent further spread, including among women of reproductive age.
The latest Annual Epidemiological Reports from ECDC indicate a surge in bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across Europe. In 2024, notifications of gonorrhoea and syphilis, alongside congenital syphilis, reached their highest levels in over a decade, reflecting sustained transmission across multiple countries.
The data for 2024 show that gonorrhoea cases reached 106 331, representing a 303% increase since 2015. Syphilis cases more than doubled over the same period to 45 577 cases. Chlamydia remains the most requently reported STI with 213 443 cases. Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) also continued to see ongoing transmission, with 3 490 reported cases.
WACO Theater Center Launches Southern Tour of “Still Here Live Experience,” A Powerful Immersive Work Centering Black Women Living with HIV & AIDS
LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- WACO THEATRE CENTER - Rooted in WACO Theater Center's mission to use the arts to empower and inspire communities across the diaspora, STILL HERE LIVE EXPERIENCE transforms a community cultural space into an immersive storytelling salon for reflection, dialogue, and connection. The project illuminates the complexities of Black women's experiences with HIV/AIDS while amplifying voices too often underrepresented in public discourse.
Conceived, developed, and produced by Creative Directors williambryantmiles (Assistant Professor of Black Performance, Purchase College) and Nickolas Vaughan (producer, We're Here), the experience is presented in non-traditional performance spaces and honors the longstanding role of the hair salon as a space of community, connection, and cultural exchange among Black women. Inspired by first-person narratives, the work unfolds in two parts: an interactive installation and a live performance.
Greater risk of schizophrenia among people with HIV – especially those who inject drugs
May 20, 2026 - By Krishen Samuel - aidsmap - While the risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia was higher among all people with HIV in a large Danish cohort, those who acquired HIV through injecting drug use were at a much higher risk. This research also highlights the complex familial factors that may play a role in being diagnosed with schizophrenia.
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Global study of HIV variants underscores challenges for vaccine development
May 19, 2026 - Oxford Population Health - The largest-ever study mapping genetic variants of HIV-1 around the world over the past 35 years shows that the regional distribution of different subtypes of the virus continues to evolve, posing a challenge to prevention and treatment efforts.
As of 2024, an estimated 40.8 million people are living with HIV, a virus that attacks the body’s immune system and, if left untreated, leads to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Although antiretroviral therapy has improved life expectancy and reduced HIV transmission, 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses and 1.3 million people became newly infected in 2024. Cuts to international funding in 2025 threaten to reverse gains made in recent years, heightening the need for an effective HIV vaccine that can offer universal protection.
UCT researcher leads international effort to improve chronic disease care
19 May 2026 - University of Cape Town - The University of Cape Town (UCT) is among the institutions leading two major projects focusing on implementation science for health systems strengthening in the context of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Funded under the 10th 2025 South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Global Alliance for Chronic Disease (GACD) funding call, $400 000 is invested in health research to assess strategies for supporting health systems and improving equity in outcomes of NCDs care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The first project will explore how strengthening care pathways can improve patient outcomes at primary care level. The STRIDES project, led by Associate Professor Peter Delobelle from UCT and Dr Tilahun Haregu from The Baker Institute, will strengthen primary healthcare teams in South Africa and Uganda to deliver integrated, people-centred care for chronic diseases, creating a scalable model for other low- and middle-income countries.
Most teens don’t know they can receive confidential STI treatment
May 18, 2026 - By Sarah Boden - CIDRAP - Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy - University of Minnesota - Roughly half of new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) every year are among young adults and teens, and all states, to varying degrees, allow minors to independently access STI testing and treatment without a guardian's consent.
But a new study published today by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) shows that most adolescents don’t know they have the legal right to access this confidential treatment.
Mpox infections may outnumber diagnosed cases 33 to 1, study suggests
May 18, 2026 - By Laine Bergeson - CIDRAP - Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy - University of Minnesota - Asymptomatic mpox infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) may be far more common than previously recognized and could be playing a role in ongoing transmission, according to a study published last week in Nature Communications. Researchers estimate that actual infections may outnumber diagnosed cases by 33 to one.
The findings challenge the assumption that most mpox cases are spread by people with symptoms.
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2026: African research leading the charge
May 18, 2026 - IAVI - International AIDS Vaccine Initiative - Celebrating the launch of landmark clinical trials IAVI G004, IAVI C114, and BRILLIANT 011.
May 18 marks HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) in recognition of the tireless search for a tool that could help end one of the most complex public health threats of our time. In 2024 alone, approximately 1.3 million people acquired HIV and 630,000 people lost their lives to AIDS-related causes.[1] These numbers are estimated to have increased in the past year due to global HIV funding cuts, which have resulted in unprecedented disruptions to lifesaving treatment and care, education and community health programs, innovative research and clinical trials, and more.
A Symbolic HIV Funeral Protest
May 18, 2026 - By Save HIV Funding - POZ - The event included pallbearers and living obituaries.
Long-term HIV survivors, health advocates, community health providers and faith leaders gathered in Washington, DC, on March 16 to hold a symbolic funeral protest and celebration-of-life service to sound the alarm over the growing instability in HIV prevention and care funding across the United States and the impact on America’s national health care infrastructure.
Read more...
Children With HIV are Living Longer But Face a Rising Obesity Risk
May 18, 2026 - By Ann Kellett and Texas A&M University - POZ - Research exposes a critical gap in care for children living with HIV.
Advances in HIV treatment have transformed what was once a fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition. Today, children living with HIV are surviving — and increasingly thriving — into adolescence and adulthood.
But that success has brought an unexpected and largely overlooked consequence: a rising risk of obesity. This risk is exacerbated by a common treatment for HIV, which prevents further spread of the virus but can also lead to weight gain.
Read more...
CDC Statement on the Use of Public Health Travel Restrictions to Prevent the Introduction of Ebola Disease into the United States
On May 18, 2026 - CDC - U.S.CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION - What to know
CDC, DHS, and other appropriate federal agencies implemented enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions, and public health measures to prevent Ebola disease from entering the United States amid ongoing outbreaks in East and Central Africa.
Vigil honours Edmontonians who died of HIV and AIDS
May 17, 2026 - By Angela Amato - CTV News - Dozens gathered at the Red Ribbon Building Sunday to remember Edmontonians who have died from HIV.
HIV Edmonton hosted International AIDS Candlelight Memorial in Honour of Lives Lost, and displayed several AIDS quilts in the space for the event.
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AIDS Walk New York 2026 brings thousands to Central Park for nation's largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser
May 17, 2026 - By Allen Devlin - CBS News - Thousands of people showed up bright and early for AIDS Walk New York 2026, the largest HIV and AIDS fundraiser in the U.S., in Central Park on Sunday.
It was a beautiful day to raise awareness at the 41st annual event in New York City hosted by GMHC.
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Condom use and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS on Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
May 16, 2026 - Nature - Abstract
Condom use remains a crucial preventive measure for individuals undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of condom use and the factors associated with it among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on ART in Ethiopia. We conducted systematic searches across various databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, and Cochrane Library, to identify relevant research articles. The review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. We included cross-sectional studies from Ethiopia reporting condom use prevalence and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Two authors independently extracted data using a standardized Microsoft Excel format, which was then analyzed in STATA 17. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² test, and pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to examine the relationship between determinant factors and condom use. In this study, 1,360 articles were identified from various databases, and twelve were selected for the final systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of condom use was 56% (95% CI: 51, 61). PLWHA who are married less likely to use condom (AOR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.66), urban residence was more likely to use condom (AOR = 2.63, 95% CI: 1.29, 3.97), and HIV status disclosure (AOR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.31) were significantly associated with condom use in Ethiopia. low percentage of respondents indicated that they use condoms. Marital status, urban residence, and receiving counseling about condom use, are associated with a higher probability of condom usage.
CU Anschutz: Research in Zimbabwe is shedding light on how diet can impact the health of people living with HIV
May 15, 2026 - by David DeBonis - University of Colorado Anschutz - A study conducted by researchers at CU Anschutz examines the effects of an agrarian vs. a ‘western’ diet.
Diet and microbiome are important factors to consider for people living with HIV (PLWH). Different dietary habits interact with different microbiome compositions, and thesevariables may mediate health outcomes for PLWH.
Catherine Lozupone, PhD, professor of biomedical informatics at the University of Colorado Anschutz (CU Anschutz), conducts extensive research on the interactions between the human microbiome, diet and disease. Lozupone has conducted research on how these interactions affect PLWH—specifically exploring how dietary habits and the composition of a person's microbiome can mediate health outcomes for PLWH.
From medieval plague ships to hantavirus: How outbreaks at sea helped to shape the international public health system
May 15, 2026 - The Conversation - Cruise ships are convenient floating hotels by which to see far-flung parts of the world – but as an epidemiologist, I know they are also everything an infectious pathogen could want: thousands of strangers packed into enclosed spaces for days or weeks, sharing dining rooms and high-touch surfaces such as elevator buttons and handrails, breathing recirculated air.
Each new port of call where passengers can explore for a few days is an opportunity for germs to embark – and once they do, they encounter a highly efficient setting for hopping from host to host.
The Last Gift: Turning Life’s Final Chapter Into Hope for an HIV Cure
May 14, 2026 - By Joyce Pritchett - UC SAN DIEGO TODAY - UC San Diego School of Medicine - Jim Dunn was generous. He was intelligent. He was kind. He was gentle. And he would do almost anything he could to help others. Even after his death on December 30, 2024, Jim’s generosity and compassion continue.
Jim and his wife, Susan Dickerson, were active participants in the Last Gift Study at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. The tissue‑donation research study aims to understand the behavior of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) throughout the body.
“We know that HIV persists in tissues throughout the body, including the brain, lymph nodes, gut and other organs,” said Sara Gianella Weibel, MD, professor of medicine, “Through the Last Gift Study, participants volunteer to donate their tissues after death through a rapid research autopsy.” new report published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that the trend in HIV diagnoses in England have continued to fall, with England meeting the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets again — with 95% of people living with HIV having been diagnosed, 95% of those diagnosed receiving treatment, and 98% of people on treatment having suppressed viral loads, meaning the virus is undetectable in their blood.
The data is published as part of the HIV Action Plan monitoring and evaluation framework 2026 report, which uses 2024 data to set out where England stands on HIV prevention treatment and care to monitor progress towards the ambitions of the HIV Action Plan for England 2025 to 2030.
GMHC co-founder Dr. Lawrence Mass reflects on "truly groundbreaking" HIV/AIDS education effort
May 14, 2026 - By Arturo Chang - CBS News - The 41st annual AIDS Walk New York takes place this Sunday. The event helps raise awareness of those living with HIV and AIDS.
This year, the theme is “Walk Like An Icon.”
Read more...
New HIV report shows progress but inequalities persist in access to testing, PrEP and early diagnosis
May 14, 2026 - By Jessica Moore- GOV.UK - HIV testing uptake lowest among Black African heterosexual women in sexual health services
A new report published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that the trend in HIV diagnoses in England have continued to fall, with England meeting the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets again — with 95% of people living with HIV having been diagnosed, 95% of those diagnosed receiving treatment, and 98% of people on treatment having suppressed viral loads, meaning the virus is undetectable in their blood.
The data is published as part of the HIV Action Plan monitoring and evaluation framework 2026 report, which uses 2024 data to set out where England stands on HIV prevention treatment and care to monitor progress towards the ambitions of the HIV Action Plan for England 2025 to 2030.
Cohen among 3 Carolina faculty to receive faculty award for global excellence
May 13, 2026 - UNC GILLINGS SCHOOL OF GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH - Myron Cohen, MD, Yeargan-Bate Eminent Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the UNC School of Medicine, is among three UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members who recieved this year’s Faculty Awards for Global Excellence from UNC Global. Other winners included Peter Coclanis, PhD, and Audra Rankin, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, FAAN.
UNC Global Affairs invites nominations from faculty, staff and students to recognize faculty members whose contributions advance the University’s “unwavering commitment to excellence as one of the world’s great research universities.”
National coalition announces initiative to help community pharmacies expand HIV prevention services
13 May 2026 - Emory University - Public health leaders from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, AIDS United, the Black Public Health Academy, and the National Pharmaceutical Association announced Wednesday a new initiative to help community pharmacies expand HIV prevention services in communities disproportionately impacted by HIV.
Rx for Change is a community-centered and led strategy that will engage pharmacies and community-based organizations, through a comprehensive training and partnership model, to increase access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and other HIV prevention services. The initiative will begin with a pilot in Georgia and Louisiana, two states experiencing high rates of new HIV diagnoses.
Caring Cross Announces Promising Clinical Data with Single-Dose anti-HIV CAR-T Cell Therapy
BOSTON, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Caring Cross - Today, at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, Caring Cross announced early clinical data from a first-in-human Phase I/IIa trial of a novel CAR-T cell strategy in people living with HIV.
The findings, presented by principal investigator Dr. Steven Deeks of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), provide preliminary data suggesting that anti-HIV CAR-T cell therapy could lead to durable viral control, particularly in those who started HIV treatment early in the course of their infection.
British Columbia study underscores the importance of the shingles vaccine for people with HIV
May 12, 2026 - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - Researchers in B.C. studied more than 18,000 adults over a period of 20 years
Overall, the rate of shingles was higher among people with HIV than people without HIV
Vaccination was highly effective at reducing the risk of shingles regardless of HIV status
Herpes zoster virus causes a disease called chickenpox in children. After an outbreak of this illness, the virus goes into latency, hiding in nerves in the spine. In adults in the general population (usually beginning in people over 50 and increasing with age) whose immune systems have been weakened by age or other circumstances, the virus can come out of hiding and cause an illness called shingles.
Symptoms of shingles can include severe nerve pain and skin lesions. An outbreak can last a week or two. The pain from shingles can persist for weeks, even after skin lesions have healed. What’s more, in people whose immune systems are weakened by HIV, symptoms of shingles can be more severe and can occur earlier on (in some cases, before the age of 50). The virus can affect the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, causing inflammation in these tissues. Some research suggests that shingles is linked to an increased risk of stroke, heart disease and possibly dementia.
Researchers track the mutations that allow HIV-1 to escape broadly neutralizing antibodies
May 11, 2026 - The Rockefeller University - Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are among the most promising new treatments for HIV, offering the potential to forego the traditional daily dose of antiretroviral drugs. In one recent clinical study of bNAbs identified and developed into therapies at Rockefeller University, participants who received a single dose of two bNAbs maintained a nearly undetectable viral load for up to 20 weeks, and a third did so for about a year. These outcomes suggest a potential future of treatment-free, long-term control of the virus.
However, HIV-1 is extraordinarily genetically diverse and highly adept at acquiring resistance to neutralizing antibodies. The pathways by which the virus escapes bNAbs remain incompletely understood across diverse HIV-1 strains. A better understanding of how different strains respond to these emerging therapies is critical as the use of bNAbs expands.
Saskatchewan ‘committed’ to addressing HIV rates but won't declare health emergency
May 11, 2026 - By Alexander Quon, Aliyah Marko-Omene - CBC News - Diagnosis is more than triple the national average and second only to Manitoba
Saskatchewan refuses to answer whether it will declare a HIV public health emergency like neighbouring Manitoba.
Manitoba’s chief public health officer declared a public health emergency last week as the province reported 19.5 new cases of HIV per 100,000 people, the highest rate of any province.
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Can a single infusion of immune cells suppress HIV for years?
A new trial found a technique similar to blood cancer treatment that kept two patients at undetectable levels for extended periods.
MAY 11,, 2026 - By Jacob Ogles - ADVOCATE - A new treatment regimen helping patients with blood cancer could be effective in suppressing HIV.
Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco told The New York Times that two individuals in a trial saw HIV presence lower to undetectable levels following an experimental infusion of engineered immune cells. Detailed data on findings will soon be presented in full to the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Boston.
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Actor Noah Wyle Joins Broad Nonpartisan National Coalition for Week of Action to Expose Impact of $1 Trillion in Post-Midterm Healthcare Cuts
WASHINGTON, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Seven Days in June - Communities Urged to Join Nationwide Actions Set for June 1–7 to Demand Leaders Address Devastating H.R. 1 Consequences
A massive, nonpartisan, decentralized coalition of frontline healthcare workers, public health professionals, faith leaders, service providers, labor and civil rights groups has organized Seven Days in June: HEALTH IS PRIMARY, a week of action to expose and push back against $1 trillion in healthcare cuts scheduled to take effect later this year.
Actor and advocate Noah Wyle has joined Seven Days in June, with his support coinciding with National Nurses Week. A longtime advocate for healthcare workers, he testified before Congress last year alongside his mother, on the growing strain facing doctors, nurses and other frontline workers.
‘I'll walk alongside with you’ but more help needed, woman with HIV says as Manitoba declares health emergency
May 08, 2026 - By Arturo Chang - CBC - Emergency declaration a ‘shameful' admission of governments’ failure, elder says
“I sure learned the hard way, didn’t I?” Vanessa Roulette says.
In early 2018, the former drug addict, 45, used someone else’s needle. A few weeks later, she began to feel ill and took herself to a Winnipeg ER.
“That’s where I found out,” Roulette said. She had tested positive for HIV.
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Manitoba declares public health emergency as HIV rates rise
May 07, 2026 - By Ozten Shebahkeget - CBC - Declaration is ‘not about creating fear’: chief provincial public health officer
Manitoba has declared a public health emergency as the province continues to see some of the highest HIV rates in Canada, the provincial chief public health officer announced Thursday.
“In 2024, we reported a rate of 19.5 cases per 100,000 [people], which is roughly 3½ times that of Canada’s rate of 5.5,” Dr. Brent Roussin said at a news conference Thursday.
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President’s Medal honors biomedical researchers who developed lifesaving HIV medications
May 7, 2026 - By Mary Loftus - Emory University - More than 90% of people in the United States living with HIV — and millions worldwide — have taken at least one of the medications developed at Emory by Dennis Liotta, Raymond Schinazi and Woo-Baeg Choi.
Scientists rarely hear directly from the people whose lives they have saved or improved.
And yet, Dennis Liotta, Raymond Schinazi and Woo-Baeg Choi have had that experience. The three biomedical researchers developed key HIV antiretroviral medications that helped transform HIV from a fatal disease to a manageable condition, saving millions of lives worldwide.
“Being approached by HIV/AIDS survivors who thank me is powerful and humbling,” Liotta says. “When someone tells me, ‘I’m on that drug and it changed everything,’ or ‘You saved my son’s life,’ it makes the science feel deeply personal.”
Scientists discover how HIV hijacks a cellular ‘gateway’ to infect resting immune cells
6 May 2026 - Queen Mary University of London - The findings, produced by researchers from Queen Mary University of London and published in Nature, overturn long-held assumptions about HIV infection and could reshape understanding of how the virus establishes hidden reservoirs in the body.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which HIV-1 can infect resting immune cells. The discovery challenges a decades-old assumption in HIV biology, andopens new avenues for understanding how the virus persists in the body, despite treatment.
For HIV to successfully infect T-cells, the immune cells it primarily targets, it must deliver its genetic material into acell’s nucleus. A tightly guarded compartment, the nucleus is surrounded by a structure called the nuclear pore complex (NPC), which acts as a selective gateway controlling what enters and exits. The HIV capsid, the protective shell surrounding the virus's genetic material, is unusually large, and how it squeezes through this barrier has long puzzled scientists.
United and Unbreakable: The HIV Movement at 45
May 6, 2026 - By Harold Phillips - POZ - Join NMAC at the 30th U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (#2026USCHA). The seven conference tracks are the beginning of an incredible convening!
It’s been less than a month since we wrapped our successful 10th Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit in Chicago, where we broadened the dialog around building syndemically integrated systems.
I now invite you to join us at the 30th U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) in sunny California, where we begin the conversation about putting whole-person health at the center of those systems. Our seven conference tracks are just the beginning of an incredible convening!
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‘Stronger together to end AIDS’ is the resounding call at the International Francophone Conference on HIV
GENEVA 6 May 2026 - UNAIDS - As the 13th International Francophone Conference on HIV (AFRAVIH) ends, the resounding call from UNAIDS and partners is to continue to move forward together to end AIDS by 2030.
Addressing participants Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director said, “Ending AIDS has never been only a medical challenge it has always been shaped — and determined — by inequality. Our greatest breakthroughs came when we closed gaps in access to scientific innovation, to finance, and to rights driven by political leadership, global solidarity, and a powerful community-led movement.”
‘Spreading like wildfire’: Fiji grapples with soaring HIV cases
Suva, Fiji - May 6, 2026 - The Fiji Times - As evening falls in Fiji’s capital, a steady stream of people approaches a makeshift clinic that is a first line of defense against one of the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemics.
In the South Pacific nation — a popular tourist destination of just under a million people — there were over 2,000 new HIV cases recorded last year, a 26% increase from 2024.
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Sal Lopes: Living with AIDS
TEANECK, N.J., May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Leica Camera - Join us for the opening of our new exhibition 'Living with AIDS' from local photographer Sal Lopes.
June 4th from 6-8PM, Leica Gallery Boston
Leica Camera is pleased to present Living with AIDS, a landmark exhibition by acclaimed photographer Sal Lopes, opening Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 6 to 8 PM at Leica Gallery Boston.
On view through August 9, 2026, the exhibition offers a powerful and deeply human look at how Boston experienced the AIDS crisis between 1988 and 1992.
This historic body of work centers on three interconnected narratives: the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, the Buddy Program organized by the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, and the daily life of the Boyce family, whose young daughter was living with AIDS. Lopes's photographs capture moments of grief, resilience, intimacy, and care, creating a visual record of a community navigating loss while finding connection and strength.
Canadian study finds that many more people could be using HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis to reduce HIV risk
May 5, 2026 - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - There are at least 122,000 people in Canada who could benefit from HIV prevention medication
It is estimated that only 19% of these people are accessing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
To decrease new HIV infections in Canada, barriers to accessing PrEP need to be removed
The use of HIV medicines to help prevent contracting HIV is called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Currently approved options for PrEP include the following:
TDF + FTC (sold as a pill called Truvada and available in generic formulations)
TAF + FTC (sold as a pill called Descovy)
cabotegravir (ultimately taken as an injection every two months)
In addition, later this year a long-acting injectable formulation of the drug lenacapavir for use as PrEP will be approved in Canada. What’s more, several years from now there may be long-acting pills to provide protection from HIV that can be taken as infrequently as once a month.
Yet HIV infections continue to occur in Canada.
Rewriting the Heart Risk Equation for People With HIV
Newswise — Chapel Hill, NC - 4-May-2026 - by UNC Health - UNC Health - A new project led by Thibaut Davy-Mendez, PhD, MSPH, at the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, funded by the Gilead Research Scholars Program, is taking aim at a longstanding gap in HIV care: accurately predicting who is at highest risk for cardiovascular disease.
Backed by a two-year award from Gilead, the study will evaluate whether adding a specialized lab marker, lipoprotein(a), to existing risk calculators can better predict heart disease among people living with HIV. The work draws on large-scale data from the Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) research network and could reshape how clinicians assess and prevent cardiovascular events in this population.
TB costs in poor countries exceed those of HIV, estimates suggest
May 4, 2026 - By Mary Van Beusekom, MS - University of Minnesota - Active cases of tuberculosis (TB) cost low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with heavy TB burdens $3.5 billion more in current annual and future lost earnings and medical expenses than HIV, yet receives substantially less funding, researchers in Peru and the United States write in a new study published in BMJ Global Health.
The researchers used a model to estimate the economic costs of TB and HIV to households and the economy, including factors such as the effects of parental disability or death on children’s future earnings, in 25 LMICs. The analysis was based on data from sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease dataset, and Demographic Household Surveys.
Hiding HIV numbers proving disastrous for Pakistan, health experts warn
Karachi - May 03, 2026 - By M. Waqar Bhatti - The News Pakistan - Accusing federal and provincial health authorities of “criminally hiding the actual HIV burden,” infectious diseases experts and leading medical bodies on Saturday warned that lack of transparency and weak prevention efforts are allowing the virus to spread rapidly across Pakistan, including among children and low risk populations.
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Plight Of People Living With HIV, AIDS Unsettles Me – Abia First Lady
May 3, 2026 - By Kalu Eziyi - Leadership Newspapers - Wife of Abia State governor, Mrs Priscilla Otti, said she is committed to caring for people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the state, saying their plight unsettles her.
The first lady stated this at a meeting on the “State HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (SSP) 2025 to 2027” in Umuahia, the state capital, underlining the need for people to ascertain their HIV status.
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National AIDS Memorial Announces Recipients of the Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, May 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- National AIDS Memorial - National AIDS Memorial names 2026 Mary Bowman Award artists, celebrating art activism advancing health and social justice; applications now open.
The National AIDS Memorial announces that Charlotte Isenberg of Appalachian State University, Mariela Morales-Inturias of NYU Tisch, Sam Charney of NYU Tisch, and Sydney Wright of the University of San Francisco are the latest recipients of the Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award. In addition to announcing its awardees, the National AIDS Memorial reopened its application for 2026.
Now in its sixth year, the Award honors the life of Mary Bowman, the poet, advocate, author and singer who passed away from AIDS in 2019 at age 30.
RIP Loreen Willenberg, Who Gave Her HIV-Proof Body to Science and Her Heart to the Community
Apr 30, 2026 - By Tim Murphy - TheBody - Loreen Willenberg passed away in the Sacramento, California, area on April 6 at age 71. She will be remembered—particularly among HIV researchers and activists—for being one of only three known people in the world whose body seemed to eradicate HIV with no help from antiretrovirals. Ever.
Before her death—caused by lung cancer that spread to her brain—she gave science the enormous gift of her own body. She did so throughout much of her adult life by volunteering for an endless series of medical studies, and she extended that donation past her death through the Last Gift Study. That choice will allow scientists to continue searching for clues as to why her body had an extraordinary natural HIV-squelching ability, which made her what researchers call an “exceptional elite controller.” This mystery has fascinated researchers for years—and if they can crack it, it might reveal a pathway to a functional cure for the rest of us, who can only suppress HIV through lifelong treatment.
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Facing AIDS and Cancer: A Jersey Shore Reflection on Legacy and Connection
April 29, 2026 - By Michael Varga - Cure - Diagnosed with both AIDS and cancer, a writer finds solace in the Cape May surf and the profound gift of a friend truly engaging with his life’s work.
In 1995, doctors told me I would probably be dead of AIDS by April 1997. I had retired early from the U.S. Foreign Service, and patients with AIDS were dying rapidly. There was no effective treatment for AIDS or HIV. It was a grim time, and I had no reason to think I would be any different than the hordes of patients who had already succumbed, who were deprived of a normal life span and the opportunity to grow old.
I imagined some fairy-tale scene where my friends would gather around my deathbed as I took my last breath. I told my friends to come to visit “before it was too late.” I pressed them to understand the urgency of my situation and said I needed their support in my final months.
Newly diagnosed with HIV? Advocates share their best advice for seeking treatment
In this episode of The Talk, people living with HIV say it's important to honor your feelings, ask lots of questions, and develop a new routine.
Apr 29, 2026 - By Quispe López - ADVOCATE - Considering treatment options can feel like an overwhelming process for many people newly diagnosed with HIV. That being said, as medicine has advanced over the years, there are more options for people living with HIV to manage their care and explore multiple avenues of medicine. In this episode of The Talk, advocates share examples from their own experiences with treatment.
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An Atlanta activist’s grassroots mission to stop the HIV epidemic
April 29, 2026 - By Michele Cohen Marill - Atlanta Magazine - When federal support for HIV prevention faltered, Daniel Driffin turned disruption into a mission
Daniel Driffin takes off his blue tweed blazer and lays it on a table so he can ease into a conversation that keeps him in motion. The nearby buffet table is crowded with plentiful trays of fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, candied yams, and pound cake. There’s a festive feel to this gathering at the Hope Center in Macon, a clinic for people living with HIV. A kind of instant camaraderie. This is a safe space for asking questions, learning, and keeping it real.
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Best Supporting Actors: Other Immune Cells Shaping the Future of HIV Research
April 28, 2026 - By Kelsey Hopland, PhD - amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research - For decades, the CD4+ T cell has been the central character in the story of HIV. However, the immune system is not a one-man show. A diverse cast of immune cells each play distinct, complex, and sometimes surprising roles. Increasingly, scientists are turning their attention to some “supporting actors”—B cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and macrophages—uncovering how they contribute to HIV persistence, immune dysfunction, and potentially the path toward a cure. Here, we spotlight how emerging research, including work supported by amfAR, is reshaping our understanding of these immune cells in the context of HIV.
HIV patients in Senegal skip treatment, fearing arrest amid anti-2SLGBTQ+ crackdown
Apr 29, 2026 - Thomson Reuters - CBC - 86 people have been arrested in the country since February
Fewer patients are visiting some HIV treatment centres in Senegal amid a wave of arrests targeting 2SLGBTQ+ people, according to health officials and government data seen by Reuters, threatening the country’s fight against the virus.
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Mozambique takes a decisive step in HIV prevention with the introduction of Lenacapavir and the Biomedical Combination Prevention Guidelines
Maputo - April 27, 2026 - World Health Organization (WHO) - The Ndlavela Health Center, in the municipality of Matola, hosted yesterday the official launch ceremony for the provision of Lenacapavir (LEN) administration services, an alternative drug for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Led by the Ministry of Health (MISAU), the event—which marks a significant step forward in Mozambique’s response to the HIV epidemic—brought together government representatives, local authorities, partners, health professionals, civil society organizations, and community members.
Simultaneously, and in alignment with the National Strategic Plan for the Response to HIV and AIDS (PEN V), MISAU launched, in a separate session, the Guidelines for Combined Biomedical Prevention of HIV, STIs, and Viral Hepatitis, which establishes practical guidelines for health care providers, managers, and other stakeholders in the implementation of integrated prevention measures, including the administration of LEN.
Opinion: Canadians’ access to the infant hepatitis B vaccine shouldn’t be a lottery
Apr 26, 2026 - By Jody Jollimore - The Sudbury Star - When hepatitis B is acquired in adulthood, most people can clear the virus. But when infection occurs in childhood, the outcomes are starkly different
What is a Canadian’s risk for developing an incurable chronic hepatitis B infection? The answer depends partly on the province or territory where they were born.
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Manitoba Government Announces the Stephen Lewis Fellowship in HIV/AIDS Research
April 26, 2026 - Province of Manitoba - Fellowship Will Support Research to Manage HIV/AIDS in Manitoba: Kinew
The Manitoba government is creating a new post-doctoral fellowship in HIV/AIDS research in honour of the late Stephen Lewis, Premier Wab Kinew announced today, the day of Lewis’s funeral.
“Stephen Lewis was an inspiration,” said Kinew. “From serving as Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations to his role as the United Nations secretary-general’s special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, and as the co-founder of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which supports community-based HIV/AIDS initiatives in Africa, Stephen drew international attention to the scale of the crisis and the need for urgent action, funding and access to treatment.”
US is taking a ‘real risk’ with hasty shift in efforts to fight HIV, experts say
April 26, 2026 - By Melody Schreiber - The Guardian - Experts fear losing ground to virus even as the end of the HIV epidemic is in sight, and say decline in infant testing is ‘particularly concerning’
The US government released likely the last report from Pepfar (President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief) earlier this month and the chief science officer announced his resignation days later as the US moves to a patchwork of individual partnerships with each country, potentially driven by resource extraction.
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Toronto team leads first-in-Canada case of sustained HIV remission
April 25, 2026 - By Betty Zou - U of T News - University of Toronto - A team of clinicians and researchers at University Health Network (UHN), Unity Health Toronto and the University of Toronto have reported the first Canadian case of sustained HIV remission – and possible cure – in a 62-year-old man who received a bone marrow transplant to treat cancer.
The case describing the so-called “Toronto patient” was presented today at the Canadian Association of HIV Research Conference. It was co-led by Sharon Walmsley, director of the HIV clinic at UHN and a professor of medicine in U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and Mario Ostrowski, a clinician-scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, a site of Unity Health Toronto, and a professor of immunology, medicine and laboratory medicine and pathobiology at Temerty Medicine.
Gaiha Lab Identifies T Cells With Robust Expansion Capability That Help a Rare Group of People Naturally Control HIV After Treatment Interruption
April 24, 2026 - Ragon Institute - A small number of people living with HIV are able to durably suppress the virus after stopping antiretroviral therapy, a phenomenon that has long interested researchers searching for a functional cure. A new study from the Gaiha Lab at the Ragon Institute, published in Science Translational Medicine, helps explain why, and points to a specific type of immune cell that could be the key to designing better therapies.
The research focuses on people known as post-treatment controllers, or PTCs, who make up roughly 4% of people living with HIV and who can suppress the virus for months or years after stopping their daily medication. Until now, it wasn’t clear what role CD8+ T cells (the cells of the immune system that kill virus-infected cells) played in sustaining this control.
ACTG Launches Landmark Study Evaluating Treatments for Depressive Disorders with or without Mild Neurocognitive Disorder among People Living with HIV
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., April 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - ACTG - ACTG, a global clinical trials network focused on HIV and other infectious diseases, today announced the opening of study A5402, an important new study that researchers hope will expand understanding of how to best treat depressive disorders and mild neurocognitive disorder (MND) among people living with HIV. A5402 is a phase 2, randomized, open-label clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of pramipexole (a drug that stimulates receptors for the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain) compared to escitalopram (a traditional antidepressant that modulates serotonin, a different neurotransmitter) to treat depressive disorders with or without MND among people living with HIV.
Depressive disorders and MND both affect a significant portion of people living with HIV in the United States and worldwide, even when their HIV is successfully managed and treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART). People with MND have worse cognitive performance around memory, language, and multitasking than people who do not have MND. Combined, depressive disorders and MND can affect up to 80 percent of people living with HIV, a two- to four-fold increase compared to people who do not have HIV.
Doctors can refuse to treat LGBTQ+ patients in several states…including Ohio
April 23, 2026 - By Nathaniel M. Tran and Periwinkle Seljord-Solberg - The Buckeye Flame - These religious exemption laws lead to drops in HIV testing.
An increasing number of U.S. states have passed laws that allow health care providers – including doctors, nurses and pharmacists – to refuse to treat patients based on their personal or religious beliefs. While these conscientious objection laws have long existed for issues such as abortion, their effects on LGBTQ+ people have not been well studied.
As of April 2026, 11 U.S. states have enacted conscientious objection laws specifically targeting LGBTQ+ people. As public health researchers who study the effects of public policies on the health of LGBTQ+ people, we wanted to examine how these laws have affected the roughly 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ Americans living in a state where a provider can legally refuse them care.
Specifically looking at sexual minorities, our research found that lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer adults living in states that passed conscientious objection laws were 28% less likely to report receiving a first-time HIV test, compared to peers in states without conscientious objection laws. These laws did not affect HIV testing rates for heterosexual adults.
Long-Acting HIV Shots Appeal to Many but Uptake Remains Low
April 23, 2026 - By Andrew Smith - Rutgers University - When it comes to HIV medication, many patients think they’d prefer an occasional injection over a daily pill, but uptake remains an issue, according to a Rutgers Health-led survey.
When researchers surveyed 801 people living with HIV in Boston, Chapel Hill, N.C., and San Diego, 68% of respondents said they would prefer an antiretroviral shot every two months to a daily pill. Yet according to a study in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, only 2.8% of the patients actually received such shots, even though they’ve been available for four years.
“There's clearly something that is limiting the ability of patients to translate their preferences into actually being on the medicine,” said Deanna Kerrigan, a professor and vice dean at the Rutgers School of Public Health and the study’s lead author.
New study reveals few pharmacists prescribe “game-changer” HIV prevention drug
April 22, 2026 -UC Berkeley Public Health - University of California, Berkeley - Almost 5,000 people in California are newly diagnosed each year with HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. The greatest burden of these new infections occurs in men who have sex with men and Black and Latinx people.
Since 2012, four HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications have been introduced that, taken by people who do not have HIV, reduce the risk of getting HIV from sex by 99% and from a drug injection by at least 74%, according to the National Institutes of Health. To make the PrEP drugs more widely accessible, the state of California enacted two laws that enabled pharmacists to prescribe an initial 60-day supply of PrEP (SB 159, 2019) and to provide ongoing PrEP care (SB 339, 2024).
But, surprisingly less than 3% of California community pharmacies are actually offering HIV PrEP services, according to a study led by UC Berkeley School of Public Health for the California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Centers (CHPRC) .
As Floridians With HIV Face a Drug Coverage Cliff, Groups Scramble to Offer a Lifeline
Apr 22, 2026 - By Tim Murphy - TheBody - A Chatham-Kent man is remembered for sharing his personal HIV journey to help Indigenous men and others cope while living with the virus.
Donald Turner, who died April 11, a day shy of his 73rd birthday, received tributes from the Canadian AIDS Society and the national Indigenous organization CAAN Communities, Alliances & Networks.
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Donald Turner shared HIV journey to help others heal, live with virus
Apr 22, 2026 - By Ellwood Shreve - CHATHAM DAILY NEWS - A Chatham-Kent man is remembered for sharing his personal HIV journey to help Indigenous men and others cope while living with the virus.
Donald Turner, who died April 11, a day shy of his 73rd birthday, received tributes from the Canadian AIDS Society and the national Indigenous organization CAAN Communities, Alliances & Networks.
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FDA Approves New HIV Combo Pill Idvynso
April 22, 2026 - By Liz Highleyman - POZ - Once-daily doravirine/islatravir single-tablet regimen is a switch option for people with viral suppression.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Idvynso, Merck’s once-daily single-tablet regimen containing doravirine and islatravir, as a replacement for people currently on treatment with an undetectable viral load. Late-stage clinical trials showed that Idvynso maintains viral suppression when people switch from a standard daily oral antiretroviral regimen.
Doravirine (sold alone as Pifeltro) is a next-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor with a high barrier to resistance. Islatravir is a first-in-class nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor. As the first complete regimen without an integrase inhibitor or tenofovir, Idvynso offers a new type of treatment option.
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FDA Approves Merck’s Once-Daily IDVYNSO™ (doravirine/islatravir)
April 21, 2026 - RAHWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Merck & Co., Inc. - IDVYNSO is approved for adults with virologically suppressed HIV-1 with no history of virologic treatment failure and no known substitutions associated with resistance to doravirine
IDVYNSO is the first and only non-INSTI, tenofovir-free, once-daily, complete two-drug regimen to demonstrate non-inferior efficacy in a head-to-head Phase 3 trial versus three-drug regimen BIKTARVY®i (BIC/FTC/TAF)Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today upcoming presentations from its HIV clinical development programs that will be featured during the 2021 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2021), taking place virtually from March 6 – 10, 2021.
Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved IDVYNSO™, a new, two-drug single-tablet regimen of 100 mg doravirine and 0.25 mg islatravir, for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults to replace the current antiretroviral regimen in those who are virologically suppressed (HIV-1 RNA less than 50 copies per mL) on a stable antiretroviral regimen with no history of virologic treatment failure and no known substitutions associated with resistance to doravirine. IDVYNSO is contraindicated when co-administered with drugs that are strong cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A enzyme inducers and lamivudine (3TC) or emtricitabine (FTC). Co-administration with these drugs may decrease the effectiveness of IDVYNSO. See additional selected safety information on the following pages. IDVYNSO (pronounced ihd-VIHN-soh) will be available in pharmacies after May 11.
HIV treatment reduces accelerated biological ageing by nearly four years, landmark study shows
(Monday, 20 April 2026, Munich, Germany) - ESCMID - European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - A major study presented at ESCMID Global 2026 has found that antiretroviral therapy reduces accelerated biological ageing in people with HIV by nearly four years
A major study presented today at ESCMID Global 2026 has found that antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces accelerated biological ageing in people with HIV (PWH) by nearly four years, a finding that could transform how clinicians monitor HIV treatment and long-term health outcomes.1
Researchers developed a plasma proteomic ageing clock (PAC) – a tool that estimates biological age, reflecting physiological ageing rather than chronological age – using patterns across hundreds of blood proteins. The model was applied to participants in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS).
SAMRC Strengthening Health Systems with a $400, 000.00 funding boost
April 21, 2026 - South African Medical Research Council | SAMRC - The SAMRC is injecting $400, 000.00 into South African health and medical research funding to address strategies for supporting health systems to improve equitable health outcomes globally.
“This investment reflects a deliberate shift toward implementation science that ensures proven interventions translate into real-world impact, particularly in health systems that serve the most vulnerable populations,” said Prof Ntobeko Ntusi, President and CEO of the SAMRC.
Early immune responses linked to protective HIV antibodies
21 April 2026 - Wits University - New research links immune response of some people living with HIV with development of neutralizing antibodies.
New research links immune response of some people living with HIV with development of neutralizing antibodies.
Some people living with HIV develop antibodies capable of neutralizing many different strains of the virus. New research links this to immune responses that occur early in infection.
The findings, published this week in PLoS Pathogens, come from an international research collaboration that includes South African scientists at Wits University, the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). International partners include the University of Gothenburg and SciLifeLab in Sweden, Stanford University, and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub in the USA.
People living with HIV age faster, but antiretroviral therapy can help: New study
April 20, 2026 - By Angela Nicoletti - CIDRAP - University of Minnesota - It’s well established that HIV speeds up the aging process, possibly due to chronic inflammation. But antiretroviral therapy (ART) can slow down and possibly even reverse aging caused by an infection, according to new research presented in Munich at the annual meeting of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID).
HIV disrupts lung “clock,” raising COPD and emphysema risk
April 20, 2026 - By Angela Nicoletti - FIU News - Florida International University - People living with HIV face a greater risk of developing lung diseases at a much younger age, even if they have never smoked.
FIU researchers have now uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps explain how HIV causes emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
In a study published in Communications Biology, the team found that an HIV protein, known as Tat, essentially disrupts the lungs’ internal molecular “clock” — the timekeeping system that regulates daily lung function and, importantly, plays a key role in immune response. This unleashes a cascade of chronic inflammation that damages airway tissue, setting the stage for disease.
5 Facts About the Fight Against HIV/AIDS in Suriname
April 20, 2026 - The Borgen Project - Located on South America’s Northern coast, the small country of Suriname holds a diverse population. While its public health landscape faces challenges in 2026, the country has emerged a regional leader in integrated care, bridging the gap between remote interior communities and urban centers. According to the World Bank, almost 26% of the population lives below the poverty line. These rates increase in the more interior regions with limited basic infrastructure.
Poverty is often a driver that increases vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infection, simultaneously creating significant barriers to accessing treatment. Despite this, the fight against HIV/AIDS in Suriname continues, with the understanding that social stigma can be as much a hurdle as access to medical care.
European Immunization Week 2026, For every generation, vaccines work: three countries reach 90% HPV vaccination target as Europe steps up action on cancer prevention
April 20, 2026 - European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC) - “After 15 years of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes across Europe, growing evidence confirms their long-term effectiveness. A new report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on HPV vaccination programmes in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) highlights steady progress in cancer prevention efforts across the EU/EEA.”
As Europe marks European Immunization Week (EIW) 2026, ECDC reports continued progress in HPV vaccination across the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA).
According to the new ECDC report, all EU/EEA countries now recommend HPV vaccination for adolescent girls and boys as part of their immunisation programmes, marking a major step forward in Europe’s’ cancer prevention efforts.
This progress is already translating into high vaccination uptake in several countries. The report indicates that three EU/EEA countries (e.g. Iceland, Portugal, Norway) have reached the 2024 EU Council Recommendation target of 90% HPV vaccination coverage among girls by the age of 15 years.
European Immunization Week 2026: For every generation, vaccines work
April 20, 2026 - European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC) - Immunization Week digital event, 20 April, 13,30 CEST
Mark European Immunization Week 2026 with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, we invite you to an online event centred on this year’s theme: ‘For every generation, vaccines work’
A comparative study of spiritual health in HIV-positive patients and healthy individuals
19, april 2026 - Nature - Abstract
Given the role and importance of spiritual well-being in individuals living with AIDS and the role of psychological interventions on the spiritual components of these patients, the present study was conducted to study and examine the spiritual well-being of HIV-positive patients and compare it with healthy individuals. This was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study conducted in Mashhad (a metropolitan area in northeast of Iran) in 2021. A census method was employed for the research, involving HIV-positive patients and a random sample of healthy individuals visiting the Comprehensive Health Center, who participated after giving informed consent. The demographic form and the Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire (SWBQ) were completed by the patients.
Waking HIV from its secret hiding places
April 18, 2026 - Written by Heather Ellis, National Association of People with HIV Australia (NAPHWA) - Doherty Institute - New Australian grant advances HIV cure research using mRNA
A Melbourne-based HIV cure research team has received $1.2 million to continue their breakthrough mRNA-based approach first reported in 2025, which made international headlines.
Last year, the team at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity used mRNA embedded with a special message that targets HIV telling it to wake up. While it’s only been tested in the lab, the theory is that once this sleeping HIV is woken up, the immune system may be able to help clear those cells harbouring HIV.
Lenacapavir’s Introduction in Zimbabwe
April 16, 2026 - The Borgen Project - Zimbabwe’s Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic has been among the most severe globally, shaped by decades of social, economic and structural pressures. At the turn of the 21st century, the country faced one of the highest HIV prevalence rates worldwide, with an estimated 1.3 million people living with the virus. The epidemic has strained families, eroded the workforce and pushed public health services to their limits. Although sustained national efforts and global partnerships have driven major progress, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Global AIDS Update 2022 warns that prevention gains are now faltering, with inequalities continuing to fuel new infections in high-burden countries.
“They are already dead”: how outdated knowledge and cruel stereotypes contribute to depression and suicide in Malawi teens with HIV
16 April2026 - By Gus Cairns - aidsmap - A qualitative study of adolescents living with HIV in Malawi has found that outdated beliefs about HIV, and stereotypes of people with it, contribute to pervasive and persistent stigma against young people living with the virus. This does not only have adverse psychological effects but disadvantages them in practical ways, damaging their educational and employment prospects.
Read more...
Drug resistant fungi warning
15 April 2026 - The University of Manchester - An international group of scientists has warned that drug‑resistant fungi are spreading fast and putting vulnerable patients at growing risk.
Fifty researchers from institutions around the world - including the University of Manchester - have issued the alert in Nature Medicine, calling for urgent action to stop fungal infections becoming untreatable.
They say fungi in soil, crops and hospitals are increasingly resistant to the medicines used to control them.
For most healthy people this poses little danger, but for patients with weakened immune systems the infections can be deadly.
U‘Vought cuts kill people’: Aids activists interrupt Trump budget chief hearing
April 15, 2026 By Melody Schreiber - Tha Guardian - Proceedings brought to halt as protesters condemn Russ Vought for slashing Pepfar program amid sweeping aid cuts
Protesters decrying delays to funding in the battle against HIV/Aids charged into a congressional hearing where the Trump administration’s budget czar, Russell Vought, was testifying in Washington on Wednesday.
The demonstrators disrupted the proceedings on Capitol Hill and twice brought the hearing to a halt.
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Wistar Institute Scientist Dr. Alex Price Awarded Prestigious, Early-Career NIH Grant
PHILADELPHIA — (APR. 15, 2026) - The Wistar Institute -The Wistar Institute, a world leader in cancer, immunology, and infectious disease research, has been awarded a five-year, $2,532,750 National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) to support the research of Alex Price, Ph.D. Through this funding, Price investigates how immune cells distinguish “self” from “non-self”—a fundamental process that enables the body to eliminate viruses and other foreign invaders without attacking healthy cells.
U.S. and Global Fund Expand Commitment to Long-Acting HIV Prevention as Country Rollout of Lenacapavir Accelerates
GENEVA/WASHINGTON D.C. - April 14, 2026 - Global Fund - The United States and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) today announced an expanded commitment to scale up access to long-acting lenacapavir (LEN) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), aiming to reach an additional 1 million people over the next three years. Building on the original commitment, this brings the total joint ambition to 3 million people reached with LEN through 2028.
“This expanded commitment in partnership with the United States reflects both the scale of the opportunity and the urgency of the moment,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “Long-acting lenacapavir could reshape HIV prevention by overcoming some of the structural challenges that have long constrained uptake. The task now is to translate scientific progress into broad, equitable access – at speed and at scale.”
Eat, drink, donate: Edmonton restaurants to join national fundraiser for HIV/AIDS support programs
April 13, 2026 - By Hannah Kavanagh - CTV News - If you plan on going out to eat on Wednesday, nine Edmonton restaurants will see that your money goes toward programs and services supporting the needs of those living with or impacted by HIV/AIDS.
A Taste For Life is a national fundraiser that partners with city restaurants to help maintain local programs.
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Florida HIV/AIDS funding cuts spark backlash as state drops key service contracts
April 13, 2026 - By Zachary Bynum - CBC News - A growing fight over HIV/AIDS funding in Florida is raising new concerns about access to life-saving care, after the state declined to renew several contracts with one of the nation's largest HIV service providers.
The Florida Department of Health notified the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) it would not renew five contracts tied to HIV testing, treatment, housing support and wellness services across counties including Miami-Dade and Broward, according to recent reporting.
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Hospital at centre of child HIV outbreak caught reusing syringes in undercover filming
April 13, 2026 - By Ghazal Abbasi, Seamus Mirodan and Mohammad Zubair Khan - BBC Eye, Punjab, Pakistan - Mohammed Amin was eight when he died shortly after testing positive for HIV.
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De-Fusing the Growing HIV-Dementia Time Bomb 45 Years After the First AIDS Case
April 13, 2026 - Posit Science | BrainHQ - Some 45 years ago, the first cases of AIDS appeared in New York, and then, everywhere. Three years later, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was identified as the cause, followed over the ensuing four decades by ever-improving treatments for HIV and its prevention. However, those managing their infection for decades, now face the risk of much higher rates of dementia (as much as nearly double)
than those found in their HIV-negative peers. A new study found a brain exercise regimen used in conjunction with compensatory cognitive training helped improve the cognitive status of people with HIV, who face that risk. The brain exercises used in the study are found in app BrainHQ — the same app shown in studies over the past six months to rejuvenate brain chemical production in older adults, to improve brain wiring after brain injuries, and to reduce dementia risk in older adults for decades after use.
The Positive Brain Health Now Study, 10 Years Later: What we Learned and our Legacy for People Living with HIV
April 13, 2026 - Bristish Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) - BC-Cfe IN-PERSON EVENT
LEARNING SERIES)
April 29, 2026 from 12:00 – 1:00 PM (PST).
This webinar will be presented by: Marie-Josée Brouillette, MD Visiting Speaker, McGill University
Register online
Hybrid (in-person and remote via GoToWebinar)
A Prospective Incidence Study on Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV in Men Who Have Sex with Men with or without Use of Pre-Exposure-Prophylaxis
April 11, 2026 - Oxford Academic - Oxford University Press - Abstract
While pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can prevent HIV acquisition, associated behavioral changes may increase risk of acquiring other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The prospective, multicenter BRAHMS study enrolled HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) aged 18-55 reporting increased risk to acquire STI.
The Time to Talk about HIV is Now: ViiV Healthcare Launches “Still Here” PSA to Ignite Action Around HIV on National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
April 10, 2026 - DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ViiV Healthcare - ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK, with Shionogi as a shareholder, today released “Still Here,” a social media video campaign designed to spark crucial conversations about HIV among young people. This launch coincides with National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and aims to confront the alarming reality that HIV remains a significant and often overlooked public health issue, especially among young people.
While great progress has been made in HIV prevention and care in the last 40 years, the data on young people and HIV remain concerning.
Gilead’ Commitment to Bridging the Unmet HIV Treatment Gap
April 8, 2026 - Gilead - Carla Bailey remembers the crushing weight of her daily routine after being diagnosed with HIV.
“I had 28 pills a day, every day,” Carla recalls. “I was sick every day and wanted to die.”
Carla was unable to maintain her normal life. She lost her job and lost hope as she struggled to achieve viral suppression, to control the virus at undetectable levels.
She was not alone in her initial struggle to achieve long-term HIV treatment success. Many strategies are necessary to overcome HIV, and it’s impossible to end the epidemic without bringing HIV treatment to all who need it.
After 25 Years, an Icon of the HIV Fight in the U.S. South Steps Away
Apr 8, 2026 - By Tim Murphy - TheBody - An Interview With Kathie Hiers of AIDS Alabama
Ask nearly anyone working in HIV/AIDS services for a list of the most influential people advocating for people living with HIV in the South, and they’ll likely include Kathie Hiers.
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HIV infections would rise 10% if federal funds for testing are cut
April 8, 2026 - By Maya Brownstein - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - If the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were to reduce or eliminate funding for HIV testing at local health departments, cases would rise substantially, particularly in states with more rural HIV epidemics, according to a new study co-authored by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins University.
The study was published Feb. 4 in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Ruchita Balasubramanian, a PhD student in population health sciences, was a co-corresponding author. Bill Hanage, professor of epidemiology, was also a co-author.
Ryan White Funding Cuts Could Lead to Dramatic Rise in New HIV Cases
April 8, 2026 - By Liz Highleyman - POZ - Study predicts HIV incidence could rise by 73% over five years if federal funding for treatment and other services ends.
Cuts to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program could lead to more than 117,000 additional cases of HIV acquisition over the next five years, according to a modelling study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2026). The researchers projected that eight states could see new infections more than double.
Melissa Schnure, PhD, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and colleagues used mathematical models of HIV transmission to estimate the increase in new HIV infections if Ryan White services were ended permanently or interrupted until the end of the Trump administration.
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13-Year-Old Ryan White Contracted HIV from a Blood Transfusion, Then Was Banned from School. Inside the Activist's Life and Death
April 8, 2026 - By Emily Blackwood - People - Indiana teen Ryan White was banned from school after he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984
It’s been over three decades since Ryan White died of AIDS complications, and the impact of his advocacy continues to resonate.
The unexpected poster child of the disease was diagnosed in 1984 when he was only 13 years old. Because he contracted HIV from a contaminated blood transfusion, his diagnosis challenged many misconceptions about the disease during a time when fear was prevalent.
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(HIV) Infections (AIDS) Global Clinical Trials Market Review 2026: Region, Country (G7 & E7), Trial Status, Trial Phase, Sponsor Type and End Point Status 2023-2033
Dublin, April 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ResearchAndMarkets.com - The report identifies key market opportunities by revealing trends in global HIV clinical trials, highlighting trial hot spots, analyzing trial phases and statuses, and showcasing prominent drugs. It aids strategic business planning and investment by illustrating trial success rates and enrollment patterns across regions.
The “Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infections (AIDS) - Global Clinical Trials Review, 2026” clinical trials has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
This report provides top line data relating to the clinical trials on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infections (AIDS). Report includes an overview of trial numbers and their average enrollment in top countries conducted across the globe. The report offers coverage of disease clinical trials by region, country (G7 & E7), phase, trial status, end points status and sponsor type.
HIV Infections Would Increase by 10% Average if CDC Funding for HIV Testing Ends, NIH-Funded Johns Hopkins Medicine Study Predicts
04/07/2026 - Johns Hopkins Medicine - Timely HIV diagnosis and treatment are critical to preventing transmission. To help make this happen, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides funding for HIV testing to local health departments and community organizations. In a new NIH-funded Johns Hopkins Medicine study, researchers used a computer model to quantify the effect of funding cuts for HIV testing. They estimate that HIV infections could increase an average of 10% in 18 U.S. states if this funding is interrupted or ended.
“The HIV epidemic has been going on for 40 years,” says study lead researcher Todd T. Fojo, M.D., M.H.S., associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “The United States has made tremendous progress over the years, with fewer people getting infected and better treatments for those who are infected. To enter a world where that suddenly reverses would be a big deal. Treating someone with HIV over a lifetime is expensive, so any HIV infection you can prevent saves a lot of money.”
More than 200 Organizations and Experts Call for an End to Trump’s Threats of War Crimes and Call for Accountability
April 7, 2026 - Washington Blade - We the undersigned human rights, humanitarian, civil liberties, faith-based and environmental organizations, think tanks and experts are deeply alarmed by President Trump”s threat regarding Iran that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if his demands are not met. Such language describes a grave atrocity if carried out. A threat to wipe out “a whole civilization” may amount to a threat of genocide. Genocide is a crime defined by the Genocide Convention and by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as committing one or more of several acts ”with intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, racial or religious groups as such.”.
LGBTQ groups condemn Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization
April 8, 2026 - By Michael K. Lavers - Washington Blade - Ceasefire announced less than two hours before Tuesday deadline
The Council for Global Equality is among the groups that condemned President Donald Trump on Tuesday over his latest threats against Iran.
Trump in a Truth Social post said “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran did not reach an agreement with the U.S. by 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday..
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Top 5 stories on threats to the global HIV response from CROI 2026
7 April 2026 - By Roger Pebody - aidsmap - .The withdrawal of US funding for global HIV programmes was a defining theme at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2026) in Denver in February. Researchers and advocates grappled with both the immediate damage and the longer-term outlook. Here are five key stories from the conference.
Veteran activist Peter Staley delivered a sombre account of 2025 as an 'annus horribilis' for HIV science – and issued a call to arms. He described the dismantling of USAID, the freeze on PEPFAR funding, the cancellation of hundreds of research grants, and the appointment of an AIDS denialist as Secretary of Health as a co-ordinated assault on decades of progress. Staley was critical of scientists who had scrubbed words like 'equity' from their grant applications to avoid cancellation –"it looked like acquiescence" – but pointed to genuine resistance from US scientists and activists. Drawing a parallel with the bleakest period of the epidemic in the early 1990s, he argued that the pendulum would eventually swing back – but only if people fought for it.
Read more...
New Agreements for Funding Global HIV Program Miss the Mark
April 7, 2026 - amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research - A new amfAR report analyzes how the new Global Health MOUs fail to establish metrics to measure their success
Today, amfAR is releasing a report on the America First Global Health Strategy’s first set of seven publicly available Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda. The report, Unmeasurable and Unaccountable, dives into the metrics established in the MOUs to hold the PEPFAR program accountable to continued success in fighting the global HIV epidemic while gradually transitioning the program from U.S. taxpayer dollars to country-level ownership. .
JOINT PRESS RELEASE of the Royal Government of Cambodia and the United States of America on the Bilateral Health Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Data Sharing Agreement (DSA)
Phnom Penh - April 7, 2026 -By U.S. Mission Cambodia - U.S. Embassy in Cambodia - On 02 April 2026, His Excellency Senior Minister Chhieng Yanara, Second Vice-Chairman of the Council for Development of Cambodia, and His Excellency Prof. Chheang Ra, Minister of Health, signed a bilateral health Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia, with Chargéd’Affaires Bridgette L. Walker of the United States Embassy.
This five-year, $36 million MOU establishes a comprehensive framework to strengthen the bilateral health partnership, ultimately contributing to the public health and well-being of both the Cambodian and American people. Through the bilateral healthMOU, the United States will continue to cooperate with the Royal Government of Cambodia by supporting priority global health security programs in the joint fight against infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria. The DSA establishes protocols to ensure that health data collected and shared under the agreement is managed in accordance with the highest standards of privacy and data security.
WHO calls for action: “Together for health. Stand with science.” to mark World Health Day
April 8, 2026- World Health Organization (WHO) - The World Health Organization (WHO) today calls on people everywhere to renew their commitment to working together and supporting science as the twin engines driving better health, under the World Health Day 2026 theme: “Together for health. Stand with science.” The campaign marks the anniversary of WHO’s founding on 7 April 1948, launching a year-long public health campaign.
Human health has been profoundly transformed over the past century, largely due to scientific progress and international collaboration. The global maternal mortality rate has fallen by more than 40% since 2000, and deaths among children under five have been reduced by over 50%. Advances in technology, scientific knowledge and skills, and collaboration between different disciplines, sectors and countries continue to turn once-life-threatening health challenges – such as elevated blood pressure, cancer diagnoses or HIV infection – into manageable health issues, extending and improving lives worldwide.
Congress gave money for global HIV work. The Trump administration isn’t spending it
April 4, 2026 - By Gabrielle Emanuel, Jonathan Lambert, Fatma Tanis - NPR - Studying labor law is not why Dr. Caspian Chouraya went to medical school.
For more than two decades, he’s worked in HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. Now, he oversees HIV/AIDS programs in 12 African countries for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. But in recent months, Chouraya finds himself talking to legal advisors and burying himself in the law surrounding layoffs in various African countries.
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Fred Hutch researchers receive prestigious R01 awards
April 3, 2026 - By Sabrina Richards- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - NIH-funded awards will support multi-year investigations into HIV reservoirs, biomarkers of vaccine efficacy and how PrEP influences antibody pharmacokinetics
Three Fred Hutch Cancer Center research groups recently received prestigious R01 awards from the National Institutes of Health. These multi-million-dollar grants provide up to five years of support for large, multi-year investigations with clear outcomes and high potential for public health benefit.
This crop of awards highlights the biostatistical chops in Fred Hutch's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, or VIDD. The scientists, who all received R01 funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will use biostatistical methods to explore questions ranging from the factors governing the reservoir of cells that harbor HIV long term, how pre-exposure prophylaxis may influence antibody clearance and what this means for vaccine efficacy, and how to use a vaccine’s immunogenicity to estimate its effectiveness.
Dangerous bacterial infection hits highest level seen in Canada in more than a decade
Apr 03, 2026 - By Lauren Pelley - CBC News - More than 150 cases of invasive meningococcal disease in 2025: CBC News analysis
Annual cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), a rare but dangerous bacterial infection, have hit the highest level seen in Canada in more than a decade.
This rapidly progressing illness is known for causing a host of serious complications, including meningitis — a swelling of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord — alongside bloodstream infection, sepsis, severe organ damage and even long-term disability or death.
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Exclusive: US upends global supply program for malaria and HIV amid warnings of gaps
NAIROBI/LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - By Ammu Kannampilly and Jennifer Rigby - Reuters - The U.S. is upending the way it delivers medical supplies for diseases such as HIV and malaria to lower-income countries, according to seven sources and an internal email, risking a second dislocation of life-aving services in just over a year.
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Don Lemon and Sheryl Lee Ralph Among Black LGBTQ and HIV Leaders at 2026 Truth Awards
April 3, 2026 - By Trent Straube - POZ - “Check out Lalah Hathaway, Keith Green, Jenifer Lewis, Durand Bernarr and others at Better Brothers Los Angeles’ Truth Awards
Black LGBTQ leaders, including many HIV advocates, got their flowers and enjoyed a moment in the spotlight at the 12th Annual Truth Awards Weekend. The event is spearheaded by Better Brothers Los Angeles, a nonprofit honoring Black excellence in pop culture, arts and politics, that also awards scholarships to African American LGBTQ youth.
This year’s ceremony was presented with the DIVA Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Sheryl Lee Ralph (TV’s and Broadway’s Dreamgirls) to raise awareness about HIV.
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ADAP Crisis Threatens Access to Lifesaving HIV Care
April 2, 2026 - Jeffrey S. Crowley, Kirk Grisham - O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law - Georgetown University -
Read the Publication
This Quick Take warns that the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a foundational part of the HIV care safety net, is under growing strain. It is a core part of the nation’s HIV care system and a critical last-resort source of access to lifesaving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for many living with HIV. But after years of increasing need for ADAP assistance in the face of flat funding, rising drug costs, Medicaid unwinding, and reduced insurance premium assistance, states are now facing serious budget pressure that threatens access to HIV medications and care. Some states are considering tighter eligibility rules, benefit reductions, or even waiting lists — all ways to deny access to clinically recommended ART to people who need it. Stable access to ART is essential not only for individual health and survival, but also for maintaining viral suppression and preventing new HIV transmissions.
AVAC Mourns the Death of Stephen Lewis
April 1, 2026 - AVAC - Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of AVAC, issued the following statement on the passing of Stephen Lewis:
Stephen Lewis was a politician and diplomat who deeply valued the essential role of communities in the HIV response. He was a very rare and impactful role model, and all of us at AVAC are deeply saddened by his passing.
Stephen Lewis leaves legacy of fighting AIDS pandemic
April 1, 2026 - THE CANADIAN PRESS - Experts say Stephen Lewis, who died at the age of 88, awakened the Canadian public’s consciousness to the HIV-AIDS pandemic raging in Africa.
Watch...
Stephen Lewis awakened Canadians to the HIV-AIDS pandemic raging in Africa: experts
TORONTO - April 1, 2026 - By The Canadian Press - CTV News - Stephen Lewis awakened the Canadian public’s consciousness to the HIV-AIDS pandemic raging in Africa and galvanized the political will to stop standing idle, experts said following his death Tuesday.
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