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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - December 2024
Strengthening Cholera Containment and Mpox Preparedness in Machinga District
30 December, 2024 - World Health Organization (WHO) - The cholera containment and Mpox preparedness activities in Machinga District marked a critical intervention in safeguarding public health following the cholera outbreak declared on 10 September 2024.
With funding support from the French Government, theWorld Health Organization (WHO), conducted targeted training and supportive supervision to strengthen the district's outbreak response and preparedness systems.
Machinga District, located along Lake Chilwa, faced unique challenges that made it particularly vulnerable to cholera outbreaks. Key drivers of the disease in the area include poor sanitation, inadequate access to safe water, a lack of proper toilets, and the consumption of contaminated food within households.
U.S. and Ethiopia- Collective Action to Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress
30 December, 2024 - By Tseday Alemseged - U.S. Embassy Ethiopia - Every year in December, we commemorate World AIDS Day. We honor the millions of individuals worldwide who are impacted by HIV/AIDS. While progress has been made to combat HIV, there are still far too many lives being affected. Our mission is clear: to unite in collective action to sustain and accelerate our program to end HIV as a public health threat.
This mission underscores PEPFAR’s continuous efforts to assist countries in attaining control of the HIV epidemic by promoting fair health services and solutions, strengthening national health systems and capacities, and fostering enduring partnerships.
Over the past 21 years, the United States, through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has invested more than $3 billion in the HIV/AIDS response in Ethiopia.
Today, our efforts provide life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART) for 521,036 men, women, and children which accounts for 98% of the treatment being offered nationally. Among those on treatment, 98% have achieved viral suppression which not only means they get to live healthier lives but also reduce the chance of transmission significantly.
Joe Average, Victoria-born artist and humanitarian, dies at age 67
Dec 29, 2024 - By Michael John Lo - TIMES COLONIST - After struggling to live on the income from a hodge-podge of jobs, Joe Average found success in creating art. His first works cost $180, which paid for one month's rent.
Victoria-born artist Joe Average, whose award-winning work could be seen on canvases, posters, coins, stamps, murals and jigsaw puzzles, died on Dec. 24.
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Vancouver artist, humanitarian Joe Average dies on Christmas Eve: 'He was anything but average'
Dec 27, 2024 - By Cheryl Chan - VANCOUVER SUN - Tributes have poured in for the well-known artist, who was honoured earlier this month with an Order of Canada for his work as an artist, activist and philanthropist
Vancouver artist Joe Average, recognized for his humanitarian work as much as his bright, colourful artwork, died on Christmas Eve, according to family and friends.
“It is with very heavy hearts that we must tell you that our beloved brother, Joe Brock Average, died peacefully in his sleep on Christmas Eve,” read a social media post attributed to his siblings Karin and Mark.
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Vancouver-based artist and activist Joe Average dies at age 67
December 27, 2024 - By Josh Azizi & Lasia Kretzel - Global News - Beloved Vancouver-based artist and activist Joe Average has passed away at the age of 67.
Friends and family confirm he died on Christmas Eve.
Known for his vividly colourful art pieces depicting people, animals and flowers, Average was also a champion of LGBTQ2+ rights.
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Vancouver artist and HIV advocate Joe Average dies at 67
Dec. 27, 2024 - Kaija Jussinoja - CTV News Vancouver - Renowned Vancouver artist Joe Average, whose colourful work adorns murals and banners around the city, died at age 67 Tuesday, according to family and friends.
“It is with very heavy hearts that we must tell you that our beloved brother Joe Brock Average passed away peacefully in his sleep on Christmas Eve,” reads a message posted to social media by siblings Karin and Mark. “We would like to say how much we appreciate the love and support of his many friends.”
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Jamie Sarkonak: Good on Liberals for calling off HIV decriminalization review
Dec 26, 2024 - By Jamie Sarkonak - NATIONAL POST - The answer to rising infection rates is not a looser approach to the law
There was a time when HIV was a death sentence. Nowadays, it’s a life sentence of antiretroviral medication. Which is why the Liberals, since 2016, have been thinking of softening the law on HIV non-disclosure.
That is, until the end of November, when Justice Minister Arif Virani’s office confirmed to the Star that no reforms were on the way. It’s a blow to the longtime efforts of HIV advocacy groups who have some valid concerns about the law, but it’s probably for the best.
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Which infectious disease is likely to be the biggest emerging problem in 2025?
December 23, 2024 - The Conversation - COVID emerged suddenly, spread rapidly and killed millions of people around the world. Since then, I think it’s fair to say that most people have been nervous about the emergence of the next big infectious disease – be that a virus, bacterium, fungus or parasite.
With COVID in retreat (thanks to highly effective vaccines), the three infectious diseases causing public health officials the greatest concern are malaria (a parasite), HIV (a virus) and tuberculosis (a bacterium). Between them, they kill around 2 million people each year.
And then there are the watchlists of priority pathogens – especially those that have become resistant to the drugs usually used to treat them, such as antibiotics and antivirals.
LGBTQ+ People Relive Old Traumas as They Age on Their Own
December 24, 2024 - By Judith Graham - KFF Health News - Bill Hall, 71, has been fighting for his life for 38 years. These days, he’s feeling worn out.
Hall contracted HIV, the virus that can cause AIDS, in 1986. Since then, he’s battled depression, heart disease, diabetes, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney cancer, and prostate cancer. This past year, Hall has been hospitalized five times with dangerous infections and life-threatening internal bleeding.
USask researchers paving the way to better HIV treatments
Dec. 23, 2024 - By Erin Matthews - University of Saskatchewan - The human immune deficiency virus (HIV) first entered public consciousness in the early 1980s, after cases of unfamiliar and deadly illnesses began to overwhelm medical centres across North America.
“An estimated 42 million people have died from HIV/AIDS to date, and while people can now live full lives with access to treatments, it is still a chronic condition that people would like a cure for,” said Dr. Linda Chelico, head of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry in the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).
Chelico’s lab studies immune responses to HIV, particularly a family of proteins called APOBEC3 which cause mutations in the HIV virus. Her research and others’ show that the virus uses a counterattack that breaks down APOBEC3’s defences, helping HIV win and establish an infection.
HIV stigma is now more dangerous than the virus – my research shows how to address this
SHELTON, CONNECTICUT - Monday, December 23, 2024 - NanoViricides, Inc. - NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE Amer.: NNVC) (the "Company"), says that its broad-spectrum antiviral drug candidate NV-387 is the best weapon to fight a potential bird flu pandemic because the mercurial H5N1 Influenza A virus would not be able to escape the drug.
“Despite all changes, the H5N1 Influenza A virus should remain susceptible to NV-387 because NV-387 mimics the very essential host-side feature that H5N1 continues to use even as it changes,” said Anil R. Diwan, Ph.D., President and Executive Chairman of the Company, adding “This drug puts us in a great position to be able to fight a bird flu pandemic should it happen.”
HIV stigma is now more dangerous than the virus – my research shows how to address this
December 23, 2024 - The Conversation - Speaking at the 16th International Aids Conference in 2006, the then UNAids executive director, Peter Piot, remarked: “Since the beginning of the epidemic, stigma, discrimination and gender inequality have been identified as major causes of personal suffering, and as major obstacles to effective responses to HIV.”
Now, in the fourth decade of the HIV crisis, this statement remains largely true. Despite the leaps and bounds that have been made in the treatment and prevention of HIV, stigma and discrimination continue to harm the lives of people living with HIV, and hinder efforts to stem the epidemic globally.
Call for experts: WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections
20 December 2024 | Call for experts - World Health Organization (WHO) - Deadline: 30 January 2025 | 23:59pm CET
The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (STAG-HHS). This Call for experts provides information about the advisory group in question, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the process of selection.
The STAG-HHS is convened annually to help WHO effectively guide the global response towards ending AIDS and the epidemics of viral hepatitis and STIs by 2030 in line with the global health sector strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis, and STIs (GHSS) for the period 2022-2030. The STAG-HHS acts as an advisory body to WHO in this field.
Researchers Investigate Potential Treatment for Eliminating HIV from the Brain
December 20, 2024 - Research Highlight - National Institutes of Health - Despite decades of research and the availability of antiretroviral medications, HIV continues to pose a significant health challenge. While these medications can be used to eliminate the symptoms of HIV and prevent its spread to others, a cure has yet to be found.
One major challenge is that HIV can enter a dormant-like state, hiding in the body and evading treatments, only to reactivate later. HIV hiding in the brain is particularly difficult to access, as the blood-brain barrier—the protective membrane surrounding the brain—often prevents treatments from entering those tissues.
In a recent NIMH-funded study, researchers explored a potential solution by testing a drug called BLZ945 that targets a type of immune cell known as macrophages.
NIH announces awards to advance tech for HIV viral load detection
December 19, 2024 - Science Highlights - National Institutes of Health - Viral load detection could help people living with HIV to assess treatment efficacy and prevent transmission to others
The National Institutes of Health has awarded more than $4 million in funds and support services to three diagnostic technology developers as part of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx ®) Tech’s Advanced Platforms for HIV Viral Load Monitoring program. Launched in the spring of 2024 by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), in collaboration with the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the program is aimed at advancing HIV viral load detection technologies for use at the point of care.
About 39 million people around the world live with HIV, including approximately 1.2 million adults, adolescents, and children in the United States. HIV is a virus that attacks a person’s immune system by affecting cells that are essential for fighting infections. Viral load is a measure of how much virus is in the bloodstream.
FACT SHEET: Update on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Commitment to Addressing the Global Mpox Outbreak
December 19, 2024 - The White House - For decades, the United States has been a leader in combatting infectious diseases. During the 2022 global outbreak of clade II mpox, the Biden-Harris Administration mounted a robust response by making vaccines, tests, and treatment available to those at risk in the United States and abroad. Now, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is experiencing its largest mpox outbreak ever recorded, with more than 50,000 suspect cases in 2024. Multiple neighboring countries have confirmed their first ever mpox cases, and some are also experiencing widespread outbreaks. A handful of travel-related cases have also been recorded in countries outside the Africa region. As we face this outbreak in Central and Eastern Africa, the United States is again acting quickly to respond. At the UN General Assembly in September, President Biden announced that the United States is prepared to commit at least $500 million and to donate up to one million doses of mpox vaccines to support African countries in preventing and responding to this outbreak. We are delivering on that commitment, with two-thirds of our global mpox funding pledge fulfilled, and all of our pledged vaccine doses available now for countries that are ready to receive the doses.
The United States is also prepared to respond to clade I and clade II mpox cases domestically, with early detection and a robust testing landscape across the country, increased clinician education and community outreach, and widely available mpox vaccines in retail pharmacies and clinics. Travel-associated cases have been detected in Canada, Germany, India, Sweden, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. In November 2024, the United States also identified one case of clade Ib mpox in a California resident who had recently traveled to an affected country. No further domestic detections have occurred as of December 5, 2024, and the risk to the general public remains low.
Gilead Submits New Drug Application to U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention
Foster City, Calif., December 19, 2024 - Gilead - Lenacapavir Named 2024 “Breakthrough of the Year” by Science Magazine
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced the company completed New Drug Application (NDA) submissions to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval of an investigational use of lenacapavir—the company’s twice-yearly injectable HIV-1 capsid inhibitor—for the prevention of HIV as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
The submission is supported by data from the Phase 3 PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 trials conducted by Gilead. In the PURPOSE 1 trial (NCT04994509), data showed twice-yearly lenacapavir demonstrated zero infections in the lenacapavir group and 100% efficacy and superiority to background HIV incidence (bHIV) for the investigational use of HIV prevention in cisgender women. In the PURPOSE 2 trial (NCT04925752), there were two HIV infections in the lenacapavir group, demonstrating 99.9% of participants in the lenacapavir group did not acquire HIV infection and a 96% reduction in HIV infections compared to bHIV among a broad and geographically diverse range of cisgender men and gender-diverse people. In both trials, twice-yearly lenacapavir also demonstrated superiority of prevention of HIV infections when compared with once-daily oral Truvada® (emtricitabine 200mg and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300mg; F/TDF) and was generally well-tolerated, with no significant or new safety concerns identified. Based in part on these trial results, Science Magazine last week named lenacapavir its 2024 “Breakthrough of the Year”
New discovery by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers provides hope in fighting drug-resistant malaria
December 19, 2024 - by Case Western Reserve University - Malaria, caused by a parasite transmitted to humans through an infected mosquito’s bite, is a leading cause of illness and death worldwide.
Most susceptible are pregnant women, displaced people and children in developing countries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Treating the disease is difficult because Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite, is resistant to nearly all malaria medications.
But in a study published today in Science Advances, researchers at Case Western Reserve University describe how they may have found a new target: a cholesterol-managing protein called PfNCR1.
40 years later, the Pitt Men’s Study is still breaking ground in the fight against AIDS
December 19, 2024 - By Nichole Faina - Pittwire - University of Pittsburgh - In 1984, Charles Rinaldo launched a study to learn more about a mysterious illness befalling gay men across the U.S. He was 37 years old, only 6 years into his appointment as an assistant professor in the Pitt School of Medicine and School of Public Health, when he put the University on the map for groundbreaking AIDS research.
With the backing of a $4.2 million, four-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) contract, Rinaldo set out to recruit several thousands of gay men in the Pittsburgh tristate area to donate blood and other clinical specimens. It was the beginning of the Pitt Men’s Study, which aimed to uncover the process by which a virus leads to AIDS and the development of the disease post-diagnosis.
The Pitt Men’s Study recently commemorated 40 years of trailblazing research, including contributions to more than 1,700 scientific articles. The study is behind breakthroughs in understanding the transmission and treatment of HIV and AIDS and continues to impact the lives and careers of study participants and scientists alike.
Introducing POSITIVE DESTINATIONS – A video documentary
Dec 18, 2024 - HIV Justice Network - Positive Destinations is the new home for The Global Database on HIV-Specific Travel and Residence Restrictions (hivtravel.org), now hosted by the HIV Justice Network. The ability to travel, migrate, or relocate is an important part of life for many. For people living with HIV, however, this can come with added complexity. Some countries still impose restrictions on entry, stay, and residency based solely on HIV status, creating hurdles that can make travel difficult, stressful, or even impossible. Others limit access to HIV treatment for non-nationals creating additional barriers to travel, study, or relocate with HIV. Positive Destinations is here to help people living with HIV navigate these barriers with confidence and clarity. In this video we explain what Positive Destinations is and how the editorial team have worked on it to make it a valuable resource for people living with HIV and advocates alike.
MARVIN: the first AI-powered HIV care chatbot
December 17, 2024 - By MUHC - McGill Health e-News - When life’s everyday challenges get in the way, it can be hard to stay on track with antiretroviral therapy. A new chatbot could help.
World AIDS Day, which was observed on December 1, is a global initiative to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS, which affect nearly 40 million people worldwide. At the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute), physicians and researchers are leading efforts to improve the lives of people living with HIV, by promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) to maintain long-term suppression of the virus, prevent complications and avoid further transmission.
Among them is Bertrand Lebouché, MD, PhD, physician at the MUHC’s Chronic Viral Illness Service (CVIS) and a Scientist in the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program at The Institute.
Dr. Lebouché leads a research team developing the first AI-powered chatbot designed to help people with HIV manage their health. Called MARVIN, this bilingual tool can provide reliable health information, medication reminders and guidance on managing antiretroviral therapy, through brief text-based conversations. A study recently published in HIV Medicine demonstrated MARVIN’s effectiveness.
Russia’s HIV Deaths Hit 30K Per Year, Undermining Dwindling Labor Force
December 17, 2024 - The Moscow Times - Around 30,000 Russians of working age die annually from HIV, according to Vadim Pokrovsky, the head of Russia’s Federal Methodological Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention.
This figure continues to rise alongside increasing treatment costs for the government and a lack of early HIV testing.
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A Step Closer to an Effective HIV Vaccine
December 17, 2024 - Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) - In a significant HIV milestone, researchers have learned how to stimulate the immune system in animal models to produce large quantities of broadly neutralizing antibodies against the human immunodeficiency virus—a prerequisite for an effective vaccine against HIV.
“We still have much to do before we can make a vaccine for humans, but we’ve shown it’s possible to reproducibly induce the antibody response needed to neutralize HIV,” says study leader Peter Kwong, PhD, the Richard J. Stock Professor of Medical Sciences and professor of biochemistry & molecular biophysics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. (Kwong was formerly chief of the Structural Biology Section at the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health, where most of the research was conducted).
How Should Canada Confront the Rise in HIV Infections?
December 17, 2024 - Liz Scherer - Medscape Medical News - November, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported an alarming 25% increase in new HIV cases during 2022. The largest numbers of diagnoses were seen in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Although COVID and the halt of services during the pandemic may still be having residual effects, Julio Montaner, MD, executive director of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in HIV/AIDS, told Medscape Medical News that the global community, and especially Canada, has moved on to other challenges. The result has been a resurgence of HIV.
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AIDS Fund Philly shutting down at the end of 2024
December 17, 2024 - By Alexandra Simon - CBS News - After serving the Philadelphia community for more than three decades, AIDS Fund Philly announced that the nonprofit is shutting down at the end of this year.
In a Facebook post signed by the staff and board, AIDS Fund said it will conclude operations on Dec. 31, 2024.
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Global Fund, PEPFAR Announce Coordinated Effort to Reach 2 Million People with Lenacapavir for PrEP to Significantly Reduce Global HIV Infections
GENEVA | WASHINGTON D.C. - 17 December 2024 - Global Fund - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) have joined forces with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to announce today a coordinated effort that will rapidly provide affordable and equitable access to twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) contingent upon regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, relevant national pharmaceutical regulators, and a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Global Fund and PEPFAR are aiming to secure sustainable arrangements for countries to access this new, potentially game-changing HIV prevention innovation – backed by a significant commitment from CIFF, and with support from BMGF – that would enable access to lenacapavir for at least 2 million people over three years in countries supported by PEPFAR and the Global Fund.
Canadian researchers study frailty among aging people with HIV
December 17, 2024 - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - In a study of older Canadians with HIV, 17% were considered frail – above the Canadian average
Frailty is an issue that increases with age and reduces a person’s ability to carry out everyday tasks and activities. Frailty can affect walking speed, ability to think clearly, muscle strength, and so on. In a study of people without HIV, researchers in Canada found that 8% of people over the age of 65 had some degree of frailty.
Another team of researchers in Canada, in cooperation with scientists who study aging in people with HIV in Italy, conducted a study of HIV-positive Canadians, all of whom were over the age of 65, to find out their degree of frailty. This study is called Change HIV.
Preparing the next generation of HIV/AIDS caregivers to end the epidemic prevention
December 16, 2024 - UIC today - University of Illinois Chicago - For nearly four decades, physicians and scientists have fought the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Due to their efforts, what was once a fatal diagnosis is now a manageable chronic disease for millions of people worldwide.
Since 1988, the University of Illinois Chicago has been on the front lines of this battle as home to the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center. Based in the College of Medicine’s department of family and community medicine, the center has trained thousands of health care workers to treat people with HIV and AIDS and reduce new diagnoses.
Now, renewed funding from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration HIV/AIDS Bureau will help the center continue its critical work beyond its upcoming 40th anniversary.
Deadly mould strains highly likely to acquire resistance to new drugs
16 December 2024 - The University of Manchester - Scientists have identified strains of one of the world’s most dangerous fungal pathogens, already resistant to our most effective antifungal drugs, which are also 5-times more likely to acquire resistance to desperately needed new treatments in development.
The study – led by two University of Manchester researchers and published in Nature Communications – significantly advances our understanding of how Aspergillus fumigatus rapidly develops drug resistance.
The mould, found in soil, composts, and decaying vegetation, is potentially deadly to people with a range of health conditions including those with weakened immune systems and respiratory problems.
Millions of people develop invasive and chronic aspergillosis infections around the world every year, with mortality rates ranging between 30% to 90%.
Bloor-Yorkville event raises record $1.7 million for AIDS research
Dec. 14, 2024 - TORONTO STAR - The 28th annual Bloor Street Entertains fundraiser featured a performance by Crystal Waters.
Bloor Street Entertains was back in the heart of Bloor-Yorkville on Nov. 28 for a celebration of glamour and generosity in support of the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research. The event — chaired by Candice Sinclair, Janice Fricker, Michael Liebrock and honourary chair Sylvia Mantella — brought out 1,000 attendees who raised a record $1.7 million for AIDS research. The night climaxed with an after-party headlined by Crystal Waters and featuring Canada’s own DJ Frank Walker.
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This is Saskatchewan | HIV rates in the province are the highest in Canada
Dec 14, 2024 - CBC News Saskatchewan - This is Saskatchewan podcast is looking into the province's record high HIV rates.
Host Leisha Grebinski talks with Dr. Cara Spence and Toby Esterby, chief operations officer of the Saskatoon Community Clinic.
‘Silly and pompous’: Official new names for viruses rile up researchers
13 Dec 2024 - By Catherine Offord - Science - An overhaul of viruses’ scientific naming system has incensed some virologists, but others are more accepting
The U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which manages repositories of virus sequences and other data, announced on Wednesday it would be adding about 3000 new, Latinized names to its databases in spring 2025. In doing so, it adopts a system introduced over the past few years—albeit without drawing much attention—by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV).
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IAVI and IPD sign agreement formalizing collaboration to advance vaccine development, manufacturing, and access in Africa
DAKAR, SENEGAL - December 13, 2024 - IAVI - The two partners will harness their complementary strengths to advance their shared mission of creating an innovative, end-to-end model for sustainable vaccine access in Africa
IAVI, a nonprofit scientific research organization dedicated to addressing urgent global health challenges including HIV, tuberculosis, and emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), and the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), a non-profit foundation focused on equitable, sustainable, and affordable access to health in Senegal, Africa, and worldwide, have signed an agreement to formally collaborate for vaccine development, manufacturing, and access in Africa. Leaders from the organizations met in Dakar to sign the agreement at the week-long celebration of IPD’s 100-year anniversary.
With the signing of this agreement, IAVI and IPD are establishing a collaboration to research, develop, manufacture, and commercialize a range of novel vaccine candidates for both endemic and emerging infectious disease (EID) threats – all manufactured using a common vaccine production platform.
World AIDS Day recognized in Stratford
December 13, 2024 - By Connor Luczka - Penticton Herald - Since 1991, the red ribbon has been an international symbol for AIDS awareness. Since 2012, local Stratford knitters have done their part to spread that very same symbol across the Festival City each year.
In honour of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, 80 handknitted scarves were scattered around downtown Stratford to raise awareness for the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC), a London based charity dedicated to positively impacting the lives of individuals and diverse communities living with, at risk for and affected by HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.
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Health advocates are raising awareness about HIV & AIDS
December 13, 2024 - By Adrian Andrews - WFSU - HIV and AIDS awareness month is celebrated in December, with World AIDS Day on December 1.
December is HIV/AIDS Awareness Month, and health advocates across the state and country, are educating the public on the various treatment and prevention options for patients.
Florida is home to roughly 22 million people, and according to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), more than 128,000 Floridians are HIV positive—that’s the highest of any state in the U.S.
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HIV Drug Based in Research by Sundquist Lab is Science’s 2024 Breakthrough of the Year
12-Dec-2024 - by University of Utah Health - Wesley Sundquist, PhD, Samuels Professor and chair of biochemistry at the University of Utah, laid the foundation for the development of a highly effective, long-lasting prophylactic against HIV, which has been named the Breakthrough of the Year by Science, a top scientific journal. The drug lenacapavir, developed by Gilead Sciences, provides protection for half a year instead of one day and has performed extremely well in clinical trials.
Sundquist’s research focuses on understanding how the HIV virus is built on a molecular level and how it interacts with the body to infect and spread through cells.
By purifying and analyzing the protein shell that surrounds the virus’s genetic material, Sundquist’s team discovered what the shell looks like and how it’s put together. Importantly, the research team found that the virus’s shell is highly sensitive to changes. Making even small tweaks to the proteins that make up the shell stopped the virus from replicating as quickly, which suggested that drugs that affect the protein shell could prove to be effective.
25 years of HIV/AIDS research and activism
12 December 2024 - Story Nicole Forrest - UCT News - University of Cape Town - The University of Cape Town (UCT) has made inimitable contributions to the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. At the forefront of its efforts has been the Centre for Integrated Data and Epidemiological Research (CIDER). On 5 December, UCT colleagues, as well as representatives from the health services, non-profit organisations and various research groups gathered to reflect on and celebrate the centre’s achievements. People with HIV, even those on effective treatment, are more vulnerable to cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), especially as they age. This disorder can cause strokes, memory problems, and other cognitive difficulties.
At the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, HIV was spreading and developing into AIDS at such a rapid rate that it was predicted to become the cause of more deaths than any other disease in history.
Over the past 25 years, however, the world has seen a steady decline in new incidences of HIV infections and deaths from AIDs-related illnesses. Between 1995 and 2023, the world saw a 61% reduction in the number of new HIV infections worldwide, while deaths decreased by 70% between 2004 and 2023.
NIH research reveals new insights about how 'bad' cholesterol works in the body
December 11, 2024 - National Institutes of Health (NIH) - Findings could pave the way for more personalized treatments for cardiovascular disease.
National Institute of Health (NIH) scientists have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how "bad" cholesterol, known as low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol or LDL-C, builds up in the body. The researchers were able to show for the first time how the main structural protein of LDL binds to its receptor – a process that starts the clearing of LDL from the blood – and what happens when that process gets impaired.
The findings, published in Nature, further the understanding of how LDL contributes to heart disease, the world’s leading cause of death, and could open the door to personalizing LDL-lowering treatments like statins to make them even more effective.
Analysis Reveals an Additional Mechanism Behind Statin Therapy’s Heart-Related Benefits in People with HIV
December 11, 2024 - Mass General Brigham - Investigators who previously found that a daily statin pill helps prevent heart attacks and strokes in people with HIV have now discovered a potential mechanism that may help to stabilize plaques and prevent their rupture in blood vessels. The research, led by a team from Mass General Brigham, is published in JAMA Cardiology.
“Individuals with HIV tend to have an excess of noncalcified plaques that are vulnerable to rupture at a younger age, putting them at high risk for strokes, heart attacks, and sudden cardiac death,” said senior author Steven Grinspoon, MD, chief of the Metabolism Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system. “Understanding how statins benefit this population could lead to additional and more targeted therapies to protect their cardiovascular health.”
Over 1 in 5 adults worldwide has a genital herpes infection – WHO
11 December 2024 - World Health Organization (WHO) - Around 846 million people aged between 15 and 49 are living with genital herpes infections – more than 1 in 5 of this age-group globally – according to new estimates released today. At least 1 person each second – 42 million people annually – is estimated to acquire a new genital herpes infection.
Most of the time, these infections cause no or few symptoms. However, for some people they lead to painful genital sores and blisters that can recur throughout life, causing significant discomfort and often requiring multiple healthcare visits. According to the estimates, more than 200 million people aged 15 to 49 suffered at least one such symptomatic episode in 2020.
Updated Hep B Vaccine More Effective for People with HIV
December 11, 2024 - Weill Cornell Medicine - A newer vaccine against hepatitis B virus was clearly superior to an older vaccine type in inducing a protective antibody response among people living with HIV who didn’t respond to prior vaccination, according to the results of an international study led by a Weill Cornell Medicine investigator.
The study, reported Dec. 1 in JAMA, showed that hepatitis B vaccine with a cytosine phosphoguanine adjuvant, known as HepB-CpG, (trade name Heplisav-B) induced protective levels of antibodies in up to 99.4% of the subjects who received it. Such protection was seen in only 80.6% of subjects who received hepatitis B vaccine with an aluminum hydroxide adjuvant, known as HepB-alum, (trade name Engerix-B).
Understanding the Link Between HIV and Brain Health
December 11, 2024 - By Mark Michaud - University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) - People with HIV, even those on effective treatment, are more vulnerable to cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), especially as they age. This disorder can cause strokes, memory problems, and other cognitive difficulties.
New research supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and led by University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) neurologist Giovanni Schifitto, MD, and cardiovascular biologist Jinjiang Pang, MD, PhD, will focus on Delta-like 4 protein (DII4) hypothesized to play a key role in the deterioration of the microscopic network of blood vessels that serve the brain.
UB team visits community health partners in Africa to develop drugs to fight HIV, TB
December 11, 2024 - By Laurie Kaiser - University at Buffalo - Faculty investigators from UB’s Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences (CIGBS) recently traveled to Zimbabwe and South Africa to address two public health challenges devastating that part of the continent — the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB).
Over 12 days, the four faculty members met with researchers at partner universities, and government and community programs, and conducted site visits of laboratories working to develop drugs to fight HIV and TB
Their visit comes at a time when millions are dying annually from the two health conditions.
“More than 420,000 individuals die each year of HIV-related illness in sub-Saharan Africa, and this represents a remarkable 65% of the global death total,” says Gene Morse, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Global leaders in the HIV response call for access to long-acting medicines
NAIROBI, 10 December 2024 - UNAIDS - Today, at the 55th Programme Coordinating Board for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), HIV leaders from across the world called for access to long-acting medicines for everyone who would benefit from them, to build toward a new era in the AIDS response.
Over the last two years, scientific breakthroughs have brought to the fore a new class of anti-HIV medicines with long-acting effects, allowing people at risk of HIV infection and those living with the virus to take medicines every few months. One is injected just twice a year. Recent studies have shown these medicines to be among the most effective ever developed. One study showed zero new infections among young African women using long-acting prevention drugs, while a study among key populations showed them more effective than oral medicines. Another study highlighted at the session showed encouraging results using long-acting HIV treatment in low- and middle-income countries.
At-home test kits for HIV, STIs aim to remove barriers for people in Waterloo region, Guelph and area
Dec 08, 2024 - Kitchener-Waterloo - Desmond Brown - CBC News - 'Accessible testing is a key step in preventing the spread of HIV and other STIs,' Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum says
People in Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County can now get a kit sent to their home to test for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Patrick O'Byrne a professor at the University of Ottawa who is also a nurse practitioner and who developed the GetAKit program. He says they make it easier for people who may feel stigmatized or who may face barriers to getting tested.
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From Yemen to Mayotte, the spread of a highly drug-resistant cholera strain
2024.12.06 - INSTITUT PASTEUR - Scientists from the National Reference Center for Vibrios and Cholera at the Institut Pasteur, in collaboration with the Centre hospitalier de Mayotte, have revealed the spread of a highly drug-resistant cholera strain. The study was published on December 12, 2024 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Cholera is an infectious diarrheal disease caused by certain bacteria of the species Vibrio cholerae. In its most severe forms, cholera is one of the most rapidly fatal infectious diseases: in the absence of treatment, patients can die within hours. Treatment primarily involves replacing lost water and electrolytes, but antibiotics are also used in addition to rehydration therapy. They are essential in reducing the duration of infection and breaking chains of transmission as quickly as possible.
A strain resistant to ten antibiotics – including azithromycin and ciprofloxacin, two of the three recommended for treating cholera – was identified for the first time in Yemen during the cholera outbreak in 2018-2019.
Ending HIV/AIDS stigma requires more effort
December 8, 2024 - JAMAICA OBSERVER - We can’t say we are surprised that there still exists in our country a degree of ignorance about HIV/AIDS. What we cannot accept, though, is the discrimination people living with the disease continue to face.
Still vivid in our memory is the story we published 14 years ago of a young woman who was subjected to the most humiliating and dehumanising existence before she died from complications associated with HIV/AIDS in July 2010.
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Mystery disease kills dozens in Congo – what we know so far
December 6, 2024 - The Conversation - A “mystery disease” recently struck the south-western corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), killing between 67 and 143 people over two weeks. The disease was reported to cause flu-like symptoms of fever, headache, cough and anaemia.
An epidemiologist told Reuters that it was mainly women and children who were seriously affected by the disease. But little else is known about the disease so far.
Health officials in the DRC are urgently investigating this incident to identify the cause of this deadly outbreak. Initially, they would consider possible diseases known to be endemic to the region such as malaria, dengue or Chikungunya.
However, they are likely to face difficulties detecting the cause because of diagnostic testing infrastructure issues, as well as difficulties with sample collections, transport of those samples to laboratory and testing.
WHO announces the development of updated guidance on managing advanced HIV disease
6 December 2024 - World Health Organization (WHO) - WHO has made available the membership of the Guidelines Development Group (GDG) for the development of WHO updated Guidelines for managing advanced HIV disease.
The group will meet virtually from 14 – 16 January 2025 to review evidence on the use of CD4 testing for identification of advanced HIV disease; interventions for people with advanced HIV disease who are discharged from hospital following an illness, and preferred treatment regimen for the management of individuals with Kaposi Sarcoma. This guidance will focus on individual and public health benefits.
As HIV cases rise across Canada, the numbers have stabilized in northwestern Ontario — for now
Dec 06, 2024 - By Sarah Law - CBC News - Health-care workers credit harm reduction as key to preventing transmission
While there's been a 35 per cent jump in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases across Canada, the numbers have stabilized in northwestern Ontario — and health-care workers largely attribute it to harm reduction services available in the region.
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Theatre Cares Vancouver comes to an end
December 4, 2024 - By Gail Johnson - Stir - The organization had been raising funds and awareness for those living with HIV/AIDS since 1991
Theatre Cares Vancouver was an artist-driven, volunteer-based organization that united the spirit of Vancouver’s performing-arts community with its supporters to raise funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS relief and other worthy causes.
The organization had been raising funds and awareness for those living with HIV/AIDS and for vulnerable members of the community since 1991. Theatre Cares Vancouver averaged, over 33 years, to raise $25,000 per year to distribute to worthy charities. That’s roughly $825,000 raised by volunteers.
Duke Team Identifies a Strategy to Guide the Immune System to Respond to HIV
December 03, 2024 - Duke Health - Highly specific HIV antibodies could be induced by vaccination using a new strategy developed by researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. Vaccination using this strategy may be able to counter the virus’s ability to outpace the immune system.
Publishing in Nature Communications, the researchers describe a strategy for engineering pieces of the HIV envelope that stimulate the immune system toward making protective antibodies.
“To achieve this, we have to find the right antibody and then guide it along the way toward key mutations that are really rare,” said senior author, Barton Haynes , M.D., director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. “What we have found is that the immune system does not want to make protective anti-HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies unless it receives some help. This study demonstrates that, with the help of computer simulations, we were able to find the right HIV envelope immunogens to guide the immune system to make the desired antibody types.”
How the speed of viral spread can be estimated by the analysis of genomic sequences
December 3, 2024 - Plos Biology - Evaluating the speed at which viruses spread and transmit across host populations is critical to mitigating disease outbreaks. A study published December 3rd in PLOS Biology by Simon Dellicour at the University of Brussels (ULB), Belgium, and colleagues evaluate the performance of statistics measuring how viruses move across space and time in infected populations.
Genomic sequencing allows epidemiologists to examine the evolutionary history of pathogenic outbreaks and track the spatial movement of an outbreak. However, the sampling intensity of genomic sequences can potentially impact the accuracy of dispersal insights gained through these evolutionary approaches. In order to assess the impact of the sampling size, researchers simulated the spread of several pathogens to evaluate three dispersal metrics estimated from the analysis of viral genomes: a lineage dispersal velocity (the speed at which lineages spread), a diffusion coefficient (how fast lineages invade space), and an isolation-by-distance signal (how genomic sequences of a population become less similar over geographic distance) metric.
UNAIDS appoints artist Funke Akindele as National Goodwill Ambassador for Nigeria
ABUJA, NIGERIA, 3 December 2024 - UNAIDS - The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Funke Akindele, a multiple award-winning actress, movie producer and director, as its new National Goodwill Ambassador (GWA) for Nigeria. This prestigious nomination recognizes Funke Akindele’s outstanding contributions to the fight against HIV and her unwavering commitment to advocacy, raising awareness, and driving efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Funke Akindele’s career took off with her role in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-sponsored television series “I Need to Know”, which focused on adolescent reproductive health and rights, including HIV. Since then, she has captivated audiences worldwide, earning millions of fans and accolades for her unforgettable roles. Known as the “Queen of Box Office” in Nollywood, Funke holds the top three slots on the list of highest-grossing Nollywood films of all time, reflecting her prominence and influence in the industry.
Tracking down and eliminating HIV dormant in the body: a major step forward
2-Dec-2024 - by Universite de Montreal - Modern therapies help people living with HIV to survive, but scientists are still trying to decipher the deep mystery of how to eventually eradicate the virus for good. Now new laboratory work in Canada sheds light on the vulnerabilities of HIV's pockets of resistance in the body, and potential ways to thwart them.
Led by of Université de Montréal medical professor Éric Cohen, director of the human retrovirology unit at the UdeM-affiliated Montreal Clinical Research Institute, the work is published in the journal iScience.
The presence of cells containing latent forms of HIV, which are not sensitive to current antiretroviral treatments, is an obstacle to the eradication of HIV in people living with HIV. The elimination of these cells, known as reservoirs, would prevent the rebound of viremia observed in infected people who are on long-term treatment.
Remarks by President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Dr. Daniel Driffin, and Jeanne White-Ginder Commemorating World AIDS Day
December 2, 2024 - The White House - As a person living with HIV, working daily among the HIV Vira- — the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, days like World AIDS Day are significant to me.
For more than 36 years, nations near and far have raised awareness of those impacted by and living with HIV.
Today, with the theme of “Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress,” I know we can continue to reduce the negative impact that HIV continues to have on our lives.
Action and progress link our globe as we continue to make advancements towards ending HIV. Action and progress have taken our world from no test for HIV to having rapid, home-based testing.
We went from medications that only stop HIV on one step of the life cycle to medications that stop HIV throughout the process of multiplying.
Biden displays AIDS Memorial Quilt at White House to observe World AIDS Day
Dec 1, 2024 - Associated Press - President Joe Biden had the AIDS Memorial Quilt spread on the White House South Lawn to observe World AIDS Day. Gathered with the president and his wife, Jill, were survivors, family members and advocates to memorialize the lives lost to the epidemic.
A Proclamation on World AIDS Day, 2024
December 1, 2024 - The White House - JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR - President of the United States of America - Our Nation has made enormous strides toward preventing, diagnosing, and treating HIV — a terrible disease that has stolen the precious lives of over 40 million people since the epidemic began in 1981. Despite our progress, over 39 million people worldwide continue to live with it, including over 1 million people in the United States. On World AIDS Day, we honor the memory of all those we tragically lost to HIV around the world. We stand in solidarity with all those who are courageously facing the disease today. And we renew our commitment to accelerating efforts to finally end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
My Administration has made historic progress toward addressing this fight. In my first year in office, I reestablished the White House Office of National AIDS Policy and launched a new National HIV/AIDS Strategy, to put us on the path to end this epidemic by 2030. To that end, the Health Resources and Services Administration committed nearly $10 billion in funding through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to ensure that low-income individuals in America with HIV can receive the medication and quality care they need. The Department of Health and Human Services is also working to guarantee that Americans have access to HIV interventions like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and self-tests to prevent HIV. And the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has ensured that PrEP medications — including long-term injectable options — and critical support services like counseling and screenings for HIV and hepatitis B are free for people with Medicare. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention invested $10 million in a pilot program that covers the cost of PrEP to five health departments across the Nation — an important step toward ensuring everyone has access to this vital medication. Additionally, my Administration’s investments in the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States initiative, which reaches over 50 jurisdictions, has helped decrease HIV incidence by 21 percent in the past year in those areas.
Five things you should know about the HIV epidemic
December 1, 2024 - The Conversation - It is 40 years since Aids was first identified. Major strides have been made since the spread of the virus reached epidemic proportions in 1995 when 3.3 million people were infected with HIV and just under one million people died.
New HIV infections have reduced by 60% since the peak in 1995 and deaths are down by a third.
In 2023 1.3 million people became newly infected with HIV, while 630,000 people died from Aids-related illnesses.
Aids researchers Nomathemba Chandiwana and Linda-Gail Bekker outline the five key things we should know about HIV as we enter the second quarter of the 21st century.
Minister’s statement on World AIDS Day, Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week
Victoria - December 1, 2024 - BC Gov News - Government of British Columbia - Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, has issued the following statement in recognition of World AIDS Day and Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week:
“Dec. 1 marks World AIDS Day and the beginning of Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week. This is a time to renew our commitment to support and remove the barriers of stigma for people throughout the province who live with and are impacted by HIV/AIDS. This year’s theme, My Health, My Right!, represents the importance of making health care accessible and equitable to all.
“B.C. has been a global leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS since the 1980s, committing to providing resources people need, including education and treatment measures, in our steadfast commitment to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada on World AIDS Day
Ottawa, ON - December 1, 2024 - Public Health Agency of Canada - Today, marks World AIDS Day and the beginning of Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week. This year's theme, "Take the rights path," highlights the importance of safeguarding human rights as a cornerstone of protecting health. It calls on us to uphold dignity, equality, and compassion in our collective efforts to end the HIV epidemic. These core principles can help to reduce stigma and barriers to testing, treatment and care and guide Canada's actions to address sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections.
In 2023, there were 2,434 people newly diagnosed with HIV in Canada, which is a 35% increase since 2022. Individuals aged 25 to 39 made up a significant portion of the new cases. This upward trend in new HIV diagnoses is the result of many factors, including increased testing following decreased testing rates experienced during the pandemic. Social determinants of health and risk factors, such as housing insecurity, rural or remote residence, lower income, substance use, experiences of violence and lack of access to health care, also influence infection rates. The Public Health Agency of Canada continues to work with partners on equitable access to testing, treatment and care for HIV.
Global celebrities unite behind UNAIDS’ call for world leaders to “take the rights path to end AIDS”
GENEVA, 1 December 2024 - UNAIDS - This World AIDS Day (1 December), sixteen global celebrities, including Hollywood film star Luke Evans and singer-songwriter Sia of the Unstoppable hit song, are uniting behind UNAIDS’ call for world leaders to protect human rights, which they say is vital to ensuring the success of efforts to end AIDS.
The celebrities, including actress and comedian Margaret Cho; comedian and poet Alok Vaid-Menon; fashion designer and television personality Tan France; actor Alan Cumming; actor, broadcaster and comedian Stephen Fry; actress Uzo Aduba; Moroccan artist OUM; South African actress Thuso Mbedu; Chinese actor and singer Huang Xiaoming; professional football player Racheal Kundananji; Pakistani-British actor and comedian Mawaan Rizwan; Filipino model and actress Pia Wurtzbach; Ukrainian singer and TV show host Vera Brezhneva; and popular television presenter Erkin Ryzkullbekov have come together in support of UNAIDS call to “Take the rights path to end AIDS.”
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