|
Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - February 2013
BCCLA Says New Medical Marihuana Rules Will Deny Medication to the Most Vulnerable Patients
February 28, 2013 - The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association has called on the federal government to make major changes to the new Marihuana for Medical Purposes
Regulations. The heart of the new program is the elimination of licenses for patients to grow their own medical marihuana or to designate a grower for their medical marihuana. Under the new program, patients will
have to purchase their medical marihuana from a new, not yet existing, industry of commercial medical marihuana providers. The BCCLA says that this will effectively deny access to patients most in need.
New amfAR Film Makes Powerful Case for Syringe Services Programs
NEW YORK, February 28, 2013 - Film urges lawmakers to rescind the ban on federal funding for syringe services programs
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research on February 28 announced the release of a new short film that shows in very human terms the proven ability of syringe
services programs (often called syringe exchange programs) to reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases, including HIV.
World must address disparities in access to HIV/AIDS treatment - UN official
28 February 2013 - The disparities in access to HIV/AIDS treatment across the world shed light on the need to overcome inequality and exclusion, a senior United Nations official
stressed today, calling on countries to use efforts to eliminate this disease as a way to combat social injustice.
Read more...
Director's Briefing: Progress Against HIV/AIDS
February 27, 2013 - CDC works 24/7 to protect America's health. In this Director's Briefing video, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden
talks about how we have made real progress against HIV/AIDS.
In Memoriam: C. Everett Koop
February 27, 2013 - The public health world, especially those of us who work in the HIV/AIDS arena, mourn the passing of former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop
Read more...
HIV and Gay Media: The Vanishing Virus
02/27/2013 - The turning point could be traced to August of 1998. It was the month that, for the
first time in well over a decade, the Bay Area Reporter did not have a single AIDS obituary submitted for publication. The promise of protease inhibitor medications had been realized, and it felt for many that our long community nightmare was coming to a close.
Dismissal of Celia Farber Libel Suit versus Richard Jefferys Upheld
February 27, 2013 | BY ARTHUR S. LEONARD - An intermediate level state appeals court has upheld a 2011 trial court ruling dismissing Celia Farber's lawsuit contending she was defamed by an email
AIDS activist Richard Jefferys wrote saying that Farber and Dr. Peter Duesberg are "liars" for
their assertions that HIV is not the cause of AIDS.
Read more...
Seeing Through HIV's Disguises
02/27/2013 - Researchers identify 25 human proteins that may be crucial for HIV-1 infection and survival
When a new HIV particle emerges from an infected human cell, it wraps itself in membrane and proteins from the host cell, effectively disguising
itself from the immune system's sentinels. Scientists believe that some of these proteins are specifically "chosen" by the virus in order to enhance its ability to survive, while other proteins may be just randomly caught up in the viral packaging.
ICASA, Africa's largest AIDS Conference to be held in Cape Town in December, 2013
February 27, 2013 - The 17th International Conference on AIDS and STI's in Africa (ICASA 2013), Africa's largest AIDS Conference, will offer a unique platform ahead of 2015 to assess progress and developments in relation to HIV and AIDS.
HIV no longer a death sentence, but stigma remains
Feb. 27, 2013 - Victoria artist Peggy Frank was diagnosed with the disease in 1987 after a university trip to Zimbabwe. A routine blood test came back with the life changing results.
Read more...
HIV & Fear: People With AIDS Virus Have Trouble Recognizing Emotion In Others' Faces, Study Shows
February 27, 2013 - This trouble with emotional recognition may reveal subtle cognitive deficits caused by the disease, researchers wrote today (Feb. 26) in the open-access journal BMC Psychology.
Previous studies have found that HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is linked with abnormalities in the frontostriatal region of the brain, communications corridors that link the frontal lobes to deeper brain structures.
Read more...
Film Gospel of Healing Looks at Response to HIV/AIDS in Black Churches
February 26, 2013 - In his documentary The Gospel of Healing Vol. 1: Black Churches Respond to HIV/AIDS, filmmaker Paul Grant compiled stories of five black churches' HIV/AIDS ministries in their communities. Viewers have a "visceral" reaction to the film, as if they were actually face-to-face with the pastors, according to Grant.
Read more...
Scientists identify bone-marrow environment that leads to production of infection-fighting T and B cells
DALLAS - Feb. 25, 2013 - The Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern has deepened the understanding of the environment within bone
marrow that nurtures stem cells, this time identifying the biological setting for specialized blood-forming cells that produce the infection-fighting white blood cells known as T cells and B cells.
FOR MUGABE'S RAPE GANGS, TIME HAS RUN OUT:
25 February 2013 (Johannesburg, South Africa) - South Africa to Investigate Zimbabwe's Politically Motivated Rape
South Africa has made a groundbreaking decision to investigate crimes against humanity in Zimbabwe. This unprecedented action positions
the country as a global leader in confronting rape worldwide, and provides the first real hope that a past campaign of mass rape will be prosecuted and future atrocities will be prevented.
Toronto-based study looking for participants
February 25, 2013 - The purpose of this study, funded by Fulbright Canada, is to conduct in-depth, interviews with
approximately 25 adults aged 50 and over( in Toronto and Hamilton) who are aging well with HIV. The study involves 1-2 in-depth, semi - structured interviews
with individuals who enroll in the study. Through these interviews, we hope to better understand what personal and social characteristics are associated
with aging well as well as how service delivery and environmental factors may help or hinder this process.
The Changing Face of HIV/AIDS Activism
By Aaron Laxton - February 24, 2013 - Ask anyone involved in HIV/AIDS activism about the current state of the movement and the answers might range anywhere from stagnated, stalled or quite possibly a
bit more optimistic, citing the phrase "AIDS-free generation." The answer typically denotes the person's experience within the community and to some degree reflects their journey with HIV/AIDS. We have inched closer to longer life-expectancy
while at the same time creating a diminished a sense of urgency and self-determination that as a community we once had, but now have lost.
Read more...
HIV Is Not a Gift. HIV Is an Opportunity.
By Reggie Smith - February 24, 2013 - In my travels, I have heard that some people, as a result of their economic situation, have actually wanted to and tried hard to contract HIV so that they would
be eligible for the social services that would not ordinarily be afforded them if they were not HIV positive. In that regard they refer to HIV as "the gift."
Read more...
Mylan Launches Innovative Portfolio of Antiretroviral Products for Treatment of HIV/AIDS in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG and PITTSBURGH, Feb. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Builds on Existing South African Commercial Business
Mylan Inc. (Nasdaq: MYL), one of the world's leading generic and specialty pharmaceutical companies, today announced that its subsidiary in South Africa, Mylan (Proprietary) Limited, has
launched a comprehensive portfolio of antiretroviral (ARV) products. South Africa has the world's largest HIV/AIDS population, with approximately 5.6 million1 people living with the disease and an estimated 1.7 million2 people receiving treatment.
Surviving AIDS, but Not the Life That Followed
FEB. 22, 2013
- In early December, the veteran AIDS activists Spencer Cox, Garance Franke-Ruta and Peter Staley had a reunion of sorts. They met in a packed auditorium at St. Luke’s Hospital on the Upper West Side, where a screening of “How to Survive a Plague,” the soon-to-be-Oscar-nominated documentary, was taking place.
Read more...
CROI Begins March 3 in Atlanta and Online
February 22, 2013 - The 20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI Exit Disclaimer) begins in just over a week in Atlanta, Georgia. This annual
scientific meeting of the world's leading researchers working to understand, prevent, and treat HIV/AIDS and its complications provides a vital forum for translating laboratory and clinical research into progress against the AIDS epidemic.
Read more...
Microbicides research - free webinar
22 February 2013 - As part of its European HIV prevention work, NAM is collaborating with AVAC to provide a series of webinars (conference calls with accompanying slides) to train and
inform prevention advocates and anyone interested in the newest developments in HIV prevention technology.
Read more...
How they survived the plague: The battle for AIDS research
CBS News - February 22, 2013
Low nadir CD4 cell count associated with increased cataract risk in South Africans taking HIV therapy
22 February 2013 - A low nadir (lowest ever) CD4 cell count is associated with increased lens density - a marker for cataract
formation - in people with HIV, investigators report in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The authors suggest that increased
lens density may be an indicator of accelerated ageing in people with HIV.
Read more...
Death by denial: The campaigners who continue to deny HIV causes Aids
February 21, 2013 - As each of their followers dies, those who campaign against HIV treatments simply move on to the next level of denial
Read more...
Scale-up of HIV treatment in rural South Africa dramatically increases adult life expectancy
February 21, 2013 - Boston, MA - Boston, MA - The large antiretroviral treatment (ART) scale-up in a rural community in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has
led to a rapid and dramatic increase in population adult life expectancy-a gain of 11.3 years over eight calendar years (2004-2011)-and the benefit of providing ART far outweighs the cost, according to new research from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).
HIV treatment update - Winter 2013
What's in this issue?
There's an unusually diverse mix of topics in this issue of HTU. You might say they span the 'before, during and after' of the HIV diagnosis experience.
Read more...
An activist's journey: former Jumbo Gregg Gonsalves leads in AIDS activism
February 21, 2013 - As an ambitious high school graduate, Gregg Gonsalves applied to Tufts with medical school among his ultimate goals. Although he ultimately never graduated from Tufts, his time as a student on the
Hill proved critical to his development as an activist fighting AIDS, a role he continues to play to this day.
Read more...
Peer Engagement Coordinator - Job Posting - AIDS Vancouver
Closing Date: Thursday, February 28, 2013
The Peer Engagement Coordinator implements and oversees the day-to-day operation of the Peer Engagement program and works closely
with Program Coordinators to ensure consistent and cohesive client service. The Coordinator reports to the Volunteer Resources Supervisor.
Prevention in Focus, Issue 7, Spring 2013
Prevention in Focus highlights HIV and hepatitis C research that can help you plan and deliver prevention programs and services.
Condom Delivery on Campus
February 21, 2013 - A college student in New Jersey is delivering condoms on campus to promote responsibility
among his peers, and to turn a profit. He started the business last year, and hopes to expand to nearby campuses.
HIV Transmission Risk: A Summary of Evidence
Executive Summary
This report provides a synthesis of the current scientific evidence on the risk of transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
associated with sexual activities, injection and other drug use, and mother-to-child (vertical) transmission. This technical document is intended for use by health authorities
and professional organizations to inform the development of policies, programs, and/or guidelines aimed at preventing HIV transmission.
HIV-prevention pill put to the test in Canadian trial
February 20, 2013 - Some worry pill will discourage condom use
A clinical trial to test a controversial pill for HIV prevention is set to begin in Toronto to determine how well it works in the real world, raising both hope and some concerns.
Read more...
South Carolina: Graphic Novel Authors Hope to Prevent HIV/AIDS
February 19, 2013 - Two University of South Carolina (USC) School of Library and Information Science researchers have helped incarcerated teenaged students write a 30-page graphic novel titled "AIDS in the End Zone."
Read more...
International space station plays host to innovative infectious disease research
February 19, 2013 - "There are conditions that are encountered by pathogens during the infection process in the human body
that are relevant to conditions that these same organisms experience when cultured in spaceflight.
ViiV Healthcare announces FDA priority review designation for dolutegravir as a potential treatment for HIV infection
February 19, 2013 - A priority review designation is granted to drugs that, if approved, have the potential to offer significant improvement
compared to marketed products or provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists. The FDA has assigned dolutegravir a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target date of 17 August, 2013.
'Free condoms in the city': Ottawa city targets youths with condom campaign
OTTAWA, Ontario, February 18, 2013, (LifeSiteNews.com) - The city of Ottawa celebrated Valentine's Day last week by launching a website called "Sex It Smart" to provide city teens as young as 15 with free condoms.
Read more...
La fermeture de NAPWA
18/02/2013 - GNP+NA note avec tristesse et la déception de la dissolution de l'Association nationale des personnes atteintes du SIDA (NAPWA).
NAPWA a été fondée il ya 30 ans, peu de temps après la réunion où la manifeste les "Principes de Denver" surr le «self-empowerment» a été rédigé et adopté par les personnes vivant avec le SIDA. Depuis,
NAPWA joué un rôle important dans la promotion de VIH «leadership» positif et la défense des intérêts des personnes vivant avec le VIH / SIDA.
The Closing of NAPWA
18/02/2013 - GNP+NA notes with sadness and disappointment the dissolution of the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA).
NAPWA was founded 30 years ago, shortly after the meeting where the seminal "Denver Principles" self-empowerment manifesto was written
and adopted by people living with AIDS. Since then, NAPWA played an important role in fostering HIV positive leadership and advocating on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Teens create graphic novel about AIDS
February 18, 2013 - "AIDS In The End Zone" tackles the topic of AIDS and AIDS prevention in a illustrated book, the novel was written by teens incarcerated at the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.
Watch Video...
Condoms used in one-in-four heterosexual encounters in the US
17 February 2013 - A quarter of heterosexual adults in the United States used a condom the last time they had vaginal sex, researchers from Indiana University have found.
Read more...
Number of gay men catching HIV has doubled in 20 years because new drugs have 'encouraged unsafe sex'
February 15, 2013 - Between 1990 and 2010 there was a 26 per cent increase in the number of men having unprotected sex
Cases of HIV rose by 76 per cent in this period
Experts say introduction of effective drugs is to blame
Watch Video...
Suits Dinner - February 25, 2013 - Milestones Yaletown
SUITS - POZ WORKING MEN'S DINNER GROUP
Come out and join other working guys for a monthly dinner February 25, 2013 5.30-8.00 at Milestones Yaletown, 1109 Hamilton Street.
Is HIV Drug Resistance Still Relevant?
Mark A Wainberg
McGill University AIDS Centre
Hôpital juif de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
Watch Video...
'Significant' proportion of HIV positive patients may not be telling NHS staff about their infection
February 15, 2013 - If trend is national, it could skew true population prevalence of undiagnosed HIV
"This is the first published objective evidence that non-disclosure of HIV status as a phenomenon exists in patients attending [sexual health] clinics in the UK," write the authors.
PrEP wars: debating pre-exposure prophylaxis in the gay community
14 February 2013 - Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was approved in the US in July, following trials showing its efficacy in preventing sexual transmission of HIV. But, as Gus Cairns finds out, it remains a controversial addition to the HIV prevention options available to gay men in the US.
Read more...
Discovery in HIV may solve efficiency problems for gene therapy
14-Feb-2013 - Case Western Reserve researchers pinpoint RNA element missing from viral vectors
These people are responsible for passing on up to 75 per cent of new cases, a leading expert claims
A quarter of people with HIV have no idea they're infected - and are unwittingly passing it on
These people are responsible for passing on up to 75 per cent of new cases, a leading expert claims
Drug interaction warning for hepatitis C: serious side effects when using telaprevir and bosentan
Feb 14, 2013 - Higher-than-normal pressure in the arteries that supply the lungs with oxygen-rich blood-a condition called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-can
occur in a small proportion of HIV-positive people. If left untreated, PAH can lead to serious consequences.
NAPWA Announces Suspension of Operations and Bankruptcy Filing
February 14, 2013 - The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) - the largest, oldest, and most trusted voice for the 1.2 million People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the U.S. -has ceased operations and has filed a petition in United States Bankruptcy Court to discharge its debts in bankruptcy and liquidate.
Recent marijuana use in HIV-infected Russians associated with increased sex and drug risk behaviors
13-Feb-2013 - (Boston) - Researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University's School of Medicine (BUSM) and School
of Public Health (BUSPH) have found that in Russian HIV-infected risky drinkers, marijuana use is associated with other increased risky behaviors involving drug use and sex.
These findings, published online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, may aid clinicians and public health experts in detecting individuals at a higher risk of transmitting HIV.
Was higher viral load responsible for the African HIV epidemic?
12 February 2013 - Co-infections may have increased incidence, especially in low-risk groups
Researchers from Cornell University in New York have found that the average HIV viral load of people not taking antiretroviral medication (ART) in Africa, and especially in southern and eastern Africa, is higher than
the viral loads of untreated patients on other parts of the world. The so-called 'community viral load' (CVL) off treatment was nearly four times higher on average in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, and 5.5 times higher in southern African countries excluding South Africa, than it was in North America.
Read more...
Neurocognitive Problems Not Tied to HIV Factors in Aquitaine Cohort
11 February 2013 - Symptomatic and asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment affected more than half of HIV-positive adults in the French Aquitaine Cohort. Symptomatic impairment was related to
traditional risk factors but not to antiretroviral therapy or HIV-related variables.
Read more...
One in 5 With HIV in Sydney Has Difficulty Meeting Pharmacy Costs
11 February 2013 - Despite highly subsidized antiretroviral therapy and universal health care in Australia, 20% of HIV-positive people in a Sydney clinic said they had difficult meeting pharmacy costs, and 15% delayed buying drugs because of cost.
Read more...
Newly identified natural protein blocks HIV, other deadly viruses
By Enrique Rivero | February 11, 2013 - A team of UCLA-led researchers has identified a protein with broad virus-fighting properties that
potentially could be used as a weapon against deadly human pathogenic viruses such as HIV, Ebola, Rift Valley Fever, Nipah and others designated "priority pathogens" for national
biosecurity purposes by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
WHEN SEX IS A CRIME AND SPIT IS A DANDEROUS WEAPON
A COMMUNITY ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION OF HIV CRIMINALIZATION AND TENNESSEE LAW
6 - 8pm, MARCH 20, 2013
Nashville Cares 633 Thompson Lane, Nashville, TN 37204.
Claiming Privacy: First Domestic Challenge to Jamaica's Anti-Sodomy Law
February 11, 2013 - On behalf of one such person, young gay rights activist, Javed Jaghai, AIDS-Free World has filed a
claim in the country's Supreme Court seeking a declaration that the anti-sodomy law no longer applies to private acts of intimacy between consenting adult males. The first hearing of the case will take place on June 25, 2013.
Low Nadir CD4 and High Viral Load Predict Cognitive Deficit in Canada
11 February 2013 - Four factors-including low nadir CD4 count and high pretreatment viral load-independently predicted symptomatic HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) among HIV-positive people in care in Alberta, Canada, where healthcare and combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) are free.
Read more...
Image of the Week: Glass sculpture of an HIV virus
February 10, 2013 - Artist Luke Jerram has created a remarkable collection of glass sculptures depicting some of the most notorious microbes.
Breaking the AIDS curse
February 9, 2013 - AIDS was slow to arrive in the remote central highlands of the Indonesian province of Papua. It was not until 1996 that eight people tested positive in Wamena, the region's
capital. By that time, the world had been dealing with this deadly disease for a decade. And yet, in Papua, precisely nothing happened.
Read more...
Addressing HIV in the Black Community
February 08, 2013 - Conclusive research shows that African-Americans do not engage in riskier HIV behaviors than other Americans. So why are HIV rates so high in our communities?
One main reason is the lack of access to healthcare. As many as 22% of African-Americans with HIV do not know that they have the virus. Of new infections among youth, 60% are among black youth , and over half of all HIV
positive youth were unaware of their infection.
Jeanne Manford, Late PFLAG Co-Founder, Honored by Obama
08 February 2013 - Jeanne Manford, the Queens mother of two gay sons who co-founded PFLAG -- Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and
Gays -- has been named one of 13 recipients of the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation's second highest civilian honor.
Read more...
UNAIDS to collaborate with HSRC in HIV prevention research and policy development
08 February 2013 - "This partnership is a unique opportunity for UNAIDS to consolidate strategic information on the AIDS epidemic and realise our common vision of zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related
death and zero discrimination," said Professor Sheila Tlou, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa.
Read more...
Test and treat must go beyond couples to control HIV in Africa
08 February 2013 - A focus on stable couples when attempting to reduce HIV transmission through offering antiretroviral treatment, or when counselling about HIV transmission and safer sex, may risk understimating
the amount of HIV infections that occur as a result of sex outside the primary relationship, according to results from a modelling study which looked at heterosexual couples in sub-Saharan Africa.
Read more...
Immune system protein in semen boosts HIV spread in female genital tissue
February 8, 2013 - NIH study suggests virus uses protein to spread
An immune system protein normally found in semen appears to enhance the spread of HIV to tissue from the uterine cervix, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
HIV exploits a human cytokine in semen to promote its own transmission
7-Feb-2013 - A new report suggests that the concentration of one human cytokine, interleukin 7 (IL-7), in the semen of HIV-1-infected men may be a key determinant of the efficiency of HIV-1 transmission to an uninfected female partner.
Yemen: raising HIV awareness among internally displaced populations
07 February 2013 - Local authorities are concerned about the lack of HIV information and have partnered with UNAIDS and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to start
an HIV awareness raising programme for displaced people.
Read more...
UTSW researchers identify unique peptide with therapeutic potential against cancers, neurological disorders, and infectious diseases
DALLAS - Feb. 7, 2013 - UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have synthesized a peptide that shows potential for pharmaceutical
development into agents for treating infections, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer through an ability to induce a cell-recycling process called autophagy.
American Academy of Pediatrics issues statement on infant feeding and HIV transmission
7 February 2013 - An essential part of preventing mother-to-child transmission is HIV testing for women who are thinking of having a baby or who are pregnant.
Although HIV can be transmitted from mother to child-this is called vertical transmission-the risk of transmission can be reduced to less than 1% with the following steps, which are commonly followed in Canada and similar countries.
Commemorating National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
February 7, 2013 - In Black America, HIV continues to be a crisis. African Americans account for half of the 1 million plus Americans living with HIV,
nearly half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. each year, and half of all those who die from AIDS annually. If we are to end this epidemic, we have to address the spread of HIV in Black America, and each of us can play a role.
Veteran AIDS Activist Kenneth Cole Uses Fashion Week to Raise Funds and Awareness
February 7, 2013 - Renowned fashion designer Kenneth Cole will rely on Fashion Week publicity to generate money and awareness for AIDS research. Cole intends to donate funds raised from
sales of two new designs to the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).
Read more...
NüVo CONDOMS THE OFFICIAL CONDOM OF VALENTINES DAYTM. WILL BE SUPPLYING 2 US HIGH SCHOOLS WITH CONDOMS & EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR VALENTINES DAY.
NEW YORK, February 6, 2013 - When speaking about this program Jenny Anderson, school Social Worker at Augsburg Fairview Academy said
"We are grateful to NüVo for helping us continue in our work of empowering youth to have safer sex and take control of their sexual health through education and access. With
the generous donation by NüVo, our students will have the tools to educate each other on safer sex and promote healthy relationships".
Ten Years of Red Cross HIV Care and Support in Russia
February 6, 2013 - In Russia, a country of 143 million people, between 840,000 and 1.2 million are HIV-positive, according to a 2009 estimate by
UNAIDS and the World Health Organization. That means Russia has one of the world's highest percentages of HIV-infected people outside sub-Saharan Africa.
Social media may prove useful in prevention of HIV, STDs, study shows
By Enrique Rivero | February 6, 2013 - Facebook and other social networking technologies could serve as effective tools for preventing HIV
infection among at-risk groups, new UCLA research suggests.
Facing AIDS for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
This video shows the faces and signs of African Americans who have participated in the Face AIDS campaign.
 
Bradford McIntyre has No Shame About Being HIV Positive!
RISE UP TO HIV
For me, there is more power in people knowing the truth than there ever was in the fear and hiding. I did not experience any negative repercussions
following my coming out publicly about being infected with HIV. This freed me from the burden of hiding that I'm HIV positive, giving me the freedom to truly be myself. My coming out publicly evolved and grew, which has been an extremely rewarding and liberating experience.
Welcome to the Dr. Peter Centre
The Dr. Peter Centre is British Columbia's only HIV/AIDS Day Health Program and 24-hour nursing care Residence.
Chip Can Diagnose HIV In 15 Minutes
February 6, 2013 - The mChip is a device that uses a single finger prick to diagnose HIV in minutes. The blood sample
is analyzed and data is sent to a medical records database in the cloud. This cheap and portable system has proved to be very useful in developing countries.
'Intensive' antiretroviral regimen achieves rapid suppression of HIV in semen
06 February 2013 - Adding maraviroc and raltegravir to standard HIV treatment regimens achieves rapid suppression of viral load in semen, Canadian investigators report in the online edition of
the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Intermittent, low level shedding of HIV in semen was also less likely to occur in people taking intensified therapy than in people treated with a standard three-drug regimen.
Read more...
DINING OUT FOR LIFE
Dine Out, Fight AIDS on Thursday, April 25! 250,000 Diners. 3,000 Restaurants. 60 HIV/AIDS organizations!
An annual dining fundraising event raising money for AIDS service organizations
Israeli physicians to be told they must treat HIV carriers
02:12 06 - Doctors do not have the right to refuse to treat patients, the Israeli Medical Association's ethics committee said Tuesday, countering arguments in favor of doctors' discretion when receiving HIV patients.
Local company gets funding boost to develop HIV detector that could 'change the world'
February 5, 2013 - An Edmonton company believes it's one step closer to changing the world - after
receiving a big funding boost from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for its work in developing a urine test that can detect HIV in its early stages.
Read more...
Multiple factors affect HIV prognosis, study shows
February 5, 2013 - In a major advancement for the field of HIV treatment, a new study has identified a more accurate method of suggesting prognosis for HIV patients.
ViiV Healthcare expands Positive Action Southern Initiative to fight HIV/AIDS and support community action
Research Triangle Park, NC - February 4, 2013 - Commitment to the Hard-hit Southern U.S. Continues - Letters of Interest Now Open for Organizations in Two Additional States, Texas and Virginia
First established in 2010, the Positive Action Southern Initiative is a collaborative, community-focused program that focuses on linking people living with HIV into care and/or enhancing their treatment adherence and delaying disease progression.
With today's announcement, the Positive Action Southern Initiative will have committed over $2.5M towards funding grass-roots projects designed to address local gaps in care and services for people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS in this hard-hit region.
Extra-couple HIV transmission a major driver of Africa's HIV epidemic
February 4, 2013 - New research suggests that heterosexual couples in long-term relationships who have sexual encounters outside their established partnership (extra-couple relationships)
are one of the main drivers of the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa.
Read more...
Injection-free vaccination technique could address global vaccine challenge for HIV, malaria
4-Feb-2013 - Scientists demonstrate the ability to deliver a dried live vaccine to the skin without a traditional needle
Scientists at King's College London have demonstrated the ability to deliver a dried live vaccine to the skin without a traditional needle, and shown for the first
time that this technique is powerful enough to enable specialised immune cells in the skin to kick-start the immunising properties of the vaccine.
Study finds incentive price for reducing HIV risk in Mexico
February 4, 2013 - Studies have found that conditional cash transfer programs, in which governments pay citizens if they consistently practice societally beneficial behaviors,
have improved pediatric health care and education in Mexico, increased HIV testing in Malawi, and reduced sexually transmitted infections in Tanzania.
Read more...
Rise Up To HIV No Shame Production
Rise Up to HIV No Shame About Being HIV Poz Campaign
HIV incidence in gay men unchanged in England and Wales, despite more testing
February 4, 2013 - Treatment on diagnosis may be needed, say researchers
A paper in The Lancet Infectious Diseases by scientists from the UK's Medical Research Council and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has calculated that the number of gay men in England and Wales who become infected with HIV each year remained unchanged between 2001 and 2010.
Read more...
Gay Muppets with HIV
Red Ribbon Breakfast
Date: Tuesday, 26 February 2013 - 7:30am
Where: Location: Park Ballroom, Four Seasons Hotel, 791 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, V6C 2T4
Cost: Free
The Red Ribbon Breakfast is an annual fundraiser that takes place over breakfast. This free event provides information about Positive Living BC and a special video presentation on our membership will inspire people to give.
UNAIDS applauds Mongolia for removing restrictions on entry, stay and residence for people living with HIV
GENEVA, 1 February 2013 - The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the recent law reforms in Mongolia that
have removed all travel restrictions and other discriminatory provisions for people living with HIV. The reforms which were passed by Mongolia's Parliament in mid-December of last year took effect on 15 January 2013.
Early therapy for HIV vital
February 1, 2013 - New insight into the optimal timing of therapy for HIV infection could give patients a better chance of responding to potential cure strategies of the future.
Read more...
30 years of HIV science: Imagine the future
May 21-23, 2013
May 2013 will mark the 30th year since the publication in Science reporting for the first time the identification of a retrovirus associated with AIDS-related syndromes,
now referred to as human immunodeficiency virus. To celebrate this anniversary, the Institut Pasteur in collaboration with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, ANRS and sidaction is organizing an international symposium. The
objective of this symposium is not to trace the history of the discovery of the virus, but to focus on the critical challenges and the future priorities that remain in HIV science as a result of 30 years of fantastic achievements.
Read more...
Gum disease found to worsen infection in animal model of AIDS
February 1, 2013 - May slow treatment effect in early stages of disease
Texas Biomed scientists in San Antonio have found that moderate gum disease in an animal model exposed to an AIDS- like virus had more viral variants
causing infection and greater inflammation. Both of these features have potential negative implications in long term disease progression, including other kinds of infections, the researchers say in a new report.
A 'neurosteroid' found to prevent brain injury caused by HIV/AIDS
February 1, 2013 - A team of scientists from Canada, Thailand and Morocco have found that DHEA-S may prevent neurocognitive impairment that affects a
significant percentage of AIDS patients. In a report appearing in the February 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, they describe how a network of steroid molecules found in the brain, termed
"neurosteroids," is disrupted during HIV infection leading to brain damage.
AIDS GROUPS CRITICAL OF COURT DECISION ON MEDICAL CANNABIS
February 1, 2012 - Today could have been a landmark day for human rights in drug policy and health care in Canada, but the opportunity was missed
when Ontario's Court of Appeal overturned a lower court decision that had ruled the federal government's current laws on access to cannabis for medicinal purposes violate Charter rights.
Conference Programme Committees selected for the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014), Melbourne, Australia, 20-25 July 2014
1st February 2012 - Geneva, Switzerland - Preparation is under way for the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) which will take place in Melbourne, Australia,
from 20 to 25 July 2014. Held every two years, the International AIDS Conference is the premiere gathering where all stakeholders in the global response to HIV meet to discuss progress and future priorities.
The twentieth International AIDS Conference will have a strong focus on the epidemic in the Asia and the Pacific region and is expected to convene some 18,000 delegates from all over the world.
VOTE TO END AIDS
Visit UNAIDS and vote to "End AIDS"
Help us spread the word about the initiative and to encourage everyone who feels that AIDS should be a top priority to visit the UN platform and vote to end AIDS.
 
A Loving Spoonful's Candygrams
This Valentine's Day say it like this.....
"You are like a Candy Bar , half sweet and half nuts!?!"
A Loving Spoonful teams up with Purdy's, Yelp and Shamin Jewellers to send happiness all across Canada this Valentine's Day raising much needed funds for men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS. Say it with a CandyGram!
30th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial - Registration Open
In solidarity: 30th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial - 19 May 2013
The theme of the 30th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is "In solidarity". On Sunday 19 May 2013, for the 30th time, grassroots organizations worldwide will commemorate the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial. Communities will raise awareness around HIV, stand together with people living with HIV and remember the loved ones lost to HIV and AIDS. Registration for Memorial 2013 has opened at www.candlelightmemorial.org.
Strengthening the Pillars of Treatment Access in Canada
CTAC Conference
Save the date: Week of September 16th, 2013 -Toronto
Profiling leading research and program interventions.
Positive Gathering
A Conference Developed For And By HIV+ People In British Columbia
March 22 - 24, 2013 - Coast Plaza Hotel - 1763 Comox Street - Vancouver, BC
Positive Gathering is a three-day conference developed for and by HIV-positive British Columbians. Our peer-delivered interactive workshops allow HIV-positive people
to learn from each other in a safe, open and supportive environment. Our breakaway sessions and gala dinner provide great opportunities for networking, socializing and having fun.
Wabano Centre Presents: Culture as Treatment Series
"Traditional Medicines: Health & Wellness From The Land"
March 20-22, 2013
The purpose of our 7th Annual 'Culture as Treatment' series is to share Aboriginal traditions and teachings that can complement mainstream
interventions, support the work of service providers, and enhance the health of Aboriginal communities. The symposium is cultural learning and sensitivity
training for all. This event is a particularly special one, as it will be the first event to be held in Wabano's newly expanded space.
| 
