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HIV/AIDS News...and more Bradford McIntyre Positively Positive Living with HIV/AIDS

Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News

HIV and AIDS News from around the world

AIDS Awareness Red Ribbon

Worldwide 85.6 million people have been infected with HIV.
40.5 million people are living with HIV, and 51.3 million people with HIV have died.
Practicing Safe Sex is our best resource in preventing HIV infection through sexual contact.
Sexual contact accounts for 95 percent of all new HIV infections worldwide.
Safe Sex = Disease Prevention – STAY SAFE!
Use A Condom Every Time!

“HIV needs to be in the media each and every day as most people only see snippets of news and these are not effective enough. For this reason, in 2007, I decided to include an HIV/AIDS News page where people could find information on many HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) related issues, Infectious Disease,
and more.

I collaborate with individuals, groups and organizations throughout the world, to include their HIV/AIDS news articles, press releases, events, workshops, conferences and more on PositivelyPositive.ca. News items stay on the HIV/AIDS News page for a month, and then go into the HIV/AIDS News Archives.”

Bradford McIntyre



AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference - Munich, Germany, and Virtually -  22 - 26 July 2024 - www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2024


ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - 27-30 April 2024 in Barcelona, Spain - www.eccmid.org
You are never too old for an STI – more older adults being diagnosed with STIs such as gonorrhoea and syphilis
March 27, 2024 - ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona, 27-30 April)
A session to be given at a pre-congress day for this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona, 27-30 April) will look at how to manage the rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in older people, such as gonorrhoea, syphilis, and genital warts. It will focus on the importance of sex, intimacy, and sexual health to the Baby Boomer generation, especially given that 1 in 6 individuals worldwide will be aged 60 and older by 2030. The presentation will be given by Professor Justyna Kowalska from the Medical University of Warsaw, Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Warsaw, Poland—who will highlight the need for conversations around older people and sexual health to be normalised.
Read more...

ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - 27-30 April 2024 in Barcelona, Spain - www.eccmid.org
Around half of people living with HIV in developed countries are now aged 50 years and over and at higher risk of becoming frail and having multiple comorbidities
March 27, 2024 - ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona, 27-30 April)
A talk to be given at a pre-congress day for this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) will focus on the growing prevalence of HIV in older adults, with, using England as an example, half of adults accessing care aged now 50 years and older, and around 1 in 11 aged 65 years and older. Similar trends exist in Italy and other countries of Western Europe. Older adults with HIV in all countries are also more likely to have comorbidities and become ‘frail’ early compared with older adults without HIV.
Read more...

www.poz.com
Delayed HIV Treatment Raises Risk of Complications and Death Years Later
March 27, 2024 - By Liz Highleyman - Inflammation before initiation of antiretroviral therapy can have long-term consequences, including AIDS, cardiovascular disease and death.
People with HIV who delayed initiation of antiretroviral treatment continue to be at higher risk for an AIDS diagnosis, serious non-AIDS conditions or death several years later, and this appears to be associated with higher levels of inflammation, according to study results presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2024) in Denver.
These findings emphasize the need to diagnose HIV early to facilitate early treatment, Kanal Singh, MD, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and colleagues with the INSIGHT START Study Group concluded.

Read more... POZ | SCINECE NEWS | www.poz.com

University of Bristol - bristol.ac.uk
Researchers a step closer to a cure for HIV
March 26, 2024 - University of Bristol - A new study involving University of Bristol researchers has shown a virus-like particle (HLP) can effectively 'shock and kill' the latent HIV reservoir.
By 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Fund and UNAIDS are hoping to end the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS epidemic. An international team of researchers led by Professor Eric Arts from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Canada, and Dr Jamie Mann, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol, has brought us another step closer to meeting this goal, by finding an effective and affordable targeted treatment strategy for an HIV cure.
Read more...

TB still looms as Idaho health officials rally for prevention
March 26, 2024 - BY Dr. Scott Hutton, Division of Public Health - Idaho Department of Health and Welfare - Idaho.gov - Although Idaho and the rest of the United States have made significant progress in reducing tuberculosis (TB), 15 Idahoans and thousands of people in the U.S. were reported to have active TB in 2023.
Too many people still suffer from this potentially life-threatening disease. As World TB Day was recognized Sunday, March 24, the Idaho Division of Public Health TB Program in the Department of Health and Welfare is asking everyone to help prevent TB in our communities.

Read more...

www.uwo.ca
Researchers a step closer to HIV cure
March 26, 2024 - By Cynthia Fazio - Western News - Western University - New study shows virus-like particle can effectively ‘shock and kill’ latent HIV reservoir in those living with chronic HIV
By 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Fund and UNAIDS are hoping to end the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS epidemic. An international team of researchers led by Eric Arts, professor at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and Jamie Mann, senior lecturer at the University of Bristol (U.K.), has brought us another step closer to meeting this goal, by finding an effective and affordable targeted treatment strategy for an HIV cure.
In a first, the study published in the journal Emerging Microbes and Infections demonstrated the team’s patented therapeutic candidate, an HIV-virus-like-particle (HLP), is 100 times more effective than other candidate HIV cure therapeutics for people living with chronic HIV on combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). If successful in clinical trials, HLP could be used by millions of people living around the world to free them of HIV. This study was done using blood samples from people living with chronic HIV.

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VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH IS SEEING AN INCREASE IN REPORTED MPOX CASES
March 25, 2024 - Virginia Department of Health - Virginia.gov - Virginia Department of Health is Seeing an Increase in Reported Mpox Cases
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is closely monitoring a recent increase in mpox cases in Virginia. Since January 1, 2024, 12 mpox cases have been reported to VDH from the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Northwest health regions; of these, four patients required hospitalization, six were co-infected with HIV, and none had been previously vaccinated. For comparison, there were 12 reported mpox cases in all of 2023, and all were from the Northern Health Region.
Signs and symptoms of mpox include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes and a new, unexplained rash that might be painful. Most people infected with mpox during this on-going outbreak have been gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, but anyone can get mpox. These recently reported cases demonstrate the continued need for mpox prevention and testing to curb disease transmission. It’s important for everyone to help prevent the spread, especially as we enter into the spring and summer festival season, including Pride celebrations.

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Breakthrough antibiotic shows promise against obstinate mycobacterial infections
25 March 2024 - NUS News - National University of Singapore - NUS I-FIM researchers assemble a new antibiotic candidate, COE-PNH2, offering a more effective therapeutic option against hard-to-treat mycobacterial lung diseases
Antibiotic resistance is casting an increasingly long shadow over today’s healthcare landscape, undermining the ability to combat infections that were once readily manageable. Among these, nontuberculous mycobacteria infections are notorious for their stubborn resistance to conventional medication and their penchant for afflicting those with existing lung diseases such as bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. The elderly and those with underlying conditions are particularly vulnerable, with the incidence of infection doubling in these demographics and contributing to a significant rise in public health costs.
Researchers from the Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials (I-FIM) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have innovated a conjugated oligoelectrolyte (COE)-based compound that has the potential to turn the tide on the disease. Called COE-PNH2, this novel agent not only demonstrates high efficacy against Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab), one of the most prevalent mycobacteria species, but also shows a blend of potency and safety that could reshape the treatment paradigm for persistent lung infections.

Read more...

Funding for HIV self-testing kits running low
March 25, 2024 - By Edward Djan - CityNews Winnipeg - With a simple prick of a finger, Canadians have been able to know their HIV status quickly from the comfort of their homes. But as HIV rates rise across the country, funding for HIV self-testing kits is drying up. Edward Djan has more.
Watch Video...

B.C. class action suit approved against HIV/AIDS drugmaker Gilead
Mar 25, 2024 - Joseph Ruttle - Vancouver Sun - A representative plaintiff will seek to prove the pharmaceutical company marketed a drug with serious side-effects instead of a safer one under development
The B.C. Supreme Court has approved a national class action lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company that develops drugs to treat HIV/AIDS.
A representative plaintiff identified only as I.F. brought forward the civil claim alleging Gilead Sciences Inc. marketed a drug with potentially serious side-effects, at the exclusion of another in development with more promising early indicators about its safety and effectiveness.

Read more... Vancouver Sun | HEALTH | vancouversun.com

New partnership to boost HIV supports to Guelph community
March 25, 2024 - GuelphToday - The Guelph Community Health Centre and The AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener Waterloo and Area will partner to continue HIV service delivery
The Guelph Community Health Centre (Guelph CHC) and The AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener Waterloo and Area (ACCKWA) will partner to continue HIV service delivery to Guelph-Wellington community members, under direction of the Ontario Ministry of Health, effective April 1, 2024.
Read more... GUELPHTODAY | NEWS | www.guelphtoday.com

www.catie.ca
People who inject drugs report unique barriers to hepatitis C treatment
MARCH 25, 2024 - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - A Toronto study analyzed differences in hepatitis C treatment experiences based on drug use
People who injected drugs reported barriers to treatment access rooted in stigma
They also reported receiving misleading information about treatment eligibility

Hepatitis C is a major and ongoing public health threat and is among the most burdensome infectious diseases in Canada. However, hepatitis C infection can be cured with highly effective direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment. Being cured of hepatitis C improves quality of life and long-term health outcomes and prevents transmission to other people.
Read more...

www.unaids.org
UNAIDS welcomes governments’ commitment to end AIDS, tackle gender-based violence, discrimination and inequalities
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 25 March 2024 - UNAIDS - Resolution on ‘Women, the Girl Child and HIV and AIDS’ updated, strengthened and adopted by consensus at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women
On 22 March, governments attending the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) adopted, by consensus, a resolution focused on advancing the rights and empowerment of women and girls as part of efforts to end AIDS.
The updated resolution 60/2, Women, the Girl Child and HIV and AIDS, underscores the urgent need to prioritize the health and rights of adolescent girls and young women in the context of the ongoing global AIDS pandemic. It recognizes that adolescent girls and young women are still disproportionately affected by HIV due to various socio-economic factors, including gender inequalities, poverty, and lack of access to education and healthcare.

Read more...

www.poz.com
Reflecting on 30 Years of POZ
March 25, 2024 - By Jennifer Morton - A look back at three decades of HIV coverage
For the past three decades, POZ has chronicled the HIV epidemic in the United States and around the world. The magazine has explored the highs and lows in the ongoing battle against HIV and tackled issues often ignored by other media outlets. When the April/May 1994 issue launched, the protease revolution was still on the horizon, and millions of people across the globe were dying of AIDS-related illnesses. POZ became a lifeline for many of our readers, providing access to critical information about the prevention, care and treatment of HIV.
Throughout its publication, POZ has also shared personal stories of survival as well as loss. POZ has given people hope, not only showing those living with HIV that they aren’t alone but also empowering them with the knowledge and courage to live with dignity.

Read more... POZ | FEATURES | www.poz.com

www.poz.com
Remembering Actress and AIDS Activist Elizabeth Taylor
March 23, 2024 - By Tim Murphy - On March 23, 2011, the Hollywood legend and longtime HIV advocate died at age 79.
In the mid-2000s, legendary actress and AIDS activist Elizabeth Taylor began hanging out at the elegant West Hollywood gay bar The Abbey, often with her dog, Daisy, in her lap. Staffers and fans wheeled Taylor about in her wheelchair, eager to dote over the woman who almost single-handedly galvanized Hollywood’s response to HIV and AIDS in the mid-1980s.
Read more... POZ | FEATURES | www.poz.com

www.aidshealth.org
Yes! We Can End TB & AIDS, Says AHF
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (March 22, 2024) - AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) - Join AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) this World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, recognized annually on March 24, to raise awareness of one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, which is the leading cause of death for people living with HIV, yet 100% preventable and treatable. AHF country teams will hold World TB Day ‘Yes! We Can End TB & AIDS’ commemorations to honor the millions of lives lost to TB while urging leaders at all levels of government to prioritize TB prevention, testing, and treatment efforts.
Read more...


Decades of McMaster tuberculosis research shapes better prevention and control strategies
MARCH 22, 2024 - BY BLAKE DILLON - Brighter World - McMaster University - Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a highly transmissible species of bacteria that spreads easily through the air.
Although TB is classified as a curable and preventable disease, it remains a major global health concern. In fact, the World Health Organization reports that more than a million people die from TB infection each year, making it the second-most deadly infectious disease on the planet, behind only COVID-19.
Researchers at McMaster University have been studying TB for decades. Their work, based largely out of the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR), has advanced the global understanding of TB and pushed forward next-generation designs for TB immunization strategies

Read more...

WHO World TB Day Message
22 March 2024 - World Health Organization (WHO) - Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director, WHO Global TB Programme
Dear friends, colleagues and partners
As we come together to commemorate World TB Day, we stand in solidarity with the millions of people who fall ill with TB each year and remember the millions who have lost their lives from this preventable and curable disease. We would like to salute all the health workers at the forefront of the fight to end TB and other diseases, including communities, civil society, and advocates, national TB programmes, partners and donors for their tireless dedication and support to the fight to end TB.

Read more... World Health Organization (WHO) | NEWS | www.who.int

www.aidsmap.com
Top 5 stories on HIV and women from CROI 2024
22 March 2024 - Greta Hughson - The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2024) was held in Denver, US, in March. Here is a roundup of some of the HIV treatment and prevention research focused on women that was presented at the conference.
New insights from a large study raised the profile of the risk of cardiovascular disease for women. Results from the REPRIEVE study have been influential, as they showed that the use of a statin reduced the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events when given to people with HIV who are at low to moderate risk for cardiovascular disease. Risk was lowered by around 35%.

Read more... aidsmap | news & opinion | www.aidsmap.com

www.ecdc.europa.eu/en
The untold story: new report reveals 7000 additional TB deaths during COVID-19 pandemic
21 March 2024 - European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) - Nearly 7,000 excess deaths from tuberculosis occurred in the WHO European Region in the three years of the pandemic from 2020 - 2022, compared to what experts had expected based on pre-2020 estimates. This increased mortality was a direct result of the pandemic and would not have occurred if TB diagnosis and treatment efforts had not been disrupted during the pandemic.
This sobering revelation comes via the latest TB surveillance and monitoring report from the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The report highlights the most recent data, showing a region recovering from, but still experiencing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB testing, diagnosis and care.
The WHO/Europe-ECDC report is released annually in anticipation of World TB Day, which takes place on 24th March 2024.
Our latest report reveals a heart-breaking, entirely preventable situation - people affected by TB were not protected during the pandemic and 7,000 needlessly lost their lives because of disruptions to TB services,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, Regional Director at WHO/Europe. “The report also reveals another evolving, preventable tragedy - the prevalence of drug-resistant TB continues to rise. We urge national authorities to strengthen TB testing programmes, diagnose promptly and apply the latest WHO guidelines.

Read more...

Prototypes of a novel vaginal ring design being put to the test in a study that will inform final design of a dual-purpose ring for prevention of both HIV and unplanned pregnancy
PITTSBURGH – March 21, 2024 - MATRIX - Study now enrolling in US; other sites are in South Africa and Zimbabwe
Researchers who are developing a dual-purpose vaginal ring to protect women against both HIV and unplanned pregnancy for a month at a time have begun a study to evaluate prototypes of the ring among women in the United States, South Africa and Zimbabwe, the results of which will help determine the actual product to be tested in the first clinical trial.
The ring’s design – with its two cassette-like compartments – is distinctly different from other rings that have either been approved or evaluated in previous clinical trials. Researchers designed the ring in this way as a low-cost, easy-to-manufacture platform for the delivery of two active drugs at different rates. One cassette would contain a non-antiretroviral (non-ARV) agent – an antiviral peptide that blocks viruses from attaching to, penetrating and infecting healthy cells in the body. The other would contain a non-hormonal contraceptive called a soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) inhibitor that impedes the movement of sperm and its ability to penetrate and fertilize eggs.

Read more...

VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center studies safe use of HIV and hepatitis C co-infected donor kidneys for transplant
March 21, 2024 - VCU Health - Building on research and successful patient outcomes, the center works to further expand organ access for a traditionally disadvantaged patient population.
For VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center organ transplant specialists, the work is not only about performing life-saving surgeries.
Researchers at Hume-Lee are always looking for ways to expand the availability of organs to those in need. The number of people on the national waiting list for transplants far exceeds the number of organs available for transplant.
In other words: Patients around the country wait for an organ that may never come.
Living donation is one way of improving those odds. And another? Finding ways to use organs that surgeons or patients might be hesitant to accept.

Read more...

www.aidsmap.com
News from CROI 2024 – HIV update, 21 March 2024
21 March 2024 - A round-up of the latest HIV news, for people living with HIV in the UK and beyond.
From 3 to 6 March, HIV experts and researchers from all over the world came together to discuss the latest HIV developments at the 31st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2024) in Denver, US. Read on to find out more about the conference highlights which are likely to have the greatest impact on the health care of people living with HIV in the UK and other countries with similar health services.
Read more... aidsmap | HIV update | www.aidsmap.com

A shot for every limb: how splitting up the HIV may increase immunogenicity
MARCH 20, 2024 - BY A DONLAN - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN)
Vaccines are arguably one of the greatest scientific developments of the modern era and have reduced the burden of many infectious diseases worldwide. Effective immune responses generated from vaccines can involve antibodies and/or cell-based memory responses, allowing future exposure to actual pathogens to be recognized and cleared rapidly. Designing vaccines against viral pathogens can often be more easily accomplished than against bacteria or parasitic counterparts, as there are often fewer proteins for immune cells to respond to. Yet, despite these advantages, the path to developing effective viral vaccines isn’t always straightforward, which has been a frustrating reality for the HIV vaccine field. In the case of HIV, which integrates into host DNA and remains dormant, for years or even decades, before developing into Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a successful vaccine would be to prevent the initial infection, a goal that remains unattained.
In a recent article in eBioMedicine the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), written by Dr. Mindy Miner, at Fred Hutch decided to change up their approach to try to elicit a more robust immune response to the vaccine. Recent evidence has pointed to CD8 T cell responses as important for protection against infection, or once infected, protection from advancing disease. However, despite inducing these cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) responses, recent trials have not demonstrated protection. One hypothesis be that the specificity of the cytotoxic CD8 T cells is focused only on a few viral epitopes (portions of proteins that T cells recognize) which end up being unhelpful in the control of the virus. In animal studies, researchers have been able to broaden the variety of epitopes that the T cells recognize by using polytopic vaccination, where the vaccine is delivered to multiple anatomical sites. Using this as a basis for a human clinical trial, the HVTN devised a regimen comparing polytopic compared to standard vaccination and were “’happily’ surprised to find that polytopic vaccination did, in fact, increase the epitope breadth of T-cell responses,” stated Dr. Miner.

Read more...

UC Davis Health - health.ucdavis.edu
Experts warn climate change will fuel spread of infectious diseases
(SACRAMENTO) March 20, 2024 - By Nadine A Yehya - UC Davis Health - A team of infectious diseases experts is calling for more awareness and preparedness in the medical field to deal with the impact of climate change on the spread of diseases. Their article, published today in JAMA raises the alarm about the emergence and spread of harmful pathogens. The authors also urge the medical community to update their education and training and take steps to combat global warming.
“Clinicians need to be ready to deal with the changes in the infectious disease landscape,” said lead author George R. Thompson. Thompson is a professor at the UC Davis School of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. “Learning about the connection between climate change and disease behavior can help guide diagnoses, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.”

Read more...

Toronto Public Health urges people to get vaccinated against mpox amidst rising cases
Mar 20, 2024 - Rochelle Raveendran -CBC News- 21 mpox cases confirmed in Toronto since start of the year, compared to 27 cases for all of 2023
Toronto Public Health (TPH) is advising people to get vaccinated against mpox amidst an increase in confirmed cases of the virus in the city this year.
Read more... CBC | CBC News | Toronto | Canada | www.cbc.ca

Durbin Delivers Remarks Honoring Dr. Fauci As He Receives The Senator Paul H. Douglas Award For Ethics In Government
WASHINGTON - March 19, 2024 - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois - University of Illinois System’s Senator Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered remarks honoring Dr. Anthony Fauci, this year’s recipient for the University of Illinois System’s Senator Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government. During his remarks, Durbin praised Dr. Fauci for his many contributions to public health and medical research, his role as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director, his role in ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic, for guiding the nation through the COVID-19 pandemic, and much more.
Named for the former Illinois Senator, the Senator Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government is presented to a person whose public actions and contributions have demonstrated a deep understanding and respect for ethical behavior and standards in government. Past recipients include former President Barack Obama, the late Senator Paul Simon, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the late Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, and former Representative Liz Cheney.

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Aegis Life, Inc. - aegis.lifeEntos Pharmaceuticals (Entos) - www.entospharma.com
Aegis Life Receives Investment to Continue Development of DNA-Encoded Therapeutic Antibodies Against Infectious Diseases Using the Fusogenix PLV Platform
SAN DIEGO & EDMONTON, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- March 19, 2024 - Aegis Life receives a program-related investment of $4.45M from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
This investment supports the continuation of the ongoing research collaboration between Aegis Life and Entos Pharmaceuticals
Aegis Life is developing novel DNA-based encoded antibody therapeutics against HIV and malaria using the Entos Fusogenix PLV nucleic acid delivery technology

Aegis Life, Inc. (Aegis) and its parent company Entos Pharmaceuticals (Entos) announced today that Aegis Life has received a program-related investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (the “foundation”).
Aegis will receive up to $4.45 million in funding through a convertible promissory note from the foundation’s Strategic Investment Fund for the purpose of developing DNA-based encoded neutralizing antibody therapies for infectious diseases using the Entos Fusogenix PLV platform. This investment follows an initial grant from the foundation to Aegis made in June 2023 to support this collaborative development project with a focus on HIV and malaria. Aegis and Entos will also commit to making any resulting neutralizing antibody therapeutics for these conditions available and accessible to those most in need, including low- and middle-income countries.

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ESCMID - European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - www.escmid.org
HIV in cell culture can be completely eliminated using CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology, increasing hopes of cure
19 March - ESCMID - European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - Authors successfully demonstrate transport of new-gene editing technology to ‘cut out’ HIV DNA from infected cells
Preliminary findings very encouraging, but much work to do to transform technology into a cure for HIV

New research presented early ahead of this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona, 27-30 April) from a team of researchers in the Netherlands shows how the latest CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology can be used to eliminate all traces of the HIV virus from infected cells in the laboratory, raising hopes of a cure. The studies, led by Dr. Elena Herrera-Carrillo and part of her team (Yuanling Bao, Zhenghao Yu and Pascal Kroon) at Amsterdam UMC, Netherlands, presents a significant breakthrough in the search for an HIV cure.
CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology is a groundbreaking method in molecular biology that allows for precise alterations to the genomes of living organisms. This revolutionary technique, which brought its inventors, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020, enables scientists to accurately target and modify specific segments of an organism's DNA (genetic code). Functioning like molecular ‘scissors’ with the guidance of guide RNA (gRNA), CRISPR-Cas can cut the DNA at designated spots. This action facilitates either the deletion of unwanted genes or the introduction of new genetic material into an organism's cells, paving the way for advanced therapies.

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U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Announces $111 million to Support Ethiopia’s Response to End HIV/AIDS by 2030
Addis Ababa, March 19, 2024 - By U.S. Embassy Ethiopia - Ambassador Dr. John N. Nkengasong, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Senior Bureau Official for Global Health Security and Diplomacy for Health Diplomacy, announced the approval of the $111 million (over 6 billion Birr) Country Operational Plan 2023 (COP23) through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program to support Ethiopia’s continued response to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin J. Massinga, along with Minister of Health H.E. Dr. Mekdes Daba, attended the virtual event and gave remarks

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Advocates for Youth Calls on Congress to Save HIV Funding
March 19, 2024 - Advocates for Youth - With a funding deadline looming, Advocates for Youth urgently calls on Congress to save HIV funding. House Republicans proposed massive cuts totalling $767 million to federal HIV/AIDS funding that sustains Ryan White Program, the Minority AIDS Initiative, and the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Initiative, which includes a proposed national PrEP program. These programs have provided access to various prevention resources, treatment options, and social and mental health support for people living with HIV.
Read more... Advocates for Youth | www.advocatesforyouth.org

Why HIV cases – and syphilis – have risen sharply in Montreal
Mar 18, 2024 - Susan Schwartz - Montreal Gazette - Condom use is down, warns a doctor on the front lines. And with HIV, “it’s not because the illness doesn’t kill anymore that we should stop doing prevention.”
Younger people don’t remember the 1980s, when the human immunodeficiency virus was fatal, when those contracting it were feared and shunned – sometimes even by their own families.
Read more... Montreal Gazette | News | montrealgazette.com

www.idse.net
First Fatal Alaskapox Case Reported
March 18, 2024 - By Ethan Covey - Infectious Disease Special Edition (IDSE) - Alaska reported the first known severe case of Alaskapox virus (AKPV) resulting in hospitalization and death, according to a bulletin released by the Alaska Section of Epidemiology (SOE).
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Case Western Reserve University - case.edu
Case Western Reserve University researchers report rise in global fungal drug-resistant infections
March 18, 2024 - Case Western Reserve University - Researchers issue call to action to address and prevent growing problem
A global wave of infections caused by fungi growing drug-resistant has the medical community issuing precautions on how to protect yourself.
Skin contact with microorganisms found in soil or on hard surfaces, such as common shower facilities, or exposure to infected pets, can result in fungal infections known as dermatomycoses. Rashes, itching, burning and skin irritation are among the symptoms.
Epidemiological data published in Microbial Cell indicates that a rise in severe fungal infections has resulted in over 150 million cases annually and almost 1.7 million fatalities globally.
In a recent study published in Pathogens and Immunity, Thomas McCormick and Mahmoud Ghannoum, professors of dermatology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and affiliated with University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, explain how rising antifungal resistance is worsening the problem of invasive fungal infections.

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Fighting Back Against Discriminatory Laws That Impact People Living with HIV
March 15, 2024 - Michelle Anderson - American Civil Liberties Union - The ACLU is challenging a Tennessee law that criminalizes HIV status. This law unfairly prevents people from securing employment and housing.
As a Black transgender woman and a former sex worker, it’s not unusual for me to face harassment and profiling from police. Regardless of whether we’re engaged in sex work or not, police frequently target transgender women like myself for searches and arrest, using anything from condoms to cash as “proof” we were engaged in sex work. For those who actually do engage in sex work, the criminalization of that livelihood raises the stakes of police encounters, and laws that criminalize our HIV status even more so.
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International Condom Day 2024 Global Recap
Mar. 15, 2024 - AIDS Healthcare Foundation - AHF created ICD in 2009, a global commemoration recognized by many international public health institutions, to emphasize the importance of condoms for safer sex by preventing HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and unplanned pregnancies.
Watch Video...

Famous weight loss drug may help people with HIV get healthier, MUSC researcher says
March 15, 2024 - Helen Adams - Medical University of South Carolina - New findings from research that includes the work of infectious diseases specialist Allison Eckard, M.D., at the Medical University of South Carolina, show people with HIV appear to benefit from a well-known weight loss drug in ways that go beyond the numbers on a scale.
“It's a really good study and really very timely,” Eckard said.
She and her colleagues are looking at ways to help people on antiretroviral treatment, or ART, fight some of the treatment’s side effects. People on ART tend to gain weight, some in potentially dangerous ways.

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www.vumc.org
Emerging Infections Program extends, expands disease surveillance research with new grant from the CDC
March 15, 2024 - VUMC Reporter - The Tennessee Emerging Infections Program has been awarded a new five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to continue infectious disease surveillance research that has been conducted since 1999, and has expanded to include COVID, Mpox and HPV surveillance into oropharyngeal cancers.
The EIP program, which includes more than 20 faculty and staff at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), supports a longstanding partnership between VUMC and the Tennessee Department of Health and surveillance programs in departments of health in 10 U.S. states.

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Oprah Winfrey pays tribute at GLAAD Media Awards to gay brother who died from AIDS
March 15, 2024 - By Jay Valle - NBC News - Winfrey tearfully spoke about her brother, Jeffrey Lee, 29, who died at the height of the AIDS crisis.
In an emotional speech during the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday night, Oprah Winfrey paid a tearful tribute to her late brother, Jeffrey Lee, who died from AIDS in 1989 when he was 29.
Read more... NBC News | U.S. NEWS | www.nbcnews.com

Pew Researcher Seeks to Crack Code on HIV Cure
March 14, 2024 - The Pew Charitable Trusts - Latin American fellow Gustavo Vasen’s work explores how the virus creates “silent” infected cells that can resist treatmente
When the HIV/AIDS epidemic gained momentum across the United States—and the world—in the early 1980s, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was considered largely untreatable. Scientific strides over the past few decades have changed this outlook dramatically. Today, new methods of prevention, detection, and treatment have helped halt HIV transmission and made it possible for people living with the virus to carry on healthy lives.
But researchers who study HIV, such as 2020 Pew Latin American fellow Gustavo Vasen, know that much more work still needs to be done. Although modern-day treatments can keep the virus at bay, HIV is expert at surviving silently and undetected in our immune cells—making itself difficult to eradicate.

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A Change in Drug Regimen is Associated with Temporary Increases in Dormant HIV
March 14, 2024 - NIAID Now - Switching to an antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen containing the drug dolutegravir was associated with a significant temporary increase in reservoirs of latent HIV, according to a new analysis from a study in Uganda. HIV reservoirs are cells where HIV lies dormant and cannot be reached by the immune system or ART. They are central to HIV’s persistence, preventing current treatments from clearing the virus from the body. The findings were published today in eBioMedicine.
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www.unaids.org
UNAIDS urges scaling up of evidence-based services to address the transmission of HIV and viral hepatitis among people who use drugs
VIENNA/GENEVA,14 March 2024 - UNAIDS - At the 67th meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs taking place in Vienna, UNAIDS has called for the urgent scaling up of services to prevent new HIV and viral hepatitis infections among people who use drugs. Addressing delegates in her video message, UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, commended some countries for making progress in implementing evidence-based programmes but called for bolder action.
“Gathered here are leaders whose decisions can save and transform lives, tackle social exclusion, and protect public health for everyone. As leaders you can deliver on the shared pledge to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 – if all people can secure the HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services they need. To end AIDS we need to ensure that no one is excluded,” said Ms Byanyima.

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www.unaids.org
Reductions in new HIV infections in several Global HIV Prevention Coalition countries, but global progress needs to be accelerated
13 March 2024 - UNAIDS - A new report, HIV Prevention: From Crisis to Opportunity shows that HIV infections continue to decline in countries that are part of the Global HIV Prevention Coalition (GPC) faster than in the rest of the world.
Eleven GPC focus countries have reduced their annual number of new HIV infections by at least 66% since 2010. By comparison, the average reduction in new HIV infections since 2010 globally is 38%. The GPC is a coalition of 38 countries working together to accelerate declines in new HIV infections to achieve the target of having 95% of the people who are at risk of HIV accessing effective combination prevention options.
The GPC countries that have prioritised primary prevention and treatment and that have focused on reaching people most at risk have secured the strongest consistent declines in new HIV infections.

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No persistent cough in 4 out of 5 with Tuberculosis
12-MAR-2024 - AMSTERDAM UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER - More than 80% of patients with tuberculosis, the world’s most deadly infection, do not have a persistent cough, despite this being seen as a key symptom of the disease. The infection is predominantly transmitted by coughing, but probably also through simply breathing. Research, led by Amsterdam UMC and the Amsterdam Institute for Global Heath and Development, analysed data on more than 600,000 individuals in Africa and Asia and found that 82.8% of those with tuberculosis had no persistent cough and 62.5% had no cough at all. These results are published today in the Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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weill.cornell.edu
Improving Care of Hospitalized Patients with HIV in Tanzania
MARCH 11, 2024 - Weill Cornell Medicine - Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have shown that three months of social worker follow-up support to people hospitalized with HIV in Tanzania had health benefits at low cost. The protocol shortened the time it took participants to attend an HIV clinic and to start on antiretroviral therapy after discharge.
However, the study published in JAMA on Mar. 6 found that the care benefits didn’t translate to a decrease in mortality after one year. They compared a group that received extended case management intervention with a control group receiving standard care and determined both had the same mortality rate—in each group, 17 percent of participants died.

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ESCMID - European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - www.escmid.org
Elsevier partners with ESCMID to launch a new Open Access journal in microbiology and infectious disease: CMI Communications
Oxford, 11 March, 2024 - ESCMID - European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - A new service for infectious disease researchers from Elsevier and ESCMID
Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and solutions, is pleased to announce the launch of a new open-access journal CMI Communications in partnership with ESCMID, Europe’s leading society in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.
Complementing and integrating with ESCMID’s prestigious official journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection (CMI, Impact Factor 14.2), CMI Communications will publish manuscripts focusing on translational and clinical aspects of microbiology, infectious diseases and control, immunology, epidemiology, and public health. A 50% discounted rate for publication is available for authors accepted for publication in CMI Communications in 2024 and 2025.

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Blockbuster obesity drug leads to better health in people with HIV
11 March 2024 - By Mariana Lenharo - Nature - Semaglutide reduces weight and fat accumulation associated with the antiretroviral regimen that keeps HIV at bay.
People with HIV are the latest group to benefit from the new generation of anti-obesity drugs. If early data about the treatments’ effects are confirmed, the drugs could become key to controlling the metabolic problems often caused by anti-HIV medications.
Read more... Nature | NEWS | www.nature.com

www.unaids.org
At the 68th Commission on Status of Women UNAIDS calls for action to achieve gender equality and end AIDS
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 11 March 2024 - UNAIDS - UNAIDS is gearing up for the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (#CSW68) which begins today and will run until 22 March 2024. #CSW68, the United Nations largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, is being held this year under the priority theme, Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.
Despite progress, no country has achieved gender equality to date, and violations of women’s human rights and gender-based violence are continuing to fuel the AIDS pandemic. The world is off track to meet the gender targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in many of the world’s poorest countries, the debt crisis is squeezing out investment in education, health, and social protection, particularly hurting women and girls.

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Antiretroviral Treatment in Ghana: HIV/AIDS not “death sentence” anymore
Accra, March 10, GNA - by Muniratu Akweley Issah - Ghana News Agency - Ghana diagnosed its first Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) case in March 1986 and by May 1986, 26 cases had been identified.
Since then, the country has experienced a generalised Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic with a current prevalence rate of 1.7 in the general population.

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A Rebel with a Cause: One Person’s Battle for Women with HIV/AIDS
March 9, 2024 - Christina Stanton - The Saturday Evening Post - Valerie Reyes-Jimenez took a rebellious streak and a devastating diagnosis and turned them into a powerful force for good.
In 1989, Valerie Reyes-Jimenez made an unusual demand at a health clinic in Puerto Rico: “I want to take the HIV/AIDS test.”
Read more... The Saturday Evening Post | AMERICAN LIFE | www.saturdayeveningpost.com

Does Living Environment Affect Health Outcomes of People Living with HIV?
March 8, 2024 - By Kara Mason - University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus - Investigating how diet impacts the microbiome of Africans living with HIV starts with clains recent findings in urban and rural patients and what they mean for future research.
Cathy Lozupone, PhD, professor of biomedical informatics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the researchers in her lab are interested in the microbiomes of HIV patients.
Typically, the lab focuses their efforts on patients in the Denver-metro region, but in a new study, the researchers turn their attention to HIV patients in Zimbabwe and whether living in an urban or rural setting impacts immune and microbiome responses to antiretroviral therapy (ART).
The research, published in the journal Microbiome, originally started with a question of whether having a high-fiber, low-fat "agrarian-type" diet would show improved health outcomes for HIV infected individuals undergoing ART. Lozupone says her lab took on this question because other researchers previously investigated a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected mouse model that had shown more severe disease with a high-fat, low-fiber diet.

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Gay Polo League Announces Partnership With The Elton John AIDS Foundation
March 8, 2024 - By Town-Crier Newspaper - Combining sport with social impact, the International Gay Polo Tournament recently announced its partnership with the Elton John AIDS Foundation for its upcoming event: GPL Polotini Wigstock on Friday, April 5 at the Patagones Polo Club in Wellington.
This unique fundraiser is set to elevate the three-day affair, not only as a highlight of Wellington’s social calendar, but as a beacon of hope and inclusivity for the global LGBTQ+ community.

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AIDS Denialism Is Back. We Can’t Let It Take Root.
March 8, 2024 - GREGG GONSALVES - The Nation - Joe Rogan, RFK Jr., and others are pushing long-discredited conspiracy junk about HIV and AIDS. Here’s how we should deal with them.
Read more... The Nation | SOCIETY | www.thenation.com

www.aidsmap.com
CROI 2024
The 31st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2024) is being held in Denver, US, from 3 to 6 March.
Read more... aidsmap | www.aidsmap.com/conferences/croi-2024

news.umich.edu
U-M researchers open new leads in anti-HIV drug development, using a compound found in nature
March 8, 2024 - By: Emily Kagey, U-M Life Sciences Institute - University of Michigan News - A team of University of Michigan researchers has successfully modified a naturally occurring chemical compound in the lab, resulting in advanced lead compounds with anti-HIV activity.
Their results, published March 7 in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, offer a new path forward in the development of drugs that could potentially help cure—rather than treat—HIV.
Although effective treatments are available to manage HIV, a cure has remained elusive due to the virus’s ability to hide from the immune system, lying dormant in reservoirs of infected cells.

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Measles outbreak threatens US status of ‘eliminating’ virus
03/08/24 - BY JOSEPH CHOI - THE HILL - The rash of measles outbreaks around the country has sparked concerns that the U.S. risks losing its status as a country where the disease has been eliminated, a distinction held since 2000.
Read more... THE HILL | HEALTH CARE | thehill.com

People with HIV no longer need to inform sexual partners of infection risk if ‘undetectable viral load’ maintained over time
SINGAPORE - 07 Mar 2024 - Grace Yeoh - CNA - People who don’t know if they have HIV but have reason to believe they may carry the virus are still legally obligated to inform their sexual partners of the risk of infection.
People living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will no longer be required to inform their partner of the risk of contracting HIV infection before sexual activity, if the individual has maintained “an undetectable viral load for a certain period of time” preceding the sexual activity.
Read more... CNA | Singapore | www.channelnewsasia.com

March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
LAS VEGAS - March 7, 2024 - Southern Nevada Health District - Public invited to March 11 observance at The Center
The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) is commemorating National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Sunday, March 10, a day to support women and girls who are living with HIV while encouraging others to be tested for HIV. Locally, an observance of the day, in collaboration with the Southern Nevada Health Consortium, is scheduled for Monday, March 11, from 1 – 4:30 p.m. at The Center, 401 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89101. During “It’s Tea Time,” attendees can access information and resources about women and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). In addition, there will be discussions about the following topics:
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Mpox DNA can persist in the body for up to four weeks: U of T study
Mar 7, 2024 - By Betty Zou - University of Toronto - A University of Toronto study has found that mpox virus DNA can be found in different parts of the body for up to four weeks after symptom onset.
The study, led by researchers at Unity Health Toronto and Sunnybrook Research Institute, is one of several projects supported by the mpox rapid research response launched by the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium and its hospital partners during the global mpox outbreak in 2022.
According to the World Health Organization, nearly 94,000 confirmed cases of mpox, including 179 deaths, have been reported from 117 countries since January 2022. As of September 2023, 1,515 cases have been confirmed in Canada, mostly in Ontario and Quebec.

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Bristish Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS - bccfe.ca
Complexities of People Living with HIV, Aging and Requiring Long Term Care
BC-CfE webinar Learning Series Event
Title: “Complexities of People Living with HIV, Aging and Requiring Long Term Care”
Wednesday, March 20th, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 PM (PST).

This webinar will be presented by:
Kristie Clark, RN
Martin Payne, NP

Presentations will be followed by a discussion where participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive real-time responses from presenters.
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www.unaids.org
UNAIDS heads to the Commission on the Status of Women!
2024-03-07 - UNAIDS - UNAIDS is heading to the Commission on the Status of Women (NY, 11-22 March), to call on world leaders to protect the rights of women and girls everywhere in order to protect their health.
The reason this is important for UNAIDS is that despite progress, no country has achieved gender equality to date, and violations of women’s basic human rights are continuing to fuel the AIDS pandemic.
The world is off track to meet the gender targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals and in many of the world’s poorest countries, the debt crisis is squeezing out investment in education, health, and social protection, particularly hurting women and girls.
Around the world today, 129 million girls are out of school, denying them lifesaving information on how to protect themselves from HIV.

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ECDC press conference – 7 March – Rising STI Rates in Europe
March 7, 2024 - ECDC - The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control will hold a press conference to present the latest data on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Europe. The data come from five annual epidemiological reports (AERs) which show a significant rise in STI cases reported in 2022 compared to previous years.
Watch Video...

The Ins and Outs of Initiating Newly Diagnosed People Into Rapid HIV Treatment
Mar 7, 2024 - By Tim Murphy - TheBody - In the past decade or so, research has shown that people who start HIV treatment within about 72 hours of their HIV diagnosis (“rapid start”) or even the same day (“immediate start”) are more likely to access and stay in treatment with HIV medications in the long run and also get to viral suppression (undetectability) faster. This is important because it not only improves their own health outcomes but protects them from transmitting the virus to others.
Read more... TheBody | Newly Diagnosed With HIV | www.thebody.com

Cleveland Clinic - my.clevelandclinic.org
Study: Vaccinated people had lower risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes
6-Mar-2024 - by Cleveland Clinic - Research Alert
Among people who had COVID-19, those who previously received the latest vaccine had a lower risk of having a severe outcome than those who had not, according to new Cleveland Clinic research published in Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Coupled with antiviral treatments such as nirmatrelvir and molnupiravir, updated versions of Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Novavax COVID-19 vaccines significantly lowered the likelihood of hospitalization and death from currently circulating COVID-19 variants.

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NIH's Dr. Dieffenbach Discusses the Latest HIV Research from #CROI2024
March 6, 2024 – HIVGOV - NIAID's Dr. Carl Dieffenbach wraps up his daily highlights from #CROI2024 with news about a study on the very early treatment of infants exposed to HIV at birth, the latest studies on HIV treatment, and his key takeaways from the conference.
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Long-acting HIV treatment benefits adults with barriers to daily pill taking and adolescents with suppressed HIV
March 6, 2024 – National Institutes of Health (NIH) - NIH-funded research networks provide evidence on cabotegravir and rilpivirine in additional populations.
Long-acting, injectable antiretroviral therapy (ART) suppressed HIV replication better than oral ART in people who had previously experienced challenges taking daily oral regimens and was found safe in adolescents with HIV viral suppression, according to two studies presented today at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Denver. Both studies were sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, in collaboration with other NIH institutes.
“The HIV community is just beginning to unpack the enormous potential of long-acting antiretroviral medications for HIV treatment and prevention, and we need population-specific data for everyone to benefit,” said NIAID Director Jeanne Marrazzo, M.D., M.P.H. “These findings open up new possibilities for millions of people with HIV, particularly those whose health suffers due to challenges of daily pill taking.”

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Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago - www.luriechildrens.org
Children Born with HIV Surpass a Year of Remission After Pausing Treatment
Newswise - 6-Mar-2024 - by Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago - Promising findings for children battling lifelong HIV when treatment starts promptly after birth
Four children who acquired HIV in utero have remained free of detectable HIV for more than one year, according to new findings that were presented today, March 6, at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Denver, Colo.
The study is part of ongoing, multinational research led in part by scientists from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
When a child acquires HIV while in the uterus, during birth or through breastmilk, they must take lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) to control the virus’ ability to replicate, thereby preventing life-threatening complications. ART medications — taken in liquid form for children — are a huge burden on families as they have a rancid flavor (often called “the nasty medicine”), need to be taken on a frequent, rigid schedule to keep the virus at bay, are costly and can have many unpleasant side effects.

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JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE - www.hopkinsmedicine.org
Study Shows HIV Remission Is Possible for Children Started on Very Early Antiretroviral Therapy
Newswise - 6-Mar-2024 - by Johns Hopkins Medicine - Clinical trial of children who started very early treatment of HIV as newborns highlights outcomes similar to the case of the Mississippi baby reported in 2013, who experienced a more than two-year remission of HIV
Research co-led by an investigator at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center shows that four children born with HIV who were safely removed from antiretroviral therapy (ART) continued to have undetectable levels of the virus for about a year or more without treatment. The children were among 54 newborns who were given very early treatment within the first 48 hours of life — rather than within weeks or months, as is typical.
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www.gilead.com
Biktarvy® Demonstrates High Rates of Viral Suppression in People With HIV and Comorbidities
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 06, 2024 - Gilead - New Data Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety Profile of Biktarvy for the Treatment of People with HIV and Hepatitis B or Tuberculosis will be Presented 
Retrospective Analysis Evaluating HIV Resistance-Associated Mutations Reinforces Importance of Treatment Selection in HIV Management

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced new data from three studies evaluating the efficacy and safety profile of Biktarvy® (bictegravir 50 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg tablets, B/F/TAF) for a broad range of people with HIV, including those with HIV/hepatitis B (HBV) coinfection and HIV/tuberculosis (TB) coinfection. These data and other studies supporting the important role of Biktarvy in the HIV treatment landscape were presented at the 31st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI).
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www.unaids.org
On International Women’s Day, UNAIDS calls for protecting women’s rights to protect their health
GENEVA, 6 March 2024 - UNAIDS - Ahead of International Women’s Day, celebrated on 8 March, UNAIDS is calling for the protection of women’s rights to protect their health.
The world is way off track to meet the gender, equality and HIV targets that are part of the Sustainable Development Goals. At the current rate of progress, it will take an estimated 300 years to end child marriage, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.

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www.gilead.com
Gilead and Merck Announce Phase 2 Data Showing an Investigational Oral Once-Weekly Combination Regimen of Islatravir and Lenacapavir Maintained Viral Suppression at Week 24
FOSTER CITY, Calif., & RAHWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- March 06, 2024 - Gilead - Week 24 Results Support Continued Development as a Potential Long-Acting Oral Combination Treatment Option in Virologically Suppressed People with HIV 
Novel Investigational Combination Regimen has the Potential to be the First Oral Weekly HIV Treatment, Helping to Address Unmet Needs

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) and Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today announced results from the Phase 2 clinical study evaluating the investigational combination of islatravir, an investigational nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor, and lenacapavir, a first-in-class capsid inhibitor. These late-breaking data were presented during an oral session at the 31st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). Prior to the late-breaker oral presentation, the key findings were featured in a CROI press conference.
At 24 weeks, the novel investigational combination maintained a high rate (94.2%) of viral suppression (HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL), which is a secondary endpoint of the study. Results of the primary endpoint (HIV-1 RNA =50 copies/mL (c/mL) showed that one participant (1.9%) treated with islatravir and lenacapavir had a viral load of >50 copies/mL at Week 24; the participant later suppressed on islatravir and lenacapavir at Week 30.

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www.gilead.com
Gilead’s Innovative HIV Treatment Research Pipeline Aims to Address Unmet Needs and Advance Public Health
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 05, 2024 - Gilead - New Positive Clinical Data Demonstrate Momentum on Investigational Once-Daily, Once-Weekly and Twice-Yearly Dosing Strategies 
Key Findings from Studies Evaluating Potential Future Long-Acting Combination Regimens Affirm Commitment to Continuous Biomedical Innovation

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced the presentation of key data highlighting the breadth of its innovative HIV treatment research pipeline. The latest results explore clinical outcomes from a study evaluating an investigational combination regimen of bictegravir and lenacapavir, new findings from a study evaluating the investigational combination of lenacapavir with broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), and new proof-of-concept data on GS-1720, a novel once-weekly integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI). The data presented at the 31st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) demonstrate Gilead’s commitment to advancing the next wave of biomedical innovations in HIV to address the unmet needs of people with the virus and help end the epidemic worldwide.
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UTHealth Houston research: semaglutide reduces severity of fatty liver disease in people with HIV
5-Mar-2024 - by University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston - Newswise — Semaglutide is a safe, effective therapy for a common fatty liver disease in people with HIV, according to the results of a clinical trial presented by UTHealth Houston.
The use of semaglutide 1mg weekly was safe and effective in improving metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) among people living with HIV, according to clinical trial findings presented by a UTHealth Houston researcher at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Denver, Colorado, today.

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AIDS Clinical Trial Group Presents Results from Phase 1 Study of ModeX Trispecific Antibody for the Treatment and Prevention of HIV
WESTON, Mass., March 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - OPKO Health, Inc. - - Study delivers first clinical safety and pharmacokinetic data as proof of concept for the use of multispecific antibodies in humans -
- Candidate showed similar half-life to standard monoclonal antibodies and minimal anti-drug antibodies -

ModeX Therapeutics Inc., an OPKO Health company (NASDAQ: OPK), today announced results from a Phase 1 clinical study of SAR441236, its trispecific broadly neutralizing antibody against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Denver, Colorado. These clinical data are the first reported for a trispecific antibody and specifically provide support for the further development of multispecific, multivalent antibodies against HIV as a differentiated approach to addressing HIV infection.
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www.idse.net
CVD Risk Among Certain Groups With HIV Higher Than Previously Thoughtnfection
March 5, 2024- By IDSE News Staff - Infectious Disease Special Edition (IDSE) - The elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among people with HIV is even higher than predicted by a standard risk calculator in several groups, including Black patients and cisgender women, according to analyses from a large international clinical trial presented at CROI 2024, held in Denver (poster 781).
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Charity Concert In Support Of People Living With HIV
KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 – By CodeBlue - Ballads of Hope - March 9 - 6PM - 10PM - EXPERIMENTSAL THEATRE - Universitif Malaya
The Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) and the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) will organise the “Ballads of Hope”, a charity concert dedicated to People Living with HIV.
The event is scheduled for March 9, 2024, and will start at 7.00pm. It will be hosted at the Experimental Theatre on the main campus of the Universitif Malaya, Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur.

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N-803 Combined with Natural Killer Cells Showed Potential to Reduce HIV Viral Load in HIV Positive Subjects; Part of HIV Cure Study
March 5, 2024 - CULVER CITY, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) - ImmunityBio - All participants in the Phase 1 pilot study experienced a marked decrease in the burden of infection, and the procedures were found to be safe and well tolerated
N-803 is being studied in three other HIV cure-related clinical trials

ImmunityBio (NASDAQ: IBRX), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company, today announced data from a Phase 1 pilot study showed N-803 combined with natural killer cells could have the potential to reduce viral load in people living with HIV.
Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School gave six HIV-positive individuals infusions of healthy NK cells from close relatives, along with N-803 to boost NK cell activity. All participants in this Phase 1 study experienced significant reduction in infection levels following treatment with N-803. The approach was well tolerated with no unexpected adverse events.
Tim Schacker, MD, senior author of this paper, and colleagues at the University of Minnesota Medical School are planning a follow-on study in additional participants to further investigate these immunotherapies in HIV infected individuals.

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New report documents increase in HIV drug resistance to dolutegravir
5 March 2024 – World Health Organization (WHO) - The World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest HIV Drug Resistance (HIVDR) Report tells us where drug resistance is growing and offers recommendations for countries to monitor and respond to the potential challenges.
The report shares some good news and some concerning news. It highlights high levels of HIV viral load suppression (>90%) in populations receiving dolutegravir (DTG)-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, observational and country-generated survey data indicate that levels of HIVDR to DTG are exceeding levels observed in clinical trials.

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Dr. LaRon Nelson and Louis Shackelford Discuss HIV Prevention Highlights from #CROI2024
March 4, 2024 – HIVGOV - Yale's Dr. LaRon Nelson joins HIV.gov for a conversation about HIV prevention from #CROI2024.
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Tools underestimate cardiovascular event risk in people with HIV
March 4, 2024 – NIH/NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES (NIAID) - NIH trial reveals need for more accurate screening in Black people and cisgender women.
The elevated cardiovascular disease risk among people with HIV is even greater than predicted by a standard risk calculator in several groups, including Black people and cisgender women, according to analyses from a large international clinical trial primarily funded by the National institutes of Health and presented at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Denver. The risk of having a first major cardiovascular event was also higher than previously predicted for people from high-income regions and those whose HIV replication was not suppressed below detectable levels.
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Candlelight vigil held for Las Vegas local, national HIV/AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent
Mar 4, 2024 - 8 News Now - LasVegas - A candlelight vigil took place in Las Vegas Sunday to honor HIV AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent.
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IAS – International AIDS Society - www.iasociety.org
IAS statement: Upsurge in anti-gay laws across Africa threatens the HIV response
04 March 2024 (Geneva, Switzerland) - IAS – International AIDS Society - IAS – the International AIDS Society – is deeply concerned at the passing of a bill that criminalizes same-sex relationships in Ghana, the latest in an upsurge of anti-gay political acts in Africa.
Ghana’s Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill on 28 February 2024. It criminalizes LGBTQ relationships, as well as people who support LGBTQ rights.

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Thomas Jefferson University - www.jefferson.edu
HIV Medication Can be Used Safely with Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy
4-Mar-2024 - by Thomas Jefferson University - New research shows HIV medications can be taken at the same time as hormone treatment without losing potency of either therapy.
New research definitively shows that HIV antiretrovirals can be taken together with gender-affirming hormone therapy without changing how well either drug works. The study findings can help healthcare providers address potential patient concerns that one drug will counteract the other.
“This study is the first head-to-head pharmacokinetic analysis of two common HIV medications and long-term feminizing hormone therapy use,” says Walter Kraft, MD, director of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. “This research should help doctors reassure patients that it’s safe and important to continue HIV medications alongside their hormone regimen.” The study was published in the journal, Clinical and Translational Science.

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A New Keith Haring Biography Draws the Most Complete Picture Yet
March 3, 2024 - By Alexandra Jacobs - The New York Times - In his thoroughly researched “Radiant,” Brad Gooch considers the short, blazing life of the ’80s artist, activist and man about downtown.
Modern art can baffle and intimidate. Keith Haring strove to democratize it.
Haring, who died at 31 of complications from AIDS after a brief but dizzyingly productive international career, drew and painted for the masses and the kids, sometimes getting handcuffed and fined for his trouble. In the garbage-and-graffiti-weary New York of the 1980s, his creations — first chalked on blank advertising boards in subways, then bolder and more enduring, like the safety-orange “Crack Is Wack” mural that still stands in an East Harlem handball court — were like a fresh new roll of wallpaper.

Read more... The New York Times | BOOK REVIEW | NONFICTION | www.nytimes.com

Mary’s on Davie bids farewell after more than four decades
March 2, 2024 - By Emma Crawford - CityNews Vancouver - The venue is known for its support of local charitable organizations such as A Loving Spoonful, which provides free meals for people living with HIV.
Read more... CityNews Vancouver | News | vancouver.citynews.ca

'That's What Friends Are For': Dionne Warwick to be honored for AIDS activism at Palm Beach gala
March 1, 2024 - Jodie Wagner - Palm Beach Daily News - Award-winning singer Dionne Warwick will be honored for her decades-long advocacy work for people living with HIV and AIDS Saturday at a star-studded fundraising gala in Palm Beach.
The Foundation for AIDS Research, also known as amfAR, will present Warwick with its "Award of Courage" at the event, which will be hosted at the home of co-chairs James and Lisa Cohen.
Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees will present the award to Warwick, who was one of the first artists to lead the music industry in the fight against AIDS.

Read more... Palm Beach Daily News | NEWS | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

theconversation.com
Measles is one of the deadliest and most contagious infectious diseases – and one of the most easily preventable
March 1, 2024 - The Conversation - “You don’t count your children until the measles has passed.”
Dr. Samuel Katz, one of the pioneers of the first measles vaccine in the late 1950s to early 1960s, regularly heard this tragic statement from parents in countries where the measles vaccine was not yet available, because they were so accustomed to losing their children to measles.
I am a pediatrician and preventive medicine physician, and I have anxiously watched measles cases rise worldwide while vaccination rates have dropped since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic due to disruptions in vaccine access and the spread of vaccine misinformation.
In 2022 alone, there were over 9 million measles cases and 136,000 deaths worldwide, an 18% and 43% increase from the year before, respectively. The World Health Organization warned that over half the world’s countries are at high risk of measles outbreaks this year.

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New Guidelines for Use of Statins by People with HIV to Prevent Cardiovascular Events
February 29, 2024 - HIV.gov - The Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines Panel for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV (the Panel) has developed recommendations for the use of statin therapy in people with HIV, in collaboration with representatives from the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the HIV Medicine Association. The new guidelines, Recommendations for the Use of Statin Therapy as Primary Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in People with HIV, were published on February 27, 2024, and can be found online at ClinicalInfo.hiv.gov.
The new guidelines were informed by findings from the NIH-supported Randomized Trial to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV or REPRIEVE trial. REPRIEVE found that a statin (pitavastatin), a cholesterol-lowering medication, may offset the high risk of cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV by more than a third, potentially preventing one in five major cardiovascular events (e.g., heart attacks, strokes, or surgery to open a blocked artery) or premature deaths in this population. The study findings were published in the New England Journal of MedicineExit Disclaimer last summer. The Panel and representatives of the three professional medical societies translated those research findings into the clinical practice guidelines published this week.

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Detroit hosts first Black HIV awareness summit
Feb. 29, 2024 - Hannah Mackay - Palm Beach Daily News - The Detroit Health Department hosted its first Black HIV awareness summit Thursday to start community conversations about the virus and health disparities that impact Black Detroiters with HIV.
Held at Detroit's Second Ebenezer Baptist Church, the day-long summit was designed to raise awareness about HIV and the services that exist for those living with the virus.

Read more... The Detroit News | NEWS | Detroit | /www.detroitnews.com

New clinical trial aims to reduce unacceptably high advanced HIV death rates in Africa
FEBRUARY 29, 2024 - McMaster University - BRIGHTER WORLD - A new trial will test a low-cost antibiotic in reducing deaths among 8,000 patients with advanced HIV who are starting or restarting anti-retroviral therapy (ART), a combination of drugs to treat HIV.
The study, called REVIVE, is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and involves a pan-African network of investigators, co-led by researchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), a joint institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences. This trial aims to determine whether the antibiotic azithromycin, when taken once daily over four weeks, can reduce death in adults with advanced HIV.

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www.aidsmap.com
Blood pressure medication and the risk of dementia - HIV update, 29 February 2024
29 February 2024 - aidsmap - A round-up of the latest HIV news, for people living with HIV in the UK and beyond.
Dementia is a group of symptoms connected to the decline of brain functioning. Symptoms of dementia include loss of memory, difficulty thinking (for example planning or concentrating) and problems with language.
Having HIV can increase your risk of cognitive disorders, including dementia. But people with HIV also have the same risk factors for dementia as people without HIV – for example, old age, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, diabetes, smoking and heavy alcohol use.
But a recent paper published in Anthropology and Medicine, drawing on ethnographic research conducted at Pakistan’s National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) from 2010-2012, shows that this initiative backfired when adopted in Pakistan.

Read more... aidsmap | HIV update | www.aidsmap.com

Marshall’s Drinko Library to present AIDS Memorial Quilt, host other AIDS Awareness Week events
FEBRUARY 28, 2024 - Marshall University NEWS - Marshall University - Marshall has several activities planned in recognition of AIDS Awareness Week, including exhibiting the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which will be on display in Drinko Library March 4 – 20.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is among the largest community arts projects in history. It is compiled of 50,000 quilt squares created in memory of a loved one who has died in the AIDS epidemic. The National AIDS Memorial brings sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to communities across the United States to raise awareness and promote education about HIV/AIDS, while remembering those lost to the disease.
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www.unaids.org
Expertise France partners with UNAIDS to fight HIV stigma and discrimination in western and central Africa
GENEVA, 28 February 2024 - UNAIDS - The French public international cooperation agency ‘Expertise France’ and UNAIDS have signed a new partnership agreement to fight stigma and discrimination in six western and central African countries.
The aim of the €1.92 million partnership called, "Community response to stigma and discrimination and legislative reform," is to promote access to inclusive HIV services that respect human rights for key populations, including men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, sex workers, transgender people and young women and adolescent girls in Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Central African Republic, Senegal and Togo.

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Chances Are You Know Someone with a Rare Disease
28-Feb-2024 - Newswise - JOHN'S HOPKINS Medicine - Johns Hopkins experts join global community in highlighting Rare Disease Day, Feb. 29
The leap year day, Feb. 29, occurs only once every four years, and each year around this time comes a global effort to recognize rare diseases. Some 30 million people in the U.S. — 10% of the population — have a rare disease, and Johns Hopkins Medicine experts are working alongside others around the globe to highlight rare disease impacts on research and treatments and ways to seek expert care.
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Government of Canada's sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) action plan 2024-2030
February 2024 - Public Health Agency of Canada - The Government of Canada is committed to achieving global targets to reduce HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, and sexually transmitted infections by 2030. These goals cannot be achieved by the federal government alone; we will continue to work with our dedicated partners and stakeholders to support those impacted by sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI). The renewal of the Government of Canada STBBI Action Plan builds on our ongoing collective efforts and outlines a new path forward.
It is important that all people living in Canada have access to the sexual and reproductive health services they need, no matter where they live. Presently, rates of HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and other sexually transmitted infections remain high. Although progress has been made through the work of community-based partners and innovations such as HIV self-test kits and point-of-care tests (POCT) for HIV and syphilis, there is much more to be done. Efforts need to be strengthened and realigned in response to changes in STBBI incidence within key populations.

Read more... Government of Canada | Public Health Agency of Canada | Health | Canada.ca

www.unaids.org
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima responds to the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill in Ghana’s parliament
February 28, 2024 - UNAIDS - Responding to the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill in Ghana’s parliament, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said:
“The Human Sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, a private member’s bill passed by parliament, has not yet become a law in Ghana.
If the bill does become a law, it will affect everyone.

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Q&A: Decline in condom use indicates need for further education, awareness
February 27, 2024 - Lauren Kirschman - UW News - University of Washington - New research from the University of Washington shows that condom use has been trending downward among younger gay and bisexual men over the last decade, even when they aren’t taking pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.
The study, published Feb. 27 in AIDS and Behavior, measures changes in sex without condoms among HIV-negative gay and bisexual men who are not taking PrEP. Using data from the 2014-19 cycles of the American Men’s Internet Survey — a web-based survey of cisgender men ages 15 and older who have sex with men (MSM) — researchers found that roughly half of HIV-negative men reported using condoms at least sometimes in the last year. That was higher than the 15% of respondents who reported using PrEP.

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Normalization of unprotected sex among youth: A concern for HIV/AIDS control
February 27 2024 - By Amanda Kporwofa - Modern Ghana - Two weeks ago, I engaged 10 young people (five males and five females between the ages of 18-24) in an informal interaction to understand their sex habits with respect to whether or not they preferred to use condoms.
To my surprise, only one of the people I engaged said they used condoms in their last sexual intercourse.
While two others said they had sex by “accident” and thus they did not have time to consider using condoms, the rest intentionally did not use condoms.

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www.unaids.org
On the 10th anniversary of Zero Discrimination Day UNAIDS calls for the protection of human rights as a path to protecting health for all
GENEVA, 27 February 2024 - UNAIDS - Zero Discrimination Day was established by UNAIDS ten years ago to advance equality and fairness for everyone regardless of gender, age, sexuality, ethnicity or HIV status. However, progress is in peril.
Attacks on the rights of women and girls, of LGBTQ+ people, and of other marginalized communities are on the rise. And when laws, policies, practices or norms enshrine punishment, discrimination or stigma for people because they are women, or are LGBTQ+, or are migrants, or sex workers, or use drugs, the results lead to failing public health as these communities are pushed away from vital health and social services.
“The attacks on rights are a threat to freedom and democracy and are harmful to health. Stigma and discrimination obstruct HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care, and hold back progress towards ending AIDS by 2030,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “It is only by protecting everyone’s rights that we can protect everyone’s health.”

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www.poz.com
HIV Is Not a Crime Awareness Day 2024
February 27, 2024 - By Trent Straube - Observed Wednesday, February 28, #HINACDay is now a global awareness day. Check out these virtual events to fight HIV criminalization.
Wednesday, February 28, marks the third annual HIV Is Not a Crime Awareness Day (#HINACDay; #HIVIsNotACrime). “This awareness day is an opportunity to amplify the voices of those who have been criminalized based on their HIV status” and is also “a day to support advocates mobilizing to change laws during their legislative session that target people living with HIV,” note the event organizers via Facebook posts on their HIV Is Not a Crime Awareness Day page.
As of this year, HINAC Day is recognized as a global awareness day; as such, the day has been rebranded, including a new logo

Read more... POZ | NEWSFEED | www.poz.com

Americans Are Becoming More Uncomfortable Interacting With Co-Workers Living With HIV, Report Shows
Feb 27, 2024 - Jennifer Lotito - Forbes - If you consider the major barriers to ending HIV, you might point to gaps in testing or the lack of access to treatment and care, especially in marginalized communities. But there’s another major obstacle–one that is invisible to the naked eye, yet lingers like a threatening cloud: stigma.
Read more... Forbes | www.forbes.com

Durbin Slams Republicans For Continuing To Delay Reauthorization Of PEPFAR
02.26.24 - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois - In A Speech On The Senate Floor, Durbin Called Out Republicans’ Hypocrisy For Advocating For ‘Pro-Life’ Policies While Blocking PEPFAR Funding That Would Save The Lives Of Those Impacted By HIV/AIDS
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling on his Republican colleagues to stop delaying the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan forAIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a Bush-era program that has saved more than 25 million lives worldwide in conjunction with its companion effort, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. In his speech, Durbin spoke about the importance of programs built to support nations in Africa, including PEPFAR, mobility efforts, and clean water and sanitation initiatives.
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www.gilead.com
Gilead to Present Late-Breaking Data and Real-World Evidence Highlighting Innovative Antiviral Portfolio and Research Pipeline at CROI 2024
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- February 26, 2024 - Gilead - – Key Findings from HIV Treatment Research Studies Evaluating Biktarvy® and Investigational Long-Acting Combination Regimens Affirm Commitment to Continuous Biomedical Innovation –
– Latest Real-World Evidence Analyses Evaluate Impact of Veklury® on Mortality and Long-COVID –
– New Data Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Hepcludex® in People with HIV/HBV/HDV Coinfection to Be Presented –

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced the upcoming presentation of new clinical data and real-world evidence (RWE) from its antiviral research and development programs at the 31st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2024) taking place from March 3-6. The data from nearly eighty studies across HIV, COVID-19 and viral hepatitis include late-breaking data, four oral presentations, and reflect Gilead’s commitment to address the evolving needs of a diverse range of people and communities affected by some of the world’s most challenging viruses.
“At CROI 2024, we look forward to sharing new research that highlights the breadth of our antiviral portfolio and expanding pipeline as we strive to treat, prevent, cure and help eradicate viral diseases worldwide,” said Frank Duff, MD, Senior Vice President, Virology Therapeutic Area Head, Gilead Sciences. “The data selected for presentation at CROI is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to advancing person-centered biomedical innovation in virology, aimed at fulfilling urgent global needs.”

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www.gilead.com
U.S. FDA Approves Expanded Indication for Gilead’s Biktarvy® to Treat People with HIV with Suppressed Viral Loads, Pre-existing Resistance
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- February 26, 2024 - Gilead - – Biktarvy Now First and Only INSTI-Based Single-Tablet Regimen That is FDA Approved and DHHS Guideline Recommended for People Who are Virologically Suppressed with M184V/I Resistance –
– M184V/I One of the Most Common Forms of Resistance Among People with HIV –
– Biktarvy Is a Long-Term Treatment Option with a High Barrier to Resistance for a Broad Range of Individuals –

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new, expanded indication for Biktarvy® (bictegravir 50 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg tablets, B/F/TAF) to treat people with HIV (PWH) who have suppressed viral loads with known or suspected M184V/I resistance, a common form of treatment resistance. HIV treatment resistance is permanent and irreversible, which can jeopardize future treatment options for PWH. The M184V/I resistance mutation has been found to be present in a range (22-63%) of PWH with pre-existing resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) across various HIV subtypes. This label update is supported by Study 4030, which evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability profile of Biktarvy in a broad range of people with HIV-1 with or without pre-existing NRTI resistance, including those with the M184V/I resistance. Biktarvy is now the first and only integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-based single-tablet regimen that is FDA approved and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) guideline recommended for PWH who are virally suppressed with M184V/I resistance.
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AIDS Vancouver Community Celebration Celebrate 40+ years of community and our new name, purpose, and values. www.aidsvancouver.org
AIDS Vancouver Community Celebration
Celebrate 40+ years of community and our new name, purpose, and values
Vancouver, BC - February 25 2024 - AIDS Vancouver - March 26 2024 - 5pm-8:00pm - VIFF Centre
In February 2023, AIDS Vancouver started a community consultation process, called Vision Our Future, to revise our mission, vision, and name. Now, we are getting ready to share our new purpose, values, name and look, and celebrate the past and present people and communities who have made this possible.
Please join our Community Celebration on March 26, at the Vancouver International Film Festival starting at 5pm. All are welcome to celebrate with us.

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The Global Fund - www.theglobalfund.org/en
Global Fund to Provide Emergency Services to 1.3 Million Afghan Returnees
Geneva/Kabul, 24 February 2024 – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund) - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) has approved over US$4.7 million in emergency funding to deliver HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria services to the 1.3 million Afghans who have been living in Pakistan who must now return to their country in the coming year.
The US$4.7 million in emergency funds will be added to a US$66 million grant that started on 1 January 2024 for a period of three years. The grant is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
“The anticipated 1.3 million people represent over 3% of Afghanistan’s population,” said Annelise Hirschmann, Head of the Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean Department at the Global Fund. “This steep increase in population, especially in the rural and hard-to-reach areas bordering Pakistan, represents an epidemiological risk and cannot be accommodated without reinforcing essential HIV, TB and malaria services.”

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Almodóvar receives NIH grant to study pulmonary hypertension in HIV patients
23-FEB-2024 - Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center - Across the globe, more than 39 million people are living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, including more than 1.3 million new HIV diagnoses last year. The majority of those afflicted — approximately 76% — have access to antiviral therapy that allows them to live with HIV as a chronic disease.
Sharilyn Almodóvar, Ph.D., from the Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine and the TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, said that even with the widespread availability of therapy, people living with HIV are facing challenges.

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Looking Ahead to CROI 2024 with NIH's Dr. Carl Dieffenbach
Feb 23, 2024 - HIV.Gov - Ahead of the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), @niaid's Dr. Carl Dieffenbach shares a preview of some of the research he's looking forward to. Tune in March 3-6 for ongoing coverage of #CROI2024.
Watch Video...

Government of Canada supports community-based projects addressing HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections
February 23, 2024 - Surrey, British Columbia - Public Health Agency of Canada - Today, Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced more than $12.6 million in funding through the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund (CAF) and the Harm Reduction Fund (HRF) for 16 projects to support the work of community-based organizations addressing HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) throughout British Columbia.
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Cedars Sinai - www.cedars-sinai.org
Measles Makes a Comeback: What Parents Need to Know
Newswise — LOS ANGELES (Feb. 23, 2024) - Cedars Sinai - Physician Urges Parents to Vaccinate Children as Global Uptick in Deadly Childhood Disease Reaches California
A highly contagious childhood disease once eradicated by vaccination has made a comeback.
Globally, measles cases increased by 79% in 2023, according to the World Health Organization. In 2022, WHO estimated that measles killed more than 130,000—most of them children.
In the U.S., during the first two months of 2024, nearly two dozen cases have been reported in California, Arizona and nine other states.

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Concern over HIV patients who are not receiving treatment
February 23, 2024 - SAnews.gov.za - South African Government News Agency - Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, says he remains concerned by those who are not on antiretroviral therapy (ART) despite knowing their HIV status.
“We are doing extremely well on the number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) who know their status. However, we have been struggling to reach a great milestone on the number of people that are on ARTs,” he said on Thursday.
Speaking at the high-level meeting convened in Cape Town by the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), Phaahla said a majority of these patients do come for treatment, but they disengage from care due to various factors.

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www.poz.com
Cabenuva Beats Daily Pills for People With Adherence Challenges
February 23, 2024 - By Liz Highleyman - Long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine injections were more effective than daily oral regimens, according to ViiV Healthcare.
Long-acting Cabenuva (injectable cabotegravir and rilpivirine) is more effective than daily antiretroviral pills for people who have had difficulty achieving consistent adherence and maintaining viral suppression, according to an announcement from ViiV Healthcare.
Read more... POZ | SCIENCE NEWS | www.poz.com

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) - elizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org
THE ELIZABETH TAYLOR AIDS FOUNDATION HOSTS “STUCK IN THE 80S NIGHT” ON NATIONAL HIV IS NOT A CRIME DAY IN ATLANTA
ATLANTA (February 22, 2024) -The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) - Outdated Criminalization Laws and Leading HIV Rates Brings Awareness Opportunity to Atlanta
The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) announced today its "Stuck in the 80s Night" to be held at Center Stage in Atlanta on National HIV Is Not A Crime Awareness Day – a national observance the organization commemorates on February 28. The event centers awareness about HIV-specific criminalization laws established in the 1980s by educating about the impact of outdated legislation and celebrating the resilience of people living with HIV.
"Stuck in the 80s Night" will feature fireside chats and panel discussions led by CNN Newsroom anchor, Fredricka Whitfield, CNN This Morning Weekend co-anchor, Victor Blackwell, ETAF Council of Justice Leaders, Robert Suttle, Former Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, Harold Phillips, Co-Executive Director of HIV Legal Network, Janet Butler-McPhee, and Co-Executive Director of Sero Project, Kamaria Laffrey. The red-carpet evening will also include performances by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and six-time Grammy award-winning artist, Flavor Flav, poetry from HIV/AIDS Presidential Advisory Council Member, Kayla Quimbley, and a celebratory ballroom scene led by the father of Haus of Maison Margiela, Vinny Watson.

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www.aidshealth.orgHydeia Broadbent, HIV/ AIDS Activist
AHF Honors and Remembers Indomitable AIDS Activist Hydeia Broadbent
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (February 21, 2024) - AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) - Broadbent, HIV-positive since birth, partnered with AHF on several AIDS advocacy and awareness campaigns
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) mourns the death of lifelong AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent who passed away in her sleep yesterday at the age of 39. Broadbent, who was HIV-positive since birth, first came to national prominence in 1996 when she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other national news and talk programs at the age of 11 to talk about her life living with AIDS.
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Statement – “I wish for...”: The hopes of people living with HIV strengthen our commitment to #EndAIDS
21 February 2024 - World Health Organization (WHO) - Statement by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
My professional involvement with HIV goes back 30 years, to 1994 when I joined MSF-Belgium working on TB and HIV in Somalia. The world was a very different place; an HIV diagnosis was practically a death sentence, getting tested was a lengthy ordeal and treatment options were scarce. Much of the progress we could only dream about back then has become reality, such as highly effective treatment that reduces the HIV virus in the blood to a point where it is undetectable and cannot be transmitted to others. We have multiple means of prevention and rapid testing. From a medical point of view, HIV has simply become a chronic disease. People with HIV can live long, healthy lives. But a significant block remains. HIV stigma and discrimination are still taking a toll, preventing people from getting tested and treated.
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JAMAICA OBSERVER -www.jamaicaobserver.com
Gov’t providing $1 billion for HIV/AIDS reduction programme
February 21, 2024 - JAMAICA OBSERVER - THE Jamaica Government is providing more than one billion dollars for the country’s National HIV/AIDS Response Project as it seeks to further decrease infections in high-risks group.
The Government said that the money will be spent during the 2024/2025 fiscal year and that the programme is geared at reducing AIDS-related morbidity by providing effective biomedical and supporting services and reducing new HIV infections among key populations through behavioural and structural interventions.

Read more... JAMAICA OBSERVER | NEWS | www.ctvnews.ca

www.uottawa.ca/en
Preventative healthcare at your fingertips
February 20, 2024 - University of Ottawa - University of Ottawa researcher develops bilingual healthcare app to help Canadians stay healthy in face of healthcare crisis
With hospital emergency departments overwhelmed and Canadians feeling frustrated by a lack of primary care access, a free webapp developed at the University of Ottawa is providing trusted information about preventative health care to empower the public to take control of their own health.
Digital Innovation
A collaborative effort from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Engineering has led to the development of icanbewell.ca, an innovative digital hub accessible to the public and health care providers.
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www.ucla.edu
Uptake of HIV prevention medication doubles with mix of digital health interventions, study finds
February 20, 2024 - UCLA Health researchers say behavioral health and wraparound services are critical in uptake of biomedical prevention
A UCLA Health-led study found a combination of interventions of one-on-one telehealth coaching, peer support forums, and automated text messages more than doubled the use of the HIV prevention strategy, called PrEP, among younger, at-risk Americans, a group that historically has had low use of the medication.
The randomized controlled trial results, published in the journal Lancet Digital Health, tested combinations of interventions to improve HIV prevention behaviors, including pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, among younger Americans who have historically had the lowest rate of uptake of the drug among the 1.2 million people in the U.S. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates would benefit from the medication.

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Measles: What a pediatric infectious disease expert wants you to know
February 20, 2024 - By Adam Ward - McMaster University - Jacqueline Wong, a pediatric infectious disease expert and assistant professor with McMaster University’s Department of Pediatrics, says getting the measles vaccine can protect children from the incredibly contagious disease.
Health experts worldwide are issuing warnings due to an explosive increase in cases of measles.
In late 2023, the World Health Organization released a warning after reporting a 30-fold increase in measles cases in Europe. The risk posed by measles even prompted the Government of Canada to previously issue a travel health notice, and in February 2024, a confirmed case of measles in a child from Ontario was being investigated by Peel Public Health.
We spoke with Jacqueline Wong, a pediatric infectious disease expert and assistant professor with McMaster University’s Department of Pediatrics, about measles, how it spreads and what parents need to know.

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The Balm In Gilead, Inc. - www.balmingilead.org
National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS Streaming Discussion Series Centers Black Americans
RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Balm In Gilead Inc. - The National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, taking place March 3-9, will feature streaming discussions focusing on HIV/AIDS and Black Americans. "The Doctor and the Preacher" series is produced by The Balm In Gilead, Inc. and will be available live on Facebook and YouTube at 12pm Eastern Time Monday, March 4 through Wednesday, March 6.
"In light of the fact that HIV and AIDS continue to have disproportionate and tragic impact on Black families and communities, our series will explore what individuals, congregations, and policymakers can do," said Dr. Pernessa C. Seele, founder/CEO of The Balm In Gilead, Inc.

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Researchers are using RNA in a new approach to fight HIV
FEBRUARY 20, 2024 - WATERLOO NEWS - University of Waterloo - You know mRNA, now meet siRNA
Society learned about the value of mRNA during the COVID-19 pandemic when we saw scientists and medical professionals harness its power to deliver a vaccine for the virus within a year.
Now, University of Waterloo pharmacy associate professor Emmanuel Ho has developed a novel nanomedicine loaded with genetic material called small interfering RNAs (siRNA) to fight human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using gene therapy. These siRNAs regulate which genes or proteins are turned on or off in our cells and showed a 73 per cent reduction in HIV replication.
“This opens the door for new therapeutics in the fight against HIV,” said Dr. Ho, who is among Waterloo’s researchers and entrepreneurs leading health innovation in Canada.

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www.uottawa.ca/en
uOttawa scientists develop novel radiotracer for earlier detection of disease
February 20, 2024 - University of Ottawa - Turns out a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down - and light up a PET scan
The vast majority of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging systems map out how the body uses a radioactive form of glucose for energy. Since many cancers use glucose as metabolic fuel, they light up on glucose PET scans. However, not all cancers use glucose as fuel, and some normal organs, like the brain and heart, use high amounts of glucose too, making it difficult to identify some diseases from this type of diagnostic scan.
Now, scientists at the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have developed a new radiotracer (called [18F]4-FDF) that can map how cells use fructose for energy. Fructose is a different type of metabolic fuel that is increasingly being recognized as a fuel for disease. Fructose, a monosaccharide known as “fruit sugar”, is a common dietary sugar found naturally in fruit, honey, and processed foods. Unlike glucose, fructose is not normally used for fuel by the healthy brain and heart, appearing mostly in healthy liver and kidneys. By identifying where fructose is being used in the body, [18F]4-FDF will allow for earlier detection of a wide range of diseases, including cancers, as well as inflammation of the heart and brain.

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University of Bristol - bristol.ac.uk
Droughts may trigger HIV transmission increase among women in rural sub-Saharan Africa, study finds
20 February 2024 - University of Bristol - Droughts have the potential to increase the spread of HIV for women living in rural parts of Africa, researchers at the University of Bristol have found.
In the study, published today in AIDS and Behavior, findings imply that drought triggers behavioural changes as people struggle to battle poverty and food insecurity through activities such as transactional sex.
Due to climate change, droughts are likely to become increasingly common in the future, which could lead to higher instances of HIV transmission.
Sub-Saharan Africa will be one of the regions most affected by climate change, with increasing risks of drought caused by changes in precipitation and limited water storage, as well as limited capacity and resources to support adaptation. Drought is an ongoing and worsening trend in sub-Saharan Africa, with the percentage of land experiencing severe drought increasing from around 5% to 15% since 1901.

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Provincial Government Providing Funding to Support AIDS Committee
February 19 2024 - Government of Newfoundland and Labrador - The Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Health and Community Services, today announced more than $1 million in funding to support the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador (ACNL) is a provincial community-based, non-profit charitable organization committed to preventing the spread of HIV, hepatitis C virus and related sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections through education and supportive harm reduction-based programs and services.
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'No backup plan': Funding for HIV self-testing kits ending in March
February 19, 2024 - Kelly Geraldine Malone The Canadian Press - CTV News - Prossy Luzige often gets calls from people looking for HIV tests that they can do in the privacy of their own homes.
The program co-ordinator at CAYR Community Connections in Ontario says the take-home tests are crucial to connecting with people as Canada's HIV infections climb.
But the groundbreaking initiative to provide the kits across Canada is in peril, as funding runs out at the end of March.

Read more... CTV NEWS | HEALTH | NEWS | www.ctvnews.ca

theconversation.com
HIV among older South Africans in rural areas: big study shows there’s a problem that’s being neglected
February 18, 2024 - The Conversation -
South Africa continues to have a high prevalence of HIV among all age groups. About 8.2 million people or 13.7% of the population live with HIV, one of the highest rates in the world.
The country also has one of the world’s most impressive antiretroviral therapy programmes. Over 5 million people living with HIV are currently on chronic treatment. Widespread access to antiretroviral therapies since 2008 has led to millions of people ageing with chronic HIV infection. Consequently, people with HIV are older on average than they were just a decade ago.
Most HIV prevention and treatment programmes and policies in South Africa remain focused on adolescents and young adults. A growing group of middle-aged and older adults with HIV, or at high risk, are being left behind.

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www.ualberta.ca
Researchers seek clues to how monkeypox virus may infiltrate brain cells
February 16, 2024 - By Gillian Rutherford - University of Alberta - U of A team first to examine possible pathway for neurological symptoms associated with global outbreak of mpox disease.
A multidisciplinary team at the University of Alberta has for the first time sought to understand how monkeypox virus may be causing neurological symptoms in people affected by the global outbreak of mpox disease, declared by the World Health Organization in 2022.
In newly published research in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team used laboratory experiments to infect human brain cells with the monkeypox virus. They found monkeypox virus infiltrated the astrocytes — a type of cell responsible for normal brain function — triggering an extreme immune response.
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This Week’s Episode of Reveal: Journalism and Protest at the Dawn of AIDS
February 16, 2024 - By DANIEL MOATTAR - MOTHER JONES - Tony Fauci and others recount a fight on two fronts: against HIV, and against public hostility and indifference.
This week’s episode of Reveal features WNYC’s Kai Wright and the Nation‘s Lizzy Ratner, hosts of New York Public Radio and the History Channel’s Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows. Wright and Ratner take on the history and politics of the early AIDS crisis, surveying contemporary media coverage, community responses, and the enduring waves of activism that followed the dawn of HIV.
Read more... MOTHER JONES | Politics | www.motherjones.com

www.catie.ca
Study with young men underscores the need for long-acting forms of HIV prevention
FEBRUARY 16, 2024 - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - Clinical trials have found that a combination of certain anti-HIV medicines is highly effective at reducing the risk of HIV infection. This use of medicines to prevent HIV is called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
PrEP involves taking a pill that consists of two anti-HIV medicines—tenofovir + FTC—usually on a daily basis. Tenofovir is available in two formulations: the original version is called TDF (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) and the newer version is called TAF (tenofovir alafenamide).

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www.ecdc.europa.eu/en
High vaccination coverage key against expected increase of measles cases in the EU/EEA
February 16, 2024 - European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) - Measles cases are expected to continue increasing in the EU/EEA in the coming months due to sub-optimal vaccination coverage for measles-containing vaccines (MCV) in a number of EU/EEA countries, the high probability of importation from areas experiencing high circulation and the fact that the coming months represent the seasonal peak of the virus.
The evaluation is included in a recent ECDC assessment: Measles on the rise in the EU/EEA: Considerations for public health response. ECDC data shows that in January and early February 2024, the number of EU/EEA countries reporting measles cases has increased. At least seven deaths have been reported from two countries. “Nobody should die from measles. The increase in cases of measles, a highly contagious, but vaccine-preventable disease, is a stark reminder that all Member States should maximise efforts to achieve and maintain high vaccination coverage for all vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccines are a safe and effective way to reduce the health burden of infectious diseases and avoid unnecessary loss of life,” says Andrea Ammon, ECDC Director.
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HHS Intends to Propose Rulemaking on HIV-positive Organ Transplantation
February 15, 2024 - HIV.GOV - Years of HOPE Act Research Informs Potential Organ Transplant Policy Change for People with HIV
As people with HIV live longer, end-stage diseases of the kidney, liver, heart and lung continue to rise. As a result, the need for organs available for transplantation has increased. However, donor organs are in chronic short supply nationwide for people with and without HIV. While people with HIV can and do continue to receive organs from HIV-negative donors, transplants from donors with HIV may reduce time on the transplant waiting list and associated costs for these recipients. Nearly a decade of research into organs transplanted from donors with HIV to recipients with HIV will inform an intended proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that, if finalized, would remove some of the current restrictions that authorize such transplants only under research protocols, potentially making them more widely available. As more people with HIV become organ donors, the overall pool of available organs is anticipated to increase, benefiting all people on transplant waiting lists since every successful transplant shortens the waitlist for all patients.
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Justice Department Sues Tennessee for Enforcing State Law that Discriminates Against People with HIV
February 15, 2024 - U.S. Department of JUSTICE - The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the State of Tennessee and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The department previously notified Tennessee and the TBI that they violated the ADA by enforcing the state’s aggravated prostitution statute against people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). That letter of findings detailed the minimum remedial measures necessary to address the discrimination.
“The enforcement of state criminal laws that treat people differently based on HIV status alone and that are not based on actual risks of harm, discriminate against people living with HIV,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “People living with HIV should not be subjected to a different system of justice based on outdated science and misguided assumptions. This lawsuit reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to ensuring that people living with HIV are not targeted because of their disability.”

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www.michiganmedicine.org
Inequities in HIV testing, diagnosis and care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
15-Feb-2024 - Newswise - by Valerie Goodwin - Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan - People with disabilities are often at higher risk for exposure to HIV due to barriers in engaging healthcare and other systemic factors and are thus considered a priority for prevention and testing efforts. However, these efforts don’t always extend to people with intellectual disabilities due to a misunderstanding that people with intellectual disabilities are mostly asexual.
Researchers at University of Michigan Health conducted one of the largest epidemiological studies of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to closely examine where the gaps in HIV care lie and found large disparities in care for Black patients as well as for patients with autism and co-occurring intellectual disabilities.

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This San Diego HIV Social Group Is Still Thriving After More Than 20 Years
Feb 15, 2024 - By Tim Murphy - TheBody - Social and support groups were once a lifeline for people living with HIV/AIDS back in the “bad old days” before HIV was a manageable illness for most Americans. But they were already waning when COVID hit in 2020. After that, like many things that the pandemic altered—on-site five-day weeks for office staffers, constant travel for work, and even educational classes or reunions—in-person HIV groups have declined even further. Why bother showering, making yourself presentable head-to-toe and getting in the car or on public transit when Zoom allows you to convene with people without having to leave the house?
Read more... TheBody | globalnews.ca

Joe Rogan Provides A Platform To HIV/AIDS Denialists
Feb 15, 2024 - By Joshua Cohen - Forbes - HIV is a deadly virus. It causes AIDS. If you contract HIV, unless you are prescribed antiretroviral drugs, you will likely progress to AIDS within a decade and die shortly thereafter. This is not, however, how certain guests on Joe Rogan’s show see it.
Read more... www.forbes.com | Joshua Cohen | www.forbes.com

City of Hope - www.cityofhope.org
City of Hope research featuring the successful treatment of the oldest patient to achieve remission for leukemia and HIV published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
LOS ANGELES - Feb. 14, 2024 -By Letisia Marquez - City of Hope - The case demonstrates that older adults with blood cancers who receive reduced intensity chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant with donor cells that are resistant to HIV may be cured of HIV infection
City of Hope®, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, treated the oldest person to be cured of a blood cancer and then achieve remission for HIV after receiving a blood stem cell transplant from a donor with a rare genetic mutation. Research published in NEJM today demonstrates that older adults with blood cancers who receive reduced intensity chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant with donor cells that are resistant to HIV may be cured of HIV infection.
Paul Edmonds, 68, of Desert Springs, California, is the fifth person in the world to achieve remission for acute myelogenous leukemia and HIV after receiving stem cells with a rare genetic mutation, homozygous CCR5 Delta 32. That mutation makes people who have it resistant to acquiring HIV. Edmonds is also the person who had HIV the longest — for over 31 years — among these five patients.

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U of M research advances potential HIV cure strategy
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (02/14/2024) - Ezra Xiong - University of Minnesota Medical School - Published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases Oxford Academic, research led by the University of Minnesota Medical School offers a new avenue of hope in the fight against chronic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
The researchers explored the use of Natural Killer (NK) cells aiming to restore their function for better infection control — an approach that could be used in a broader HIV cure strategy as multiple companies are working on mass production of healthy NK cells.

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Meet the campaigner at the forefront of HIV/AIDS activism since the 1980s
13th February 2024 - WORDS BY CONOR CLARK- HEADER BY ANISA CLEAVER - GAY TIMES - Since co-founding the Manchester AIDS Line in 1985, Paul Fairweather has continued to be a fearless advocate for people living with HIV.
When the first cases of HIV were identified in the 1980s, virtually nothing was known about the virus except that it was fatal for those who contracted it. Initially referred to as Gay Related Immune Deficiency (GRID), gay and bisexual men in particular faced unparalleled levels of stigma in society because of the way HIV disproportionately affected them – something that only made LGBTQIA+ advocacy tougher at the time. “I worked full time on lesbian and gay equality, which was very unusual in those days,” says Paul Fairweather, a renowned human rights activist who has been at the forefront of the community response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the UK since it started. “I think in the beginning of the 1980s, things were beginning to change and improve and then I think HIV really, particularly in terms of stigmatising gay men, put things on hold in a way.”
Read more... GAY TIMES | www.gaytimes.co.uk

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health offering free, at-home HIV tests
February 14, 2024 - By Shane Gibson - GLOBAL NEWS - Hastings Prince Edward Public Health is offering free, at-home HIV testing kits to mark Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Week.
The health authority is partnering with University of Ottawa-based GetaKit to offer the free self-test kits for residents over 16 years of age.

Read more... GLOBAL NEWS | HEALTH | globalnews.ca

Stopping HIV in its tracks
13-Feb-2024 - UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES - Just over a year ago, the European Union and the US Food and Drug Administration approved a new anti-retroviral drug to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. Lenacapavir is the first drug available to patients that is designed to home in on the HIV’s protective armour – the HIV capsid.
An international team of researchers led by UNSW Sydney medical researchers now have the details on how this novel drug pushes the HIV capsid to breaking point, stopping the virus in its tracks. The molecular mechanisms that they uncovered are published in the journal eLife, and could help to refine and design more effective anti-viral therapies.

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Study Reveals Accelerated Aging in Women Living With HIV
13-Feb-2024 - Newswise - Rutgers University-New Brunswick - A Rutgers Health professor and other researchers examined how aging affects the bones and muscles of women diagnosed with HIV
Women with HIV experience accelerated DNA aging, a phenomenon that can lead to poor physical function, according to a study led by Stephanie Shiau, an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health.
Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the study sheds light on the unique challenges faced by women with HIV as they age and opens avenues for tailored interventions to enhance health outcomes. Globally, over 50 percent of individuals living with HIV are women, and women accounted for an estimated 46 percent of all new infections in 2022.
Women with HIV experience higher rates of bone loss compared to women without the virus, which can place them at increased risk of fracture as they age, according to results from the Women’s Interagency HIV Study.

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www.med.unc.edu
New Trial Highlights Incremental Progress Towards a Cure for HIV-1
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - February 13, 2024 - UNC School of Medicine - Cynthia L. Gay, MD, MPH, associate professor of infectious diseases, and David Margolis, MD, the Sarah Kenan Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology, and Epidemiology in the UNC School of Medicine, published results of a clinical trial showing that vorinostat and immunotherapy may modestly shrink the latent HIV reservoir.
Antiretroviral therapies (ART) stop HIV replication in its tracks, allowing people with HIV to live relatively normal lives. However, despite these treatments, some HIV still lingers inside cells in a dormant state known as “latency.” If ART is discontinued, HIV will awaken from its dormant state, begin to replicate, and cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). To create a cure, researchers have been attempting to drive HIV out of latency and target it for destruction.
A new clinical trial led by Cynthia Gay, MD, MPH, associate professor of infectious diseases, David Margolis, MD, the Sarah Kenan Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology, and Epidemiology, and other clinicians and researchers at the UNC School of Medicine suggests that a combination of the drug vorinostat and immunotherapy can coax HIV-infected cells out of latency and attack them.

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Message from the Minister of Health, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, and the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth of Canada – Sexual Health Week
February 12, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Public Health Agency of Canada - Every year in February, we mark Sexual Health Week in Canada to raise awareness and promote resources to improve sexual health. This year’s theme “Sexual Health is for Everyone” emphasizes that sexual health is an important part of our overall health, at all ages. We also know that 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous, Black and racialized communities, people with disabilities, immigrants and migrants, as well as women and youth, are all underserved groups, and often lack access to health information.
Sexual health is directly related to our mental and sexual wellbeing, the development of our bodies, and our ability to have healthy relationships.
Sexual health also means being informed, having a positive and respectful approach to sexuality, understanding consent and having the right information to make informed decisions about our bodies.

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www.aidshealth.org
AHF Rolls Out Condom Extravaganza for Sexy Holiday
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- February 12, 2024 - AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) - 40-plus global AHF teams promote pre-Valentine’s International Condom Day with fun, eye-catching events and advocacy; U.S. brings provocative, sold-out “A Westside Story Burlesque Show” to NYC, Chicago, and DC
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is celebrating International Condom Day – the day before Valentine’s Day – with worldwide activities highlighting the importance of using condoms to practice safer sex. AHF teams in more than 40 countries will hold events to educate on condom use, distribute free condoms, and encourage everyone to start or continue using condoms regularly. In the U.S., AHF is staging its wildly popular, sold-out “A Westside Story Burlesque Show” in New York City, Chicago, and Washington, DC.
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Tackling HIV stigma: Why it’s important and what needs to be done
Feb 12, 2024 - Feb 12, 2024by Jason M. Lo Hog Tian Shyamaly Vasuthevan James Watson - Healthy Debate - Experiences of HIV-related stigma are still incredibly high in Canada – about 75 per cent of people living with HIV are careful telling others because of the associated stigma, according to a recent survey. However, given the continued lack of understanding about how stigma makes people feel unwell, it is a challenge to design solutions to reduce its impact.
The People Living with HIV Stigma Index is a global survey tool that has been implemented in more than 100 countries and aims to document lived experiences of stigma and discrimination. The team at Reach Nexus, a national research group working on ways to address HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections and ending the associated stigma, along with its community partners, are implementing the study in Canada; in its first publication, the study team examined how different types of stigma influence each other and intersect with other health risks to impact health and wellbeing.

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Sask. organization fears potential funding cut to HIV self-testing kits amid worst rates in Canada
Feb 12, 2024 - Saskatoon - CBC - Province had highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in Canada: 2022 stats
Saskatchewan has the worst rate of new HIV infections in Canada and organizations that provide self-testing kits fear the problem could worsen if federal funding is cut.
Read more... CBC | CBC News | Saskatoon | Canada | www.cbc.ca

HIV epidemic on the rise again, with more cases in Quebec than national average’
February 10, 2024 - CTV News Montreal - The HIV epidemic is on the rise again in Canada, with an 'alarming increase' of 24.9 per cent in reported cases across the country in 2022, according to the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research.
The Public Health Agency of Canada reported 1,833 new cases of HIV in 2022. Men aged 30 to 39 are the category with the highest rates.

Read more... CTV News Montreal | News | Montreal | Canada | montreal.ctvnews.ca

www.idse.net
Researchers Pinpoint Most Likely Source of HIV Rebound Infection
FEBRUARY 9, 2024 - By IDSE News Staff - Infectious Disease Special Edition (IDSE) - “Now, we have evidence that SIV, and therefore potentially HIV, is hiding in specific types of lymph nodes and spleen tissues and is some of the first to reemerge in blood when treatment is stopped.”
ART does an excellent job at suppressing HIV to undetectable levels in the blood. However, small amounts of latent virus hide throughout the body, including in the brain, lungs, gut, spleen, lymph nodes and other organs. Stopping treatment opens the door for the virus to rebound.

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theconversation.com
Lack of access to health care is partly to blame for skyrocketing HIV rates among gay Black men
February 9, 2024 - The Conversation - Over the past 20 years, people living with HIV in the United States have seen a drastic improvement in their overall quality of life. But the medical achievements that have made those lives better and created longer life expectancies have not benefited all communities.
In fact, some communities still have higher rates of new cases of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. This is especially true for Black gay and bisexual men. Black queer men are six times more likely to die as a result of HIV-related complications when compared with queer men of different races.
In addition, in the most recent available data, Black queer men made up 26% of all new cases of HIV in 2019 despite making up less than 3% of the total U.S. population.

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Bristish Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS - bccfe.ca
BC-Cfe Webinar: Antiretroviral Drug Interactions Update
BC-CfE webinar Learning Series Event
Cost: Free Registration
Wednesday, February 28th, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 PM (PST).

This webinar will be presented by:
DErin Ready, BSc (Pharm), ACPR, MPH, AAHIVP
.
Presentations will be followed by a discussion where participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive real-time responses from presenters.
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amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research - www.amfar.org
What’s the Role of Natural Killer Cells in Curing HIV?
February 7, 2024 - By Jeffrey Laurence, M.D. - amfAR - Research question
Last month this update discussed a study of “elite controllers,” people living with HIV (PLWH) who are able to maintain undetectable levels of virus in the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Conducted by two amfAR-funded scientists, Drs. Mathias Lichterfeld and Xu Yu, the study found high levels of natural killer (NK) cells—cells capable of targeting HIV-infected cells—in these controllers, along with high levels of the immune hormone IL-15. IL-15 can enhance the killer function of NK cells and prolonged their survival. Whether this observation could be translated into an effective treatment and potential cure for the vast majority of PLWH who are not elite controllers was unknown.

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American Academy of Dermatology - www.aad.org
Syphilis cases rise in the U.S.
7-Feb-2024 - by American Academy of Dermatology - Syphilis, once nearly eliminated in the United States, continues to resurge, reaching the highest rate of new infections recorded since 1950, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.
According to a new C.D.C. report, more than 207,000 cases were diagnosed in 2022, the last year for which data are available. That represents an 80 percent increase since 2018, and 17 percent over the previous year’s tally.

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Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR)
CANFAR UNVEILS “BOLD STRATEGIC” PLAN TO ADDRESS RISE IN HIV CASES AND END THE HIV EPIDEMIC IN CANADA BY THE END OF 2025
TORONTO, Feb. 7, 2024 /CNW/ - Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) - Catalyzing action in underserved communities, increasing access to HIV testing and linkage to treatment, and funding implementation projects key to achieving goal
CANFAR, the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, unveils its strategic plan that responds to the significant rise in new HIV cases across Canada and aims to be a major partner to end the national HIV epidemic by the end of 2025.
Canada saw an increase of 24.9% of new HIV diagnoses in 2022 over 2021, with Saskatchewan and Manitoba leading the country's new diagnosis rate at 19.0 and 13.0 per 100,000 – compared to the national average of 4.7. This rise in new cases has not been seen in over a decade.

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Serious bacterial infections causing pneumonia, meningitis on the rise in Alberta
Feb 07, 2024 - Jennifer Lee - CBC - Alberta reported 812 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease last year including 62 deaths
An addictions counsellor who was involved with advising the Saskatchewan government on its move to a "recovery-oriented" addictions model is defending the province's decision to stop providing clean pipes and require people to return used needles to receive new ones.
The province announced its decision on Jan. 18.

Read more... CBC | CBC News | Calgary | Canada | www.cbc.ca

www.poz.com
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2024
February 7, 2024 - By Trent Straube - The theme for this year’s #NBHAAD is “Engage, Educate, Empower: Uniting to End HIV/AIDS in Black Communities.”
Wednesday, February 7, marks National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (#NBHAAD) 2024. This year’s theme is, “Engage, Educate, Empower: Uniting to End HIV/AIDS in Black Communities.” Search the hashtag online to fine countless awareness campaigns, educational events and other happenings. Several examples are included throughout this article.
Read more... POZ | NEWSFEED | www.poz.com

Kaiser Permanente - about.kaiserpermanente.org
Study explores weight gain with HIV treatment
February 6, 2024 - by Jan Greene - Kaiser Permanente - Kaiser Permanente researchers find weight gain associated with all types of antiretroviral therapy
A unique study comparing people with HIV starting antiretroviral medication treatment (ART) with demographically similar people without HIV found greater weight gain over 2 years in those with HIV.
The analysis of Kaiser Permanente Northern California patients was published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

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La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) - www.lji.org
How T cells combat tuberculosis
6-Feb-2024 - Newswise - La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) - By tracking T cell activity, researchers uncover promising tuberculosis vaccine and drug targets
La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) is working to guide the development of new tuberculosis vaccines and drug therapies.
Now a team of LJI scientists has uncovered important clues to how human T cells combat Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB. Their findings were published recently in Nature Communications.
“This research gives us a better understanding of T cell responses to different stages in tuberculosis infection and helps us figure out is there are additional diagnostic targets, vaccine targets, or drug candidates to help people with the disease,” says LJI Research Assistant Professor Cecilia Lindestam Arlehamn, Ph.D., who led the new research in collaboration with LJI Professors Bjoern Peters, Ph.D., and Alessandro Sette, Dr.Biol.Sci.

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A Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Café Scientifique - Unlocking Vitality: The Mind, Brain, and Body Journey of Aging with HIV
Unlocking Vitality: The Mind, Brain, and Body Journey of Aging with HIV
A Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Café Scientifique
2pm-4:30pm Eastern on Monday February 12 and 12pm-2:30pm Eastern on Tuesday February 13
Keynote address by Dr. Marie-Josée Brouillette, McGill University
Presentations by Kate Murzin (Realize), Dr. Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco (University of Toronto), Marvelous Muchenje (University of Toronto), Dr. Rachel Landy (Dalhousie University), Dr. Andrew Eaton (University of Regina), and more!

CAHR/CAGH, University of Regina, Realize and PANACHE have joined forces in an exciting partnership to deliver a cutting-edge workshop on living with HIV and cognition, aging, exercise, and health promoting services, programs and interventions. This workshop is designed to cater to the needs of people living with HIV, communities, service providers, and academics.
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Les Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada (IRSC) Café Scientifique -  Cultiver sa vitalité : le parcours mental, cérébral et corporel du vieillissement avec le VIH
Cultiver sa vitalité : le parcours mental, cérébral et corporel du vieillissement avec le VIH
Les Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada (IRSC) Café Scientifique
de 14 h à 16 h 30 (heure de l'Est) le lundi 12 février et de 12 h à 14 h 30 (heure de l'Est) le mardi 13 février
Discours en vedette de la Dre Marie-Josée Brouillette, Université McGill
Présentations de Kate Murzin (Réalise), Dr Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco (Université de Toronto), Marvelous Muchenje (Université de Toronto), Dre Rachel Landy (Université Dalhousie), Dr Andrew Eaton (Université de Regina), et plus encore !

CAHR/CAGH, University of Regina, Realize and PANACHE have joined forces in an exciting partnership to deliver a cutting-edge workshop on living with HIV and cognition, aging, exercise, and health promoting services, programs and interventions. This workshop is designed to cater to the needs of people living with HIV, communities, service providers, and academics.
Read more...

Virus ancestry could aid bid to predict next pandemic, study finds
5-Feb-2024 - Newswise - by University of Edinburgh - Virus family history could help scientists identify which strains have potential to become the so-called Disease X that causes the next global pandemic.
A study has identified 70 virus lineages – groups of related viruses – that pose the biggest risk. Viruses from other genetic backgrounds are unlikely to cause a high number of infections in humans, the research shows.
The findings will support ongoing efforts to monitor and prepare for future pandemics, including guiding vaccine and diagnostic development, experts say.
Disease X is the generic term used by the World Health Organization to represent a hypothetical, unidentified pathogen that could pose a significant threat to people.

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www.aidsmap.com
Involving religious leaders can undermine HIV prevention
5 February 2024 - Dr Dana Rosenfeld - Limited data to guide treatment of HIV-1's milder cousin
Traditionally, international HIV prevention efforts are managed by secular public health organisations or programmes, often internationally funded, that work with local health care providers, statutory organisations, and communities. In the early 2000s, UNICEF introduced a new initiative through which local religious leaders in South Asia, with little or no previous knowledge of HIV, would be invited to join their countries’ HIV prevention efforts. The initiative recognised that religious leaders have great influence on public opinion and people’s behaviour and hoped that through their involvement, these religious leaders would come to adopt a scientific approach to HIV and disseminate appropriate information in their communities.
But a recent paper published in Anthropology and Medicine, drawing on ethnographic research conducted at Pakistan’s National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) from 2010-2012, shows that this initiative backfired when adopted in Pakistan.

Read more... aidsmap | Religion & faith | www.aidsmap.com

Sexually transmitted infections among older adults pose a global public health challenge
February 5, 2024 - Newswise - University of Oslo - People around the world live longer than ever before. The number of people above the age of 60 will almost double by 2050, according to WHO.
As we grow older, our health typically decreases. The immune system becomes weaker, and we become more susceptible to infections. This includes HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis, and genital herpes.
“HIV and other STIs are equally prevalent in the sexually active older population as in the young population, “says Evandro Fei Fang, Associate Professor at the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo.

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“The number of people avoiding vaccination is a concern”: Measles, what you need to know from an expert in Public Health
February 5, 2024 - University of Warwick - Dr Sophie Martucci is an expert in Public Health from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. As part of her agents of infectious disease module and science communication model, she covers the MMR Vaccine and the unnecessary controversy around the vaccination.
Dr Martucci says “The number of people avoiding vaccination is a concern”. She continued “Unfortunately, historical, erroneous claims, incorrectly linking the vaccine to autism still prevent some parents from vaccinating their child, despite the study being debunked and the person leading those highly flawed studies no longer allowed to practice medicine in the country for fabricating the data.”
There have also subsequently been many studies from many different research groups showing that the MMR vaccine (which is used to treat measles mumps and rubella) is safe to be used in the majority of the population.

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Why L.A.’s battle against a deadly disease relies on unpaid volunteers
FEB. 4, 2024 - BY EMILY ALPERT REYES - Los angeles Times - Bruce is a volunteer in the enduring fight against hepatitis C. The stealthy killer claims the lives of roughly 14,000 Americans each year, even though it can be readily cured with a few months of pills. Many people have no idea they are infected, going years without symptoms before the blood-borne virus devastates the liver.
Yet public funding to combat hepatitis C is so scant that in Los Angeles County — an area more populous than many states — the crucial work of contacting those who are infected is being done by unpaid emissaries like Bruce through a fledgling initiative called Project Connect.

Read more... Los Angeles Times | CALIFORNIA | www.latimes.com

Visiting physician to UB’s CIGBS examining clinical pharmacology intersection of HIV drugs, antidepressants
BUFFALO, N.Y. - February 2, 2024 - By Laurie Kaiser - University at Buffalo - While HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was, those who become infected with the disease often experience high levels of depression, according to Waheed Adedeji, an international visiting scholar at the University at Buffalo Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences (CIGBS).
“More people are living longer with HIV, and because of that, they suffer from more non-communicable co-morbidities, including depression,” said Adedeji, a physician scientist with training in internal medicine and clinical pharmacology at the University of Ibadan College of Medicine in Nigeria who is wrapping up a three-month visit to UB in February.

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COVID-19 vaccination in people with HIV, a pending issue
February 2, 2024 - Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute - Two studies by CEEISCAT with the PISCIS cohort show that people living with HIV have been less vaccinated with the full initial regimen against COVID-19
In December, the journal Vaccines published an analysis of COVID-19 vaccination coverage among people with HIV in Catalonia between December 2020 and July 2022. The article, resulting from a study funded by the Fundació La Marató de TV3 and led by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/AIDS and STI of Catalonia (CEEISCAT), a group from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), in collaboration with researchers from the PISCIS Cohort group, evaluates the primary, monovalent, and booster doses. This research aims to develop concrete action plans tailored to specific profiles to facilitate and promote vaccination.
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www.poz.com
Nope, Magic Johnson Has Not Been Cured of HIV
February 2, 2024 - By Trent Straube - New falsehoods claim that Dr. Sebi cured Magic Johnson of HIV. The truth is the basketball icon is thriving with the virus. Here’s how.
Once again false rumors about a cured Magic Johnson are gaining traction on social media. To be absolutely clear, the truth is that sports icon Magic Johnson has not been cured of HIV. In fact, 2024 will mark his 33rd year of living, and thriving, with HIV, the virus that can cause AIDS.
The basketball great has been the topic of conspiracy theories since he shocked the world by disclosing his HIV-positive status on November 7, 1991, at the height of his Lakers fame and at a time when HIV was widely considered a death sentence; effective HIV treatment didn’t become available until 1996.

Read more... POZ | NEWSFEED | www.poz.com

GLAD Mourns the Loss of Larry Kessler
February 2, 2024 - GLAD - GLAD mourns the passing of Larry Kessler, a national leader and community organizer from Boston who helped spearhead Massachusetts and the nation’s response to the AIDS pandemic.
Larry co-founded AIDS Action Committee (AAC) of Massachusetts in 1983 and led the organization as Executive Director until 2003. He played a leading role in advocating at the state, local, and federal levels for fair and effective AIDS policy and funding.

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Too many older people with HIV taking medicines they may not need
2 February 2024- Keith Alcorn - aidsmap - Medicines that raise the risk of falls and confusion being prescribed for too long, without regular checks
A high proportion of older people with HIV are taking medicines they do not need that could increase the risk of falls and confusion, Spanish researchers have found in a review of studies looking at inappropriate medication prescribing in people with HIV.
The review, published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, highlights the importance of regular checks on medications to ensure that prescriptions are appropriate for a person's current medical condition and that some types of medicine used for the treatment of anxiety and depression are not being prescribed beyond their recommended periods.

Read more... aidsmap | Ageing & HIV | www.aidsmap.com

What Is Going on With the CDC When It Comes to Ending the HIV Epidemic?
Feb 1, 2024 -Tim Murphy - TheBody - How is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) functioning in the wake of a sharp, COVID-sparked decline in trust of science and public health messaging? Especially when it comes to playing its role in the federal initiative to end the HIV epidemic by 2030? In January, TheBody put this question to eight advocates and public health professionals—and their responses were not encouraging.
Read more... TheBody | Eyes on the End | www.thebody.com

HIV Discovery | Check This Out
Feb 1, 2024 - Duke University - As the HIV virus glides up outside a human cell to dock and possibly inject its deadly cargo of genetic code, there’s a spectacularly brief moment in which a tiny piece of its surface snaps open to begin the process of infection.
Being able to attach an antibody specifically to this little structure that would prevent it from popping open would be key.

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www.unaids.org
UNAIDS Executive Director: let women and girls lead to protect and advance human rights globally
OSLO/GENEVA, 1 February 2024 - UNAIDS - At a conference hosted in Oslo by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, has made an impassioned call to all international partners to support women and girls from marginalized communities at the frontlines of the defence of human rights. Only by ensuring that the rights of everyone are protected can the world ensure that the health of everyone is protected, and that the Sustainable Development Goals are achieved.
In her keynote speech at the Rights and Resistance conference Ms Byanyima said, “We cannot separate sustainable development from human rights. We must put human rights at the centre of our development efforts. The AIDS movement, of which I am proud to be part, has been resolute in this. We have demonstrated how patriarchal, racist, and homophobic laws, policies, practices and norms undermine health and hurt everyone.”

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