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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - August 2026
How HIV Affects the Eyes of Aging Adults
August 31, 2026 - By Tayler Shaw - University of Colorado Anschutz - CU Anschutz ophthalmic epidemiologist Alison Abraham, PhD, MS, MHS, led a study that suggests adults aging with well-controlled HIV have a higher prevalence of some eye conditions, namely dry eye.
Older adults with well-controlled HIV may have a higher prevalence of certain eye conditions, particularly dry eye, compared to similar adults without HIV, according to a novel study led by a University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Ophthalmology faculty member.
The study is the first to comprehensively describe eye health in adults aged 60 and older who are living with durably suppressed HIV (meaning a person’s viral load is low and they cannot sexually transmit HIV to others) compared to similarly aged adults who do not have HIV, explains Alison Abraham, PhD, MS, MHS, the lead author.
Society for AIDS in Africa invites African countries to bid for 2029 ICASA conference
31 August 26 - By Francis Ameyibor II - Modern Ghana - The Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) has opened the bidding process for African countries interested in hosting the 25th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2029).
The SAA said any African country that meets the prescribed qualification criteria is eligible to submit a bid to host the conference in 2029.
In a statement issued by the SAA President, Dr Nchabi Richard Kamwi, African countries interested in hosting ICASA 2029 were invited to submit their application documents to the SAA Secretariat in Accra.
The new deadline for submission of applications is Friday, October 30, 2026, the statement obtained by Modern Ghana News in Accra on Monday said.
Semen facilitates infection with Monkeypox virus
FRANKFURT - August 30, 2026 - Goethe University Frankfurt - Study by Goethe University and Universitätsmedizin Frankfurt: Fibrous proteins in seminal fluid facilitate viral uptake
Monkeypox virus used to be transmitted predominantly from animals to humans. In recent years, however, new virus variants have become increasingly capable of spreading from person to person. Researchers at Goethe University and Universitätsmedizin Frankfurt have now found that seminal fluid facilitates the uptake of monkeypox virus into cells.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency of international concern twice in recent years because of mpox outbreaks, most recently in 2024. In fact, infections with the monkeypox virus are comparatively rare. However, in 2023, a virus variant emerged that infected around 100,000 people in several African countries in the first half of 2024 alone and killed more than 200, primarily children and immunocompromised individuals. There have also been infections in Europe and Asia, and new mpox cases continue to occur in Germany to this day, albeit at a low level.
HIV/AIDS In Vietnam: Vulnerable Communities Access Care
August 30, 2026 - By Daniela Escobar - The Borgen Project - Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and poverty are closely connected. In Vietnam, significant progress has been made in reducing poverty over the last few years. The number of people living on less than $1.90 a day fell from 37% in 2002 to 1.8% in 2018, and about 10 million people moved out of poverty between 2010 and 2020. However, that progress has not reached everyone equally.
Poverty remains a serious issue for ethnic minority communities, farming families and people living in rural and remote areas, especially in the Midlands and Northern Mountains and the Central Highlands. Many in these communities continue to struggle with low incomes and limited access to education, health care and jobs.
Why STIs persist—and how to protect your health
August 27, 2026 - By Irene Stafford - UT Health Houston News - UT Health Houston - Ask the Expert
Welcome to “Ask the Expert,” a UTHealth Houston news series where our leading experts examine pressing health challenges. In this edition, we discuss sexually transmitted infections (STIs), why they remain so common among teenagers and young adults, and how simple steps can help protect your health.
For many adolescents and young adults, life revolves around new experiences, greater independence, and new relationships. It’s also a time when sexual health becomes more important than ever. Yet conversations about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can still feel uncomfortable or embarrassing. The truth is, they shouldn’t.
Billy Porter Set to Receive Legacy Award From Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
August 27, 2026 - By Chris Gardner - THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER - The Emmy Award-winning actor will headline a Sept. 17 program that will feature Vanity Fair taking home a trophy, CNN’s Laura Coates hosting the whole affair and Debra Cox hitting the stage.
The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation is finalizing the program for its Los Angeles fundraiser, a Night of Compassion, by drafting Billy Porter to receive one of the top awards.
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U.S. FDA Approves Gilead’s Bixlenvo™, a New Once-Daily Single Tablet Option for Virologically Suppressed Adults With HIV, Including Those on Complex Regimens
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- August 27, 2026 - Gilead - Novel Daily Oral Tablet Combines Bictegravir, a Guideline-Recommended INSTI with a High Barrier to Resistance, with Lenacapavir, a First-in-Class Capsid Inhibitor with No Cross-Resistance to Other Existing Antiretrovirals -
- Bixlenvo Now the Smallest STR; First and Only STR for Most People on Complex HIV Treatment Regimens -
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Bixlenvo™ (bictegravir 75 mg/lenacapavir 50 mg), the smallest once-daily single tablet regimen (STR) for the treatment of HIV in adults who are virologically suppressed. Bixlenvo is now the first and only STR option for virologically suppressed people with HIV who are on complex regimens and unable to take currently available STRs.
This novel HIV treatment pairs bictegravir, a global guideline-recommended integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) with a high barrier to resistance, with lenacapavir, a first-in-class capsid inhibitor that has a novel mechanism of action with no cross-resistance to other antiretrovirals.
Addressing HIV/AIDS in Timor-Leste
August 27, 2026 - By Adebisi Aliyah Adeola - The Borgen Project - Although HIV/AIDS in Timor-Leste remains relatively uncommon compared with many countries in the region, it remains an important public health concern. Timor-Leste has a low-level HIV epidemic, but new cases continue to be identified among the general population, including people attending antenatal, sexually transmitted infection and tuberculosis clinics. Limited access to HIV testing, stigma surrounding the disease and gaps in rural health care continue to challenge prevention and treatment efforts. While the country’s HIV epidemic remains relatively small, continued investment in prevention, education and treatment is essential to reducing new infections and improving long-term public health.
Sept. 17: Film Screening and Discussion: ‘Gert’s Boys’ and HIV Awareness
August 27, 2026 - The Elm - University of Maryland, Baltimore - Past, Present, and Future: HIV, “Gert’s Boys,” and the AIDS Memorial Quilt
Join us for a screening of the award-winning documentary “Gert’s Boys,” followed by a panel discussion exploring HIV’s ongoing impact on individuals and communities.
Honored with accolades including Festival Favorite and Director’s Choice at the Palm Springs LGBTQ+ Film Festival, as well as the Best Narrative Short Audience Award at the Reel Queer Film Festival, “Gert’s Boys” offers a powerful portrait of resilience, advocacy, and the lived realities of the HIV epidemic.
Why a team researching aspirin’s potential in HIV prevention have shifted to HPV
August 26, 2026 - by Laura Beveridge - The CTN+ | CIHR Pan-Canadian Network for HIV and STBBI Clinical Trials Research - How a 40-year study in Nairobi, Kenya demonstrates the importance of flexibility in science
Look inside your medicine cabinet, and you’ll likely find a humble bottle of acetylsalicylic acid — better known as aspirin. It’s an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug used to treat everything from headaches to fevers, while also lowering stroke risk. Its ubiquity, low cost, and relative safety mean that it’s one of the most widely used medications globally.
But could it be used to prevent HIV?
After much research, the Aspirin Study (CTN 316) team determined that the answer is ‘no’. However, their efforts proved to be about much more than any single result or virus. It demonstrated why the scientific process is often more about the journey than the destination.
New Freddie campaign turns PrEP access in North America into HIV prevention in Africa
August 26, 2026 - By Devon Banfield - NOW Toronto - PrEP Onwards will fund six months of long-acting HIV prevention in Africa for every person who starts PrEP through Freddie in Canada or the U.S.
A new initiative from 2SLGBTQIA+ healthcare platform Freddie is connecting HIV prevention in North America with access to long-acting HIV prevention in Africa, allowing one person’s decision to start PrEP to become an opportunity for someone else to access care.
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The impact of HIV and antiretroviral therapy on cervical cancer burden in Zambia: a modelling study
August 25, 2026 - Nature - Abstract
Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in Zambia, where widespread HIV infection elevates cervical cancer risk. However, HIV’s contribution to Zambia’s cervical cancer burden and the extent to which antiretroviral therapy (ART) has mitigated this burden, remain poorly quantified. We adapted HPVsim, an existing open-source mathematical model simulating human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer natural history, to capture the dual burden of cervical cancer and HIV in Zambian women. We extended HPVsim by incorporating country-specific HIV incidence data and modeled how HIV alters cervical disease progression through CD4 cell count-dependent modification of HPV susceptibility and disease severity. We calibrated the model to GLOBOCAN cervical cancer estimates and cervical cancer incidence rate ratios by HIV status estimated from the Zambian Cancer Registry. We estimated that by 2025, 49.9% of all cervical cancer cases in Zambia could be attributed to HIV co-infection. Although ART prevented at least an estimated 5.4% of cervical cancer cases nationally and 8.7% of cases among women with HIV, HIV remains a major driver of the cervical cancer burden. HIV-stratified prevention strategies will be essential for Zambia to achieve the World Health Organization’s cervical cancer elimination targets.
Community-based HIV services are crucial for Venezuelan migrants in Colombia
25 August 2026 - By Krishen Samuel - aidsmap - Nearly 7% of a large group of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia tested positive for HIV, according to a presentation by José Guillen from Red Somos at the recent 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) held in Rio de Janeiro. Most were linked to treatment and were able to achieve viral suppression, despite administrative and legal barriers.
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Ontario team finds increasing rates of key sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs)
August 25, 2026 - By Sean R. Hosein - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - Ontario researchers studied testing trends for sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections
Cases of two infections diagnosed at the same time increased 10% per year from 2013 to 2023
These co-infections were most common in Northwestern Ontario, followed by the Toronto area
Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton and Public Health Ontario conducted a study of health-related information collected between 2013 and 2023. The researchers focused on rates of testing and diagnoses of the following key sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs)
The researchers reviewed data from 269,814 positive test results; the vast majority were for conditions other than HIV. All infections were confirmed by laboratories in Ontario.
Positively Positive
August 25, 2026 - By Bradford McIntyre - POZ - Bradford McIntyre celebrates 23 years of raising HIV and AIDS awareness through his website and advocacy work.
August 15, 2026, marked the 23rd anniversary of the launch of my website Bradford McIntyre Positively Positive Living with HIV/AIDS. Designed to create awareness about HIV and AIDS and promote positive messages of living with HIV, the website has grown from a 20-page site in 2003 into an internationally recognized information and resource hub. To date, my independent, ad-free website has had more than 21 million visitors from 187 countries.
Antiretroviral therapy important in curbing TB – UCT academic tells Aids conference
August 24, 2026 - University of Cape town - Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV. While antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced TB incidence, there remains a substantial TB burden in ART-experienced individuals. Interruptions in HIV treatment significantly increase the risk of tuberculosis, and the risk remains elevated even after treatment is resumed.
Dr Haroon Moolla of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Centre for Integrated Data and Epidemiological Research told the recent 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026), held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, that returning to HIV care does not completely undo the impact of treatment interruptions. Preventing interruptions in the first place appears important for reducing TB risk.
‘People Are Dying’: HIV Survivor Sounds Alarm as Global Aid is Cut
August 24, 2026 - By Mya Trujillo - The Washington Informer - Local, International Commitment to Fight HIV and AIDS Remains Strong Despite PEPFAR Losses.
In March 1982, at 21 years old, Gregg Gore was told he had one year to live. He had just been diagnosed with HIV.
During this time, there was no effective medicine to treat HIV, and prolonged, untreated exposure to the immunodeficiency virus developed into AIDS, almost certainly resulting in death. From 1981 to 1990, 100,777 people in the United States were victims of HIV-related deaths, as the first effective antiretroviral agent, zidovudine, wasn’t approved until 1987.
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Ageing with HIV: global report highlights the need to prepare health systems
August 24, 2026 - Luicer Anne Ingasia Olubayo, University of the Witwatersrand and Francesc Xavier Gomez-Olive Casas, University of the Witwatersrand - The Conversation - The Lancet HIV Commission on Ageing’s 2026 report highlights how profoundly the global HIV epidemic is changing.
In 2025, an estimated 11.5 million (29%) people living with HIV were aged 50 years and older. This is projected to increase to 20.2 million by 2040. That would account for more than half (51%) of all people living with HIV. And, crucially, 96% will live in low- and middle-income countries. Sub-Saharan Africa is continuing to shoulder the greatest burden of the global HIV epidemic.
Much of this change reflects the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART), which has enabled millions of people who acquired HIV earlier in life to grow older. The challenge has gone beyond helping people live longer, to ensuring they age well – that they maintain good health, independence and quality of life throughout older age.
In The Spotlight | What are broadly neutralising antibodies and what do they mean for the fight against HIV?
August 24, 2026 - By Catherine Tomlinson - Spotlight - HIV is known for its ability to outsmart our immune system’s normal defences. A small number of people living with the virus are however able to generate unusually effective immune responses. In this special briefing, we zoom in on broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAbs), the secret sauce in these immune responses, and their potential role in the future of HIV treatment and prevention.
Our immune systems are highly effective at identifying and fighting off foreign invaders, such as viruses. One way our immune systems does this is by producing antibodies. In short, antibodies recognise viruses and then latch on to them. This blocks the viruses from entering our cells and flags them for destruction by other parts of the immune system.
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R.I.P. Walt Odets, Influential Psychotherapist and Chronicler of HIV and Gay Men
August 21, 2026 - By Eva Lorenz - POZ - Odets “cared deeply about gay men and the challenges of living through the AIDS epidemic.”
A clinical psychologist and author who wrote about HIV and gay men amid the AIDS epidemic, Walt Odets died on July 5, 2026, at his home in Berkeley, California. The cause of death was Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Bay Area Reporter. He was 79.
“During the AIDS crisis, Odets emerged as one of the most influential voices examining the emotional lives of HIV-negative gay men,” wrote Queer Happened Here, a digital archive and visual history project founded by writer and historian Marc Zinaman, in an Instagram post honoring Odets. “While prevention campaigns at the time often relied on fear & shame, he argued that trauma, grief, loneliness, survivor’s guilt, & intimacy had to be understood as central to HIV prevention.”
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MONSTER MANOR by The Velvet Circus to Benefit HIV/AIDS Medication Fund
Aug. 21, 2026 - By Stephi Wild - Broadway World - The cast includes aerialists Skyy, Kahn and Spinnin Shae alongside drag performer Hanna Barbeara of Camp Wannakiki.
After the first sold-out production, the crew behind The Velvet Circus returns with a new production: “Monster Manor,” Thursday, October 1 at 7 p.m. at The Nunnery (900 Liberace Avenue, Suite A-102).
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B.C. team forecasts the healthcare needs of people living with HIV in the coming decade
August 21, 2026 - By Sean R. Hosein - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - Thanks to effective HIV treatment, the proportion of people living with HIV over 60 is growing
B.C. researchers simulated health and healthcare changes for people with HIV to the year 2034
More people with HIV are expected to have cardiovascular issues, cancer or other comorbidities
Thanks to the tremendous power of HIV treatment (antiretroviral therapy, ART), many people with HIV who are taking ART will live well into their senior years. As this population ages, they will become at risk for complications related to aging. What’s more, studies have found that people with HIV are at risk for earlier onset of age-related issues. Additionally, some studies have found that aging people with HIV are at risk for premature death from causes unrelated to HIV.
There are complex reasons for the earlier onset of age-related issues in people with HIV. In some cases, it may be due to excess inflammation caused by chronic HIV infection despite the use of ART and good adherence. In other cases, there may be psychosocial factors, such as isolation and lack of social support. Structural factors—such as access to housing, healthy food, healthcare and medicine—may also play a role. In addition, uncontrolled substance use may be a factor in the overall decline of health with age.
Johns Hopkins Researchers Awarded $41 Million to Continue Work Focused on People Living with HIV in the U.S.
August 20, 2026 - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health - Renewed NIH funding will support ongoing study of men and women living with HIV and create new centralized data and leadership centers
A team of Johns Hopkins researchers has been awarded three six-year grants totaling more than $41 million from the National Institutes of Health to continue investigating the occurrence and causes of chronic health conditions in men and women living with HIV in the U.S. through research underway for decades.
The new funding will support the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS), formed in 2019 with the merger of two longitudinal studies: the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), an NIH-supported study of gay and bisexual men living with or without HIV that started in 1984, and the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), a similar NIH-supported study of women that began in 1993.
The three NIH grants will fund a clinical research site, a data analysis and sharing site, and a leadership and coordination site.
Most Americans Have Not Seen Stories of People Living With HIV in Media in the Last Year: GLAAD Report
August 20, 2026 - ByMarc Malkin- Variety - GLAAD reported on Thursday that most Americans say they have not seen stories about people living with HIV in the media.
In its sixth annual State of HIV Stigma report, GLAAD says, “72% of Americans report they have not seen stories featuring real people living with HIV in the media over the past 12 months, an increase from 66% in 2024.”
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Bishop Rainey Cheeks, D.C. Pastor and HIV/AIDS Activist, Dies at 74
(AURN News) August 19, 2026 - By Clay Cane - The Black Chronicle - Bishop Kwabena Albert “Rainey” Cheeks, a longtime D.C. pastor and HIV/AIDS activist, died Aug. 11 at Georgetown University Hospital at age 74, according to the Washington Blade.
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UC San Diego Receives $12.3 Million Grant to Study the Intersection of HIV and Methamphetamine Use
August 17, 2026 - by Susanne Clara Bard - UC SAN DIEGO TODAY - UC San Diego - The study addresses a critical care gap by focusing on a vulnerable population historically excluded from research
A multidisciplinary approach integrating implementation science and brain research aims to create a scalable public health model for improving brain health by treating both substance use and HIV.
By replacing daily oral pills with long-acting injectables, the study seeks to improve medication adherence for participants with methamphetamine use disorder.
UC San Diego has received a $12.3 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to launch the Brain-Focused Research on Antiretrovirals and Methamphetamine (Brain-FRAMe) program, a multidisciplinary initiative focused on improving the clinical care and brain health of people with HIV who also have an active methamphetamine use disorder.
Methamphetamine use presents a critical public health challenge, as it significantly increases the risk of HIV infection and complicates the management of the virus.
A Day to Honor HIV Long-Term Survivors
August 17, 2026 - By Trent Straube - POZ - The commemoration was established in 2014.
Friday, June 5, marked HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day (HLTSAD) 2026. The date coincides with a historical milestone in the history of the AIDS epidemic. On June 5, 1981—45 years ago—the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a publication of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, first reported on cases of a mysterious illness affecting young gay men; the disease soon became known as AIDS, which is caused by untreated HIV.
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Family Portrait
August 17, 2026 - By Mark S. King - POZ - A long-term survivor, his husband and his brother build a home for the ages.
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Celebrating 23 Years of www.PositivelyPositive.ca: Creating HIV/AIDS Awareness
August 15, 2026 - By Bradford McIntyre - Celebrating 23 years of www.PositivelyPositive.ca. Long-term HIV survivor Bradford McIntyre shares a historic reflection dedicated to creating HIV/AIDS awareness, fighting stigma, and showcasing the global efforts working to end HIV and AIDS
August 15, 2026, marks the 23rd anniversary of the launch of my website: “Bradford McIntyre Positively Positive Living with HIV/AIDS” (www.PositivelyPositive.ca). Designed to create awareness around the many HIV and AIDS issues and promote messages of positive living with HIV, the website has grown from a modest 20-page site in 2003 into an internationally recognized information and resource hub. To date, this independent, ad-free website has reached 21,494,155 hits from 187 countries globally.
As the founder and operator living openly with the HIV virus since 1984, in 1994, he entered public advocacy by appearing on national television to combat the heavy burden of HIV stigma and discrimination. Nearly a decade later, he launched his website to create a visible face for the movement and provide global connection.
Australia’s fight against HIV is not over as new challenges disrupt progress
August 14, 2026 - By Jeremy Story Carter - ABC - Not long after Stephen Borg was diagnosed with HIV in 2007, he was given a warning that has remained lodged in his heart ever since.
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Canada’s military bars recruits with HIV from joining. A veteran is challenging the policy in court.
August 14, 2026 - By Rachel Aiello - CityNews - Advocates are calling on the federal government to do more as HIV infections in Canada see its largest increase in a two-year period. Sean Hosein, Science and Medicine Editor at Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange explains.
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Long-acting therapies continue to gain momentum in HIV, says GlobalData
11 August 2026 - GlobalData - The next phase of competition in the HIV market will be defined not only by achieving viral suppression, but by improving treatment adherence, reducing medication burden and delivering more convenient treatment options, with long-acting therapies at the forefront, according to GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.
GlobalData forecasts that the HIV market across the seven major markets (7MM: the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Japan) will grow from $26.4 billion in 2023 to $30.6 billion by 2033, with increased uptake of long-acting therapies representing a key driver of growth.
Findings presented at the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) included positive new data for ViiV Healthcare’s Cabenuva (cabotegravir/rilpivirine) among adolescents living with HIV.
Study: Triple-dose regimen may permanently clear HIV in infected newborns
Portland, Oregon, August 10, 2026 - By Erik Robinson - Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) - OHSU-led discovery in animal model could advance quickly to clinical trials in people
Every year, more than 120,000 newborns worldwide contract HIV, a global health burden that requires lifelong treatment for millions of people — assuming they have access and can afford it.
New research led by Oregon Health & Science University suggests another possibility: a one-time regimen of therapies given to newborns within three days of birth to permanently clear the virus.
The research was published today in the journal Nature Microbiol
Adults Living with HIV Are at High Risk for Diabetes. Here’s Why
August 10, 2026 - By Levi Gadye - UCSF - University of California, San Francisco - UCSF study links scarred fat tissue to insulin resistance in people with HIV, even when they aren’t obese.
A new UC San Francisco study helps explain why people with HIV remain at elevated risk for type 2 diabetes despite effective suppression of the virus with modern medications.
To investigate, the team compared blood samples and fat biopsies of 46 people living with well-controlled HIV to those of 74 people without HIV. None of the participants were obese or had diabetes.
The researchers found that the people with HIV had more fibrosis, or scarring, in their fat tissues, and this was associated with insulin resistance — a key predictor of type 2 diabetes. The scarring was obvious in HIV patients no matter their body weight or the specific kinds of HIV medications they were taking.
Canada falling behind on funding HIV care as infections rise: experts
August 10, 2026 - CityNews - Advocates are calling on the federal government to do more as HIV infections in Canada see its largest increase in a two-year period. Sean Hosein, Science and Medicine Editor at Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange explains.
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Sharon Stone and John Stamos to Be Honored at the Creative Coalition’s Humanitarian Awards (EXCLUSIVE)
August 10, 2026 - By Matt Minton - Variety - Additional honorees at the pre-Emmys event include Simran Baidwan, Cara Buono, Lisa Ann Walter and Mary Lou Belli.
Sharon Stone and John Stamos are set to be honored at The Creative Coalition’s Humanitarian Awards.
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‘We are living in reverse.’ Fragile HIV funding puts another strain on Kansas City’s safety net
August 10, 2026 - By Suzanne King - The Beacon - HIV health providers have already absorbed some cuts and fear more. They worry that gains made toward eliminating the virus are in jeopardy.
Roberto Archuleta was 21 years old in 1991 when he found out he was HIV-positive.
At the time, the only medications available to treat the virus were difficult to tolerate and often ineffective. Being diagnosed was commonly a death sentence — something Archuleta, then a hairstylist in Kansas City, witnessed too often.
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The Last Mile of Care: Community Health Workers in Lesotho
AUGUST 8, 2026 -The Borgen Project - For residents of Lesotho’s mountain districts, reaching a clinic means a walk of several hours across some parts of southern Africa’s highest terrain. This distance determines who receives treatment just as much as a shortage of treatment. Yet a growing network of community health workers in Lesotho is narrowing that gap, carrying Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV) treatment support, maternal care and disease monitoring directly into villages that the formal health system has struggled to reach.
A Health System Under Strain
Lesotho carries one of the heaviest HIV burdens in the world. An estimated 18.5% of adults ages 15 to 49 were living with HIV in 2023, and roughly 236,000 people 15 and older were on antiretroviral therapy that year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Tuberculosis compounds the crisis: an estimated 664 cases occurred per 100,000 people in 2023, and half of all Tuberculosis (TB) cases involved HIV coinfection, making continuous, coordinated care essential rather than optional.
Cutbacks in global aid could spark HIV epidemic resurgence
August 7, 2026 - By Heather Klein - THE WINNIPEG SUN - A new class of drugs called CD4 mimetics could be used to sensitise the immune system to HIV, the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro heard last week.
It is becoming clear that broadly neutralising antibodies, whether infused as a drug or generated by a vaccine, may not be sufficient to cure HIV, or even to lead to long-term remission off antiretroviral therapy.
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Tumor-like tissue environments could hold clues to curing HIV
August 7, 2026 - Northwestern Now - Northwestern University - - Study microenvironment in animal models -
- Comparisons between virus and tumor microenvironment -
- Used novel molecular imaging and spatial transcriptomics -
The tissue microenvironments surrounding HIV-infected immune cells look a lot like those surrounding cancerous tumors, reports a new Northwestern University study.
The findings help explain why HIV has been so difficult to cure. Scientists found that viral reservoirs exist within tissue microenvironments that resemble immune-suppressive tumor microenvironments, suggesting that future HIV cure strategies may benefit from approaches traditionally used in cancer therapy.
The study was published Aug. 4 in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.
What China’s expanded funding for HIV/Aids in Africa means as US cuts health aid
7 August 2026 - By Jevans Nyabiage - South China Morning Post - Beijing backs local medicine manufacturing, with senior UN official voicing gratitude for ‘strong commitment to multilateralism’
China is expanding its role in the fight against HIV/Aids in Africa by funding new projects and backing local medicine manufacturing as part of its signature health initiative, the Health Silk Road.
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A new class of drugs could sharpen the body’s immune response to HIV
7 August 2026 - By Gus Cairns - The News Pakistan - Two Alberta infectious disease specialists have launched a national coalition aimed at preventing a resurgence of HIV infections as international funding cuts threaten decades of progress against the virus.
Dr. M. John Gill and Dr. Raynell Lang, both with the University of Calgary, have formed the Canadian Strategic Consortium to Address the Changing Policies and Environment of Global HIV Care, known as CanSCAPE-HIV.
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Liver disease and HIV: Study reveals major gaps in liver fibrosis screening and offers a promising solution
August 6, 2026 - McGill University Health Centre - Current liver fibrosis screening misses many cases in people living with HIV and could be improved with a new tool developed by researchers at The Institute.
Thanks to antiretroviral therapy and improved control of viral hepatitis (HBV and HCV), people living with HIV generally live longer and healthier lives. However, liver disease remains common in this population and is one of the leading causes of death.
A large international study found that among people living with HIV, liver fibrosis, a build-up of scar tissue in the liver that can lead to permanent damage, is common, often has no symptoms and is frequently missed by the FIB-4 blood test, the first-line screening tool used in clinical practice. Led by Dr. Giada Sebastiani at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute), the study introduces the FIB-HIV score, a new tool that could improve the identification of people at risk of liver fibrosis by incorporating metabolic and HIV-specific factors. Effective detection of liver fibrosis is critical to ensure patients receive appropriate care.
Returning to HIV care does not erase the effects of treatment interruption, studies show
6 August 2026 - By Edith Magak - aidsmap - CD4 counts fall much faster than they recover, increasing the harms of cycling in and out of care
People with HIV in South Africa are ten times more likely to develop tuberculosis while interrupting treatment than while taking it, the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro heard last week. Even after resuming treatment and achieving viral suppression, their risk stayed 50% higher.
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‘25,000 HIV/Aids deaths recorded since first case in 1987’
Islamabad: August 06, 2026 - By M. Waqar Bhatti - The News Pakistan - More than 25,000 peop1le, including hundreds of children, have officially died of HIV infection and Aids-related illnesses in Pakistan since the country’s first Aids case was reported in Lahore in 1987, data compiled by the federal and provincial health departments reveal.
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Canadian doctors form consortium to prevent potential ‘resurgence of the HIV epidemic’
Aug 05, 2026 - By Karina Zapata - CBC - Group calls on governments to better educate newcomers on available HIV resources
Two Calgary doctors worry global cuts to HIV programs could lead to a potential “resurgence of the HIV epidemic,” which could have implications across Canada, including in Alberta.
They’ve formed a national consortium to come up with preventative solutions before it’s too late, named the Canadian Strategic Consortium to Address the Changing Policies and Environment of Global HIV Care (CanSCAPE-HIV).
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Gareth Thomas opens up on life with HIV after admitting husband is shunned
05 Aug 2026 - By Maria Ortega and Tom Sunderland - Wales Online - Welsh sporting icon Gareth Thomas has found new ways to savour his life despite his HIV diagnosis. However, the former Cardiff and Toulouse star has commented in the past about how the condition has resulted in repercussions for his loved ones.
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Russia Says Its HIV Rates Are Falling. Experts Aren’t So Sure.
August 5, 2026 - By Maria Ortega and Tom Sunderland - The Moscow Times - Four years ago, while hospitalized with Covid-19, St. Petersburg singer Ksenia Aleksandrova was unexpectedly diagnosed with HIV.
Known by her stage name Neksusha, the 23-year-old Aleksandrova has built a devoted online following, with around 90,000 subscribers on YouTube and more than 213,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Despite the persistent stigma that surrounds HIV, she decided to publicly disclose her diagnosis in an effort to raise awareness about the illness.
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Friends for Life Bike Rally rolls into Kingston while raising funds for HIV/AIDS services
August 4, 2026 - Jesse Reynolds - Global News - A sea of red rolled into Kingston today. The Friends for Life Bike Rally is halfway through its six-day, 600-kilometre journey from Toronto to Montreal. This year, riders are aiming to raise 1.9 million dollars for HIV and AIDS support services. Jesse Reynolds has more.
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Once-weekly HIV therapy may offer alternative to daily pills
August 4, 2026 - By Laine Bergeson - CIDRAP - Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy - University of Minnesota - A once-weekly oral HIV treatment maintained viral suppression as effectively as a standard once-daily regimen in a phase 3 clinical trial, offering a potential new treatment option for people living with HIV.
The randomized, double-blind trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week, looked at a once-weekly combination tablet containing islatravir and lenacapavir in adults whose HIV had remained suppressed for at least six months while taking the daily regimen bictegravir–emtricitabine–tenofovir alafenamide.
Enhanced access to diagnostic screening improves care for advanced HIV
4 August 2026 - By Keith Alcorn - aidsmap - Two studies presented at the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) last week show that wider access to diagnostic testing and consistent implementation of screening guidance could each improve the diagnosis of opportunistic infections in people with low CD4 counts.
World Health Organization (WHO) guidance recommends that all people with HIV should receive a CD4 cell test at diagnosis or when re-engaging with care after a treatment gap.
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New HIV infections in Canada are rising. Advocates say years of progress are at risk
Aug 01, 2026 - By Tashauna Reid - CBC - New HIV infections increased by 23% in 2024, Public Health Agency of Canada says
Dr. Julio Montaner has spent decades in the fight against HIV but says he feels years of progress slipping away.
“I am very worried about what’s coming our way,” said Montaner, executive director and physician-in-chief at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver, the largest HIV/AIDS research and treatment facility in Canada.
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