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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - May 2022
What is AIDS Survivor Syndrome (ASS)? And Why It Matters.
(Revised, May 2022) - By Tez Anderson, Founder & Executive Director, Let’s Kick ASS — AIDS Survivor Syndrome.
AIDS Survivor Syndrome (ASS) describes the spectrum of sustained trauma survivorship resulting from living through the AIDS pandemic. It’s a unique “psychological syndemic” — two or more interrelated factors were working together to worsen the intensity of the elements.
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'Remember My Name' -- the epic 1988 cross-country journey of the AIDS Quilt
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - MAY 31, 2022 - In 1988, KPIX produced and broadcast a one-hour documentary on the AIDS Quilt and its historic journey across America.
The special, called "Remember My Name", was hosted by actor Edward James Olmos and shows some of the stops the quilt and made along the way to the National Mall in Washington DC.
Read more... More than 550 monkeypox cases have been reported in 30 countries, WHO official says
May 31, 2022 - The World Health Organization is now counting more than 550 monkeypox cases worldwide, the group's technical lead for monkeypox, Rosamund Lewis, said Tuesday on CNN International.
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Everything to know about the link between HIV and joint pain
MAY 31, 2022 - By Jenna Fletcher - HIV can directly and indirectly cause pain in people living with the condition. When joint pain occurs, it is often the result of treatments or other conditions a person may have.
A person with HIV may experience muscle, bone, and joint pain. Often, the pain that people associate with HIV comes from comorbid conditions, such as arthritis, or as a side effect of treatments.
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ViiV Healthcare announces marketing approval by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for Vocabria (cabotegravir) used in combination with Rekambys (rilpivirine), the first and only complete long-acting treatment for HIV
London, 31 May 2022 - Long-acting treatment enables people living with HIV to reduce the days they receive treatment from 365 to 12 or 6 per year after initiation
ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority-owned by GSK with Pfizer and Shionogi as shareholders, today announced it obtained approval for Vocabria (cabotegravir injection and tablets) used in combination with Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson’s Rekambys (rilpivirine long-acting injectable suspension) and Edurant (rilpivirine tablets, the first and only complete long-acting treatment for HIV, from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan.[i] Cabotegravir injection used in combination with rilpivirine long-acting is indicated to treat human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in adults who are virologically suppressed, on a stable regimen with no history of treatment failure and with no known or suspected resistance to either cabotegravir or rilpivirine.
New Saskatchewan HIV strategy needed after record cases, agencies say
May 30, 2022 - Zak Vescera - Saskatchewan's HIV transmission rate in 2021 was about 4.5 times the national rate recorded in 2020.
Vidya Reddy, education coordinator at AIDS Program South Saskatchewan, said the 237 cases reported last year should prompt the provincial government to consider new investments to rein in the transmission rate, which is by far the highest in Canada.
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Launch of Scenario Hub projecting future COVID-19 health impact
Stockholm/London, 30 May, 2022: A new online modelling hub launched today, the European COVID-19 Scenario Hub, will present modelling projections on how the COVID-19 pandemic may evolve in terms of cases, hospitalisations and deaths. It will serve as a resource for Member States in their pandemic planning and inform decisions aimed at minimising the expected burden caused by COVID-19 under different scenarios.
Monkeypox? Please, not another virus
May 29, 2022 - By Robin V. Sears - We share a horror at this new enemy, but also a deep weariness about virus-fighting overall. How prepared are we, after all our bitter experience?
This was supposed to be the year of breakthroughs in health-care financing and reform. But with only a few parliamentary sitting days left before governments across Canada begin to take the summer off, we’re almost halfway through the year and no progress.
Gay Men Need a Specific Warning About Monkeypox
MAY 28, 2022 - By Jim Downs - Tiptoeing around the issue carries its own risks.
A disproportionate number of cases in the recent monkeypox outbreak have shown up among gay and bisexual men. And as public-health authorities investigate possible links to sexual or other close physical contact at a Pride event in the Canary Islands, a sauna in Madrid, and other gay venues in Europe, government officials are trying hard not to single out a group that endured terrible stigma at the height of America’s AIDS crisis.
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Researchers using Canadian Light Source to analyze HIV
May 28, 2022 - A professor at the University of Toronto is using the Canadian Light Source to research HIV and investigate the key proteins in hopes of understanding how it works.
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Gov't to prosecute Dr. Mbowe on Jammeh's 'false' HIV treatment
May 27, 2022 - By: Pa Modou Cham - The government of The Gambia through the Whitepaper on the recommendations of the TRRC findings will charge and prosecute former President Yahya Jammeh and Dr Tamsir Mbowe with murder for intentionally and knowingly causing the death of People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), who were conscripted in the sham PATP and deprived of life-saving treatment.
The President’s Alternative Treatment Programme was an alternative medicine treatment programme initiated and advocated by former President Yahya Jammeh, who claimed he could cure HIV/AIDS and other ailments.
Scientists warned us about monkeypox in 1988. Here's why they were right.
May 27, 2022 - The world is facing the first international outbreak of a rare disease - monkeypox. Although there are only about 350 known cases, the virus is spreading in more than a dozen countries, places that have never seen monkeypox before. In the U.S., there are cases in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Utah, Virginia and Washington. As NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff explains, the virus has emerged worldwide for a remarkable reason.
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Fire closes services at Harm Reduction Center
May 27, 2022 - By San Francisco AIDS Foundation - Harm reduction services are temporarily available at a mobile site in the Mission.
In early May, a fire at the Rose Hotel on the corner of 6th and Minna (near Mission) shut down services at our Harm Reduction Center which is housed in the same building. No staff or residents of the hotel were harmed in the fire, which occurred in the evening on a Sunday. The space will be closed until fire, smoke, and water damage can be repaired, and until mold remediation is completed.
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LGBTQ2S+ advocates fear monkeypox stigma could 'spread like a virus'
May 27, 2022 - Adina Bresge - Advocates warn that stigma could pose a public health threat as a cluster of monkeypox cases stokes concern in the queer community.
Health authorities are investigating more than two dozen confirmed monkeypox cases in Canada as part of an unprecedented outbreak of the rare disease that seldom spreads outside Africa.
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UNAIDS responds to Viiv’s announcement on the licensing of long-acting Cabotegravir
May 27, 2022 - HIV medicine manufacturer Viiv has announced that it is “actively negotiating” a voluntary license with the Medicines Patent Pool on long-acting Cabotegravir.
The World Health Organization will soon issue updated global guidelines on the appropriate application of new long-acting HIV medicines.
Customer with HIV was refused service at Chicago salon, feds say
MAY 26, 2022 - BY MITCHELL WILLETTS - A Chicago salon accused of refusing service to a customer who has HIV recently reached a settlement in a discrimination case brought against the business, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
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Study: Antiviral gene known to block HIV also shows potent activity against SARS-CoV-2
BUFFALO, N.Y. - May 26, 2022 - By Ellen Goldbaum - New research from the University at Buffalo reveals valuable information about the ways that host cells work to block entry of SARS-CoV-2 and, in turn, how the virus strikes back.
The findings uncover important features about cellular interactions between virus and host and how they might be exploited to develop new methods of treatment for both SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and HIV.
IDSA/HIVMA Statement on Monkeypox Outbreak: Stigma Has No Place in Public Health
May 26, 2022 - The Infectious Diseases Society of America and the HIV Medicine Association echo the concern expressed by UNAIDS about the use of racist and homophobic language regarding the current monkeypox outbreak. As we have repeatedly learned with HIV, substance use disorders, COVID-19 and other diseases, stigmatizing language that casts blame on specific communities undermines disease response and discourages those who need treatment from seeking it.
Where did HIV come from?
MAY 25, 2022 - By Jenna Fletcher - HIV is a viral infection that weakens the immune system. HIV came from a type of virus in chimpanzees called the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). It likely spread to humans after they came into contact with the blood carrying the infection after hunting chimpanzees for food.
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Provincial HIV Groups Applaud Ontario Parties Promising Drug Coverage for HIV Treatment and Prevention Medications
May 25, 2022 - Led by the HIV/AIDS Medication Access Working Group, comprised of community members and HIV-focused organizations in Ontario, the undersigned community-based organizations supporting people living with or at risk of HIV applaud the commitment of Ontario political parties who, if elected, have committed to ensure no out-of-pocket costs are incurred by people accessing antiretroviral medications to treat or prevent HIV.
UCLA study identifies how the brain links memories
May 25, 2022 - Elaine Schmidt - Our brains rarely record single memories. Instead, they store memories in groups so that the recollection of one significant memory triggers the recall of others that are connected chronologically. As we age, however, our brains gradually lose this ability to link related memories.
Now, UCLA researchers have discovered a key molecular mechanism behind this memory linking. They’ve also identified a way to restore this brain function genetically in aging mice — and an FDA-approved drug that achieves the same thing.
STDcheck.com Data Reveals Genital Herpes Rate Rose Average Of 56% In Super Bowl-Hosted Cities Last 3 Years
HOUSTON – May 25, 2022 - Tens of thousands of people travel yearly to the Super Bowl to take in the festivities and have a great time, but new data reveals they should be careful of a prevalent STD.
Research from STDcheck.com reveals that genital herpes rose an average of 56% year-over-year in the metro areas that hosted the NFL’s biggest game the last three years. The last three Super Bowls were held in Miami, Florida in 2020; Tampa, Florida in 2021; and Los Angeles, California in 2022.
Elon Public Health Studies students & professor present at national and international conferences
May 25, 2022 - Faith Glover ’22 partnered with Professor Cynthia Fair to present research at the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine, the International AIDS Conference while Arianna Wolgin ’22 will join Glover and Fair to present at the Ryan White Conference.Students and a faculty member from Elon’s Department of Public Health Studies recently presented at national and international conferences.
Faith Glover ’22 partnered with Professor Cynthia Fair to present research at the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine, the International AIDS Conference while Arianna Wolgin ’22 will join Glover and Fair to present at the Ryan White Conference this summer.
Because of Covid, 2020 was a 'lost year' in the fight against HIV, report suggests
May 24, 2022 - By Benjamin Ryan - The government’s new HIV Surveillance Report has experts worried that the Covid-19 crisis has inflicted collateral damage in the fight against HIV that could cause years to undo.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual HIV Surveillance Report, published Tuesday, provides the first major bird’s-eye view of the turn the country’s four-decade-old epidemic took after the coronavirus upended society. The report, which includes 2020 data, follows worrisome previous findings that HIV testing plunged as stay-at-home orders swept the country in March 2020.
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The Lancet Infectious Diseases:
Study reports first use of antivirals in monkeypox patients, highlighting challenges in understanding and treating this rare disease
24th May 2022 - A new retrospective study of seven patients diagnosed with monkeypox in the UK between 2018 and 2021, suggests that some antiviral medications might have the potential to shorten symptoms and reduce the amount of time a patient is contagious. The cases analysed in the study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, represent the first instances of in-hospital transmission and household transmission outside of Africa, as well as reporting the patient response to the first off-label use of two different antiviral medications – brincidofovir and tecovirimat – to treat the disease.
World Health Assembly: UNAIDS urges leaders to tackle inequalities and fully embrace human rights to beat emerging pandemics
GENEVA, 24 May 2022 - At the seventy-fifth World Health Assembly, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, UNAIDS has urged leaders to tackle the global inequalities that drive pandemics such as HIV and COVID-19. UNAIDS highlighted that respect for everyone’s human rights is essential for achieving health for all.
In her address to the World Health Assembly today, the UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, urged leaders to urgently prioritize the investments needed to stop the AIDS pandemic as well as better prepare the world for future pandemics and ensure health security for everyone.
Global Fund and Partners Urge Increased Investment Towards Ending World’s Deadliest Diseases, Welcome First Private Sector Pledge
GENEVA - 24 May 2022 - Ahead of the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment Conference, the Global Fund and partners called on all players in the private sector – philanthropists, foundations, and corporations – for a step-change in their commitment to ending AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria and building resilient health systems that contribute to a safer world.
Comic Relief US, an organization committed to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty, immediately answered global leaders’ call at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos by announcing a US$10 million pledge to the Global Fund – becoming the first private organization to announce a financial commitment to the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment. The Gates Foundation committed to match this donation on a 2:1 matching agreement, resulting in US$30 million towards ending HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
First Monkeypox Virus Genome Sequence from Patient of Current Outbreak
May 23, 2022 - By Julianna LeMieux, PhD - The first draft genome sequence of monkeypox virus, from a swab of a confirmed case of the current outbreak, was released late last week. On May 19, a research group led by João Paulo Gomes, PhD, a researcher from the department of infectious diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), in Lisbon, Portugal, posted the sequence online on virological.org.
Holy Cross Fenwick Scholar Finds Unique Opportunities to Go Beyond Science in HIV Research
May 23, 2022 - Megan Bard - “It’s not just about the science. It’s about how we can help other people with the science,” says Charles Millard ’22.
Throughout his senior year, Charles Millard ’22 said he had ample opportunities to fail, test his perseverance and improve his approach to scientific discovery, moments he might not have experienced had he not been selected as the College of the Holy Cross 2022 Fenwick Scholar.
Kristine Gebbie, the First U.S. AIDS Czar, Dies at 78
MAY 23 2022 - By Sam Roberts - She worked with President Bill Clinton to to make the disease a public health priority. But her office never achieved the stature or effectiveness that some had hoped for.
Kristine Gebbie, a health policy expert who served as the nation’s first AIDS czar in the early 1990s, died on May 17 in Adelaide, Australia. She was 78.
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Monkeypox isn’t like HIV, but gay and bisexual men are at risk of unfair stigma
May 23, 2022 - Andrew Lee - The first case of monkeypox in the current outbreak was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 7. The person in question had recently returned to the UK from Nigeria, where they are believed to have contracted the infection. Since then, further cases have been reported in over a dozen countries where the disease is not normally present, including several European countries, Israel, the US and Canada, as well as Australia.
Uncover Your Superpower
How to Turn Your Biggest Setbacks Into Your Greatest Gifts
Virtual Workshop | Wednesday June 15, 22, 29 2022 | 5-7 PM (PST)
Uncover Your Superpower: How to Turn Your Biggest Setbacks Into Your Greatest Gifts is a community based workshop catered specifically for those within the HIV/AIDS community, who have faced adversity and challenges in their life, but are ready to fully uncover and step into their power.
Join us June 15th, 22nd and 29th from 5-7pm (PST) on an inspiring and empowering journey to explore how your beliefs, emotions and thoughts influence your life.
ECDC PRESENTS MONKEYPOX RESPONSE OPTIONS, AS NINE EU/EEA COUNTRIES REPORT CASES
May 23, 2022 - In a Rapid Risk Assessment published today, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recommends EU/EEA countries focus on prompt identification, management, contact tracing and reporting of new monkeypox cases. Countries should also update their contact tracing mechanisms, the diagnostic capacity for orthopoxviruses, and review the availability of smallpox vaccines, antivirals and personal protective equipment for health professionals.
Between 15 and 23 May, a total of 67 cases of monkeypox acquired in the EU have been reported in nine EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden).
Ingestible sensor-enabled Truvada®, taken as pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV infection, identifies patterns of medication taking that may lead to risk of prophylactic failure in near real-time.
May 22, 2022 - SPECIALISTS IN GLOBAL HEALTH - Research from the University of California released in Clinical Infectious Diseases demonstrates that ingestible sensor-enabled Truvada®, taken as pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection (PrEP), can reveal patterns of medication taking behavior that may put persons at risk of prophylactic failure.
UNAIDS warns that stigmatizing language on Monkeypox jeopardises public health
GENEVA, 22 May 2022 - UNAIDS has expressed concern that some public reporting and commentary on Monkeypox has used language and imagery, particularly portrayals of LGBTI and African people, that reinforce homophobic and racist stereotypes and exacerbate stigma. Lessons from the AIDS response show that stigma and blame directed at certain groups of people can rapidly undermine outbreak response.
Multi-country monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries
21 May 2022 - Since 13 May 2022, cases of monkeypox have been reported to WHO from 12 Member States that are not endemic for monkeypox virus, across three WHO regions. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing, however, reported cases thus far have no established travel links to endemic areas. Based on currently available information, cases have mainly but not exclusively been identified amongst men who have sex with men (MSM) seeking care in primary care and sexual health clinics.
HIV/Aids killing more men than women in Tanzania
MAY 21 2022 - Morogoro - The Tanzania Aids Commission (Tacaids) has announced that the rate of new infections in the country has dropped with latest reports showing that there were 54,000 new infections in 2021 down from 68,000 in 2020.
Deaths related to HIV Aids has also dropped from 32,000 in 2020 to 29,000 in 2021
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Saskatchewan reports record number of HIV cases in 2021
May 21, 2022 - Zak Vescera - The province already had the highest transmission rate in the country, estimated at about three times the national average.
More Saskatchewan residents were diagnosed with HIV in 2021 than any year prior, a setback in a decades-long fight to get the province’s sky-high transmission rates under control.
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In the time of COVID, HIV-AIDS remains a ‘silent epidemic’
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines - May 21, 2022 - DAVAO TODAY - The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become a “silent epidemic” at the time when the country battles with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
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UNAIDS tells Davos that economic recovery and health security will fail unless leaders tackle inequality
GENEVA, 21 May 2022 - Ahead of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima, has issued an urgent warning that economic recovery and health security plans that do not tackle inequality face catastrophic failure.
Ms Byanyima brings a message from communities on the frontline that rules which exacerbate inequalities are jeopardising recovery, prolonging the AIDS and COVID pandemics, undermining public health, and endangering everyone.
'A crutch to continue to prejudice': Montreal's LGBTQ community fears stigma from monkeypox
May 20, 2022 - Sabrina Jonas - Experts, advocates draw parallels to AIDS crisis, say monkeypox feels like déjà vu
David Hawkins wasn't alive during the height of the AIDS crisis in the mid-1980s, but decades later, his organization is still working on dispelling harmful myths associated with the disease.
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Monkeypox likely to elicit travel restrictions as WHO considers emergency declaration
May 20, 2022 - Health authorities in Europe and the U.S. confirmed cases of monkeypox, a potentially serious viral illness, as the World Health Organization considers whether to declare an international emergency.
Kathy Bergin, professor of disaster law at Cornell Law School, is an expert on the workings of the World Health Organization (WHO) and notes that the WHO has yet to declare a monkeypox emergency and that when it does, travel restrictions are likely to go into place.
Modern HIV Treatment Is Not Associated with Wasting
May 20, 2022 - By Heather Boerner - Severe wasting syndrome was a hallmark of the early AIDS epidemic, when HIV-related metabolic changes and opportunistic infections resulted in people losing 10% or more of their body mass. What’s more, some early antiretrovirals were associated with a combination of peripheral fat loss and abdominal fat gain known as lipodystrophy. Today, while wasting is difficult to reverse, it can be limited by starting HIV medication as soon as possible.
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Government was wrong on risk of Aids to blood scandal victims, inquiry told
May 20, 2022 - Ted Hennessey - Lord John Patten said a leaflet to discourage people at high risk of contracting Aids from donating blood should have been distributed faster.
A former junior health minister has agreed the Government was wrong in the 1980s to underplay the risk of Aids to those affected by the infected blood scandal, an inquiry has heard.
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‘Things Can Go Downhill’ From Med Errors for Patients With HIV
May 20, 2022 - By Gina Shaw - Errors related to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among hospitalized patients with HIV can have a significant long-term negative impact, including treatment failure and drug resistance, as well as increasing healthcare costs, said Meshell Maxam, PharmD, at the MAD-ID 2022 (Making a Difference in Infectious Diseases) stewardship meeting.
Treatment Action Group calls for more research, treatment, prevention
20 May 2022 - Al Jones - Kevin and Neil Goetz and Ellen Wolf hosted nearly 100 community members May 1 to meet TAG (Treatment Action Group) executive director Mark Harrington and his team from New York: Director of Development Jason Kirk and HIV Project Director Cheriko Boone.
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Brazil LGBTQ+ activists, HIV/AIDS service providers fear Bolsonaro reelection
SALVADOR, Brazil - 20 May 2022 - By Michael K. Lavers - Presidential election to take place in October
Fernanda Fonseca was the coordinator of the Brazilian Health Ministry’s program to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and viral hepatitis B in 2019 when she attended the International AIDS Society’s Conference on HIV Science in Mexico City.
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How do people feel after disclosing their HIV status on social media?
20 May 2022 - Krishen Samuel - Recent qualitative research with a small group of White gay and bisexual men in Australia found that they had chosen to talk about their HIV status on social media in order to control the narrative, challenge stigma and maintain a sense of agency. Instead of seeing it as responsibility to disclose, these men viewed it as a right to share their status.
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BC-CfE urges heightened caution due to monkeypox
Vancouver, BC (May 19, 2022) - Health authorities in Canada, the US, Spain, Portugal, and the UK have issued alerts over possible outbreaks of monkeypox. This viral infection is usually spread by respiratory transmission, but in these latest cases certain characteristics point towards fluid contact as a possible mode of transmission. A majority of these monkeypox cases are among men who have sex with men.
Gilead Reaches Number One Spot as Top Overall Philanthropic Funder of HIV-Related Programs, According to Funders Concerned About AIDS Report
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- March 19, 2022 - Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today was officially recognized as the number one philanthropic funder of HIV-related programs in a new tracking report released by Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA). The report, found at: https://www.fcaaids.org/inform/philanthropic-support-to-address-hiv-aids/, is released annually and is widely regarded as the most comprehensive study of its kind. It analyzes 2020 funding data (the most recent year available) revealing that Gilead’s philanthropic support wholly drove the increase of private HIV and AIDS philanthropic funding – representing 38% of all HIV funding and driving a majority of the increases in funding across all issues, populations and geographies. Gilead is also recognized in the report as the number one funder in the U.S. and the number three funder internationally. The report indicates that, “Private HIV and AIDS philanthropic funding to the U.S. rose for the seventh year in a row, totaling over $321 million in 2020, a dramatic 52% ($109 million) increase from 2019.”
Oracle and NIH Networks Collaborate to Help End HIV
Austin, Texas - May 19, 2022 - Oracle extends technology first built to fight COVID-19 to accelerate efforts to get a safe and effective HIV vaccine to market
The HIV Vaccine Trials Network, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the NIH, today launched a new HIV awareness campaign and the Red Ribbon Registry with the goal of helping end HIV. Built by Oracle, the unique cloud-based registry makes it easy for anyone to volunteer to be considered for an HIV clinical study—getting us one step closer to a cure.
Test of a new 'germline-targeting' HIV vaccine prepares to launch
May 19, 2022 - BY SABIN RUSSELL - Since 2013, Dr. Leo Stamatatos has been developing a different kind of HIV vaccine intended to train a person’s immune system to mount a powerful antibody response against the virus that causes AIDS.
Now, after nine years of refinement at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, it is nearly ready for its first phase of testing in human volunteers.
Life With HIV and Diabetes Is a Mixed Bag of Struggles, Accomplishments, and Hope
May 19, 2022 - Tim Murphy - Back in the 1980s and 1990s, most people probably thought that HIV is one of the most dire and challenging conditions for an individual to live with. Until 1996, no HIV medications had yet been able to suppress the virus to the point of blocking its deadly progress; HIV was a near-certain eventual death sentence.
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Women with HIV at greater risk of diabetes than men
19 Mayl 2022 - Alasdair Sinclair - An analysis involving almost 40,000 people living with HIV in the United States has found that women are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than both their male and HIV-negative counterparts.
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Obesity more important than integrase inhibitors in risk for developing diabetes in people with HIV
19 May 2022 - Keith Alcorn - Obesity was the most important risk factor for developing diabetes in a large US HIV clinic cohort between 2008 and 2018, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham report in a pre-print article released ahead of peer review this month.
The study investigators say that preventing excess weight gain is critical for prevention of diabetes in people with HIV.
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Successive waves of COVID-19 have diminished testing for viral hepatitis in Ontario
May 19, 2022 - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infect the liver and can lead to chronic infection of this organ. If left undiagnosed and untreated, chronic infection with these viruses degrades the liver over time and can cause serious complications, including an increased risk for liver cancer.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has encouraged countries and regions to work toward eliminating viral hepatitis (particularly HBV and HCV infections) as a public health issue by 2030. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada was moving toward this goal.
U=U Takes Center Stage at the GLAAD Media Awards and the TODAY Show
May 18, 2022 - By GLAAD - At the GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on May 6, the award for Outstanding TV Journalism News Segment was presented to the Today Show for the June 2021 reported piece, “HIV/AIDS: 40 Years Later.” Accepting the award was NBC News correspondent Joe Fryer.
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UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Professor Receives Fellowship for Youth Mental Health Research
LOS ANGELES (May 18, 2022) - Dr. Kristen Choi to Lead Study of Access to Mental Health Care for LGBTQ Adolescents
A professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health has been awarded $500,000 for research into mental health care access for LGBTQ youth in the United States, including using telehealth to address unmet mental health needs in this population.
Dr. Kristen Choi, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health assistant professor of health policy and management and assistant professor of nursing in the UCLA School of Nursing, is one of only 12 nursing researchers nationally chosen for the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators, managed by the UC Davis nursing school.
After Sprint for COVID-19 Vaccines, HVTN Researchers Return to HIV Marathon With Fresh Determination and Knowledge, Launch Clinical Research Registry and Ad Campaign
SEATTLE (May 18, 2022 – HIV VACCINE AWARENESS DAY) – Building on momentum from the highly successful COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) is launching a new HIV awareness campaign and unveiling a first-of-its-kind national registry that will provide updated HIV information and make it easier to learn about and participate in HIV clinical trials at HelpEndHIV.org.
The “Help End HIV” campaign is designed to increase awareness – especially among younger people – that HIV remains a major health issue globally and within the United States. Recent audience research conducted by HVTN found that many Americans are not aware that HIV is still a health issue in the U.S., are unsure if they might be vulnerable to exposure, and do not know if there is a cure.
COVID vaccines were developed at lightning speed. So why don’t we have a HIV/AIDS vaccine?
May 18, 2022 - PATRICK KELLEHER - More than 36 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since HIV first emerged more than 40 years ago – and yet, we still don’t have an effective vaccine.
You would be forgiven for thinking that developing a vaccine to protect against HIV should be a relatively simple task – after all, numerous COVID-19 vaccines came on stream less than a year after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a pandemic.
But HIV is a very different ball game. In the four decades that have passed since the virus was first detected, countless potential vaccines have failed at clinical trial stages.
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IAVI AND MODERNA LAUNCH FIRST-IN-AFRICA CLINICAL TRIAL OF MRNA HIV VACCINE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
NEW YORK, NY and CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 18, 2022 / Phase I trial in Rwanda and South Africa aims to evaluate mRNA HIV vaccine antigen for safety and immunogenicity and strengthen regional scientific capacity
The nonprofit scientific research organization IAVI and Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq:MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced that the first participant screenings are soon to start for a Phase I clinical trial of an mRNA HIV vaccine antigen (mRNA-1644) at the Center for Family Health Research (CFHR) in Kigali, Rwanda, and The Aurum Institute in Tembisa, South Africa.
Commemorating HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
May 18, 2022 - Emory News Center - May 18 is HIV Vaccine Awareness Day in the U.S. The day is an opportunity to recognize the efforts of the many volunteers, community members, health professionals and scientists working to develop a safe and effective HIV vaccine, and to educate communities about the importance of preventative HIV vaccine research.
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Sudburian looks back on 33-year career in harm reduction
May 18, 2022 - CBC News - Richard Rainville retired earlier this year as executive director of Sudbury's Réseau ACCESS Network
When Richard Rainville learned his best friend was HIV-positive in the late 1980s it changed the course of his life.
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NHS England is considering off-label use of Descovy PrEP
17 May 2022 - Gus Cairns - In a draft policy update, NHS England is proposing to reimburse the use of tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine (TAF/FTC), the combination pill sold as Descovy by its manufacturers Gilead Sciences, for 'second-line' PrEP. This would add an additional PrEP option as currently the only combination pill reimbursable for PrEP in England is tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC).
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Philly Lutaaya: The Ugandan singer who led the fight against HIV prejudice
May 17, 2022 - By Gabriel Arana - Ugandan music star, the late Philly Lutaaya, captivated fans with his music that blended reggae and African pop.
At the height of his career in 1989, he was diagnosed with HIV. Amid a climate of fear and prejudice, spawned by little knowledge of the new disease, he became the first high profile Ugandan to go public with his diagnosis.
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Texas A&M AgriLife describes new protein structures to aid rational drug design
MAY 16, 2022 - New ideas for treatments may come from newly solved structures of the C1 domain of protein kinase C
In a major advance for rational drug design, a Texas A&M AgriLife team has described several protein structures of a crucial player in cellular processes. The advance could bring new ideas for treatments of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, AIDS, cancer and others.
FDA Lifts Clinical Hold on Investigational Lenacapavir for the Treatment and Prevention of HIV
May 16, 2022 - FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- – All Clinical Studies Evaluating Injectable Lenacapavir to Resume –
– Decision Based on Review of Vial Compatibility Data –
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the clinical hold placed on the company’s Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to evaluate injectable lenacapavir for HIV treatment and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). As previously announced, the FDA had placed a clinical hold on the use of injectable lenacapavir in borosilicate vials due to a vial compatibility issue. FDA removed the clinical hold following the agency’s review of Gilead’s comprehensive plan and corresponding data on the storage and compatibility of lenacapavir injection with an alternative vial made from aluminosilicate glass.
Life After HIV
May 16, 2022 - By Gabriel Arana - Adam Castillejo, aka the London Patient, continues to advocate for a widely applicable HIV cure.
Few people can truly understand Adam Castillejo’s journey to being cured of HIV. Timothy Ray Brown was one of them.
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Class, queerness and illness in the ‘post-crisis’ era: rewriting the narrative of HIV
May 16, 2022 - Dion Kagan - I often read a book’s acknowledgments to see who an author thanks for supporting the creation of their work and how they go about thanking them.
Among those mentioned at the end of Jonathan Bazzi’s autofiction is the award-winning Italian novelist Viola Di Grado. Bazzi thanks Di Grado for “curbing my wild proliferations of thought”, though frankly it’s hard to fathom a version of this memoir that’s even more wild and proliferating.
The people making a difference – the woman breaking down stigma for mothers with HIV
16 May 2022 - Sirin Kale - When Angelina Namiba was diagnosed with HIV in 1993, the virus was commonly believed to be a death sentence. “People were being told they had six months to live,” says Namiba, who is 55 and lives in east London.
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Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown at 2022 Candlelight Memorial Commemoration
Teso, Uganda, May 15, 2022 - Good afternoon to all. I am honored to be here to commemorate the 2022 annual Candlelight Memorial event here in Teso. For decades, people have gathered each year on this day to remember the more than 2 million Ugandans and the more than 35 million people globally who have lost their lives to HIV since the early 1980s.
Luc Antoine Montagnier
May 14, 2022 - Geoff Watts - Nobel Prize winning co-discoverer of HIV. He was born in Chabris, France, on March 18, 1932 and died in Paris, France, on Feb 8, 2022 aged 89 years.
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Urvashi Vaid, Legendary Activist for LGBTQ+ Civil Rights, Dies at 63
MAY 14, 2022 - BY TRUDY RING - Vaid was a leader in several LGBTQ+ and other social justice organizations as well as an award-winning author.
Longtime activist Urvashi Vaid, a leader of many LGBTQ+ and other social justice organizations, has died at age 63.
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Roche enters partnership with the Global Fund to support low- and middle-income countries in strengthening critical diagnostics infrastructure
Basel, 12 May 2022 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), through its Global Access Program, and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are joining forces to build and strengthen diagnostic capacity and pandemic preparedness in low-and middle-income countries fighting against HIV and tuberculosis (TB).
About 2 billion people worldwide are estimated to be infected with tuberculosis, with 95% of TB deaths occurring in LMICs. Of more than 37 Million people living with HIV globally, over 6 Million people are undiagnosed. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many HIV and TB programs, resulting in HIV testing rates falling by 22% and an estimated additional 100 000 deaths from tuberculosis in LMICs in 2020.
David Boger shares experiences as a long-term HIV survivor
May 11, 2022 - CBS New York - AIDS Walk New York is returning fully in person Sunday after a pandemic pause. CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas met a long-term survivor who was diagnosed with HIV in 1993.
Scientists Use Big Data To Fight HIV In Sub-Saharan Africa
MAY 11, 2022 - Andrew Wight - South African researcher Dr. Edith Phalane is using big data to see which are the most effective HIV control programs in sub-Saharan Africa, with the goal of ending HIV/AIDS as an epidemic by 2030.
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Hepatitis B:
The other vaccine you should know
May 11, 2022 - Did you know that the hepatitis B vaccination is now recommended for all adults aged 19-59? This new, expanded recommendation will help protect adults from the hepatitis B virus, which attacks the liver and can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer and death. But the good news is that the vaccine is safe and very effective at preventing infection.
Adults over age 60 may also choose to be vaccinated.
Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Leads to Long-Term HIV Remission
May 11, 2022 - By Liz Highleyman - One person treated with a broadly neutralizing antibody plus romidepsin remained in remission for 3.7 years.
One individual treated with the broadly neutralizing antibody 3BNC117 plus the latency-reversing agent romidepsin remains in remission nearly four years after stopping antiretroviral therapy, according to study results presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2022). He and other study participants who received the antibody showed enhanced HIV-specific CD8 T-cell responses.
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Long term survivor living with HIV nearly 3 decades after diagnosis: "We're still here"
NEW YORK - MAY 11, 2022 - BY AUNDREA CLINE-THOMAS - We continue our coverage of AIDS Walk New York with a focus on long-term survivors, those who were diagnosed before 1996.
CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas introduces us to a man who beat the odds.
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Large Study in Botswana Finds Daily Micronutrient Supplementation During Pregnancy Reduces Complications at Birth
May 11, 2022 - PHILADELPHIA - Results suggest iron plus folic acid and vitamins is better at reducing adverse birth outcomes compared to iron or folic acid alone
Published in Lancet Global Health, the study was led by Ellen Caniglia, ScD, an assistant professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as investigators at the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The results represent a broad, real-world confirmation of earlier clinical trial results. The study, the largest ever of its kind, also included a substantial cohort of pregnant women with HIV, and found that IFAS and MMS appeared to have even larger benefits in this group.
New study reveals that herpesvirus infection may increase the risk of developing diabetes
May 11, 2022 - A new study published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) finds that two common herpesviruses may contribute to impaired glucose metabolism and an increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) among infected individuals. The research was conducted by Dr Tim Woelfle at Ludwig-Maximilians University and Helmholtz Munich, Germany, and colleagues.
Herpesviruses are one of the most prevalent viruses in humans, with eight types currently known: herpes simplex viruses (HSV) 1 and 2, varicella-zoster virus (VZV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human herpesviruses (HHV) 6, 7 and 8. All of them cause lifelong latent infections in their hosts after an initial, usually mild or asymptomatic primary infection.
Canadian Viral Hepatitis Elimination Day
May 10, 2022 - On Wednesday, May 11, Action Hepatitis Canada will join CanHepC, CanHepB, the Canadian Liver Foundation, and the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver to mark the inaugural Canadian Viral Hepatitis Elimination Day in Ottawa.
By taking part in Canadian Viral Hepatitis Elimination Day, you can amplify our call for the federal government, as well as each province and territory, to bring urgency to eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat in Canada by 2030.
GMHC offers New Yorkers support with free, confidential HIV, STI testing
NEW YORK - MAY 10, 2022 - BY VANESSA MURDOCK - In the fight against HIV and AIDS, testing and prevention services are critical.
CBS2's Vanessa Murdock spoke with a nonprofit working to expand its outreach.
At GMHC in Midtown, "You are welcome, everyone is welcome." The space is judgement-free, stigma-free and offers free and confidential testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
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aidsmapCHAT - NAM's 35th anniversary special: Monday 9 May 2022
May 10, 2022 - NAM – aidsmap - Welcome to our special aidsmapCHAT, celebrating NAM's 35th anniversary. In this episode, Matthew Hodson and Susan Cole chat to NAM editor Gus Cairns, founder of the Prevention Access Campaign (U=U), Bruce Richman and activist and co-chair of the Sophia Forum, Mercy Shibemba.
Acute hepatitis cases reported in Canada as outbreak affects children globally
May 10, 2022 - Rhythm Sachdeva - Seven probable cases of severe acute hepatitis have been reported over a six-month period at one of Canada's major children's hospitals, as an unexplained outbreak of severe cases is affecting healthy, young children around the world.
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37 years with HIV
10 May 2022 - Gus Cairns - As Gus Cairns retires in NAM’s 35th year, he reflects on how much has changed for people living with HIV
As of 1 June, I’m retiring. Yes, I’ve given in my notice as a salaried employee at NAM aidsmap, starting the month after my 66th birthday.
It’s a mark of how much the prospects for people with HIV have changed to say that when I first became virally undetectable, I never expected to live long enough to retire. Now I’m planning a ‘post-work career’.
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HIV in The Real World: How Danny Roberts Visibility Signals the Fight Against HIV Stigma
May 9, 2022 - By Serena Sonoma - The Real World: New Orleans star sat down with GLAAD’s Anthony Allen Ramos to discuss his coming out about living with HIV.
Danny Roberts is living with HIV. He has been for 11 years. And he’s been doing so while starring in Paramount+’s The Real World Homecoming: New Orleans, a reunion special of his debut in The Real World: New Orleans (2000).
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30th Annual Conference – Virtual
CANAC’s 30th Conference: Decolonize and Decriminalize
May 13th to 15th, 2022 from the comfort, and familiarity, of your home or office!
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TODAY's "HIV/AIDS: 40 Years Later" wins at the GLAAD Media Awards
May 7, 2022 - GLADD - At the GLAAD Media Awards in New York City, Amber Tamblyn and Nyle DiMarco presented the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Journalism News Segment to TODAY for "HIV/AIDS: 40 Years Later."
The Catholic saint who dedicated his life to a leprosy colony in Hawaii – and became an inspiration for HIV/AIDS care
May 6, 2022 - Mark Lambert - On Jan. 3, 1865, the Kingdom of Hawaii, then a sovereign state, enacted “An Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy.” Any person suspected of having the ancient disease – which is mentioned as far back as the Bible – would be inspected and, if deemed incurable, permanently exiled to a peninsula on the island of Molokai.
More than 8,000 people with leprosy fell victim to this policy of permanent segregation over the next century. Native Hawaiians renamed leprosy “ma'i ho'oka'awale ‘ohana”: the sickness that separates family. Surrounded by steep cliffs and treacherous ocean, the peninsula served as a natural prison and soon gathered a reputation as a de facto death sentence.
Canada’s new blood donor policy still excludes many gay and bisexual men, critics say
May 6, 2022 - By Jacques Gallant - The new rules prohibit all individuals — regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity — from donating if they’ve had anal sex with a new or multiple partners in the last three months.
For Aaron Crowe, donating blood is a valuable way to contribute to society, having received blood donations himself.
But he remains barred from giving, even in the wake of a decision by Health Canada last week that put an end to the blanket ban on blood donations from men and some transgender women who have had sex with men in the last three months.
That’s because Crowe’s partner of six years is HIV-positive, and Canadian Blood Services (CBS) continues to bar individuals from donating if they’ve had sex with a person who is HIV-positive in the last 12 months. This despite the fact that Crowe’s partner has an undetectable viral load due to medication, and therefore can’t transmit the virus to him.
Pediatric Hepatitis of Unknown Origin Cases Mounting
May 6, 2022 - By Marie Rosenthal, MS - 14% Received Liver Transplants; 5 Deaths Reported
About half the country is seeing hepatitis of unknown origin cases among children that might be caused by adenovirus type 41F.
The CDC is investigating possible cases in 109 children from 25 states and territories. Fourteen percent of the children required liver transplants, and five deaths have been reported, according to Jay Butler, MD, the deputy director for Infectious Diseases at the CDC, who provided an update on the emerging disease on May 6.
Alexandra Billings Delves Into HIV, Sex Work, Hollywood in New Memoir
MAY 6, 2022 - BY DESIRÉE GUERRERO - The groundbreaking trans actress and activist hopes to create dialogue, and a better world.
Actress, singer, author, teacher, and HIV activist Alexandra Billings has long blazed trails. She became one of the first out trans actresses to play a trans role on television in the 2005 TV prequel Romy and Michele: In the Beginning. She’s appeared in numerous films and TV shows throughout her career (including How to Get Away With Murder and Grey’s Anatomy) and received critical acclaim for her scene-stealing role as Davina on the hit Amazon series Transparent. She also showed off her musical theater chops when she starred as Madame Morrible in the Broadway megahit Wicked.
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Target Accused of Selling ‘Silence = Death’ Shirt Without Permission
May 6, 2022 - By DANIEL KREPS - “We have been fighting the commodification of AIDS for years and this is the latest edition,” ACT UP says of Target’s unauthorized Pride-themed item
Target is being accused of selling merchandise with the LGBTQ rights slogan “Silence = Death” without permission and without compensating the non-profit organization that owns the rights to the phrase.
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UNAIDS warmly welcomes the confirmation of John Nkengasong to lead the United States global efforts to end AIDS
GENEVA, 06 May 2022 - UNAIDS warmly congratulates John Nkengasong on confirmation by the U.S. Senate as Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally. As the new U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Dr Nkengasong will lead the United States’ President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
U.S. Senate Confirms Dr. John Nkengasong as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
MAY 6, 2022 - The U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. John Nkengasong yesterday to be the next U.S. Ambassador-at-Large, Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally.
NIH launches clinical trial of Epstein-Barr virus vaccine
May 6, 2022 - The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched an early-stage clinical trial to evaluate an investigational preventative vaccine for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). EBV is the primary cause of infectious mononucleosis and is associated with certain cancers and autoimmune diseases. The Phase 1 study, which will be conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of only two studies to test an investigational EBV vaccine in more than a decade.
Philadelphia to Honor Those It Lost to AIDS, But Not With a Statue
MAY 05 2022 - By Chris Bartlett - The city's LGBTQ+ Center will soon launch Remembrance, a living AIDS memorial that utilizes art, music, and stories.
I began a project in 2005 to memorialize the lives of the over 8,000 gay and bisexual men who died of AIDS in Philadelphia between the early 1980s, when data was first available, and up until now. I was struck that Philadelphia had lost thousands of gay men to the AIDS epidemic, but no one had bothered to remember their stories. Philadelphians we lost to AIDS include world-renowned individuals, such as activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya, haute couture designer Willi Smith, and supermodel Gia Carangi. But also included are everyday citizens — schoolteachers, shop owners and family members of all generations — who came from each one of our Philadelphia neighborhoods.
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Cortisol, Cortisone Levels in Hair May Be Indicators of HIV Disease Progression, Study Finds
May 5, 2022 - Hayden E. Klein - New research shows that cortisol and cortisone levels in the hair of people living with HIV were negatively associated with CD4 count, but not with HIV viral load.
Among Chinese patients living with HIV, hair cortisol and cortisone levels were negatively associated with CD4 count, but not with HIV viral load, according to a study published in BMC Infectious Diseases.
Whereas past research has mostly studied the correlation between acute or short-term glucocorticoid exposure and HIV disease progression, this study focused on long-term exposure and how hair glucocorticoid levels were associated with CD4 count and HIV viral load—2 main markers of HIV disease progression.
STDcheck.com Confirms New Orleans as U.S. City with Highest Prevalence of Genital Herpes
HOUSTON, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- STDcheck.com, which has provided fast, private and affordable STD tests to more than 2 million people since 2010, today announced that New Orleans is the U.S. city with the highest prevalence of genital herpes.
Researchers use social network analysis to model virus evolution
May 05, 2022 - By Crystal Mackay - HIV subtypes often combine with other subtypes to form new variants, research finds
Researchers from Western University may have discovered a new meaning to the social media phrase, “going viral.”
New researc from Western University suggests some viruses evolve more like a dynamic social network – rather than a rigid tree, as was previously believed – recombining with one another to create a web of intersecting subtypes. This work has implications for epidemiology and public health, not just for HIV-1 but for other viruses as well, because it influences how we track the way viruses move through the population.
Triggerise and Elton John AIDS Foundation Partner to Expand Mental Health Care for Youth in Kenya
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The new partnership will make mental health screenings and services accessible to thousands of young people in Kenya
Triggerise is pleased to announce a new partnership with Elton John AIDS Foundation to empower young people in Kenya to take control of their mental and physical health. The $1 million grant from Elton John AIDS Foundation will ensure all Triggerise associated clinics in Mombasa, Kenya provide mental health screening and services, ranging from individual and group counselling to trauma-based care, over the next three years. These crucial mental health offerings will be fully integrated with Triggerise's pre-existing sexual and reproductive health services (SRH) for young people between the ages of 15 and 24.
No Perfect Treatment Exists for Chronic Pain in HIV, but These ‘Imperfect Tools’ Keep Hope Alive
May 4, 2022 - Tim Murphy - “I continually ask my HIV doctor for help, and he continues to tell me that nothing can be done, which adds to my depression and hopelessness. I begged and cried at my last appointment ... after quitting my job in January because the pain was more than I could take. My strongest thoughts and feelings are that I am going to suffer with untreated pain for the rest of my life, and that makes me hope and pray that my life ends quickly, as this is no way to live.”
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HIV: BESTOWING CD8+ T CELLS WITH PROPERTIES OBSERVED IN NATURAL CONTROLLERS
2022.05.04 - HIV controllers are rare individuals identified as being able to control viral infection naturally without treatment. In these very rare individuals (less than 1% of people living with HIV) no multiplication of the virus in the blood can be detected after more than 10 years of infection without treatment. In 2007, scientists at the Institut Pasteur described how, unlike non-controllers' CD8+ T cells, those of controllers are able to rapidly destroy infected CD4+ T cells. Asier Sáez-Cirión's group also demonstrated in a previous study that the cells from controllers use a different molecular program. Their research shows that anti-HIV CD8+ T cells in controllers not only have huge antiviral potential; they are also programmed to survive, whereas in non-controllers, the cell program predisposes them to exhaustion and cell death.
New Tool Integrates Microbiome and Host Genetic Sequencing Analysis
SAN ANTONIO (May 4, 2022) - A new software tool makes it easier to study relationships between a host, its microbiome and pathogens like HIV or SARS-CoV-2.
Researchers at Texas Biomedical Research Institute and Tulane University have developed a new software tool that makes it easier, faster and more cost effective to analyze genetic information about a host and its microbiome at the same time. The software, called “meta-transcriptome detector” (MTD), can be used by a wide range of microbiologists and drug developers, including those researching diseases such as certain cancers, COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, malaria and many other human health conditions linked to microorganisms. The tool was recently published in the journal Briefings in Bioinformatics.
Epidemiologist and AIDS expert Kenrad Nelson dies at 89
May 4, 2022 - HUB - He spent 36 years on the Johns Hopkins faculty and contributed pioneering research to the fields of epidemiology and infectious diseases
Kenrad E. Nelson, a professor of epidemiology and internationally recognized AIDS expert who spent nearly four decades on the Johns Hopkins faculty, died April 21 at the age of 89. In an email announcing his death and paying tribute to his memory Tuesday, Bloomberg School of Public Health Dean Ellen MacKenzie honored Nelson's "stellar record as a researcher, teacher, and mentor."
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Get your spring booster COVID shot, British HIV Association advises everyone with HIV
4 May 2022 - Gus Cairns - BHIVA conference hears evidence on benefit of vaccine boosters, especially against Omicron variantIn-person healthcare visits related to HIV prevention and care decreased in number at the largest HIV care centre in Spain as a result of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. While chlamydia and gonorrhoea cases surged in 2020 compared to 2019, new HIV cases decreased by 28%. But the new HIV cases were more advanced, according to the study published in AIDS, suggesting that limited access to healthcare may have delayed patients’ HIV diagnoses.
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A better understanding of HIV-1 latency
May 3, 2022 - The contribution of antiretroviral drugs to the treatment of HIV-1 positive patients has been considerable. However, a major problem remains: despite prolonged and highly effective antiretroviral therapy, cells infected with latent viruses persist in patients and constitute true reservoirs of virus. Indeed, the virus that lies dormant in these cells is invisible to the immune system of the infected individual.
However, virus production can be reactivated in these reservoir cells by numerous cellular stimuli (a simple infection for example). These cells are therefore a permanent source of virus rebound when treatment is stopped. In other words, even when undetectable, the virus is there, ready to be reactivated if the patient stops antiretroviral therapy.
aidsmapLIVE: Decades of HIV
Mar 3, 2022 - NAM – aidsmap - In aidsmapLIVE: Decades of HIV, NAM aidsmap’s Susan Cole discusses ageing and HIV with Dr Tristan Barber, HIV doctor at The Royal Free Hospital with expertise in ageing issues; Jo Josh, communications adviser at the British HIV Association; Rebecca Mbewe, co-director of the 4M Mentor Mothers Network; and campaigner Richard Desmond, who has been living with HIV since 1985.
AIDS United CEO responds to leaked Supreme Court draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2022 - Protecting the right to abortion and reproductive care is critical to ending the HIV epidemic.
The following statement is attributable to Jesse Milan Jr., president and CEO of AIDS United.
“The draft Dobbs v. Jackson opinion leaked last night strikes at long held fears advocates have had for the future of Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court overturning Roe would have devastating consequences for so many.
“As a citizen, I’m offended that Congressional inaction to codify the right to abortion has led us here. As a lawyer, I’m shocked by the leak and by the draft’s outcome of overturning an established right and legal precedent. As an LGBTQ person, I’m worried. And as a person living with HIV, I’m afraid of the potential impacts on the health and wellness of so many in my communities.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine Receives $11.3M NIH Grant to Expand the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY Center for AIDS Research
May 3, 2022—(BRONX, NY) - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine a five-year, $11.3 million grant to renew the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY Center for AIDS Research (ERC-CFAR) and expand its efforts to prevent, treat and cure HIV infection, and thereby reduce the burden of HIV, locally, nationally, and internationally.
The ERC-CFAR—the only CFAR in New York and one of 19 current NIH-funded CFARs nationwide—was established in 2017 to bring together researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, The Rockefeller University, and The City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY) to realize the ultimate goal of living in a world without AIDS. For this purpose, the center supports studies involving more than 150 independent investigators focused on four areas: lowering the incidence of HIV; developing next-generation HIV therapies; discovering a cure for HIV; and treating HIV-related comorbidities, coinfections, and complications.
Researchers help uncover strategy that cures a third person with HIV
May 3, 2022 - By Janette Neuwahl Tannen - Dr. Savita Pahwa, who directs the University of Miami’s Center for AIDS Research, and her lab were part of a national research team that has helped a New York cancer survivor become the third person to achieve remission from HIV.
Dr. Savita Pahwa can clearly recall the start of her career as a pediatric immunologist in New York City during the early 1980s.
While she had spent years training to treat allergies, cancer, and immune deficiencies, her expected path was quickly diverted. As the AIDS pandemic unfolded, Pahwa found herself tasked with caring for some of the first babies born with HIV.
The US HIV Vaccines Industry is Expected to Reach $519 Million by 2027 - ResearchAndMarkets.com
May 3, 2022 - DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The "HIV Vaccines Market Research Report by Antibodies (Dicloxacillin, Fusidic Acid Ointment, and Gentamicin Ointment), Type, State - United States Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
The United States HIV Vaccines Market size was estimated at USD 74.98 million in 2021, USD 101.71 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 38.08% to reach USD 519.77 million by 2027.
Two-Spirit Medicine Bundle Pilot to create alternate pathways to testing and sexual health resources among Two-Spirit and queer Indigenous people in B.C.
Vancouver, British Columbia – May 2, 2021 - The Two-Spirit Program at Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC) has launched the Two-Spirit Medicine Bundle Pilot, a research project made by and for the Two-Spirit, queer and trans Indigenous community with the goal of creating alternate pathways to testing and sexual health resources in British Columbia.
“Under the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing, which weaves western and Indigenous knowledge for the benefit of all, the Medicine Bundle is an Indigenous approach to accessing sexual health resources,” says Martin Morberg, CBRC’s Two-Spirit Program Coordinator. “The purpose of our pilot is to bring sacredness back into sex and give Two-Spirit and queer Indigenous folks access to a holistic approach to their sexual health needs.”
How Magic Johnson’s HIV diagnosis changed the conversation about AIDS in America
May 1, 2022 - BY MATT BRENNAN - At a time when HIV was still seen as a death sentence, Magic Johnson shocked the world by announcing he was infected. But the bigger shock may have been what happened next.
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Born fighters: Stephen Lewis has inspired many, including members of his own family
May 1, 2022 - By Jessica Dee Humphreys - The former NDP leader’s grandson picks up the activist torch
Lewis’s passion for social activism is shared by his children Avi, Ilana, and Jenny and his wife, former Star columnist, Michele Landsberg, and has unsurprisingly inspired his grandchildren, too.
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