15 December 2017 VOLUME 18 ISSUE 50

The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis on Friday released 380 million US dollars to Kenya's ministry of health and partners to support the war against the three infectious diseases that are leading cause of deaths in the East African Nation.

The past year brought no major breakthroughs in the search for an HIV cure, but a growing understanding of how the virus hides in the body is bringing people closer to strategies for long-term remission, researchers and advocates said at the 2017 HIV Cure Summit.

The stigma which cloaks HIV still prevents people from getting regular sexual health tests and seeking treatment following a positive diagnosis. There are also vulnerable social groups in Scotland who are disproportionately affected by HIV.

As abusers of prescription painkillers turn to injection drugs, experts worry the opioid epidemic could result in HIV outbreaks across the United States.

How exactly does posting the hashtag deter HIV transmission? What theory can establish the correlation between the two remote variables- posting the hashtag and then stop HIV?

Brazil is the first country in Latin America, and among the first in the developing world, to adopt the pill Truvada, under a program known as PrEP, short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, as an integral part of its preventive health care policy. The blue pill — which drastically reduces the risk of contracting the virus when taken daily — will be made available at no cost to eligible Brazilians at 35 public health clinics in 22 cities during an inaugural phase of the program.

There is no one single reason rates of HIV/AIDS infection are so high in the region, but rather a convergence of factors—including racism, misogyny, homophobia, and HIV stigmatization—that reflect the systemic inequality in our society.

To achieve a 25% reduction in HIV infections by 2020, HIV prevention efforts should focus on significantly scaling up access to PrEP in addition to HIV testing, access to antiretroviral therapy, and promoting condom use.

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa have high HIV prevalence and incidence. We sought to understand which HIV risk factors individually and in combination contribute to risk, and whether these factors are associated with HIV worry and risk perception.

Increased rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been reported among men who have sex with men. We aimed to assess whether post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with doxycycline could reduce the incidence of STIs.

We conducted a three-phase review: (1) a literature review (phase one); (2) focus group discussions and interviews with nearly 200 women living with HIV from 17 countries (phase two); and (3) three country case studies (phase three)….Recommendations are proposed regarding laws, policies, and programs which are rights-based, gendered, and embrace diversity, to maximize women’s voluntary, informed, confidential, and safe access to and adherence to medication, and optimize their long-term sexual and reproductive health.