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16 December 2016 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 50

Media Coverage

  • What will a President Trump mean for HIV patients?

    But while HIV prevention may not be a priority for the Trump administration, a sudden outbreak is likely to disproportionately affect Trump voters who live in rural counties hit hard by the nation's opioid epidemic.

    December 15, 2016
    The Week

  • HIV rate among gay Atlanta men as high as 1 in 2

    Two recent studies show the staggering reach of HIV in metro Atlanta, documenting how the region leads other large urban areas in HIV diagnoses and how as many as 1 in 2 gay men in some counties are HIV-positive....Six US states exceeded the national average of MSM diagnosed with HIV in 2012—and all of them were in the South. Of the top 25 metros in terms of prevalence, 21 were south of the Ohio River.

    December 13, 2016
    Project Q

  • Can we talk?

    I’m asking this simple question because I hope that 2017 will be the year that “Can We Talk?” becomes not just a catchphrase but also a way to engage in real dialogue....Can we talk about the need to really look at things from other people’s point of view without excuses? Can we talk about the need to listen with open hearts and minds and about the need to find real solutions?

    December 13, 2016
    POZ

  • Updated labeling for combo HIV drug Genvoya

    The FDA has posted updated prescribing information for Genvoya, removing the warnings regarding bone loss and mineralization defects. Genvoya is indicated as a complete regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older.

    December 12, 2016
    Combination Prevention
    EMPR

  • Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe making strong progress towards the 90-90-90 goals

    According to figures from national household surveys released last week at Columbia University....The findings come from national population HIV impact assessments carried out in 2015 and 2016 [and]....taking place in 16 countries supported by PEPFAR; the results from Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe are the first to be made available.

    December 12, 2016
    aidsmap

  • PrEP, HIV test kits sold illegally

    The [Zimbabwe] Ministry of Health and Child Care says pharmacies selling PrEP are doing so illegally....“It is actually news to me; we have not yet partnered with the private sector for the sale of these drugs. For them to be able to sell PrEP we need a memorandum of agreement with them which allows them to sell,” said deputy director Aids and TB Unit Dr Tsitsi Apollo.

    December 11, 2016
    PrEP
    Sunday News

  • Coastal areas see rise in beach boys

    A study by the National STD/AIDS Control Programme of the Ministry of Health [of Sri Lanka] reveals that 28 per cent of beach boys reported receiving money in exchange for sex, and 22 per cent reported giving money in exchange for sex. The study also revealed that use of condoms was much lower for those receiving money than for those who gave money....[Beach boys] are mostly found in selected coastal areas where tourists aggregate.

    December 11, 2016
    Sunday Leader

  • HIV prevention initiative seeks to break barriers in sub-Saharan Africa

    On Wednesday, the Center for Health and Gender Equity released a new report, “Breaking Barriers to HIV Prevention for Adolescent Girls and Young Women.” The report serves as a working document to inform US policymakers, donors and advocates on how the [DREAMS] partnership is being implemented in South Africa and Kenya, and share lessons the partnership has learned about what works, or what doesn’t, in HIV prevention for adolescent girls and young women.

    December 9, 2016
    Devex

  • Malawi leader hails US for its support towards HIV and Aids

    Malawian President Peter Mutharika has hailed the United States government for its continued financial and technical support in the health sector. He made the remarks on Thursday at Sanjika Palace when he had an audience with the United States delegation where they discussed issues of collaboration in the fight against HIV and AIDS and the girl child education.

    December 9, 2016
    Nyasa Times

  • NIH Director Francis Collins says he would remain in post under Trump

    Dr. Francis Collins said in an interview, “If I were asked to stay on, I would consider it a privilege to do so. We have a mission and a vision that is captivating, yeah, I want to be part of that"....“As thrilled as I am about the Cures bill, my anxiety is that it might be seen as the only thing that NIH needed for fiscal year ’17,” he said. “But it’s limited to three or four projects.” To Collins, that means the NIH’s programs in basic science, rare diseases, and other areas could be hurt.

    December 9, 2016
    STAT

  • Republican aid professionals on what's next for aid in a Trump administration

    There seems to be a general consensus that PEPFAR, which had a budget of $6.8 billion in the 2016 fiscal year, is likely to continue in this administration — the initiative has long had strong bipartisan support. It is also able to clearly show effectiveness and present a clear and easy narrative, which will be an asset, said Tony Fratto, a partner at Hamilton Place Strategies. a public affairs consulting firm that has worked in the White House and US Treasury.

    December 8, 2016
    Devex

  • It’s time to stop violence against women and girls

    Gender-based violence has devastating impacts on women and girls, and all of society in respect to equality, poverty and equity, HIV/AIDS and peace and security. Above all, health consequences of this violence are devastating, both in the short and long term....The Global Plan of Action against Violence is a great step forward in the fight against gender violence. But there is still an urgent need to ensure that strong commitments by governments turn into concrete actions.

    December 7, 2016
    Huffington Post

  • New HIV vaccine strategy targets body's mucosal sites

    A recombinant rhinovirus (common cold virus) used with an injection of DNA-based vaccine can activate the immune system against transmission of HIV....Unlike previous vaccine trials, the new approach offers protection at mucosal sites — vaginal or rectal — that are most likely to encounter the virus first. Eric Gowans, leading the research team at the University of Adelaide..., says “Our vaccine approach aims at making the antibodies inhibit the HIV Tat (Transactivator of HIV gene expression) effect, thereby preventing the HIV virus from replicating."

    December 6, 2016
    SciDev

  • More Glaxo 'musical execs' as Waterhouse tapped to replace ViiV Healthcare CEO

    GlaxoSmithKline's Deborah Waterhouse is set to succeed Dominique Limet as CEO of HIV-drug business ViiV Healthcare....It wasn’t all that long ago that ViiV’s fate was up in the air....While a rebounding respiratory lineup has helped take some of the companywide pressure off of ViiV, the division is still locked in a market share battle with HIV rival Gilead, and its plans to surge ahead depend on a high-stakes bet on two-drug regimens.

    December 5, 2016
    Fierce Pharma

  • NHS England announces major new PrEP trial for 2017

    NHS England, in collaboration with Public Health England, announced in a press release today that a major new implementation trial of PrEP will start next year. It is planned to enroll at least twice as many as previously anticipated and the funding announced is five times higher than the money for a trial originally announced in March this year.

    December 4, 2016
    aidsmap

  • After decades of research, why is AIDS still rampant?

    I asked a smattering of people in their 20’s...what they would like to know about HIV that they didn’t know already....What I found is that younger people see AIDS as a chronic medical condition rather than a death sentence....They,...like many of us, may not understand that AIDS is fueled more by poverty, discrimination and social injustice than anything else. This, I believe, is a main reason for the disease still being rampant.

    December 1, 2016
    The Conversation

Published Research

  • Health communication and the HIV continuum of care

    This JAIDS supplement presents compelling studies anchored on the health communication exigencies in highly diverse HIV and AIDS contexts in low and middle income settings. Our special focus is health communication needs and challenges within the HIV continuum of care. We introduce the supplement with thumbnail summaries of the work presented by an experienced array of public health, behavioral, and clinical scientists.

    January 1, 2017
    JAIDS

  • Development of a national campaign addressing South African men's fears about HIV counseling and testing and antiretroviral treatment

    Fears of compromised masculine pride and reputation, potential community rejection, and fear of loss of emotional control ("the stress of knowing") dominated men's rationales for avoiding HIV testing and treatment initiation. A communication campaign was developed based on the findings. Creative treatments aimed at redefining a 'strong' man as someone who faces his fears and knows his HIV status. The resultant campaign concept was: "positive or negative-you are still the same person."

    January 1, 2017
    JAIDS

  • Sexual violence against HIV-positive women in the Nyanza Region of Kenya: is condom negotiation an instigator?

    Identification of risk factors for sexual violence (SV) is a pressing issue in sub-Saharan Africa, where the global majority of HIV-positive women live and prevalence of SV against women is high. We used qualitative data to examine SV against HIV-positive women enrolled in HIV care in Kenya. Respondents identified husbands as perpetrators of SV in the context of women's efforts to use condoms as directed by HIV care providers.

    January 1, 2017
    JAIDS

  • Project Shikamana: Baseline findings from a community empowerment-based combination HIV prevention trial among female sex workers in Iringa, Tanzania

    A cohort of 496 FSWs was established and is currently under follow-up....Factors associated with both HIV infection and viral suppression at baseline included community, age, number of clients, and substance use. Amount of money charged per client and having tested for sexually transmitted infection in the past 6 months were protective for HIV infection. Social cohesion among FSWs was protective for viral suppression....Community empowerment approaches hold promise.

    January 1, 2017
    JAIDS

  • Association between depression and condom use differs by sexual behavior group in patients with HIV

    716 men who have sex with men, 262 heterosexual men and 277 heterosexual women were included. The association between depression and non-condom use was strongest in heterosexual men with and without HIV-infected regular partners, but absent in heterosexual women regardless of partner. We demonstrated an association between depression and non-condom use driven by heterosexual men and MSM without HIV-infected regular partners.

    December 14, 2016
    AIDS Behav

  • Analysis of HIV diversity in HIV-infected Black men who have sex with men (HPTN 061)

    HIV populations often diversify in response to selective pressures, such as immune response and antiretroviral drug use. We analyzed HIV diversity in Black men who have sex with men enrolled in the HIV Prevention Trials Network 061 study....HIV diversity was significantly associated with duration of HIV infection, and lower gag diversity was observed in men who had HIV drug resistance. HIV pol diversification was more pronounced in men with acute or recent infection, higher CD4 cell count, and lower HIV viral load.

    December 9, 2016
    PLoS One

  • Costs of care of HIV-infected children initiating lopinavir/ritonavir-based antiretroviral therapy before the age of two in Cote d’Ivoire

    ART reduces the overall monthly cost of care of HIV-infected children < 2 years. Because children were treated at an advanced HIV disease stage, the additional costs of treating severe morbidity on ART remain substantial. Strategies for treating HIV-infected children as early as possible must remain a priority in Côte d’Ivoire.

    December 9, 2016
    PLoS One

  • An evaluation of selected populations for HIV-1 vaccine cohort development in Nigeria

    This cross-sectional IRB approved study was conducted in 2009–12 to identify and characterize populations at high risk for HIV; engage support of local stakeholders; and assess level of interest in future vaccine studies. Educating and winning the trust of local community leadership ensured high level of participation (53.3–77.9%) and willingness to participate in future studies (95%). High HIV prevalence and risk of HIV infection at highway settlement and mammy markets make them well suited for targeting future vaccine trials.

    December 9, 2016
    PLoS One

  • Facilitators and barriers of antiretroviral therapy initiation among HIV discordant couples in Kenya: qualitative insights from a pre-exposure prophylaxis implementation study

    HIV-infected participants indicated that living a healthier life, preventing HIV transmission to others, and appearing “normal” or “healthy” again facilitated their initiation of ART....Denial of diagnosis, disclosure stigma, perceived side-effects, and challenges in obtaining refills were additional barriers to ART initiation.

    December 8, 2016
    PLoS One

  • Frequency of viremic episodes in HIV-infected women initiating antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy: a cohort study

    We followed a cohort of 523 women in Cape Town, South Africa initiating ART in pregnancy and achieving viral suppression (VS) (<50 copies/mL). Viraemia appears to occur frequently, particularly postpartum, among HIV-infected women after initial VS in this setting. More intensive viral load monitoring is warranted in this population while the immediate causes and long-term implications of viremic episodes require investigation.

    December 7, 2016
    Clin Infect Dis

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