21 DECEMBER 2018 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 51

Awareness and use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States increased significantly between 2014 and 2017, according to research published in 1 November edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The study also showed that PrEP was reaching individuals with high levels of sexual risk, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and substance use, the very individuals most in need of this highly effective form of HIV prevention.

We often think of the HIV epidemic as something that’s happening in places such as third-world African countries. And although it’s true that HIV is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, Americans cannot afford to be blind to the fact that the disease continues to be a scourge affecting people right here on the homefront. In fact, one hotbed of HIV is the cosmopolitan city of Atlanta.

Scores of gay and bisexual men in England face being turned away from getting HIV prevention pill PrEP, politicians have warned.

An experimental HIV vaccine prompted an antibody-based response in monkeys that protected the animals against SHIV, an HIV-like virus engineered for scientific research in nonhuman primates.

Testing positive for HIV was difficult enough. Getting forced out of the military by the Air Force because of the diagnosis proved even harder.

Despite significant strides by governments in making HIV/AIDS treatment a human right in Africa, both infected people and the general public are not yet aware of the rights of people living with the virus.

It's the beginning of the end. Not in some apocalyptic way, but rather in how we think about the prevention and management of HIV.

It is crucial for Malaysia to invest in a policy that will provide support for those who are infected with HIV, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Compared to other parts of the world, the MENA region has a low prevalence of HIV/AIDS. However, new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS-related illness are on the rise. Over the past two decades, new HIV infections have increased by more than a quarter in the region, according to UNAIDS.

This has been a busy year for research and drug development in the HIV space. Broadly, there were new drug approvals and advances in treatment throughout 2018, as well as many studies about comorbid conditions that people with HIV might face.

Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS, the agency overseeing the global response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, will step down from his post in June 2019, the agency announced yesterday (13 December).

Healthcare visits occurring among persons who would benefit from provision of PrEP, especially persons with diagnosed STDs, should be leveraged to increase use of PrEP and reduce the risk of HIV acquisition.

Our results elucidate the link between cell metabolism and HIV-1 infection and identify a vulnerability in tackling HIV reservoirs.

High CD4 counts at care initiation were not associated with a higher risk of exiting care. Prompt ART initiation and special support for young and newly diagnosed HIV-patients are needed to maximize retention in care.

Despite the effectiveness of existing HIV prevention strategies for people who inject drugs (PWID), uncontrolled outbreaks of HIV among this group are common and occur around the world. In this Review, we summarise recent evidence for novel and established HIV prevention approaches to eliminate HIV transmission among PWID.

Vaccine protection against HIV in humans and against SIV and SHIV in macaques has been associated with non-neutralizing antibodies. Here, we demonstrated that vaccine-induced tier 2 nAbs, but not other antibody parameters such as V3 binding titers, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), or induction of T cell activity, were a correlate of protection from homologous SHIVBG505 infection in macaques

A father-focused communication intervention about condom use is feasible and acceptable. Enhancing the intergenerational benefits of father-son communication by addressing specific father-son preferences and learning needs for condom use instruction, as well as communication barriers, represents a novel mechanism for reducing male sexual reproductive health disparities.