22 DECEMBER 2017 VOLUME 18 ISSUE 51

A new modeling study recently published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes estimated that more than 30 percent of HIV infections in the United States could be prevented if at least 25 percent of men who have sex with men at risk for HIV receive pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. This estimate exceeds a goal set by the United States’ National HIV/AIDS Strategy to reduce 25 percent of new infections by 2020.

While the effort to reduce the HIV transmission rate among men who have sex with men (MSM) will likely rely on a combination of measures, scale-up of Truvada (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) on its own could prevent a substantial proportion of new cases.

Uganda and Kenya are among seven African countries carrying out large-scale clinical trials of a long-lasting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in sexually active women.The trials, called HPTN 084 and sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health, will also be conducted in Botswana, Malawi, Swaziland, South Africa and Zimbabwe and will examine whether a long-acting form of the investigational anti-HIV drug cabotegravir injected once every eight weeks can safely protect women at risk of HIV infection.

The new United States National Security Strategy, released Monday, outlines a US-centric development policy that prioritizes working with countries aligned with US interests, calls for countering China’s influence, views development as a tool for US security and puts private sector activity at the fore.

People with HIV who had high viral load were more likely to report vaginal or anal sex without a condom with a partner of unknown or different HIV status, a US study of people with detectable viral load has found.

Brazil recently became the first country in Latin America to roll out PrEP, the HIV prevention pill…. Over three weeks, the Hornet community was asked to participate — 3218 responses were collected. The findings will help us use data to inform the PrEP response, influence policy and mobilize the LGBTQ community.

Six short videos describe how a Kenyan nonprofit organization tackles one of Africa’s toughest missions: helping young women protect themselves against HIV.

Most HIV-positive people in France under treatment take a daily dose of antiviral drugs for life. However, a major trial is currently underway that may confirm that patients could omit several days of treatment a week without risk to their health.

In 2013, Kenya’s National AIDS and STI Control Programme established a Learning Site (LS) in Mombasa County to support and strengthen capacity for HIV prevention programming within organisations working with sex workers….meaningful involvement of sex workers in the design, implementation and monitoring processes ensures that overall programme performance is optimised in the context of local, ‘on-the-ground’ realities.

To this end, in 2018 we will introduce new sections to the journal. The most substantial will be the Review section. Like our parent journal, The Lancet HIV will start to publish narrative Review articles, as well as opinion-based Viewpoint-style papers, Series, and Commissions. Most of these will be commissioned, but we very much welcome proposals for articles of this type and encourage you to contact the editor directly if you would like to suggest a topic or submit a contribution.