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28 APRIL 2023 VOLUME 25 ISSUE 17

Media Coverage

  • American Generosity Has Saved 25 Million Lives and Counting. Let’s Reauthorize PEPFAR Now

    The American people have shown time and time again that they are capable of extraordinary generosity, compassion, and leadership. In few places is this more evident than in our efforts to combat HIV/AIDS through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR.

    April 28, 2023
    General
    The Hill

  • As Goes the South, So Goes the Nation: Tennessee’s HIV Cuts Are a Warning for Marginalized Populations

    When Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee rejected millions of dollars of federal funding for HIV prevention and treatment earlier this year, he made history in the worst way. No other state has ever turned back this type of funding, and Lee’s move had the potential to spark a public health crisis that would start in Tennessee — but would not end there.

    April 27, 2023
    General
    The Hill

  • Emergency Department Opt-Out Testing Is Revolutionising HIV and Hepatitis Diagnosis in England

    The British HIV Association (BHIVA) conference in Gateshead this week heard the results of the first year’s rollout of opt-out testing for HIV and hepatitis B and C for all patients attending emergency departments in London and other areas of high prevalence of the three blood-borne viruses. The programme was launched on World AIDS Day 2021 when the Department of Health committed £20 million over three years to expand opt-out HIV testing in hospital emergency departments.

    April 27, 2023
    General
    aidsmap

  • Study: New Novel Treatment Increases Frequency of Vaccine Responder for HIV

    In a study of mice, nonhuman primates, and rabbits investigators found that glycan trimming can help increases the frequency of vaccine responder for those with HIV and steer antibody responses away. The study results, published in Nature Communications, showed that glycan trimming also keeps the antibody response away from immunodominant glucan holes and patches.

    April 27, 2023
    General
    Pharmacy Times

  • $19.5M to Study HIV Among Women in the South

    Why are HIV rates among women in the South higher than in other regions—and what can be done to address this health disparity? The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) a combined $19.5 million in federal grants to investigate these very questions, according to a UAB press release.

    April 27, 2023
    General
    POZ Magazine

  • Study: US Met Perinatal HIV Elimination Goals in 2019

    The United States met perinatal HIV elimination goals for the first time in 2019, according to a study led by CDC researchers. The incidence of perinatal HIV has steadily declined since the early 1990s. In 2012, the CDC published “A Framework for Elimination of Perinatal Transmission of HIV in the United States,” which set a goal of an incidence of less than one case of perinatal HIV per 100,000 live births, and a perinatal transmission rate of less than 1 percent.

    April 27, 2023
    General
    Healio

  • Despite Gaps in Use, Study Finds Individuals With Psychosocial, Structural Barriers More Likely to Use PrEP

    Although ongoing gaps in the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV persist, new research found that individuals experiencing psychosocial and structural barriers are actually more likely to use PrEP. Expanding the use of PrEP among transgender women in the United States is a key strategy in the efforts to meet national HIV prevention goals. However, self-reported use of PrEP remains low in this group, despite an estimated HIV prevalence of 17 percent to 62 percent depending on race and ethnicity.

    April 26, 2023
    PrEP
    Pharmacy Times

  • Study Sheds Light on HIV Among Transgender Men

    Transgender men and transmasculine people in the United States have a higher rate of HIV than the population at large, but this appears to be largely driven by those who have sex with cisgender men, according to a study published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society.

    April 26, 2023
    General
    POZ Magazine

  • What the Fight Against HIV Can Teach Us About Surviving the COVID Era

    This year marks 40 years since the discovery of the HIV virus, an anniversary that rings a little different during the COVID-19 pandemic. While they come from different virus families and are transmitted differently, the impacts of both—and what each reveals about society—are strikingly similar.

    April 26, 2023
    General
    Vice

  • Understanding the Cervical Microbiome: A Promising Frontier in HPV Treatment

    Four in every five females will contract HPV infection in their life. Around 90 percent of infections will subside within two years, while doctors have no cure for the remaining 10 percent of infections the immune system fails to clear. Merck introduced Gardasil in 2006, the only HPV vaccine in the United States (US).

    April 26, 2023
    HPV Vaccines
    News Medical

  • 80 Percent Fall in Hepatitis C Among People With HIV in England, British HIV Association Conference Hears

    In 2018, the British HIV Association (BHIVA) announced an ambitious target: to clear chronic hepatitis C infection from people with HIV co-infection by April 2021. The target hasn't yet been reached, BHIVA's Spring conference in Gateshead heard yesterday. But, despite interruptions in testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people in England with HIV who also have hepatitis C virus (HCV) has reduced by 79 percent.

    April 25, 2023
    General
    aidsmap

  • Do Dating Apps Stigmatize People Living With HIV?

    It took almost a year of being on antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV before I felt comfortable with rejoining dating apps (Jack’d, Grindr, etc). Previous attempts at trying to put myself back in community for pleasure and companionship lost their appeal after enduring a constant flow of unkind comments intended to isolate me because I was open about my status.

    April 25, 2023
    General
    TheBody

  • Gay and Bi Trans Men at Higher Risk of HIV Infection, ‘Vital’ New Studies Reveal

    More needs to be done to protect gay trans men from HIV, according to two newly released studies. The two reports – one from New York, the other from Germany – suggest trans men who have sex with men are more likely to live with HIV than the general population. A study at the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in New York City showed a startling difference between infection rates of trans and cisgender men.

    April 25, 2023
    General
    PinkNews

  • ‘A True Travesty’: Despite New Data and Guidance, People With HIV Still Lack Access to CAR-T

    Individuals living with HIV historically have been at higher risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. They also are considerably more likely to die of the disease than individuals without HIV, according to an NCI-led study (adjusted HR = 7.23; 95 percent CI, 1.7-2.3).

    April 24, 2023
    General
    Healio

  • US Officials Want to End the HIV Epidemic by 2030. Many Stakeholders Think They Won’t.

    In 2018, Mike Ferraro was living on the street and sharing needles with other people who injected drugs when he found out he was HIV-positive. “I thought it was a death sentence, where you have sores and you deteriorate,” he said. Ferraro learned of his HIV status through a University of Miami Miller School of Medicine initiative called IDEA Exchange, which sent doctors and medical students to the corner where he panhandled. He got tested and enrolled in the program, which also provides clean syringes, overdose reversal medications, and HIV prevention and treatment drugs.

    April 24, 2023
    General
    KFF Health News

  • Sex Education: HPV a Risk for Both Sexes

    Human papilloma- virus (HPV) is one of the most frequently passed-on sexually transmitted diseases. While campaigning has focused on cervical cancer, the risks for both sexes remain high. Recently, legendary tennis player and multiple Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova, 66, announced that she was diagnosed with throat cancer in January this year.

    April 22, 2023
    HPV Vaccines
    The Citizen

  • Donor Funding Takes a Nose Dive in HIV Fight

    Health providers have raised a red flag on the decline of funding from the government, which makes it impossible for vulnerable people to access Universal Health Care. They say efforts to respond to emergencies in communities have been hampered by inadequate funds. Homa Bay County Governor Gladys Wanga said there is no way any community can achieve its strategic goal when it is unable to address the health challenges facing its population.

    April 22, 2023
    General
    Standard Media

  • Tennessee Rejected HIV Funds From Feds, But The State Was Just Outsmarted

    It’s been almost three months since the Tennessee Health Department announced they would no longer accept and distribute federal funding for HIV prevention-related services. However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has taken matters into their own hands and will now reroute some of the funding through a Nashville-based nonprofit organization.

    April 22, 2023
    General
    Plus Magazine

  • Pervasive Abuse of LGBTQ+ People and Those With HIV in Justice System: Report

    LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV experience alarming rates of abuse in the criminal legal system, says a new report from Lambda Legal in partnership with Black and Pink National. The report, “Protected and Served? 2022,” is based on a survey of more than 2,500 people who had interacted with police, courts, jails, prisons, and other governmental institutions, and it includes quantitative data as well.

    April 22, 2023
    General
    Advocate

Published Research

  • Enablers and Barriers to Effective HIV Self-Testing in the Private Sector Among Sexually Active Youths in Nigeria: A Qualitative Study Using Journey Map Methodology

    HIV is a public health burden in Nigeria. HIV self-testing is one of the approaches to testing, which is the first of the 95:95:95 cascade of a coherent response to the epidemic. The ability to self-test HIV is influenced by various factors that can either serve as enablers or barriers. Exploring these enablers and barriers to the uptake of HIVST will help achieve optimal HIV self-testing and provide a deeper understanding of the HIVST kits users’ journey.

    April 27, 2023
    General
    PLOS One

  • Postexposure Prophylaxis (PEP) of HIV Among Adults

    In the last several decades, postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) with antiretroviral therapy (ART) has become an effective tool for the prevention of HIV transmission. The continuous evolution of antiretrovirals and the associated update of clinical practice guidelines create a challenge for NPs caring for patients exposed to HIV. Understanding the life cycle of HIV is of paramount importance in streamlining treatment regimens in exposed individuals. ART is a complex combination of drugs targeting different stages of the virus's life cycle within the host.

    April 27, 2023
    General
    The Nurse Practitioner

  • Implementation Strategies To Screen, Refer and Link Women Involved in the Carceral System to PrEP for HIV Prevention

    Women involved in the carceral system (CS) experience several conditions that increase their risk for HIV (e.g. high rates of substance use, psychiatric disorders, histories of victimization). The purpose of this study is to explore perspectives on potential strategies to connect women in the CS to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services.

    April 27, 2023
    PrEP
    International Journal of Prisoner Health

  • The HIV Care Continuum for Sexually Active Transgender Women in Three Metropolitan Municipalities in South Africa: Findings From a Biobehavioural Survey 2018–19

    Despite high HIV prevalence in transgender women in sub-Saharan Africa, to our knowledge no study presents data across the HIV care continuum for this population in the region. The aim of this study was to estimate HIV prevalence and present data to develop the HIV care continuum indicators for transgender women in three South African metropolitan municipalities.

    April 26, 2023
    General
    The Lancet HIV

  • Delivery of Index-Linked HIV Testing for Children: Learnings From a Qualitative Process Evaluation of the B-GAP Study in Zimbabwe

    Index-linked HIV testing for children, whereby HIV testing is offered to children of individuals living with HIV, has the potential to identify children living with undiagnosed HIV. The “Bridging the Gap in HIV Testing and Care for Children in Zimbabwe” (B-GAP) study implemented and evaluated the provision of index-linked HIV testing for children aged 2–18 years in Zimbabwe. We conducted a process evaluation to understand the considerations for programmatic delivery and scale-up of this strategy.

    April 26, 2023
    General
    BMC Infectious Diseases

  • Effectiveness and Tolerability of Dolutegravir/Lamivudine for the Treatment of HIV-1 Infection in Clinical Practice

    To assess the effectiveness and tolerability of dolutegravir (DTG)/lamivudine (3TC) among treatment-naive and virologically suppressed treatment-experienced individuals in the multicentre cohort of the Spanish HIV/AIDS Research Network (CoRIS) during the years 2018–2021.

    April 26, 2023
    Treatment
    Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

  • Making Sense of Monkeypox: A Comparison of Other Poxviruses to the Monkeypox

    The current monkeypox (MPX) outbreak has been declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is a zoonotic disease that has persisted in the African basin for decades but suddenly exploded into the international sphere this year.

    April 24, 2023
    General
    Cureus

  • HIV-Related Mortality in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Population-Based Study

    US progress towards ending the HIV epidemic was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study determined the impact of the pandemic on HIV-related mortality and potential disparities.

    April 24, 2023
    General
    Journal of Internal Medicine

  • Mapping the Effectiveness of Integrating Mental Health in HIV Programs: A Scoping Review

    Mental health and substance abuse issues are increasing among HIV-positive people, and it negatively impacts health outcomes like engagement, retention in HIV care, and adherence to ART. Thus, national ART programs must include mental health management. The scoping review sought to map evidence on the efficacy of combining HIV and mental health care.

    April 24, 2023
    General
    BMC Health Services Research

  • PrEP for Women in Europe: A Systematic Literature Review

    Prevention of HIV transmission is fundamental to ending the HIV epidemic. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with oral tenofovir-emtricitabine (TDF-FTC) is an established HIV-prevention method; however, most PrEP services in Europe have been targeted at men who have sex with men (MSM). A survey in 2021 by Women Against Viruses in Europe (WAVE) showed considerable variation in PrEP access and guidance for women throughout Europe. WAVE therefore commissioned this systematic review to provide insight into PrEP provision and barriers to uptake for women in Europe.

    April 23, 2023
    PrEP
    HIV Medicine

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