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5 MARCH 2021 VOLUME 23 ISSUE 9

Media Coverage

  • VRC01 Antibody Only Prevents Minority of HIV Infections: AMP study results

    Some of the most important news from the virtual R4P conference this year included early results from two large HIV transmission studies using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) called VRC01. This antibody was isolated and manufactured into a treatment in a collaboration involving many leading public health laboratories. Even though the studies didn’t reduce HIV transmission overall, they showed that VRC01 worked in a subset of participants.

    March 4, 2021
    Antibody Related Research
    i-base

  • Large Group of HIV ‘Elite Controllers’ Discovered in Congo Could Help Scientists to Find Vaccine

    Hundreds of HIV “elite controllers” have been found living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in what scientists are calling a “unique opportunity” to potentially advance treatments for the virus.

    March 3, 2021
    HIV Vaccine, Cure
    Independent

  • NIH: People with HIV should be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination

    The NIH said people with HIV should be considered a high-risk group when making decisions about COVID-19 vaccine priority. The recommendation was part of the NIH’s updated interim guidance for COVID-19 and HIV.

    March 3, 2021
    General
    Healio

  • Global Gag Rule Must be Repealed for Good

    The Global Gag Rule has been a flawed health policy squarely aimed at appeasing a right-wing political agenda and ideology, a policy steeped in inequity where predominantly white male decision makers had scant regard for the lives of thousands of mostly Black girls and women. Repealing the GGR is an important step in addressing the new US administration's commitment to women's and girls' sexual and reproductive health and the global HIV response.

    March 3, 2021
    General
    The Lancet HIV

  • Unacceptable: Black, Brown People Bearing the Brunt of HIV, COVID

    The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed long-standing health disparities — disparities with grave and all too frequently fatal consequences for Black and Brown people in this nation, including those who are LGBTQ+.

    March 2, 2021
    General
    Advocate

  • NIH Director Apologizes for ‘Structural Racism,’ Pledges Actions

    Responding to concerns about discrimination against Black people, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins today issued an unusual public apology for what he called “structural racism in biomedical research” and pledged to address it with a sweeping set of actions.

    March 1, 2021
    General
    Science

  • French Researchers Set for HIV Vaccine Trials Using Dendritic Cells

    In a world first for vaccines, researchers at France's Vaccine Research Institute have completed experiments that target essential cells for combating HIV/AIDS and stimulate dendritic cells, the so-called sentinels of our immune system. Clinical trials are set to begin within weeks.

    February 26, 2021
    HIV Vaccine
    rfi

  • Black Trans Adults Less Likely to Receive Partner Services

    Black cisgender people are likelier than whites to be offered services for their partners—but the same isn’t true for Black trans people.

    February 26, 2021
    General
    POZ

  • Trump May Be Gone, but the HIV Criminalization Fight Goes On

    Over 30 US states have laws on the books that allow for the prosecution of people living with HIV for non-disclosure crimes. Some states even treat transmission of HIV as a felony in some cases.

    February 26, 2021
    General
    TheBody

  • Where Does the Science Stand on COVID-19 Outcomes Among People Living With HIV?

    In the early days of the COVID-19 health crisis, there was concern that the novel coronavirus would hit people living with HIV especially hard—either through greater susceptibility to SARS CoV-2 infection or greater severity of COVID-19 illness. Now, over a year into the pandemic, the worst fears about HIV and COVID-19 don’t appear to have materialized; however, concerns persist, particularly in cases where HIV treatment efficacy is suboptimal or comorbidities are present.

    February 26, 2021
    General
    TheBodyPro

  • Clients of Female Sex Workers Play a ‘Fundamental Role’ in South Africa’s HIV Epidemic

    Modelling suggests one in five South African men buy sex – and focusing on the sex they have with non-commercial partners could halve HIV infections in the country by 2030.

    February 26, 2021
    General
    Avert

  • Promising Data for Multipurpose Technologies to Prevent HIV and Pregnancy

    Multipurpose technologies for prevention of HIV and pregnancy were the focus of a dedicated session at HIVR4P 2020. This included a antiretroviral and contraceptive vaginal rings as well as a study indicating preference for combined products from heterosexual couples.

    February 24, 2021
    Multipurpose Prevention Technologies
    i-base

  • Long-Acting bNAb is Safe and Well Tolerated and Achieves Target Concentrations in Newborns

    A long-acting broadly neutralising monoclonal antibody (bNAb) VRC07-523LS could achieve target levels in infants for the duration of breastfeeding with three monthly dosing, according to data from IMPAACT 1112, presented at HIVR4P 2021.

    February 24, 2021
    Antibody Related Research
    i-base

  • History Repeats Itself: COVID-19 vaccine inequities echo HIV crisis

    "As usual, we are waiting for them to finish vaccinating their people so that they can now bring aid to the people of Africa."

    February 23, 2021
    General
    NPR

  • Moderna is Aiming for a HIV Vaccine Next

    Following the success of their Covid-19 vaccine, drugs giant Moderna is taking mRNA technology forward in the fight against HIV.

    February 22, 2021
    HIV Vaccine
    Gayist

  • Africa ‘Not on Track to Reach 2030 HIV/AIDS Targets’

    The likelihood of African countries reaching HIV testing and condom use targets by 2030 is only 12.1 per cent and 28.5 per cent respectively, making the need for more testing and treatment a priority, a modelling study suggests.

    February 19, 2021
    General
    SciDevNet

  • COVID-19: How MRNA Tech Drives Efforts For HIV Vaccines, Others – Fauci

    The use of the Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA ) technology to produce COVID-19 vaccines has fueled interest in its use for HIV, malaria and other diseases, renowned HIV expert and immunologist, Dr Anthony Fauci has said.

    February 16, 2021
    HIV Vaccine
    Daily Trust

  • How Activists Pushed to Include People with HIV in COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

    People with HIV were initially excluded from COVID-19 vaccine trials—as well as people undergoing cancer treatment, or anyone else with a compromised immune system. "People with HIV were kind of thrown in the same pot," said Dr. Sharon Riddler, professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Many people have very well-controlled HIV. [Many people] really do have fine immune responses and would potentially be able to get this vaccine safely."

    February 15, 2021
    General
    ABC News

Published Research

  • The Experience of Using Dating Applications for Sexual Hook-Ups: A Qualitative Exploration among HIV-Negative Men Who Have Sex With Men in Hong Kong

    This qualitative study aimed to describe HIV-negative MSM’s experiences with app usage, the sexual activities arranged accordingly and their experiences in using dating apps to arrange sexual encounters. The results of this study are important for the development of appropriate interventions to promote safer sexual practices among HIV-negative MSM dating app users.

    March 3, 2021
    General
    The Journal of Sex Research

  • Prepped for PrEP? Acceptability, continuation and adherence among men who have sex with men and transgender women enrolled as part of Vietnam’s first pre-exposure prophylaxis program

    We found PrEP to be highly acceptable among men who have sex with men and moderately acceptable among transgender women. Continuation rates were relatively high for the first roll-out of PrEP; however, those aged 30 years and above were much more likely to discontinue services. Scaling-up PrEP through differentiated and community-led and engaged PrEP service delivery will be key to effectively increase access and uptake over the next 5 years.

    March 3, 2021
    PrEP
    Sexual Health

  • What Will It Take to End AIDS in Asia and the Pacific Region by 2030?

    The 2016 global commitments towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 require the Asia–Pacific region to reach the Fast-Track targets by 2020. Despite early successes, the region is well short of meeting these targets. The overall stalled progress in the HIV response has been further undermined by rising new infections among young key populations and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines the HIV situation, assesses the gaps, and analyses what it would take the region to end AIDS by 2030.

    March 3, 2021
    General
    Sexual Healtth

  • A Review of the State of the Science of HIV and Stigma

    This review will examine the concept of stigma, explicating the mechanisms of action of HIV-related stigma while also examining intersectional stigma and structural stigma. Instruments to measure HIV-related stigma and its mechanisms of action, as well as stigma enacted and experienced by HIV health care providers, will also be reviewed. This article will conclude with a review of stigma interventions, gaps in the literature, and priorities for future HIV, intersectional, and structural stigma research.

    March 2, 2021
    General
    Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care

  • Re-membering HIV in the Black Church: Women’s religious and social identity in relation to perceived risk and men on the down low

    This analysis examined how women in Black churches construct definitions of, and identities in relation to, HIV narratives about men on the down low. The narratives articulate how Black communal modes of meaning making have been disrupted by the HIV epidemic and assign responsibility for HIV transmission to men on the down low, who are perceived to be engaged in risky sexual behaviour. We discuss these results in relation to HIV education and prevention and suggest health educators can engage Black church leaders by understanding these narratives as forms of countermemory.

    March 2, 2021
    General
    Culture, Health & Sexuality

  • A High Prevalence of Potential HIV Elite Controllers Identified Over 30 years in Democratic Republic of Congo

    In-depth analysis of the HIV pandemic at its epicenter in the Congo basin has been hampered by 40 years of political unrest and lack of functional public health infrastructure. In recent surveillance studies (2017-18), we found that the prevalence of HIV in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (11%) far exceeded previous estimates.

    March 2, 2021
    General
    EBioMedicine

  • Expansion of Preexposure Prophylaxis Capacity in Response to an HIV Outbreak Among People Who Inject Drugs—Cabell County, West Virginia, 2019

    From January 1, 2018, through October 9, 2019, 82 HIV diagnoses occurred among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Cabell County, West Virginia. Increasing the use of PrEP among PWID was one of the goals of a joint federal, state, and local response to this HIV outbreak. The expansion of PrEP in response to this HIV outbreak in Cabell County provides a framework for expanding PrEP in other outbreak and non-outbreak settings.

    March 1, 2021
    PrEP
    Public Health Reports

  • The Act of Telling: South African women’s narratives of HIV status disclosure to intimate partners in the HPTN 071 (PopART) HIV prevention trial

    We describe how these women perform HIV status disclosure (or deliberate non-disclosure) to retain, reaffirm or redefine existing social scripts with partners. Their performances reveal priorities other than those imagined by public health programmes. None of the women engaged with the concept of treatment as prevention in their disclosure narratives, either to facilitate disclosure or to ‘justify’ non-disclosure. HIV prevention, in general, and treatment adherence support were rarely mentioned as a reason for disclosure.

    February 27, 2021
    General
    Women's Health

  • Pharmacological Considerations for the Treatment of COVID-19 in People Living with HIV

    Management of COVID-19 in PLWH is no different from the general population. It should be based on careful supportive care, emphasizing lung-protective ventilation, and wise pharmacological interventions. The antiviral drug remdesivir and dexamethasone are the only pharmacological interventions with clinical benefit for COVID-19, whereas anticoagulation may prevent thrombotic complications. The experience with using these drugs in PLWH is limited, which prevents from rendering well-founded conclusions.

    February 26, 2021
    General
    Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy

  • HIV-free Survival Among Breastfed Infants Born to HIV-positive Women in Northern Uganda: A facility-based retrospective study

    The HIV-free survival rate is the gold-standard measure of the effectiveness of interventions towards prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in any setting. However, data on HIV-free survival among the HIV-exposed infants followed up in most low-resource settings are lacking. We determined the HIV-free survival among breastfed infants in two tertiary facilities in a resource-poor setting in northern Uganda.

    December 2, 2020
    General
    Pan African Medical Journal

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