7 SEPTEMBER 2018 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 36

Media Coverage

• At USCA 2018, the International AIDS Conference in 2020 casts a broad shadow

  At the opening plenary for USCA 2018, Naina Khanna of Positive Women's Network-USA and Larry Walker of Thrive SS laid out their case for why the International AIDS Conference should not take place in the Bay Area in the summer of 2020, outlining myriad reasons why the political climate in America under the current administration is in hospitable.

  September 7, 2018

  General

  The BodyPro

• Why is the US conference on AIDS in Orlando?

  USCA has returned to Orlando to stand in solidarity with everyone who lost a loved one in the Pulse massacre. We are unfortunate allies in the trauma of loss and grief.

  September 6, 2018

  General

  Orlando Sentinel

• Modest improvements in HIV knowledge and disclosure beliefs after summer camp for adolescents living with HIV in the UK

  An evaluation of the summer camp organised by the Children’s HIV Association (CHIVA) for 12-16 year olds living with HIV in the UK showed modest but statistically significant improvements in some psychological measures, six months after camp. Findings are reported in AIDS Care and Children and Youth Services Review.

  September 6, 2018

  General

  aidsmap

• Unstable housing associated with low CD4 cell count and detectable viral load for HIV-positive women in US

  Women with unstable housing were around 50% more likely to have adverse HIV treatment outcomes than women living in more secure accommodation. Reasons for the poorer outcomes observed in women with unstable housing included poorer continuity of health care.

  September 6, 2018

  Treatment

  aidsmap

• UNAIDS says decriminalization of homosexuality will help LGBTQ in gaining HIV prevention treatment

  In a landmark judgment on September 6, the Supreme Court of India painted the country in colours of the rainbow when it announced its verdict that decriminalized Section 377.

  September 6, 2018

  General

  India Times

• HIV-Negative Black Gay Men: Two Recent Studies Show Some Factors That Help Them to Remain So

  Understanding how black gay and bisexual men are able to remain negative -- despite being constantly labeled "high risk" for or "vulnerable" to HIV by public health researchers and health care providers alike -- might provide us a roadmap for how to achieve better health outcomes and ultimately end the AIDS epidemic.

  September 6, 2018

  Combination Prevention

  The BodyPro

• Work to improve the HIV care continuum for black transgender women should concentrate on HIV diagnosis

  Less than half of black transgender women living with HIV in the United States are aware of their HIV status, but most those who have been diagnosed report that they engage with care and take HIV treatment. Rates of viral suppression, however, are sub-optimal, according to an analysis published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

  September 5, 2018

  General

  aidsmap

• StarTimes to increase HIV/AIDS awareness among youths with mobile application

  UNAIDS and StarTimes are collaborating on increasing HIV/AIDS awareness among young people with mobile online video application as First Lady of the Republic of Malawi Gertrude Mutharika, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and StarTimes Group Vice President Guo Ziqi held a meeting with the theme of “Value of new media in African HIV/AIDS Prevention Campaign” in Beijing on Monday.

  September 5, 2018

  General

  Daily Post

• 432 children in Kwara infected with HIV/AIDS in 6 months

  The Kwara State Action Committee on HIV and AIDS (KWASACA) has recorded no fewer than 432 children infected with HIV and AIDS between January and June in Kwara.

  September 5, 2018

  General

  Vanguard

• New HIV diagnoses decrease by 17% In UK while Irish figures remain high

  Data reveals that new HIV diagnoses have fallen for the second year in a row, with a 31% decline in diagnoses among gay and bisexual men.

  September 5, 2018

  PrEP, Treatment

  GCN

• After hook-up and friendship, Arkansas men pitted against each other in HIV criminalization trial

  Johnson is convinced he did not pass the virus to Doe, and court records show that within a week of their encounter, Johnson's viral load was undetectable….Arkansas is one of 34 states that have specific criminal laws on HIV-disclosure, and there is growing advocacy to have these laws.

  September 5, 2018

  General

  The Body

• When Will HIV Be Stopped With A Shot?

  Since HIV was first identified decades ago, only five potential vaccines have been approved to test on humans. Thankfully, the summer of 2018 was brimming with news of promising advancements for contenders into human clinical trials in the race for a vaccine.

  September 5, 2018

  HIV Vaccine

  HIV Plus Mag

• Mumbai exclusive: Hundreds of city kids succumb to HIV

  Data obtained by mid-day under RTI shows 321 HIV infected kids died in the last five years, which also saw a steady rise.

  September 5, 2018

  General

  Mid-day

• Poorer ART Outcomes Show Need to Prioritise Older People in HIV Test and Treat Programmes

  HIV testing and treatment programmes in sub-Saharan Africa need to prioritise older individuals, according to research published in PLOS ONE. Investigators in Uganda found that after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) people aged 50 years and older had higher mortality and poorer immune reconstitution compared to younger people.

  September 5, 2018

  Treatment

  aidsmap

• Report: States can improve HIV care through Medicaid, Ryan White program collaboration

  Through their Medicaid and Ryan White HIV/AIDS Programs, states play an integral role in ensuring access to care for people living with HIV. In a 3-part series, the National Academy for State Health Policy explored how states can use policy levers to more effectively utilize limited resources and provide better care, improve care coordination services, and ensure consistent access to care for people living with HIV.

  September 5, 2018

  General

  AJMC

• HIV diagnoses fall to their lowest level in the UK since 2000

  There was a 17% drop in the number of new diagnoses last year, declining from 5,280 in 2016 to 4,363 in 2017, Public Health England (PHE) said. Numbers have reduced by more than a quarter (28%) since 2015 and are at their lowest since 2000, when there were 3,989.

  September 4, 2018

  Treatment

  The Guardian

• There might be an alternative AIDS conference in 2020

  Major protests over the decision broke out at the 2018 IAC in Amsterdam. And now, even as IAS says it is going forward with plans to hold the conference in both San Francisco…and Oakland…, Ayala and a broad network of activists worldwide are moving forward with planning a simultaneous conference outside the U.S., likely in Mexico City or Tijuana.

  September 4, 2018

  General

  The Body

• B.C. Researchers Identify Multiple Strains of HIV 'Time Bombs' Hibernating in Cells

  HIV evolves continually while it is active, storing versions of itself in the DNA of infected cells that then go dormant, waiting to reactivate at some future date, like an archive of genetically unique “time bombs,” said Zabrina Brumme, director of the HIV/AIDS lab at the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

  September 4, 2018

  Cure, Treatment

  Vancouver Sun

• Indonesia: Tackling HIV in one of the world’s fastest-growing epidemics

  A prospective study that recruited a significant proportion of people newly diagnosed with HIV in four locations in Indonesia and offered them immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) found that only 35% of them were still on ART and virally suppressed at the end of the year.

  September 4, 2018

  Treatment

  aidsmap

• AIDS no longer a monitored disease in QLD after diagnoses drop

  The success of HIV treatment in Queensland has seen state health officials remove AIDS from its monitored disease list. Health Minister Steven Miles attributed the shift to the introduction of highly active anti-retroviral treatments for HIV in 1996.

  September 4, 2018

  Treatment

  Star Observer

• Minister's empty words on HIV will not fill financial void

  Public health minister Steve Brine, perhaps rather optimistically, claims the figures show the country is well on its way to eradicating HIV “once and for all”. However, a failure to reduce late diagnoses shows there is much more to do and a closer analysis of regional data in England appears to reinforce that the challenge remains significant.

  September 4, 2018

  General

  LGC Plus

• Inspired by Pokemon Go, Philippines App Helps LGBTI Access Condoms

  A new smartphone app in the Philippines is expanding to connect more LGBTI people and others with free condoms in ‘safe spaces.’ The app’s developer, advocacy group LoveYourself, hopes to tackle the country’s high rate of new HIV infections.

  September 3, 2018

  Male and Female Condoms

  Gay Star News

• New coverage of HIV prevention drug a 'game changer,' Alberta sexual health advocates say

  Sexual health advocates say a new HIV prevention drug to be covered for eligible Albertans should help lower transmission rates of the disease.

  September 3, 2018

  PrEP

  CBC

• At 83, AIDS activist Larry Kramer isn’t done ripping into his foes in pharma, FDA, and NIH

  Today, with controversy over drug prices and concern over public health funding, we were curious what Larry Kramer had on his mind. We also wondered whether at the age of 83 he has mellowed. He has not.

  August 29, 2018

  General

  STAT

Published Research

• All-cause mortality among people with HIV released from an integrated system of jails and prisons in Connecticut, USA, 2007–14: a retrospective observational cohort study

  People transitioning from prisons or jails have high mortality, but data are scarce for people with HIV and no studies have integrated data from both criminal justice and community settings. We aimed to assess all-cause mortality in people with HIV released from an integrated system of prisons and jails in Connecticut, USA.

  September 6, 2018

  General

  Lancet HIV

• HIV infection and increased food insecurity are associated with adverse body composition changes among pregnant and lactating Kenyan women

  Body composition changes markedly during reproduction. In sub-Saharan Africa, impacts of HIV infection on body composition across pregnancy and lactation in the context of Option B+ antiretroviral therapy are unknown. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the role of HIV infection on body composition during pregnancy and lactation among Kenyan women.

  September 5, 2018

  Treatment

  European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

• HIV drug resistance in low-income and middle-income countries

  In this Review, we assess contemporary data on HIV drug resistance in LMICs and their implications for the HIV response, highlighting the potential impact and resistance risks of novel ART strategies and knowledge gaps.

  September 4, 2018

  Treatment

  Lancet HIV

• Challenges and opportunities for outreach workers in the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) program in India

  The Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) program in India is one of the largest in the world. It uses outreach workers (ORWs) to facilitate patient uptake of services, however, the challenges faced by the ORWs, and their views about the effectiveness of this program are unknown.

  September 4, 2018

  Treatment

  PLoS One

• Using a social network strategy to distribute HIV self-test kits to African American and Latino MSM

  Findings suggest that a network-based strategy for self-test distribution is a promising intervention to increase testing uptake and reduce undiagnosed infections among AAMSM and LMSM.

  September 1, 2018

  General

  JAIDS

• The effect of unstable housing on HIV treatment biomarkers: An instrumental variables approach

  Unstable housing, including homelessness, is a public policy concern for all populations, and more critically for people with a serious health condition such as HIV. We measure the effect of unstable housing on HIV treatment biomarkers.

  August 13, 2018

  Treatment

  Social Science & Medicine

• Characterizing the HIV care continuum and identifying barriers and facilitators to HIV diagnosis and viral suppression among black transgender women in the United States

  Although Black transgender women (BTW) experience high prevalence of HIV in the United States, no characterization of the HIV care continuum exists for this population. This study addresses this gap by (1) characterizing the HIV care continuum, and (2) exploring correlates of HIV diagnosis and viral suppression among a community based sample of BTW.

  August 2, 2018

  Treatment

  JAIDS

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