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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - April 2016
A Herald of the AIDS Epidemic
April 30, 2016 - Epidemics do not simply appear out of nowhere. They can simmer for months, isolated within a small segment of a population, escaping the notice of the public health community before boiling over into the larger community, triggering the identification of a spreading contagion. Too often, those individuals who recognize a nascent threat of outbreak and sound the alarm do not receive the public recognition they deserve.
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Hypertension increases among HIV patients from 1996-2013
April 29, 2016 - “In addition to the expected increases in major [cardiovascular disease (CVD)] events among HIV-infected persons given changing population demographics, evidence also suggests that HIV infection itself
may contribute to an increased risk of major CDV events,” the researchers wrote. “For these reasons, improving our understanding of the epidemiology of established CVD risk determinants in HIV-infected persons, and how these determinants impact cardiovascular
health in the context of the chronic immune activation unique to HIV infection is of heightened importance.”
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Study: Homeless young men at risk of HIV
April 29, 2016 - A study showed young men who live on the streets are more likely to contract HIV including other negative health and social outcomes.
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Getting people tested remains top priority in US eradication of HIV
Apr 28, 2016 - Infectious Disease News spoke with Bruce Olmscheid, MD, HIV specialist at One Medical Group, about current issues regarding HIV treatment in the United States. In this interview, Olmscheid discusses the main challenges of testing those at risk for HIV, the role of a future vaccine and what more can be done to eradicate the disease.
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Children and adolescents forgotten by HIV policymakers
April 28, 2016 - Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute‚ Rees is an internationally renowned expert in HIV prevention‚ reproductive health‚ vaccines and drug regulation.
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Pioneering Aids professor awarded national order by President Zuma
28 April, 2016 - Professor Helen Rees is on Thursday being awarded the Order of the Baobab (Silver) at the 2016 National Orders Awards ceremony in Pretoria.
Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute‚ Rees is an internationally renowned expert in HIV prevention‚ reproductive health‚ vaccines and drug regulation.
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Criminalizing Men Who Have Sex With Men Boosts AIDS: A Lesson From Sri Lanka
28/04/2016 - The adverse effects of the criminalisation of homosexuality on HIV/AIDS can be seen all over the world. Last year, the UNAIDS-Lancet Commission provided yet more evidence that there was an indisputable link between criminalisation and increased rates of HIV.
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ART use doesn't increase sexual risk among people with HIV in the UK
28 April 2016 - Taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) is not associated with an increased risk of condomless sex with HIV-negative/unknown status partners – sex that potentially involves a risk of transmission – investigators from the UK report in the online edition of AIDS. Moreover, ART was associated with a significant reduction in the prevalence of sex involving a risk of HIV transmission.
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More targeted interventions to diagnose HIV during acute infection are needed, researchers warn
28 April 2016 - Men who have sex with men (MSM) diagnosed with HIV in the acute phase of HIV infection have a greater number of recent sexual partners and more condomless sex than MSM diagnosed with chronic HIV infection, according to research published in the online edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
The study was conducted in Los Angeles. Men with acute HIV infection reported twice as many recent sexual partners and were also more likely to report condomless receptive and insertive anal sex than men with longer-standing infection.
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WHO issues updated HCV guidelines for treatment
Apr 27, 2016 - BARCELONA - Due to the rapid development and evolution of direct-acting viral treatments, WHO issued updated guidelines for the screening, care and treatment of individuals with chronic hepatitis C virus infection at the International Liver Congress.
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'Agony of loss': Grandmothers respond to AIDS crisis in Africa
Apr 27, 2016 - Annual Dinner of Regina Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers set for Saturday
What started as a conversation around a kitchen table has grown to become a movement to empower women, especially grandmothers, in Africa.
The Grandmothers Campaign, an initiative of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, is known as Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers in Regina, which was among the very first places in Canada where women took on projects to support families in Africa.
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Crystal meth suspected for jump in HIV among injection drug users
April 27, 2016 - It’s another sign of crystal meth’s hold on London, and a particularly worrisome one for health and social service agencies.
After years of education about safe sex and safe needle use, injection drug users in the city are getting HIV in increasing numbers.
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The Comfort of Blaming Other People for New HIV Cases
April 27, 2016 - More new HIV infections are now caused by people who know they are positive. That’s the truth. And by a wide margin.
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Minnesota HIV/AIDS cases climb sharply among young adults, drug users, minorities
April 27, 2016 - State also saw spike in new infection numbers among needle users.
New HIV cases in Minnesota dipped slightly last year, but state health officials said they were troubled by sharp increases within several subgroups — young adults, minorities and intravenous drug users.
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HIV & AIDS: Why Aren't We Talking?
Published on Apr 27, 2016 - Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Lane, Tituss Burgess, and Daniel Franzese are all part of a new Public Service Announcement that focuses on the fight against HIV/ AIDS not being over.
Antibody shields monkeys from HIV-like virus for months
April 27, 2016 - Just one shot of a lab-produced antibody protected macaques against a sort of monkey HIV for nearly six months, said a study Wednesday into a potential vaccine alternative.
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‘Fireflies’ Light the Way to Understanding Female HIV Transmission
April 27, 2016 - CHICAGO - Glowing virus maps points of entry through entire female reproductive tract for first time
Finding the vulnerable points where HIV enters the female reproductive tract is like searching for needles in a haystack. But Northwestern Medicine scientists have solved that challenge by creating a glowing map of the very first cells to be infected with a HIV-like virus
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Man injected with HIV as a child shares life story as motivational speaker
April 27, 2016 - ST. LOUIS (KTVI) - As a five-year old, Brryan Jackson's own father injected him with the HIV virus to avoid making child support payments.
While dad serves a life sentence in prison, Brryan has survived. Two decades later, Brryan is talking about his life’s journey in support of his organization, "Hope is Vital,” and promoting his attempt at a world record for public speaking.
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Civil society left disappointed by UNGASS on drugs
26 April 2016 - Negotiating the political minefield of global drug policy has left civil society and many progressive-thinking countries disappointed by the outcomes of last week’s United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem, and frustrated by the UNGASS process.
The 19-21 April meeting of world leaders, non-governmental organisations and members of civil society in New York was the first special session on drugs in nearly 20 years. It offered a momentous opportunity to debate global drug policy, discuss successes and failures, and endorse a new Outcome Document as the way forward.
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MAGIC JOHNSON ON HELPING PEOPLE WITH HIV AIDS
Published on Apr 26, 2016 - Magic Johnson in CNN Exclusive
Sub-Saharan women using modern contraceptives more likely to be HIV tested
26-Apr-2016 - Women using modern contraception but not HIV tested are missed opportunity PLOS
Women in sub-Saharan Africa who use modern contraceptives are more likely to be tested for HIV than those who do not, according to a study published April 25, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Katherine Center from the University of Arizona and colleagues.
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HIV/AIDS is dramatically increasing in Europe – Dallas Tech Week
April 26, 2016 - Some 131,000 people were newly infected with HIV in Europe and nearby countries in 2012, an 8 percent rise from a year earlier and a worrying reversal of a recent downward trend in AIDS cases in the West
A report published by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) European office and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) showed a steady increase in new HIV cases over the last year, but by far the majority of cases were in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
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People Who Are HIV-Positive May Be Aging Faster Than Their Peers
April 26, 2016 - The findings, published in the journal Molecular Cell, fit with what doctors have seen in clinics: HIV-positive people tend to get hit earlier in life with age-related diseases, such as osteoporosis, heart disease and dementia.
But the study also opens up the possibility of addressing a broader question: How to measure a disease's impact on aging.
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Zachary Quinto Honored At Housing Works Groundbreaker Awards Dinner
April 26, 2016 - Housing Works honored the work of Actor, Producer and Activist Zachary Quinto, famed interior designer, Jamie Drake and activist Mary Fisher at their annual Groundbreaker Awards Dinner last week at Metropolitan Pavilion.
The annual event, hosted by HGTV host Genevieve Gorder, benefits Housing Works’ efforts to provide supportive services and housing to New Yorkers living with and affected by HIV/AIDS and homelessness.
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Life insurance companies now selling to HIV patients in US and Canada
April 26, 2016 - John Hancock in the United States and Manulife in Canada have both announced the lifting of the exclusion.
On Friday, HIV patients received some good news from life insurance companies in the United States and Canada, as John Hancock Insurance and Manulife have both stated that they will be removing their exclusion for these patients.
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AccolAIDS 2016 Award Winners
April 25, 2016 - Congratulations to all nominees and winners of the 2016 AccolAIDS Awards Gala!
The AccolAIDS Awards honour the extraordinary achievements and dedication of organizations, businesses, groups and individuals responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in British Columbia, and the thousands of people living in BC who are affected.
Proceeds benefit the vital programs and services provided by the Positive Living Society of British Columbia. AccolAIDS is made possible through the generous support of sponsors and donors, and our gratitude for their support is shared by close to 5,700 HIV-positive members of Positive Living BC.Vote for your hero online!
Meet the 2016 Winners...
HIV PrEP currently too pricey to use in people who inject drugs
April 25, 2016 - HIV PrEP currently too pricey to justify use in people who inject drugs
HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has individual and population health benefits, but the intervention is currently too expensive to implement in in people who inject drugs.
The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Number of HIV patients is dropping in Iran, says labor minister
April 25, 2016 - Recent studies show a decline in the number of patients with HIV in Iran, meaning that measures taken to control the
disease have been successful, Labor Minister Ali Rabiei said on Saturday.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting held in support of HIV patients, Rabiei said between 85,000 to 100,000 persons have been identified with HIV in the country.
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Middlebury College uses AIDS quilt to explore construction of public memories
April 25, 2016 - MIDDLEBURY - At 48,000 panels covering 1.3 million square feet, the Quilt is the largest community art project in the world. Creation of the quilt began in the 1980s to help build awareness for AIDS/HIV and understanding
of the people it effects. It has helped to raise more than $4 million and has been seen by more than 15 million people. In 1989 the Aids Memorial Quilt was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
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Local grandmothers celebrating 10 years helping African grandmothers through AIDS crisis
April 25, 2016 - Ten years ago, Sheila Fahlman placed an ad in the Leader-Post.
It was a meeting notice for a new group “help(ing) grandmothers in Africa as they care for children orphaned by AIDS.”
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A Friendship Fosters Three Decades of AIDS Research in Cleveland
Apr 25, 2016 - It’s no longer the headline- grabbing epidemic that swept through gay communities a generation ago. But today, 1.2 million Americans are still living with AIDS.
In Cleveland, a pair of researchers launched their careers at the dawn of the AIDS era, and in this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair finds that 35 years later they’re still working to improve the lives of people with HIV.
Listen...
NEW trailer: THE MISSING GENERATION (Sean Dorsey Dance)
Published on Apr 24, 2016 - THE MISSING GENERATION is an award-winning dance based on oral history interviews with longtime survivors of the early AIDS epidemic. Now on a 20-city tour! Up next: San Francisco May 5-7, Los Angeles May 27-28, Victoria BC July 9. TIX/INFO: www.seandorseydance.com
National AIDS Control Council launches online interactive site
Apr. 24, 2016 - TEHRAN - The Hub is an online based, interactive site with the overall objective of enhancing access to research and knowledge information for HIV, SRH and co-morbidities in Kenya, promotion of
evidence-based policy formulation and programming and provide a forum for practitioners, implementers, researchers to share knowledge and develop innovative approaches to the HIV response in Kenya.
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Axing of sex education program YEAH part of 'ideological agenda', experts claim
April 2016 - Online resource will replace program using youth educators to deliver sex education in schools and universities.
The closure of Australia's only youth-led sex education service is ideologically driven and will deepen a national crisis in sexual health among young people, experts have claimed.
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HIV is Not a Crime II Training Academy May 17 – 20, in Huntsville, Alabama
April 2016 - Caring about HIV criminalization
The second HIV is Not a Crime training academy takes place May 17 to the 20th in Huntsville, Alabama, educating advocates from around the country on HIV criminalization laws and strategizing on how to repeal inappropriate and unjust laws.
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AIDS virus was discovered on April 23, 32 years ago: 10 important facts you must know about HIV/AIDS
New Delhi, April 23, 2016 - India has the third highest number of HIV infected people
The AIDS virus was discovered on April 23 in 1984.
The virus named 'retrovirus HTLV-III' helped scientists understand how the disease is spread. AIDS is one of the most feared diseases as it does not have a permanent cure. It can only be suppressed with lifelong treatment, which is not possible for everyone.
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Manulife to offer life insurance to HIV-positive Canadians
Apr 22, 2016 - VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) - Manulife is now offering life insurance to those living with HIV, welcomed news by those with the condition. And two local advocates who say this has been a long time coming.
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Chinese scientists modify gene to make humans immune to HIV
April 22, 2016 - "In this study, we demonstrated that the HIV—resistant mutation could be introduced into early human embryos through the CRISPR system," said Fan Yong, a researcher.
In a breakthrough in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Chinese scientists have modified a gene in embryos in an attempt to make humans immune to the HIV virus.
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Manulife to offer life insurance to HIV-positive Canadians for 1st time
Apr 22, 2016 - As life expectancy for HIV-positive people rises, it is seen as chronic illness that is manageable
In a release Friday, the insurance conglomerate said it made the decision after it reviewed the latest mortality and long-term survival rates of HIV-positive Canadians and gained a better perspective on individual risk profiles.
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HIV Infection Prematurely Ages People by an Average of Five Years
April 21, 2016 - Epigenetic changes also associated with 19 percent increased risk of mortality
Thanks to combination antiretroviral therapies, many people with HIV can expect to live decades after being infected. Yet doctors have observed these patients often show signs of premature aging.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center have applied a highly accurate biomarker to measure just how much HIV infection ages people at the cellular level — an average of almost five years.
Self-testing to boost HIV battle
2016-04-21 - China is to make HIV self-testing kits more widely available in an attempt to diagnose as many people as possible and provide them with timely treatment.
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Self-testing to boost HIV battle
2016-04-21 - China is to make HIV self-testing kits more widely available in an attempt to diagnose as many people as possible and provide them with timely treatment.
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79 young sex workers test positive for HIV
21.04.2016 - They were among a total 1,404 female sex workers between 13 and 23 years, who presented themselves for the voluntary test conducted by the Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), a health-centered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).
Seventy-nine young sex workers in Berekum, Drobo and Sampa in the Brong Ahafo Region have been exposed to the HumanImmunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a voluntary counselling and testing results have proven.
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Annie Lennox “couldn’t have walked away” from HIV/AIDS charity work
21st April 2016 - Annie Lennox has said that she took her HIV/AIDS charity work “very personally”.
During an interview for Makers, an online collection which highlights inspiring stories from women, the Eurythmics singer talked about her time as an ambassador for Nelson Mandela’s 46664 campaign.
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A generation of artists were wiped out by Aids and we barely talk about it
20 April, 2016 - A new film about the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe is a shocking and brilliant reminder of the devastation HIV and Aids wreaked – and still does
Antiretrovirals may make us think it has all gone away. It hasn’t. Aids is killing people all over the world.
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7 things you may believe about HIV/AIDS that turn out to be wrong
April 20, 2016 - HIV/AIDS is the deadliest pandemic in recent history: it has killed twice as many people as the first World War. But the progress made in a mere 30 years against the disease has been spectacular.
Today, someone who takes antiretroviral drugs every day has a very low risk of developing AIDS and can live a long and fulfilling life.
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HIV/Aids deaths among young people more than double in five years
20 April, 2016 - HIV/Aids deaths among young people have more than doubled in five years, but the health department says there is no cause for alarm.
The mortality figures in a new Stats SA document simply reflect more accurate reporting, says Yogan Pillay, the deputy director-general for HIV/Aids, TB, and maternal, child and women’s health.
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Do ethicists hinder HIV prevention research?
Apr 20, 2016- (Reuters Health) - Ethics panels may be hindering HIV prevention efforts by requiring gay and bisexual adolescents to get parental consent before taking part in research, experts suggest.
Fear over coming out as gay or bisexual may prevent young men from asking their parents for permission to participate in HIV prevention studies. But leaving them out of such studies would likely result in huge gaps in scientific knowledge.
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Transgender Cambodians at Higher Risk for HIV Infection
April 20, 2016 - The rate of HIV infection among Cambodia’s transgender women is nearly six times higher than the national average, according to the results of a 2012 survey published in the online journal PLOS ONE this month.
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Model suggests there are fewer people with HIV in the US than thought, and more of them on therapy
20 April 2016 - A study comparing recorded diagnoses of HIV with subsequent records of viral load and CD4 tests suggests that the number of people with HIV in the US could have been overestimated by as much as 45% – and the proportion who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART)
with undetectable viral loads could have been underestimated by as much as 50%. There could be a few as 820,000 people with HIV in the US compared with the normally accepted figure of 1.2 million – and up to 55% of those could be on ART and virally suppressed, compared with the most commonly quoted figure of 30%.
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Area eateries serve up help for AIDS group
April 20, 2016 - Dining out in the London region Wednesday supports a great cause.
Twenty-nine restaurants in London, Exeter and Stratford are taking part in A Taste for Life. It is the major annual fund-raiser for the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, the region’s leading AIDS service organization.
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Celebrating activists and heroes with AccolAIDS
April 19, 2016 - Fred Lee, William Flett and Noushin Moshgabadi respectively, along with 32 other individuals and organizations will be honoured for their work at Positive Living BC’s biennial awards gala, AccolAIDS. Other nominees include well-known advocate Kecia Larkin, event producer Dean Thullner, philanthropist John Pedersen, and activist Susan Bhatti. -
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HIV patients now living long enough to develop Alzheimer's
TUESDAY, April 19, 2016 - The first case of Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in a person with HIV highlights the fact that longtime HIV survivors are starting to reach ages where their risk for Alzheimer's increases, researchers report.
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Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir cures HCV in 95% of people with HCV and HIV co-infection
19 April 2016 - A dual regimen of sofosbuvir plus velpatasvir was well tolerated and highly effective against hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1 through 4 in HIV-positive people with chronic hepatitis C co-infection, according to results from the phase 3 ASTRAL-5 trial presented at the 2016 International Liver Congress last week in Barcelona.
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"Super Gonorrhea" Is a Thing That's Spreading
April 19, 2016 - Antibiotic-resistant STDs are a serious problem. Here's how to protect yourself
"Super" usually conjures images of heroes in capes, but in the case of "super bugs," it's anything but a good thing. What it really means is that that particular disease is close to being untreatable with current methods. (Here's why Your Risk Of STDs Is Way Higher Than You Think.)
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Don't think AIDS happens to people like you? Neither did she.
April 18, 2016 - Abstract
In many settings worldwide, members of indigenous groups experience a disproportionate burden of HIV. In Canada, there is an urgent need to improve HIV treatment outcomes for indigenous people living with HIV (IPLWH), to not only reduce HIV/AIDS-associated morbidity and mortality but also curb elevated rates of viral transmission.
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Improvements in HIV treatment outcomes among indigenous and non-indigenous people who use illicit drugs in a Canadian setting
April 18, 2016 - Abstract
In many settings worldwide, members of indigenous groups experience a disproportionate burden of HIV. In Canada, there is an urgent need to improve HIV treatment outcomes for indigenous people living with HIV (IPLWH), to not only reduce HIV/AIDS-associated morbidity and mortality but also curb elevated rates of viral transmission.
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Only 40 Percent of American HIV Patients Get the Care They Need
April 18, 2016 - Stigma plays a huge role in why people don’t get tested or receive proper care for HIV and AIDS.
Today, HIV is a chronic condition rather than a death sentence, but the stigma people living with HIV face is very, very real.
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CDC observes inauguration of National Transgender HIV Testing Day
April 18, 2016 - HIV remains a major health issue for transgender people, particularly transgender women, according to the CDC. A 2013 systematic review showed that HIV was prevalent among 22% of transgender women in the United States, and a separate analysis estimated the prevalence was as high as 56% among transgender women who were black, the CDC reported.
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An HIV risk score designed for women
April 18, 2016 - Globally, 16 million women live with HIV, accounting for 50% of the HIV-infected adult population, this proportion being even higher in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, there is an imperative need to address the problem of new infections in women, who, in many social contexts, are also more exposed to violence, discrimination and economical dependence. The first step is to identify women who are highly exposed to HIV, in order to focus the prevention effort on those who needs it the most.
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Low-cost generic hepatitis C drugs match branded products in viral response
16 April 2016 - Australian buyer's club shows that using generic drugs is safe and effective
Generic versions of direct-acting antivirals purchased from China and India by people unable to obtain treatment in their own countries were just as effective and safe as the branded products, a study of 139 patients monitored by Australian doctor James Freeman has shown. The findings were presented in a late-breaking research session at the International Liver Congress in Barcelona on Saturday.
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Former Supreme Court justice among jurists, stars, politicians demanding drug reform
April 15, 2016 - Former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour is among a host of international jurists, politicians, celebrities and sports stars to sign a letter that denounces the “disastrous” war on drugs and urges the United Nations to lead the world toward a more enlightened drug policy.
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B.C. prisoners get addiction therapy after settlement in charter challenge
April 15, 2016 - VANCOUVER - Milloy said there is evidence that opioid-addictions therapy not only prevents overdoses, but protects against HIV infections and helps people living with HIV stay on their drugs.
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First diagnosed case of Alzheimer's disease in HIV-positive individual reported
WASHINGTON (April 15, 2016) - Georgetown University researchers are reporting the first case of Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in an HIV-positive individual. The finding in a 71-year-old man triggers a realization about HIV survivors now reaching the age when Alzheimer's risk begins to escalate.
UNAIDS urges countries to adopt a people-, rights- and health-centred approach to reverse the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs
GENEVA, 15 April 2016 - A new UNAIDS report says insufficient coverage of harm reduction programmes and policies that criminalize and marginalize people who inject drugs are failing to reduce new HIV infections
Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem, which will take place from 19 to 21 April in New York, United States of America, UNAIDS has released a new report entitled Do no harm: health, human rights and people who use drugs.
Burnaby woman's hepatitis C is gone, but better health remains elusive
April 15, 2016 - Gelineau is the new face of hepatitis C treatment in B.C. and Canada. Formerly incurable — or sometimes knocked back by a punishing regimen of pills and interferon shots — the virus has been cleared from Gelineau’s system by a new line of daily anti-viral pills.
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Inside Insite: The battle to create B.C.'s supervised injection clinic
April 15, 2016 - This story is part of A Killer High: A Globe examination into the rise of fentanyl in Canada.
In Vancouver’s impoverished Downtown Eastside, heroin’s ravages helped tip the province into a public-health crisis in the late 1990s. Borne of necessity 13 years ago, Insite, a supervised-injection clinic that remains the only of its kind of North America, persevered under the
Conservative government’s tough-on-crime anti-drug strategy, which ran counter to such treatment models. After successfully battling the government in a series of court cases, the facility has emerged as a model in harm reduction, representing a new approach to addiction treatment that the current Liberal government has embraced – and one many communities, including Toronto, are trying replicate.
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Tiko Kerr "Body Language"
April 2016 - Tiko Kerr: Opening Night: "Body Language", Friday, May 6, SOMA Art Gallery
This body of work has pushed me to consider the hard artistic matter of perception and how we shape identity. Individuals are more than what they first appear to be - the complexity of identity is always a collage of awareness. This show is special to me so I hope you are able to attend.
AIDS in the '80s: The rise of a new civil rights movement
April 14, 2016 - (CNN) - In the 1980s, when Dr. Jesse Peel was in his 40s, he realized something startling. The gay community organizer and psychiatrist in Atlanta had lost more of his contemporaries than his aging mother at the time. It was the height of the AIDS epidemic. Peel said he would sometimes attend
two or three funerals for friends in a week. People were getting sick, deathly sick, long before the disease even had a name.
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Pedro Zamora scholarship honors Miami AIDS activist who died at 22
April 14, 2016 - Miami AIDS activist Pedro Zamora died at 22 in 1994
At 22, Miami’s Pedro Zamora became a national symbol for living with HIV, when he appeared in 1994 on MTV’s The Real World. Millions mourned his death when he died of AIDS complications on Nov. 11, 1994, just after the reality show’s final third-season episode aired.
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New Westminster non-profit helps HIV-positive refugees, immigrants
April 14, 2016 - A Fraser Health-funded pilot program at the Lower Mainland Purpose Society aims to help newcomers with HIV, AIDS and hep C start new lives.
Some refugees escaping hardship in their home countries battle an extra layer of stress as they try to start a new life in Canada – HIV.
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CDC Confirms Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus Involved Two Men
April 14, 2016 - Agency confirms spread of the disease in same-sex couple in Texas
The first U.S. case documenting sexual transmission of the Zika virus, reported in Texas in February, occurred between two men, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Thursday.
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Saving Grace: Honoring unsung heroes in the war on HIV/AIDS
April 14, 2016 - On Thursday, April 28, 2016, 6:30 – 9 p.m., The Westside Gazette, in partnership with World AIDS Museum and Educational Center, presents, “Saving Grace”, a new, multimedia exhibit confronting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in our community.
Sponsored by Vitas Healthcare, five unsung heroes will be honored for their fight in the war on the pandemic that has spread through our community like a wild fire out of control. The opening reception will be at Old Dillard Museum, 1009 N.W. Fourth St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Refreshments will be served.
A donation of five dollars is requested to support the Old Dillard Museum.
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Step down and salvage your HIV/Aids treatment policy legacy‚ Zuma advised
April 14, 2016 - Calls have been mounting for Zuma to step down following the Constitutional Court judgment that found he failed to uphold‚ protect and respect the country's supreme law for his handling of the R240-million Nkandla scandal.
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The Lancet: Global studies reveal health financing crisis facing developing countries
13-Apr-2016 - Two major studies published in The Lancet reveal the health financing crisis facing developing countries as a result of low domestic investment and stagnating international aid, which could leave millions of people without access to even the most basic health services.
On-the-go diagnosis of HIV and HCV co-infections
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 2016 - McGill University researchers have created the first paper-based electrochemical 'immunosensing' platform for rapid, inexpensive diagnosis of HIV and hepatitis C virus co-infections
HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are among the leading causes of death worldwide, and an estimated one-third of people with HIV/AIDS are co-infected with HCV. This makes them more likely to suffer worse outcomes and poses severe public health challenges within Kenya and other African countries as well.
Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit visits Tanzania to evaluate AIDS response
April 13, 2016 - Since 2003, Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has been a strong advocate for empowering women and children in responding to the AIDS epidemic throughout the world. Earlier this week, she visited the United Republic of Tanzania to assess the response of youth to the AIDS response in the country and mother-to-child transmission of AIDS.
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High Rate of Cancer Recurrence Found in Certain HCV Patients
April 13, 2016 - Patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) taking direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments, who have been treated for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), had a high rate of cancer recurrence, according to a new study presented at the annual International Liver Congress in Barcelona, Spain (abstract LBP506).
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Resistance to anti-HIV drugs in steep decline in Switzerland
13 April 2016 - Prevalence of antiretroviral drug resistance has declined significantly among patients in Switzerland, investigators report in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. As many as 57% of patients taking HIV therapy in 1999 had resistance to at least one anti-HIV drug, but prevalence had declined to 37% in 2013 when most cases of resistance involved either individuals with a history of sub-optimal therapy or transmitted resistance.
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Neanderthal extinction may have been result of humans bringing diseases out of Africa
April 12, 2016 - Diseases carried out of Africa by migrating waves of modern humans may have played a role in the extinction of Neanderthals.
So concludes a study published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology by the universities of Cambridge and Oxford Brookes in the UK.
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Bono Lauds George W. Bush’s Work Fighting AIDS and Saving Lives in Africa
April 12, 2016 - TU2 lead singer and philanthropist Bono praised former President George W. Bush on Tuesday for his initiative to fight the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and save the lives of those suffering from the disease, particularly in Africa, hailing the effort as an “amazing ” success.
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NIH sequences genome of a fungus that causes life-threatening pneumonia
April 11, 2016 - Researchers at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, in collaboration with extramural organizations, have sequenced nearly the entire genome of human, mouse and rat Pneumocystis. This organism causes a life-threatening pneumonia in immunosuppressed hosts. Pneumocystis was one of the first infections that led to the initial recognition of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
AccolAIDS 2016 - Cast your vote for the AccolAIDS “People’s Choice” Award
April 2016 - Voting is now open for the AccolAIDS “People's Choice” Community Award.
The “People's Choice” Community Award, sponsored by CUPE BC, is the only AccolAIDS Award that is not chosen by the Nominations Advisory Council. It is chosen by the vote of the community!
Any of the nominees could be the winner of this award. It is even possible to win both one of the 7 other awards AND the People's Choice Award.
Vote for your hero online!
Plan for Poorer Countries to Fund HIV Response Raises Concerns
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 11 2016 (IPS) - Calls for low and middle income countries to contribute an additional 6.1 billion dollars to the global HIV response by 2020 could see some vulnerable groups left behind, said HIV activists meeting at the United Nations last week.
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Formal sex education declines significantly among US adolescents
April 11, 2016 - Receipt of formal sex education regarding pregnancy prevention and infectious diseases has declined nationwide, especially for girls, between 2006 and 2013, according to recent research in the Journal of Adolescent Health.chers said their findings, published in Immunity, may be useful for future HIV vaccine development.
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Mymetics' HIV vaccine candidate confirms promise in preclinical study with Texas Biomed
Epalinges, April 11 2016 - Mymetics Corporation (OTCQB: MYMX), a pioneer in the research and development of virosome-based vaccines to prevent transmission of human infectious
diseases across mucosal membranes, announced today that its innovative HIV vaccine candidate has shown to generate significant protection in groups of twelve female monkeys against repeated AIDS virus exposures during part of the preclinical study.
190 people in this Indiana town were diagnosed with HIV
April 11, 2016 - AUSTIN, Ind. - Many people here had viewed HIV as a big-city disease, something that might afflict people in San Francisco or New York. But Austin is a small city of about 4,000 people 40 miles north of Louisville, Ky.
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A third of MSM with HIV/HCV co-infection have HCV in their semen
11 April 2016 - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is present in the semen of a third of co-infected HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM), investigators from the United States report in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. Levels of HCV in semen were plausibly high enough to transmit the infection. The authors believe their findings show that condoms should be used for anal sex to prevent HCV transmission.
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HPV: Greatest risk factor for oral cancer
April 10, 2016 - THE human papilloma virus (HPV) is a double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid virus that infects the epithelial cells of skin and mucosa. The moist epithelial surfaces (squamous cells) include all
areas covered by skin and/or mucosa such as the mouth’s interior, throat, tongue, tonsils, vagina, cervix, vulva, penis (the urethra - the opening), and anus.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. HPV is a different virus from HIV and HSV (herpes). HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives.
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Firm to Pay AIDS Activist for Denying Him Housing
Apr 9, 2016 - Last week, Mr. Goode earned a measure of recompense when a real estate brokerage firm that had denied him housing agreed to pay him $5,000 in damages and to overhaul its business practices to curb such cases in the future.
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ARV delivery relief for people living with HIV in Namibia
Apr 9, 2016 - Namibia, whose number of HIV positive people is estimated to be more than 260, 000, received 63 tonnes of anti-retroviral drugs from Uganda Friday.
The drugs were bought directly from Cipla Quality Chemicals about six months ago for more than 63 million Namibian dollars (4 million U.S dollars) as some hospitals in Namibia were experiencing shortages of anti-retroviral drugs.
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Could HIV be cured? Chinese fertility doctors experiment making genetically-modified embryos the virus can't infect
9 April 2016 - Chinese scientists have been editing human embryos in an attempt to make them resistant to HIV infection.
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Prince Harry Set To Stop Into Florida
April 8, 2016 - MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Prince Harry is making an appearance at the 2016 Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup at Valiente Polo Farm on May 4th.
The matches are meant to raise money for Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale which supports children and young people affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
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Researchers investigate early stages of HIV-neutralizing antibody
April 8, 2016 - Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and collaborating institutions have identified and characterized an immature, or “teenage,” antibody with broadly neutralizing signatures isolated from an elite controller. The researchers said their findings, published in Immunity, may be useful for future HIV vaccine development.
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Remembering Ryan White, the teen who fought against the stigma of AIDS
April 8, 2016 - Today we celebrate one of the great heroes in the war against AIDS: a quiet, unassuming and brave young man named Ryan White. He was only 18 when he died of the disease on April 8, 1990.
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VRC01 antibody delays but does not prevent HIV rebound after antiretroviral treatment interruption
08 April 2016 - VRC01, a broadly neutralising antibody targeting HIV's CD4 binding site, was able to modestly delay the return of viral replication following interruption of antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to a study presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston. VRC01 did not maintain viral suppression on its own, but it may play a role in combination therapy for HIV treatment or a functional cure.
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B cell-based vaccine effectively targets HIV
April 7, 2016 - Since the start of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the late 20th century, nearly 78 million people have been infected and 39 million people have died of HIV, according to the World Health Organization.
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Co-infection With HCV, HIV Linked With Increased Risk of Diabetes
April 7, 2016 - Physicians caring for patients with hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) should be aware that these conditions could have an effect on the patient's risk for diabetes and related issues.
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Latest HIV/AIDS in youth research and news: What you need to know
April 7, 2016 - National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is Sunday, April 10, and health officials and advocates across the United States seek to educate the public about the impact the disease has on children and adolescents.
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The Graying of HIV: 1 in 6 New U.S. Cases are People Older than 50
April 7, 2016 - Thousands of people 50 and older are diagnosed with HIV each year in the United States, a development that has significant consequences for the health care and social support they need and the doctors, counselors and others who provide it.
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San Diego to be research hub for new Human Vaccines Project
7-Apr-2016 - Mesa consortium includes UC San Diego, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla Institute and The Scripps Research Institute
The Human Vaccines Project is a new global initiative that brings together leading research centers, pharmaceutical companies and state-of-the-art machine-learning methods to tackle the unprecedented
mission of decoding the human immune system to accelerate the development of new vaccines and immunotherapies against major infectious diseases and cancers.
HIV can develop resistance to CRISPR/Cas9
7-Apr-2016 - The CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing platform may need a little bit more tweaking before it can be used as an
effective antiviral, reports a study published April 7 in Cell Reports. Researchers who used CRISPR/Cas9 to mutate HIV-1 within cellular DNA found that while
single mutations can inhibit viral replication, some also led to unexpected resistance. The researchers believe targeting multiple viral DNA regions may be necessary for the potential antiviral aspect of CRISPR/Cas9 to be effective.
A new path to an AIDS vaccine?
April 7, 2016 - A ‘landmark’ clinical trial called the AMP study launches on three continents to test HIV-blocking super antibodies
Two of the world’s top HIV prevention clinical trial networks have joined forces to test an experimental antibody that could potentially protect people from infection by almost all strains of the rapidly mutating virus that causes AIDS.
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Investing in community-led action will be critical to ending the AIDS epidemic
NEW YORK, 6 April 2016 - At the Informal Interactive Civil Society Hearing on HIV, civil society organizations have called on United Nations Member States and partners to ensure that the response to HIV is fully funded and that financing for community-led action is increased significantly over the next few years. They also called for 30 million people to have access to life-saving HIV treatment by 2020 and for ambitious HIV prevention targets to be met.
Botswana nears UNAIDS 90-90-90 HIV treatment target
April 6, 2016 - Botswana already has exceeded one benchmark in the UNAIDS 90-90-90 campaign and should reach the other two before the 2020 goal, showing that the treatment target is achievable even in resource-constrained settings with a high HIV burden, researchers said.
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Artificial Antibody Begins Clinical Trials For Use As PrEP
April 6, 2016 - A promising, man-made antibody based on a natural antibody discovered inside the blood of an HIV-infected person is about to be tested on a large scale to see if it prevents HIV in
people who are HIV-negative.
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Saskatchewan HIV rates: ‘We’re going to be facing a catastrophe’
April 6, 2016 - SASKATOON - Saskatchewan has a health crisis on its hands. The province continues to have the highest rates of HIV in the country at twice the national average and experts say 70 per cent of new cases are among First Nations and Métis people.
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Spencer Cox: The legacy of an activist
April 2016 - It’s so much more than just meds
Spencer died in 2012, at 44, after years of going on and off HIV meds as well as struggling with crystal meth. The man who as a youth became a leading AIDS treatment activist and helped save tens of thousands of lives had lost his own.
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The graying of HIV: 1 in 6 new U.S. cases are people older than 50
April 6, 2016 - Thousands of people 50 and older are diagnosed with HIV each year in the United States, a development that has significant consequences for the health care and social support they need and the doctors, counselors and others who provide it.
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HIV patients need to be able to trust health care providers, researcher says
April 6, 2016 - Saskatchewan’s HIV epidemic is no secret, nor is the fact indigenous people are overrepresented. But how do indigenous people with HIV feel about their relationship with their treatment?
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TSRI scientists get first-ever glimpse of 'teenage' HIV-neutralizing antibody
LA, JOLLA, CA - April 5, 2016 - Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and collaborating institutions have described the first-ever immature or "teenage" antibody found in a powerful class of immune molecules effective against HIV.
AIDS Committee of Durham Region celebrates its 25 anniversary
Apr 05, 2016 - OSHAWA - The HIV/AIDS support and prevention outreach organization in Durham Region celebrates its 25th anniversary on April 6.
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April Fools Prank Has Pfizer Announcing Price Reductions
April 5, 2016 - NY - ACT UP and Other Health Activists Rally Against High Drug Prices
Last Thursday, April Fools Day eve, the Washington Post briefly reported that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc. had “vowed today to stop the time-tested habit of jacking up the list prices of its drugs each year.”
As it turned out, an ad hoc group of activists calling themselves “Nobody's Fool,” in collaboration with the cyberspace activist group The Yes Men , created the fake press releases and websites. The content of these websites is attached or in links.
Having gay and HIV-positive Greg Louganis on Wheaties box makes 'powerful statement'
5 April 2016 - GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis: 'Living your authentic life is what champions are made of'
General MIlls made the official announcement on Tuesday (5 April) that Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis will appear on boxes of Wheaties breakfast cereal beginning in May.
The honor comes nearly 30 tears after the four-time gold medalist’s final Olympics but some LGBTI leaders say its significance is perhaps even more considerable now.
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What Does It Really Mean To Be ‘Undetectable’?
April 5, 2016 - “When we strip away the labels we place on ourselves and others, we realize all humans want the same thing: to make a connection with one another and to feel like our short time on this earth matters.”
A new web series from Todd Flaherty is elevating the conversation surrounding what it means to have an undetectable HIV-positive status and helping to break down stigma for those living with HIV.
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Better Late Than Never: Olympic Champion Greg Louganis Gets His Wheaties Box
April 5, 2016 - Wheaties announced that Louganis — who is openly gay and HIV-positive — along with two other former Olympians, hurdler Edwin Moses and swimmer Janet Evans, will be featured on the cereal boxes as part of the revamped "legends" series.
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FDA approves Descovy for treatment of HIV
April 5, 2016 - The FDA has approved Descovy, a fixed-dose combination tablet containing emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide, for the treatment of HIV, according to the drug’s manufacturer.
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55 AIDS deaths, 700 HIV cases recorded in February – DOH
April 5, 2016 - THERE were 55 Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) deaths and 715 new cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reported in February, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
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How ‘MTV Shuga’ works to wipe out the stigma of HIV
April 5, 2016 - How hatred for one disease refuses to quit
Still, the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS persists. In North America, infection continues to be associated with death, despite the landmarks made in antiviral therapy. HIV infection also remains attached to taboo topics,
like homosexual sex and intravenous drug use, and is often therefore associated with irresponsibility or moral fault. Although HIV has been shown to spread primarily through heterosexual sex, infection also continues to be associated with homosexual behaviour.
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Simple outreach on dating websites increases HIV testing rate
05 April 2016 - A simple online outreach intervention – in which a health educator engaged in conversation and responded to questions about HIV testing on dating and hook-up websites for men who have sex with men – significantly increased the HIV testing rate,
according to data from a randomised controlled trial published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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The epidemic of the HIV/AIDS stigma
Apr 5, 2016 - How hatred for one disease refuses to quit
Still, the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS persists. In North America, infection continues to be associated with death, despite the landmarks made in antiviral therapy. HIV infection also remains attached to taboo topics,
like homosexual sex and intravenous drug use, and is often therefore associated with irresponsibility or moral fault. Although HIV has been shown to spread primarily through heterosexual sex, infection also continues to be associated with homosexual behaviour.
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Report slams ‘unscientific’ war on drugs
05/04/16 - The real-life experiences of women living with HIV in Tajikistan are hitting the airwaves in a bid to tackle prejudice and provide vital information on the disease.
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Radio show challenges HIV stigma and stereotypes
5 April 2016 - The real-life experiences of women living with HIV in Tajikistan are hitting the airwaves in a bid to tackle prejudice and provide vital information on the disease.
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Packing Up The Man Who Wasn’t There
April 04, 2016 - WASHINGTON - When the health of my close friend Ron began to rapidly decline in 1987, he made the decision to leave Los Angeles to return home to rural New York to be near his family. “Just long enough to feel a little better,” he told me at the time. It was a common trajectory in those days, usually undertaken not long after delivering the news to your family that you were gay and oh, by the way, had AIDS.
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AIDS Council Says Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Critical in Tackling HIV
April 04, 2016 - WASHINGTON - The National AIDS Council (NAC) says although it supports the use of post exposure prophylaxis in the prevention of HIV infection after exposure to the virus, it encourages the use of condoms and protected sex as a way of fighting against HIV/AIDS.
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23 Celebrities Who Lost Their Battle With AIDS
April 2016 - Four decades on, HIV remains a frightening reality. While many are living long and healthy lives with the disease, AIDS-related diseases felled 1.2 million people in 2014. Once thought to
only affect certain people, HIV and AIDS do not discriminate when it comes to income, race, or sexuality. The stories of the following 23 individuals taught America that lesson, and many of these celebrities made it their mission to inform people about HIV's universal reach.
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Lack of Gatineau sexual health clinic criticized by activists, doctors
04/03/2016 - Ottawa Public Health stopped checking most Quebec residents last year
West Quebec sexual health advocates are asking the province to help open a walk-in clinic in Gatineau, saying people living there don't have good access to testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
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The County in Michigan Where HIV is a Crime
04/03/2016 - A Michigan Judge is about to Throw Someone in Prison for Being HIV-Positive... Again
The disquieting news the other day that Nigeria occupies the unenviable global position of second and third in terms of the disease burden for HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) should put all citizens on alert, given the highly infectious nature of these deadly diseases.
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2016 Presidential HIV/AIDS Questionnaire
April 2016 - On Tuesday (3/29/16), AIDS United and more than 50 allied organizations released the results of a 2016 Presidential HIV/AIDS Questionnaire. The survey assesses the positions of all candidates running for President on 10 HIV-specific topics important to people living with and impacted by HIV:
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Directed evolution to solve a drug-resistant disease
April 3, 2016 - A few days ago, media reports highlighted how a German team has been able to cut or slice off an important portion of the genetic material of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which infects and causes the deadly disease Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS.
This breakthrough has come after a decade of attempts by this team of researchers from Dresden and Hamburg, and therein lies an engaging story of how they mimicked nature artificially to make this path-breaking advance.
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Scientists Could be Closer to AIDS Cure
April 03, 2016 - Since the start of the deadly AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, scientists have been working towards a cure. Now, they may be close to finding one.
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Kaposi’s sarcoma in HIV-infected patients: a review of the literature
April 2, 2016 - Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a multicentric angioproliferative cancer of endothelial origin that usually occur in patients with immunodeficiency, such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or transplantation. KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8), is associated with the development of KS.
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100 million condoms out of USAID shelf in 23 yrs
Apr 2, 2016 - The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has distributed 100 million condoms in Nepal through its various projects in the past 23 years.
Marking the 100 millionth condom distribution in a programme on Thursday, the USAID said condom use has helped to decrease the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate from 0.52 percent (about 60,000 people) in 2003 to 0.20 percent (39,249 people) in 2014.
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Appeal of man who hid HIV-positive status while in Kitchener struck down
April 1, 2016 - Toronto - An aggravated sexual assault conviction will stand for a man who had unprotected sex with two other men without telling them he was HIV-positive.
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Los Angeles Black PrEP Summit Discusses State of AIDS in the Black Community
April 1, 2016 - The Black AIDS Institute of Los Angeles hosted the "Black Lives Matter: What's PrEP got to do with it?" summit on Thursday morning, addressing the disproportionate HIV infection rate of African Americans in L.A. County.
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Nigeria Ranks 2nd & 3rd In AIDS & Tuberculosis Worldwide
Apr 1, 2016 - The disquieting news the other day that Nigeria occupies the unenviable global position of second and third in terms of the disease burden for HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) should put all citizens on alert, given the highly infectious nature of these deadly diseases.
That law makes it a felony for an HIV-positive person to engage in “sexual penetration” without first disclosing their HIV-positive status - whether or not that sexual contact poses any risk of transmission.
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AIDS activists go bare to target austerity
1 April 2016 - With critical HIV treatment deemed too expensive for the NHS, ACT UP London takes on pharmaceutical companies and austerity cuts.
Today, on April 1, as part of a global series of direct actions in cities on five continents, naked activists from ACT UP London stood in the lobby of the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, displaying the slogan “Pharma Greed Kills”. Gilead produces Truvada, a type of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) which is used to treat HIV in adults and teenagers. Yet at £446 per month, Truvada’s price makes it too expensive for it to be viably considered under the National Health Service.
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Bodyweight influences risk for inflammation, mortality among HIV patients starting ART
April 1, 2016 - High or low bodyweight appeared to be a risk factor for heightened systemic inflammation among HIV patients initiating ART, according to a recent substudy of the international PEARLS trial cohort.
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Long-acting oral antiretroviral MK-8591 could represent 'paradigm shift' in HIV treatment and prophylaxis
01 April 2016 - An investigational antiretroviral agent that maintains drug levels that are able to inhibit HIV up to six months after dosing could represent a “paradigm shift” in HIV therapy and prophylaxis, according to research presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston, USA, last week.
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UNAIDS announces lower price tag on investments needed to Fast-Track ending the AIDS epidemic
GENEVA, 1 April 2016 - Projected price drops for life-saving HIV treatment and streamlined delivery are driving down costs—investment needs for 2020 are US$ 26 billion
Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, UNAIDS announced new investment needs to Fast-Track the AIDS response. The projected need of US$ 26.2 billion in 2020 is down from a previous estimate of US$ 30 billion. New findings suggest that the world can reach ambitious Fast-Track targets for preventing new HIV infections, AIDS-related deaths and discrimination with fewer resources.
Global Action Against Pharma Greed
April 1, 2016 - We are not fooled: Global health activists confront pharmaceutical industry over excessive medicine prices
The protest is coordinated by a coalition of over 25 health advocacy groups from 6 continents. Today's demonstrations are being held outside offices of Pfizer, Gilead, Roche, the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
People living with HIV call for legislation barring pay-for-plasma company from operating in BC
April 1, 2016 - Vancouver, BC - Positive Living BC members are urging the Province to put into place new law prohibiting the sale by individuals of their blood and blood plasma, as Canadian Plasma Resources (CPR) plans to open in BC within the next two years. CPR has already been banned from operating in Ontario and Quebec.
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