E-News from Pennsylvania’s HIV Planning Group
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Open Position: Public Health Program Director, Division of HIV Health
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is currently seeking applicants to lead the Division of HIV Health. The application deadline is August 21st. Click here to apply.
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Xylazine-Associated Wound Care – Responses needed by August 30th
Xylazine is a veterinary sedative commonly present alongside illicitly manufactured fentanyl in Pennsylvania’s drug supply, and reports of xylazine-associated wounds continue to grow across the state. Anyone who interacts with people who use drugs can benefit from learning about how to care for xylazine-associated wounds. Pennsylvania public health organizations are working together to offer trainings to health care and non-health care professionals across our state. An assessment is being conducted to ensure the trainings meet the needs of individuals and organizations who serve PWUD. If your organization is interested in attending these future trainings, please complete this assessment by August 30, 2024.
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Statewide HIV Surveillance Report
The 2023 statewide HIV Surveillance Summary Report is available for download:
Webinar: Infectious Disease Management in Behavioral Health
Multiple federal agencies are hosting a free webinar on infectious disease management in behavioral health. It will be held on Thursday, September 19th from 3 to 4 PM. The webinar will provide an overview of the syndemic of infectious disease and substance use, harm reduction approaches, interagency collaborative efforts, and strategies for leveraging available resources to prevent adverse health outcomes. The webinar is open to all, but registration is required at this link.
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New England Journal of Medicine: Recent HIV-Related Articles
The New England Journal of Medicine has recently published multiple articles of interest to those who serve People Living with HIV (PLWH). Although the journal is subscription-based, anyone can create an account and download two free articles per month. For example, in July, the journal published this article on HIV and Tuberculosis, which is timely given the current epidemiology of TB in the United States.
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Monkeypox: Heightened Index of Suspicion
Last week the CDC issued an update about the outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC has reported the largest number of yearly suspected clade I mpox cases on record. While clade I MPXV is endemic in the DRC, the current outbreak is more widespread than any previous DRC outbreak and has now resulted in clade I mpox transmission to some neighboring countries. Although no cases of clade I MPXV have been reported outside central and eastern Africa at this time, since there is a risk of additional spread, the CDC recommends that clinicians maintain a heightened index of suspicion for mpox in patients who have recently travelled to the DRC or to any country sharing a border with DRC (ROC, Angola, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, South Sudan, CAR) and who present with signs and symptoms consistent with mpox. If a clinician suspects clade I MPXV, they should contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) or their local health department to discuss clade specific testing for clade I MPXV.