People who reside in Pennsylvania can now get a free HIV self-test kit delivered to their home
The Pennsylvania Department of Health, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Expanded HIV Testing Initiative (PEHTI) and the HIV Prevention and Care Project (HPCP), has introduced HIV Self-Testing (HST) for individuals who reside in Pennsylvania (excluding Philadelphia County). The goal of the getmyHIVtest.com program is to help people get tested who wouldn’t otherwise go to their doctor or to a testing clinic. Tests […]
Mail Order Now an Option for “Ready, Set, PrEP”
From HIV.gov… The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently enhanced mail-order delivery options for participants to receive PrEP HIV prevention medication at no cost to eligible individuals without prescription drug coverage. Ready, Set, PrEP participants can choose to have their PrEP medication sent directly to their home or healthcare providers (in participating states) when they enroll or continue […]
Fostemsavir: A new treatment option for extensive HIV drug resistance
From TheBodyPro… As 2020 draws to a close, we asked David Alain Wohl, M.D., a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina and a highly respected HIV clinician-researcher, to take stock of the year’s most momentous research developments and other critical events. In this exclusive series of articles, […]
Scientists Debunk Myth That ‘Patient Zero’ Brought AIDS to America
From PBS.org… For more than 30 years, Gaétan Dugas was blamed for bringing the AIDS epidemic to the United States. A French-Canadian who died in 1984, Dugas was thought to have carried the disease to America and transmitted it to scores of sexual partners while working as a flight attendant. But this week, scientists finally […]
Health Alert: Rates of new HIV infection still on the rise among specific groups
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… In 2018, 37,968 people received an HIV diagnosis in the United States (US) and dependent areas. From 2014 to 2018, HIV diagnoses decreased 7% among adults and adolescents. However, annual diagnoses have increased among some groups. Gay and bisexual men are the population most affected by HIV, […]
New cause of inflammation in people with HIV identified
From MedicalXpress.com… While current antiretroviral treatments for HIV are highly effective, data has shown that people living with HIV appear to experience accelerated aging and have shorter lifespans—by up to five to 10 years—compared to people without HIV. These outcomes have been associated with chronic inflammation, which could lead to the earlier onset of age-associated […]
HIV.gov: Introducing the “AHEAD” dashboard
To support the efforts of local partners in ending the HIV epidemic in their communities, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing the launch of a new tool, AHEAD: America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard. What is the AHEAD Dashboard? AHEAD is a data visualization tool created to support the efforts of […]
New study supports more frequent HIV screening among high-risk young men who have sex with men
From Medical Express… A new study has found that HIV screening every three months compared to annually will improve clinical outcomes and be cost-effective among high-risk young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in the United States. The report, led by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), is being published online in Clinical […]
FDA Approves New HIV Treatment for Patients With Limited Treatment Options
From the FDA… [On July 2, 2020], the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Rukobia (fostemsavir), a new type of antiretroviral medication for adults living with HIV who have tried multiple HIV medications and whose HIV infection cannot be successfully treated with other therapies because of resistance, intolerance or safety considerations. “This approval marks a […]