Social Workers Helping Older Adults with HIV Survey
From the Professional Association of Social Workers… The HIV Age Positively: A Social Work Response Initiative seeks to address the unique challenges experienced by individuals aging with HIV & AIDS. As we strive to identify and enhance social work practices especially to address the unique challenges experienced by those aging with HIV/AIDS, we would like to […]
Stigma Remains a Barrier in HIV Prevention and Treatment
From newswise,com… Stigma and discrimination, such as homophobia and racism, impede engagement in HIV prevention and use of biomedical tools for treatment in both HIV-negative and HIV-positive gay and bisexual men, according to a Rutgers study. The paper, published in AIDS and Behavior, examined the impact of stigma on HIV-related outcomes among gay and bisexual men in […]
NASTAD: COVID-19’s impact on PrEP/PEP and sexual health services
NASTAD, in collaboration with the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), released “One Year Later: COVID-19’s Impact on PrEP/PEP and Sexual Health Services.” This resource explores the impact COVID-19 has had on the provision of sexual health and HIV prevention services over the last year. This reflection piece details the many challenges and opportunities COVID-19 […]
Despite Increasing Rates of STIs, Federal Investment Has Been Flat
From nationalacademes.org… Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) impose billions of dollars in medical costs in the U.S., but STI prevention and control is chronically underfunded, stigmatized, and siloed from efforts to promote overall health and well-being, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report calls for modernizing national STI surveillance and monitoring […]
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 […]
Survey of Gay and Bi PrEP Users Finds 1 in 10 Share Their Medication
From Poz.com… In a 2018 survey of men who have sex with men taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in three U.S. cities, about 10% reported sharing their medication with others. This finding raises concerns that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) may be accessing PrEP without receiving the medical monitoring that […]
Large NIH Clinical Trial Illuminates Long-Term Health Effects of HIV
From HIV.gov… Initial data from a large NIH-supported clinical trial offer a detailed look at the health status of people aging with HIV around the world. With 7,770 participants enrolled in 12 countries across five continents, the Randomized Trial to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV (REPRIEVE ) is evaluating the ability of a statin medication, pitavastatin, to […]