NAM is launching a new, weekly email bulletin that will provide people with, or affected by, HIV with a concise, plain English digest of the very latest HIV news.

The new digest will put news stories into their context and equip you with the knowledge to understand what the latest research might mean for your HIV treatment and care.

Information on the latest NAM treatment information resources will also be included.

The bulletin will be edited by Michael Carter, NAM’s patient information and news editor.

To receive your free weekly news digest click here.

Lipodystrophy

Three studies relating to various aspects of lipodystrophy, the body fat and metabolic changes which some anti-HIV drugs can cause, were reported on http://www.aidsmap.com/ last week.

Hepatitis C coinfection

Hepatitis C virus appears to reproduce in the genital tracts of women who are also infected with HIV, independent of its reproduction in other parts of the body, according to a recently published study. The study’s researchers suggest that this could be why there is a higher rate of mother-to-baby transmission of hepatitis C in women who are coinfected with both HIV and hepatitis C compared to women who are only infected with hepatitis C.

Sexual health

LGV outbreak continues

Latest information from UK public health officials suggests that there have been over 200 diagnosed cases of the sexually transmitted LGV infection (lymphogranuloma venereum) since monitoring of the current outbreak started a year ago.

A total of 215 cases have been confirmed so far, and detailed information on 147 cases has been collected. This shows that the overwhelming majority of cases – 81% - are in HIV-positive gay men. The majority of cases – 71% - are in London.

LGV can have very unpleasant symptoms but once detected can be easily treated with a three-week course of antibiotics.

There’s a lot more information about sexual health in the NAM booklet, HIV and sex .