News from aidsmap
People with HIV at greater risk of COVID-19 death in South African study
People with HIV in South Africa’s Western Cape province are about two-and-a-half times more likely to die of COVID-19 than others, an analysis of people receiving public sector health care has shown.
Black Africans living with HIV in UK have especially high rates of tuberculosis
The rate of new active tuberculosis (TB) diagnoses among people living with HIV in the UK is disproportionately high among people of black African ethnicity, investigators report in the online edition of AIDS.
Large HIV testing gap between rich and poor living in African countries
Socioeconomic inequalities in the uptake of HIV testing have persisted despite the massive scale-up of HIV testing in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a study published in the June issue of The Lancet Global Health. People living in the richest households were around three times as likely as those in the poorest households to have tested for HIV in the previous year.
A quarter of gay men report casual sex during UK lockdown
During the coronavirus lockdown in the UK, the majority of gay and bisexual men have stopped having casual sex and two-thirds of PrEP users have interrupted PrEP, a survey has found. But a quarter have had some casual sex and there are indications that increasing numbers of men will hook up in the coming weeks.
Study shows a 70% decline in baseline CD4 testing in Uganda over six years
A study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases provides evidence that not doing baseline CD4 testing will lead to suboptimal programme outcomes under the ‘Treat All’ strategy. Baseline CD4 testing is critical to identify those with advanced stages of HIV, allowing for timely screening, prophylaxis, and management of life-threatening opportunistic infections.
‘Significant reduction’ in the availability of life insurance for people with HIV due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The availability of life insurance for people living with HIV in the UK has dropped significantly this year, according to a specialist life insurance and mortgage adviser. This could lead to people living with HIV accessing life insurance at higher premiums or not being able to get it at all.
Is telemedicine for HIV here to stay?
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of telemedicine interventions for managing and preventing HIV in numerous countries. Telemedicine encompasses a range of healthcare promotion, prevention and treatment services that are provided remotely via video and phone calls, mobile phone apps and social media platforms.
Walk-in STI services may be a thing of the past as UK clinics continue to adjust to COVID-19
A second survey by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) shows that in-person STI and contraception services have continued to shrink during the COVID-19 emergency. Walk-in services are hardly being offered at all and clinics are asking all patients to phone first for assessment, rather than just turn up.
We can’t ignore racism when thinking about HIV and COVID-19
Blog post by Susan Cole: “I don’t know a single Black person who is sleeping properly these days” tweeted Dr Crystal Fleming in New York City the other night. As a black British woman this is my new reality. Each morning I wake up with a twist of fear about how I’ll keep my family safe and what new horrors I’ll hear about being unleashed on my community.
Black Lives Matter
Blog post by Matthew Hodson: At NAM we share information, so that individuals can live longer, healthier, better lives. This information enables individuals and communities affected by HIV to protect themselves, care for others, advocate for better services and challenge stigma and discrimination. While all lives are precious it is apparent that some lives are accorded less value by some people. This has been starkly, brutally apparent in recent days.
Do sub-Saharan African migrants in Europe risk acquiring HIV when they travel abroad?
People from sub-Saharan Africa who are now settled in Europe put themselves at some risk of acquiring HIV in their country of residence and when they travel abroad, whether to other parts of Europe or to Africa, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.
Which people living with HIV are at higher risk for COVID-19?
Black people with HIV were significantly more likely to be admitted to a major London hospital with COVID-19 than other people with HIV, while in Madrid, researchers found that COVID-19 was diagnosed more often in people with HIV who had underlying conditions than others with HIV.
COVID-19 in chronic liver disease: advanced cirrhosis greatly raises risk of death
People with chronic liver disease admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are dying at a much higher rate than the rest of the population, figures collated by liver specialists in Europe, Asia and North America show. Advanced cirrhosis greatly increased the risk of death, the study found.
New series: aidsmapWOMEN
The first episode in our new series, aidsmapWOMEN, is available to watch on aidsmap.com and YouTube.
In this episode, NAM's Susan Cole talks to four women about emotional wellbeing and COVID-19. Susan's guests are: Fungai Murau, an independent consultant, researcher and advocate for women and young people living with HIV; Jo Josh, Co Chair of the women's HIV charity the Sophia Forum and Communications Officer for the British HIV Association (BHIVA); Charity Nyirenda, an HIV activist, advocate and peer mentor for women living with HIV; and Dr Vanessa Apea, an HIV and sexual health consultant at a London teaching hospital.
Editors' picks from other sources
How Grindr is helping tackle Ghana’s hidden HIV epidemic | Esquire
In a country where homosexuality is criminalised, doctors are using gay dating apps to find men whose health – and freedom – is at risk.
ViiV Healthcare announces US FDA approval of the first-ever dispersible tablet formulation of dolutegravir, Tivicay PD, a once-daily treatment for children living with HIV | ViiV press release
The FDA approval is testament to the commitments of global stakeholders spanning regulators, industry and non-profit organisations to develop new and innovative HIV medicines for children, most of whom live in resource-poor settings.
People living with HIV are more than two times likelier to die of COVID-19 so why aren’t leaders doubling down on the HIV response? | Health GAP (Global Access Project)
This observation of increased risk of death from COVID-19 among people with HIV comes at the same time activists have uncovered deteriorating HIV treatment and prevention access, triggered by flawed COVID-19 responses, in countries across sub-Saharan Africa.
Kaiser study shows no new HIV cases among PrEP 2-1-1 users | Bay Area Reporter
Gay and bisexual men taking PrEP before and after sex – known as the 2-1-1 regimen – reported good adherence and none were diagnosed with HIV, according to a new study from Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. Based on these findings, on-demand PrEP could be an attractive option for men who can plan ahead for sex.
New edition: Taking your HIV treatment
A new edition of our booklet Taking your HIV treatment is available on our clinic portal for members of our patient information scheme.
The booklet provides basic information about how HIV treatment works, what taking it involves and how to manage it in your life.
To find out if your HIV clinic is registered or if you work in a clinic and would like information on how to join the scheme, please email info@nam.org.uk.