News from aidsmap
Impact of trauma must be acknowledged in adolescent HIV care
Trauma is a major underlying reason for adolescents disengaging from HIV care in Kenya, report Dr Leslie Enane of Indiana University and colleagues in the Journal of the International AIDS Society. The study shows that adolescents have experienced a wide range of traumas and are particularly affected by stigma, poor mental health, disclosure and transitions in care.
Immediate HIV treatment reduces out-of-pocket health expenditures
The policy of offering HIV treatment to all people with HIV, regardless of CD4 cell count, has important economic benefits, a randomised study from Eswatini shows. Patients spent 49% less on health expenditures, with the greatest savings coming from not seeking care from private providers and traditional healers.
Analysis of post-test counselling in South Africa reveals consistent failures to align with universal test and treat guidelines
Early diagnosis and engagement in HIV care are key to universal test and treat approaches. Yet analysis of 40 transcripts of counselling sessions shows that the content and delivery of post-test counselling fails to align with guidelines, Dr Tonderai Mabuto and colleagues at Aurum Institute report in the May issue of AIDS and Behavior.
Weight gain after changing treatment more likely when switching from efavirenz or old-style tenofovir
Gaining weight after switching to a new antiretroviral combination is common, especially after switching from efavirenz or the older formulation of tenofovir, but most weight gain is modest and occurs in the first year after switching, a review of 12 large clinical trials shows.
Delayed HIV treatment initiation and protease inhibitors associated with erectile dysfunction in men living with HIV
Delayed HIV treatment initiation, use of protease inhibitors for more than a year, tobacco use and sleep apnoea increase the odds of erectile dysfunction among cisgender men living with HIV, according to the findings of the US Military HIV Natural History Study (NHS), published in HIV Medicine.
What happens after curing hepatitis C? Avoiding, minimising or accepting the risks of re-infection
Swiss men living with HIV approach the risk of re-infection with hepatitis C after cure in different ways, based on recent qualitative research by Dr Patrizia Künzler-Heule and colleagues from the Universities of Basel and Zurich. They describe three distinct groups: those who choose to avoid risks and aim not to get re-infected, those who minimise risks and chance re-infection and those who accept risks and the possibility of re-infection and repeated treatment.
Blog: Who’s financing the ‘anti-gender’ movement in Europe?
Over half of funding for anti-gender actors in Europe appears to come from within Europe itself, with significant amounts of money also flowing from the US and the Russian Federation, according to information shared at the European Parliament in March.
Australian clinicians discuss challenges of delivering PrEP in new study
Clinicians face key barriers to the effective and equitable provision of PrEP in Australia, according to a recent qualitative study published in Sexual Health. These barriers include restrictions on who can prescribe PrEP, patient ineligibility for subsidised health care, difficulties with providing PrEP in GP settings, and discomfort with on-demand PrEP.
Users of event-driven PrEP take it when needed, Dutch study finds
An analysis of the Dutch AmPrEP study of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in participants who took event-driven instead of daily PrEP has found that users’ accounts of their PrEP usage, and whether they took it at times of HIV risk, were reliable and were corroborated by drug level measurements. This shows that in this population at least, gay and bisexual men can use event-driven (‘2-1-1’) PrEP appropriately and effectively.
Tonight: aidsmapCHAT
Tonight at 6pm (UK time), join us on Facebook and Twitter for aidsmapCHAT, our news broadcast for people living with HIV. NAM’s Susan Cole and Matthew Hodson will be talking to consultant physician in sexual health and HIV at Barts Health NHS Trust, Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan; human rights activist Deondre B. Moore from Prevention Access Campaign; and co-founder of Access to Medicines Ireland, Robbie Lawlor.
Editors' picks from other sources
Community-based organisations step up to confront HIV in southern states | JAMA
This Medical News article discusses the deeply rooted HIV epidemic in the US South and community-based efforts to provide prevention services and medical care.
HIV after COVID: Anthony Fauci and an army of researchers seek to regain momentum | The Guardian
In the summer of 1981, public health professionals faced a terrifying crisis. Their work helped shape victories against the current pandemic – but some fear hard-won ground is lost.
Forty years on and new UNAIDS report gives evidence that we can end AIDS | UNAIDS
Four decades after the first cases of AIDS were reported, new data from UNAIDS show that dozens of countries achieved or exceed the 2020 targets set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2016 – evidence that the targets were not just aspirational but achievable.
Encouraging results from the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in HIV-positive people | CATIE
Israeli scientists have studied 143 HIV-positive people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. High levels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were produced after the second vaccination.
PrEP in Europe webinar
On Tuesday 22 June at 2pm (UK time), PrEP in Europe is holding the first part of its webinar on PrEP for women in Europe. The second part will be on Tuesday 13 July.
The webinar will include presentations by Sylvain Chawki (infectious disease physician and researcher in Paris), Ana Silva-Klug (STI clinician and PrEP programme co-ordinator at the University Hospital of Bellvitge in Barcelona) and Irene Ogeta (Associate Program Officer at ATHENA Network).
You can register for the webinar using the link below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Sexual health & HIV policy EUROBulletin
The May edition of the EUROBulletin is available to read online.
The Feature in this edition focuses on a recent hearing in the European Parliament on the financing of the anti-gender movement in Europe. This edition also provides a round-up of recent work in HIV, sexual and reproductive health including the implementation of PrEP across Europe, a new overview of European abortion laws, and the new edition of the Rainbow Europe map, mapping LGBTI rights.