Nearly one in five people with HIV in the UK could have a detectable viral load

A model using updated HIV surveillance figures from England had found that at least one in seven people with HIV in England, and possibly as many as one in five, has a detectable and transmissible HIV viral load, compared with a previous estimate of less than one in ten. This is partly due to the effects of the COVID pandemic, the British HIV Association (BHIVA) conference heard in Manchester.

A quarter of 2020 deaths of people with HIV in the UK due to COVID-19

COVID-19 and non-AIDS cancers were the leading causes of death among HIV-positive people in the UK in 2020, with AIDS and cardiovascular disease also cutting lives short, Dr Sara Croxford of the UK Health Security Agency told the conference. Overall, six out of seven deaths were due to non-AIDS causes.

South London clinics find the people lost to HIV care – and tell some of their stories

The spring BHIVA conference has been its first totally in-person conference since the COVID pandemic started. It is perhaps not surprising that a theme running through a number of studies was loss to care: people with HIV who stop attending clinics and taking treatment, and whether COVID has made this worse. 

How family issues influence adolescents to disengage from HIV care

Adolescents living with HIV in Kenya – particularly those orphaned by the loss of one or both parents – experienced challenges when new caregivers or unstable living situations undermined HIV care engagement, according to a qualitative study recently published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society. These challenges were compounded by poverty, stigma at the household level, and lack of caregiver capacity and skills to support adolescent HIV care.

Canadian study finds minimal evidence of weaker COVID-19 vaccine responses in people with HIV

People with undetectable HIV who received SARS-CoV-2 vaccines didn’t experience faster antibody declines than people without HIV after two vaccine doses and had equivalent or better antibody responses compared to a control group after a third dose, especially those who received the Moderna vaccine as their third dose, Canadian researchers report in a pre-print article released before peer review.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted HIV prevention and care in Barcelona, but new cases and viral loads didn’t increase

In-person healthcare visits related to HIV prevention and care decreased in number at the largest HIV care centre in Spain as a result of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. While chlamydia and gonorrhoea cases surged in 2020 compared to 2019, new HIV cases decreased by 28%. But the new HIV cases were more advanced, according to the study published in AIDS, suggesting that limited access to health care may have delayed patients’ HIV diagnoses.

Test-and-treat leads to sustained fall in hepatitis C in Swiss gay men with HIV

Intensive screening for hepatitis C, treatment and risk reduction counselling have led to sustained declines in hepatitis C prevalence and new cases of hepatitis C among gay and bisexual men living with HIV in the Swiss HIV Cohort, researchers report in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Four in ten PrEP recipients stop taking it within six months, global meta-analysis reveals

A meta-analysis of 59 studies of PrEP from all continents has found that 41% of people who started taking PrEP had discontinued it within six months. Discontinuation rates were much higher in studies for all groups other than gay and bisexual men and trans women, including female sex workers, people who inject drugs, and at-risk heterosexuals. In studies of heterosexual men and women the six-month discontinuation rate was 72%.

UNAIDS warns that the war in Ukraine risks a humanitarian catastrophe for people living with and affected by HIV | UNAIDS

The war in Ukraine has resulted in the destruction and disruption of health services and logistical supply chains that hundreds of thousands of people living with and affected by HIV depend on for survival.

‘Unique on a global scale’: New South Wales nears elimination of HIV as cases fall to record lows | Sydney Morning Herald

NSW reported its lowest number of new HIV infections on record last year with the goal of elimination of the virus in the state now “well within reach by 2025”.

Buckle up! The ‘Staley vs Gilead’ lawsuit could cost big pharma billions | My Fabulous Disease

The latest twist in the Staley vs Gilead lawsuit could signal very bad things for Gilead Sciences and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The case is a thrilling example of what happens when HIV activism takes its ferocious ingenuity from the streets to the courtroom. The ramifications could even extend beyond HIV and apply to people taking high-priced medications for other illnesses.

HIV cure research lacks diversity from the earliest stages, scientists warn | TheBodyPro

Much of HIV cure research doesn’t accurately reflect the real-world HIV community, according to a new report. This “missed opportunity” needs rectification from the earliest stages of trial design.

Canadian blood services to end 'blood ban,' bring in behaviour-based screening | Vancouver Sun

Health Canada has approved an end to policy that restricts men who have sex with men from donating blood products for three months, a change welcomed by LGBTQ advocates but criticised – including by the prime minister, who promised years ago to end it – as long overdue.