Dapivirine vaginal ring shows comparable HIV risk rate with oral PrEP

Early real-world data from Zimbabwe on the dapivirine vaginal ring shows a similar rate of new HIV acquisitions between women using the ring and oral PrEP, Jabulani Mavudze of Population Solutions For Health in Harare told the INTEREST 2023 conference in Maputo, Mozambique earlier this month.

Community support for caregivers helps children living with HIV achieve viral suppression

Children living with HIV are less likely to achieve sustained viral load suppression if their caregivers are younger, if their caregivers are not virally suppressed or if the children are on a protease inhibitor-based regimen, the conference heard.

Faith-based organisations have been successful in delivering HIV services, African studies show

Faith communities and leaders in rural Zambia and Nigeria helped provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention services, including PrEP. This approach also increased HIV literacy and decreased stigma in local communities, according to studies presented at the conference.

Over 40% prevalence of precancerous cervical lesions among female sex workers with HIV in South Africa, but most unaware of the disease

Despite low screening rates, 42% of South African female sex workers with HIV were found to have high-risk pap tests – meaning they showed signs of developing cervical cancer, INTEREST 2023 heard.

As many as half the people ‘starting’ HIV treatment in Africa have taken it before

Globally, UNAIDS estimates that by the end of 2021, 75% of all people with HIV in the world were accessing treatment. But “accessing treatment” in fact just means that this number have initiated treatment at some point. Researchers from Boston University and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa reviewed studies of HIV treatment initiation in Africa to answer one question: What proportion of the number of people coming forward for HIV treatment as new patients had in fact taken the medication before? 

Global coverage of harm reduction programmes up, but remains low

Australasia is the only global region with high coverage of needle and syringe exchange programmes and opioid agonist treatment, and globally only nine countries (Australia, Mexico, Canada, the USA, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland) are implementing all five harm reduction services examined in a study recently published in the journal The Lancet Global Health.

NAM news & opinion  – Health & Power: challenging race-based health inequalities

Health & Power is NAM's new monthly online broadcast, which examines the most pressing issues facing people of colour and their lived experience of health inequalities. These highly informative 30-minute broadcasts are hosted by broadcaster and HIV activist Susan Cole and leading HIV and sexual health consultant Dr Vanessa Apea.

NAM news & opinion  – Why do women in Europe cross borders for abortion care?

Many women travel across borders in Europe to access abortion care, even when they live in countries with apparently liberal abortion laws. The Europe Abortion Access Project was a six-year research project which set out to understand the experiences of these women. We spoke to the principal investigator, Dr Silvia de Zordo from the University of Barcelona, about the key findings of the research.

HIV controllers may be more susceptible to non-AIDS illnesses compared to people on HIV treatment

A new study finds that HIV controllers – people who don’t need HIV treatment to maintain viral loads below 400 copies – are twice as likely to experience certain non-AIDS-related health conditions, particularly infections such as bronchitis. The results raise the questions of whether antiretroviral therapy might benefit some controllers and under what conditions.

More people with HIV in England have dropped out of care than remain undiagnosed

As many as 20,000 of the approximately 96,000 people in England who are living with HIV may not be virally suppressed, so could potentially be able to infect others, the British HIV Association Conference heard in Gateshead last month.

Geographic mobility impacts vulnerability to HIV among gay and bisexual Latino migrants to the US

Gay and bisexual Latino migrants in the United States, especially but not only those who are undocumented, are vulnerable to higher rates of sexual risk behaviours and HIV transmission, a recent study published in Social Science and Medicine found. The study identified homophobia and HIV-related stigma in their residential communities, barriers to well-paid work, access to affordable, appropriate health care, and isolation from the LGBTQ+ community as the main contributing factors for their increased vulnerability.

Diabetes in pregnancy becoming more common in women with HIV in UK and Ireland

The frequency of diabetes during pregnancy is rising in women with HIV in the United Kingdom and Ireland, in line with trends in the rest of the population, Laurette Bukasa of University College London reported at the British HIV Association conference.

Coming out as cured | POZ

Marc Franke is part of an exclusive circle of people cured of HIV after a stem cell transplant to treat cancer. Franke decided to go public this year when a report about his case was published in a medical journal. Here, he tells POZ more about his experience.

Access to point-of-care tests for people with advanced HIV under threat as diagnostics corporations to stop production | Médecins Sans Frontières

In a new report released earlier this month, Médecins Sans Frontières warned that access to point-of-care CD4 testing for HIV is under threat because US diagnostics corporations Abbott Laboratories and Becton Dickinson have decided to stop making crucial equipment to run CD4 tests.

ANRS DOXYVAC: final analysis may modify interim results of this trial assessing the effectiveness of meningococcal B vaccination in preventing gonococcal infections | ANRS

The effectiveness of the meningococcal B vaccine (Bexsero) in reducing the risk of gonococcal infections, as announced in February 2023 on the basis of an interim analysis of the ANRS DOXYVAC trial, was challenged in the final analysis. Indeed, a discrepancy between the interim and the final analysis was identified. 

Gilead wins key patent rights suit over PrEP drugs for preventing HIV | The New York Times

A jury sided with Gilead Sciences in a dispute over whether the US government could claim a share of profits from drugs seen as crucial to ending the HIV epidemic.

Study of weekly oral HIV treatment resumes | POZ

The clinical trial will evaluate once-weekly islatravir plus Sunlenca [lenacapavir] pills for people switching from a daily antiretroviral regimen.