Man controls HIV for 23 years after a short course of treatment

A very few people with HIV can control the virus without treatment; some of them can suppress the virus from the very beginning, while others achieve control with the help of initial antiretroviral therapy. This is the case of a man who has been effectively controlling the virus for 23 years after a short course of treatment. A team of Dutch researchers found that the virus is still present and intact in his cells and blood. They tried to explore the mechanisms by which he could maintain this control and described their findings in the journal AIDS.  

CRISPR gene therapy appears safe, but claims of an imminent HIV cure are premature

A CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy known as EBT-101 was not associated with serious adverse effects in the first three treated study participants, researchers reported recently at the European Society for Gene & Cell Therapy annual meeting in Brussels. The presentation, however, was devoid of any data about whether the treatment works to control HIV. That didn’t stop the UK's Daily Mail from proclaiming that a cure for HIV “could be months away” – just the latest in a string of media reports exaggerating the state of functional cure research.

Women with HIV have three times the risk of cervical cancer, large South African study shows

A South African study of more than 500,000 women has shown that women with HIV have approximately three times higher incidence of cervical cancer than women without HIV despite very high antiretroviral coverage. As reported in the International Journal of Cancer, women with HIV developed cervical cancer at a younger age than other women.

Studies shed light on mpox outbreak in Nigeria

Sexual transmission, including between men and women, appears to play a key role in the spread of mpox in Nigeria, according to two recent reports. Researchers also found that mpox is more severe among people with advanced HIV or varicella zoster virus, and that few are vaccinated in Nigeria.

Doctors alarmed by complex needs of elderly people living with HIV

While HIV is often described as a chronic, manageable condition and the growing number of people ageing with HIV as a success, this does not describe the complete picture, Dr Frederico Duarte told the recent 19th European AIDS Conference (EACS 2023) in Warsaw. “The real scenario in clinical practice is much more complex and can be a bumpy road,” he said.

Sex is a risk factor for mpox transmission among groups other than gay men

Sexual activity appears to be the most common route of mpox (formerly monkeypox) transmission even among people who do not report sex between men, but some cases of household transmission were reported in a recent US study. A second report found that the infection is uncommon among children outside of Africa.

NAM news & opinion: Picture this – living with HIV

Visibility is a powerful tool in the fight against HIV stigma, so when we decided to refresh the photography on our website, we turned to the HIV community asking for volunteers to represent themselves and their lives. Within a few hours of putting a call out on Instagram we were overwhelmed by the generosity of people willing to give up their time and share their lives and stories on camera, becoming our very visible faces of HIV.

NAM news & opinion: HIV in the brain – does it correlate with neurocognitive symptoms?

In some cases, HIV can bypass the barrier that encases the brain and cerebrospinal fluid which can contribute to brain inflammation and neurocognitive symptoms. However, diagnosing this viral ‘escape’ into cerebrospinal fluid is challenging due to its anatomical inaccessibility. Swiss researchers have found that the presence of the virus did not clearly correlate with symptoms.

Making PEP available in the community could reduce new HIV cases in Africa by 31%

Making the commonly prescribed antiretroviral regimen of tenofovir, lamivudine and dolutegravir available in the community as post-exposure prophylaxis after condomless sex, without a prescription, would reduce HIV acquisition by 31% over 20 years in African countries, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet Global Health.

HIV incidence rates are not decreasing for gay and bisexual men living in Africa

A recent large review suggests that while testing and knowledge of status may be improving, there is no progress in terms of viral suppression and prevalence of HIV for gay and bisexual men in Africa. Overall, HIV incidence in Africa is falling but this is not being replicated for gay and bisexual men, so these inequalities need to be addressed if the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets are to be met for 2025.

US releases first doxyPEP guidelines for preventing sexually transmitted infections

On 2 October, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued proposed guidelines for using the antibiotic doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), an approach known as doxyPEP. The guidelines are the first national effort to define how to use the new prevention tool, and they likely will influence doxyPEP implementation in other countries as well.

‘Groundbreaking’: first treatment targeting ‘super-gonorrhoea’ passes trial | Nature

Medics could soon have a tool to stem the rise of drug-resistant ‘super-gonorrhoea’. The first new antibiotic in decades for treating gonorrhoea has produced good results in a large-scale clinical trial, the non-profit organisation developing the drug announced last week.

Dolutegravir-based ART – effective for HIV-2 infection | AfroCAB

In a small single-arm, open-label trial in Portugal, dolutegravir + two NRTIs proved effective and safe for managing HIV-2 infection. Data are sparse regarding treatment of HIV-2 infection with contemporary ART regimens.

2023 HIV Market Report: The state of the HIV market in low- and middle-income countries | Clinton Health Access Initiative

CHAI is pleased to release the 2023 annual HIV Market Report, providing a detailed look at the complex, ever-changing HIV landscape in low- and middle-income countries based on aggregated market intelligence from our work in over 20 countries.

Tennessee faces federal lawsuit over decades-old penalties targeting HIV-positive people | NBC News

LGBTQ and civil rights advocates last month filed a federal lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s aggravated prostitution statute, arguing that the law stems from the decades-old AIDS scare and discriminates against HIV-positive people.

From HIV to obesity – Professor Francois Venter on fighting for better health for more people | Daily Maverick

Clinician and researcher Professor Francois Venter used his inaugural lecture to talk about tackling obesity and lessons learnt from treating HIV, but also why activism, kindness (and a great playlist) have also pulled him through.