aidsmap news: Involving religious leaders can undermine HIV prevention, 6 February 2024
News from aidsmap
Involving religious leaders can undermine HIV prevention
Traditionally, international HIV prevention efforts are managed by secular public health organisations or programmes. In the early 2000s, UNICEF introduced a new initiative through which local religious leaders in south Asia, with little or no previous knowledge of HIV, would be invited to join their countries’ HIV prevention efforts. But a recent paper shows that this initiative backfired when adopted in Pakistan.
“I would rather die”: Kenyan gay and bisexual men’s experiences seeking healthcare
Young gay and bisexual men in Kenya experienced high levels of stigma and discrimination in public healthcare facilities, while reporting more positive experiences in private and gay-friendly clinics. Online interventions were seen as a way of catering to priority needs and reducing stigmatising experiences, according to a recent qualitative study.
Too many older people with HIV taking medicines they may not need
A high proportion of older people with HIV are taking medicines they do not need that could increase the risk of falls and confusion, Spanish researchers have found in a review of studies looking at inappropriate medication prescribing in people with HIV.
Cabotegravir levels lower than trials in real-world study, but no increase in viral rebound
Low drug concentrations do not automatically lead to virologic rebound in people receiving injectable treatment with cabotegravir and rilpivirine, Swiss researchers found in a study of people receiving injections for up to six months. They say they are uncertain why some people experience virologic rebound when they have low drug levels while others remain virologically suppressed.
Dolutegravir-based triple therapy effectively suppresses HIV-2 viral load in small study
Although integrase inhibitors such as dolutegravir are recommended for the treatment of HIV-2, there is little clinical data showing their effectiveness. In a small Portuguese cohort, dolutegravir combined with two other drugs suppressed HIV-2 viral load and maintained undetectable status after one year.
Higher anal cancer mortality for women with HIV
People with HIV diagnosed with anal cancer have poorer survival after diagnosis, especially women, and survival rates for all people diagnosed with anal cancer have not improved significantly over the past 20 years, a US study published in The Lancet HIV reports.
IAS 2023 Knowledge Toolkit
The IAS 2023 Knowledge Toolkit, which we developed with the International AIDS Society (IAS), is now available online to all.
The toolkit highlights important scientific advancements and research across key areas presented at the IAS conference last year.
Editors' picks from other sources
Thirty years of rural health research: South Africa’s Agincourt studies offer unique insights | The Conversation
Agincourt, the University of the Witwatersrand’s rural research centre 500km from Johannesburg, has documented the lives of 120,000 people over decades.
What will happen to the HIV response after 2030? | Be In The Know
UNAIDS is proposing a new approach to help countries protect the gains on HIV beyond 2030
UK: Access to the HIV prevention drug PrEP is being hampered by clinic appointment access according to new research | Prepster
A new research report launched last week – Understanding the PrEP and Sexual Health Needs and Experiences of Young Gay Men in London – says that gay and bisexual men in London who are under 25 are failing to make full use of PrEP because of the lack of sexual health clinics appointments.
Triple testing for HIV, HBV, HCV at once would help identify more cases across populations | Healio
WHO’s triple testing campaign should be expanded across populations and not just to the three groups WHO listed to be most at risk, according to a study.
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Access to the NHS for migrants
Understanding which National Health Service (NHS) treatments and services are freely available for people born outside of the UK can be confusing.
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