PrEP in pictures: these photos highlight factors influencing women’s use of PrEP in Kenya

In a study conducted in rural Kenya, young women, their male partners and male peers were given cameras to capture factors in their community that influenced the use of PrEP among young women. The photographs taken by young women indicated that male influence restricted the use of PrEP, with men seen as barriers rather than supporters. Women also perceived that they had little autonomy over their choice to use PrEP.

How to provide PrEP – badly

Interviews with professionals who provide PrEP in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, provide a rich critique of the way that institutional and structural factors limit accessibility to the HIV prevention method and also suggest ways it could be improved.

Canadian study highlights need for equity for people with HIV in kidney transplantation

People with HIV in need of a kidney transplant in Ontario, Canada, were more likely to die before receiving an organ than people without HIV between 2007 and 2020, highlighting the need for greater equity in kidney transplantation, say Canadian researchers in a study published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Anal self-examinations may help people identify pre-cancerous lesions and tumours

Anal self-examination has the potential to identify lesions that might be cancerous and should be promoted as a community-led tool to raise awareness of the need for anal cancer screening, the investigators of a prospective study in sexual minority men and transgender women report.

Six years after pregnancy, almost half of women with HIV in Tanzania have dropped out of care

Long-term retention in HIV care is a challenge for vertical transmission prevention in African countries, new data show. Among pregnant women with HIV who enrolled for vertical transmission prevention services in Tanzania, only 78% remained in the programme after the first year. By the sixth year, only 56% were still receiving HIV care.

De-simplifying treatment is acceptable and cost-saving, if a choice is offered

Although a voluntary switch from a single-tablet combination to taking multiple pills each day proved acceptable to people with HIV in the Netherlands, an enforced switch to save money proved unacceptable and led to a paradoxical increase in costs after one year, Dutch researchers report in two studies published last month.

Adrenal insufficiency common in people with HIV, often unrecognised

Adrenal insufficiency – a reduced ability to produce cortisol and other hormones critical for regulating many bodily processes – is common in people with HIV or tuberculosis and needs to be considered as the cause of a host of symptoms, researchers from Uganda report in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Limited access to anal cancer screening among people with HIV in the US

Less than one in twenty people with HIV at highest risk of anal cancer received screening for the condition in 2019 in the United States and around one-third had no access to screening through their care facility, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study has found.

“You don’t fit into any of the boxes”: trans men’s experiences with PrEP

Transgender men in France had to make a case for why they needed PrEP, by distinguishing their needs from cisgender gay men. There was often a feeling that they did not fit neatly into a box regarding who can benefit from taking PrEP, according to recent qualitative research.

Biggest single reason for people with HIV dropping out of care is stigma, doctors report

A major issue at last year’s British HIV Association (BHIVA) conference was loss to care. Loss to care remained as one of the themes at April's conference in Birmingham. However, a more detailed analysis of the figures revealed that the idea that as many as a third of people diagnosed with HIV could be out of care was an overestimate, and also found that some people ‘lost to care’ may have in fact been receiving it elsewhere.

Blood-borne virus testing in emergency departments will more than double in England, first Scottish sites planned

The BHIVA Conference in Birmingham heard that the programme of opt-out testing for the blood-borne viruses HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C in hospital emergency departments has now involved 4.3 million tests for the three viruses: 1.9 million for HIV, 1 million for hepatitis B and 1.4 million for hepatitis C.

“If anyone asks, I just keep silent”: the impact of stigma on Vietnamese women living with HIV

A recent study details how gender-based stereotypes and culturally defined roles negatively impact how Vietnamese women living with HIV engage with health care, their coping strategies and their support systems.

Persistent low-level viraemia raises the risk of serious non-AIDS events

Having a persistent low level of detectable HIV – above 50 copies but below 1000 copies – may raise the risk of experiencing serious non-AIDS conditions such as chronic kidney disease, heart disease and some cancers, a large US cohort study reports in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

CDC endorses prophylactic antibiotics to reduce STIs in high-risk groups | STAT

For groups at higher risk of contracting syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhoea, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends taking doxycycline, an antibiotic, within 72 hours of having sex.

Zambia is the first country in Africa to roll out long-acting, injectable HIV prevention | Gavi

Fiske Nyirongo talks to Tabo Lukato-Hadunka, a Zambian HIV activist, to learn more about this milestone in the country’s fight against HIV/AIDS.

HIV drugmaker Gilead Sciences agrees to $40m settlement over claims it delayed treatment rollout | Irish Independent

Gilead Sciences has agreed to pay $40m (€37m) to settle a legal case that alleged it had delayed developing newer HIV drugs in order to boost profits of an older drug. More than 2600 people with HIV claimed it had sold a HIV drug without disclosing harmful side effects while delaying development of a safer alternative treatment – a claim that Gilead denied.

Zimbabwean government withdraws wilful HIV transmission from bill | The Herald

A clause in the Criminal Laws Amendment (Protection of Children and Young Persons) Bill that lists wilful HIV/AIDS transmission to a partner as a criminal offence, is set to be withdrawn by the government as the Second Republic seeks to align with international trends.

US clinical trials begin for twice-yearly HIV prevention injection | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Two clinical trials have launched to examine a novel long-acting form of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in cisgender women and people who inject drugs. The mid-stage studies will assess the safety, acceptability, and pharmacokinetics (how a drug moves through the body) of lenacapavir, an antiretroviral drug administered by injection every six months.

HIV treatment for kids has improved and there is more to come, says Dr Moherndran Archary | Spotlight

Dr Moherndran Archary’s research has helped shape South African health policy, most notably the roll out of better HIV treatments for children and babies. Biénne Huisman from Spotlight chatted to him about the state of HIV treatment for kids and some exciting prospects on the horizon.