Category Archives: HIV

Scientists Debunk Myth That ‘Patient Zero’ Brought AIDS to America

December 21, 2020 administrator Leave a comment

For more than 30 years, Gaétan Dugas was blamed for bringing the AIDS epidemic to the United States. A French-Canadian who died in 1984, Dugas was thought to have carried the disease to America and transmitted it to scores of sexual partners while working as a flight attendant.

But this week, scientists finally cleared the name of the man who, in the history of the AIDS epidemic, came to be known as “Patient Zero.”

In a study published in the journal Nature, the researchers found that blood sampled from Dugas in 1983 contained the same strain of HIV that was infecting men in New York City as early as 1971 — three years before he arrived in the U.S. as an employee for Air Canada.

Read the full article on PBS.org.

Health Alerts, HIV, Research

Health Alert: Rates of new HIV infection still on the rise among specific groups

December 7, 2020 administrator Leave a comment

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

In 2018, 37,968 people received an HIV diagnosis in the United States (US) and dependent areas. From 2014 to 2018, HIV diagnoses decreased 7% among adults and adolescents. However, annual diagnoses have increased among some groups.

Gay and bisexual men are the population most affected by HIV, with Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino gay and bi men having the highest rates of new infections.

info graphic showing rates of H I V infection with highest rates of infection in 2018 — click no image for enlarged view

The number of new HIV diagnoses was highest among people aged 25 to 34.

info graphic showing age range of new H I V infections — click on image for enlarged view

Source: CDC. Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2018 (updated). HIV Surveillance Report 2020;31.

HIV, HIV care, Research

New cause of inflammation in people with HIV identified

November 4, 2020 administrator Leave a comment

From MedicalXpress.com…

While current antiretroviral treatments for HIV are highly effective, data has shown that people living with HIV appear to experience accelerated aging and have shorter lifespans—by up to five to 10 years—compared to people without HIV. These outcomes have been associated with chronic inflammation, which could lead to the earlier onset of age-associated diseases, such as atherosclerosis, cancers, or neurocognitive decline.

A new study led by researchers at Boston Medical Center examined what factors could be contributing to this inflammation, and they identified the inability to control HIV RNA production from existing HIV DNA as a potential key driver of inflammation. Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the results underscore the need to develop new treatments targeting the persistent inflammation in people living with HIV in order to improve outcomes.

Read the full article on MedicalXpress.com.

Education, HIV, HIV Activism, HIV care, Prevention

HIV.gov: Introducing the “AHEAD” dashboard

August 17, 2020 administrator Leave a comment

To support the efforts of local partners in ending the HIV epidemic in their communities, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing the launch of a new tool, AHEAD: America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard.

What is the AHEAD Dashboard?
AHEAD is a data visualization tool created to support the efforts of local health departments towards reaching the goals of the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE) initiative.

Who Can Use the AHEAD Dashboard?
AHEAD allows jurisdictions, community organizations, and other stakeholders to monitor progress towards meeting the goals of EHE and use data to inform national and jurisdictional action.

Dashboard Overview
AHEAD graphically visualizes data and targets for jurisdictions to track their progress on the six EHE indicators:
•   Incidence
•   Knowledge of Status
•   Diagnoses
•   Linkage to HIV Medical Care
•   Viral Suppression
•   PrEP Coverage

What’s Next?
Over the next year, AHEAD will add additional features and expanded data sets to further to encourage progress towards EHE initiative goals.

Explore the AHEAD Dashboard today and view our progress towards ending the HIV epidemic in America

Explore AHEAD

HIV, Prevention

New study supports more frequent HIV screening among high-risk young men who have sex with men

August 10, 2020 administrator Leave a comment

From Medical Express…

A new study has found that HIV screening every three months compared to annually will improve clinical outcomes and be cost-effective among high-risk young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in the United States. The report, led by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), is being published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

“Young men who have sex with men account for one in five new HIV infections in the United States. Yet, more than half of young men who have sex with men and who are living with HIV don’t even know that they have it,” says Anne Neilan, MD, MPH, investigator in the MGH Division of Infectious Diseases and the Medical Practice Evaluation Center, who led the study.

“With so many youth with HIV being unaware of their status, this is an area where there are opportunities not only to improve care for individual youth but also to curb the HIV epidemic in the U.S. Despite these numbers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously determined that there was insufficient youth-specific evidence to warrant changing their 2006 recommendation of an annual HIV screening among men who have sex with men.”

Read the full article.

HIV, HIV care, Research

FDA Approves New HIV Treatment for Patients With Limited Treatment Options

July 15, 2020 administrator Leave a comment

From the FDA…

[On July 2, 2020], the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Rukobia (fostemsavir), a new type of antiretroviral medication for adults living with HIV who have tried multiple HIV medications and whose HIV infection cannot be successfully treated with other therapies because of resistance, intolerance or safety considerations.

“This approval marks a new class of antiretroviral medications that may benefit patients who have run out of HIV treatment options,” said Jeff Murray, M.D., deputy director of the Division of Antivirals in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “The availability of new classes of antiretroviral drugs is critical for heavily treatment-experienced patients living with multidrug resistant HIV infection—helping people living with hard-to-treat HIV who are at greater risk for HIV-related complications, to potentially live longer, healthier lives.”

Read the full article on HIV.gov.