For this year's World AIDS Day message, The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, talks about the many strides made towards an AIDS-free generation but also the increased HIV risk young women in sub-Saharan Africa are facing, along with a need to adapt prevention and treatment strategies for all.
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The UN's Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, commemorates World AIDS Day by commending the progress that has been made in reducing mother-to-child transmission, the number of AIDS-related deaths, and increasing the number of infected people on life-saving treatment. However, he also reminds us of the need to support young, vulnerable people and other key populations in order to end AIDS by 2030.
Read the full statement on-line…
When the International AIDS Conference is held in Africa, not only do you get Elton John, Queen Latifah and the rest of the celebrity set in attendance, but African royalty appear as well. They’re concerned for their people—and it’s these traditional leaders, as opposed to politicians, that often hold sway. That’s especially true in Malawi, where 10.3% of the population lives with HIV. Reflecting gender disparities in the country, more women…
HIV infection significantly decreases survival among women with invasive cervical cancer, according to a study conducted in Botswana. This was the case even though most women with HIV received antiretroviral therapy. “Cervical cancer is the most common cause of cancer death among African women, and the HIV epidemic intensifies this burden,” wrote study authors led by Scott Dryden-Peterson, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The…
An updated adherence analysis from the ASPIRE study indicates that consistent users of a vaginal ring containing dapivirine experienced 65% fewer infections, the 21st International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2016) in Durban, South Africa heard last month. Some additional analyses suggested a higher level of effectiveness. Moreover, African women who took part in the study told researchers that they…
HIV remains a major health concern for women and children globally. Worldwide, the majority of new HIV infections occur in young women. Each year, 1.5 million women living with HIV become pregnant. Without effective treatment, up to 45 percent of HIV-infected mothers will transmit the virus to their child, usually through breastfeeding. In an effort to prevent HIV transmission to women and their children, researchers from the University of…
In sub-Saharan Africa, girls and young women account for 71 percent of new HIV infections among adolescents. South African officials hope more access to pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, will help, but experts say stigma and lack of education could doom those efforts. Read full article here.
The British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BCCfE) has released new research that finds previously incarcerated women with HIV are three times more likely to have poor adherence to combination anti-retroviral therapy than HIV positive women who have not been incarcerated. The research comes from a survey conducted by Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual & Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS), Canada’s largest multi-site community-…
Drought exacerbated by the El Nino weather pattern could lead to a spike in new HIV infections in southern Africa as women and girls turn to sex to survive and patients miss treatments, the United Nations children’s' agency UNICEF said. Read full article here.
A recently released study in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome has shown that “HIV testing and treatment should be prioritized to target young people and women, while novel strategies are necessary to reach men.” Read full article here.
An increasing prevalence of male circumcision among Ugandan communities, has been linked to a fall in the number of HIV infections. The practice, in conjunction with more HIV-positive women being given antiretroviral drugs, has brought about 'significant declines' in the disease, new research suggests. The two interventions, observed in rural Ugandan communities, were successful in tightly controlled clinical trials, and have 'real-world…
A new report by UNAIDS reveals concerning trends in new HIV infections among adults. The Prevention gap report shows that while significant progress is being made in stopping new HIV infections among children (new HIV infections have declined by more than 70% among children since 2001 and are continuing to decline), the decline in new HIV infections among adults has stalled. The report shows that HIV prevention urgently needs to be scaled up…
Text messages have revolutionized the way we interact with each other — and the way we receive and practice health care may be next. The latest research proves they can also increase the rate of HIV testing among the groups who are more vulnerable to infection; in this particular case, young women living in rural Africa. Read full article …
A study in Kenya finds that the provision of multiple HIV self-tests to women at high risk of HIV infection was successful in promoting HIV testing among their sexual partners and in facilitating safer sexual decisions. This novel strategy warrants further consideration as countries develop self-testing policies and programmes. Read full article here…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says HIV infection rates are high among transgender women in the United States, and particularly high among black transgender women, compared to other groups.
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A study in Uganda, which looked at HIV-positive women between 15 and 49 years old in nine districts across the country, found that 72 of the total 744 women studied reported having undergone forced and coerced sterilization, and 20 of them were pressured into sterilization in clinical settings, like hospitals. The study also found that three young women were forced into abortions, often unsafe in the country, by their families. …
The number of HIV-positive people taking antiretroviral medicines more than doubled to an estimated 17 million people from 2010 to 2015, with two million people gaining access to the life-saving drug last year alone, the United Nations agency leading the world’s HIV/AIDS response announced today.
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