FOOTPRINTS painted in bright colours on the floor pass through the bustle of the Themba Lethu clinic in Johannesburg. They lead to a room where every week dozens of men are circumcised. Heterosexual men who get the snip cut their chances of contracting HIV by more than half, since the foreskin is delicate and tears easily. In South Africa, the country that has the world’s largest number of HIV-infected people, such initiatives can save a lot of…
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Around 180 young women and adolescent girls from Malawi, Kenya and Uganda have led a pilot project that aims to strengthen the leadership of young women and adolescent girls in the AIDS response. Called Empowerment + Engagement = Equality, the programme aims to address issues of gender inequality that heighten adolescent girls’ vulnerability to HIV infection and provide spaces where experiences can be shared.
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In her 2013 memoir, activist Malala Yousafzai recounts a moment that changes not only the course of her destiny but that of many other young girls across the world. On a trip in northwest Pakistan, she comes across a girl selling oranges who is unable to read or write. Disturbed by the discovery that this girl had not received an education, Malala makes a decision that she famously continues to see through: “I would do everything in my power to…
The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) announced today that The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has published results from The Ring Study, a Phase III clinical trial of IPM’s vaginal ring to prevent HIV. The study’s key findings, announced earlier this year, show that a vaginal ring that slowly releases the antiretroviral drug (ARV) dapivirine over the course of one month safely helps reduce the risk of HIV infection in…
30 November 2016
Although drugs have allowed for longer and healthier lives for those living with HIV, drugs alone are not the end-all solution to addressing the HIV epidemic. This article stresses the importance of supporting community-based organizations in their fight to provide home-care, support groups, education, counseling and more necessary services to prevent new infections and ensure those living with HIV lead positive, healthy…
2 December 2016
CNN describes the disproportionate burden of new HIV infections young women, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are facing. It focuses on the need to address stigma and discrimination, along with patriarchal practices which often restrict women from negotiating safe sex.
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The International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW) released their World AIDS Day statement by asking us to 'step up' to end HIV stigma for women and girls worldwide. They demand a political commitment and a focus towards empowerment, ensuring access to HIV prevention and high-quality treatment, as well as sexual and reproductive health rights for all women.
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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.
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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.
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.
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 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 …