Dog Genomes May Lead to New HIV Therapies
Dog genomes may hold the key to unlocking new HIV-fighting therapies, according to a study published in the journal PLoS One and reported by Live Science
Wisconsin Researchers Get $5.9M NIH Grant for Black MSM HIV Prevention
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) received a five-year, $5.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore HIV prevention approaches for African-American men who have sex with men (MSM), according to an MCW statement.
Australian Troops Put at Low Risk for HIV Failure to properly sterilize surgical equipment may have put Australian soldiers and contractors stationed in Iraq at risk for blood-borne diseases, including HIV and hepatitis, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reports.
May 27, 2011
Financial Hurdle at U.N. High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS
Public health leaders will face a big financial hurdle when they convene June 8 to 10 in New York City at the U.N. High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, The Wall Street Journal reports.
More Than 8,300 People on Waiting Lists for HIV Meds
A record number of more than 8,300 low-income HIV-positive people in 13 states are on waiting lists to get antiretroviral drugs and other medications used to treat the virus or related side effects, mental health conditions or opportunistic infections, The Washington Post reports.
Bullied LGBT Youth At Risk of Suicide and HIV
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth who endure bullying or violence in middle or high school are more likely to experience physical and mental health problems, including depression, suicide attempts and HIV infection, according to a study published in the American School Health Association's Journal of School Health and reported by ScienceDaily.
NYC Partners With Housing Works to Recycle Clothes
The New York City Department of Sanitation is joining with Housing Works to create a nonprofit called Refashion NYC that will collect and distribute used clothing, The Epoch Times reports.
Gay Men Seeking Relationships Online Have Safer Sex
Gay or bisexual men looking for a long-term partner or relationship online are more likely to engage in safe sex than men who are strictly searching for a sexual encounter, redOrbit reports.
Global Fund Freezes Its Grants for China
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria froze payments on its millions of dollars of grants to China because of disputes between the organization and the Chinese government, The New York Times reports.
May 25, 2011
Texas Denies $19M for HIV Meds to Low-Income Residents A compromise Texas budget denied a $19 million funding boost to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) program that provides HIV/AIDS medications to low-income Texans, The Houston Chronicle reports.
AIDS Ribbon Installed on Twin Peaks in San Francisco A giant red AIDS ribbon was mounted on San Francisco’s Twin Peaks for the first time, marking the 30th anniversary of the first reported cases of AIDS in the United states, according to a statement from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
Advocates Seek to Replenish Stocks of HIV Meds in India The Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+) and other HIV/AIDS groups are calling on the Indian Health Ministry and National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) to replenish stocks of HIV/AIDS medications in treatment centers in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the Citizen News Service (CNS) reports.
May 24, 2011
HUD to Award $9.1 Million in HIV/AIDS Housing Grants The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is offering up to $9.1 million in grants to address the housing needs of low-income people and families living with HIV/AIDS, according to a HUD statement.
Hep C Rates Rising in HIV-Positive Gay Men in Melbourne Community organizations in Melbourne, Australia, are reporting an increase in hepatitis C diagnoses in gay men who are also HIV positive, the Star Observer reports.
AIDS-Related Mortality Dropped 64% Since 2002 in China The AIDS-related mortality rate in China has dropped 64 percent since the government began distributing free antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in 2002, according to a study published in the journal Lancet and reported by The New York Times.
PEPFAR Gives New Guidelines for MSM HIV Prevention The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF), a worldwide advocacy network for men who have sex with men (MSM), is encouraged by new HIV prevention guidelines from The Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator for use in countries receiving assistance from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), according to an MSMGF statement.
HIV-Positive People in China Routinely Denied Care A new study shows that people in China living with HIV/AIDS are routinely being denied medical treatment in mainstream hospitals due to fear and ignorance about the disease, Reuters reports.
Consortium Will Further Reduce HIV Drug Pricing in Developing World
The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), UNITAID and the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) will further reduce HIV drug pricing in the developing world, according to a UNITAID statement.
Ohio’s Two Largest AIDS Service Organizations Merge The AIDS Resource Center Ohio in Dayton and the Columbus AIDS Task Force will merge, retaining the name AIDS Resource Center Ohio (ARC Ohio), the Dayton Daily News reports.
May 18, 2011
May 18 Is HIV Vaccine Awareness Day May 18 is HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, an annual observance in recognition of the advocates and researchers who are working together to find a safe and effective HIV vaccine.
Wall Street Marchers Protest Cuts to HIV/AIDS Services A coalition of activists, including HIV/AIDS groups, marched May 12 on Wall Street to protest proposed cuts to the New York City budget, according to the Housing Works blog.
May 17, 2011
May 17 Is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia May 17 is the seventh annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), a day recognized in more than 50 countries around the world, according to a statement from the IDAHO Committee.
U.N. Bicycle Social Media Campaign to Raise HIV Awareness HIV advocates and bicycle enthusiasts have launched Move It!, a social media campaign aimed to create support for and a successful outcome at the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS in New York City in June, UNAIDS reports.
Congress Members Seek Update on National HIV/AIDS Strategy
Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and almost 90 members of Congress have introduced legislation calling for a progress report on the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and achieving universal access for people living with HIV, according to a statement from Lee.
May 16, 2011
Delaware Legalizes Medical Marijuana It is now legal for Delaware residents with certain serious health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, to use medical marijuana, according to the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) blog.
Anti-Homosexuality Bill Shelved Again in Uganda The Parliament of Uganda, the African nation's chief legislative body, has adjourned without voting on the pending Anti-Homosexuality Bill, according to a statement by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC).
Supreme Court of Canada Considers Safe-Injection Case The court case concerning the future of Insite, a supervised-injection facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, has come before the Supreme Court of Canada, The Canadian Press (CP) reports.
May 13, 2011
HHS Launches Viral Hepatitis Action Plan
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched an action plan to fight viral hepatitis, according to an HHS statement.
Canada Seeks Indefinite Imprisonment of HIV-Positive Man
Canada is seeking a dangerous offender designation for John Aziga, a man believed to be the first in Canada to be convicted of murder through HIV transmission, The Canadian Press (CP) reports.
Drug Dealers Illegally Buying and Selling HIV Meds Drug dealers in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City, which is heavily populated with immigrants and descendants from the Dominican Republic, are illegally buying prescription drugs, including HIV medications, and selling the meds to their country of origin, The New York Times reports.
Teens More Willing to Get an HIV Test After a Risk Assessment A new study shows that teenagers who are offered a free or low-cost rapid HIV test immediately following a risk assessment survey are more willing to accept it, according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health by researchers at the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center (BHCRC).
Global Fund Asserts It Will Continue Budget Transparency A recent article by The Associated Press (AP) claims the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria plans to reduce its budget transparency because reports of corruption and misspent money have curtailed donations.
May 11, 2011
HIV-Positive Former Pro Wrestler Indicted for Nondisclosure Andre Davis, a former professional wrestler, has been indicted by a grand jury in Cincinnati on eight additional felony assault charges for allegedly having sex with women and not disclosing his HIV-positive status, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
UNAIDS, TAC Promote Condom Use in City of Cape Town Activists from the Treatment Action Coalition (TAC) in South Africa and members of the UNAIDS Commission on HIV Prevention marched in the City of Cape Town to scale-up the use of condoms in the areas most severely affected by HIV, according to a UNAIDS statement.
May 10, 2011
No Public Offering Soon for ViiV Healthcare ViiV Healthcare—an HIV drug company created in 2009 by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Pfizer—will not spin off into a public company any time soon, Reuters reports.
BYU Researchers Explore Changes in HIV Three new studies at Brigham Young University (BYU) are exploring how HIV changes and reproduces, according to a BYU statement.
AIDS Housing Resolution Introduced in U.S. Senate Eleven U.S. Senators have introduced a resolution, S. 162, to recognize the importance of housing in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS, according to a Housing Works statement.
University of Maryland Gets $23.4M for HIV Prevention Vaccine
The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has received $23.4 million in grants to investigate a vaccine to prevent HIV, according to a University of Maryland statement.
GMHC Moves to New Location New York City-based AIDS service organization Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) has officially moved into its new headquarters, Chelsea Now reports.
May 06, 2011
U.S. House Bill Would Increase Voluntary HIV Testing Access
Representative Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), along with 25 of his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced the Increasing Access to Voluntary Screening for HIV/AIDS and STIs Act of 2011, according to a statement by Hastings.
Florida ADAP May Consider Tightening Income Requirements
HIV/AIDS advocates in Tampa pressed state officials at a public forum to not cut funding from the state AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), the St. Petersburg Times reports.
Los Angeles HIV Porn Clinic Closes Permanently
The Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM), a preferred health care provider for many porn actors, has closed permanently, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
May 05, 2011
Only Five States Still Have Laws Impeding Routine HIV Testing Most states have eliminated barriers to routine HIV testing and now have laws in accordance with the recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2006, MedPage Today reports.
Smithsonian Commemorates 30 Years of AIDS Beginning June 3, The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, will commemorate 30 years of AIDS with a three-part display and accompanying website, according to a Smithsonian Institution statement.
Young Black MSM Equate Masculinity With Lower HIV Risk
The high rates of HIV among young black men who have sex with men (MSM) might be linked to how they select partners and judge their HIV status, according to a Johns Hopkins Children’s Center statement.
FDA Warns Companies Selling Fake Remedies for HIV The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is sending dozens of warning letters to companies selling bogus pills and supplements that claim to cure or prevent sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, herpes and genital warts, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
Ryan White Managers Need Training to Comply With Federal Rules
Administrators of HIV/AIDS programs funded by the Ryan White CARE Act identify “federal grants compliance and health care reform” as their top training priority, according to a HealthHIV statement.
May 03, 2011
The Normal Heart Racks Up Tony Nominations
The Broadway revival of The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer’s semi-autobiographical 1985 play about the rise of AIDS in mid-’80s New York, has garnered five Tony nominations, according to the American Theater Wing (the organization that awards Tonys).
Nearly 1 in 10 People in NYC Jails Are HIV Positive Up to 9 percent of New York City jail entrants are HIV positive and almost 30 percent of them go undiagnosed, according a study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS).
Minnesota HIV Rates Remain High for Young Men The number of new HIV infections for Minnesota has dropped overall but is still high for adolescents and young men, according to the Star Tribune.
NIH Grants $10M to Minnesota Researcher for HIV Cure Reuben Harris, PhD, of the University of Minnesota (U of M), has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate a promising lead in anti-HIV research, according to a U of M statement.
