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Responding to a sharp rise in new HIV infections, Greece’s health ministry has announced an initiative to give free condoms and syringes to heroin users.
The state organization against drugs (Okana) and volunteer groups will hand out 30,000 condoms and 10,000 syringes through the outreach, which is launching in Athens.
Health reports have noted a 52.7 percent increase in new HIV cases from 2010 and a 1,250 percent increase in cases among heroin users.
In return for loans from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, Greece has been forced to make drastic cuts in social spending during the past two years.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
AIDS Activist Back to Talk About Her Life
Twenty years ago, Boca Raton resident Mary Fisher went public with her HIV-positive status in a big way, delivering the now-iconic “A Whisper of AIDS” speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention. Overnight she went from being a 44-year-old divorcee and single mother to an international AIDS activist.
“Back then, being diagnosed with HIV was a death sentence, so I didn’t know how long I had,” recalled Fisher. Her speech admonished fellow Republicans to be sympathetic regarding AIDS versus continuing to ignore it. Twenty years later, Fisher’s mission for prevention, optimism, education, and assistance remains unchanged.
Fisher, who boasts 30 years of sobriety as a recovering alcoholic, is set to keynote a fundraising gala Saturday evening for Gratitude House, a nonprofit treating women dually diagnosed with substance abuse and HIV/AIDS.
Fisher was inspired to combat the stigma of HIV/AIDS for her sons - both uninfected. Her oldest son, Max, now 24, is an aspiring filmmaker whose forthcoming documentary presents the younger generation’s views on HIV/AIDS.
These days Fisher focuses on motherhood, personal wellness, global advocacy, and her artwork (viewable at www.maryfisher.com). She also counsels HIV-positive women on broaching the topic with new suitors, as well as preventing perinatal infection of their infants.
Saturday evening, Fisher will discuss the challenges of living with HIV/AIDS. “The virus is very clever, always changing and mutating,” she said. “That means you’re constantly monitoring how it - and your medications - are affecting you.”
For more on the black-tie benefit, telephone 561-833-6826, ext. 228, or e-mail HeatherB@gratitudehouse.org.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
“Back then, being diagnosed with HIV was a death sentence, so I didn’t know how long I had,” recalled Fisher. Her speech admonished fellow Republicans to be sympathetic regarding AIDS versus continuing to ignore it. Twenty years later, Fisher’s mission for prevention, optimism, education, and assistance remains unchanged.
Fisher, who boasts 30 years of sobriety as a recovering alcoholic, is set to keynote a fundraising gala Saturday evening for Gratitude House, a nonprofit treating women dually diagnosed with substance abuse and HIV/AIDS.
Fisher was inspired to combat the stigma of HIV/AIDS for her sons - both uninfected. Her oldest son, Max, now 24, is an aspiring filmmaker whose forthcoming documentary presents the younger generation’s views on HIV/AIDS.
These days Fisher focuses on motherhood, personal wellness, global advocacy, and her artwork (viewable at www.maryfisher.com). She also counsels HIV-positive women on broaching the topic with new suitors, as well as preventing perinatal infection of their infants.
Saturday evening, Fisher will discuss the challenges of living with HIV/AIDS. “The virus is very clever, always changing and mutating,” she said. “That means you’re constantly monitoring how it - and your medications - are affecting you.”
For more on the black-tie benefit, telephone 561-833-6826, ext. 228, or e-mail HeatherB@gratitudehouse.org.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Sexy Ads Promote Safe-Sex Behavior
The “Take Care Down There” campaign in Columbus is using unabashedly sexy ads to promote safe sex for young gay men. Billboards depict fit, shirtless guys with arrows pointing beneath their waistlines.
Columbus Public Health (CPH) Prevention Services Manager Makeda Porter’s goal was to be forthright but not preachy. Porter and colleagues convened focus groups that polled young men - blacks in particular.
Focus group participants voiced wanting a “message that was direct, positive, not scary, and succinct,” said Porter. In 2009, 67 percent of new HIV cases were among 13- to 24-year-old black men who have sex with men.
Campaign billboards will debut next month near downtown Columbus. Coasters in bars will carry similar images, while a website will provide information on STD testing, condom use, and local resources. Business cards will be circulated to promote safe sex education and HIV testing.
The ads, which have appeared in Outlook magazine, are set for radio and social media outlet distribution, including Facebook.
Porter notes, however, that Clear Channel has opposed a billboard on 4th Street in Italian Village. “The arrow is the issue,” said company spokesman Jim Cullinan. “Families and kids will see that. We just have to look for a level of appropriateness.” Clear Channel agreed to run the ad without the arrow, but CPH spokesman José Rodriguez maintains that would diminish the ad’s impact. City officials are considering other billboard firms for the campaign.
The federally funded, $20,000 campaign aims to encourage young gay men to take HIV and other STDs more seriously. “They’re not seeing the deaths and the illness,” said Porter. “Yes, it is something that is more manageable, but it’s not something that you want to have to manage.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Columbus Public Health (CPH) Prevention Services Manager Makeda Porter’s goal was to be forthright but not preachy. Porter and colleagues convened focus groups that polled young men - blacks in particular.
Focus group participants voiced wanting a “message that was direct, positive, not scary, and succinct,” said Porter. In 2009, 67 percent of new HIV cases were among 13- to 24-year-old black men who have sex with men.
Campaign billboards will debut next month near downtown Columbus. Coasters in bars will carry similar images, while a website will provide information on STD testing, condom use, and local resources. Business cards will be circulated to promote safe sex education and HIV testing.
The ads, which have appeared in Outlook magazine, are set for radio and social media outlet distribution, including Facebook.
Porter notes, however, that Clear Channel has opposed a billboard on 4th Street in Italian Village. “The arrow is the issue,” said company spokesman Jim Cullinan. “Families and kids will see that. We just have to look for a level of appropriateness.” Clear Channel agreed to run the ad without the arrow, but CPH spokesman José Rodriguez maintains that would diminish the ad’s impact. City officials are considering other billboard firms for the campaign.
The federally funded, $20,000 campaign aims to encourage young gay men to take HIV and other STDs more seriously. “They’re not seeing the deaths and the illness,” said Porter. “Yes, it is something that is more manageable, but it’s not something that you want to have to manage.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
State, US Teen Pregnancy Rates Slide: Contraception Use, Less Sexual Activity Credited
In Alabama and across the United States, teen pregnancy rates have dropped sharply since peaking in the early 1990s. According to a recent report from the Guttmacher Institute, there were 67.8 births per 1,000 US females ages 15-19 in 2008, the lowest level recorded in almost 40 years. Experts cite various factors for the decline.
A 2007 study by public health researcher Dr. John Santelli said three-quarters of the decline in pregnancy risk among girls 15-17 resulted from improvements in contraceptive use, including the use of multiple methods. About one-quarter of the decline is credited to a drop in sexual activity among teens.
But Alabama and the South still trail the rest of the nation in the sexual health of young people, says a new study by the Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) Center for Demographic Research. It recommends that the goals of sex education include delaying sexual activity; reducing the frequency of sexual activity; reducing the number of partners and/or increasing use of condoms and other contraceptives.
“The good news is a majority of people are in support of teaching age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education in schools,” said Yanyi Djamba, a report co-author and AUM center director.
Dr. Tom Miller, deputy director for medical affairs at the Alabama Department of Public Health, said he advocates for the use of condoms in addition to other contraception, since hormonal contraception alone will not protect against HIV or other STDs.
“We counsel teens on the importance of abstinence until they are ready to make decisions,” said Miller, who was formerly a practicing obstetrician. “We’re not promoting sexual activity in teens. But for those involved in sexual activity, it is equally important to know methods of contraception.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
A 2007 study by public health researcher Dr. John Santelli said three-quarters of the decline in pregnancy risk among girls 15-17 resulted from improvements in contraceptive use, including the use of multiple methods. About one-quarter of the decline is credited to a drop in sexual activity among teens.
But Alabama and the South still trail the rest of the nation in the sexual health of young people, says a new study by the Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) Center for Demographic Research. It recommends that the goals of sex education include delaying sexual activity; reducing the frequency of sexual activity; reducing the number of partners and/or increasing use of condoms and other contraceptives.
“The good news is a majority of people are in support of teaching age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education in schools,” said Yanyi Djamba, a report co-author and AUM center director.
Dr. Tom Miller, deputy director for medical affairs at the Alabama Department of Public Health, said he advocates for the use of condoms in addition to other contraception, since hormonal contraception alone will not protect against HIV or other STDs.
“We counsel teens on the importance of abstinence until they are ready to make decisions,” said Miller, who was formerly a practicing obstetrician. “We’re not promoting sexual activity in teens. But for those involved in sexual activity, it is equally important to know methods of contraception.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Mound Bayou Schools Selects Sex Education Program
The Mound Bayou School Board has chosen an abstinence-plus policy for sex education class starting this fall, according to the Bolivar Commercial newspaper.
Parents will choose whether their children attend the classes, which will be taught in high schools. Students will be separated by gender.
Mississippi state law gives school boards until June 30 to decide whether they will adopt an abstinence-only or abstinence-plus curriculum approved by the state Department of Education.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Parents will choose whether their children attend the classes, which will be taught in high schools. Students will be separated by gender.
Mississippi state law gives school boards until June 30 to decide whether they will adopt an abstinence-only or abstinence-plus curriculum approved by the state Department of Education.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Leflore Decides on Sex Education Program
According to a report in the Greenwood Commonwealth, the Leflore County School Board has adopted an abstinence-plus policy for sex education classes beginning in the fall.
Under a state law, schools in Mississippi have until June 30 to specify whether they will use an abstinence-only or abstinence-plus curriculum in the 2012-13 academic year.
The Greenwood School Board will vote on a policy in April.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Under a state law, schools in Mississippi have until June 30 to specify whether they will use an abstinence-only or abstinence-plus curriculum in the 2012-13 academic year.
The Greenwood School Board will vote on a policy in April.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Indiana Planned Parenthood to Offer Free STD Tests
As part of the “Get Yourself Tested” campaign and National STD Awareness Month, Planned Parenthood will offer free STD screenings at 19 locations across Indiana during April.
The free tests will be available during the first week of the month and on Fridays through April 27.
In addition to multiple sites in Indianapolis, the tests will be conducted at Planned Parenthood centers in Avon, Bloomington, Columbus, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Hammond, Lafayette, Madison, Merrillville, Mishawaka, Muncie, Richmond, Terre Haute, Valparaiso, and Warsaw.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The free tests will be available during the first week of the month and on Fridays through April 27.
In addition to multiple sites in Indianapolis, the tests will be conducted at Planned Parenthood centers in Avon, Bloomington, Columbus, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Hammond, Lafayette, Madison, Merrillville, Mishawaka, Muncie, Richmond, Terre Haute, Valparaiso, and Warsaw.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Georgia Department of Public Health Gets New HIV Adviser
Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald has announced that Dr. Melanie Thompson is joining the Georgia Department of Public Health as a special adviser for HIV, STDs, viral hepatitis, and TB.
"I have asked Dr. Thompson to convene an Advisory Council that will bring together individuals from affected communities, community-based organizations, academia, and other stakeholders to provide DPH with the best possible input to inform our programs and policies,” Fitzgerald said.
In addition to her work as principal investigator at the AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta, Thompson serves on the International AIDS Society-USA Antiretroviral Guidelines Panel and the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care Guidelines Panel on Entry into and Retention in Care and Antiretroviral Adherence. HIV activists have complained about internal struggles at GDPH as well as delays in distributing funding to help clients.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
"I have asked Dr. Thompson to convene an Advisory Council that will bring together individuals from affected communities, community-based organizations, academia, and other stakeholders to provide DPH with the best possible input to inform our programs and policies,” Fitzgerald said.
In addition to her work as principal investigator at the AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta, Thompson serves on the International AIDS Society-USA Antiretroviral Guidelines Panel and the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care Guidelines Panel on Entry into and Retention in Care and Antiretroviral Adherence. HIV activists have complained about internal struggles at GDPH as well as delays in distributing funding to help clients.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
18-Wheeler Delivers Safe-Sex Message
Baton Rouge is among the stops on AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s “Condom Nation Tour” of 25 states hard-hit by the disease. On Wednesday, an 18-wheeler stocked with condoms and HIV testing kits will roll up to Southern University for the Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Summit.
The visit to Baton Rouge is being sponsored by Aspirations, a local nonprofit that works with youth. The goal of Wednesday’s event is to raise awareness of risky behaviors and the importance of getting tested for HIV, said Joyce Turner Keller, a minister and a grandmother who founded Aspirations following her AIDS diagnosis at age 52. Keller said she waited six years to get tested after being raped; she hopes young women will learn from her experience.
Metro council member Ronnie Edwards will give a talk at the summit and appear with the 18-wheeler at other locations in Baton Rouge. “It’s a sensitive issue, but Baton Rouge has been in the top three areas for AIDS cases for years now, and there must not be enough of an effort to diminish this disease,” she said. “At this point, I feel like we need to intervene by any means necessary.”
For more information on the tour’s local stops, telephone Keller at 225-288-8161.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The visit to Baton Rouge is being sponsored by Aspirations, a local nonprofit that works with youth. The goal of Wednesday’s event is to raise awareness of risky behaviors and the importance of getting tested for HIV, said Joyce Turner Keller, a minister and a grandmother who founded Aspirations following her AIDS diagnosis at age 52. Keller said she waited six years to get tested after being raped; she hopes young women will learn from her experience.
Metro council member Ronnie Edwards will give a talk at the summit and appear with the 18-wheeler at other locations in Baton Rouge. “It’s a sensitive issue, but Baton Rouge has been in the top three areas for AIDS cases for years now, and there must not be enough of an effort to diminish this disease,” she said. “At this point, I feel like we need to intervene by any means necessary.”
For more information on the tour’s local stops, telephone Keller at 225-288-8161.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Living with HIV, Dying in Denial
Despite the broad availability of HIV treatment in Canada, stigma, shame, and denial remain barriers to proper treatment and care, physicians and advocates say. People who know they have HIV and still do not seek treatment increase their risk of transmitting the virus as well as dying prematurely.
“They don’t want to look themselves in the mirror and say ‘I’m HIV-positive,’” said Dr. Anne Stewart, a family doctor and medical director of Casey House, an HIV/AIDS palliative care hospital in Toronto. “So they don’t test, don’t get treatment, avoid dealing, and they’ll come to you 10 years into their disease with complications of AIDS which, in this day and age, is a travesty.”
It is not known how many who test HIV-positive do not seek treatment. However, a 2011 Ontario study found one in 10 men and one in 14 women had not sought viral-load testing within a year of their new diagnosis. Earlier this month, a US study found one in four people with HIV do not stay in care.
“I was in a great state of hiding,” Todd Glanville said of his HIV diagnosis 28 years ago and progression to AIDS. “Shame and guilt run rampant around the whole issue,” he said, sitting in a quiet room in Casey House. “It is such a traumatic diagnosis that people can’t and don’t and won’t face it. It’s easier at the time to ignore it and pretend it’s not there.”
To help patients stay in care, recently published recommendations by international experts suggest assigning newly diagnosed patients a “navigator” to guide them through the health care system, as well as a nurse or case manager for follow-up; providing one-on-one counseling; and using automated devices to alert doctors when patients drop out of care for six months or longer.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
“They don’t want to look themselves in the mirror and say ‘I’m HIV-positive,’” said Dr. Anne Stewart, a family doctor and medical director of Casey House, an HIV/AIDS palliative care hospital in Toronto. “So they don’t test, don’t get treatment, avoid dealing, and they’ll come to you 10 years into their disease with complications of AIDS which, in this day and age, is a travesty.”
It is not known how many who test HIV-positive do not seek treatment. However, a 2011 Ontario study found one in 10 men and one in 14 women had not sought viral-load testing within a year of their new diagnosis. Earlier this month, a US study found one in four people with HIV do not stay in care.
“I was in a great state of hiding,” Todd Glanville said of his HIV diagnosis 28 years ago and progression to AIDS. “Shame and guilt run rampant around the whole issue,” he said, sitting in a quiet room in Casey House. “It is such a traumatic diagnosis that people can’t and don’t and won’t face it. It’s easier at the time to ignore it and pretend it’s not there.”
To help patients stay in care, recently published recommendations by international experts suggest assigning newly diagnosed patients a “navigator” to guide them through the health care system, as well as a nurse or case manager for follow-up; providing one-on-one counseling; and using automated devices to alert doctors when patients drop out of care for six months or longer.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Condom Use Rises Among Teens and Young Adults: Statistics Canada
Reported condom use among sexually active Canadians ages 15-24 rose from 62 percent in 2003 to 68 percent in 2009-10, Statistics Canada said recently. In the 2009-10 Canadian Community Health Survey, two-thirds of respondents ages 15-24 reported having had sex at least once, which was not a significant change from the 2003 survey.
Sexual activity was reported by 30 percent of those ages 15-17; 68 percent by ages 18-19; and 86 percent of those ages 20-24. No significant change from 2003 was found for those reporting first sex before age 15 (9 percent) or those reporting first sex at ages 15-16 (about 25 percent).
Condom use declined with age, from 80 percent among ages 15-18 to 63 percent for those ages 20-24.
The decline in usage may have to do with how condoms are viewed, said Dr. Ashley Waddington, an OB/GYN at Queens University in Kingston. Younger age groups tend to rely on condoms for birth control, while Canadians moving through their 20s tend to form longer-term, more-committed relationships and use other forms of birth control, she said. In more stable relationships, young adults do not perceive unprotected sex as still being an STD risk factor, agreed Sarah Flicker, an adolescent and sexual/reproductive health expert at York University in Toronto.
“One of the things we should be doing is teaching our kids and young adults that it’s really important to think about using birth control and condoms,” Flicker said. “That’s the best way to both prevent pregnancy and [STIs] to keep them safe.”
“You could be with them for six months already, but they could be carrying something that they’ve had previously and be asymptomatic,” said Waddington.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Sexual activity was reported by 30 percent of those ages 15-17; 68 percent by ages 18-19; and 86 percent of those ages 20-24. No significant change from 2003 was found for those reporting first sex before age 15 (9 percent) or those reporting first sex at ages 15-16 (about 25 percent).
Condom use declined with age, from 80 percent among ages 15-18 to 63 percent for those ages 20-24.
The decline in usage may have to do with how condoms are viewed, said Dr. Ashley Waddington, an OB/GYN at Queens University in Kingston. Younger age groups tend to rely on condoms for birth control, while Canadians moving through their 20s tend to form longer-term, more-committed relationships and use other forms of birth control, she said. In more stable relationships, young adults do not perceive unprotected sex as still being an STD risk factor, agreed Sarah Flicker, an adolescent and sexual/reproductive health expert at York University in Toronto.
“One of the things we should be doing is teaching our kids and young adults that it’s really important to think about using birth control and condoms,” Flicker said. “That’s the best way to both prevent pregnancy and [STIs] to keep them safe.”
“You could be with them for six months already, but they could be carrying something that they’ve had previously and be asymptomatic,” said Waddington.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
HIV/AIDS Still Rising in South Florida
Year-end data from the state Department of Health show a continued rise in HIV/AIDS in South Florida. While revised federal counting methods instituted last year have artificially inflated some of the increases, officials say the new figures still highlight an ongoing epidemic.
New HIV cases rose by 21 percent statewide, and about half the diagnoses were made in gay and bisexual men. New HIV cases increased 25 percent in Broward County and 30 percent in Palm Beach County, while new AIDS cases there rose by 6 percent and 8 percent, respectively, according to state data.
The 1,040 new HIV cases logged by Broward County last year represent an infection rate of 59 cases per 100,000 residents, up from around 55 in 2010. The county’s distinction as having the nation’s highest infection rate since 2008 has attracted the attention of CDC officials, who have begun planning a major anti-AIDS initiative with local officials.
Palm Beach County in 2011 recorded 407 new HIV cases, for a rate of 30.7 per 100,000. “I think it’s leveling off, and hopefully it’s going down in some of the heavily impacted groups like African Americans and Hispanics,” said Dr. Mitchell Durant, the county’s HIV/AIDS program supervisor.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
New HIV cases rose by 21 percent statewide, and about half the diagnoses were made in gay and bisexual men. New HIV cases increased 25 percent in Broward County and 30 percent in Palm Beach County, while new AIDS cases there rose by 6 percent and 8 percent, respectively, according to state data.
The 1,040 new HIV cases logged by Broward County last year represent an infection rate of 59 cases per 100,000 residents, up from around 55 in 2010. The county’s distinction as having the nation’s highest infection rate since 2008 has attracted the attention of CDC officials, who have begun planning a major anti-AIDS initiative with local officials.
Palm Beach County in 2011 recorded 407 new HIV cases, for a rate of 30.7 per 100,000. “I think it’s leveling off, and hopefully it’s going down in some of the heavily impacted groups like African Americans and Hispanics,” said Dr. Mitchell Durant, the county’s HIV/AIDS program supervisor.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Increased Retention in HIV Programs Part of New Guidelines
An association of AIDS physicians recently issued new recommendations to help link HIV patients with care and boost treatment adherence.
“These guidelines are the foundation of an evolving blueprint that practitioners can use as a resource to improve entry into and retention in HIV care as well as adherence to HIV treatments,” said Dr. Melanie Thompson, International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) panel chair.
“Of those with HIV, 80 percent know their status; of those who know, only 70 percent are linked to care; and of those who are linked to care, only 60 percent are retained in care,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio of the Emory Center for AIDS Research. “Only slightly over a quarter are receiving what we would consider proper treatment.”
The high cost of treatment and the lack of insurance remain barriers for patients, said Jacqueline Muther, HIV policy and contracts manager for Atlanta-based Grady Health System. “This has been on the radar screen for quite a while,” she said, applauding the IAPAC’s guidelines. “The worst thing in the world is to put out something which is really good science, and good health, and not be able to provide the medication.”
Socioeconomic factors are among the top reasons people drop out of treatment programs, said del Rio. “Many of the populations that are suffering from the epidemic are poor,” he said. “It disproportionately affects the poor; it’s a disease of poverty ... for a lot of people with HIV in this country, HIV is not their highest priority. They have other priorities and that prevents them from staying in treatment.”
To access the recommendations, visit:
http://www.annals.org/content/early/2012/03/05/0003-4819-156-11-201206050-00419.full.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
“These guidelines are the foundation of an evolving blueprint that practitioners can use as a resource to improve entry into and retention in HIV care as well as adherence to HIV treatments,” said Dr. Melanie Thompson, International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) panel chair.
“Of those with HIV, 80 percent know their status; of those who know, only 70 percent are linked to care; and of those who are linked to care, only 60 percent are retained in care,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio of the Emory Center for AIDS Research. “Only slightly over a quarter are receiving what we would consider proper treatment.”
The high cost of treatment and the lack of insurance remain barriers for patients, said Jacqueline Muther, HIV policy and contracts manager for Atlanta-based Grady Health System. “This has been on the radar screen for quite a while,” she said, applauding the IAPAC’s guidelines. “The worst thing in the world is to put out something which is really good science, and good health, and not be able to provide the medication.”
Socioeconomic factors are among the top reasons people drop out of treatment programs, said del Rio. “Many of the populations that are suffering from the epidemic are poor,” he said. “It disproportionately affects the poor; it’s a disease of poverty ... for a lot of people with HIV in this country, HIV is not their highest priority. They have other priorities and that prevents them from staying in treatment.”
To access the recommendations, visit:
http://www.annals.org/content/early/2012/03/05/0003-4819-156-11-201206050-00419.full.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Study Cites Health, Cost Benefits of D.C. Female Condom Program
A female condom promotion campaign in the District of Columbia averted 23 HIV infections in its first year, saving millions of dollars in future care costs, a new study suggests.
In 2010, the District and community organizations began promoting the second-generation female condom (FC2) in areas with high HIV rates. A $500,000 grant from the MAC AIDS Fund, a philanthropic arm of MAC Cosmetics, helped the District purchase FC2s at wholesale. The project trained peer educators, including hairstylists, to encourage women to talk comfortably about sexual health. Through beauty salons, small grocers, community clinics, and other venues, the District distributed 200,000 free female condoms in the program’s first year.
The researchers assumed about 65 percent of the condoms, or 130,000, were actually used during sex. Factoring-in area HIV prevalence and STD rates, the study weighed the risk of HIV infection and the preventive efficacy of female condoms. At least 3 percent of District residents have HIV/AIDS.
Given the lifetime medical cost of HIV, estimated at $367,134 per infected person, and the effort’s first-year cost of $414,186, the 23 HIV infections prevented represented more than $8 million in savings, the study found. The District plans to distribute 250,000-300,000 female condoms annually.
“When we think about what it means for a city or state to have a comprehensive HIV program, this study really says you ought to include female condoms as one element of a comprehensive program because it’s acceptable, effective, and cost-saving,” said David Holtgrave, a study co-author with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. For some women with HIV, “They’re saying, ‘I can have sex again,’” said Greg Pappas, co-author and senior deputy director with the D.C. Department of Health.
The study, “Cost-Utility Analysis of a Female Condom Promotion Program in Washington, DC,” was published early online by AIDS and Behavior (2012;doi:10.1007/s10461-012-0174-5).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
In 2010, the District and community organizations began promoting the second-generation female condom (FC2) in areas with high HIV rates. A $500,000 grant from the MAC AIDS Fund, a philanthropic arm of MAC Cosmetics, helped the District purchase FC2s at wholesale. The project trained peer educators, including hairstylists, to encourage women to talk comfortably about sexual health. Through beauty salons, small grocers, community clinics, and other venues, the District distributed 200,000 free female condoms in the program’s first year.
The researchers assumed about 65 percent of the condoms, or 130,000, were actually used during sex. Factoring-in area HIV prevalence and STD rates, the study weighed the risk of HIV infection and the preventive efficacy of female condoms. At least 3 percent of District residents have HIV/AIDS.
Given the lifetime medical cost of HIV, estimated at $367,134 per infected person, and the effort’s first-year cost of $414,186, the 23 HIV infections prevented represented more than $8 million in savings, the study found. The District plans to distribute 250,000-300,000 female condoms annually.
“When we think about what it means for a city or state to have a comprehensive HIV program, this study really says you ought to include female condoms as one element of a comprehensive program because it’s acceptable, effective, and cost-saving,” said David Holtgrave, a study co-author with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. For some women with HIV, “They’re saying, ‘I can have sex again,’” said Greg Pappas, co-author and senior deputy director with the D.C. Department of Health.
The study, “Cost-Utility Analysis of a Female Condom Promotion Program in Washington, DC,” was published early online by AIDS and Behavior (2012;doi:10.1007/s10461-012-0174-5).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Just Cap It: HIV/AIDS in South Africa
Annual new cases of HIV/AIDS in South Africa have fallen by half since 1999, and a new study credits this improvement largely to a dramatic rise in condom use.
The proportion of South African men ages 16-24 who reported condom use during their last sexual encounter increased from 20 percent in 1999 to 75 percent in 2009, according to the study. While acknowledging the contribution of improved access to antiretroviral treatment, the authors cited increased condom use as the “most significant factor” in reducing new infections.
South Africa comprises 0.7 percent of the global population but 17 percent of all people with HIV/AIDS. Nearly 6 million people among the country’s population of 50 million live with HIV/AIDS. Approximately 2.8 million South Africans have died prematurely due to the disease, and more than 1 million children have lost their mother to HIV/AIDS. During the height of the epidemic in 2005, more than 700 South Africans died of AIDS daily, many in their prime.
The proportion of South Africans ages 15-49 who are HIV-positive, 17 percent, is more than triple the rate for all sub-Saharan Africa, while worldwide adult prevalence is 0.8 percent. Although antiretrovirals were not made available publicly until 2004, in excess of 1.5 million South Africans now receive them, helping boost life expectancy from 54 years in 2005 to 58 years in 2010.
The study, “The Effect of Changes in Condom Usage and Antiretroviral Treatment Coverage on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Incidence in South Africa: A Model-Based Analysis,” was published early online in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface (2012;doi:10.1098/rsif.2011.0826).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The proportion of South African men ages 16-24 who reported condom use during their last sexual encounter increased from 20 percent in 1999 to 75 percent in 2009, according to the study. While acknowledging the contribution of improved access to antiretroviral treatment, the authors cited increased condom use as the “most significant factor” in reducing new infections.
South Africa comprises 0.7 percent of the global population but 17 percent of all people with HIV/AIDS. Nearly 6 million people among the country’s population of 50 million live with HIV/AIDS. Approximately 2.8 million South Africans have died prematurely due to the disease, and more than 1 million children have lost their mother to HIV/AIDS. During the height of the epidemic in 2005, more than 700 South Africans died of AIDS daily, many in their prime.
The proportion of South Africans ages 15-49 who are HIV-positive, 17 percent, is more than triple the rate for all sub-Saharan Africa, while worldwide adult prevalence is 0.8 percent. Although antiretrovirals were not made available publicly until 2004, in excess of 1.5 million South Africans now receive them, helping boost life expectancy from 54 years in 2005 to 58 years in 2010.
The study, “The Effect of Changes in Condom Usage and Antiretroviral Treatment Coverage on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Incidence in South Africa: A Model-Based Analysis,” was published early online in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface (2012;doi:10.1098/rsif.2011.0826).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Tennessee Legislators Discuss 'Risk Avoidance' Abstinence Plan
A state House subcommittee on Wednesday approved a bill that would require sex education to focus on abstinence, avoiding sex until marriage, and discouraging “gateway sexual activity” short of intercourse. The measure, HB 3621, also would make it harder for the state Board of Education (BOE) to make changes to Tennessee’s sex education program.
Under HB 3621, curricula would have to focus on risk avoidance rather than reducing the risk of STDs and pregnancy. Parents would be authorized to seek damages if presenters brought in from outside the school system encouraged students to go beyond abstinence and the abstinence education law. Courts could assess damages, attorney’s fees, and a $500 fine for each pupil if the parents won their case. Regular teachers would be exempt.
The bill would make it harder for school districts to tap outside experts for presentations, but otherwise it would not materially change what is taught, said Gary Nixon, BOE’s executive director. Currently, students are not taught anything about sexual intercourse until ninth grade.
The bill’s intent is to bring clarity to the definition of abstinence in the state’s 1989 sex education law, said Rep. Jim Gotto (R-Hermitage). “There are practically no guidelines in there,” he said. “There are situations where the program that is being taught is not abstinence-centered, and the reason for that is the lack of definition in the law.”
Two years ago, some parents of students at Hillsboro High School in Nashville criticized a lesson that demonstrated proper condom use with a plastic model. Last year, controversy over a Planned Parenthood-led presentation in Knox County Public Schools led outside instruction to be discontinued.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Under HB 3621, curricula would have to focus on risk avoidance rather than reducing the risk of STDs and pregnancy. Parents would be authorized to seek damages if presenters brought in from outside the school system encouraged students to go beyond abstinence and the abstinence education law. Courts could assess damages, attorney’s fees, and a $500 fine for each pupil if the parents won their case. Regular teachers would be exempt.
The bill would make it harder for school districts to tap outside experts for presentations, but otherwise it would not materially change what is taught, said Gary Nixon, BOE’s executive director. Currently, students are not taught anything about sexual intercourse until ninth grade.
The bill’s intent is to bring clarity to the definition of abstinence in the state’s 1989 sex education law, said Rep. Jim Gotto (R-Hermitage). “There are practically no guidelines in there,” he said. “There are situations where the program that is being taught is not abstinence-centered, and the reason for that is the lack of definition in the law.”
Two years ago, some parents of students at Hillsboro High School in Nashville criticized a lesson that demonstrated proper condom use with a plastic model. Last year, controversy over a Planned Parenthood-led presentation in Knox County Public Schools led outside instruction to be discontinued.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Whitman-Walker Posts $2.6 Million Surplus
Washington, D.C.-based Whitman-Walker Health has announced a 2011 budget surplus of $2.6 million. This is the second consecutive year the center, 20 percent of whose patients are HIV-positive, has realized a surplus.
Whitman-Walker’s patient roster has doubled since it began the process of becoming a primary care community health center in 2006. It served 15,515 patients in 2011, a 20 percent increase over 2010 statistics.
In 2006, Whitman-Walker was in financial arrears. Its board and community proponents credit Executive Director Don Blanchon with refocusing its direction.
“We can attribute our financial success to three factors,” Blanchon said. “First, more patient care produced higher revenues, largely from third-party health insurance payments and prescription drug sales. Second, our fundraising efforts exceeded our projections for the first time in at least five years. Third, our new operating culture emphasizes the importance of living within our means.”
Blanchon notes Whitman-Walker’s patient roster encompasses a diverse representation of residents from all eight of the city’s wards:
*68 percent male; 29 percent female; 3 percent transgender (up 185 percent since 2006)
*50 percent self-identified as LGB (up 77 percent since 2006); 50 percent self-identified as heterosexual
*48 percent black; 37 percent white; 15 percent “other or unknown”; 14 percent Hispanic
*4 percent below age 21; 33 percent ages 21-30; 25 percent ages 31-40; 20 percent ages 41-50; 13 percent ages 51-60; 5 percent above age 60
Whitman-Walker’s IRS documents (excluding pharmacy income, per IRS filing requirements) report a 2009 deficit of $660,567, and a 2010 surplus of $1.1 million. The center used the 2011 surplus to eliminate its outstanding credit debt and reduce its accounts payable.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Whitman-Walker’s patient roster has doubled since it began the process of becoming a primary care community health center in 2006. It served 15,515 patients in 2011, a 20 percent increase over 2010 statistics.
In 2006, Whitman-Walker was in financial arrears. Its board and community proponents credit Executive Director Don Blanchon with refocusing its direction.
“We can attribute our financial success to three factors,” Blanchon said. “First, more patient care produced higher revenues, largely from third-party health insurance payments and prescription drug sales. Second, our fundraising efforts exceeded our projections for the first time in at least five years. Third, our new operating culture emphasizes the importance of living within our means.”
Blanchon notes Whitman-Walker’s patient roster encompasses a diverse representation of residents from all eight of the city’s wards:
*68 percent male; 29 percent female; 3 percent transgender (up 185 percent since 2006)
*50 percent self-identified as LGB (up 77 percent since 2006); 50 percent self-identified as heterosexual
*48 percent black; 37 percent white; 15 percent “other or unknown”; 14 percent Hispanic
*4 percent below age 21; 33 percent ages 21-30; 25 percent ages 31-40; 20 percent ages 41-50; 13 percent ages 51-60; 5 percent above age 60
Whitman-Walker’s IRS documents (excluding pharmacy income, per IRS filing requirements) report a 2009 deficit of $660,567, and a 2010 surplus of $1.1 million. The center used the 2011 surplus to eliminate its outstanding credit debt and reduce its accounts payable.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
So Much for Education! How Women's Condom Use Drops During First Year of College
Women’s declining condom use during their freshman year at college may be connected to instability in their grades and alcohol consumption, reports a new study.
The study, involving 279 freshman women at Boston’s Northeastern University, found that those with lower grade point averages (GPAs), and a tendency to binge drink more often, reported up to a 10 percent decrease in condom use.
“College women often engage in serial monogamy, resulting in multiple partners during the college years, and they are often unaware of their partners’ risk,” said study leader Jennifer Walsh, a researcher at Rhode Island’s Miriam Hospital Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine. “This makes continued condom use important for women’s health.”
To assess the behavioral health of college freshmen for the National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, researchers questioned the students monthly on their condom use. Usage was measured on a five-point scale from “never” to “always.” Additional information was gathered on students’ socioeconomic status, substance use, and GPAs.
The data demonstrated a shift in condom use - irrespective of how diligently the students started off. Birth control pills also were shown to contribute to lowered condom use, even though they do not guard against STDs.
The report found Caucasian women and those with fewer sexual partners were more apt to use condoms from the beginning than African-American women and women with multiple sex partners. Some women who believed alcohol led to unsafe sex still were generally less likely to use condoms.
The study, “Changes in Women’s Condom Use over the First Year of College,” was published online in the Journal of Sex Research (2012;doi:10.1080/00224499.2011.642024).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The study, involving 279 freshman women at Boston’s Northeastern University, found that those with lower grade point averages (GPAs), and a tendency to binge drink more often, reported up to a 10 percent decrease in condom use.
“College women often engage in serial monogamy, resulting in multiple partners during the college years, and they are often unaware of their partners’ risk,” said study leader Jennifer Walsh, a researcher at Rhode Island’s Miriam Hospital Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine. “This makes continued condom use important for women’s health.”
To assess the behavioral health of college freshmen for the National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, researchers questioned the students monthly on their condom use. Usage was measured on a five-point scale from “never” to “always.” Additional information was gathered on students’ socioeconomic status, substance use, and GPAs.
The data demonstrated a shift in condom use - irrespective of how diligently the students started off. Birth control pills also were shown to contribute to lowered condom use, even though they do not guard against STDs.
The report found Caucasian women and those with fewer sexual partners were more apt to use condoms from the beginning than African-American women and women with multiple sex partners. Some women who believed alcohol led to unsafe sex still were generally less likely to use condoms.
The study, “Changes in Women’s Condom Use over the First Year of College,” was published online in the Journal of Sex Research (2012;doi:10.1080/00224499.2011.642024).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
GLBT History Museum Exhibit Focuses on History of AIDS Activism
A new exhibition at San Francisco’s GLBT History Museum, "Life and Death in Black and White: AIDS Direct Action in San Francisco, 1985-1990," features the work of five queer photographers who documented the emergence of militant AIDS activism in San Francisco through the medium of black-and-white film. “With sharp focus and deep compassion, they turned their lenses on their own community, capturing sorrow and outrage, courage and wit, a fierce will to live and a deep commitment to honor the dying and remember the dead,” said the museum’s March 19 press release.
The exhibition features the work of Jane Philomen Cleland, Patrick Clifton, Marc Geller, Rick Gerharter, and Daniel Nicoletta. Some of their images of AIDS activism have become iconic; others have never before been publicly displayed. All of them portray civil disobedience as a response to discrimination, indifference, and official neglect in the face of a fatal epidemic.
"Life and Death in Black and White" is curated by historians Gerard Koskovich, Don Romesburg, and Amy Sueyoshi. The exhibition will be open March 5 through July 1, in the front gallery of The GLBT History Museum at 4127 18th St. in San Francisco.
Admission to the exhibition and the reception is included in the price of museum tickets: $5.00 (general); $3.00 (California students with ID); free for members. The museum is open Monday and Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 5 p.m.; closed Tuesday.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The exhibition features the work of Jane Philomen Cleland, Patrick Clifton, Marc Geller, Rick Gerharter, and Daniel Nicoletta. Some of their images of AIDS activism have become iconic; others have never before been publicly displayed. All of them portray civil disobedience as a response to discrimination, indifference, and official neglect in the face of a fatal epidemic.
"Life and Death in Black and White" is curated by historians Gerard Koskovich, Don Romesburg, and Amy Sueyoshi. The exhibition will be open March 5 through July 1, in the front gallery of The GLBT History Museum at 4127 18th St. in San Francisco.
Admission to the exhibition and the reception is included in the price of museum tickets: $5.00 (general); $3.00 (California students with ID); free for members. The museum is open Monday and Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 5 p.m.; closed Tuesday.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
FDA Hearing on Truvada for PrEP Set for May 10
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced an upcoming meeting of its Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee on May 10, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (EST) The meeting will be held at the FDA White Oak Campus in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The committee will discuss an efficacy supplement for Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir) submitted by Gilead Sciences, Inc. The supplemental application proposes an indication for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV–1 infection.
Data, information, or views can be presented by individuals orally at the meeting, or in writing. Anyone interested in making formal oral presentations should notify Yvette Waples at (301) 796-9001, FAX: (301) 847-8533, or email AVAC@fda.hhs.gov. Submission of a brief statement of the general nature of the evidence or arguments to be presented, the names and addresses of proposed participants, and an indication of the approximate time requested to make the presentation must be made on or before April 18. People making submissions will be notified by April 19 regarding their request to speak.
The docket number for public comment is FDA–2012–N–0218, which opened on March 14 and will close on May 17. Either electronic or written comments regarding this meeting may be submitted. Submit electronic comments at: http://www.regulations.gov/?source=govdelivery#!home.
Submit written comments to:
Division of Dockets Management (HFA–305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061
Rockville, MD 20852.
Please identify comments with the docket number. Be aware that comments received will be posted without change, including any personal information provided. All electronic and written comments submitted to the Docket on or before April 26 will be provided to the committee.
For up-to-date information on this meeting, please call the FDA Advisory Committee Information Line, (800) 741-8138, (301) 443-0572 in the Washington, DC area. You should always check the FDA website for any changes and/or call the appropriate advisory committee hotline/phone line to learn about possible modifications before coming to the meeting.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The committee will discuss an efficacy supplement for Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir) submitted by Gilead Sciences, Inc. The supplemental application proposes an indication for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV–1 infection.
Data, information, or views can be presented by individuals orally at the meeting, or in writing. Anyone interested in making formal oral presentations should notify Yvette Waples at (301) 796-9001, FAX: (301) 847-8533, or email AVAC@fda.hhs.gov. Submission of a brief statement of the general nature of the evidence or arguments to be presented, the names and addresses of proposed participants, and an indication of the approximate time requested to make the presentation must be made on or before April 18. People making submissions will be notified by April 19 regarding their request to speak.
The docket number for public comment is FDA–2012–N–0218, which opened on March 14 and will close on May 17. Either electronic or written comments regarding this meeting may be submitted. Submit electronic comments at: http://www.regulations.gov/?source=govdelivery#!home.
Submit written comments to:
Division of Dockets Management (HFA–305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061
Rockville, MD 20852.
Please identify comments with the docket number. Be aware that comments received will be posted without change, including any personal information provided. All electronic and written comments submitted to the Docket on or before April 26 will be provided to the committee.
For up-to-date information on this meeting, please call the FDA Advisory Committee Information Line, (800) 741-8138, (301) 443-0572 in the Washington, DC area. You should always check the FDA website for any changes and/or call the appropriate advisory committee hotline/phone line to learn about possible modifications before coming to the meeting.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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Merck Forms Non-Profit Research Institute
Pharmaceutical giant Merck announced last week that it would create a non-profit research entity called the California Institute for Biomedical Research (Calibr). The institute aims to hire about 150 scientists and will be headed by chemist and serial entrepreneur Peter Schultz of The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.
Pharmaceutical companies are eagerly entering into academic collaborations as a way to continue seeking new drug discoveries while trimming research and development (R&D) budgets. Merck has cut its R&D budget by over $600 million since 2009.
Calibr will allow Merck to tap into basic biomedical research while opening up drug-discovery tools to academics, says Peter Kim, Merck’s head of R&D. “There are scientists who would very much like to see whether or not they can utilize their discoveries to develop a drug, but they don’t have access to the medicinal chemistry or pharmacology tools they need,” he says.
Merck, meanwhile, will have the option of an exclusive license on any proteins or small-molecule therapeutics to emerge from the work. Calibr will be free to seek outside funding to develop projects that Merck decides not to license.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Pharmaceutical companies are eagerly entering into academic collaborations as a way to continue seeking new drug discoveries while trimming research and development (R&D) budgets. Merck has cut its R&D budget by over $600 million since 2009.
Calibr will allow Merck to tap into basic biomedical research while opening up drug-discovery tools to academics, says Peter Kim, Merck’s head of R&D. “There are scientists who would very much like to see whether or not they can utilize their discoveries to develop a drug, but they don’t have access to the medicinal chemistry or pharmacology tools they need,” he says.
Merck, meanwhile, will have the option of an exclusive license on any proteins or small-molecule therapeutics to emerge from the work. Calibr will be free to seek outside funding to develop projects that Merck decides not to license.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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Activists Arrested Protesting Federal Funding Ban on Syringe Exchange Programs
Dozens of AIDS and harm reduction activists were arrested after holding sit-in protests in four U.S. Senators’ offices. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), and Representatives Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Eric Cantor (R-VA) were targeted for their role in reinstating the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs last December. Activists entered the offices chanting and carrying signs that read “Syringe Exchange: A Fix for AIDS” before they were arrested.
This demonstration was just one of many that took place around the country on March 21 as a way to pressure Congress to remove the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange once and for all.
“Our government should be embarrassed as this year’s host of the International AIDS Conference to have snuck this into an unrelated bill under the cloak of night last December,” said Charles King, CEO of Housing Works, Inc. “The U.S. cannot be any shining example to the rest of the world on how to end the AIDS epidemic when we’re still fighting foolish policies that reject what we know works.”
Congress reinstated the ban as part of a spending bill it passed to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2012, which ends September 30, 2012. The ban on federal funding for syringe exchange was originally adopted in 1989 but had been lifted in 2009. Without any discussion or debate, the language was slipped into the spending bill by GOP Senators, and was not objected to.
An overwhelming consensus of research proves that providing clean syringes to injection drug users is a highly effective way to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, and is credited with reducing the rate of new HIV infections among injection drug users (IDUs) by 80%. Additional research shows that syringe exchange programs neither increase the number of injection drug users nor the long-term health care costs for the medical needs of people with HIV and/or hepatitis C.
The latest study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that while overall new HIV infections through intravenous drug use have fallen by half over the last decade, one-third of IDUs say they share needles. Ramping up funding for syringe exchange programs makes more sense now than ever.
Many of the groups participating in the action are organizing under the banner of the We Can End AIDS Coalition, which is planning a massive mobilization in D.C. on July 24th.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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Thursday, March 22, 2012
Mississippi School Board Looks at Abstinence-Only Policy
The school board in West Point is leaning toward an abstinence-only approach for sex education classes in the fall, according to Superintendent Burnell McDonald.
“We think this policy best reflects what the parents want their child to be taught in the schools,” McDonald said. “The abstinence-plus policy would be a lot more controversial because it deals with giving kids options after the fact, and we think our community would want us to teach strictly abstinence.”
The West Point School Board plans to adopt a policy in April, according to the Daily Times Leader. Under a state law, Mississippi schools have until June 30 to decide whether they will add abstinence-only or abstinence-plus classes into the curriculum beginning with the 2012-13 school year.
Students will be segregated by gender in the high school level classes; parents will decide whether or not their children participate.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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“We think this policy best reflects what the parents want their child to be taught in the schools,” McDonald said. “The abstinence-plus policy would be a lot more controversial because it deals with giving kids options after the fact, and we think our community would want us to teach strictly abstinence.”
The West Point School Board plans to adopt a policy in April, according to the Daily Times Leader. Under a state law, Mississippi schools have until June 30 to decide whether they will add abstinence-only or abstinence-plus classes into the curriculum beginning with the 2012-13 school year.
Students will be segregated by gender in the high school level classes; parents will decide whether or not their children participate.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Springfield Schools Approve Condom Policy
A policy that would make condoms available to students age 12 and older received initial approval by the Springfield School Committee on March 15.
The committee voted 5-1 in favor of the Comprehensive Reproductive Health Policy, which seeks to prevent STDs and pregnancy. The plan includes provisions for counseling students, and it permits parents “to deny permission (opt out) for access to condoms for their students.”
The Springfield Republican newspaper reported that Peter Murphy, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said he was uncomfortable about making condoms available to such young children. However, Mayor Domenic Sarno, who chairs the committee, called the vote “a smart move.” The decision will not be final until the policy is approved in a second vote.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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The committee voted 5-1 in favor of the Comprehensive Reproductive Health Policy, which seeks to prevent STDs and pregnancy. The plan includes provisions for counseling students, and it permits parents “to deny permission (opt out) for access to condoms for their students.”
The Springfield Republican newspaper reported that Peter Murphy, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said he was uncomfortable about making condoms available to such young children. However, Mayor Domenic Sarno, who chairs the committee, called the vote “a smart move.” The decision will not be final until the policy is approved in a second vote.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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Oakland Woman Helps Others with HIV by Confronting Stigma
At the Summit Medical Center’s East Bay AIDS Center in Oakland, Wellness Navigator Sylvia Britt seeks out HIV-positive women wherever they are to reconnect them to a regular medical provider. Through calls, hospital or home visits, Britt openly shares her story to encourage them to think not only of surviving, but thriving.
A recovered crack addict, Britt was diagnosed with HIV at 40 in 2003. She assumed she would be disabled, unemployed, and unlovable for the rest of her life. However, Britt said a team at Kaiser put her on the right medication, assuring her she would be fine. “And I believed them,” she said.
In 2004, one of Britt’s doctors recommended she become an advocate at Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Disease, a female-led HIV/AIDS foundation. Her advocacy became a full-time job, which she maintained until 2007, when she left to pursue her dream of attending Spelman College in Atlanta.
Britt joined the Summit staff in March 2011 after returning to Oakland to care for her mother and further her education at Mills College. Along her journey, she has educated other HIV-positive women through discussion groups or simply by accompanying them to appointments to ensure they get answers.
Recently named a National HIV Hero by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Britt encourages women that they can get treatment, rise above stigma, and even enjoy romance again. And though she is nervous about doing so, she is appearing in a documentary on the HIV fight by Oscar-winning director Cynthia Wade.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
A recovered crack addict, Britt was diagnosed with HIV at 40 in 2003. She assumed she would be disabled, unemployed, and unlovable for the rest of her life. However, Britt said a team at Kaiser put her on the right medication, assuring her she would be fine. “And I believed them,” she said.
In 2004, one of Britt’s doctors recommended she become an advocate at Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Disease, a female-led HIV/AIDS foundation. Her advocacy became a full-time job, which she maintained until 2007, when she left to pursue her dream of attending Spelman College in Atlanta.
Britt joined the Summit staff in March 2011 after returning to Oakland to care for her mother and further her education at Mills College. Along her journey, she has educated other HIV-positive women through discussion groups or simply by accompanying them to appointments to ensure they get answers.
Recently named a National HIV Hero by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Britt encourages women that they can get treatment, rise above stigma, and even enjoy romance again. And though she is nervous about doing so, she is appearing in a documentary on the HIV fight by Oscar-winning director Cynthia Wade.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
STD Awareness Among Tarrant County's Youths Is Lagging, Health Officials Report
Local STD cases have declined somewhat, although the infection rate among persons younger than 25 is rising, Tarrant County health officials announced Tuesday.
Mark Wilson, manager of the county’s adult health services programs, noted in his briefing to county commissioners that in 2011, 73 percent of the county’s 7,792 reported chlamydia cases involved people under 25. “That spells a problem,” said Wilson.
“The fear that lived in everyone for STDs and HIV back in the 1990s and early 2000s doesn’t exist today,” Wilson said. “We need to get them informed as quickly as possible.”
Health department efforts include increased outreach to youth via the Community Pride HIV/STD Prevention Education Program, which was established in November 2010 by County Commissioner Roy Brooks. Wilson said Community Pride trains leaders to deliver HIV/STD information in after-school programs and other venues where youths gather. Since the program’s inception, 150 such leaders have been trained.
“The Pride program is actually getting to that group we haven’t reached,” said Wilson. “And that’s getting the message out there.” Although optimistic moving forward, he acknowledges that realizing results “takes time.”
County health department statistics report a decline in chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases from 10,572 in 2010 to 10,270 in 2011. Meanwhile, total HIV/AIDS cases increased from 241 to 262.
“Overall for 2011, we’re in better shape than we were in 2010,” said Wilson. “In 2010, there was a spike in syphilis and HIV in both Dallas and Tarrant County and we worked really hard to bring that down to a level that’s not really acceptable, but we are better than we were.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Mark Wilson, manager of the county’s adult health services programs, noted in his briefing to county commissioners that in 2011, 73 percent of the county’s 7,792 reported chlamydia cases involved people under 25. “That spells a problem,” said Wilson.
“The fear that lived in everyone for STDs and HIV back in the 1990s and early 2000s doesn’t exist today,” Wilson said. “We need to get them informed as quickly as possible.”
Health department efforts include increased outreach to youth via the Community Pride HIV/STD Prevention Education Program, which was established in November 2010 by County Commissioner Roy Brooks. Wilson said Community Pride trains leaders to deliver HIV/STD information in after-school programs and other venues where youths gather. Since the program’s inception, 150 such leaders have been trained.
“The Pride program is actually getting to that group we haven’t reached,” said Wilson. “And that’s getting the message out there.” Although optimistic moving forward, he acknowledges that realizing results “takes time.”
County health department statistics report a decline in chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases from 10,572 in 2010 to 10,270 in 2011. Meanwhile, total HIV/AIDS cases increased from 241 to 262.
“Overall for 2011, we’re in better shape than we were in 2010,” said Wilson. “In 2010, there was a spike in syphilis and HIV in both Dallas and Tarrant County and we worked really hard to bring that down to a level that’s not really acceptable, but we are better than we were.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Texas Sues Obama Administration in Abortion Dispute
Texas filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration on Friday for ending federal funding to a state-federal program whose services include reproductive and sexual health screenings for 130,000 poor Texas women.
On March 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an end to federal funding for the state’s Medicaid Family Planning Demonstration Program. In making the decision, CMS cited a 2011 Texas law that would bar Medicaid funds for the Texas Women’s Health Program (TWHP) from going to clinics that also provide abortions. State Attorney General Greg Abbott filed the suit challenging the administration’s decision.
The state law required ending TWHP if the federal government would not agree to grant a waiver accommodating the legislation, which applies to clinics even if no state money goes to abortions. The law’s restriction of women’s choice of health care providers is not permitted under federal law, so the government had no choice but not to renew funding, CMS Director Cindy Mann has stated.
The attorney general’s suit asks that a judge affirm that Texas law can restrict funding from going to abortion providers. The suit says that in addition to being illegal, arbitrary, and capricious, the federal government’s decision “also violates the Constitution ... by seeking to commandeer and coerce the states’ lawmaking processes into awarding taxpayer subsidies to elective abortion providers.”
The federal government pays about 90 percent of the cost of TWHP. On March 16, Texas Gov. Rick Perry repeated his pledge to fund the services “with or without the federal government.”
The suit, filed with the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, is against US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and her agency, which includes CMS.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
On March 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an end to federal funding for the state’s Medicaid Family Planning Demonstration Program. In making the decision, CMS cited a 2011 Texas law that would bar Medicaid funds for the Texas Women’s Health Program (TWHP) from going to clinics that also provide abortions. State Attorney General Greg Abbott filed the suit challenging the administration’s decision.
The state law required ending TWHP if the federal government would not agree to grant a waiver accommodating the legislation, which applies to clinics even if no state money goes to abortions. The law’s restriction of women’s choice of health care providers is not permitted under federal law, so the government had no choice but not to renew funding, CMS Director Cindy Mann has stated.
The attorney general’s suit asks that a judge affirm that Texas law can restrict funding from going to abortion providers. The suit says that in addition to being illegal, arbitrary, and capricious, the federal government’s decision “also violates the Constitution ... by seeking to commandeer and coerce the states’ lawmaking processes into awarding taxpayer subsidies to elective abortion providers.”
The federal government pays about 90 percent of the cost of TWHP. On March 16, Texas Gov. Rick Perry repeated his pledge to fund the services “with or without the federal government.”
The suit, filed with the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, is against US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and her agency, which includes CMS.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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Report Details Teen Sex Concerns in South
Young people in the South have higher STD and teen pregnancy rates than their peers in other US regions, and the solution may be comprehensive sex education, according to a recent study by Auburn University-Montgomery’s Center for Demographic Research (AUM-CDR).
The study concentrated on 10 states — Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. AUM-CDR researchers estimated teen childbirth expenses in the region cost the local, state and federal government $2.3 billion in 2008.
“We knew that abstinence-only is not really working as much as we would like,” said principal investigator and AUM-CDR Director Yanyi Djamba. “It’s not a bad thing, it is just not working.” Parents, teachers, elected officials and youth should insist upon greater access to quality sex education in schools, Djamba said.
According to the report, upwards of 90 percent of parents are not against presenting evidence-based, age-appropriate sex education in schools. All 10 states were granted new federal support for adolescent sexual health and teen pregnancy prevention education encompassing abstinence, healthy relationships, contraception and STDs.
“We can’t afford not to address this as a medical profession,” said Dr. Bernard Eichold, head of the Mobile County Public Health Department. “It does not surprise me that young people are not going to make good decisions if they do not have good sources of information,” he said. “They need to know everything before they reach reproductive age.”
To view the report, “Sexual Health of Young People in the U.S. South: Challenges and Opportunities,” visit http://ms.foundation.org/resources/publications/sexual-health-of-young-people-in-the-u-s--south-challenges-and-opportunities.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The study concentrated on 10 states — Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. AUM-CDR researchers estimated teen childbirth expenses in the region cost the local, state and federal government $2.3 billion in 2008.
“We knew that abstinence-only is not really working as much as we would like,” said principal investigator and AUM-CDR Director Yanyi Djamba. “It’s not a bad thing, it is just not working.” Parents, teachers, elected officials and youth should insist upon greater access to quality sex education in schools, Djamba said.
According to the report, upwards of 90 percent of parents are not against presenting evidence-based, age-appropriate sex education in schools. All 10 states were granted new federal support for adolescent sexual health and teen pregnancy prevention education encompassing abstinence, healthy relationships, contraception and STDs.
“We can’t afford not to address this as a medical profession,” said Dr. Bernard Eichold, head of the Mobile County Public Health Department. “It does not surprise me that young people are not going to make good decisions if they do not have good sources of information,” he said. “They need to know everything before they reach reproductive age.”
To view the report, “Sexual Health of Young People in the U.S. South: Challenges and Opportunities,” visit http://ms.foundation.org/resources/publications/sexual-health-of-young-people-in-the-u-s--south-challenges-and-opportunities.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Cuts Hamper Bid to Tackle AIDS
At the recently concluded 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle, scientists and advocates expressed concern that austerity budgets are eroding the funding needed to prevent HIV globally.
Last month, Obama’s 2013 budget proposal requested a 10.8 percent cut to direct international HIV program aid under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Combined with previous cuts, that would represent a PEPFAR funding decline of more than $1 billion from the 2010 level. And in November, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria announced that a shortfall in donations would leave it unable to support new programs until 2014.
At the conference, data continued to bolster evidence that early antiretroviral treatment is a powerful HIV prevention tool. Last May, the HIV Prevention Trials Network’s HPTN 052 study found early treatment greatly helped to cut HIV transmission among serodiscordant couples. Final data on the Partners PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) trial found that HIV infection risk could be reduced by as much as 90 percent if the regimen is taken as prescribed.
However, developing countries may be unable to reap such benefits, given cuts to support existing treatment programs. Myanmar scaled back a plan to expand treatment access by 46,500 more patients after the Global Fund cancelled the funding round. The Democratic Republic of Congo is lowering its 2014 treatment target from 82,000 people to 54,000, and it has told some non-governmental organizations to stop HIV testing.
PEPFAR’s budget for next year is months from a decision. However, Doctors Without Borders is calling for an emergency Global Fund meeting to lobby for donations that would enable HIV grants to be issued before 2014. Gabriel Jaramillo, the fund’s general manager, supports the proposal.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Last month, Obama’s 2013 budget proposal requested a 10.8 percent cut to direct international HIV program aid under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Combined with previous cuts, that would represent a PEPFAR funding decline of more than $1 billion from the 2010 level. And in November, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria announced that a shortfall in donations would leave it unable to support new programs until 2014.
At the conference, data continued to bolster evidence that early antiretroviral treatment is a powerful HIV prevention tool. Last May, the HIV Prevention Trials Network’s HPTN 052 study found early treatment greatly helped to cut HIV transmission among serodiscordant couples. Final data on the Partners PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) trial found that HIV infection risk could be reduced by as much as 90 percent if the regimen is taken as prescribed.
However, developing countries may be unable to reap such benefits, given cuts to support existing treatment programs. Myanmar scaled back a plan to expand treatment access by 46,500 more patients after the Global Fund cancelled the funding round. The Democratic Republic of Congo is lowering its 2014 treatment target from 82,000 people to 54,000, and it has told some non-governmental organizations to stop HIV testing.
PEPFAR’s budget for next year is months from a decision. However, Doctors Without Borders is calling for an emergency Global Fund meeting to lobby for donations that would enable HIV grants to be issued before 2014. Gabriel Jaramillo, the fund’s general manager, supports the proposal.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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HHS Studying Feasibility of Allowing Gay Men to Donate Blood
The US Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that it is seeking information for a pilot study that would be designed to test alternative blood donor deferral criteria for men who have sex with men (MSM). All men who have had sex with another man since 1977 have been barred for life from donating blood or plasma in the United States, a policy enacted at the height of the AIDS crisis in 1985.
“The concept is to conduct a pilot operational study, in which MSM who meet specified criteria would be permitted to donate blood, with additional safeguards in place to protect blood recipients during the course of the study,” says the March 13th Federal Register notice.
The study would seek to establish whether blood safety could be maintained or enhanced under revised screening criteria that would permit donation by some MSM. The agency's request for information reflects the difficulty of designing a study to evaluate feasibility, design and logistics. HHS said the request is for planning purposes only - it does not intend to award a grant or contract for the feedback or its use.
In June 2010, the HHS Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability voted to recommend the lifetime MSM ban continue unchanged, citing inadequate data to support revision. However, it also recommended additional research to assess a policy that could allow some MSM to become donors.
The deadline for responses is June 11, 4 p.m. EDT.
For more information, visit: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/03/13/2012-6091/request-for-information-rfi-on-design-of-a-pilot-operational-study-to-assess-alternative-blood-donor.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
“The concept is to conduct a pilot operational study, in which MSM who meet specified criteria would be permitted to donate blood, with additional safeguards in place to protect blood recipients during the course of the study,” says the March 13th Federal Register notice.
The study would seek to establish whether blood safety could be maintained or enhanced under revised screening criteria that would permit donation by some MSM. The agency's request for information reflects the difficulty of designing a study to evaluate feasibility, design and logistics. HHS said the request is for planning purposes only - it does not intend to award a grant or contract for the feedback or its use.
In June 2010, the HHS Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability voted to recommend the lifetime MSM ban continue unchanged, citing inadequate data to support revision. However, it also recommended additional research to assess a policy that could allow some MSM to become donors.
The deadline for responses is June 11, 4 p.m. EDT.
For more information, visit: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/03/13/2012-6091/request-for-information-rfi-on-design-of-a-pilot-operational-study-to-assess-alternative-blood-donor.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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Monday, March 19, 2012
Baton Rouge Area's AIDS Rate Tops in Nation
Baton Rouge ranked number-one among Metropolitan Statistical Areas for its rate of AIDS diagnoses in 2010 - 33.7 diagnoses per 100,000 population, CDC data show. The ranking does not surprise the Rev. A.J. Johnson, executive director of the Baton Rouge AIDS Society (BRAS). The nine-parish area has ranked high for years, he said.
The key thing people can do to prevent new infections and keep HIV from developing into AIDS is to get tested and “know your status,” Johnson said. Prevention also requires ongoing messaging, something Baton Rouge needs, he said.
Area faith-based groups need to step up their outreach and spread information about testing and prevention, Johnson said. “I’m not talking about financial support, although we always need that, but for faith-based communities to start talking about HIV, especially in the black community,” he added.
Tim Young, executive director of the HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two, agreed with Johnson about more people needing to be educated about ways to prevent HIV/AIDS. Whether it is at a doctor’s office or one of the city’s numerous testing sites, young people should get tested, he stressed.
BRAS offers free testing 4-6 p.m. on Wednesdays at its center, 4560 North Blvd. For more information about BRAS testing, which is available during other hours for a fee, call 225-923-2437. Additional testing sites include the HIV/AIDS Alliance, 4550 North Blvd.; Metro Health Education, 950 E. Washington St.; Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge, 4727 Revere Ave.; and Capitol City Family Health Center, 3140 Florida St.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The key thing people can do to prevent new infections and keep HIV from developing into AIDS is to get tested and “know your status,” Johnson said. Prevention also requires ongoing messaging, something Baton Rouge needs, he said.
Area faith-based groups need to step up their outreach and spread information about testing and prevention, Johnson said. “I’m not talking about financial support, although we always need that, but for faith-based communities to start talking about HIV, especially in the black community,” he added.
Tim Young, executive director of the HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two, agreed with Johnson about more people needing to be educated about ways to prevent HIV/AIDS. Whether it is at a doctor’s office or one of the city’s numerous testing sites, young people should get tested, he stressed.
BRAS offers free testing 4-6 p.m. on Wednesdays at its center, 4560 North Blvd. For more information about BRAS testing, which is available during other hours for a fee, call 225-923-2437. Additional testing sites include the HIV/AIDS Alliance, 4550 North Blvd.; Metro Health Education, 950 E. Washington St.; Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge, 4727 Revere Ave.; and Capitol City Family Health Center, 3140 Florida St.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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Incorrect Condom Use Is 'Common'
A study by international researchers finds 14 common usage errors with condoms hampers their efficacy against STDs and pregnancy.
The analysis of 50 studies of sex workers, STI clinic attendees, monogamous married couples, university students, and adolescents spanning 14 countries between 1995 and 2011 revealed problems including:
*late application (17 percent to 51 percent);
*early removal (13 percent to 44.7 percent);
*failure to fully unroll the condom;
*incorrect storage;
*condom re-use;
*completely unrolling before applying to the penis (25.3 percent) rather than unrolling on the penis;
*failure to leave space for semen collection (24.3 percent to 45.7 percent);
*inside-out application that is then reversed (4 percent to 30.4 percent);
*exposure to sharp objects (like teeth) during package removal (2.1 percent to 11.2 percent); and
*not checking for damage before use (74.5 percent of men and 82.7 percent of women).
According to lead researcher Stephanie Sanders of Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, “closing the gap” between typical and perfect condom use is essential to “greatly reducing the epidemics of STIs and unintended pregnancies.”
Researchers acknowledge the study is limited by the wide variation of problems reported in the 50 studies analyzed, as well as by the majority presence of studies from developed countries primarily in North America.
Although researchers note “more research is needed on condom use errors and problems in a wider range of countries,” they suggest the problems cited “may be affecting millions of people.” For example, “re-use of condoms ... may be more common in less economically developed countries or among the poor.”
“Collecting data on condom use errors and problems among a larger diversity of populations may help better inform condom intervention strategies tailored to those populations,” said the researchers.
The study, “Condom Use Errors and Problems: A Global View,” was published in Sexual Health (2012;9:81-95).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The analysis of 50 studies of sex workers, STI clinic attendees, monogamous married couples, university students, and adolescents spanning 14 countries between 1995 and 2011 revealed problems including:
*late application (17 percent to 51 percent);
*early removal (13 percent to 44.7 percent);
*failure to fully unroll the condom;
*incorrect storage;
*condom re-use;
*completely unrolling before applying to the penis (25.3 percent) rather than unrolling on the penis;
*failure to leave space for semen collection (24.3 percent to 45.7 percent);
*inside-out application that is then reversed (4 percent to 30.4 percent);
*exposure to sharp objects (like teeth) during package removal (2.1 percent to 11.2 percent); and
*not checking for damage before use (74.5 percent of men and 82.7 percent of women).
According to lead researcher Stephanie Sanders of Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, “closing the gap” between typical and perfect condom use is essential to “greatly reducing the epidemics of STIs and unintended pregnancies.”
Researchers acknowledge the study is limited by the wide variation of problems reported in the 50 studies analyzed, as well as by the majority presence of studies from developed countries primarily in North America.
Although researchers note “more research is needed on condom use errors and problems in a wider range of countries,” they suggest the problems cited “may be affecting millions of people.” For example, “re-use of condoms ... may be more common in less economically developed countries or among the poor.”
“Collecting data on condom use errors and problems among a larger diversity of populations may help better inform condom intervention strategies tailored to those populations,” said the researchers.
The study, “Condom Use Errors and Problems: A Global View,” was published in Sexual Health (2012;9:81-95).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Utah Governor Vetoes Abstinence-Only Education Bill
Gov. Gary Herbert announced Friday evening he vetoed a bill that would have required that only abstinence be taught in schools that offer sex education. Under HB 363, teachers would have been unable to discuss contraception, premarital sex or homosexuality. School districts would not have been required to offer any sex education curricula.
The bill went too far in restricting parents’ choice of how their children learn about sexual activity, said Herbert. School-based sex education should supplement, not replace, lessons taught at home, he said. “In order for parents to take on more responsibility, they need more information, more involvement, and more choice, not less,” he said.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Bill Wright (R-Holden), said during the legislative session that teens need to know that only abstinence is guaranteed to avoid STDs and pregnancy.
“The veto was the right choice, and Utah Democrats support it,” said Jim Dabakis, the state Democratic Party chair. “But the attempt to hush up the veto by doing it late on a Friday night was not the way to handle this.”
The Utah Parent-Teachers Association led opposition against the bill, fighting it during the session and encouraging its members to send e-mails to the governor. After the Legislature adjourned, momentum grew and residents critical of the bill stated their opposition through phone calls, online petitions, and protests at the Capitol. Existing law allows students to learn about contraception and its risks, opponents said.
The Legislature would need to go into session and garner a two-thirds vote to override the veto.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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The bill went too far in restricting parents’ choice of how their children learn about sexual activity, said Herbert. School-based sex education should supplement, not replace, lessons taught at home, he said. “In order for parents to take on more responsibility, they need more information, more involvement, and more choice, not less,” he said.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Bill Wright (R-Holden), said during the legislative session that teens need to know that only abstinence is guaranteed to avoid STDs and pregnancy.
“The veto was the right choice, and Utah Democrats support it,” said Jim Dabakis, the state Democratic Party chair. “But the attempt to hush up the veto by doing it late on a Friday night was not the way to handle this.”
The Utah Parent-Teachers Association led opposition against the bill, fighting it during the session and encouraging its members to send e-mails to the governor. After the Legislature adjourned, momentum grew and residents critical of the bill stated their opposition through phone calls, online petitions, and protests at the Capitol. Existing law allows students to learn about contraception and its risks, opponents said.
The Legislature would need to go into session and garner a two-thirds vote to override the veto.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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Grant Colfax Named Director of White House Office of National AIDS Policy
President Obama has appointed Dr. Grant Colfax to be director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). Dr. Colfax succeeds Jeffrey Crowley, who announced his resignation in November.
“Dr. Colfax has been instrumental in the decline of new HIV infections in San Francisco in recent years,” said San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Neil Giuliano. “His unique blend of experience serving on the front lines of the epidemic, implementing the national strategy at the local level, working as a direct service provider within the Ryan White CARE system, and conducting cutting-edge research makes him the right person at the right time to lead the Obama administration's efforts to end HIV/AIDS in the United States.”
As director of the HIV Prevention and Research Section at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Colfax was known for elevating the role of community-based health research in local planning and funding decisions and implementing innovative, evidence-based HIV prevention tools, such as assessing community viral load and improving HIV testing and linkage to care, making San Francisco's HIV prevention and service system an example for other cities across the nation to follow.
Throughout his career, he also maintained his role as a physician at Ward 86 at San Francisco General Hospital, the nation's first HIV/AIDS-specialized clinic.
“Having worked closely with him on complex issues and having seen his consensus-building skills among diverse populations, including communities of color, I am confident that the AIDS community will have a strong advocate within the administration,” said Ernest Hopkins, director of legislative affairs at San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “I know Dr. Colfax will work to ensure that the coming changes to our health care system are made thoughtfully, carefully, and with a strong focus on improving the health status of the most vulnerable people.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
“Dr. Colfax has been instrumental in the decline of new HIV infections in San Francisco in recent years,” said San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Neil Giuliano. “His unique blend of experience serving on the front lines of the epidemic, implementing the national strategy at the local level, working as a direct service provider within the Ryan White CARE system, and conducting cutting-edge research makes him the right person at the right time to lead the Obama administration's efforts to end HIV/AIDS in the United States.”
As director of the HIV Prevention and Research Section at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Colfax was known for elevating the role of community-based health research in local planning and funding decisions and implementing innovative, evidence-based HIV prevention tools, such as assessing community viral load and improving HIV testing and linkage to care, making San Francisco's HIV prevention and service system an example for other cities across the nation to follow.
Throughout his career, he also maintained his role as a physician at Ward 86 at San Francisco General Hospital, the nation's first HIV/AIDS-specialized clinic.
“Having worked closely with him on complex issues and having seen his consensus-building skills among diverse populations, including communities of color, I am confident that the AIDS community will have a strong advocate within the administration,” said Ernest Hopkins, director of legislative affairs at San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “I know Dr. Colfax will work to ensure that the coming changes to our health care system are made thoughtfully, carefully, and with a strong focus on improving the health status of the most vulnerable people.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Vorinostat Helps Purge Hidden HIV Virus
A team of researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has successfully flushed latent HIV from hiding, with a drug used to treat certain types of lymphoma. In recent years, eliminating latent HIV in the immune system has been thought to be critical to finding a cure for HIV. The results were presented at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, Washington.
The new study, led by David Margolis, MD, professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology, and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the first to demonstrate that the biological mechanism that keeps the HIV virus hidden and protected from current antiviral therapies can be targeted and interrupted in humans, providing new hope for a strategy to eradicate HIV completely.
In a clinical trial, six HIV-infected men who were medically stable on antiretroviral drugs, received vorinostat an oncology drug. Recent studies by Margolis and others have shown that vorinostat also attacks the enzymes that keep HIV hiding in certain CD4+ T-cells, the immune system cells that the virus uses to replicate. Within hours of receiving the vorinostat, all six patients had a significant increase in HIV RNA in these cells, evidence that the virus was being forced out of its hiding place.
“This proves for the first time that there are ways to specifically treat viral latency, the first step towards curing HIV infection,” said Margolis. “It shows that this class of drugs, HDAC inhibitors, can attack persistent virus. Vorinostat may not be the magic bullet, but this success shows us a new way to test drugs to target latency, and suggests that we can build a path that may lead to a cure.”
To read more, please visit: http://www.sciguru.com/newsitem/13155/Drug-Vorinostat-helps-purge-hidden-HIV-virus-study-shows.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The new study, led by David Margolis, MD, professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology, and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the first to demonstrate that the biological mechanism that keeps the HIV virus hidden and protected from current antiviral therapies can be targeted and interrupted in humans, providing new hope for a strategy to eradicate HIV completely.
In a clinical trial, six HIV-infected men who were medically stable on antiretroviral drugs, received vorinostat an oncology drug. Recent studies by Margolis and others have shown that vorinostat also attacks the enzymes that keep HIV hiding in certain CD4+ T-cells, the immune system cells that the virus uses to replicate. Within hours of receiving the vorinostat, all six patients had a significant increase in HIV RNA in these cells, evidence that the virus was being forced out of its hiding place.
“This proves for the first time that there are ways to specifically treat viral latency, the first step towards curing HIV infection,” said Margolis. “It shows that this class of drugs, HDAC inhibitors, can attack persistent virus. Vorinostat may not be the magic bullet, but this success shows us a new way to test drugs to target latency, and suggests that we can build a path that may lead to a cure.”
To read more, please visit: http://www.sciguru.com/newsitem/13155/Drug-Vorinostat-helps-purge-hidden-HIV-virus-study-shows.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Expanded Access Program for Dolutegravir
ViiV Healthcare recently announced that the dolutegravir Expanded Access Program (EAP) is now open and accepting participants in the U.S. and Canada.
Dolutegravir (DTG) is an integrase inhibitor under development as a treatment for HIV-1 infection. Phase 2b data presented at the recent CROI meeting in Seattle showed that dolutegravir administered once daily with two NRTIs was associated with good treatment responses at all doses. Those who were on the 50 mg dolutegravir dose and had a viral load of less than 50 copies (undetectable) at 96 weeks (88%) compared favorably with those on Sustiva (72%).
The EAP has been designed to provide access to Shionogi-ViiV Healthcare’s dolutegravir in an open-label protocol program to adults living with HIV who have documented Isentress (raltegravir) or elvitegravir resistance, who have limited treatment options, and who require DTG to construct a viable antiretroviral regimen for therapy.
For Europe and the International region, it's expected that the EAP will start to open in March/April 2012 as local regulatory and ethics approvals are obtained. For more information, please visit: http://www.dolutegravir-eap.com.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Dolutegravir (DTG) is an integrase inhibitor under development as a treatment for HIV-1 infection. Phase 2b data presented at the recent CROI meeting in Seattle showed that dolutegravir administered once daily with two NRTIs was associated with good treatment responses at all doses. Those who were on the 50 mg dolutegravir dose and had a viral load of less than 50 copies (undetectable) at 96 weeks (88%) compared favorably with those on Sustiva (72%).
The EAP has been designed to provide access to Shionogi-ViiV Healthcare’s dolutegravir in an open-label protocol program to adults living with HIV who have documented Isentress (raltegravir) or elvitegravir resistance, who have limited treatment options, and who require DTG to construct a viable antiretroviral regimen for therapy.
For Europe and the International region, it's expected that the EAP will start to open in March/April 2012 as local regulatory and ethics approvals are obtained. For more information, please visit: http://www.dolutegravir-eap.com.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Study Finds 25% of Adults with HIV Were Abused as Children
One in four HIV patients was found to have been sexually abused as a child, according to a two-year Duke University study of more than 600 HIV patients. Traumatic childhood experiences were also linked to worse health outcomes among these patients, who were aged 20 to 71.
The study appears in the April 1 edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health.
More than half of the participants in the Coping with HIV/AIDS in the Southeast (CHASE) study had experienced sexual or physical abuse in their lifetimes, according to researchers from the Duke Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research (CHPIR). Half of the patients had experienced three or more lifetime traumatic experiences in addition to sexual or physical abuse.
“For whatever outcome we looked at, psychological trauma ended up being a predictor of worse medical outcomes and poorer health-related behaviors,” said lead author Brian Pence, a Duke associate professor of community and family medicine and global health.
Through periodic follow-ups over a two-year period, the study made important links between traumatic experiences, HIV-related behaviors, and worse health outcomes. More lifetime traumatic experiences were associated with instances of unprotected sex, missing antiretroviral medications, recent emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Those patients who had experienced trauma were more likely to see their health decline or to die during the study period.
Pence said these findings highlight the importance of assessing trauma history in patients receiving HIV care. The researchers hope the results can be used to inform the way HIV treatment programs are developed so they promote safer sex practices, optimal drug adherence, and better health outcomes for HIV-infected individuals.
“We would expect people with a history of exposure to trauma to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression or other mental health concerns, like drug abuse or poor coping skills, and that these things in turn would more fully explain why they had lower adherence to their medications and worse health,” Pence said. “But, we found that trauma history was still associated with bad health outcomes independent of mental health status, drug use, or coping styles. So we have more to learn about exactly how past traumatic experiences exert influence on behaviors and health outcomes years down the road.”
“We hope that this study spurs further research into understanding how early trauma affects behaviors and health much later in life,” Pence said. “Regardless of the reason, past trauma certainly seems to influence how HIV patients engage in their medical care and how they end up doing clinically.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
The study appears in the April 1 edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health.
More than half of the participants in the Coping with HIV/AIDS in the Southeast (CHASE) study had experienced sexual or physical abuse in their lifetimes, according to researchers from the Duke Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research (CHPIR). Half of the patients had experienced three or more lifetime traumatic experiences in addition to sexual or physical abuse.
“For whatever outcome we looked at, psychological trauma ended up being a predictor of worse medical outcomes and poorer health-related behaviors,” said lead author Brian Pence, a Duke associate professor of community and family medicine and global health.
Through periodic follow-ups over a two-year period, the study made important links between traumatic experiences, HIV-related behaviors, and worse health outcomes. More lifetime traumatic experiences were associated with instances of unprotected sex, missing antiretroviral medications, recent emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Those patients who had experienced trauma were more likely to see their health decline or to die during the study period.
Pence said these findings highlight the importance of assessing trauma history in patients receiving HIV care. The researchers hope the results can be used to inform the way HIV treatment programs are developed so they promote safer sex practices, optimal drug adherence, and better health outcomes for HIV-infected individuals.
“We would expect people with a history of exposure to trauma to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression or other mental health concerns, like drug abuse or poor coping skills, and that these things in turn would more fully explain why they had lower adherence to their medications and worse health,” Pence said. “But, we found that trauma history was still associated with bad health outcomes independent of mental health status, drug use, or coping styles. So we have more to learn about exactly how past traumatic experiences exert influence on behaviors and health outcomes years down the road.”
“We hope that this study spurs further research into understanding how early trauma affects behaviors and health much later in life,” Pence said. “Regardless of the reason, past trauma certainly seems to influence how HIV patients engage in their medical care and how they end up doing clinically.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
ARV Liver Toxicity in HIV/Hep C Coinfected Patients on the Decline
Rates of antiretroviral (ARV)-associated liver toxicity among people living with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) have decreased since 1997, but it is still more common among people infected with both viruses compared with people infected only with HIV. This is the finding of an analysis reported Wednesday, March 7, at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle.
For people living with HIV, coinfection with HCV is known to increase the risk for, and rate of, liver toxicity from ARV therapy. Hepatotoxicity was a particular concern with commonly prescribed ARVs during the early years of combination HIV treatment, notably the late 1990s and early 2000s. In more recently years, the approval of newer agents has permitted health care providers to prescribe HIV combinations heralded as being safer than their predecessors, yet it hasn’t been clear whether evolved regimens have reduced the incidence of liver toxicity among people with HIV/HCV coinfection.
To explore this question, Mark Hull, MD, from Canada’s BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver and his colleagues followed 748 people living with HIV—196 (26 percent) of whom were coinfected with HCV—over a span of 12 years. The study subjects were divided into three groups: those observed between January 1, 1997, until December 31, 1999 (period one); those observed between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2003 (period two); and those observed between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2009 (period three).
In this mostly male group averaging 42 years old, HIV treatment uptake increased over the years. During period one, 107 people (14 percent) started ARV treatment for HIV. In period two, 208 (28 percent) started ARV therapy. In period three, 433 (58 percent) began ARV treatment.
Liver toxicity was defined as an increase in alanine aminotransferase (ALT)—a liver enzyme that signals liver inflammation—using any of three criteria: Five times higher than pre-treatment levels, five times higher than the upper limit of normal or 3.5 to 5 times higher than pre-ARV therapy levels when pretreatment ALT was abnormally high. Liver enzyme levels were checked at 1,3, 6, 9 and 12 months after starting HIV treatment.
No matter which criteria were used to assess liver toxicity, it was much more likely among people living with HIV and HCV compared with those living with HIV alone. According to the researchers’ report, the average time to liver toxicity after starting ARV therapy was 10 months, when ALT levels increased from a pretreatment average of between 33 to 35 international units per liter (IU/L) to an on-treatment average of 508 to 515 IU/L.
During each time point, however, the estimated incidence rate of liver toxicity dropped.
During period one, the overall incidence of liver toxicity—among all people living with HIV on ARV therapy, irrespective of their HCV coinfection status—was roughly 17 per 100 person-years (PY). In other words, roughly 17 (17 percent) of 100 people included in the analysis who started HIV treatment between January 1997 and December 1999 and remained on ARV therapy for one year (or 34 percent of 50 people who started and remained on treatment for a two-year period) were estimated to have experienced liver toxicity.
Looking specifically at those with HIV/HCV coinfection starting ARV treatment during period one, the estimated incidence of liver toxicity was 37 per 100 PY. As for those with HIV but not HCV infection, the estimated incidence was roughly four per 100 PY.
During period two, the overall incidence of liver toxicity decreased to approximately 10 per 100 PY. Among people coinfected with HIV and HCV, the estimated incidence of liver toxicity dropped to 30 per 100 PY, versus roughly one per 100 PY among those living with HIV alone.
During period three, the overall estimated incidence of liver toxicity dropped further, to nearly seven per 100 PY. Among people coinfected with HIV and HCV, the estimated incidence decreased to roughly 24 per 100 PY, compared with approximately two per 100 PY among those infected only with HIV.
“The overall incidence rate of hepatotoxicity after [ARV therapy] initiation has diminished in the modern era, but remains significantly higher in those with underlying HCV infection,” Hull and his colleagues remarked. “Coinfected patients should be assessed for consideration of HCV therapy prior to [ARV therapy] as a means of decreasing subsequent [ARV] -related hepatotoxicity,” they added, alluding to data from other studies showing that HCV treatment, when successful, lowers the risk for and rate of liver toxicity from HIV treatment.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Source: POZ
For people living with HIV, coinfection with HCV is known to increase the risk for, and rate of, liver toxicity from ARV therapy. Hepatotoxicity was a particular concern with commonly prescribed ARVs during the early years of combination HIV treatment, notably the late 1990s and early 2000s. In more recently years, the approval of newer agents has permitted health care providers to prescribe HIV combinations heralded as being safer than their predecessors, yet it hasn’t been clear whether evolved regimens have reduced the incidence of liver toxicity among people with HIV/HCV coinfection.
To explore this question, Mark Hull, MD, from Canada’s BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver and his colleagues followed 748 people living with HIV—196 (26 percent) of whom were coinfected with HCV—over a span of 12 years. The study subjects were divided into three groups: those observed between January 1, 1997, until December 31, 1999 (period one); those observed between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2003 (period two); and those observed between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2009 (period three).
In this mostly male group averaging 42 years old, HIV treatment uptake increased over the years. During period one, 107 people (14 percent) started ARV treatment for HIV. In period two, 208 (28 percent) started ARV therapy. In period three, 433 (58 percent) began ARV treatment.
Liver toxicity was defined as an increase in alanine aminotransferase (ALT)—a liver enzyme that signals liver inflammation—using any of three criteria: Five times higher than pre-treatment levels, five times higher than the upper limit of normal or 3.5 to 5 times higher than pre-ARV therapy levels when pretreatment ALT was abnormally high. Liver enzyme levels were checked at 1,3, 6, 9 and 12 months after starting HIV treatment.
No matter which criteria were used to assess liver toxicity, it was much more likely among people living with HIV and HCV compared with those living with HIV alone. According to the researchers’ report, the average time to liver toxicity after starting ARV therapy was 10 months, when ALT levels increased from a pretreatment average of between 33 to 35 international units per liter (IU/L) to an on-treatment average of 508 to 515 IU/L.
During each time point, however, the estimated incidence rate of liver toxicity dropped.
During period one, the overall incidence of liver toxicity—among all people living with HIV on ARV therapy, irrespective of their HCV coinfection status—was roughly 17 per 100 person-years (PY). In other words, roughly 17 (17 percent) of 100 people included in the analysis who started HIV treatment between January 1997 and December 1999 and remained on ARV therapy for one year (or 34 percent of 50 people who started and remained on treatment for a two-year period) were estimated to have experienced liver toxicity.
Looking specifically at those with HIV/HCV coinfection starting ARV treatment during period one, the estimated incidence of liver toxicity was 37 per 100 PY. As for those with HIV but not HCV infection, the estimated incidence was roughly four per 100 PY.
During period two, the overall incidence of liver toxicity decreased to approximately 10 per 100 PY. Among people coinfected with HIV and HCV, the estimated incidence of liver toxicity dropped to 30 per 100 PY, versus roughly one per 100 PY among those living with HIV alone.
During period three, the overall estimated incidence of liver toxicity dropped further, to nearly seven per 100 PY. Among people coinfected with HIV and HCV, the estimated incidence decreased to roughly 24 per 100 PY, compared with approximately two per 100 PY among those infected only with HIV.
“The overall incidence rate of hepatotoxicity after [ARV therapy] initiation has diminished in the modern era, but remains significantly higher in those with underlying HCV infection,” Hull and his colleagues remarked. “Coinfected patients should be assessed for consideration of HCV therapy prior to [ARV therapy] as a means of decreasing subsequent [ARV] -related hepatotoxicity,” they added, alluding to data from other studies showing that HCV treatment, when successful, lowers the risk for and rate of liver toxicity from HIV treatment.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Source: POZ
Treating HIV During Pregnancy Also Lowers Risk of Transmitting Hep C to Baby
For women living with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection, using HIV antiretroviral (ARV) therapy during pregnancy may lower the risk of transmitting both viruses to their infants, according to encouraging new data presented Tuesday, March 6, at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle.
Most research on mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis C was done before there was widespread access to combination ARV therapy among pregnant women living with HIV and HCV. In earlier years of the HIV pandemic, up to 19 percent of babies born to mothers living with HIV/HCV coinfection acquired HCV, versus 2 to 5 percent of babies born to mothers with HCV alone. Although combination ARV treatment has been proved to reduce MTCT of HIV, little has been known about the effects of modern-day HIV treatment combinations on MTCT of HCV.
Claudia Checa Cabot, MD, from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) International Site Development Initiative (NISDI) and her international team of colleagues speculated that controlling HIV with ARV therapy in women living with HIV and hepatitis C might lower MTCT of both viruses.
Drawing from data collected from 2002 to 2008 in the Perinatal and Longitudinal Study in Latin American Countries (LILAC), Cabot and her colleagues reported that 739 of 1,409 pregnant HIV-positive women in the cohort had been tested for antibodies to HCV. Confirmatory testing for hepatitis C viral load (HCV RNA) was performed in all HCV antibody-positive women and women with a CD4 cell count of less than 200, even if the HCV antibody test result was negative.
Overall, 70 (9 percent) of the 739 women were HCV-antibody positive. Of this group, 44 (67 percent) had detectable hepatitis C virus (HCV RNA), as did an additional three women with low CD4 cell counts.
Mother-to-child transmission of HCV occurred in only four (8.5 percent) of the 47 infants born to women living with both viruses. None of the infants were born with HIV.
All of the mothers were taking ARV therapy while pregnant, and most had an HIV viral load of less than 1,000 copies when their babies were delivered.
All of the babies with hepatitis C were born to mothers with HCV RNA levels that were greater than 3.5 million copies during pregnancy. However, HCV RNA levels were not significantly lower among the mothers who did not transmit HCV to their infants.
Babies with detectable HCV RNA were considered to be living with hepatitis C. In one of the four infants, HCV RNA was less than 3,200 copies at 6 to 12 weeks after birth and became undetectable at 24 weeks.
“The HCV MTCT rate among HIV/HCV coinfected women with access to [combination ARV therapy] and well-controlled HIV infection may be lower than the transmission rates that were previously reported in other HIV/HCV coinfected populations, although our sample size and duration of study follow-up are limitations,” the researchers conclude. “Additional data from larger populations with longer infant follow-up are needed to better clarify whether populations of HIV-infected women with well-controlled HIV disease have lower HCV MTCT rates than what has been observed previously among HIV/HCV coinfected populations.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Source: POZ
Most research on mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis C was done before there was widespread access to combination ARV therapy among pregnant women living with HIV and HCV. In earlier years of the HIV pandemic, up to 19 percent of babies born to mothers living with HIV/HCV coinfection acquired HCV, versus 2 to 5 percent of babies born to mothers with HCV alone. Although combination ARV treatment has been proved to reduce MTCT of HIV, little has been known about the effects of modern-day HIV treatment combinations on MTCT of HCV.
Claudia Checa Cabot, MD, from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) International Site Development Initiative (NISDI) and her international team of colleagues speculated that controlling HIV with ARV therapy in women living with HIV and hepatitis C might lower MTCT of both viruses.
Drawing from data collected from 2002 to 2008 in the Perinatal and Longitudinal Study in Latin American Countries (LILAC), Cabot and her colleagues reported that 739 of 1,409 pregnant HIV-positive women in the cohort had been tested for antibodies to HCV. Confirmatory testing for hepatitis C viral load (HCV RNA) was performed in all HCV antibody-positive women and women with a CD4 cell count of less than 200, even if the HCV antibody test result was negative.
Overall, 70 (9 percent) of the 739 women were HCV-antibody positive. Of this group, 44 (67 percent) had detectable hepatitis C virus (HCV RNA), as did an additional three women with low CD4 cell counts.
Mother-to-child transmission of HCV occurred in only four (8.5 percent) of the 47 infants born to women living with both viruses. None of the infants were born with HIV.
All of the mothers were taking ARV therapy while pregnant, and most had an HIV viral load of less than 1,000 copies when their babies were delivered.
All of the babies with hepatitis C were born to mothers with HCV RNA levels that were greater than 3.5 million copies during pregnancy. However, HCV RNA levels were not significantly lower among the mothers who did not transmit HCV to their infants.
Babies with detectable HCV RNA were considered to be living with hepatitis C. In one of the four infants, HCV RNA was less than 3,200 copies at 6 to 12 weeks after birth and became undetectable at 24 weeks.
“The HCV MTCT rate among HIV/HCV coinfected women with access to [combination ARV therapy] and well-controlled HIV infection may be lower than the transmission rates that were previously reported in other HIV/HCV coinfected populations, although our sample size and duration of study follow-up are limitations,” the researchers conclude. “Additional data from larger populations with longer infant follow-up are needed to better clarify whether populations of HIV-infected women with well-controlled HIV disease have lower HCV MTCT rates than what has been observed previously among HIV/HCV coinfected populations.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Source: POZ
Inhaled Beclomethasone Bests Fluticasone (Advair) When HIV PIs Being Used
Good news for people living with HIV and asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The inhalable steroid beclomethasone can be used at the same time as HIV protease inhibitors without the increased risk of adrenal suppression, according to a drug interaction study conducted in HIV-negative volunteers reported Thursday, March 8, at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle.
As explained by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigators who reported the data, people living with HIV and respiratory disease often require protease inhibitors and orally inhaled corticosteroids. Inhaled corticosteroids alone do not generally cause serious side effects because very little of the medication passes into the bloodstream. However, the combination of various protease inhibitors and inhaled fluticasone—one of the active ingredients in the popular Advair diskus and the intranasal product Flonase—has led to increased systemic fluticasone levels and multiple cases of adrenal gland insufficiency and Cushing’s syndrome (an overabundance of corticosteroids in the blood, leading to symptoms such as a fatty hump between the shoulders, a rounded “moon face,” high blood pressure, bone loss and possibly diabetes).
Beclomethasone, inhaled as either Qvar or Clenil or used intranasally as Beconase, has been considered a safe alternative. Though it is metabolized by the same enzyme system (CYP3A4) as fluticasone, it undergoes other important chemical breakdowns in the body, with only trace amounts of the steroid detectable in blood samples. These observations, the authors report, “suggest that systemic accumulation leading to significant adverse effects is unlikely even in the presence of a CYP3A4 inhibitor such as an HIV protease inhibitor.”
To determine whether or not beclomethasone has a discernible effect on the function of the adrenal glands—located above the kidneys and the producer of steroid hormones, notably cortisol, responsible for regulating sodium, potassium and water retention—the researchers treated 30 HIV-negative volunteers with twice-daily puffs of 160 microgram doses of the corticosteroid for 14 days. For the next three weeks, 10 patients were randomized to continue taking inhaled beclomethasone alone, 10 were allotted to combine beclomethasone with oral doses of Norvir (ritonavir), and the remaining 10 were assigned to a group combining beclomethasone with Norvir (ritonavir) plus Prezista (darunavir).
All study volunteers underwent a series of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation tests to measure peak cortisol levels. The test is frequently used to diagnose or exclude adrenal insufficiency.
There were no statistically significant reductions in daily basal (lowest) or peak (highest) cortisol levels at any time point—after 14 days of inhaled beclomethasone alone or both during and after the randomized part of the trial—and there were no significant difference between the three groups.
“Combined use of orally inhaled beclomethasone and [Norvir or Norvir-boosted Prezista] for 28 days does not cause significant adrenal suppression in HIV-negative healthy volunteers,” the authors conclude. “Inhaled beclomethasone is preferable to inhaled fluticasone for treatment of HIV-infected patients receiving [protease inhibitors].”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Source: POZ
As explained by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigators who reported the data, people living with HIV and respiratory disease often require protease inhibitors and orally inhaled corticosteroids. Inhaled corticosteroids alone do not generally cause serious side effects because very little of the medication passes into the bloodstream. However, the combination of various protease inhibitors and inhaled fluticasone—one of the active ingredients in the popular Advair diskus and the intranasal product Flonase—has led to increased systemic fluticasone levels and multiple cases of adrenal gland insufficiency and Cushing’s syndrome (an overabundance of corticosteroids in the blood, leading to symptoms such as a fatty hump between the shoulders, a rounded “moon face,” high blood pressure, bone loss and possibly diabetes).
Beclomethasone, inhaled as either Qvar or Clenil or used intranasally as Beconase, has been considered a safe alternative. Though it is metabolized by the same enzyme system (CYP3A4) as fluticasone, it undergoes other important chemical breakdowns in the body, with only trace amounts of the steroid detectable in blood samples. These observations, the authors report, “suggest that systemic accumulation leading to significant adverse effects is unlikely even in the presence of a CYP3A4 inhibitor such as an HIV protease inhibitor.”
To determine whether or not beclomethasone has a discernible effect on the function of the adrenal glands—located above the kidneys and the producer of steroid hormones, notably cortisol, responsible for regulating sodium, potassium and water retention—the researchers treated 30 HIV-negative volunteers with twice-daily puffs of 160 microgram doses of the corticosteroid for 14 days. For the next three weeks, 10 patients were randomized to continue taking inhaled beclomethasone alone, 10 were allotted to combine beclomethasone with oral doses of Norvir (ritonavir), and the remaining 10 were assigned to a group combining beclomethasone with Norvir (ritonavir) plus Prezista (darunavir).
All study volunteers underwent a series of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation tests to measure peak cortisol levels. The test is frequently used to diagnose or exclude adrenal insufficiency.
There were no statistically significant reductions in daily basal (lowest) or peak (highest) cortisol levels at any time point—after 14 days of inhaled beclomethasone alone or both during and after the randomized part of the trial—and there were no significant difference between the three groups.
“Combined use of orally inhaled beclomethasone and [Norvir or Norvir-boosted Prezista] for 28 days does not cause significant adrenal suppression in HIV-negative healthy volunteers,” the authors conclude. “Inhaled beclomethasone is preferable to inhaled fluticasone for treatment of HIV-infected patients receiving [protease inhibitors].”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Source: POZ
Saturday, March 17, 2012
High Blood Pressure Increases Heart Attack Risk in HIV
Elevated blood pressure—including levels that don’t yet meet the definition of hypertension—is associated with a “substantially greater” risk of a heart attack among people living with HIV, compared with HIV-negative controls, according to a Veterans Health Administration study reported Wednesday, March 7, at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle.
Though much has been reported on lipid abnormalities, arterial inflammation and their connections to the increased risk of heart attacks among people living with HIV, little regarding the role of elevated blood pressure has been highlighted by researchers. Some studies have suggested that higher-than-normal blood pressure isn’t necessarily more common in HIV-positive people, but it’s not clear if those who do have high blood pressure are at an increased risk of a heart attack, compared with people not living with HIV.
The study reported at CROI by Kaku Armah of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and his colleagues was designed to evaluate the potential associations between systolic blood pressure (SBP; the first, higher number of a reading), diastolic blood pressure (DBP; the second, lower number of the two) and heart attacks in HIV-positive and HIV-negative volunteers participating in the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS).
Armah and his team included 82,486 subjects, 27,265 of whom were HIV positive and matched for age, sex and race characteristics with 55,125 HIV-negative individuals. Patients were characterized as having normal blood pressure, prehypertension (SBP between 120 and 139 or a DBP between 80 and 89, without use of a blood pressure medication) or frank hypertension: either an SBP below 140 or a DBP below 90 with the use of blood pressure medications, or an SBP of 140 or above or a DBP of at least 90 either with or without blood pressure medication.
SBP and DBP classifications included in the analysis were based on an average of three blood pressure readings around the time each person entered the VACS.
After adjusting the data for other known risk factors for heart attacks—age, sex, race and ethnicity, a diabetes diagnosis, lipid levels, statin use, past or present smoking, hepatitis C coinfection, body mass index and kidney disease—HIV infection itself was associated with significant increases the relative risk of a heart attack.
It’s important to note, however, that increases in relative risk may not necessarily translate into a substantial increase in the absolute risk of a heart attack. Relative risk increases may be more meaningful for people with other known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and heart attacks; conversely, they may be less worrisome—but still worthy of discussion with health care providers—for those with few or no other risk factors.
Looking solely at SBP measurements, HIV-positive participants with prehypertension saw their relative risk of a heart attack increase 70 percent. The relative risk more than doubled for those who met the frank hypertension criteria. These risk increases were all statistically significant when compared with the reference population—HIV-negative individuals with normal average SBP readings.
As for SBP readings in the HIV-negative subjects, the only statistically significant difference was a 60 percent increase in the relative risk of a heart attack among those with an SBP of at least 140, either with or without the use of blood pressure medications.
As for DBP measures, the relative risk of a heart attack tripled among the HIV-positive individuals with average DBP measurements of 90 or above, with or without the use of blood pressure medications. Among those with prehypertension or an average DBP below 90 while receiving blood pressure medications, the relative risk of a heart attack was doubled. These increases were all statistically significant, when compared with a reference population of HIV-negative individuals with average DBP measurements of less than 80 and not using blood pressure medications.
Looking at the HIV-negative volunteers, the increases in relative risk were only statistically significant for those with average DPB measurements below 90 while receiving blood pressure medications and those with average DBP measurements of 90 or higher. But here, the relative risk of a heart attacked increased only 50 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
“Systolic and diastolic hypertension are associated with increased acute myocardial infarction [heart attack] risk in [people living with HIV],” Armah summarized. This increased risk, he added, “is present even at prehypertensive levels.”
Treating hypertension in people living with HIV needs to be a priority, Armah concluded, just as aggressive control of high blood pressure is recommended by numerous medical associations for other groups of individuals at risk for heart attacks. “There is also a need to address prehypertension in HIV-positive patients,” he added. “Preventing progression to hypertension, notably through lifestyle medication, is important.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Source: POZ
Though much has been reported on lipid abnormalities, arterial inflammation and their connections to the increased risk of heart attacks among people living with HIV, little regarding the role of elevated blood pressure has been highlighted by researchers. Some studies have suggested that higher-than-normal blood pressure isn’t necessarily more common in HIV-positive people, but it’s not clear if those who do have high blood pressure are at an increased risk of a heart attack, compared with people not living with HIV.
The study reported at CROI by Kaku Armah of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and his colleagues was designed to evaluate the potential associations between systolic blood pressure (SBP; the first, higher number of a reading), diastolic blood pressure (DBP; the second, lower number of the two) and heart attacks in HIV-positive and HIV-negative volunteers participating in the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS).
Armah and his team included 82,486 subjects, 27,265 of whom were HIV positive and matched for age, sex and race characteristics with 55,125 HIV-negative individuals. Patients were characterized as having normal blood pressure, prehypertension (SBP between 120 and 139 or a DBP between 80 and 89, without use of a blood pressure medication) or frank hypertension: either an SBP below 140 or a DBP below 90 with the use of blood pressure medications, or an SBP of 140 or above or a DBP of at least 90 either with or without blood pressure medication.
SBP and DBP classifications included in the analysis were based on an average of three blood pressure readings around the time each person entered the VACS.
After adjusting the data for other known risk factors for heart attacks—age, sex, race and ethnicity, a diabetes diagnosis, lipid levels, statin use, past or present smoking, hepatitis C coinfection, body mass index and kidney disease—HIV infection itself was associated with significant increases the relative risk of a heart attack.
It’s important to note, however, that increases in relative risk may not necessarily translate into a substantial increase in the absolute risk of a heart attack. Relative risk increases may be more meaningful for people with other known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and heart attacks; conversely, they may be less worrisome—but still worthy of discussion with health care providers—for those with few or no other risk factors.
Looking solely at SBP measurements, HIV-positive participants with prehypertension saw their relative risk of a heart attack increase 70 percent. The relative risk more than doubled for those who met the frank hypertension criteria. These risk increases were all statistically significant when compared with the reference population—HIV-negative individuals with normal average SBP readings.
As for SBP readings in the HIV-negative subjects, the only statistically significant difference was a 60 percent increase in the relative risk of a heart attack among those with an SBP of at least 140, either with or without the use of blood pressure medications.
As for DBP measures, the relative risk of a heart attack tripled among the HIV-positive individuals with average DBP measurements of 90 or above, with or without the use of blood pressure medications. Among those with prehypertension or an average DBP below 90 while receiving blood pressure medications, the relative risk of a heart attack was doubled. These increases were all statistically significant, when compared with a reference population of HIV-negative individuals with average DBP measurements of less than 80 and not using blood pressure medications.
Looking at the HIV-negative volunteers, the increases in relative risk were only statistically significant for those with average DPB measurements below 90 while receiving blood pressure medications and those with average DBP measurements of 90 or higher. But here, the relative risk of a heart attacked increased only 50 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
“Systolic and diastolic hypertension are associated with increased acute myocardial infarction [heart attack] risk in [people living with HIV],” Armah summarized. This increased risk, he added, “is present even at prehypertensive levels.”
Treating hypertension in people living with HIV needs to be a priority, Armah concluded, just as aggressive control of high blood pressure is recommended by numerous medical associations for other groups of individuals at risk for heart attacks. “There is also a need to address prehypertension in HIV-positive patients,” he added. “Preventing progression to hypertension, notably through lifestyle medication, is important.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Source: POZ
HIV Speeds Lung Function Decline in Cohort of Smokers
HIV is an independent risk factor for lung disease, according to new data reported Wednesday, March 7, at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Though the study results from a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine team note that people living with HIV—particularly those with viral loads not being kept in check with antiretroviral (ARV) therapy—have reduced lung strength and a more rapid loss of pulmonary function compared with HIV-negative controls, the researchers also point out that cigarette smoking was very common in the cohort studies and remains an important risk factor to contend with.
As explained by Michael Drummond, MD, of Johns Hopkins during his introductory remarks, HIV infection has been shown to increase the risk of obstructive lung diseases (OLD), such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis—both under the umbrella of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—and asthma.
According to a study reported in 2000, there was a greater prevalence of emphysema—documented using chest X-rays—in smokers living with HIV. And in a 2006 study, HIV infection was found to independently increase the risk of a COPD diagnosis by 47 percent.
More recently, in a study authored by Drummond and his colleagues in 2011, an HIV viral load in excess of 200,000 copies was associated with a 3.4-fold increase in the odds of having an OLD diagnosis using gold-standard pulmonary function tests. The cohort has enrolled more than 4,000 injection drug users, roughly a quarter of whom are people living with HIV.
To further explore pulmonary function in people living with HIV, compared with HIV-negative controls, Drummond’s team turned to the AIDS Linked to Intravenous Experience (ALIVE) cohort, a community-based study of injection drug users.
Roughly 1,000 of the 4,000 cohort volunteers—30 percent of whom were living with HIV—participated in the pulmonary function study, looking specifically at forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). The FEV1 is the volume exhaled during the first second of a forced expiration maneuver started after a deep inhale. It’s considered to be one of the best measures of obstruction (a decreased ability to effectively move air out of the lungs).
Sixty-five percent of the cohort participants were male, averaging nearly 50 years old, and 91 percent were African American. Importantly, 94 percent had a history of smoking and 88 percent were still smoking while participating in the pulmonary function studies.
Drummond noted that the results comparing HIV-positive and HIV-negative study volunteers had been adjusted to account for differences in age, race, sex, body mass index, smoking history and earlier pulmonary infections between the two groups. In other words, any differences in lung function between the two groups were those that occurred in addition to smoking history or current cigarette use.
Beginning with a control group example, Drummond showed that in an average 50-year-old African-American male who wasn’t living with HIV or didn’t have a history of pneumonia, but was currently smoking with a 20 pack-year history (in other words, a pack a day for 20 years), the FEV1 at the start of the study was 3.15 liters and decreased by 23.6 milliliters (mL) per year over the 2.75-year follow-up period.
Cohort volunteers living with HIV started the study with an FEV1 that was 139 mL lower than the HIV-negative controls, with an annual FEV1 decrease of 35.7 mL. Though the slope of lung function decline appeared steeper when comparing the two groups, the difference was not statistically significant, meaning it could have been due to chance.
A statistically significant difference in the slope of lung function decline did emerge, however, when Drummond and his colleagues looked specifically at viral load levels in those living with HIV in the study. Those with HIV viral loads in excess of 75,000 copies saw their FEV1 decline 99.1 mL a year during the 2.75-year follow-up period, compared with a 23.4 mL annual loss in the HIV-negative control group and 29.9 mL a year among those who were living with HIV but had viral loads below 75,000 copies.
There was also an association with CD4 cell counts in the study. Those with CD4 counts below 100 experienced an annual FEV1 loss of 80.1 mL, a significantly steeper slope of loss compared with the HIV-negative controls and those with CD4 counts above 200. Among those with CD4s between 100 and 199, the FEV1 loss was 57.9 mL a year, which was also significantly worse than the annual loss in lung function seen in the HIV-negative controls and those with CD4s above 200.
“Markers of advanced and uncontrolled HIV disease are associated with more rapid decline in lung function,” Drummond concluded, adding that “FEV1 decline associated with uncontrolled HIV exceeds the effect of smoking in the general population.”
As for the implications of these findings, Drummond noted the importance of ARV therapy and suggested that HIV suppression may diminish accelerated lung decline.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Source: POZ
As explained by Michael Drummond, MD, of Johns Hopkins during his introductory remarks, HIV infection has been shown to increase the risk of obstructive lung diseases (OLD), such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis—both under the umbrella of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—and asthma.
According to a study reported in 2000, there was a greater prevalence of emphysema—documented using chest X-rays—in smokers living with HIV. And in a 2006 study, HIV infection was found to independently increase the risk of a COPD diagnosis by 47 percent.
More recently, in a study authored by Drummond and his colleagues in 2011, an HIV viral load in excess of 200,000 copies was associated with a 3.4-fold increase in the odds of having an OLD diagnosis using gold-standard pulmonary function tests. The cohort has enrolled more than 4,000 injection drug users, roughly a quarter of whom are people living with HIV.
To further explore pulmonary function in people living with HIV, compared with HIV-negative controls, Drummond’s team turned to the AIDS Linked to Intravenous Experience (ALIVE) cohort, a community-based study of injection drug users.
Roughly 1,000 of the 4,000 cohort volunteers—30 percent of whom were living with HIV—participated in the pulmonary function study, looking specifically at forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). The FEV1 is the volume exhaled during the first second of a forced expiration maneuver started after a deep inhale. It’s considered to be one of the best measures of obstruction (a decreased ability to effectively move air out of the lungs).
Sixty-five percent of the cohort participants were male, averaging nearly 50 years old, and 91 percent were African American. Importantly, 94 percent had a history of smoking and 88 percent were still smoking while participating in the pulmonary function studies.
Drummond noted that the results comparing HIV-positive and HIV-negative study volunteers had been adjusted to account for differences in age, race, sex, body mass index, smoking history and earlier pulmonary infections between the two groups. In other words, any differences in lung function between the two groups were those that occurred in addition to smoking history or current cigarette use.
Beginning with a control group example, Drummond showed that in an average 50-year-old African-American male who wasn’t living with HIV or didn’t have a history of pneumonia, but was currently smoking with a 20 pack-year history (in other words, a pack a day for 20 years), the FEV1 at the start of the study was 3.15 liters and decreased by 23.6 milliliters (mL) per year over the 2.75-year follow-up period.
Cohort volunteers living with HIV started the study with an FEV1 that was 139 mL lower than the HIV-negative controls, with an annual FEV1 decrease of 35.7 mL. Though the slope of lung function decline appeared steeper when comparing the two groups, the difference was not statistically significant, meaning it could have been due to chance.
A statistically significant difference in the slope of lung function decline did emerge, however, when Drummond and his colleagues looked specifically at viral load levels in those living with HIV in the study. Those with HIV viral loads in excess of 75,000 copies saw their FEV1 decline 99.1 mL a year during the 2.75-year follow-up period, compared with a 23.4 mL annual loss in the HIV-negative control group and 29.9 mL a year among those who were living with HIV but had viral loads below 75,000 copies.
There was also an association with CD4 cell counts in the study. Those with CD4 counts below 100 experienced an annual FEV1 loss of 80.1 mL, a significantly steeper slope of loss compared with the HIV-negative controls and those with CD4 counts above 200. Among those with CD4s between 100 and 199, the FEV1 loss was 57.9 mL a year, which was also significantly worse than the annual loss in lung function seen in the HIV-negative controls and those with CD4s above 200.
“Markers of advanced and uncontrolled HIV disease are associated with more rapid decline in lung function,” Drummond concluded, adding that “FEV1 decline associated with uncontrolled HIV exceeds the effect of smoking in the general population.”
As for the implications of these findings, Drummond noted the importance of ARV therapy and suggested that HIV suppression may diminish accelerated lung decline.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
Source: POZ
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