HomeHIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS
PrEP protecting against HIV and hepatitis B – study
A retrospective cohort study of gay and bisexual men attending sexual health clinics in Japan shows that taking HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) not only...
Dolutegravir associated with hyperglycaemia in people switching first-line ART in Uganda
Hyperglycaemia was reported in Uganda among people switching first-line regimens to dolutegravir-based antiretroviral treatment (ART), in a letter to Lancet HIV, published online 24...
Adherence clubs help reduce viral load in post-partum SA women living with HIV
Adherence clubs were linked to a 30% reduction in high viral load among postpartum South African women living with HIV, Aidsmap reports the Conference...
Key risk factors for the emergence of renal dysfunction
Age over 50 years and pre-existing kidney function are the risk factors for the emergence of renal dysfunction while taking PrEP, according to data...
New approaches to dosing newborns with abacavir
8mg/kg of abacavir given twice daily to normal- and low-birth-weight new-borns with HIV in South Africa was safe and effective according to presentations in...
2 studies look at potential weight gain for women taking dolutegravir
Women with HIV gained significantly more weight in the year after giving birth if they were taking dolutegravir rather than efavirenz, Aidsmap reports two...
Trial shows safety and efficacy of ARV combinations in pregnancy
Dolutegravir-based antiretroviral treatment was associated with a higher rate of undetectable viral load at delivery in pregnant women, results of the IMPAACT 2010 trial...
Community-based treatment superior to clinic-based care in SA
Starting antiretroviral treatment on the day of diagnosis in a community setting and picking up medication from a mobile van resulted in superior rates...
TasP suppresses new HIV infections among gay and bisexual men in Australia
HIV treatment as prevention, as measured in community-level viral suppression, was strongly associated with a large drop in the number of new HIV infections...
Trial looks at community-based multi-month dispensing of ARVS
Dispensing antiretroviral drugs to people with suppressed viral load every six months is just as effective as dispensing medication every three months, a study...
Study results support clinical evaluation of GS-6207 as a long-acting ARV agent
A phase Ib study of Gilead Sciences' long-acting HIV-1 capsid inhibitor GS-6207 in people living with HIV demonstrated the drug’s potent antiviral activity, as...
African study on PrEP uptake and adherence
An interim survey of PrEP uptake and adherence in the SEARCH study in Kenya and Uganda, has found that just over a quarter of...
British HIV Association issues statement on COVID-19
Last week the British HIV Association (BHIVA), which represents medical professionals working in HIV in the UK, issued a statement about the new coronavirus...
'London Patient' steps out of the shadows
A year after the “London Patient” was introduced to the world as only the second person to be cured of HIV, The New York...
Group psychotherapy can dramatically improve depression in HIV+ people
Group support psychological therapy led by lay health workers is effective at alleviating symptoms of major depression among HIV-positive adults, according to research conducted...
Same day viral load testing linked to significant improvements in HIV treatment
A South African trial by researchers at the department of global health, University of Washington in Seattle finds 90% of people receiving rapid viral...
Partner reactions to HIV self-tests: NY and Puerto Rico study
Is using HIV self-tests with sexual partners an appropriate strategy that should be encouraged by health bodies? Could it help people who are already...
New Zealand needle exchange programmes keeps HIV rates low
Sustained, extremely low levels of HIV transmission among people who inject drugs, including gay and bisexual men, reflect the success of needle-exchange programmes and...
African hospitals report high death rate in HIV-associated meningitis
An evidence review has found that approximately half of hospital patients with cryptococcal, tuberculosis or pneumococcal meningitis died within two weeks or during hospitalisation....
Important to understand the pathogenesis of weight gain after ART
Dr Karam Mounzer, the chief medical officer of Philadelphia FIGHT, and the medical director of the Jonathan Lax Treatment Centre (the largest, community-based Philadelphia...
Two men, two losses, two eras
The loss of any loved one is painful and the loss of a spouse is profound. How it is endured depends also on the...
Some HIV drug resistance in PrEP users
A case note review from 56 Dean Street, the largest HIV and STI clinic in Europe, has found that former PrEP users who get...
7 graphs that tell SA's HIV story
Over the last decade there have been significant decreases in the rates of new HIV infections, HIV-related deaths, and mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) in South...
Breastfeeding and vaccination helps babies born to HIV-positive mothers stay healthy
A South African study has found that, in general, babies born to HIV-positive mothers who are on antiretroviral therapy do not have worse health...
Questions over PrEP safety during pregnancy should not prevent treatment
Unanswered questions about the safety of taking PrEP during pregnancy and breastfeeding should not be allowed to stand in the way of access to...
Malawi/SA Study highlights need for better management of TB and HIV co-infection
A study from South Africa and Malawi highlights the urgent need for better management of people with TB and HIV co-infection, reports Aidsmap. It...
Unexplained low bone mineral density in HIV patients
The risk of fragility fractures is increased among people living with HIV, according to research. Aidsmap reports that this increased risk couldn’t entirely be...
SA steps up efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV
South Africa’s prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme has achieved remarkable successes in recent years, Ute Feucht, associate professor in paediatrics and Jeannette Wessels researcher,...
Dangers of unclear messaging on medical male circumcision
In March 2007, international experts endorsed voluntary medical male circumcision as a partial but effective way to reduce the risk of HIV infection in...
Current approaches to testing may inadvertently drive away men — small SA study
In South Africa, men experience worse HIV-related outcomes than women. It is estimated that 78% of men living with HIV know that they are...
A strategy for the millions of HIV-exposed but uninfected children
In 2018, 90% of the almost 15m children worldwide who were HIV-exposed and uninfected were from sub-Saharan Africa. Strikingly, half come just five African...
Study sheds light on HIV raising risk of sudden cardiac death
The success of antiretroviral therapies has extended the lives of people living with HIV, long enough for other chronic health conditions to emerge, including...
Services must be strengthened to encourage PrEP users
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – taking antiretroviral drugs to protect people from acquiring HIV infection – is revolutionising the prevention of HIV around the world....
Prevalence of neural tube defects in HIV-exposed pregnancies
The prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) is 7.0 per 10,000 live births in HIV-exposed pregnancies, which is similar to the prevalence in the...
PEP a feasible HIV prevention strategy
Providing a prescription of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in advance of potential exposures to HIV may be a feasible HIV prevention strategy for individuals who...
A third of sexually transmitted HIV infections in 2016 linked to herpes
Evidence suggests there is a strong biological association between HIV and the sexually transmitted infection (STI) herpes. In 2017, an evidence review found the...
Studies find new HIV incidence falling in some SA communities
Two separate studies from KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa have been published in the last two months, both showing falls in new HIV infections in...
Anglo American's extraordinary success in combating HIV/Aids
Mining giant Anglo American has done what much of the country, NGOs and the government cannot – persuade men to test for HIV and...
HIV self-test boosts testing awareness among MSM
Distribution of free HIV self-tests via the internet can increase testing for the disease by men who have sex with men (MSM) and boost...
Depression puts SA girls at higher risk of contracting HIV
Teen girls in South Africa face an extraordinary threat of HIV: By the time they reach adulthood, one in four South African girls will...