HIV Ireland
NewsDesk Weekly
4 December 2015
HPSC - Weekly HIV & STI Report - Week 47, 2015
Latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show 24 new cases for week 47-2015, bringing the total to 451 HIV new notifications for 2015 to date.
HIV Ireland launched by Minister Leo Varadkar on World AIDS Day
HIV Ireland, 1 December 2015
HIV Ireland was officially launched on World AIDS Day, 1st December 2015, by the Minister for Health, Mr. Leo Varadkar. The change of name from Dublin AIDS Alliance to HIV Ireland is very much a reflection of the reality for the vast majority of people living with HIV in Ireland today – progression to AIDS is no longer inevitable.
World AIDS Day 2015 campaign supported by Lord Mayor of Dublin
Dublin City, 1 December 2015
Lord Mayor Criona Ni Dhalaigh has launched Dublin’s support for World AIDS Day at the Mansion House.
Irish dentists refusing to treat HIV positive patients ‘adds to stigma’
Yahoo News, 1 December 2015
Niall Mulligan, chief executive of HIV Ireland, has spoken at the Oireachtas Health Committee at Leinster House about the rise in positive diagnosis in the country and the stigma associated with HIV.
‘Urgent’ need to educate youth as HIV cases skyrocket
Irish Examiner, 1 December 2015
Interview to Deirdre Seery, CEO of the Cork Sexual Health Clinic, who is calling for a rise in rapid, free, community-based tests and new information campaigns especially targeted at young people.
World Aids Day: The fight against the HIV-Aids virus explained in 9 infographics
The Irish Examiner, 1 December 2015
Let’s take a look at some of the figures and trends in the battle against the Aids epidemic – both in the UK and across the world.
Moral responsibilities to disclose your HIV status to partners aren’t so clear-cut
The Conversation, 1 December 2015
Sexual ethics is an area prone to strongly felt moral intuitions. But just how much disclosure is it reasonable to expect from a sex partner, particularly if that relationship isn’t a serious and committed one?
WHO issues recommendations on linkage to care, retention, to help bring HIV treatment to all
Aidsmap, 2 December 2015
The World Health Organization has issued new recommendations on how to organise services in order to improve care and retention in care as part of its new guidelines recommending antiretroviral treatment for all adults and adolescents.
See also:
Accelerate expansion of antiretroviral therapy to all people living with HIV: WHO
WHO, 30 November 2015
On World AIDS Day WHO emphasizes that expanding antiretroviral therapy to all people living with HIV is key to ending the AIDS epidemic within a generation.
Related article:
CDC Statement on World AIDS Day
The Body, 1 December 2015
Elizabeth Taylor 'ran Dallas Buyers Club-style HIV drugs network from her home'
The Guardian, 3 December 2015
Elizabeth Taylor ran a Dallas Buyers Club-style HIV treatment centre at her home procuring and distributing experimental HIV drugs in the early 1990s when the growing epidemic was receiving little or no attention from the government.
'It's a tiny virus so it will live by my rules': Brits with HIV reveal how their health, happiness and fitness IMPROVED by working hard after they were diagnosed
Daily Mail, 1 December 2015
Four inspirational British men and women have spoken out about living with HIV for a new film to challenge common misconceptions surrounding the virus. The documentary My HIV My Rules, released to coincide with World AIDS Day, follows people in the HIV community all leading active and fulfilling lives.
See also:
90 per cent of people living with HIV do not think the public knows the difference between HIV and AIDS
Terence Higgins Trust, 1 December 2015
Why Would An Epidemiologist Team Up With A Porn Star to Promote PrEP?
HIV Plus Mag, 30 November 2015
Interview to epidemiologist scientist Mary Ann Chiasson who has helped launch the Time2PrEP campaign. Dr Chiasson talks about this campaign, the early days of HIV epidemic, the antiretroviral therapy, why she still advocates condom usage, and her concerns as we enter the fourth decade of the HIV epidemic.
Many more people could benefit from HIV PrEP but not enough doctors are aware, says CDC
Aidsmap, 1 December 2015
A new report issued by the US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that PrEP isn’t reaching many of the people who are at high risk of contracting the virus, while many health providers are still unaware of its benefits.
74% Of Doctors Think PrEP Will Be Effective in Reducing HIV Infections
Yahoo FINANCE, 30 November 2015
A poll by SERMO, a global social media network exclusively for doctors, has found that 74 percent of doctors from around the world believe that pre-exposure prophylaxis will be effective in reducing the number of HIV infections worldwide.
Non-Daily PrEP Study Raises Doubts of Its Real-World Applicability
Poz, 1 December 2015
The researchers who carried out the IPERGAY study are recommending caution about their findings on PrEP’s effectiveness if taken on an intermittent regime.
When condoms aren't enough
The Atlantic, 1 December 2015
The author talks about his personal experience in the health care system while taking PrEP.
Thousands of people visit the European HIV Test Finder
Aidsmap, 2 December 2015
The Test finder lists over 2000 HIV testing centres across the European Union and - in just a few seconds - allows someone to find their nearest service, along with a map showing its location.
This taxi company will be dishing out free condoms to party-goers tomorrow night
Irish Independent, 27 November 2015
Taxi company National Radio Cabs are running the promotion to mark World AIDS Day on December 1. A spokesperson for the company said they are "aiming to raise awareness of HIV and also to support those in Ireland living with HIV."
Ban on HIV self-testing to be lifted
DUP, 1 December 2015
Health Minister, Simon Hamilton, has announced his intention to lift the restrictions on HIV self-testing in Northern Ireland.
Does HIV Affect Cognitive Abilities?
HIV Mag Plus, 2 December 2015
Neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center found cognitive differences in HIV positive adults over 50 when compared to HIV negative adults, according to a new study published in the journal AIDS Care.
HIV/AIDS drugs interfere with brain's 'Insulation,' Penn-CHOP team shows
Eureka Alert, 1 December 2015
Researchers have found that commonly used antiretroviral drugs can disrupt the function of the brain cells that manufacture myelin, the fatty material that serves to insulate neurons, helping them transmit signals in the brain fast and efficiently.
In conversation with Dr Marina Klein, co-infection researcher
McGill Reporter, 1 December 2015
Dr Marina Klein talks about her research on patients with HIV and chronic hepatitis. According to Dr Klein, the key to treating these patients lies just as much in education and social programs as it does in antiretroviral pharmaceuticals.
HIV-related wasting can have long-term consequences
Aidsmap, 30 November 2015
Although the incidence of HIV-associated wasting has declined because of effective antiretroviral therapy, the initial weight loss may not be restored and can have a long-term impact on physical function and quality of life.
Two-drug maintenance therapy keeps viral load suppressed and may even have advantages over traditional ART
Aidsmap, 30 November 2015
The study examined use of the simplified treatment as maintenance therapy for patients who had already achieved sustained virological suppression. Follow-up after 48 weeks of randomised trial has showed that the simplified therapy was effective and could even have advantages such as easier adherence.
Why is a shocking number of gay men experiencing HIV stigma from other gay men?
Gay Star News, 1 December 2015
A new report has revealed that a shocking number of gay men are experiencing HIV stigma from other gay men, especially in dating and online dating.
Gay men starting to use crystal meth usually increase their sexual risk taking
Aidsmap, 4 December 2015
A study which followed the same group of gay men over several years has found that individuals who have started to use crystal meth tend to have riskier sexual behaviour than they had in previous years, suggesting that crystal methamphetamine has a greater impact on sexual behaviour than other drugs.
Chemsex: how a drug subculture fits into a post-referendum comedown
The Irish Independent, 2 December 2015
Opinion piece: Chemsex is not a new idea and the furore around it is prurience masked as public health concerns.
Israel to allow HIV positive recruits
Arab News, 3 December 2015
HIV-positive soldiers will not serve in combat roles but in administrative and other positions
Americans are still being imprisoned for being HIV Positive
Vice News, 1 December 2015
Old laws still on the books all over the United States — laws whose very premises are contradicted by science — are still getting HIV-positive people arrested and sent to prison. Many of the behaviours that are criminalized have almost no chance of transmitting the virus.
‘People Living with HIV Stigma Index 2015’ survey, a global study of the impact of stigma, has been published on 1 December 2015.
We Need More Than Condoms to Prevent HIV in Women
The Body, 30 November 2015
Used properly and consistently, condoms are an effective and affordable way to prevent HIV. Unfortunately, condoms are not an easy option for everyone -- particularly women.
Antiretroviral drugs fail to consistently reach patients in countries most affected by HIV/AIDS
Medical Independent, 1 December 2015
The international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières has warned that antiretroviral medicines are routinely not making their way to patients in sub-Saharan Africa, most often despite sufficient stocks already being present in countries, and called for urgent improvements in ARV supply chains in the region.
