HIV Ireland
NewsDesk Weekly
15 January 2016
HIV
HPSC - Weekly HIV & STI Report - Weeks 1, 2016
Latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show a total of 10 HIV new cases for week 1, 2016.
Treatment turns 20
CATIE, Winter 2016
The transformative impact of antiretroviral therapy - on the epidemic, HIV care and what it means to live with the virus.
Why we need to rethink HIV attitudes
CNN, 11 January 2016
Robert Klitzman, a professor of psychiatry and director of the Masters of Bioethics Program at Columbia University, talks about criminal HIV transmission and related laws.
Daily pill to prevent HIV may be offered to thousands of men on the NHS after trials showed it could cut risk of infection by 60%
Daily Mail, 14 January 2016
NHS England is evaluating whether to offer PrEP under a £50 million scheme, with a decision expected by summer.
How an Injectable HIV Treatment Would Change Lives
The Advocate, 11 January 2016
Taking daily medication takes more than a pillbox, it takes a commitment that some aren't capable of making. The current oral regimen continues to be a reason for poor adherence to HIV treatment.
PrEP medicine 'could prevent around 7,400 extra HIV cases by 2020'
UK Independent, 14 January 2015
A new modelling research published in The Lancet HIV journal suggests that offering PrEP alongside regular HIV testing and early treatment to just a quarter of MSM in UK could dramatically curb the rates of new HIV infections.
Here’s Why Some People Go Off Their HIV Meds and Why That’s a Really Bad Idea
Health News, 15 January 2016
Adherence to HIV treatment is not easy: the patients have to take medication every day, they also have to schedule appointments with doctors and refill prescriptions, not for just a period of time, but forever.
No more excuses. We have the tools to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The Washington Post, 8 January 2016
Prevention, testing, early treatment are highly effective tools against HIV epidemic, but they require seeking out people at risk for infection and testing them; linking infected individuals to medical care; working to keep them in care; and providing anti-HIV drugs.
3 simple steps to staying HIV-negative
HIV Equal, 12 January 2016
Before choosing your safer sex prevention method, the decision to stay HIV-negative is one that requires some thought. The process is simple, yet it might require you to step out of your comfort zone and examine your sex life in a new light. If you do, however, you can rest assured that your sex life poses no risk to your health.
You Can't Hurry Love
Poz, January 2016
Navigating sex and disclosure while living with HIV.
Mouth, skin tissue can spread HIV, Chinese scientists find
South China Morning Post, 14 January 2016
A type of cell commonly found in skin, mouth and gut tissue may be able to “capture” the HIV virus and introduce it to other cells where it can spread much more easily, according to a new study by Chinese scientists.
Short- or Medium-Term PrEP Is Safer Than Aspirin
Poz, 12 January 2016
Researchers have compared safety data from the five major PrEP studies to data from two major aspirin safety studies. Studies are still needed, however, to assess the long-term safety of PrEP.
Here’s How Canadian Doctors Helped Solve Rural America’s Worst HIV Outbreak
Vice, 14 January 2016
The cause of the Indiana epidemic was addiction, and the infection spread through the use of dirty needles. The solution was a needle exchange programme and a successful HIV-prevention strategy.
Middle-aged people living with HIV have an increased risk of frailty
Aidsmap, 13 January 2016
Frailty is a medical syndrome associated with increased risk of illness and death. A higher prevalence of frailty has been observed in people with HIV. The inflammatory effects of HIV infection, HIV-related illness and the side-effects of some antiretroviral drugs have been suggested possible reasons for the association between frailty and HIV.
The impact of ketogenic diet on cognition in older adults with HIV
Medical Xpress, 12 January 2015
Poor cognitive function is a serious problem in ageing people living with HIV. Researchers at University of Alabama are exploring multiple effects of a ketogenic diet (a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet with adequate protein) in older persons living with HIV who have mild to moderate neurocognitive impairment.
Injectable HIV treatment to begin phase III clinical trials
HIV Equal, 7 January 2016
ViiV and Janssen will start clinical testing to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of a new injectable HIV treatment in mid 2016.
Legal barriers to adolescent participation in HIV and STI research need to be removed
Eureka Alert, 11 January 2016
According to a new paper by US experts, parental permission for adolescent participation in research on STIs, HIV and PrEP is not required ethically and may undermine public health interests.
Scientists uncover how part of a protein helps primates fight HIV
Eureka Alert, 14 January 2016
The discovery could provide a target for future anti-HIV gene therapy.
Cellular pathway discovered that may re-energize immune cells to eliminate HIV
Medical Xpress, 12 January 2016
US researchers have revealed a new immune pathway that can be targeted to increase the immune system's ability to eliminate HIV. The discovery will give new directions to vaccines and therapies that will potentially reverse these exhausted cells and allow them to control HIV-1 replication, but also serve in "Shock and Kill" HIV curative strategies.
Drugs
Documentary on Newstalk: Decriminalising Addiction
Newstalk, 9 January 2015
Decriminalising Addiction: Changing Ireland's Approach to Drug Policy' examines whether or not Ireland's existing policy towards drug use is effective, based on the lives and experiences of addicts and the professionals that deal with addiction.
Needle exchange leaders cheer relaxed federal funding ban
Daily Mail, 8 January 2016
Advocates are praising Congress' recent softening of a longtime ban on federal dollars going to needle exchanges amid growing intravenous drug abuse that's spreading hepatitis and HIV in many states.
Formerly legal drug 'snow blow' linked to rise in HIV
Irish Independent, 13 January 2016
The HSE’s Department of Public Health identified an “unexpected increase” in cases of acute HIV infection among drugs users last year and set up a group of experts to research this increase.
