HIV Ireland
NewsDesk Weekly
10 July 2015

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HIV
 

HPSC - Weekly HIV & STI Report - Week 26, 2015
Latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show 17 new cases for week 26-2015, bringing the total to 220 HIV new notifications for 2015 to date.

Former head shop drug ‘Snow Blow’ linked to HIV surge in Dublin
The Journal, 9 July 2015
HPSC and Ana Liffey charity believe the rise in the availability of Snow Blow is leading to an increase in the frequency of injections with consequent needle sharing practices and unsafe sex.

UNFPA, WHO and UNAIDS: Position statement on condoms and the prevention of HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy
UNAIDS, 7 July 2015

Sexually transmitted infections1 and chlamydia screening in England, 2014
Public Health England,
Report on STIs and their trends in diagnoses, epidemiology and detailed demographics including age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, areas distribution.
Related:
STIs climbing in men who have sex with men in England
The Lancet, 4 July 2015

Mobeen Azhar: My report into London’s gay chemsex scene
Attitude, 2 July 2015
Journalist and filmmaker Mobeen Azhar investigates the chem culture in London and its impact on HIV transmission and relationships in the MSM community.
You can listen to the report here:
BBC Radio Report: Chemsex
BBC Radio, 3 July 2015

Can activism therapy help people with HIV find happiness?
HIV Plus Mag. 1 July 2015
The importance of cognitive psychology therapy for people living with HIV fighting against depression, internalised stigma and discrimination.

Money spent on community-based HIV prevention translates into treatment savings
Science Daily, 9 July 2015
A study carried out in Ontario has found that every $1 spent on community-based HIV prevention programs in Ontario saves $5 in treatment costs.

IAPAC-Led Study Estimates that 3.4 Million Lives Could be Saved in Nigeria & South Africa with Improved Access to ART
IAPAC, 6 July 2015
IAPAC has carried out a research on ART access and AIDS-related mortality in 30 countries with high HIV epidemic.
You can access the full study here: Trends in AIDS Deaths, New Infections and ART Coverage in the Top 30 Countries with the Highest AIDS Mortality Burden; 1990–2013

A Morning-After Pill for HIV; But Seriously, the Morning After
Gay City news, 6 July 2015
Two professors from the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies in NYC give information and advice about Post-Exposure Prophylaxis.

Seroconverting at 15
Positive Lite, 1 July 2015
Activist Bob Leahy talks to a 16-year-old recently diagnosed with HIV, about what it’s like to find out you are HIV-positive when you are a teenager in a small rural community. They also talk about treatment, social life, activism, and hopes for the future.
See also:
What HIV-positive youth want you to know
The Body, Summer 2015
Personal stories of young people living with HIV.

Faceless but never voiceless
Positive Lite, 6 July 2015
Blog on equality, stigma and privacy: “We were not diagnosed to be isolated; we were diagnosed to be protected.”

Innovative way to test early for HIV has been put forward for award
Portsmouth, 6 July 2015
The Rapid HIV free test involves taking a drop of blood from a finger, and the result (negative, reactive, or invalid) will be given in 60 seconds.
See also:
Rapid HIV tests: Doctor warns screening should be backed up by full blood test for other STIs
Radio Australia, 10 July 2015

Prompt ART especially important for people with HIV aged 45 and over
Aidsmap, 8 July 2015
A study carried out by the US Centers for AIDS Research shows that delaying ART treatment can have a deleterious effect on older HIV positive patients, causing poorer outcomes and a higher mortality rate.

What you probably didn’t want to know about HIV and aging
Positive Lite, 3 July 2015
Geriatric conditions are common in middle-aged and older HIV-positive men, therefore making treatment and prevention of co-morbidities in the older HIV population as important as management of HIV. Early antiretroviral treatment may help to prevent ageing-related complications.

AIDS is a 'human rights issue,' Ban declares, launching major new UN report in Barbados
UN News, 3 July 2015
At the launch of the report “Defeating AIDS – Advancing Global Health” UNAIDS Secretary Ban has highlighted four main points in the battle against HIV/AIDS: knowledge and tools to end HIV epidemic, need for more funding, importance of activism, and protection of human rights.
See also:
How to beat HIV
Nature, 8 July 2015
HIV prevention and treatment in developing countries.

This is how Washington, D.C., dramatically reduced HIV infections
Gay, 8 July 2015
The decline in infection rates - around 87% less - is particularly dramatic among drug users because of effective needle exchange program.

Bananas and Herbs – the Latest in HIV/AIDS Prevention?
Blog Critics, 7 July 2015
Substances present in various vegetables – such as lectine, lignine and plant sterols – can help boost the immune system, slowing HIV transmission and relieving infection symptoms. Researchers are working on the creation of high-concentration meds based on these substances.

Could a subdermal implant mean the end of HIV?
San Francisco Edge, 29 June 2015
Scientists are developing a small implant, similar to a contraceptive implant, that releases time controlled doses of medications for up to 40 days with improved adherence and no adverse side effects.

ART roll-out in Uganda accompanied by increased rates of HIV disclosure to spouses
Aidsmap, 6 July 2015
A study from Uganda suggests that in communities where antiretroviral therapy programmes have been implemented, a higher number of HIV-positive people disclose their HIV status to their spouses.

Latent HIV cells only 'wake up' once a week following antiretrovirals
Medical News Today, 5 July 2015
A new study shows how often HIV cells "wake up" among people on antiretroviral therapy. 
Kids as young as 13 using ‘legal highs’
Irish Examiner, 10 July 2015
Latest update on drugs use in Ireland.