HPSC - Weekly HIV & STIs Report – Week 42 - 2019
Latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre shows that 431 HIV notifications have been reported in Ireland to date in 2019.

JVN on living with HIV, his new book, and his 'bad assumption' about Leo Varadkar
TheJournal.ie, 22 October 2019
In going public, Jonathan Van Ness is trying to show that a HIV diagnosis does not mean that people can’t thrive.

How street teams and vending machines are helping to eradicate HIV
The Guardian, 22 October 2019
Efforts to tackle increasing HIV diagnoses in Brighton and Hove are starting to bear fruit, including easier access to testing with the introduction of the world’s first vending machines for HIV testing kits.

Video: HIV Garage Part 2 – Panti flexes her muscles
My HIV My Rules My Journey, You Tube Channel, 16 October 2019
In part 2 of the HIV Garage video series, Panti Bliss is met by a group of mechanics, flexing their muscles, and explain to Panti the importance of exercising for people living with HIV.

‘HIV diagnosis has consumed my being, I’ve tried to take my own life five or six times’
News Letter, 23 October 2019
A personal story about one person’s struggles coming to terms with a new HIV diagnosis.

Ending HIV will require optimizing treatment and prevention tools, say NIH experts
Medical Xpress, 24 October 2019
Theoretically, the widespread provision of ART and PrEP could end the HIV pandemic. However, a gap exists between theory and reality, and implementation gaps exist at all stages of the HIV care continuum.

HIV-Positive Man Sues Maotai for Alleged Hiring Discrimination
Sixth Tone, 18 October 2019
The man had been working with a third party associated with the company for two years and had passed both the written test and interview for a full-time sales position. However, after a medical examination — a routine pre-employment procedure at many firms — the company told him his test results had “minor problems”.

About 12,000 fake STI kits seized in past four years, figures show
The Guardian, 20 October 2019
The fake test devices for HIV and other infections can show negative results when the person is positive.

EXCLUSIVE: The World’s first known person who naturally beat HIV goes public
Leapsmag, 16 October 2019
When Loreen Willenberg was diagnosed with HIV in 1992, the nures’s standard words of advice at the time were to “get your things in order”.  Loreen, however, researchers were to discover, has a unique immune biology that is able to control the virus naturally.


PrEP
PrEP in Ireland: what you need to know about the new programme
GCN, 23 October 2019
Andrew Leavitt from ACT Up Dublin shares some practical information about how the new national PrEP programme in Ireland will work.

Grindr users report more sexual risk, but more likely to use PrEP
Aidsmap, 24 October 2019
Gay and bisexual men who use the Grindr dating app reported more sexual risk behaviour, more sex partners, and a higher rate of STIs. However, they were also more likely to either already be using PrEP or be willing to do so, and they had a lower rate of HIV diagnosis.

For PrEP 2-1-1 Dosing, the information Is often Bottom Up
TheBody.com, 8 October 2019
With many primary care physicians lacking the knowledge of daily PrEP or the desire to prescribe it, let alone ‘on demand’ or ‘event-driven’ dosing, understanding of the benefits and challenges of this regimen is coming from the bottom up.

Switching to TAF-based PrEP improves kidney and bone markers – but does it raise cardiovascular risk?
Aidsmap, 15 October 2019
People who switched from Truvada to the newer Descovy for PrEP experienced improvements in measures of kidney function and bone density.

Study results depict PrEP usage among trans MSM
Qnotes, 18 October 2019
A study recently published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society is the first to investigate the use of PrEP and the risk behaviours that indicate its use to prevent HIV among transgender MSM.


Sex Work
Northern Ireland prostitution unaffected by Stormont legislation to criminalise paying for sex, report finds
Belfast Live, 29 September 2019
Research into Stormont legislation on paying for sex “has had minimal to no effect on the demand for prostitution”, and finds trafficking not reduced by the law either.


STIs 
New reports published by Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC)
Health Protection Surveillance Centre, 21 October 2019
The HPSC has recently published 2018 data on STI notifications in Ireland, including separate reports on syphilis and genital herpes data and trends.


Conferences and Events
National Drugs Forum 2019
The Health Research Board and the Department of Health will host the 2nd annual National Drugs Forum in Croke Park on 5th of November.  The theme of the forum is Inclusion Health: Responding to the complex health needs of people who use drugs. 

Civil Society Dialogue: Achieving sexual and reproductive health and rights for all
Taking place on 6^th November 2019 in the Davenport Hotel, Dublin, the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), supported by Irish Aid, are hosting this facilitated dialogue between NGOs, activists, youth leaders and government policy-makers on the key work that needs to be undertaken by Ireland to fully realise sexual and reproductive health and rights in both a local and global context.

SSSTDI Autumn Meeting
The 2019 Autumn meeting of the SSSTDI will take place in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin on 22^nd and 23^rd November.

The Laura Lee Sex Worker Human Rights Annual Lecture, takes place in London on 28th November 2019.

The Irish Aid Annual Professor Michael Kelly HIV and AIDS Lecture
The Irish Global Health Network facilitates Irish Aid’s Annual Father Michael Kelly HIV and AIDS Lecture. This year’s theme is Women, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, and the event takes place on 28^th November 2019, in Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin.

World AIDS Day 2019, UNAIDS
The theme of this year's World AIDS Day is "Communities make the difference".  The event, which takes place on 1^st  December 2019, is an important opportunity to recognise the essential role that communities have played and continue to play in the AIDS response at the international, national and local levels. 

HPE Conference 2020
HIV Prevention England will be hosting the national HIV prevention conference on Tuesday 18 February 2020 in central London. Registration for the conference will open in November 2019. 

HIV2020
Registration is now open for the HIV2020 Conference taking place in Mexico City from 5^th to 7^th July 2020.

AIDS 2020
Registration is now open for the 23^rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020). Taking place from 6^th to 20^th July 2020, the world’s largest conference on HIV and AIDS will be hosted simultaneously in two neighbouring cities, San Francisco and Oakland, U.S.