2021 World AIDS Day

Dear Reader:

The Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch (MPIDB) focuses its research and training efforts on meeting the ongoing challenges of infectious diseases. Building on lessons learned, the branch informs approaches to the delivery of services, care, prevention, and response efforts for HIV and other emerging and reemerging diseases, domestically and globally.
 
This newsletter recognizes the many voices and efforts related to HIV and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) responses. The intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and the HIV epidemic is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities, stigmatization, and discrimination faced by vulnerable populations around the world. Innovations in virtual platforms, care delivery, diagnostics, and resource mobilization have worked to safeguard the health of people living with HIV while also combating and containing the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
 
Today I ask you to join me and the community in commemorating World AIDS Day as we work toward ending the HIV epidemic. Our collective efforts require integration between all voices from communities with HIV and equitable access to engagement, research, and treatment. It is because of all of you that NICHD and I personally continue to advocate for HIV as a research priority for pediatric and maternal populations worldwide.
 
We encourage you to share this newsletter with others who might be interested. They can subscribe  or visit the MPIDB homepage for more information.
 
Best,
Sonia Lee, Ph.D.
Acting Chief, MPIDB
NICHD

In April, Robert Eisinger, Ph.D.; Andrea Lerner, M.D., M.S.; and Anthony Fauci, M.D., from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), published an article in the Journal of Infectious Diseases on the dual HIV and COVID-19 pandemics. This article, “Human Immunodeficiency Virus/AIDS in the Era of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Juxtaposition of 2 Pandemics,” discusses the unique trajectories, differences, and challenges of COVID-19 in persons at risk for or living with HIV. The authors draw attention to the need to understand the risks and severity of disease; the impacts of disruptions in clinical services for HIV prevention, treatment, and care; and the acknowledgement of a path forward through coordinated partnerships and countermeasures, calling on basic and clinical research and implementation science as tools.
 
As both pandemics continue to be global public health crises of concern, NIH is supporting research to explore the intersection of HIV risk and/or infection and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Examples of NIH’s commitment to these dual pandemics include the following: