Fewer HIV-Infected Americans Passing the Virus On Dec 11, 2008
That was the year that new antiretroviral therapies became available, which may have led some people at risk for HIV to forego prevention measures, the researchers said. "The declines (in HIV transmission rates) reflect the success of prevention efforts across the nation," study co-author Richard Wolitski, acting director of the CDC's division of HIV/AIDS prevention, said in the news release. (MEDLINEplus)
China's Paradoxical Policies On HIV And Drug Use Threaten Health, Experts Argue Dec 11, 2008
HIV-infected detainees were not routinely provided medical or drug dependency treatment, including antiretroviral therapy, the authors report ... A new model estimating the spread of HIV in Russia suggests that treating injection drug users with antiretroviral. (Science Daily)
Once detected, HIV can be manageable Dec 11, 2008
But in the mid-1990s, researchers developed HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) medicines that in various ways arrest the growth of the virus, reducing it to undetectable levels. Over the past decade and a half, for many in the developed world, HIV has become more like diabetes or hypertension: a chronic disease instead of a death sentence. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Zimbabwe: Cholera's Double Jeopardy for People With HIV Dec 11, 2008
He is also living with HIV and recently started taking antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). One morning he woke up with excruciating stomach cramps; a few hours later he was vomiting and having diarrhoea. (allAfrica.com)
Cholera victims turned away Dec 11, 2008
Patients were well aware of the need to "thank" medical personnel with bribes, he said, to get services and medications, such as the antiretroviral drugs used to treat AIDS.. "This is now a very corrupt country. Myself, I don't ask for money. They actually know they have to give me money, not just a verbal thank you.". (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Letters to the editor (12/10/08) Dec 10, 2008
He has also discontinued the use of his high active antiretroviral therapy the day that he had the transplant. This is a remarkable find, as millions of people suffer from this virus worldwide. (Anchorage Daily News)
Direct Relief Sends $1.3 Million in Medical Aid to Zimbabwe Dec 10, 2008
Direct Relief has provided critical antiretroviral therapy drugs for HIV/AIDS patients in Zimbabwe since 2007. Direct Relief continues to monitor the health situation in Zimbabwe and is directing emergency response efforts based on partner needs and requests for specific medicines and materials. (AlertNet)
Uncounted dead in Zimbabwe Dec 9, 2008
One was Thembelani Lunga, a 32-year-old in Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo who was HIV-positive and had problems accessing life-preserving antiretroviral medication. Lunga died after being jailed for four days in Bulawayo Central Police Station, where she was denied access to AIDS medication, the organization said. (MSNBC -- International)
WHO Proposal for Mandatory HIV Screening in Sub-Saharan Africa ... Dec 8, 2008
The biggest and best achievement in sub-Saharan Africa so far has been the roll-out of antiretroviral drugs, which are now keeping 3 million people alive, notes Sarah Boseley, health editor of the Guardian. Page 1. (MedIndia)
The next step of action Dec 7, 2008
Bush's initiative has provided antiretroviral treatment for more than 1. 7 million people around the world since 2003. (Ames Daily Tribune, IA)
They Won't Give Him Credit Dec 7, 2008
At the time the initiative was launched, only about 50,000 sub-Saharan Africans were receiving antiretroviral treatment for AIDS. Today, 1. 7 million people in the region, as well as tens of thousands more around the globe, are receiving such treatment. (Townhall.com)
Study Offers Insights About Development Of Human Immune System Dec 6, 2008
"Only 5 to 10 percent of babies born to untreated HIV-infected mothers in the absence of antiretroviral interventions are born infected with HIV. Perhaps some aspect of the immunological tolerance of the fetal immune system explains how the baby could avoid HIV infection in utero," McCune noted. In this respect, he added, the study opens up new research directions that could be important for the creation of effective HIV vaccines. (Science Daily)
Health & Senior News - In Brief Dec 6, 2008
There is also need for volunteers who have experience and training in Reiki, music, therapy, art therapy and pet therapy. These complementary therapies bringing comfort, relaxation and quality of life to patients. (Rocky Hill Post, CT)
Good for justice; Bailing out U.S. car makers; HIV prevention Dec 6, 2008
Regarding the article "Court rules against U.K. on personal data storage" (Dec. 5): The ruling of the European Court of Human Rights against the British policy of holding the DNA and fingerprints of all criminal suspects - innocent or not - is a good omen for justice. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
UNICEF benefit concert raises funds for impoverished children Dec 6, 2008
$500 can buy a year's supply of antiretroviral medicine for an HIV-positive child under three-years-old. Copyright Brigham Young University 4 Dec 2008. (The Daily Universe, UT)
Adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy and its correlates among HIV infected pediatric patients in Ethiopia Dec 6, 2008
The introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) has resulted in striking reductions in HIV-related mortality ... This may be due to concerns that failure to adhere appears to be related to continued viral replication, treatment failure and the emergence of drug-resistant strains of HIV. This study determines the rates and factors associated with adherence to Antiretroviral (ARV) Drug therapy in HIV-infected children who were receiving Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) in... (BioMed Central)
Veteran uses art to heal horrors of war Dec 5, 2008
Marez keeps busy all the year around and encourages his fellow veterans to enjoy the rewards art therapy. By Kathryn Marmon. (Grants Cibola County Beacon, NM)
National Catholic Secretariat Celebrates World AIDS Day Dec 4, 2008
The HIV/AIDS Programme at Buduburam Settlement over the years has the following as its working model: Preventive Education and Health Awareness, Voluntary Counseling and Testing, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, Home Based Care and Support, Provision of Antiretroviral Therapy, and Condom Distribution, he noted ... She said UNHCR has made tremendous progress during the past years in implementing HIV prevention, care and treatment programmes among refugees including the provision of... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Fighting the spread of HIV among Bangkok's addicts Dec 3, 2008
Thailand has 610,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, of whom 60 percent receive antiretroviral drug treatment. But Paisan says it is common for IDUs to be denied treatment until they quit drugs. (Reuters AlertNet)
French first lady joins global fight against AIDS Dec 2, 2008
With access to antiretroviral drugs, the risk of virus transmission from an HIV-positive mother to her baby can be slashed to less than five percent, it added. Bruni-Sarkozy said she would divert the constant media attention she has attracted since her whirlwind wedding to President Nicolas Sarkozy this year toward the battle against AIDS. She also planned to tap her extensive contacts in the music and fashion industries for fundraising. (guardian.co.uk)
Can HIV Infection Be Prevented with a Once-Daily Pill? Dec 2, 2008
After years of being told that antiretroviral drugs were toxic, the idea of using them in uninfected people seemed reckless to many. Local activists, along with their international supporters, believed the trials were being run by profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies who were coming to poor countries to do dangerous research that would later pad their own pockets and only end up benefiting people in the developed world. (Scientific American)
New HIV Cases Could Be Reduced By 95% With Universal Voluntary Testing And Immediate Treatment, Mathematical Model Shows Dec 2, 2008
1, 2008) Universal and annual voluntary testing followed by immediate antiretroviral therapy treatment (irrespective of clinical stage or CD4 count) can reduce new HIV cases by 95% within 10 years, according to new findings based on a mathematical model developed by a group of HIV specialists in WHO. ... g. CD4 count) to determine eligibility for treatment with antiretrovirals ... WHO will convene a meeting early next year bringing together ethicists, funders, human rights advocates, clinicians,... (Science Daily)
* New hope for AIDS patients in Africa Dec 2, 2008
About 2 million people are receiving lifesaving antiretroviral medicines in Africa, which bears the brunt of the AIDS epidemic, up from 100,000 in 2003 ... In Botswana, which has one of the highest AIDS rates in the world but has enough resources and commitment to provide treatment, 95 percent of HIV positive pregnant women were given antiretroviral drugs to protect their children last year. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Lonely white male, HIV+ Dec 2, 2008
But my status changed with the discovery of highly active antiretroviral therapy. It restored life and eradicated the virus. (Globe and Mail)
Thousands die because Myanmar's junta spends too little on AIDS, group says Dec 2, 2008
About 240,000 people in Myanmar are infected with the virus that causes AIDS, and about 76,000 are sick enough to need antiretroviral treatment, the group said ... Many Burmese cannot afford the $30 a month for the cheapest antiretroviral regimen from private doctors. (International Herald Tribune -- Health)
Most Patients Should Be Screened for H.I.V., Physicians' Group Says Dec 2, 2008
Related News from NYT Health. By RONI CARYN RABIN The New York Times Published: Dec 02, 2008. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
President Bush Discusses World AIDS Day Dec 2, 2008
And when PEPFAR began, only 50,000 people living with HIV in all of sub-Sahara Africa were receiving antiretroviral treatment. Around the world, we've also supported care for more than 10 million people affected by HIV, including more than four million orphans and vulnerable children. (White House News Releases)
A breathtaking aspiration for AIDS Dec 2, 2008
The analysts developed a mathematical model to predict what would happen if most adults and adolescents were tested every year for the virus that causes AIDS and those who tested positive were immediately treated with antiretroviral drugs instead of waiting until their immune systems were depressed, as is current policy. The results, described last week in The Lancet, a British medical journal, were remarkable. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
Spread HIV awareness, says Minister Dec 2, 2008
Saroja Putran, a HIV-positive person and president of Karnataka Network of People Living with HIV, said: Now, almost all districts have an easy access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) centres with 27 in place in the state. The government should provide free second line ART centres in the state, as many of us have developed resistance to first line drugs, she added. (Express Buzz)
Africas AIDS fight: Fresh focus on issue of multiple partners Dec 1, 2008
Waiting for treatment: People sat in the waiting room of an antiretroviral clinic in Emmaus Hospital in Winterton, South Africa, last spring. Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images. (Christian Science Monitor -- USA)
Africa: New Report Advocates Early HIV Testing Dec 1, 2008
The stocktaking report cites the study, 'Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy' which demonstrated a 76 per cent reduction in mortality when treatment was initiated within the first 12-weeks of life. Yet, in 2007, less than 10 per cent of infants born to mothers living with HIV were tested before they were two-months-old. (allAfrica.com)
South Africa: Hospice Helps the Very Sick Dec 1, 2008
Despite the fact that the Dream Centre is a hospice for people with AIDS, only about a quarter of the patients die as many are now on antiretroviral medication, says Dr Portia Mkhize, one of the centre s two doctors. It is rewarding to work here. (allAfrica.com)
AIDS: This is no time for complacency Dec 1, 2008
Even in those countries where antiretroviral therapy is available, the cost of treatment for a lifetime far exceeds the resources that would be provided through the industrialized countries ... Current antiretroviral therapy prevents new cell infections but does not directly affect the infected cell. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
AIDS: A stigma endures Dec 1, 2008
The antiretroviral drugs that she takes to treat her disease have lengthened her life but cause side effects, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and mood swings. But Marvelyn says that those side effects are "still not the worst part of having HIV. It is the stigma.". (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Measuring Aids in SA Dec 1, 2008
A new study by Harvard researchers estimates that the South African government would have prevented the premature deaths of 365000 people earlier this decade if it had provided antiretroviral drugs to Aids patients and widely administered drugs to help prevent pregnant women from infecting their babies, reports the New York Times. Thabo Mbeki has been called an 'Aids denialist', and it has been questioned why his colleagues in the party did not act earlier to challenge his resistance to broadly... (iAfrica.com)
AIDS fight is worth it Dec 1, 2008
The biggest impact comes from PEPFAR's making antiretroviral drugs available to the mainly poor, HIV-positive population of Africa ... Part of this is medical: If someone goes off of antiretroviral treatment, the virus adapts. (Baltimore Sun)
Guinea: Mining Zones Take On Aids Nov 29, 2008
"The hospital is supposed to cover the whole region, but only one doctor has been trained. He is looking after 129 patients on ARVs [antiretroviral drugs]," said Nathalie Daries, head of Therapeutic Solidarity and Initiatives Against AIDS (SOLTHIS), operating in Guinea since the beginning of 2008. One of SOLTHIS's objectives is to train professionals in the fight against AIDS.. (allAfrica.com)
AIDS policies proved deadly in South Africa Nov 29, 2008
A new study by Harvard researchers found that the South African government caused the premature deaths of 365,000 people earlier in the decade through misguided health policies on AIDS, including denying antiretroviral drugs to patients and refusing to widely administer drugs to help prevent pregnant women from infecting their babies. Related health stories. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
World AIDS Day 2008 Nov 29, 2008
As of 2008, a small number of countries are already providing universal access to antiretroviral treatment and to services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Others are well on the way to doing so ... Today, for every two people who start taking antiretroviral drugs, another five become newly infected. (NDTV.com)
Chemical In Our Stomach Might Help Us Fight Obesity Nov 29, 2008
A recent discovery might help people with HIV. A combination of universal voluntary HIV testing and immediate antiretroviral treatment (ART) following diagnosis of HIV infection could reduce the HIV.. Latest videos in Specials. (eFluxMedia)
Living in Britain with HIV Nov 29, 2008
They told me I was lucky there was an antiretroviral drug, AZT, that I could access, so my life would be prolonged ... Combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) was introduced in the UK in 1996. (Times Online)
Newton woman suffers serious burns Nov 28, 2008
Emma Clippinger of Cambridge and a Yale University colleague founded a nonprofit organization after realizing that many HIV victims were so malnourished that they could not absorb lifesaving antiretroviral drugs. Gardens for Health International has helped more than 4,000 Rwandans get access to tools, seeds, and organic manure to plant and harvest foods for themselves and families, donate to hospitals, and sell at the market in the past two years. (Boston Globe)
European Committee for Human Medicinal Products (CHMP) Issues Positive Opinion for Once-Daily PREZISTA(R) (Darunavir) as Part of Combination Therapy for Treatment-Naive Adults With HIV-1 Nov 28, 2008
The CHMP's positive opinion is based on 48-week analyses of plasma HIV RNA levels and CD4+ cell counts from the ongoing, randomised, controlled, open-label phase III trial ARTEMIS in antiretroviral treatment-naive HIV-1-infected adults ... Darunavir, co-administered with low dose ritonavir, is currently indicated in combination with other antiretroviral medicinal products for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in highly pre-treated adult patients who failed more than one regimen containing a... (PR Newswire)
HIV protection: Could pills work wonders against HIV? (Feature) Nov 28, 2008
So far, there are no concrete results, but animal testing, including with non-human primates, has offered some hope for the antiretroviral (ARV) medications to be used for prevention ... The medications, which when taken together are known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), have been effective in preventing the HIV virus from spreading through the body by lowering the HIV count in the blood, semen and vaginal mucous. (Monsters and Critics.com)
Aids policies killed 365k Nov 28, 2008
"Many lives were lost because of a failure to accept the use of available (antiretroviral drugs) to prevent and treat HIV/Aids in a timely manner," researchers said. Mbeki's health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, was widely discredited for proposing lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and beetroot as Aids treatments as the country battled one of the world's worst Aids epidemics. (iAfrica.com)
Report: Myanmar AIDS crisis deepens Nov 26, 2008
An estimated 240,000 people are thought to have HIV/AIDS in Myanmar with 76,000 of those people facing death unless they receive antiretroviral (ART) drug, the report published Tuesday said. Fewer than 20 percent of the people are are able to access ART, according to the organization. (CNN -- International)
Study cites toll of AIDS policy in South Africa Nov 26, 2008
A new study by Harvard researchers estimates that the South African government would have prevented the premature deaths of 365,000 people earlier this decade if it had provided antiretroviral drugs to AIDS patients and widely administered drugs to help prevent pregnant women from infecting their babies. The Harvard study concluded that the policies grew out of President Thabo Mbeki's denial of the well-established scientific consensus about the viral cause of AIDS and the essential role of... (International Herald Tribune)
South Africa: Aids Denialism Killed 330,000, Say Researchers Nov 26, 2008
More than 330,000 lives were lost to HIV/AIDS in South Africa between 2000 and 2005 because a feasible and timely antiretroviral (ARV) treatment program was not implemented, according to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health. The study was published online by the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS). (allAfrica.com)
South Africa: U.S. Aids Relief Welcomed Nov 26, 2008
Dr Motato Leshika, the centre's project director, said that since the clinic was opened in 2006, it had registered 2400 HIV cases, and out of those, 1200 patients were enrolled in the antiretroviral programme. T he remaining 1200 were participating in wellness programmes. (allAfrica.com)
Universal HIV tests would have big impact Nov 26, 2008
The researchers emphasised their findings do not represent new WHO policy or any other guidance but rather stand as a call for discussion on how to better tackle the AIDS epidemic and the role of so-called antiretroviral drugs. "Although other prevention strategies, alone or in combination, could substantially reduce HIV incidence, our model suggests that only universal voluntary HIV testing and immediate initiation of antiretroviral drugs could reduce transmission to the point at which... (India Times, India)
South Africa: Expert Warns of Water Crisis Leading to Instability Nov 25, 2008
"It is precisely these rural areas that are most likely to be affected by the deteriorating water quality arising from eutrophication in rivers and dams. It is also these local authorities that are the least capable of adapting water treatment processes and plant to remove microcystins, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and antiretroviral medication (ARVs) that are likely to arise from a population with a heavy burden of AIDS-related diseases," he says. Turton says SA has failed to mobilise... (allAfrica.com)
M*A*C AIDS Fund Bolsters South Africa HIV Care, Prevention with $2.5 Million USD Nov 24, 2008
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- A new grant program from the M(*)A(*)C AIDS Fund has gifted $2. 4 million in South Africa where adoption rates are down nearly 13 percent from last year. (Canada Newswire)
Higher cancer risk in HIV patients raises concern Nov 22, 2008
There are some hypotheses for why this is so: HIV patients are simply living long enough to get cancer diagnoses; their immune systems are weakened by disease or injured by antiretroviral drugs; those with HIV are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors ... said it is possible these cancers might have been seen sooner if antiretroviral drugs had come along years earlier. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
O Canada at school. Over 800,000 families deal with childhood mental illness, often without help.">Raising a child with a mental illness Nov 22, 2008
Over 800,000 families deal with childhood mental illness, often without help (Globe and Mail -- Business)
Africa: Treating HIV-Positive Babies Wth ARVs Really Works Nov 21, 2008
A ground-breaking South African study has provided the first hard evidence that treating HIV-positive babies with antiretroviral (ARV) medicines from as early as six weeks dramatically improves their chances of survival. The study, conducted in Cape Town and Soweto, Johannesburg's largest township, and published in this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, found that infants started on ARV therapy immediately after diagnosis were 76 percent less likely to die than those who began... (allAfrica.com)
South Africa: New Proposal Could Save Many HIV Babies Nov 21, 2008
The national Essential Drugs List (EDL) committee has recommended that the health department should change its guidelines for treating babies born with HIV and start them on antiretroviral therapy as soon as possible ... Preliminary findings from the Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy (Cher) study were released at an international AIDS conference in Sydney last July and presented to the health department last November ... Current South African guidelines say infants with HIV should... (allAfrica.com)
NF hospital advances $6.3M renovation Nov 21, 2008
Plans call for dedicated space for therapeutic groups and expanded facilities for art therapy, music therapy and other initiatives. Essentially we re taking two large wings of the hospital and making them contiguous units, says Joseph Ruffalo, president and CEO.. (Buffalo Business First, NY)
Rapid care 'cuts baby's HIV risk' Nov 20, 2008
It found giving antiretroviral therapy (ART) straight after diagnosis cut the risk of death from Aids by 76. The study appears in the New England Journal of Medicine. (BBC News)
Breastfeeding alone cuts HIV Nov 20, 2008
In the developed world, the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission has been cut from 25% to under 2% because of the use of antiretroviral therapies, exclusive formula feeding and good healthcare support. But these benefits are often unavailable in the developing world. (BBC News -- Health)
Individuals With HIV Have Higher Risk Of Non-AIDS Cancers Nov 20, 2008
8, 2005) In people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may prevent most excess cases of Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a new. (July 10, 2007) HIV/AIDS and kidney transplant patients are at much greater risk of contracting 20 different types of cancer than the general population, according to a recent article. (Science Daily)
ARV bungle kills 330000 Nov 20, 2008
Over 330000 lives were lost to HIV/Aids in South Africa between 2000 and 2005 because a feasible and timely antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programme was not implemented, a study revealed on Wednesday. In addition, 35000 babies were born with HIV during the same period because anti-Aids drug nevirapine was not made available, according to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health. (iAfrica.com)
Landmark study defines benefits of early HIV testing and treatment for infected infants Nov 20, 2008
Testing very young babies for HIV and giving antiretroviral therapy (ART) immediately to those found infected with the virus dramatically prevents illness and death, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine ... These findings come from the "Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy" (CHER) study, the first Phase III randomized clinical trial to study the best time to begin ART in infants ... "HIV devastates the nascent immune systems of infants very quickly, yet too many... (EurekAlert!)
Researchers Identify Toehold For HIV's Assault On Brain Nov 19, 2008
(May 30, 2002) Naltrexone, a drug used in the treatment of heroin addiction and alcoholism, may increase the effectiveness of the antiretroviral drugs zidovudine (AZT) and indinavir, which are used in the treatment ... 14, 2005) When researchers came up with the powerful cocktail of anti-HIV drugs known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), they hoped they had found a way to finally rid the body of the virus. (Science Daily)
Keeping Africa on Washington's radar Nov 18, 2008
In five years, Frazer said, the program has expanded the number of people in sub-Saharan Africa who have access to antiretroviral treatment from 50,000 to 1. 4 million people. (Boston Globe)
No Clear Answer On Why HIV Vaccine Candidates Did Not Lower Risk Of Acquiring HIV Nov 17, 2008
Merck scientists were among the first to discover and develop antiretroviral medicines in various classes for the treatment of HIV and AIDS.. To expand access to medicines and address the complex challenges of the HIV and AIDS pandemic, Merck has a comprehensive no-profit pricing policy for its antiretroviral (ARV) therapies in the least developed countries. (Science Daily)
