Communities around the globe united over the weekend to spread awareness for World AIDS Day, which was held on Saturday, December 1st. In 1988, the U.N. General Assembly expressed deep concern over the pandemic proportions of the AIDS virus. Following the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of 1 December 1988 as World AIDS Day, the General Assembly […]
In part one of this two-part series, I discuss the good news in UNAIDS’ Global Report, released in advance of World AIDS Day on December 1. We’ve made unprecedented strides in past decade–and just in the past few years–to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We’re well on our way. Many barriers remain, however, and I’d like to […]
This is the first blog in a two-part series. You can read the second part here. In advance of World AIDS Day, which takes place on December 1 each year, UNAIDS has released its annual report on the epidemic. We are making significant progress against HIV/AIDS, as a number of scientific discoveries in recent years, […]
Today, I’d like to share a few updates on HIV/AIDS. Uganda has backslid against the epidemic, according to advocacy organizations in the country. A review published in the British Medical Journal finds that methadone therapy for injecting drug users more than halves the risk of HIV transmission. And we are about to face a new challenge: […]
The International AIDS Conference was held last week in Washington, D.C. This was the first time the conference was hosted by an American city in more than 20 years, a nod to President Obama’s 2009 lifting of the ban on people living with HIV from entering the United States. Although there is way too much […]
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finally approved a rapid, over-the-counter, and at-home test for HIV. The test, called OraQuick and made by OraSure, allows people to check their serostatus in the convenience and privacy of their own homes and illustrates the change in perception around HIV ever since it became an epidemic […]
An advisory panel for the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (F.D.A.) voted 19-3 to recommend the use of Truvada, a combination antiretroviral drug, for the prevention of HIV among people at high risk of infection. Although this is not a full F.D.A. approval, it paves the way for a decision in mid-June. The endorsement follows a […]
In a second post on global health news for this week, U.S. President Barack Obama’s budget request for next year has reduced funding for neglected tropical diseases. This decrease may have wide-reaching effects on one-sixth of the world’s population. Additionally, a writer tells his story of life in a serodiscordant relationship and navigating the American health care […]
This week, the WHO upheld its current guidelines in relation to use of hormonal contraception and women living with HIV. President Obama released his administration’s budget request for 2013, with some surprising news for US global heath policy. Finally, polio eradication efforts in Pakistan have been hamstrung by government health care and regulatory incompetency […]
Thursday, December 1, was World AIDS Day. Each year, people gather worldwide to remember those lost to or affected by HIV/AIDS and to raise awareness. It’s also a time to reflect on what’s been accomplished and what remains to be done, and the day serves as a time for politicians, celebrities, implementers, and activists to […]
Earlier this month, a study published in The Lancet discussed findings that hormonal contraceptives doubled the risk of HIV infection and transmission. The study examined 3,790 sero-discordant heterosexual couples (meaning that one of the two has HIV) in seven African countries. Some of the women were using hormonal contraceptives, mostly injectable (such as Depo-Provera) but […]
I’ve had a very busy day but on this World AIDS Day I’d be remiss if I didn’t note the U.S. role in fighting the global AIDS pandemic. What is the U.S. doing to fight AIDS? Let’s go from the general to the specific. First, let’s start with the State Department and the official statement […]
When was the last time you heard someone thank the U.S. for our role in the world? This report in The New York Times highlights how American funding for AIDS treatment has changed lives – and saved lives – in Africa: The last decade has been what some doctors call a “golden window” for treatment. […]
The central theme of the International AIDS Conference was supposed to be the war on drugs. As I highlighted in my last post, criminalization has been proven to fuel the epidemic, while engaging directly with people with a higher risk for HIV significantly decreases transmission and death. The conference was in Vienna expressly to “bridge” […]
Last week, on April 15, South Africa launched the largest HIV testing campaign in the world, aiming to have 15 million South Africans tested by June 2011. This initiative is evidence that the recent budgetary increase of over $1 billion in funds available for HIV prevention and treatment are having an impact on the ground, and it […]