HIV Testing Blog

Any development that accounts for more deaths of people who would otherwise be alive at the end of 2009 as they were at the start of the year should by all accounts be the overwhelming choice for the year’s top news story.
Forget about transitory political issues (though those issues impact on Swaziland’s ability to cope with the AIDS crisis), the parade of personalities (mostly the notorious individuals who garner attention through scandal or venality) and the trumpeting of programmes devoted to this and that, even the dire economic news of 2009 has had far less life and death impact on Swazis as HIV and AIDS.
How many people died of AIDS in Swaziland this year?  No one knows.  The taboo persists about the disease.  Despite the national emergency, essential data does not exist.
Testing is still voluntary, though some dissenting voices were raised against this long-standing policy which remains sound human rights policy (privacy as manifested in the desire to be ignorant of one’s medical condition is a human right) if disastrous public health policy.
The way things have worked has been called into question this year.  In South Africa, the government of Jacob Zuma reversed the Mbeki-era approach toward AIDS.
In Swaziland the biggest AIDS-related development of 2009 was the meteoric interest in male circumcision.
Critics called the upswing in the numbers of young men undergoing the procedure as safe sex avoidance, but medical practitioners who did the procedures insisted that all patients were adequately counseled that MC was one part of the HIV-avoidance package, and not in itself a 100% avoidance tool.
This was the year that the first clinic devoted to men was opened in Swaziland, the Letsemba Letfu Clinic in Matsapha.
Even before the clinic was officially opened, 1 000 young men had visited to undergo the procedure.  Each day 35 patients are circumcised by appointment, with ‘walk in’ patients handled as well.
There is no charge for the procedure.  Importantly, 92% of patients who underwent MC also took an HIV test.
Global Warming was 2009’s top environmental issue, climaxed by this month’s Copenhagen Summit, and the topic even had ramifications for HIV and AIDS.
Researchers calculated that global warming would threaten crop production in areas where there were a large number of people living with HIV and AIDS; generally poorer countries whose HIV-positive population segments would have their ARV treatments compromised if they failed to obtain enough food for proper nutrition.
Tuberculosis received the attention of an emergency regional summit in October here in Swaziland because of TB’s link to HIV and AIDS – the disease is the primary opportunistic disease affecting people living with HIV and AIDS, both here and throughout Southern Africa.
So serious has the growth of tuberculosis in Swaziland, a disease once close to being vanquished in our country until the advent of AIDS, that health officials are now calling TB and AIDS ‘a dual epidemic.’
“When you look at the history of TB in Southern Africa you see that it was considered a very serious disease in the 1950s but seemed to be under control by the 1980s.  But with the arrival of HIV and AIDS, TB rates have really gone out of control,” said Dr. Alan Whiteside, Executive Director of HEARD at the University of KwaZulu Natal told AIDS LIFELINE.
Médecins San Frontiéres Head of Mission in Swaziland Aymeric Peguillan told conference delegates, “The Kingdom of Swaziland is in the midst of an HIV/TB epidemic.  The management of the co-epidemic represents the country’s most serious health-related challenge.”
2009 was a typical year in that once again individuals announced they had discovered the AIDS ‘cure.’  And also as usual, they were not qualified researchers and sought not to share with humanity but to sell to desperate people living with AIDS their potions.
NERCHA and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare more than once had to remind the public that, sadly, there is no AIDS cure.
However, progress was made in 2009 toward an AIDS vaccine, the Holy Grail of research into the prevention of HIV infections.  Trials in Thailand proved promising.
Much work has to be done before the vaccine is available, but for the first time such words as ‘never’ and ‘impossible’ have been dropped from medical discussion on the subject of a possible AIDS vaccine.
For Swaziland, such an AIDS preventative would be a life saver, because 2009 repeated the history of all previous years of the AIDS epidemic in one important respect: no measurable change was found in people’s sexual behaviour modification. AIDS remained a preventable disease in 2009.  That did not change.  Nor in any appreciable way did people’s sex lives change according to various surveys.
Prevention remains a person’s the best hope to avoid AIDS.  However, all efforts to inspire people on a large scale to look after themselves again fell short in 2009.
But the year was not without its accomplishments, from the stream of young men seeking male circumcision to wider debate of sexual matters once considered taboo – even though the greatest taboo unfortunately remains, the reluctance of most people to recognise the reality of HIV in themselves and their loved ones.

For the complete article, please refer to The Swazi Observer.

Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa, announced that the country will attempt to supply treatment for all HIV-positive children. South Africa carries the highest rate of HIV-positive people of all countries in the world with more than one in ten citizens currently diagnosed with HIV. According to researchers HIV usually affects those in their childbearing ages, and more than 2.4 million children have been left stranded by HIV so far. According to Ivor Chipkin, chief research specialist at the Human Sciences Research Council in Tshwane, 32 percent of all young South Africans will have lost at least one of their parents to HIV by year 2015.

Many people blame the policies of the former South Africa President, Thabo Mbeki, for the widespread AIDS epidemic in the country. Mbeki often disputed the link between HIV and AIDS and was against the widespread distribution of antiretroviral medications. Instead he encouraged HIV-positive people to eat garlic and beet roots, and to drink lemon juice to deter HIV. People believe that Mbeki’s attitudes and actions could have contributed to as many as 330,000 early deaths.

President Zuma, who was the Vice President to Mbeki, is trying to lengthen the gap between his and his predecessor’s policies. South Africa offers anti-retroviral (ARV) treatments to 700,000 HIV patients, over double the 216,000 patients from last year. At roughly $1,500 a year for each treatment it can get a bit pricey. Fortunately, foreign donors have often provided treatments free of charge, and the US ambassador to South Africa has announced that the United States will contribute another $120 million for next year’s AIDS treatment and research.

* For the complete article, please visit http://stdtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Scientists from across the world have done research on what appears to be a promising addition to the different forms of HIV Anti-retroviral therapy.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, is the virus that causes AIDS, and is at the forefront of research in many fields.  One of the most interesting topics of research is anti-retroviral therapy (ART) implemented in HIV positive patients in order to reduce the effect of the virus.

The newest breakthrough entails using snake and insect venom as a form of ART. A major component in bee venom inhibits replication of both CXCR4 and CCR5 HIV-1 in human CD4 cells. Phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂), which is found in the venom of many snakes, has been shown to block viral entry into cells.

The exact mechanism, whether enzymatic or simply competing for a binding site, is still in the process of being worked out.  Aside from this, the most important details have shown promising signs for the field of research dedicated to HIV treatment.

This discussion further reiterates the needs and necessity for regular, comprehensive STD testing.  If everybody got tested for STDs on a regular basis, the incidence of HIV (among other STDs) would be considerably lower.  Testing is simple, and should be done (as according to the CDC) every six months to one year, or in between sexual partners.

For the complete article, please refer to the original articles page.

A former teacher from South Carolina has been charged with three counts first-degree criminal sexual conduct.  The judge also ordered the teacher, Joel L. Bedenbaugh, to register as a sex offender.

Bedenbaugh was sentenced to six years in prison for not telling his ex-wife, to whom he was married for five years, that he had HIV.  This exposed her to possible infection.  Instead, he told her that the medicine that he took was for a blood disease.  She remains uninfected.

It is illegal to knowingly engage in sexual intercourse with another person without first informing them of an HIV infection.

In 2006, Bedenbaugh was convicted for  inappropriate contact with a 13-year-old girl in November 2006.  More recently, in 2008, he was investigated for  an alleged sexual assault on a juvenile in 2008.  This brought about attention to his medical history, which indicated that he had HIV.

For the original article, please refer to original articles.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is encouraging people to have yearly STD testing now more than ever. With record-setting rates of chlamydia infections in 2007 (over 1 million), the CDC supplied this simple statement: “get tested”. Following this statement they offered recommendations for individual STDs.

According to the CDC, everyone ages 13 to 64 should do an HIV test at least once. People who have had more than one partner since their last STD test, and people who’s partner has had more than one partner should get tested regularly. Also at higher risk are men who have sex with men (MSM) and people who already have an STD. These people should also get tested at least once a year.

Women should get an annual Pap test beginning when they are 21-years of age, or earlier if they are sexually active. The Pap test is a screening tool used by doctors to detect cancerous changes of the cervix, which is a common result of the common human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV usually does not show any symptoms; however, it can lead to genital warts in both men and women. Unfortunately there is no screening test for HPV in men. Men who think they have symptoms of HPV should see someone about a physical exam.

In addition to HPV, the CDC suggests that sexually active women under 25 should get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea at least once a year. Regular screening is also recommended for men who have sex with men, older women who have had multiple partners, and pregnant women.

Syphilis rates reached a record low in year 2000; however, they have been increasing since causing the CDC to suggest syphilis screening for individuals who feel they are at risk.

*For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General, filed a lawsuit against the Center for AIDS Prevention in July. The center is accused of unlawful fundraising and falsifying documents. Their registration was revoked 20 years ago, according to Madigan, but they have continued to accept donations throughout the state. If the Attorney General is successful, they could seize money raised at the center, ban members of the center from future charity work, and force them to pay back donations among other repercussions. The most extreme punishment would be shutting down the center once and for all by “revoking its corporate status.”

*For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last week ruled in favor of Roche in a longstanding patent-infringement dispute with Stanford University regarding ownership of PCR-based test kits for measuring HIV viral load.

Stanford did not have standing to file suit because, the court determined, Roche owned the patents at issue.

A lower court, the US District Court for the Northern District of California, was instructed to dismiss the suit. The district court had ruled in 2008 that the patents were invalid, but did not agree with Roche’s claims of ownership. According to the appeals court, the district should not have addressed the patents’ validity because Stanford didn’t own the IP to begin with.

This was considered, by many, to be a complete victory for Roche.

Stanford first sued Roche in 2005, seeking more than $200 million for the alleged infringement of three patents assigned to Stanford — US Nos. 5,968,730; 6,503,705; and 7,129,041. The three patents descend from a common parent application and share the same title: “Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays for Monitoring Antiviral Therapy and Making Therapeutic Decisions in the Treatment of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.”

The test was developed, and is currently used, to measure the viral load of HIV in a person’s blood, by measuring the amount of HIV RNA present in the bloodstream. The original description of the use of the PCR to measure HIV RNA was published in the Journal of Infectious Disease in 1991.

For the complete article, please refer to www.hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Ozzy Osbourne received a false positive test for HIV a number of years back, and claims he was devastated by the news when the original result came back positive.

“I went to the doctor and had an AIDS test and he told me it was positive,” he said, in an interview in this month’s Glamour magazine. “That was one of the worst days of my life.”

The doctor did a confirmatory test, which came back negative.  The doctor attributed the results first test, the false positive, to the heavy drinking and drug-taking lifestyle he used to enjoy tampering with his immune system.

“It turned out that because I was drinking and using drugs so much, my immune system had dropped so that it was a borderline result. When I went back to be tested again it was negative.”

It is also believed that Ozzy’s daughter Kelly referred to him when she broke down at an AIDS charity benefit in London two years ago.

“This charity is really important to me because one of my family is HIV positive,” she said at the time. “And I’m so proud of him.”

Ozzy is currently promoting his autobiography, I Am Ozzy, and many revelations have come out about his life, including the news that he still enjoys conjugal trysts with wife Sharon but struggles to bring the liaisons to a satisfactory conclusion.

*For the original article, please refer to http://www.hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

First time in local police history for charge under 1994 state law

A Clarksville woman was arrested Thursday.  She was charged with knowingly exposing a man to HIV.

The woman, Donyel Da’Shawn Brown, was charged with criminal exposure to HIV, and her bond was set at $1 million.

The arrest warrant states a man reported Brown knowingly had unprotected sex with him for four years without telling him she was infected.

Also, Brown and the man had a child during the time she was diagnosed with HIV, the warrant said, but has not been determined if the child has HIV. Whether the child and man were infected has not been determined, Knoll said.

The state law, which took effect in 1994, does not require “the actual transmission of HIV” for someone to be convicted. Brown can be acquitted if she can prove that her partner had prior knowledge of her HIV status.

If convicted, Brown could face jail time of three to six years.

For the complete article, please refer to www.hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Each year over 50,000 people in the U.S. become infected with HIV. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) more than 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV, and over one-quarter of them do not know it. HIV is most often transmitted through sexual intercourse or direct contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids, but it can also be transmitted through blood or organ donations. However, due to improvements in donor education and screening the risk of transmission through transfusions and transplants has decreased. These improvements now include the Abbott Prism HIV O Plus assay, an HIV antibody test.

The test, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2009 is licensed for screening donated blood and blood specimens, and for screening specimens from organ donors. Prior to 1985, there were no tests available to screen for HIV in blood and organ donations, but nowadays donors and organs go through extensive testing. “The risk of acquiring HIV from a blood transfusion… is estimated to be 1 in 4 for every 600,000 transfusions. The risk… from organ transplantation is probably similar.”

The two most common blood tests used to previously detect HIV were the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the Western blot assay, which are both antibody tests. These tests can only tell if a person has been infected with HIV, not how long they’ve been infected or if they have AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome, the final stage of HIV disease).

This new HIV test will help decrease the number of HIV transmissions through blood transfusions and organ donations, and  help make the world a safer place.

*For the complete article, please refer to http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Vermont CARES (Committee for AIDS Resources, Education and Services) is a non-profit, federal- and state-funded organization that provides support and care for people infected with HIV/AIDS, as well as doing screening testing for over 1200 people a year for the disease and conducting HIV/AIDS educational programs at businesses and schools.

For more than 20 years, the Burlington nonprofit has helped provide Vermonters with HIV/AIDS everything from a ride to the doctor’s office to a new home. Vermont CARES also will pay the rent for an infected individual, if the need arises. The organization held a rally Saturday to show support for more than 450 Vermonters diagnosed with the disease. People at the rally wore red shirts and stood in a ribbon formation at the University of Vermont’s Redstone Campus.

*For the complete article, please refer to http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy signed an agreement with the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) that supports a program in various areas. The program includes a steady supply of aniretroviral medication, CD4 testing, diagnosis and monitoring and nutritional supplements among other initiatives.

Alfredo Idiarte of CHAI said his organization is committed to the program and will work towards making it more comprehensive. He also said that CHAI is looking at providing deoxyribonucleic acid Polymerase chain reaction (DNA PCR) tests for infant diagnosis. The DNA PCR test looks for direct (DNA) evidence of the virus rather than the antibodies. Currently the tests do not detect evidence of the virus in children younger than 18 months. Early detection could drastically improve treatment options.

*For the original article please refer to http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/.

Roche Diagnostic Systems Inc.’s Amplicor H.I.V.-1 monitor test for use in determining viral load in individuals infected with HIV has received FDA approval for marketing. The test uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to measure HIV genetic material in the blood.

In laboratory studies, the Amplicor test was able in some cases to detect as few as 400 copies of HIV DNA in a blood sample and could regularly detect m800 or more copies.

Two clinical trials of Amplicor were conducted in patients with advanced HIV infection who had received no antiviral treatment or treatment for less than 16 weeks. The results showed that high viral load before anti-HIV therapy, or large increases in viral load after treatment, correlated with increased risk of disease progression to full-blown AIDS.

India became the first country in Asia to implement the DNA Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. The test, which uses a dry blood sampling method could possibly save the lives of many children, particularly those under 18 months of age. The HIV DNA PCR test is a very efficient and convenient way of diagnosing children born to an HIV infected mother. It requires no icing or cold-chain equipment, but rather just a few drops of the child’s blood blotted on a piece of paper. Once this is done the paper can be transported to a testing facility and results are available as early as 16 hours later.

Early diagnosis can help get these children onto a treatment plan, which at a young age can prove the difference between “surviving and thriving”. If a child born to an HIV infected mother, the first HIV DNA PCR test is performed at 6 weeks of age. If that PCR test returns a positive result it is repeated for a confirmation. If the PCR test returns a negative result the first time around, a confirmation PCR test is to be performed at 6 months of age. These new developments in testing and treatment options could possibly save many, many young lives.

*For the complete article please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

For the past 25 years researchers have been searching for a vaccine against HIV, with almost no luck. However, a recent discovery has brought them closer to a vaccine. Researchers have identified the “most powerful, broad-acting antibodies yet” to fight against multiple strains of HIV.

“Broadly neutralizing antibodies” (bNAbs) are not very common. Only six have been identified so far, but two new ones with an “unusual potency” have been discovered in one sub-Saharan African donor. The antibodies, named PG9 and PG16, have characteristics that open possibilities for AIDS vaccine research. PG9 and PG16 were found to possibly prevent infection in more than 70% of 162 viral strains tested in cell culture. The antibodies were found to work at levels lower than the best characterized bNAbs so far.

The donor himself did not benefit from the antibodies, seeing as how they are no match against HIV once the infection is established, but researchers are hoping that understanding how PG9 and PG16 stop the virus will help vaccine designers further their work on an HIV/AIDS vaccine. While an effective and consistent HIV vaccine may be far from sight, the discovery of these new bNAbs definitely provides a huge leap in progress in research.

*For the complete article, please refer to http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

HIV-1 diagnosis in babies born to seropositive mothers is one of the challenges of HIV epidemics in children. A simple, rapid protocol was developed for quantifying HIV-1 DNA in whole blood samples and was used in the ANRS French pediatric cohort in conditions of prevention of mother-to-child transmission. A quantitative HIV-1 DNA protocol (LTR real-time PCR) requiring small blood volumes was developed. First, analytical reproducibility was evaluated on 172 samples. Results obtained on blood cell pellets and Ficoll-Hypaque separated mononuclear cells were compared in 48 adult HIV-1 samples. Second, the protocol was applied to HIV-1 diagnosis in infants in parallel with plasma HIV-RNA quantitation. This prospective study was performed in children born between May 2005 and April 2007 included in the ANRS cohort. The assay showed good reproducibility. The 95% detection cut-off value was 6 copies/PCR, that is, 40 copies/10(6) leukocytes. HIV-DNA levels in whole blood were highly correlated with those obtained after Ficoll-Hypaque separation (r = 0.900, P < 0.0001). A total of 3,002 specimens from 1,135 infants were tested. The specificity of HIV-DNA and HIV-RNA assays was 100%. HIV-1 infection was diagnosed in nine infants before age 60 days. HIV-DNA levels were low, underlining the need for sensitive assays when highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been given. The performances of this HIV-DNA assay showed that it is adapted to early diagnosis in children. The results were equivalent to those of HIV-RNA assay. HIV-DNA may be used even in masked primary infection in newborns whose mothers have received HAART. J. Med. Virol. 81:217-223, 2009. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV can be transmitted through the exchanging of bodily fluids including blood, semen, vaginal discharge, and breast milk. Means of transmission include sexual contact with an infected person, sharing of needles or syringes with an infected person, or through blood transfusions with infected blood. Low quantities of HIV has been found in the saliva and tears of some AIDS patients; however, contact with saliva or tears has never resulted in an HIV transmission.

Healthcare workers are often exposed to the virus at work; however, it is unlikely that they will contract the virus from a patient. Since December 2001, there have been only 57 documented reports of patient-to-worker HIV transmission, mainly due to precautionary guidelines that healthcare workers follow. The main risk of transmission for healthcare workers  is through accidental needle sticks or other injury with a contaminated instrument. However, even here the risk is small. “Researchers estimate that only about 0.0-1% or healthcare workers” contract HIV from an accidental needle stick.

This low statistic can be attributed to post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which can be taken immediately after exposure to reduce the risk of transmission. PEP uses antiretroviral therapy (ART) to prevent transmission, but often comes with serious side effects including dizziness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and more. Current antiretroviral drugs cannot cure HIV infection, nor reduce the risk of transmitting it to someone else, but they can suppress the virus to undetectable levels in some cases. It has been estimated that PEP reduces the infection rate among healthcare workers by 79%.

Post-exposure Prophylaxis should begin immediately after the exposure, seeing as how PEP is most effective when it is initiated within two t0 four hours of exposure. The specific dosage of medication depends on a couple factors including the patient’s overall health, the severity of exposure, the availability of antiretrovirals, and if the patient has any known or possible cross-resistance to any drugs. Treatment normally lasts no less than two weeks and no longer than four. Studies show that almost a quarter of those receiving PEP stop taking the medications early because of side effects. As with all forms of treatment, it is less effective if it ends early.

HIV tests should be performed after any risky sexual behavior, even if PEP was used. Immediately after HIV enters the body antibodies are produced to fight off the infection. While these antibodies cannot completely eliminate the virus, we can use their presence to see if HIV is in the blood. Most people develop detectable antibodies within two to eight weeks; however, it may take longer in some people. Most often, the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test is used to detect HIV antibodies. If a positive result is returned it is confirmed with a follow-up test before making a diagnosis. Typically the Western blot test is used to confirm a positive HIV result. Other testing options include DNA or RNA tests, which instead of looking for antibodies actually look for genetic material of HIV. These tests can be used for early detection of HIV.

With the combination of healthcare precautions and treatment options such as PEP, we have the ability to decrease the number of patient to worker HIV transmissions drastically.

*For the complete article please refer to http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is commonly used among health care workers and other individuals who believe they have recently been exposed to HIV. PEP can actually prevent HIV infection in some individuals, but according to a report in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, even when PEP fails to prevent the infection it may still have beneficial effects.

The report involved a 38-year old gay man who reported having unprotected anal sex with multiple partners in the previous 48 hours. The patient was treated with Truvada as post-exposure prophylaxis. During his treatment the patient reported more episodes of risky sex, causing his treatment to be extended. During his treatment the patient was repeatedly tested for HIV. He received a couple negative HIV results, but after repeated exposures the patient tested HIV-positive.

The patient received three viral load tests shortly after his positive HIV test result. The viral load turned out to be extremely low, and his CD4 count was high. These results were out of the ordinary for someone with an acute HIV infection, and the patient had no HIV seroconversion symptoms. Several more tests were performed on the patient and all of them returned similar findings.

The authors of the article report that the patient’s HIV infection was weaker than usual, and that this result was most likely due to the antiretroviral therapy he was receiving.

*For the complete article please refer to http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

A recent article in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report includes some recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for use of post-exposure prophylaxis in people exposed to HIV in a nonoccupational setting.

Similar to the guidelines following occupational exposures, the CDC recommends prophylaxis beginning within 72 hours after the initial exposure with any body fluids from an HIV infected person. If 72 hours has passed after the exposure, the CDC recommends not starting prophylaxis. If the HIV status of the contact person is unknown, but the exposure has an elevated risk the CDC suggests the decision of whether to begin prophylaxis be made on a patient-to-patient basis.

Unfortunately many people are unaware that they are infected with HIV, and because of the 72 hour window period for prophylaxis these people are out of luck when they discover they were exposed. People who benefit the most from prophylaxis are those who know they have been exposed, including sexual assault victims and intravenous drug users.

Some clinicians have fears that people will use post exposure prophylaxis as a “safety net” for unprotected sex, but that is not at all it’s intended purpose.

*For the complete article please refer to http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

HIV-negative persons taking antiretrovirals for postexposure prophylaxis–prevention of infection immediately after a needlestick or sexual exposure to HIV–should avoid using nevirapine except in unusual situations, according to recommendations published in the January 5 MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nevirapine has not been officially recommended for this use, but physicians have used it because of its rapid action and success in preventing mother to infant transmission.

A Cincinnati man, who is thought to be homeless, has been charged with assaulting Cincinnati Police Officers. His weapon of choice… spit. 48-year-old Ronald Crawford was arrested during a fight on East McMillan Street, where he spit at officers, telling them he “had AIDS”.

While the officers believe that Crawford is HIV-positive, they aren’t at any major risk, seeing as how studies have shown that HIV/AIDS is not carried in saliva. Crawford is being charged with two counts of harassment with a bodily substance — a felony.

*To view this article in it’s entirety, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Scientists have developed what some are calling a “molecular condom”. The “condom” is actually a gel that, if used correctly, could help prevent women from contracting HIV.

The gel was developed to “enable women to protect themselves against HIV without approval of their partner”. To use it the woman would only need to insert the gel a few hours before sex. The gel flows easily at the vaginal pH, and becomes more solid as the pH increases to that of semen. As the gel turns solid it traps AIDS virus particles, preventing them from infecting vaginal cells.

Due to several factors, women often have difficulty convincing their partners to use protections; however, with this new gel the woman wouldn’t even have to negotiate. It is a form of protection she can use on her own, without her partner’s knowledge.

If all goes as planned, the scientists estimate the gel will be tested in humans within three to five years, and it will be available in the years after that.

*For the complete article please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Introduction

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has rapidly become one of the most widely used techniques in molecular biology and for good reason: it is a rapid, inexpensive and simple means of producing relatively large numbers of copies of DNA molecules from minute quantities of source DNA material–even when the source DNA is of relatively poor quality.

PCR involves preparation of the sample, the master mix and the primers, followed by detection and analysis of the reaction products. These steps are discussed below.

Sample Preparation

PCR is very versatile. Many types of samples can be analyzed for nucleic acids. Most PCR uses DNA as a target, rather than RNA, because of the stability of the DNA molecule and the ease with which DNA can be isolated. By following a few basic rules, problems can be avoided in the preparation of DNA for the PCR. The essential criteria for any DNA sample are that it contain at least one intact DNA strand encompassing the region to be amplified and that any impurities are sufficiently diluted so as not to inhibit the polymerization step of the PCR reaction.

Although any protocol is acceptable for PCR purposes, it is often best to use the fewest steps possible in DNA preparation in order to prevent accidental contamination with unwanted DNA. Usually a 1:5 dilution of the sample with water is sufficient to dilute out any impurities which may result from the purifying protocol.

The simplest method of isolating DNA from cells is as follows:

1. Cells can be obtained by using a toothpick to scrape under the fingernails, swabbing the inside of the mouth or from the roots of plucked hairs. Regardless of source, cells are resuspended in 20 ul of water. Skip to step four.
2. If you are using cells suspended in media, centrifuge at 1200- 1500Xg for 5 minutes. Resuspend the cell pellet in 1 ml of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and repellet by spinning at 1200- 1500Xg for 5 minutes. Repeat. These PBS washes remove medium, and its inhibitory factors, from the surface of the cells. After the last wash resuspend the cell pellet in 20 ul of distilled water. Be aware that too much cell debris can inhibit the PCR reaction. If this happens, it may be necessary to further dilute the DNA sample. Go to step four.
3. For bacterial samples take a toothpick and scrape the teeth, or swab the throat, ears or between the toes. Resuspend material in 500ul of water. Freeze and thaw sample three times with vigorous shaking or vortexing between repetitions to break the bacterial cell wall. Although not all DNA will be released from the cells, there will be a sufficient quantity for PCR. Go to step four.
4. Place the sample in a 95oC heating block, or in boiling water, for 5 minutes. This step inactivates the DNase molecules that are found in the sample preparation. If left intact, DNase could clip the desired DNA template molecule into fragments which would be unsuitable for PCR. If there is very little DNA in the sample preparation, the DNA can be concentrated by ethanol precipitation. The sample is now ready for PCR.

DNA samples for PCR–regardless of preparation method–are generally run in duplicate in order to provide a control for the relative quality and purity of the original sample. Adding a small amount of DNA to the control just after the master mix step allows the detection of anything in the completed sample prep which would inhibit the PCR reaction.

Preparation of Master Mix

The Master Mix contains all of the components necessary to make new strands of DNA in the PCR process. The Master Mix reagents include:

http://www.accessexcellence.org/LC/SS/PS/PCR/PCR_technology.php

Notes on the Master Mix

The Master mix buffer is often stored as a 10X stock solution (100 mM Tris-HCL, pH 8.3, 500 mM KCL, 1.5 mM MgCl2) which is diluted to 1X for use. Both the Master mix buffer and the purified water can be stored at room temperature. Store deoxynucleotides, primers and Taq DNA polymerase enzyme at -20oC.

Although 100ul of master mix per reaction is generally used, it is possible to use as little as 25 or 50ul to save on cost of reagents. Regardless of the total volume, be certain to keep the final concentrations of reagents constant.

Master mix reagents can be optained from a variety of companies. Often the initial concentration of the reagent will differ depending on which company produced it. It is easy to figure out how much stock reagent to use by following a simple formula:

(initial concentration) X ( volume needed ) =

                                    (final concentration) X (volume of sample)

For example: I have 10X buffer, 10 mM of each nucleotide, 0.5 mM primers and Taq DNA polymerase at 5 Units/ul. I want to make one 50 ul reaction. Calculations are as follows:

10 X buffer: (10X) X (5 ul) = (1X) X (50 ul) Nucleotides: (10,000 uM) X (1 ul) = (200 uM) X (50 ul) (10mM=10,000uM) primers (500uM) X (O.1ul)= (1.0uM) X (50 ul) Since it is impossible to pipet 0.1ul accurately, a dilution needs to be made first. Add 10 ul of stock primer solution to 990 ul of water to get 5uM concentration of primers. This new primer dilution can be stored at 4oC. Calculation for 5uM stock: (5uM) X (10 ul) = (1.0 uM ) X (50 ul) Taq DNA polymerase (5Units/ul) X ( 0.25 ul) = (.025 Units/ul) X (50 ul) 2.5 Units/100ul= Since it is impossible to pipet 0.25ul accurately, a .025 Units/ul dilution needs to be made first. Add 1.25 ul stock to 3.75 ul water to get a 1.25 Units/ul concentration. Discard and make fresh with each use. Calculation for 1.25 Units/ul stock: (1.25 Units/ul) X (1 ul) = (.025 Units/ul) X (50 ul) To make the master mix for one reaction add:

• 5 ul 10X buffer
• 4ul Each nucleotide (1ul each of dATP, dCTP, dGTP, dTTP))
• 20 ul Each primer (10ul of each)
• 1 ul Taq DNA polymerase (Total volume = 30ul)
• add 15 ul of water
• 5 ul of template (Total volume = 50 ul)

If want to make 3 reactions, 3 X 50ul = 150ul. Use this number in the formula for “volume of sample.”

Primers

A primer is a short segment of nucleotides which is complementary to a section of the DNA which is to be amplified in the PCR reaction. Primers are annealed to the denatured DNA template to provide an initiation site for the elongation of the new DNA molecule. Primers can either be specific to a particular DNA nucleotide sequence or they can be “universal.” Universal primers are complementary to nucleotide sequences which are very common in a particular set of DNA molecules. Thus, they are able to bind to a wide variety of DNA templates.

Bacterial ribosomal DNA genes contain nucleotide sequences that are common to all bacteria. Thus, bacterial universal primers can be made by creating primers which are complementary to these sequences.
Examples of bacteria universal primer sequences are:
Forward 5′ GAT CCT GGC TCA GGA TGA AC 3′ (20 mer)
Reverse 5′ GGA CTA CCA GGG TAT CTA ATC 3′ (21 mer)

Animal cell lines contain a particular sequence known as the “alu gene”. There are approximately 900,000 copies of the alu gene distributed throughout the human genome, and multiple copies distributed through the genome of other animal cells, as well. Thus, the alu gene provides the sequence for a universal primer for animal cell lines. The alu primer is especially useful in that it binds in both forward and reverse directions.
The alu universal primer seqeunce is as follows:
5′ GTG GAT CAC CTG AGG TCA GGA GTT TC 3′ (26mer)

When using universal primers the annealing temperature on the thermal cycler is lowered to 40-55 degrees C.

Sometimes primer units are listed in optical density reading (OD). If this is a problem you will need to convert to molarity using the following equations: Change optical density reading of primer to molarity (uM units)-

1. N = # of primer bases
2. SIGMA 260 =~ 10,000 X N/ m X cm
3. Molecular weight =~ 330 X N
4. OD₂₆₀ / SIGMA 260 X 10⁶ = Concentration (uM)

For example- primer is 20 bases long/ OD₂₆₀ = 10.

1. N = 20
2. SIGMA 260 =~ 10,000 X 20/m X cm = 20,000/m X cm
3. molecular weight =~ 330 X 20 = 6,600
4. 10 OD₂₆₀/20,000 m^-1cm^-1 X 10⁶ = 50uM

Detection and analysis of the reaction product

The PCR product should be a fragment or fragments of DNA of defined length. The simplest way to check for the presence of these fragments is to load a sample taken from the reaction product, along with appropriate molecular-weight markers, onto an agarose gel which contains 0.8-4.0% ethidium bromide. DNA bands on the gel can then be visualized under ultraviolet trans-illumination. By comparing product bands with bands from the known molecular-weight markers, you should be able to identify any product fragments which are of the appropriate molecular weight.

MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Responsibilities of Child Healthcare Providers

As part of the initial newborn evaluation, the pediatric clinician should determine whether human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing of the mother has been completed properly and should follow up on any outstanding laboratory values.

Pediatric clinicians should obtain testing for HIV beyond the neonatal period if the child presents with signs and symptoms of HIV disease. Testing should be performed in children who have not yet been tested when risk factors for HIV infection exist in the child or one of his/her parents.

Laboratory Tests for HIV in Newborns, Children, and Adolescents

Because positive antibody results alone do not establish infection in children younger than 18 months of age, assays to detect virus (HIV deoxyribonucleic acid [DNA] polymerase chain reaction [PCR] or viral culture) should be used for diagnosis (see Figure 1 in the original guideline document).

In children older than 18 months of age, HIV infection may be diagnosed on the basis of a positive HIV antibody test (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]) and a confirmatory test, such as Western blot.

Because of the time period between infection and the development of detectable antibodies, children/adolescents exposed via sexual activity, sexual abuse/assault, or infected blood who have an initial negative test result should be retested at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after exposure.

Because a child with end-stage HIV disease may become HIV-antibody seronegative as a result of severe humoral immunodeficiency, children who are clinically suspected to be HIV-infected yet test HIV antibody negative should be tested by DNA PCR (or HIV culture).

Children older than 18 months of age with an indeterminate Western blot result should be retested as soon as possible. If the Western blot result remains indeterminate, the patient should be tested for HIV-2 or specific viral tests (e.g., DNA PCR) for HIV-1 should be performed.

Rapid testing and expedited preliminary test results prior to Western blot confirmation should generally be used only when immediate information is needed to determine the need for post-exposure prophylaxis in the labor/delivery, newborn, or other acute exposure settings, or when the person who is being tested is unlikely to return for a follow-up visit.

When preliminary diagnostic tests are used for expedited HIV testing, a preliminary positive test result must be confirmed with a Western blot as soon as possible.

Testing for HIV Antibody

See the original guideline document for discussions of screening tests, confirmatory testing of positive results, and rapid test assays.

Testing for HIV or Viral Components

Clinicians should test children younger than 18 months of age who are born to an HIV-infected mother for HIV using one of the following methods:

* HIV DNA PCR (preferred method)

* HIV culture (acceptable method)

Because infection can only be confirmed with two positive test results performed on samples collected at different times, a repeat sample should be obtained promptly for any child with a single positive test result.

In an infant younger than 18 months of age, HIV can be reasonably excluded with two negative HIV viral tests, one at 1 month of age or older, and the other at age 4 months or older.

Ideally, a DNA PCR should be obtained for HIV-exposed infants at each of the following time points:

* at birth

* at 2 weeks of age

* at 4 to 6 weeks of age

* at 6 to 12 weeks of age

* at 4 to 6 months of age

See the original guideline for discussions of HIV DNA PCR, HIV culture, plasma HIV RNA, and HIV antigen detection.

HIV Counseling and Testing

In New York State, written informed consent from the child’s biological parent or legal guardian must be obtained before HIV testing can be performed in children except in certain specific circumstances, such as expedited testing, newborn screening, and follow-up PCR testing, and when testing is urgently necessary to provide medical care for a life-threatening condition.

When HIV testing of a child is performed, the parents should be considered for testing as well.

If a child is found to be perinatally HIV infected, his/her siblings also should be tested.

If HIV infection is newly diagnosed in a woman, all of her children should be strongly considered for testing, even if they are asymptomatic.

Pre-Test Counseling

The clinician should counsel the child’s parent or guardian or the child/adolescent with capacity to consent prior to HIV testing (see Table 2 in the original guideline document).

In New York State, a minor’s right to consent for or refuse HIV testing is based on his/her capacity to understand, without regard to chronological age, what an HIV antibody test actually tests for, the implications/consequences of being HIV infected, and why he/she is at risk for HIV.

The clinician should arrange for follow-up visits at the time of testing and should note in the patient’s medical record that counseling was provided and written consent was obtained when required.

When rapid testing is obtained and will yield a preliminary result during the visit, the clinician should first ensure that the patient/parent is emotionally able to receive a positive result and that mental health services are available for patients receiving a positive result.

Obtaining Consent

See the original guideline document for a discussion New York State laws on obtaining consent for HIV testing in children and adolescents for HIV testing.

Post-test Counseling

Counseling after a Patient Receives a Positive Test Result

Positive HIV test results should be presented in person to the appropriate individual (patient, parent, or guardian). A clinician should not communicate results to a patient or family member by telephone or mail.

Clinicians must respect an adolescent’s right to confidentiality concerning HIV status.

The clinician should explain the test results and should provide general information about available treatment.

The clinician should discuss the implications of the HIV Reporting/Partner Notification law (refer to the section “HIV Reporting and Partner Notification” below).

The clinician should provide or arrange for necessary referrals for treatment and supportive services.

The clinician should discuss methods of risk reduction and advise the family to inform medical personnel of the child’s HIV status during any medical care visit.

Counseling After the Patient Receives a Negative Test Result

When telling a patient that his/her test result is negative, the clinician should educate the patient on how to reduce the risk of transmission in the future.

HIV Reporting and Partner Notification

Since June 2000, New York State has required HIV reporting and partner notification for all confirmed positive HIV tests (unless testing occurred at an anonymous site) and HIV-related tests.

During pre-test counseling, parents/children should be informed that if their HIV test result is positive, their names will be reported to the New York State Department of Health.

Parents/children should be informed during pre-test counseling that if they provide the names of sexual or needle-sharing partners, the provider is required to report these names to the State Health Department. They should also be informed that if the test results are positive, their partners will be notified that they have been exposed to HIV.

All sexually active HIV-infected adolescents should be informed about the importance and benefits of notifying partners of their possible exposure to HIV.

Adolescents who are undergoing HIV testing should be questioned regarding the potential for domestic violence if their partners were notified. If domestic violence is a concern, partner notification should be deferred until the risk of harm to the patient (or one close to the patient, e.g., child) is eliminated.

HIV Testing of Older Children and Adolescents With the Capacity to Consent

Clinicians should be knowledgeable about New York State laws pertaining to adolescent consent and confidentiality and should educate their patients about these laws (see the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) summary of the New State Department of Health guideline Identification and Ambulatory Care of HIV-exposed and -infected Adolescents).

In New York State, older children and adolescents who are judged capable of understanding the informed consent process may give written informed consent for HIV testing.

Parents cannot be informed of their child’s HIV test results without the explicit consent of the child or adolescent who is deemed capable of providing consent.

Ideally, HIV testing of older children and adolescents should occur in a comprehensive care setting that provides social support, ancillary services, and ongoing health care.

HIV Testing in Children in Foster Care

Within 5 days of entering the foster care system, all children must be assessed for capacity to consent for HIV testing. If a child is determined not to have capacity to consent, an HIV risk assessment must also be completed within the first 5 days of entering foster care. Children already in foster care must be assessed for HIV risk factors at least 60 days prior to their next scheduled periodic medical examination. If it is determined that a child may have the capacity to consent, an assessment of capacity to consent must be made and documented by authorized foster care agency staff within 30 days of the child’s entry into foster care. An HIV risk assessment must also be completed within this timeframe.

If one or more risk factors are present, a child in foster care should be offered HIV testing, or if the child lacks capacity to consent, he/she should be tested for HIV infection.

Adolescents and older children in foster care with the capacity to consent for HIV testing have the right to either consent for their own test or refuse testing.

For the commplete article, please refer to http://www.guidelines.gov/summary/summary.aspx?doc_id=6834

Scientists at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNCCH) have opened up many possibilities into treatment of HIV by decoding the entire structure of the HIV genome. Until now, only small portions of the genome could be studied; however, by using their own technology they were able to view the genome aerially. They discovered that the HIV genome is gigantic, consisting of two strands containing ten-thousand blocks each.

According to Kevin Weeks, the professor who led the study, the HIV genome is loaded with RNA structures that control the virus’ behavior. The genomes for hepatitis C, polio, and influenza are also RNA programmed, so by using the same technology we may gain a better insight into these diseases and also vice-versa.

New anti-viral drugs that result from this discovery most likely won’t be available for another couple years; however, this new insight may lead HIV/AIDS researchers to explore possibilities that weren’t considered before.

*For the complete article please visit http://www.hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Health Horizons, an East Texas health care organization, has seen more HIV-positive people this year than it did all last year. As of July, eight people out of 800 had tested positive; whereas for all of 2008 they had only six positives out of more than 1,000 testers. The majority of these HIV-positive people were African-American men. Health Horizon’s Executive Director, Wilbert Brown, is associating the spike in numbers to their effective advertising which targets high-risk groups.

For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

A report from the Chicago Public Health Department (CDPH) has found higher rates of HIV infection in Black men who have sex with men (MSM) than in white or Latino MSM.

The report comes from a survey that was conducted across all of Chicago, in places where MSM often congregate. These places include gay bars/clubs, bathhouses, social organizations, and others. Participants were asked about their sexual preferences and practices, and then also tested for HIV antibodies. Although other surveys similar to this have been performed in the past, this was the first where the people were actually tested.

The survey found that African Americans had around three times the prevalence rate of HIV than that of white and Latino participants. However, the survey also found that Black MSM do not necessarily engage in riskier behavior, and usually engage less frequently than whites or Latinos. Half of the people who tested positive in the survey were unaware of their HIV-positive status. Once again, Black MSM had higher rates in this category. 66% of Black HIV-positive MSM did not know their status, 50% of Latino HIV-positive MSM, and 23 % of white HIV-positive MSM did not know their status.

While many efforts are being made to address this epidemic, such as condom distribution and affordable HIV testing, much more still needs to be done.

* For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

French researchers have identified a new human immunodeficiency virus, the first derived from gorillas, a report said Monday.

The three previous HIV variants came from chimpanzees. The new findings indicate that gorillas, in addition to chimpanzees, are likely sources of HIV, the researchers concluded in a report published in the weekly Nature Medicine journal.

The new virus, called RBF 168, was detected in a 62-year-old woman who moved to Paris, France, from the western Africa nation of Cameroon, the report says. She tested positive for HIV in 2004, and researchers led by Jean-Christophe Plantier identified the virus as being closely related to a recently discovered simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV).

The new gorilla virus “has many of the biological properties necessary for human infection,” the report says.

“The human case described here does not seem to be an isolated incident, as before coming to Paris the subject had lived in the semiurban area of Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, and reported no contact with apes or bush meat,” the researchers said.

That would indicate that the woman contracted the virus from another human.

The significance of the latest findings is difficult to determine without more information, said Robert C. Gallo, who co-discovered HIV in 1984.

“It’s yet to be known,” Gallo said. “It could be zero. … Let’s see a more full report on this individual and let’s see wider testing.”

Even if the new variant proves lethal, it’s not likely to increase AIDS infections, said Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. There are so many HIV variations, he said, that one more is not likely to make a difference.

The new virus is difficult to detect by conventional tests because it is not closely related to the other three HIV variants.

“This demonstrates that HIV evolution is an ongoing process,” co-researcher David Robertson of the University of Manchester said in a release. “The virus can jump from species to species, from primate to primate, and that includes us; pathogens have been with us for millions of years and routinely switch host species.”

HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which attacks the body’s immune system, giving rise to lethal infections. Patients diagnosed with HIV can take medications to delay or stop HIV from developing into AIDS. There are 33 million confirmed cases of AIDS worldwide.

The unnamed woman has no signs of AIDS and remains untreated, Nature Medicine said.

The most likely explanation for the emergence of the new virus is gorilla-to-human transmission, though researchers say they cannot rule out the possibility that the chimpanzee SIV gave rise to the new strain “either indirectly by transmission to gorillas and then to humans or directly by transmission to humans and also to gorillas.”

Researchers said they don’t know how widespread the virus is among humans.

“The human prevalence of this new lineage remains to be determined,” the report says, adding that “it could be circulating unnoticed in Cameroon or elsewhere.”

Western Central Africa bears close watching, the researchers suggest.

“In conclusion, our findings indicate that gorillas, in addition to chimpanzees, are likely sources of HIV-1,” the report states. “The discovery of this novel HIV-1 lineage highlights the continuing need to watch closely for the emergence of new HIV variants, particularly in western central Africa, the origin of all existing HIV-1 groups.”

Co-researcher Robertson noted that the new virus may not be restricted to Africa.

“It also highlights how human mobility can rapidly transfer a virus from one geographical location to another as has been dramatically evident with the recent emergence of swine flu,” he said.

For the complete article, please refer to www.cnn.com

Gorillas have been found, for the first time, to be a source of HIV.

Previous research had shown the HIV-1 strain, the main source of human infections, with 33m cases worldwide, originated from a virus in chimpanzees.

But researchers have now discovered an HIV infection in a Cameroonian woman which is clearly linked to a gorilla strain, Nature Medicine reports.

A researcher told the BBC that, though it was a new type of HIV, current drugs might still help combat its effects.

A 62-year-old woman living in Paris tested positive for a new strain of HIV. Before this, it was thought that all strains of HIV-1 were passed to humans by chimpanzees; however, this new strain is thought to have derived from gorillas.

The woman, originally from the capital of Cameroon, Yaounde, tested positive for HIV in 2004 and has not yet shown any signs of AIDS. How she contracted this new strain of HIV is still unknown. The woman claims to have had no encounters with live gorillas or bushmeat.

This new discovery presents many new questions, and also other possibilities that have been investigated before. How many people are infected with this new strain is hard to tell, but researchers will definitely be looking into possibly even more strains of HIV.

*For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

A new strain of the virus that causes AIDS has been discovered in a woman from the African nation of Cameroon.
It differs from the three known strains of human immunodeficiency virus and appears to be closely related to a form of simian virus recently discovered in wild gorillas, researchers report in Monday’s edition of the journal Nature Medicine.
The finding “highlights the continuing need to watch closely for the emergence for new HIV variants, particularly in western central Africa,” said the researchers, led by Jean-Christophe Plantier of the University of Rouen, France.
The three previously known HIV strains are related to the simian virus that occurs in chimpanzees.
The most likely explanation for the new find is gorilla-to-human transmission, Plantier’s team said. But they added they cannot rule out the possibility that the new strain started in chimpanzees and moved into gorillas and then humans, or moved directly from chimpanzees to both gorillas and humans.
The 62-year-old patient tested positive for HIV in 2004, shortly after moving to Paris from Cameroon, according to the researchers. She had lived near Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, but said she had no contact with apes or bush meat, a name often given to meat from wild animals in tropical countries.
The woman currently shows no signs of AIDS and remains untreated, though she still carries the virus, the researchers said.
How widespread this strain is remains to be determined. Researchers said it could be circulating unnoticed in Cameroon or elsewhere. The virus’ rapid replication indicates that it is adapted to human cells, the researchers reported.
Their research was supported by the French Health Watch Institute, the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis and Rouen University Hospital.
A separate paper, also in Nature Medicine, reports that people with genital herpes remain at increased risk of HIV infection even after the herpes sores have healed and the skin appears normal.
Researchers led by Drs. Lawrence Corey and Jia Zhu of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that long after the areas where the herpes sores existed seem to be clear, they still have immune-cell activity that can encourage HIV infection.
Herpes is marked by recurring outbreaks and has been associated with higher rates of infection with HIV. It had been thought that the breaks in the skin were the reason for higher HIV rates, but a study last year found that treatment of herpes with drugs did not reduce the HIV risk.
The researchers tested the skin of herpes patients for several weeks after their sores had healed and found that, compared with other genital skin, from twice to 37 times more immune cells remained at the locations where the sores had been.
HIV targets immune cells and in laboratory tests the virus reproduced three to five times faster in tissue from the healed sites as in tissue from other areas.
“Understanding that even treated (herpes) infections provide a cellular environment conducive to HIV infection suggests new directions for HIV prevention research,” commented Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
That study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Tietze Foundation.

For the complete article, please refer to http://news.aol.com/health/article/new-hiv-strain-discovered-in-cameroon/599611

The Illinois attorney general on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the Center for AIDS Prevention for unlawful fundraising and falsifying official documents, ProPublica reports (Weaver, 7/27). Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the state revoked the organization’s registration 20 years ago, but its director, Steve Neely, also known as Morrell Neely, has continued to solicit donations in the state. “The state says the group tried to reregister as a nonprofit using a phony Chicago address, though its boss, … lives in Riverside, Calif.,” Courthouse News Service reports (Freeland, 7/27). “If the suit is successful, Illinois could seize money illegally raised there, bar Neely and others involved with the center from future charitable work in the state, freeze their assets, force them to pay back donations they may have ‘misused and/or wasted’ with interest, and attempt to shut the group down for good by revoking its corporate status,” ProPublica reports (7/27).

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159165.php

Westchester County residents can now access local HIV/AIDS resources online thanks to the launch of a new Facebook page, Project WAVE Westchester (PWW).

PWW is a partnership of public and private agencies that provide HIV/AIDS-related services including prevention, testing, counseling, and treatment, with a special focus on communities most affected by the disease. An offshoot of the Project WAVE national effort, PWW is a collaboration of the state Department of Health, the county health department, community groups, area health centers, and hospitals.

Outside of New York City, Westchester County has the state’s second-highest AIDS case rate and third-highest HIV infection rate. The county is also home to the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, excluding the city.

PWW’s Facebook page contains information about upcoming HIV testing events as well as prevention videos and public service announcements that focus on the importance of testing. To visit the page, go to www.facebook.com and register for a free account. Members then enter “Project Wave” into the search function to access PWW.

“I think it’s great that Project WAVE is using this popular Web site to provide valuable information about HIV/AIDS services to Westchester residents,” said Dr. Joshua Lipsman, the county’s health commissioner. “Many people spend a lot of time on these social networking Web sites, and this is another way for the public health community to reach out to residents and help them get the services, support, and resources they need. It also enables residents to find others who share their interests and concerns.”

For the complete article please refer to http://www.cdcnpin.org/news/NewsList.asp

Making existing interventions more effective is the next step in addressing the AIDS pandemic, according to noted physician, author, and teacher Paul Farmer.

“I’m surprised at the ineffectiveness of social projects,” he told an audience of more than 400 Thursday at the Clinton Presidential Center. “They are not focused on the outcome.”

Farmer, the incoming chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard University, said the world has progressed beyond a “low point” of the AIDS epidemic in 2002 when average drug costs were more than $10,000 per patient annually. “This was the time when people were saying not a lot could be done,” Farmer said.

Since then, the cost of AIDS drugs has declined dramatically. In addition, inroads have been made in Haiti, where the proportion of the population infected with HIV has dropped from 5 percent to 2 percent.

Farmer also called for renewed efforts to address other health crises around the world, singling out tuberculosis and infant mortality. “These are overwhelming problems, but they’re problems that have solutions as well,” Farmer said.

Farmer, the subject of the biography “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” also described his time practicing medicine in Haiti and Rwanda.

“He defined service and outcomes the way I’ve tried to for years,” said Skip Rutherford, dean of the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas. “To have someone like Paul Farmer is a thrill to everyone.”

Female condoms have played a large role in women protecting themselves against HIV for many years, and at the 12th National AIDS Conference the new FC2 Female Condom was promoted as a key role in Thailand’s HIV prevention strategy.

The FC Female Condom has been on the market since 1988; however, users have voiced their complaints about the product including it’s difficulty to use, noise, and it being uncomfortable. In response to these complaints manufacturers developed the FC2 Female Condom, which is made of nitrile rubber creating a more comfortable use.

Thailand has had a longstanding battle with HIV, and although they studied the use of female condoms for use in their HIV/AIDS plan in 1990 the studies were halted last year with no results. Production of female condoms has increased by as much as 14 million in the past four years and are currently distributed in 90 million countries, but due to importation costs the FC2 has not been made accessible in Thailand.

According to Tisssadee Sawangying, a health coordinator who took part in the National AIDS Conference, “the government should work hard to increase alternative options for women to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS infection.” Having an option such as the FC2 available for women in Thailand and all over the world would greatly increase their options when it comes to protecting themselves.

*For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles

If you are worried about HIV it might be because you don’t know how risky your sexual behavior is, you have specific questions about something you’ve done recently, or you are anxious about something you’re interested in trying in the future.

It’s important to have clear information about HIV transmission and prevention. Arming yourself with this information may help diminish your anxiety, because then you will know exactly how HIV is transmitted and how it isn’t.

Get tested!

Knowing your HIV status is very important. If you test negative, you can take steps to remain negative by educating yourself about HIV. If you test positive, you can take steps to prevent the spread of the virus to your partner(s). Knowing your status also means that you will be able to make critical and timely decisions about your treatment and care and get support to help deal with all the feelings you may have about knowing your status.

About My Health offers confidential HIV, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis testing. To find a local testing center across the United States, call their hotline at 1.866.926.4669.

A new once-daily pill to treat HIV will be developed under a deal announced Thursday by Gilead Sciences and Johnson & Johnson. The new antiretroviral would contain J&J’s experimental non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, TMC278, and Gilead’s Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir). In the agreement, Gilead said it will pay development costs of up to $100 million and receive TMC278 at a discount of up to 30 percent off its market price. The combination pill is being developed for use in newly diagnosed patients, said Kevin Young, head of commercial operations at Gilead. The new pill will likely erode the market for Atripla, a once-daily treatment combining Gilead’s Truvada and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s Sustiva, given Sustiva’s central nervous system side effects, Young acknowledged. Physicians would be unlikely to change treatment for patients responding well to Atripla. In addition, Sustiva’s patents will lapse in the next decade, as will the patents for Gilead’s drugs between 2017 and 2021, according to Phil Nadeau, an analyst with Cowen and Co. Gilead will be developing the new combination drug in anticipation of market approval by 2011. That development is contingent on regulatory approval of TMC278 within three years in the United States or Europe.

For the complete article, please refer http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE56F6ZA20090716.

One month after an adult-film actress tested HIV-positive the AIDS Healthcare Foundation pushed for more enforcement on the use of condoms during filming of adult movies. Since 2004, 18 HIV cases and more than 3,700 chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases have been reported by the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM). AIM is a clinic that tests adult-video performers, and has been criticized for not cooperating with health officials in the past. Adult-video performers are 10 times more likely than other people to contract an STD, and many performers acquire multiple infections each year. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is concerned that the adult-film industry is not doing all that it can to protect it’s employees during the production of these videos. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health in California is looking into the most recent case of HIV, and has requested all of AIM’s medical records as part of the investigation.

* For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

By 2030, an estimated 50 million people with HIV/AIDS will need newer treatments to keep them alive, according an all-party parliamentary report due out this week. To prevent millions of AIDS deaths in poor countries, pharmaceutical firms holding patents on HIV/AIDS drugs should release these drugs’ patent rights, Mike Foster, Britain’s international development minister, is expected to say.

Under the proposal, drug companies could put their HIV/AIDS drugs into a “patent pool,” and generic-drug makers would be permitted to make cheaper copies and combination pills for patients in poor nations. Unitaid, an international drug-buying entity set by up several donor countries including the United Kingdom, is trying to create the pool. However, drug firms regard patents as the means of recouping the massive costs of drug research and development.

Three million HIV/AIDS patients in poor countries now receive subsidized treatment, but that is just one-third of those in need. Drug resistance is a growing threat in both the developing and developed nations, and the newer treatments are expensive. Cheap, generic copies of these newer drugs cannot easily be made by generic-drug makers in places such as India and China, which now have tighter intellectual property-rights rules.

“The pharmaceutical industry has an opportunity to act now to help prevent future human catastrophe,” said Foster. “It is time for them to state their clear commitments to make HIV medicines affordable to those who need them most.”

“We are sitting on a treatment time bomb,” said Member of Parliament David Barrow, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on AIDS. “We cannot sleepwalk into a situation where we can only afford to treat a tiny proportion of those infected.”

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.aegis.com/todaysnews/du.asp

On Wednesday, the Palm Beach County Health Care District board unanimously approved a planned $400,000 cut to the Comprehensive AIDS Program’s case management services despite testimony from 10 patients and providers that the services are vital.

Case management helps patients to stay on complex drug regimens, navigate insurance plans, and keep important appointments, advocates told the board. “If a person stops taking their medication, not only does their own health suffer, they become more infectious to other people,” said Yolette Bonnet, CEO of the AIDS program.

Anita Byrd of West Palm Beach said: “I was addicted to street drugs, and I have been clean now for 11 years because of case management. They found me in places where people never want to come.”

The HIV/AIDS grant was among a raft of cuts the board made in its tentative 2010 spending plan. Out of a $250 million budget, the special taxing district must slash $31 million due to increased demands on its insurance programs, which will serve nearly 40,000 people this year. School nurses’ hours were cut from 40 hours a week to 33 to save $3 million.

Jonathan Satter, the board’s chair, said he felt “darned if he did, darned if he didn’t” cut services or raise taxes to preserve them. “We cannot be the sole source for every program,” he said, noting he hoped the AIDS program was seeking foundation money.

For the complete article, and for more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, please refer to http://www.cdcnpin.org/

Merck announced on Thursday that the FDA has approved expanded use of its HIV drug, Isentress, Reuters. Isentress has been FDA-approved since 2007, but was limited “to use in patients who had drug-resistant strains or were failing on other therapies, also in combination with other HIV drugs. Now it can be used in all adult patients,” the AP/CNBC.com reports. According to AP/CNBC.com, “Isentress is an integrase inhibitor, meaning it works by blocking the enzyme integrase, one of three types of enzymes the AIDS virus uses to reproduce and infect cells”

For the full article, please refer to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157219.php

1) Take Responsibility For Your Health and Your Life.
2) Get A Support Network To Be With You In Good and Bad Times.
3) Find A Health Provider With Whom You Can Build A Relationship.

4) Take HIV Medications When You Need Them.
5) Maintain Good Nutrition.
6) Get Up and Do Some Exercise.
7) Learn About Benefits and Services You Might Be Eligible For.

There are many benefits and services available to people living with HIV disease but you have to know about them and their requirements in order to get them. Benefits you might be eligible for include:

8 ) Get A Life Outside HIV.
9) Stop Stressing…So Much.
10) Ask For Help When You Need It .

Today the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced its latest prevention and treatment numbers, noting in particular that Global Fund-financed programs have put 2.3 million people on treatment for HIV/AIDS, 5.4 million people have been treated for tuberculosis, and 88 million insecticide-treated nets have been distributed to prevent malaria infection. In addition, more than 500,000 HIV-positive pregnant women have been treated to prevent their babies from being born with HIV.

These latest results strengthen evidence that investments during the past five years have resulted in the most significant progress ever achieved in the global fight against these three diseases. Recent evidence suggests that global mortality from tuberculosis is now declining, AIDS mortality among adults in several high-burden countries in Africa is declining, and malaria elimination efforts have made tremendous progress, with reductions in the number of cases and malaria-related child mortality falling between 50% and 80% in a growing number of countries.

Together, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria kill about six million people per year. With grants worth $16 billion in 140 countries around the world, the Global Fund has become the world’s leading global public health financier.

For the full article, please refer to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156875.php

When it comes to HIV/AIDS the mantra has always been: get tested.

But some doctors warn that sometimes a negative test can give a false sense of security to both doctors and patients, particularly for risk-taking teenagers, said Dr. Allison Agwu, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Rapid HIV tests are designed to pick up antibodies to the virus, not the virus itself. It can take weeks or months for someone to produce antibodies. So a rapid test can come up negative the first time, but positive some weeks or months later. False negatives often happen during the earliest and most contagious stages of the infection.

Of the 53,000 new HIV infections diagnosed each year in the United States, 14 percent of those occurred in 13 to 25-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the CDC reported last week that nearly half of all HIV positive teens don’t know they have the virus.

For the full article, please refer to http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/health/2009/07/teens_hiv_testing.html

Emergency room patients who are most at risk for HIV are opting out of HIV testing at a huge rate amid a hospital atmosphere cold to such testing. Hospital personnel view it as too time-consuming, and insurers are reluctant to reimburse hospitals for their test-related expenses. In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that everyone visiting a hospital for a major disease condition be tested for the virus that causes AIDS, with the opportunity for them to opt out of the testing, if they so chose.

Since then, only about 5 percent of such patients have been tested, according to Veronica Miller, director of the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research, an independent public-private partnership operating at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.

“HIV is a life-threatening disease that is so grossly underdiagnosed and undertreated in this country,” Miller said in a briefing on the two-day Summit on HIV Testing. It’s been found that infection rates in urban emergency rooms are from 0.5 percent to 1 percent of those tested – though many refuse testing, which involves a simple saliva test followed, if necessary, by a confirmatory blood test, all of which cost $80 to $120.

In Washington, D.C., where it’s estimated that 5 percent of people are infected with HIV, the George Washington University Medical Center emergency department found that only 0.8 percent of people tested were HIV positive. But half of those in the city’s wealthiest ward chose not to be tested, as did a third of people in the poorest ward. So it’s probably the case that the HIV rate is sharply higher among those who refuse the test.

A study done at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia found that patients’ acceptance of testing was boosted to 83 percent when trained counselors spent just five minutes pitching each emergency room patient. Such an increase could greatly benefit those who are HIV positive by catching the infection at an early stage, when it’s more treatable.

Dutch-sponsored researcher Christian Althaus has used mathematical models to demonstrate that cells infected with HIV could die even sooner than was thought until now. If infected cells have a shorter lifespan then this increases the chances of the virus escaping the attention of the immune system.

Althaus used mathematical models and computer simulations to describe the dynamics of viral populations and immune responses. For example, he studied how chronic viral infections such as HIV are kept under control. The human immune system attempts to prevent the replication of viruses in various ways. The so-called cytotoxic T cells are capable of recognising and killing cells that have been infected with the virus. Althaus found that if cells are recognised and eliminated directly after infection before they start producing virus then the viral replication is considerably reduced.

Hiding from the immune response

Each time the virus infects a new cell it can change itself by mutating so that the newly infected cells are no longer recognised and destroyed. This process of ‘immune escape’ can reflect how strongly the immune system suppresses the virus. This is what led Althaus to study the speed at which these new and unrecognisable viral variants are generated and selected. He also found that HIV-infected cells might survive for a shorter period than expected until now, which means it is even more difficult for the immune system to recognise and destroy these cells.

This type of research is essential for an improved knowledge of viral infections. The models Althaus has developed provide a better understanding of why the immune system can sometimes effectively control viral infections and sometimes not. This opens up possibilities for further research into the immune system of people infected with HIV.

Christian Althaus has carried out this work as a member of Rob de Boer’s research group. De Boer received a Vici grant from the NWO’s Innovational Research Incentives Scheme in 2004. He aims to use this grant to set up a novel, quantitative approach to immunology.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630163326.htm.

Noluthando Mtana, an Eastern Cape woman, is suing a pathology laboratory in Port Elizabeth for a life of “emotional hell” after her husband was incorrectly diagnosed HIV positive. Mtana’s spouse, Mongesi, paid for an HIV test at Prime Cure Laboratories (Prime Lab) in July of 2004, and in August he received the results indicating he was positive.

Mongesi kept the results to himself for nearly a year and began using condoms with his wife, all the while suffering from thoughts of suicide and depression. He finally revealed the results to his wife in 2005 which initiated an obsession with contracting HIV, severe episodes of depression and distrust, and even caused Noluthando to quit her job because she could no longer concentrate at work. She remained extremely distrustful of Mongesi throughout the next couple years and threatened him with divorce. Although the couple was able to remain together, their marriage was extremely difficult to maintain with the thought of HIV always lingering.

In July of 2008 Mongesi paid for another HIV test, this time with a different laboratory. This time the results indicated that he was negative for HIV and that he had never been infected in the first place. According to court papers Prime Lab had acted negligently by failing to follow the initial positive test result with the vital HIV ELISA test.

While receiving the negative result was great news and surely a blessing for them, the couple will need to participate in group and individual therapy sessions to rebuild the trust that was lost after the initial positive result. Had the ELISA test been performed the Mtana’s could have avoided years of agony and despair.

* For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/orignal-articles/

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the tuberculosis (TB) vaccine is of great risks to HIV-infected infants, Tanzanian local daily the Guardian reported on Thursday.

Through its research published in the International Public Health journal, the WHO noted that HIV-infected infants risked contracting a deadly form of tuberculosis from the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine instead of receiving protection against the disease, the report quoted a WHO statement issued on Wednesday in Dar es Salaam as saying.

For the complete article, please refer to http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/02/content_11641405.htm.

On the fourteenth National HIV Testing Day President Obama issued a statement supporting annual testing and safe-sex practices.

Obama informed everyone that one in five Americans living with HIV do not know they are infected, and that those people are the ones who transmit HIV the most. However, Obama also noted that once people become aware of their status they take the steps to reduce transmitting HIV to their partners.

While Obama admitted that direct impacts of HIV are not widespread, seeing as how higher rates exist within gay/bisexual men, African Americans, and Latinos – he acknowledged that if a citizen is infected with HIV every nine-and-a-half minutes it affects all Americans.

Using these statistics Obama pledged to implement a comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) to provide better care for those already living with HIV and prevent future transmission in others. However, the government cannot be held responsible for all these practices. Obama urged all Americans to practice safe-sex, regularly get tested, and help eliminate the stigma attached to living with HIV. If the government and the people work together we can decrease the rates of HIV and increase our care towards one another.

*For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/orignal-articles/

In a study looking at social and sexual mixing between ethnic groups in men who have sex with men, researchers show that social barriers faced by black gay men may have a serious impact on their health and well-being.

In the US, there is a disproportionate burden of HIV infection in Black Americans, who accounted for nearly half of all HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed in 2006 – four times the national average.

A total of 1,142 gay men took part in computer-assisted interviews. They were asked about their own ethnicity, the race of their sexual partners in the last six months, their perception of how easy it is to meet sexual partners of different ethnicities, where they meet sexual partners, their view of HIV infection risk and the predominant race of their network of friends.

Black gay men are the least preferred of sexual partners by other races. Black men are perceived to be riskier to have sex with, which can lead to men of other races avoiding Black men as sexual partners. They are also perceived as less welcome in the common social venues of gay men in San Francisco. As a result, Black men are three times more likely to have sexual partners that are also Black, than would be expected by chance alone.

The authors conclude: “The racial disparity in HIV observed for more than a decade will not disappear until the challenges posed by a legacy of racism towards Blacks in the US are addressed.”

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629114536.htm

Researchers have developed a game for HIV-positive youth, +CLICK, designed to reduce secondary transmission of the virus.

+CLICK was developed by Christine Markham, Ph.D., and Ross Shegog, Ph.D., assistant professors of behavioral sciences. The game’s usability and credibility were assessed by HIV-positive (HIV+) youth at a Texas Children’s Hospital clinic. Results from the study were published in the May issue of AIDS Care

“We wanted to create +CLICK so that we could help educate youth on the importance of making proper, healthy decisions to protect their relationships and themselves as well as help to reduce transmission of the HIV virus,” said Markham, lead investigator of the study.

The game was developed as an adjunct to the youths’ traditional clinic-based self-management education.

Replicating a shopping mall, study participants travel through lessons on abstinence, condoms and contraception, and also watch video clips from experts and peers who are also HIV+. +CLICK is designed to target four behaviors: choosing not to have sex; disclosing HIV status to a potential partner; using condoms correctly and consistently; and using an effective method of birth control along with condoms.

Participants were able to play several of the game’s lessons in approximately 15 minutes during their regularly scheduled clinic visits. “Participants were very receptive and enthusiastic about playing the game,” said Leonard. “They also liked that they were able to ask the clinicians questions about what they learned on the lessons.”

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623133525.htm

A fourth generation HIV testing assay detected almost two-thirds of individuals with acute HIV infection, investigators report in an article published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The researchers believe that their results show the ARCHITECT HIV Ag/AB Combo Assay to have significant advantages, including the time needed to obtain a result compared to the current pooled HIV RNA testing strategy used to diagnose acute HIV infection. Such assays are already routinely used in the United Kingdom.

Diagnosis of acute HIV infection relies on detection of HIV virus using viral load tests, or p24 antigen. Pooled HIV viral load testing has been shown to be an effective means of diagnosing acute infections. However, it is slow, it typically taking between seven and 21 days to obtain the results, cumbersome, and labourious. It is therefore not a realistic technology for resource-limited settings, nor for addressing the problem of ongoing transmission from people during acute infection.
The ARCHITECT Combo assay was positive for 13 of the 21 acute samples. The median viral load of individuals testing positive with this technology was significantly higher than that of individuals testing negative (662,ooo copies/ml vs. 3576 copies/ml).

“The failure to diagnose acute HIV infection represents an important public health problem”, note the investigators, “persons with primary infection may be up to 10 times more likely to transmit HIV per sexual act than are individuals with established infections”.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/D9111996-68D9-4F3D-A499-C9559819B045.asp.

Babies who were born with HIV/AIDS in the 1980s have defied initial expectations. No one expected them to live long.

Since the mid-1990s in developed countries, antiretroviral drugs have largely prevented mothers from transmitting HIV/AIDS to their babies.

Nearly 30 young adults and teenagers who were born with HIV/AIDS meet every week at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. “We don’t want to talk about HIV every day,” said Eric Koumbou, 19. “If you talk about HIV and you don’t have it and I do, sometimes it makes me angry or makes me sad.”

For the complete article, please see http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/22/hiv.children.generation/index.html?eref=ib_topstories.

BOSTON — In an effort to reduce AIDS rates in Massachusetts, state public health officials recommended that everyone 13 and older get HIV-tested as part of their routine medical care.

The goal is to make HIV screening as common as cholesterol tests and blood pressure monitoring. That way, HIV infections could be treated immediately, before they progress to full-blown AIDS.

Currently, about a third of people in Massachusetts with HIV develop AIDS within two months of diagnosis. Lauren Smith, medical director at the state Department of Public Health, says that number is too high.

“That tells us that, in fact, they were infected with HIV probably for many years — possibly a decade,” says Smith, “and suggests that we lost many opportunities to intervene and provide them very effective care that can ensure that they live longer and healthier.”

Smith also says the state’s health care system could save money if HIV is detected and treated earlier. HIV testing remains voluntary in the state and is free at many doctors’ offices and health clinics.

“It would be rolled into routine clinical care,” says Smith. “That’s why we screen for cholesterol, that’s why we take people’s blood pressure — it’s because we can do something very effective about it. Similarly, we need to screen everyone for HIV because we have effective treatments that can make a big difference in this condition.”

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.wbur.org/2009/06/25/hiv-testing.

International migrant workers, foreign students and political refugees are often endangered by laws that discriminate against people with AIDS, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch reported last week.
The report describes how guest workers from poor countries like the Philippines and Sri Lanka working in wealthy ones like Saudi Arabia may be given mandatory H.I.V. testing — sometimes without their knowledge — and deported, often without being able to claim back wages and sometimes after imprisonment without treatment.
For the complete article, please see http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/health/23glob.html?_r=1.

With the new data, scientists may have new leads for innovative treatments for AIDS-HIV.

The American and Canadian researchers with Oregon State University’s Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI) of Florida and the University of Montreal, have found what they believe is a more effective treatment and potentially even cure for AIDS-HIV, based on the discovery of the virus’ hiding places.

According to study co-leader Dr. Rafick-Pierre Sekaly, “You have to target not the virus, but the cells in which the virus is hiding. And that I think it is a very different concept than what everybody has been pushing for. That clearly is a major finding that we have got to the table.” He added, “This would make it possible to destroy cells containing a virus while giving the immune system time to regenerate with healthy cells.”

Dr. Sekaly says, he is “very optimistic” that researchers will be able to develop new drugs to target the hiding spots identified with their new research.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.healthnews.com/medical-updates/no-more-hiding-virus-causing-aids-hiv-3343.html.

For the press release, please refer to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090621143312.htm.

All too often, teenagers are going to their doctor’s office with flu-like symptoms, aches and pains, etc.- having some routine blood work done – and when everything comes back negative they are sent home with no-questions-asked. A few weeks later (symptoms still persistent) the teens return to have more blood work. This time the HIV test comes back positive. “What caused this,” or “how did this happen” are often the response that doctors get.

Most often the tests used to detect HIV are antibody tests. The antibodies they are trying to detect usually do not fully develop for several weeks in most people, so if someone were to try to take this test only a week or two after infection chances are they would receive a false negative.

Allison Agwu, M.D., a pediatric infectious disease specialist at John Hopkins Children’s Center, explains that these false negatives usually occur during the most contagious stage of HIV infection – the earliest one. If teenagers are engaging in risky sexual behavior, their need for more extensive testing is increased. Often doctors will ignore these possibilities because of the age of the patients.

If the teen is at high risk they should consider the use of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which detects genetic markers instead of antibodies. These tests have significantly smaller window periods than antibody tests. While they are more expensive than the standard antibody test, PCR tests allow us to get accurate results at around two or three weeks.

Doctors should consider using a PCR if the patient has used injectible drugs or has two or more of the following symptoms: enlarged lymph nodes, night sweats, malaise/fatigue/headaches or rash, fever/chills, or a persistent sore throat or cough.

* For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

The Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, reacting to a case disclosed last week, says it’s increasing database controls and urging producers to not accept paper test results from performers.

In an effort to prevent the possible spread of HIV in the adult film industry, the San Fernando Valley-based health clinic that serves the porn industry said Monday it is stepping up controls in its online database and urging producers not to accept paper copies of test results.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-me-porn-hiv16-2009jun16,0,2659497.story.

An actress who works in Southern California’s pornography industry has tested positive for HIV, renewing county and state health officials’ concerns that the adult entertainment industry lacks sufficient safety measures to prevent the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, health officer for Los Angeles County, said Wednesday that his office was launching an investigation.

Los Angeles County has been receiving reports from the clinic of 60 to 80 new cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea a month among adult performers, Fielding said.

As the clinic downplayed the positive test, public health officials cited their ongoing battle with the porn industry over the use of condoms during filming. The two sides have been at odds for years, and despite the intense scrutiny, Fielding said he is concerned that condoms are still not being used.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-porn-hiv11-2009jun11,0,2783528.story.

The 2009 Global TB control report reveals that one out of four TB deaths is HIV-related, twice as many as previously recognized. In 2007, there were an estimated 1.37 million new cases of tuberculosis among HIV-infected people and 456 000 deaths.

“These findings point to an urgent need to find, prevent and treat tuberculosis in people living with HIV and to test for HIV in all patients with TB in order to provide prevention, treatment and care. Countries can only do that through stronger collaborative programmes and stronger health systems that address both diseases,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO.

For the complete article, see http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2009/tuberculosis_report_20090324/en/index.html.

President Obama asked Congress on Tuesday to spend $63 billion over the next six years on a new, broader global health strategy that would reshape one of the signature foreign policy efforts of his predecessor, George W. Bush. Mr. Bush made combating global AIDS a centerpiece of his foreign agenda. The program he created — the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or Pepfar — is regarded as one of his most significant achievements. But the plan Mr. Obama outlined Tuesday envisions a more…

”We cannot simply confront individual preventable illnesses in isolation,” the president said in a statement released by the White House that cited the swine flu outbreak as an example. ”The world is interconnected, and that demands an integrated approach to global health.”

For the complete article, see http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E5D81538F935A35756C0A96F9C8B63

Mothers2Mothers program aims to prevent AIDS virus transmission to infants.

At the World Economic Forum on Africa, the impact of HIV/AIDS on African countries is being addressed. The forum has honored one program that helps prevent mother-to-child transmission and turns stigmatized women into role models.

By giving the Mothers2Mothers program the Schwab Award, Falk says the World Economic Forum recognizes its success as a socially conscious business – combining the best of the private and public sectors.

For the complete article, see http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-06-11-voa18.cfm.

Los Angeles County health officials say there have been 16 previously unpublicized confirmed cases of HIV in adult film industry performers since 2004 when an outbreak shut down porn production for a month.

The newly released data brings the number of known HIV cases in adult film performers to 22 since 2004, including a porn actress who tested positive late last week.

For the full article, see http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525929,00.html.

Schistosomiasis is a worm disease that primarily exists within rural Africa. The worms typically infect humans who are swimming or washing in snail-infested waters by leaving the snails and burrowing into the skin. The disease starts as a urinary tract infection, but if left untreated it can lead to genital sores. These sores provide an entrance for HIV during sexual intercourse; therefore, increasing the rates of transmission.

Thankfully there is an easy way to reduce the cases of Schistosomiasis. For only 32 cents a child can be treated with the drug praziquantel, which kills the worms and prevents any further infection. A pilot program was performed in Burkina Faso and it suggested that for $22 million we could treat all 70 million children who are infected, and carrying the plan out for a decade would cost only $112 million.

For a relatively low cost the HIV/AIDS epidemic can be significantly reduced in one of the most affected areas… there is no reason not to do it.

* For the complete article, please visit http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/