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Request for Applications (RFA): HIV Cure-Related Research in Africa CRDF Global is soliciting research proposals that will expand our knowledge of HIV persistence and post-treatment control in people living with non-subtype B HIV in Africa. Proposals may propose basic, translational, preclinical, or clinical research studies using existing human samples or samples derived from separately funded HIV cohorts or clinical trials to analyze and compare non-subtype B HIV persistence and post-treatment control. This announcement invites application(s) from research institution located in Africa to submit research proposals that will (1) support HIV cure-related research in areas of Africa in which there is a high proportion of people living with HIV and (2), expand our understanding of the persistence of non-subtype B HIV in people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the mechanisms of post-treatment control of viremia following cessation of ART. #fundingopportunity #HIV #HIVcure

Check out my latest article in TheBody.com The International AIDS Society's Conference on HIV Science has come to end. There was one topic that has caught fire and brought a new level of hope for HIV vaccine & cure research: Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies, or bnAbs. We have moved past building blocks and have moved into action. BnAbs are something everyone needs to know about now. We have to prepare community for the next frontier which is already upon us. https://lnkd.in/duEiekxv

Publication: HIV Knowledge and Information Access among Women Cancer Survivors in Nigeria This article emphasizes the "need to ensure HIV prevention among Nigerian women cancer survivors by improving access to health information. This study used a qualitative descriptive method to examine HIV knowledge and access to health information among women cancer survivors in Nigeria." I would like to thank Candi Nwakasi, PhD, MSPH for the opportunity to contribute to such vital research, as well as all of his mentorship. I encourage everyone to read this article in the Journal of Cancer Policy. The following is a link:

📃Scientific paper: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Linkage to HIV Care Interventions in the United States, Canada, and Ukraine (2010–2021) Abstract: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions targeting linkage to HIV care in the US, Canada, and Europe. We searched six databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and CINAHL). Inclusion criteria were English language studies in adults in the US, Canada , or Europe, published January 1, 2010 to January 1, 2021. We synthesized interventions by type and linkage to care outcome. The outcome was cumulative incidence of 3-month linkage. We estimated cumulative incidence ratios of linkage with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We screened 945 studies; 13 met selection criteria (n = 1 from Canada, n = 1 from Ukraine, n = 11 from the US) and were included after full text review (total 37,549 individuals). The cumulative incidence of 3-month linkage in the intervention group was 0.82 (95% CI 0.68–0.94) and control group 0.71 (95% CI 0.50–0.90); cIR of linkage for intervention versus control was 1.30 (95% CI 1.13, 1.49). Interventions to improve linkage to care after HIV diagnosis warrant further attention. Discover the rest of the scientific article on es/iode ➡️https://etcse.fr/0rn

[at] IAS 2023, the 12th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science Exit Disclaimer, the World Health Organization released Exit Disclaimer new guidance on HIV viral suppression, recognizing the role of viral suppression in improving individual health and decreasing HIV transmission. The new guidance was accompanied by a Lancet literature review Exit Disclaimer looking at 244 studies describing the powerful evidence for U=U messaging and the opportunities to destigmatize HIV and promote viral suppression. https://lnkd.in/eqRekmWJ

This #WorldAIDSDay, I am reflecting on the tremendous strides that have been made since the HIV virus was first discovered four decades ago. For those of us who remember the early days of the AIDS crisis, it is truly inspiring to see the progress that has been made.    Merck has been committed to ending the epidemic from the beginning. We were one of the first companies to launch an HIV research program in the mid-1980s. Our late colleague at Merck, Dr. Irving Sigal, pictured below, played a pivotal role in HIV/AIDS research by leading a team of scientists studying the HIV life-cycle. Merck scientists were among the first to discover and develop medicines for the treatment of HIV, and our legacy in innovative HIV science continues.    What a difference four decades can make: HIV was once seen as a death sentence, and today – with proper medical treatment – it can be a chronic condition. I wish the many friends I lost to AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s, including colleagues, were here to see how much the world has changed. And I wish Irving, who tragically passed away in the Lockerbie bombing of 1988, were here to see how his work paved the way for the incredible advances that have been made.   The epidemic is not over yet. Stigma, misinformation and lack of access remain obstacles in eradicating HIV. Still, when I see the passion and dedication of scientists, activists and other stakeholders and partners in the fight against HIV/AIDS, I am optimistic about the future.

📃Scientific paper: Understanding the Evolving Role of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision as a Public Health Strategy in Eastern and Southern Africa: Opportunities and Challenges Abstract: Purpose of Review Voluntary male medical circumcision (VMMC) has been a cornerstone of HIV prevention in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) and is credited in part for declines in HIV incidence seen in recent years. However, these HIV incidence declines change VMMC cost-effectiveness and how it varies across populations. Recent Findings Mathematical models project continued cost-effectiveness of VMMC in much of ESA despite HIV incidence declines. A key data gap is how demand generation cost differs across age groups and over time as VMMC coverage increases. Additionally, VMMC models usually neglect non-HIV effects of VMMC, such as prevention of other sexually transmitted infections and medical adverse events. While small compared to HIV effects in the short term, these could become important as HIV incidence declines. Summary Evidence to date supports prioritizing VMMC in ESA despite falling HIV incidence. Updated modeling methodologies will become necessary if HIV incidence reaches low levels. Discover the rest of the scientific article on es/iode ➡️https://etcse.fr/boiag

Data.FI/Honduras has been working for months to help the Ministry of Health (#SESAL) to implement a national HIV data use strategy, with the objective of increasing SESAL’s ability to understand and address the HIV epidemic at the national level. This includes epidemiological surveillance to monitor incidence and prevalence trends, the geographical distribution of infection, and detecting most-at-risk populations. In a major step in this process, on April 9 the Data.FI team met with SESAL officials to analyze current coverage and access to HIV prevention and evaluate ongoing interventions. Following this analysis, the meeting attendees made various commitments on the best way forward: ✅ A coordination meeting will be led between the HIV focal points of the health regions to carry out triangulation of linkage cases ✅ The national HIV laboratory will send viral load results to the HIV focal points to consolidate a regional base for analysis of viral suppression ✅ The Cortés Health Region (one of the largest in the country) will invite coordinators in their region to the regional situational room to analyze coverage and viral suppression there (this meeting took place on April 11) ✅ Dr. A Salvatierra, the focal point for HIV data use at SESAL, will propose to national coordinators a new analysis of clients currently on antiretroviral treatment so that the Ministry can visualize interruption in treatment, treatment transfers, mortality rates, etc., and present their findings at the next national HIV situation room The implementation of a national data use strategy is an important prerequisite to improving health outcomes for all people living with HIV in Honduras, and we are honored to work alongside our partners at SESAL in this effort. #USAID #PEPFAR #Honduras #HIV #datause #digitalhealth

In 2021 we advocated for overly simplified linear HIV care cascades to be replaced with cyclical cascades that better reflect people’s nonlinear HIV care journeys……that can better inform us who is lost from care, when, where, and why. It is exciting, therefore, that this week we published a paper in PLOS Medicine that presents a real-world attempt, using routine data, to populate a cyclical HIV care cascade in which repeated care engagement and reengagement are explicit. Jonathan and colleagues at UCT, with support from the MeSH Consortium, highlight how disengagement from care in the Western Cape of South Africa is common and occurs at various points along the cascade. For those wishing to gain individual level insights among their care cohorts, the methods are described in detail in a supplementary technical appendix. https://lnkd.in/eaBwkyVE

Gonorrhoea and chlamydia screening in HIV clinics: time for new tools and targets Prevalence studies indicate approximately 10% of patients in HIV clinics may be infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and/or Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) at any given time, and a study recently published in STI by Burchell and colleagues reveals that a modest increase in testing in their clinic did not improve detection of CT and NG. Khalil … Read More » Prevalence studies indicate approximately 10% of patients in HIV clinics may be infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and/or Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) at any given time, and a study recently published in STI by Burchell and colleagues reveals that a modest increase in testing in their clinic did not improve detection of CT and NG. Khalil … Read More »