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Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Reducing commodity costs for ARVs could mean providing treatment to millions more people

"Reducing commodity costs for antiretroviral drugs by a mere five to 10 percent can represent hundreds of millions of dollars in savings for the global community. In turn these savings translate into millions of more patients who can receive access to life-saving treatment," David de Ferranti, president of Results for Development Institute (R4D), and Kanika Bahl, managing director at R4D, write in a Huffington Post opinion piece.

3 Aug 2011

Study looks at HIV infections in Middle East and North Africa

New research shows that sex between men (MSM - Men who have Sex with Men) is responsible for more than a quarter of new HIV infections in parts of the Middle East and North Africa.

3 Aug 2011

New HHS rule requires insurance coverage for contraception, other preventive services for women

The regulations, which were issued Monday by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, implement what is likely to be one of the most wide-reaching and popular provisions of the health law.

3 Aug 2011

Needle-free nanopatch vaccine delivery system

The needle-free nanopatch vaccine delivery system is coming soon after a consortium of investors put up $15 million for its development. The money will enable University of Queensland's Professor Mark Kendall to continue his work on the technology. It is described as the biggest breakthrough in vaccine delivery since the invention of the syringe more than 150 years ago.

3 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 2, 2011

Today's headlines reveal how some specific elements of the debt-ceiling deal might impact Medicare providers.

2 Aug 2011

Field trials of rapid, inexpensive and portable HIV test show success, researchers report

"The first field trial for a 'lab on a chip' accurately detected both HIV and syphilis among a Rwandan population, researchers reported Sunday" in an online report published by Nature Medicine, the Washington Post reports.

2 Aug 2011

PEPFAR will continue to lead HIV/AIDS fight

With recent scientific advancements in HIV prevention "transforming the way we think about AIDS," PEPFAR's "task is to translate new science into policy to inform programs," Ambassador Eric Goosby, the U.S. global aids coordinator, writes in a post on the State Department's "DipNote" blog.

2 Aug 2011

Methamphetamine use can fuel HIV infection risk among young MSM

A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and elsewhere shows that methamphetamine use can fuel HIV infection risk among teenage boys and young men who have sex with men (MSM), a group that includes openly gay and bisexual men, as well as those who have sex with men but do not identify themselves as gay or bisexual.

2 Aug 2011

Preventive health services at no additional cost for women: HHS

Historic new guidelines that will ensure women receive preventive health services at no additional cost were announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

1 Aug 2011

New device can produce blood-based diagnostic results in minutes

Samuel K. Sia, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has developed an innovative strategy for an integrated microfluidic-based diagnostic device-in effect, a lab-on-a-chip-that can perform complex laboratory assays, and do so with such simplicity that these tests can be carried out in the most remote regions of the world.

1 Aug 2011

Kenya Medical Services Minister to establish African Cancer Foundation

When Anyang' Nyong'o, Medical Services Minister of Kenya, returned cancer-free to his native land in March of this year, he made a commitment to the people of Kenya. "My experience is a wake-up call for us in Kenya," he proclaimed.

1 Aug 2011

Demonstrators in Swaziland express concern over possible antiretroviral shortages

More than 3,000 demonstrators gathered across Swaziland on Thursday for a second day of protests over the king's handling of an economic crisis that they say is causing a shortage of medical supplies, including antiretroviral therapy, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports (7/28).

30 Jul 2011

U.N. says crisis in southern Somalia will worsen through 2011

The "crisis in southern Somalia is expected to continue to worsen through 2011, with all areas of the south slipping into famine," according to a report for countries sending aid to the region that was published by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Reuters reports.

30 Jul 2011

Political, economic tensions in Malawi threaten new HIV/AIDS strategy

In a guest post on the GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog, Janet Fleischman, a senior associate at the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, describes the Malawian government's "plans to launch a 'test and treat' program in which all HIV-infected pregnant women will immediately be put on antiretroviral treatment drugs for life."

30 Jul 2011

Hospitals miss opportunities to diagnose patients infected with HIV in EDs: UC research

New University of Cincinnati research on HIV testing at local emergency departments shows that hospitals miss opportunities to diagnose patients who do not know they are infected with HIV, even when a regular testing program is in place.

30 Jul 2011

Caltech researchers find simple engineering technique to ward off HIV

If one is good, two can sometimes be better. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have certainly found this to be the case when it comes to a small HIV-fighting protein.

30 Jul 2011

Physicians to provide high-quality care, training to medically underserved community

Today, the first class of Texas Children's Global Health Corps will depart Houston for assignment in Africa. This talented team of pediatricians and family doctors will provide medical care and treatment to thousands of children and families affected by serious or life-threatening medical conditions, including sickle cell disease, malaria, tuberculosis, malnutrition, cancer and HIV/AIDS.

30 Jul 2011

Merck reports worldwide sales of $12.2 billion for second quarter 2011

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2011.

29 Jul 2011

MSNBC's Chris Matthews interviews NIAID head Anthony Fauci

The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog features video of an interview of Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, that was conducted by MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews at a Capitol Hill briefing on Tuesday, which was hosted by the Foundation for AIDS Research.

29 Jul 2011

'Systems biology' study of breast cancer

Using a "systems biology" approach - which focuses on understanding the complex relationships between biological systems - to look under the hood of an aggressive form of breast cancer, researchers for the first time have identified a set of proteins in the blood that change in abundance long before the cancer is clinically detectable.

29 Jul 2011