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July issue of Health Affairs examining PEPFAR impact to be discussed at briefing on Tuesday

The July 2012 issue of Health Affairs, published Monday, examines the impact of PEPFAR, focusing on "the origins of the program; the lessons learned from implementation; the successes achieved in terms of human health and well-being; and the opportunities that now exist to lay the groundwork for an 'AIDS-free generation,'" the Health Affairs Blog reports, noting, "The new Health Affairs issue will be discussed Tuesday morning at a Washington, D.C., briefing."

11 Jul 2012

Former UNAIDS executive director discusses progress in AIDS fight ahead of AIDS 2012 conference

The 2012 International AIDS Conference, which will take place in Washington, D.C., from July 22-27, "will highlight a sense of optimism among top HIV researchers about stemming the spread of the virus around the globe," according to PRI's "The World."

11 Jul 2012

Book explains complex world of personalized medicine

Personalized medicine has promised to radically change the way we look at health and disease. Talk of tailored drug therapies and early detection of cancer has captured the attention of scientists and lay people alike. So when will patients start to reap the benefits of this medical revolution?

11 Jul 2012

African leaders should 'take action' to implement human-rights based laws, policies to enhance HIV response

Noting the release of a report from the Global Commission on HIV and the Law showing that "punitive laws are standing in the way of effective AIDS responses," Festus Mogae, former president of Botswana, and Stephen Lewis, co-director and co-founder of AIDS-Free World, both members of the commission, write in a health-e opinion piece, "We cannot hope for an HIV-free generation when we have laws that marginalize and punish those most vulnerable to the disease."

11 Jul 2012

Liver failure, cancer and mortality in cirrhotic patients coinfected with HIV/AIDS and HCV predicted by liver stiffness

Researchers from Spain established that liver stiffness, measured by transient elastography (TE), is an independent predictor of liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and mortality in cirrhotic patients coinfected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and hepatitis C virus (HCV).

10 Jul 2012

Women unaware of TOLAC delivery option

Study findings suggest that women eligible for trial of labor after a cesarean know little about their options for mode of delivery, with many leaving the decision up to their physician.

10 Jul 2012

Laws based on evidence and human rights strengthen global AIDS response

Punitive laws and human rights abuses are costing lives, wasting money and stifling the global AIDS response, according to a report by the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, an independent body of global leaders and experts. The Commission report, "HIV and the Law: Risks, Rights and Health," finds evidence that governments in every region of the world have wasted the potential of legal systems in the fight against HIV.

10 Jul 2012

Financial Times examines integration of family planning, HIV services in Ethiopia

The Financial Times examines efforts by "Ethiopian policymakers, faced with a rapidly expanding population and rising numbers of HIV/AIDS infections," to integrate family planning into HIV counseling and testing programs in the country. "When counseling women on reproductive health or child immunization, family planning clinics can also discuss HIV testing and prevention, particularly condom use, as well as introducing pregnant women to mother-to-child HIV transmission prevention services," the newspaper notes.

10 Jul 2012

New monitoring approach could improve quality of HIV care for prisoners

A new monitoring approach developed by researchers from The Miriam Hospital could close a major gap by providing the ability to track whether HIV-positive prisoners are getting the community-based HIV care they need once they are released.

10 Jul 2012

Associated Press examines 'sense of optimism' in HIV fight as AIDS 2012 conference approaches

Noting more than 20,000 international HIV researchers and activists will gather in Washington, D.C., for the AIDS 2012 conference later this month, the Associated Press writes that there is "a sense of optimism not seen in many years -- hope that it finally may be possible to dramatically stem the spread of the AIDS virus."

10 Jul 2012

International AIDS Conference to be held in the U.S. from July 22-27

The XIX International AIDS Conference is coming to Washington, D.C., July 22-27. It is the first time in 22 years the conference will be held in the U.S.

10 Jul 2012

HIV drug coverage in sub-Saharan Africa continues to improve but not sustainable, UNAIDS' Sidibe says

At the end of 2011, 6.2 million people in sub-Saharan Africa were taking antiretroviral drugs, about 56 percent of the people in need in the region, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe noted in an interview last week, saying, "Ten years ago, nobody would have imagined that such a result would be possible," Agence France-Presse reports. "Sidibe -- visiting Paris ahead of the July 22-27 International AIDS Conference in Washington -- said he was worried that African countries remained so dependent on foreign help," the news service states.

10 Jul 2012

NPR series examines global progress against AIDS

In a special series called "AIDS: A Turning Point," NPR reports on global progress against HIV/AIDS ahead of the AIDS 2012 conference taking place in Washington, D.C., this month. As part of the series, NPR's "Morning Edition" examines Botswana's response to the epidemic, writing, "A decade ago, Botswana was facing a national crisis as AIDS appeared on the verge of decimating the country's adult population.

9 Jul 2012

Modest sums of U.S. foreign aid have saved lives on an 'unprecedented scale'

In this New York Times opinion piece, columnist Nicholas Kristof examines the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid, writing, "In this election year in the United States, there'll be bitter debates about what should be cut from budgets, and one thing Democrats and Republicans seem to agree on is that foreign aid is bloated."

9 Jul 2012

UNN, UM establish firm foundation for mutual collaborations

A delegation from the University of Nigeria (UNN) has just completed a week in key laboratories and boardrooms at the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus exploring educational exchanges between the two universities.

8 Jul 2012

International AIDS Conference a call for global solidarity

Noting the 2010 reversal of the HIV travel and immigration ban allowing the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) to be held in the U.S. for the first time in more than 20 years, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) writes in a Huffington Post Blog opinion piece, "It is so exciting to host this conference at such a pivotal time in the history of the AIDS response," and adds, "At no other time in history has our global leadership been more important than it is right now."

7 Jul 2012

AHF calls for reasonable pricing of Gilead’s Quad AIDS drug

Today AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in response to recent press reports regarding drug manufacturer Gilead Sciences, Inc.'s new four-drug HIV/AIDS pill, known as the "Quad," renewed its call for company to price the drug reasonably, particularly in light of the fact that it represents only a marginal improvement over existing medications.

7 Jul 2012

Health gains in Rwanda illustrate value of universal health insurance

Noting that the Supreme Court last week upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, "mov[ing] the United States closer to the goal of health coverage for all," Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tina Rosenberg reports on health care coverage in Rwanda in this post in the New York Times' "Opinionator" blog.

7 Jul 2012

Haitian, U.S. governments sign Partnership Framework on health strategy

In this post on the State Department's DipNote blog, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten discusses the June 26 signing of the Partnership Framework to support Haiti's Health Strategy between the Government of Haiti (GOH) and the U.S. Government (USG).

7 Jul 2012

VOA profiles Vietnam Clinical HIV/AIDS Society

VOA News profiles the recently established Vietnam Clinical HIV/AIDS Society (VCHAS), among the first professional medical organizations of any type in Vietnam. VCHAS "was set up with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control through the Harvard Medical School AIDS Initiative, as part of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief," VOA notes.

6 Jul 2012