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HIV would 'remain a threat' even if world achieved 'AIDS-free generation' by any definition

Lawrence Altman, former senior medical correspondent for the New York Times, writes in an opinion analysis in the newspaper that while there was much discussion about "ending the AIDS epidemic" and an "AIDS-free generation" at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) last week in Washington, D.C., "[o]ne obstacle is a failure to clearly define the epidemic or what it means to have an AIDS-free generation."

1 Aug 2012

Poor sleep can reduce effectiveness of vaccines

As moms have always known, a good night's sleep is crucial to good health -- and now a new study led by a UCSF researcher shows that poor sleep can reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.

1 Aug 2012

Guardian's Boseley says USAID's Shah concerned about Europe's commitment to global health issues

In her "Global Health Blog," Guardian health editor Sarah Boseley notes that she spoke with USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah during last week's XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012).

1 Aug 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Prosetta partner to discover and develop new antiviral drugs

Prosetta Antiviral Inc today announced the execution of a strategic alliance with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company to further discover and develop select drug candidates representing new, novel classes of antiviral drugs.

31 Jul 2012

IPS examines progress on HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean

Inter Press Service reports on HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, a region with "the second highest incidence of HIV/AIDS after sub-Saharan Africa." The news service highlights a report, titled "Together We Will End AIDS" and released by UNAIDS ahead of the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) in Washington, D.C., last week, that "noted that AIDS-related deaths in the Caribbean have declined by almost 50 percent in 10 years."

31 Jul 2012

GlobalPost examines debate surrounding PrEP

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog examines questions surrounding the use of the antiretroviral Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of HIV infection among people at high risk, as studies released and panel discussions held last week at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) "raised concerns about the drug's effect on the future of the AIDS fight."

31 Jul 2012

CSIS blog examines definition of 'AIDS-free generation'

"Charged by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with developing a blueprint for the next phase of the U.S. government's involvement in the fight against HIV and AIDS, [U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby] ... will lead an interagency effort to give clearer meaning to the term, 'AIDS-free generation,' and provide a basis for programming," Sharon Stash, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies' (CSIS) Global Health Policy Center, writes in the CSIS "Smart Global Health" blog.

31 Jul 2012

Bloomberg Businessweek examines debate surrounding circumcision

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that "circumcision is in the spotlight again after a German court ruling has pitted those who support it for religious and health reasons against those who say boys should have the right to decide for themselves" and discusses how the procedure's role in "helping prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa" is "lost in the debate."

31 Jul 2012

Slippery technology prevents harmful bacterial slime from forming on surfaces

Biofilms may no longer have any solid ground upon which to stand. A team of Harvard scientists has developed a slick way to prevent the troublesome bacterial communities from ever forming on a surface. Biofilms stick to just about everything, from copper pipes to steel ship hulls to glass catheters. The slimy coatings are more than just a nuisance, resulting in decreased energy efficiency, contamination of water and food supplies, and-especially in medical settings-persistent infections. Even cavities in teeth are the unwelcome result of bacterial colonies.

31 Jul 2012

GlobalPost interviews USAID Administrator Shah about global AIDS response

GlobalPost correspondents John Donnelly and Charles Sennott interview USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah "about his perspectives on the AIDS fight," in this entry in GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog.

31 Jul 2012

DECISION+2 can reduce antibiotic use for acute respiratory infections

A training tool that helps physicians involve patients in decision-making can reduce the use of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

31 Jul 2012

Advocacy, commitment, investment needed to continue HIV/AIDS response

Some members of Congress "are advocating deep cuts to funding for domestic programs such as the Ryan White CARE Act and international programs such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and PEPFAR," but "what these critics fail to realize is that though we have won a multitude of battles, we are still losing the war in many communities," Rep. Michael Honda (D-Calif.) writes in a U.S. News & World Report opinion piece.

31 Jul 2012

Inclusion of 'marginalized and criminalized' populations essential to HIV/AIDS response

In this post in the Human Rights and HIV/AIDS "Now More Than Ever" blog, Michel Kazatchkine, the former executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and newly appointed special envoy to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, examines why human rights are "so central to the AIDS response."

31 Jul 2012

Blog posts examine issues discussed at AIDS 2012

Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, published three new blog posts last week examining issues discussed at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012).

31 Jul 2012

Limited funding, lack of flexibility forces decisions on how to spend money on disease treatment

Noting "the total clinic-level cost of providing a year's worth of antiretroviral drugs ... ha[s] dropped" in some countries, Charles Kenny, a fellow at the Center for Global Development and the New America Foundation, discusses "disagreement over the effectiveness of the global AIDS response" in this Bloomberg Businessweek opinion piece.

31 Jul 2012

'AIDS-free generation' possible with available tools for prevention, but not without political will

Noting that "the XIX International AIDS Conference [AIDS 2012] has just come to a close amid much talk of the beginning of the end of AIDS, turning the tide on HIV and even a potential cure," Julio Montaner, former president of the International AIDS Society (IAS) and director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, writes in a Globe and Mail opinion piece, "It is now more certain than ever that we have the tools, medicines and expertise to stop this epidemic."

31 Jul 2012

Two new targets could enhance the body's defenses against West Nile and hepatitis C

Two new targets have been discovered for antiviral therapies and vaccines strategies that could enhance the body's defenses against such infectious diseases as West Nile and hepatitis C. The targets are within the infection warning system inside living cells.

31 Jul 2012

Views on AIDS: More funding will be needed for new attack on HIV; The epidemic hits hard in the South

The international AIDS conference in Washington has already made two points clear. There is no prospect that scientists will any time soon find the ultimate solutions to the AIDS epidemic, namely a vaccine that would prevent infection with the AIDS virus or a "cure" for people already infected with the virus.

31 Jul 2012

XIX International AIDS Conference concludes in Washington, D.C.

"The XIX International AIDS Conference [AIDS 2012] drew to a close Friday without the physical presence of President Obama but with a full cast of other high-profile U.S. politicians who expressed their commitment to ending the disease," CQ HealthBeat reports (Norman, 7/27).

30 Jul 2012

Ebola outbreak identified in Uganda

"The world's first major outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever since 2009 has killed at least 14 of 20 people infected in a remote area of midwestern Uganda," the Wall Street Journal reports (Bariyo/McKay, 7/29).

30 Jul 2012

Disease/Infection News

HIV would 'remain a threat' even if world achieved 'AIDS-free generation' by any definition

Poor sleep can reduce effectiveness of vaccines

Guardian's Boseley says USAID's Shah concerned about Europe's commitment to global health issues

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Prosetta partner to discover and develop new antiviral drugs

IPS examines progress on HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean

GlobalPost examines debate surrounding PrEP

CSIS blog examines definition of 'AIDS-free generation'

Bloomberg Businessweek examines debate surrounding circumcision

Slippery technology prevents harmful bacterial slime from forming on surfaces

GlobalPost interviews USAID Administrator Shah about global AIDS response

DECISION+2 can reduce antibiotic use for acute respiratory infections

Advocacy, commitment, investment needed to continue HIV/AIDS response

Inclusion of 'marginalized and criminalized' populations essential to HIV/AIDS response

Blog posts examine issues discussed at AIDS 2012

Limited funding, lack of flexibility forces decisions on how to spend money on disease treatment

'AIDS-free generation' possible with available tools for prevention, but not without political will

Two new targets could enhance the body's defenses against West Nile and hepatitis C

Views on AIDS: More funding will be needed for new attack on HIV; The epidemic hits hard in the South

XIX International AIDS Conference concludes in Washington, D.C.

Ebola outbreak identified in Uganda

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

Shaping the future of lab automation through AI and robotics

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