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HIV people with high CD4 counts could work more hours per week

In a first-of-its-kind health campaign in Uganda, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill show that adults with HIV who had less severe infections could work more hours per week, and their children were more likely to be enrolled in school.

1 Aug 2012

IRIN examines HIV prevention efforts among IDUs in Thailand

IRIN reports on HIV prevention efforts aimed at injecting drug users (IDUs) in Thailand, noting HIV prevalence among Thai IDUs is "among the highest in the Southeast Asia region, according to the Global AIDS Response progress report by" UNAIDS.

1 Aug 2012

Keeping orphans in communities 'won't end AIDS' but 'will help AIDS orphans'

"The International AIDS Conference [AIDS 2012] was full of talk of hope and best practices, but no one was giving details on how to reach an 'AIDS-free generation,'" GlobalPost correspondent John Donnelly writes in this post in the "Global Pulse" blog.

1 Aug 2012

GSK begins shipping the first lots of 2012-2013 seasonal influenza vaccines

GlaxoSmithKline announced today it has begun shipping the first lots of 2012-2013 FluLaval (Influenza virus vaccine) and Fluarix (Influenza Virus Vaccine) to CDC distribution centers and U.S. healthcare providers.

1 Aug 2012

Devex assesses HIV/AIDS funding, initiatives of 5 leading donor countries in 2011

Highlighting a recently released UNAIDS and Kaiser Family Foundation report (.pdf) on the financing of the global response to HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries in 2011, Devex assesses the HIV/AIDS initiatives and funding levels of the five leading donor governments for that year.

1 Aug 2012

Scientists decode stability blueprint of rhomboid enzyme

Johns Hopkins scientists have decoded for the first time the "stability blueprint" of an enzyme that resides in a cell's membrane, mapping which parts of the enzyme are important for its shape and function.

1 Aug 2012

Médecins Sans Frontières help fight Ebola outbreak in Uganda

An emergency team from the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières is in Kigadi, in western Uganda’s Kibaale district, to help fight an outbreak of the Ebola virus. Other Médecins Sans Frontières teams in Uganda are closely monitoring the situation.

1 Aug 2012

Intraluminal protection device outperforms two negative-pressure IV connectors in MECH research

An IV connector known as an intraluminal protection device (IPD) significantly outperformed two widely used negative-pressure IV connectors in research performed at Methodist Extended Care Hospital (MECH).

1 Aug 2012

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