Study Suggests Early ART in Recently HIV-infected Patients Preferable to Delayed Treatment

Among people recently infected with HIV, immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) appears preferable to deferring treatment, according to a new study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases and now available online. Although the benefits of ART...

‘Pep Talk’ Can Revive Immune Cells Exhausted By Chronic Viral Infection

Chronic infections by viruses such as HIV or hepatitis C eventually take hold because they wear the immune system out, a phenomenon immunologists describe as exhaustion. Yet exhausted immune cells can be revived after the introduction of fresh cells that...

UCLA Researchers Suggest Unconventional Approach to Control HIV Epidemics

A new weapon has emerged to prevent HIV infection. Called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, it is a strategy of providing medications to at-risk people before they are exposed to the virus. Having shown great promise in recent phase 3 clinical trials,...

Criminalization of Sex Work in Rwanda Hinders HIV Prevention Efforts

Sex workers in Rwanda say the criminalization of their activities, combined with their general isolation from society, means they are often excluded from HIV prevention, treatment and care opportunities.

Lack of Resources, Political Will Slows Uganda’s Male Circumcision Progress

Ugandan men have been seeking medical male circumcision in droves since the government launched a national policy in 2010, but the health system is not equipped to handle the caseload, slowing down the potential HIV prevention benefits of the campaign.

United States Donates Record $56m To Ramp Up HIV Nutrition Activities In Ethiopia

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a $56 million donation from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) that will dramatically increase resources for programs in Ethiopia providing vital nutrition...

Clinical Trial Uncovers Potential ‘functional Cure’ for HIV/AIDS

Data from a clinical trial involving UCLA researchers suggest that a new therapy may potentially serve as a “functional cure” for HIV/AIDS. The therapy, called SB-728-T, involves the modification of both copies of a patient’s CCR5 gene,...

Targeting HIV’s Sugar Coating

University of Utah researchers have discovered a new class of compounds that stick to the sugary coating of the AIDS virus and inhibit it from infecting cells – an early step toward a new treatment to prevent sexual transmission of the virus. Development...

North West Department of Health to Add More Than 54,000 People on Antiretroviral Treatment in the Next Six Months

The North West Department of Health is to add more than 54,000 people on antiviral treatment in the next six months.