HIV and Mosquitoes: Reasons why mosquitoes cannot transmit HIV to humans.
Treatment of HIV: The concept of Antiretroviral Therapy
NACA: Increasing efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS
The National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (NACA) in Nigeria is worried that the country has the second highest Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic profile in the world.
I'm Emmanuel Foundation set to Launch “A 10-Day HIV Awareness Campaign”
I'm Emmanuel Foundation in association with Kingcornraj Humanitarian Aid, will be launching A 10-day HIV Awareness Campaign, tagged: “HIV PREVENTION BEGINS WITH ME” to usher in the 2018 World AIDS Day.
HIV Prevention Begins with Me is a campaign that is designed to enlighten, and educate people most especially Key Populations and Young people about HIV and the need to prevent it's spread.
HIV Prevention Begins with Me is a campaign that is designed to enlighten, and educate people most especially Key Populations and Young people about HIV and the need to prevent it's spread. STUDY: The connection between Human Evolution and Hepatitis C virus
As humans evolved, they developed a vulnerability to hepatitis C virus (HCV), but according to new research a small group of humans appears to have avoided the deficit.
Singaporean Doctor gets 2 years jail sentence for switching HIV-positive blood sample with his own
Ler Teck Sian, a Singaporean doctor who submitted his own blood sample in place of his HIV-positive boyfriend's, to help his boyfriend who is an American get an employment pass, has been sentenced to two years' jail.
In September, Ler was found guilty of helping Mikhy Farrera-Brochez deceive the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) into issuing him an employment pass in March 2008 and allowing him to keep the pass in November 2013 after red flags were raised about the Americana HIV status.
Ler was also found guilty of lying to a Ministry of Health (MOH) investigator in December 2013 and a police officer in January 2014, to cover up the truth when he was questioned about the second blood test.
Farrera-Brochez, 33, who was a polytechnic lecturer in Singapore, was sentenced to 28 months jail last year for offences including cheating, lying to a public servant, possessing drugs and using forged educational certificates.
He had moved to Singapore after meeting Ler online.
In March 2008, the American boyfriend took an HIV test at a Singapore Anti-Tuberculosis Association (SATA) clinic using a fake Bahamian passport. He tested positive.
The prosecution's case was that the pair knew that foreigners with HIV are not allowed to work here, and so hatched a plan to obtain an employment pass.
READ MORE: GONORRHEA: Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention and Control
READ MORE: GONORRHEA: Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention and Control
Farrera-Brochez went to the clinic where Ler was working as a locum for a medical examination. However, the blood sample labelled with his name was actually from Ler. The sample tested negative and Farrera-Brochez was issued an employment pass.
Later, MOH determined that the positive result from the Sata clinic actually belonged to Farrera-Brochez and told MOM about this. In October 2013, MOM told Farrera-Brochez that his employment pass had to be cancelled, but he said he could prove he did not have HIV.
Get Best Health care products
delivered to you
Get Best Health care products
delivered to you
Using the same ruse again, a sample of Ler's blood was submitted and MOM did not cancel the employment pass.
Both the MOH and the police investigated the matter.
Ler initially maintained to the police that the blood sample was Farrera-Brochez's.
But in two statements in May 2016, he confessed that he had substituted his blood for Farrera-Brochez's.
During his trial, Ler challenged the admissibility of these statements, claiming that he had given them under duress. His various allegations were rejected by Judge Tan.
Among other things, Ler said while he was being questioned, an officer burst into the room, flung medical records on the table and shouted at him to "stop playing games" and tell them what they wanted to hear. This was refuted by the relevant officers.
The judge said he found it hard to believe Ler, who flip-flopped in his testimony regarding the identity of the officer who was allegedly hostile towards him.
Source: The Straits Times/Asia News Network
HIV Prevention: Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
What is PEP?
PEP stands for “post-exposure prophylaxis.” The word “prophylaxis” means to prevent or protect from an infection or disease. PEP involves taking HIV medicines within 72 hours after a possible exposure to HIV to prevent becoming infected with HIV.
HIV Prevention: Prophylaxis (PrEP)
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a course of HIV drugs taken by HIV-negative people to reduce their risk of HIV infection.
Hepatitis E strain found only in rats infected a man in Hong Kong
Hong Kong researchers discoverd for the first time, a man was infected with a strain of hepatitis E that was previously found only in rats.
Multi-million pound “golden eggs” created in Japan for treating cancer and hepatitis
Japanese scientists have created hens that can lay multi-million pound “golden eggs” containing an expensive protein used to treat serious diseases such as cancer and hepatitis.
 |
| Normal egg (left) and the Multi-million golden egg (right) |
Not less than 500 people in New Zealand could have HIV and not know it — AIDS Foundation
The New Zealand AIDS Foundation is pleading for people to get regular HIV tests.
“I Am HIV Positive” — Josué Hernández
Josué E. Hernández is an HIV activist who currently lives in Orange County, California. His dedication to raising awareness and bringing the HIV/AIDS epidemic under control is demonstrated by currently working as the Director of Annual Giving at Radiant Health Centers, the largest service provider to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the county.
 |
| Josué E. Hernández |
STUDY: HIV does not increase the risk of Acute Coronary Syndrome recurrence
 |
| Michael Silverberg, PhD, MPH |
With the success of antiretroviral therapy in extending the life span of individuals infected with HIV, their medical care is more often focused on non-AIDS-related morbidity, including cardiovascular disease, according to Michael Silverberg, PhD, MPH, Research Scientist at the Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, and colleagues.
"Although the excess risk of cardiovascular disease among HIV-infected patients has diminished in recent years in our study setting," Silverberg and colleagues indicate, "the impact of HIV infection on ACS prognosis remains unclear."
To ascertain whether HIV infection contributes to risk of ACS recurrence, the investigators conducted a retrospective cohort study at Kaiser Permanent Northern California of 226 HIV-infected persons and over 86,000 persons without HIV infection, hospitalized between 1996-2010 for ACS involving either ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-STEMI, or unstable angina.
The follow-up period extended for 3 years after the first hospitalization for ACS. In addition to recurrent ACS, subjects were compared for deaths from all causes, and their medical record data were analyzed for a variety of potentially contributing factors including smoking history, serum lipoproteins, cholesterol, and triglycerides.
"The major strength of the study was the ability to evaluate ACS recurrence in a large sample of persons with HIV and persons without HIV from the same health care system, thus ensuring that access to health care is similar between groups," Silverberg commented to MD Magazine ®.
The investigators report finding a similar incidence of ACS recurrence in both HIV-infected and uninfected groups overall, 15% and 16%, respectively. There was also no difference in risk between the groups by the cardiovascular event of STEMI, non-STEMI, or unstable angina.
After adjustment for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors, the risk remained similar, with overall Hazard Ratio (HR) of 1.08 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.76-1.54). No difference in risk was found with HIV-infected individuals characterized by different levels of CD4 count. The investigators did note, however, that a history of smoking appeared to have greater influence in ACS recurrence in the HIV-infected individuals.
The analysis of all-cause mortality also did not differ overall between groups, but in age-stratified analysis, there was a statistically significantly higher all-cause mortality rate in HIV-infected individuals < 60 years of age and 60-64 years, and a numerically but not statistically significantly higher rate in those ≥65 years of age.
"It was encouraging to find no differences in ACS recurrence by HIV status, which is a testament to the focus on secondary prevention efforts in our health plan, regardless of HIV status," Silverberg said.
The study, Recurrence After Hospitalization for Acute Coronary Syndrome Among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Individuals was carried out by: Michael Silverberg, PhD, MPH alongside his team of other professionals. And was first ublished in HIV Medicine.
432 children in Kwara infected with HIV in 6 months
The AIDS agency in Kwara state, Nigeria reported that no fewer than 432 children are living with HIV. This disclosure was made by the coordinator of the agency, Dr. Seleem Alabi during an “AIDS awareness program” in the state.
 |
| Photo: South African kids born with HIV but are resistant to AIDS. Credit:TomoNews |
New rapid hepatitis C screening test launches in Metro Vancouver
Another rapid Hepatitis C screening test method has been launched in Metro Vancouver, London. The new technique provides results in 2 minutes; Using this intervention, London drug pilots hope to diagnose more than thousands that are unaware of the virus.
