Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections).
High HIV infection rate among Soweto Township gays – New research from UCSF examining HIV among men (MSM) in the township of Soweto in South Africa has found that a third of gay-identified men are infected with HIV.
First three cases of likely HIV transmission to infants via pre-chewed food suggest cautioning HIV-positive caregivers against prechewing food. – Researchers have uncovered the first cases in which HIV almost certainly was transmitted from mothers or other caregivers to children through pre-chewed food.
GSK announces new commitments to fight HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa – special focus on care and treatment of children – GlaxoSmithKline’s CEO Andrew Witty announced a series of new initiatives targeted at improving research, development, and access to HIV/AIDS medicines for children in Sub-Saharan Africa and supporting healthcare for people living with HIV and AIDS.
Study may explain why HIV progresses faster in women than in men with same viral load — Pathways related to elevated immune activation could lead to new treatment strategies. – One of the continuing mysteries of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is why women usually develop lower viral levels than men following acute HIV-1 infection but progress faster to AIDS than men with similar viral loads.
HIV-1 damages gut antibody-producing immune cells within days of infection – A new research from the NIAID-funded Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology suggests that HIV-1 is anything but ? moving at breathtaking speed in destroying and dysregulating the body’s gut-based B-cell antibody-producing system.
A new weapon in the war against HIV-AIDS: Combined antiviral and targeted chemotherapy – HIV-AIDS could be treated through a combination of targeted chemotherapy and current Highly Active Retroviral (HAART) treatments, revealed by researchers.
SA HIV epidemic has stabilised – Third national HIV survey shows SA’s epidemic has stabilised, with promising signs of a declining epidemic among children and teenagers. – South Africa’s HIV epidemic has levelled off at a prevalence of 10.9% for people aged two years and older, with 5.2 million people estimated to be living with HIV in 2008.
Blair Underwood to Kick off AHF’s US HIV Testing Caravan – In an effort to boost AIDS awareness and HIV prevention and testing efforts in some of the hardest hit regions of the United States, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will kick off a three week, fourteen-city cross country HIV testing tour in one of its popular AHF/Magic Johnson Mobile HIV Testing Units.
Australian scientists develop a new low-cost, point-of-care HIV monitoring treatment – Scientists at the Burnet Institute, Australia’s leading medical research and public health institute focused on infectious diseases, have developed a prototype low-cost HIV monitoring test designed for field use in remote settings.
AIDS Action Statement on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day: Reason to Hope. – Every nine and a half minutes someone in the United States is infected with HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 56,300 individuals became infected with HIV in 2006 alone.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to Award $1.79 Billion to Help People Living with HIV/AIDS – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of $1.79 billion to ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS continue to have access to life-saving health care and medications.
Novel vaccine approach offers hope in fight against HIV – Gene transfer technology may lead to an HIV vaccine. – A research team may have broken the stubborn impasse that has frustrated the invention of an effective HIV vaccine, by using an approach that bypasses the usual path followed by vaccine developers.
