Tag Archives: HIV

MISSISSIPPI: Baby Thought To Be “Cured” Of HIV Suffers Relapse

Another setback: A Mississippi baby scientists thought was “functionally cured” of HIV now has detectable levels of the virus in her blood, her doctors say. The news is disappointing for a case the scientific community hailed just last year as a potential game changer in the fight against AIDS. “It felt like a punch to the gut,” Dr. Hannah Gay, …

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IRELAND: US-Based Church To Hold HIV “Cure” Sessions Using Industrial Bleach

Via the Independent: A controversial American Church which is coming to Ireland this weekend is promising a “miracle” cure for patients – but it is, in fact, industrial-strength bleach. The Genesis II Church will hold an event in Monkstown in Dublin over the weekend. On its website it is advertising the event as including access to its “miracle mineral solution” …

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IOWA: State Supreme Court Reverses Conviction In HIV Criminalization Case

Via press release from Lambda Legal: Today the Iowa Supreme Court set aside the conviction of Nick Rhoades, an HIV-positive Iowan who was initially sentenced to 25 years in prison, with required registration as a sex offender, after having a one-time sexual encounter with another man during which they used a condom. In reversing the conviction, the Court recognized that …

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Insurers Accused Of HIV Bias

Two HIV advocacy groups filed a federal complaint yesterday over four insurance companies that have placed anti-retroviral medications in their highest payment tiers. Via the New York Times: The complaint asserts that the four insurers — CoventryOne, Cigna, Humana and Preferred Medical Plan — placed H.I.V. drugs on the highest payment tier for midlevel, or silver, plans on the federal …

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Quote Of The Day – Elton John

“While The Normal Heart is a product of a specific time, it is not an artifact. There is still an AIDS crisis — not only in sub-Saharan Africa, but right here in the America, in your state, in your community. And, just as in 1985, it is silence, fear and stigma that continue to drive the epidemic. Today, African-Americans represent …

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Op-Ed Of The Day

Writing for the New York Times, Donald McNeil speculates that the use of Truvada as an HIV preventive might trigger a new “sexual revolution.” The piece begins: Pretend it’s 1960, and the Food and Drug Administration has just done something startling. It has taken a drug it had previously approved for infertility — brand name Enovid — and approved it …

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Linda Harvey: Truvada For HIV Prevention Will Lead To Racial Cleansing

“Again, our country’s most well educated professionals will subvert common sense, the results of research, and any inclination to do what’s objectively right, to political correctness. Abstinence is off the table. And the joke is on us, the adults, because we are sacrificing our precious children as a result. Especially at risk from a protocol like PReP are young minority …

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CDC Launches New HIV Campaign

The Centers for Disease Control has launched a new series of 30-second PSAs on HIV prevention, some of which mention “new options like medicines that prevent HIV” – a reference to Truvada. The Human Rights Campaign applauds: “We commend the CDC for launching this campaign and look forward to working with them and others to raise awareness about HIV prevention …

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Larry Kramer’s Fight For The Normal Heart

The HBO movie debuts on Sunday at 9PM.

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CALIFORNIA: Assembly To Hear Bill Mandating Condom Use In Porn

The California Assembly will today hear AB1576, a bill that mandates condom use in all porn productions statewide. A similar law was approved by Los Angeles County in 2012. The bill is sponsored by Assembly member Isadora Hall, who is a Baptist minister. Its chief proponent outside the legislature is the combative Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has made …

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CANADA: High School Girl Develops HIV Test That Delivers Instant Result

A 15 year-old Vancouver student has developed an HIV test that delivers a result in a matter of seconds. IFI Science reports: Nicole Ticea is a Grade 10 student at the private girl’s York House School, Vancouver. As part of a collaboration program with Simon Fraser University she developed a test using Isothermic Nucleic Acid Amplification. This allows users to …

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CDC Expands PrEP Recommendation

The Centers for Disease Control today expanded its recommendation for the use of Truvada as a daily HIV preventive. The CDC now says that any person at risk for HIV, not just gay men, should consider taking the medication. Via the Bay Area Reporter: Known as PrEP, for pre-exposure prophylaxis, the once-a-day pill regimen has been shown to be effective …

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Iowa Reforms HIV Criminalization Law

Yesterday the Iowa House approved a bill that reforms draconian HIV transmission laws. The bill was approved by the state Senate in February. Current Iowa law makes it a felony to expose someone to HIV without their knowledge whether or not transmission takes place or if condoms had been used. The Iowa Legislature has sent to the governor a measure …

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Genetic Quirk: Naturally Low Levels Of Cholesterol Might Slow HIV Progression

Healthline News reports that according to a new study, the “genetic quirk” of naturally low levels of cholesterol might be why some untreated HIV+ people take more than a decade to develop symptoms. The study sample is quite small. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health analyzed data and biological samples from 16 HIV-positive men over …

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New Weakness Found In HIV

Scientists in La Jolla, California have found a fifth area of vulnerability in HIV that may advance the search for a vaccine. The research was described in two papers published Thursday in the journal Immunity. It’s the latest product of a major effort by the National Institutes of Health and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, which funds work at TSRI. …

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Macklemore’s Ryan Lewis Reveals That His Mother Has Been HIV+ For 30 Years

Ryan Lewis writes: A huge part of what’s made me who I am, is something I haven’t talked about in interviews. If I could just take a few moments of your time, I’d love to tell you about the strongest woman that I know, my mom, Julie Lewis. In 1984, my mom gave birth to my older sister, Teresa. Due …

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30 Years Ago Today

“First, the probable cause of AIDS has been found: a variant of a known human cancer virus. Second, not only has the agent been identified, but a new process has been developed to mass produce this virus. Thirdly, with the discovery of both the virus and this new process, we now have a blood test for AIDS. With a blood …

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RUSSIA: Fingerprint The HIV+

A bill that mandates the fingerprinting of HIV+ people and those with other infectious diseases has been introduced in Russia’s national legislature. Russian state news reports: State Duma deputy Roman Khudyakov of the Liberal Democratic party told mass circulation daily Izvestia that he had prepared an amendment to the federal bill on fingerprinting to provide for a database of people …

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Medi-Cal Relaxes Truvada Rules

Via Wehoville: California’s Medi-Cal program has made it easier for low-income people to get access to Truvada, a drug believed to reduce the risk of contracting HIV, by eliminating requirements that those people be provided with condoms and be tested monthly for HIV and that their doctors seek Medi-Cal’s permission before writing a prescription. The decision was applauded by AIDS …

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THAILAND: HIV Testing PSA

This PSA from a Bangkok-based HIV prevention group might not be office-friendly. Wait for the end when you can watch.

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