COVID has 'devastating' impact on fight against HIV, TB, malaria: Global Fund

PARIS - The COVID-19 pandemic had a "devastating" impact on the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in 2020, according to a report released by the Global Fund on Wednesday.

"To mark our 20th anniversary, we had hoped to focus this year's report on the extraordinary stories of courage and resilience that made possible the progress we have achieved against HIV, TB and malaria over the last two decades," said Peter Sands, the Global Fund's executive director. 

"But the 2020 numbers force a different focus. They confirm what we feared might happen when Covid-19 struck," he said.

"The impact of Covid-19 on the fight against HIV, TB and malaria and the communities we support has been devastating. For the first time in the history of the global fund, key programmatic results have gone backwards."

There were "significant" declines in HIV testing and prevention services, the fund said.

Compared with 2019, the number of people reached with HIV prevention and treatment dropped by 11 percent last year, while HIV testing dropped by 22 percent, holding back new treatment in most countries.

Nevertheless, the number of people who received life-saving antiretroviral therapy for HIV in 2020, rose by 8.8 percent to 21.9 million "despite Covid-19". 

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the fight against TB worldwide had similarly been "catastrophic", the report said.

The number of people treated for drug-resistant TB in the countries where the Global Fund invests dropped by "a staggering" 19 percent, with those on treatment for extensively drug-resistant TB registering an even bigger drop of 37 percent, it said. 

The fund calculated that around 4.7 million people were treated for TB in 2020, around one million fewer than in 2019. 

Interventions to combat malaria "appear to have been less badly affected by Covid-19 than the other two diseases," the report found. 

"Thanks to adaptation measures and the diligence and innovation of community health workers, prevention activities remained stable or increased compared to 2019."

The number of mosquito nets distributed increased by 17 percent to 188 million and structures covered by indoor residual spraying increased by three percent. 

Nevertheless, the Global Fund -- which brings together governments, multi-lateral agencies, bilateral partners, civil society groups, people affected by the diseases and the private sector -- said that its "rapid and determined response to Covid-19 prevented an even worse outcome".

In 2020, the fund disbursed $4.2 billion to continue the fight against HIV, TB and malaria and approved an additional $980 million in funding to respond to Covid-19.

The Global Fund said that since it was set up in 2002, it has saved 44 million lives and the number of deaths caused by AIDS, TB and malaria decreased by 46 percent in countries where it invests.

Agence France-Presse

100,000 condoms distributed in Mexico City ahead of Valentine's Day

MEXICO CITY - Residents in Mexico's sprawling capital were encouraged to play it safe on Valentine's Day, as 100,000 condoms were distributed across the city's metro stations on Thursday in the run up to the annual love fest.

Dozens of volunteers, some dressed as garish-colored condoms, dished out packets of rubber protection across 24 metro stations as part of a campaign to prevent venereal diseases, rising HIV infections across Mexico and unwanted pregnancies.

Celebrating 'International Condom Day' on Feb. 13, sexual safety campaigners from AIDS Health Foundation (AHF) organization launched their campaign using the "Condom use is sexy" tagline.

"Unfortunately, every year, because of shame or misinformation, people are infected with various diseases," said Miriam Ruiz, head of the AIDS Rapid Testing Area at AHF.

Only 15 percent of Mexican couples use condoms, according to AHF, and the organization wants to break the "taboo" around the use of condoms.

The campaign resonated with many residents in Mexico City, which is home to nearly 9 million people, with over 21 million in its greater metropolitan area.

"I use condoms, but the truth is that there is still a lot of machismo in Mexico and men do not want to use a condom," said 23-year-old student Manuela Zepeda.

"I tell men: if you want (sex), put it on," she added, while showing the female condom that she had just been given.

Daily HIV infections increased to 44 from 33 per day between 2017 and 2018, according to Mexico's National Centre for the Prevention and Control of HIV and AIDS (Censida).

Lourdes Zamuro, a 63-year-old woman, took two strips.

"These condoms are for my grandchildren," she said in front of her smiling husband, Adrian Carrera, 65.

"Things were different before. We can't stop them having sex. Better to inform them and help them." 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Gay men seen dying from AIDS due to Africa's homophobic laws

NAIROBI - Thousands of gay men in Africa are likely dying from HIV-related illnesses every year due to homophobic laws that stifle their chances of being tested and treated, said researchers behind a study published on Monday in The Lancet HIV journal.

A study of the data of 45,000 gay men in 28 African countries including Kenya, Malawi and Nigeria found only one in four living with HIV were taking medication.

Half had taken an HIV/AIDS test in the past 12 months and researchers said the low rates were due to anti-LGBT+ laws in many African countries, which promoted stigma and discrimination and neglected HIV/AIDS programs targeting gay men.

"We found countries that had more repressive anti-LGBT laws or harsher penalties for same sex relations had lower levels of HIV testing," said Kate Mitchell, one of the researchers at Imperial College London who was involved in the study.

"Some of the studies suggested that this was due to stigma. More research is required to see whether, if these laws were repealed, more gay men would be tested and treated."

According to the United Nations, about 470,000 people living with HIV in Africa still die every year because they cannot or do not get tested and gain access to treatment, accounting for more than 60 percent of all global HIV-related deaths.

While there are no official figures on the number of deaths of men who have sex with men (MSM), Mitchell said it would be fair to estimate that thousands of gay men who were unaware or unable to get medication were dying every year.

African countries have some of the world's most prohibitive laws governing homosexuality. Same-sex relationships are considered taboo and gay sex is a crime across most of continent, with punishments ranging from imprisonment to death.

A 2019 report by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association found 32 African countries out of a total of 54 nations criminalize same sex relations. South Africa is the only African nation to legalize gay marriage.

Gay rights groups say the laws promote homophobia across the continent and are used daily to persecute and discriminate against sexual minorities who face prejudice in getting jobs, renting housing or seeking medical care or education.

Hate crimes like blackmail, extortion, physical and sexual assault are common - but most are too fearful to go to the police due to their sexual orientation, say rights groups.

"Globally, men who have sex with men are about 28 times more likely to be living with HIV than men in the general population, an inequality that is particularly apparent in sub-Saharan Africa, where the human rights of MSM are often violated," said the study.

"These attitudes also create barriers to implementing effective HIV research, policy and health programs for MSM, through prohibition of activism and research, arbitrary arrests of health-care providers, and disruption of services provided by community-based and non-governmental organisations."

LGBT+ rights campaigners in Kenya, where gay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in jail, said they were not surprised by the results of the study.

"It is true the law makes if very difficult for MSM to seek medical treatment. Many people fear they will be outed or face some kind of abuse or be shamed by insensitive medical practitioners," said Andrew Maina, program coordinator at HIVOS.

"If these anti-gay laws are scrapped, there will be more openness, more advocacy and more awareness of the issue. Gay men living with HIV would be able to seek medical care knowing they will be treated with respect and dignity."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

This red burger is juicy and spicy and contributes to the fight against HIV and AIDS

And you may only get a taste of it when you’re above the clouds. AirAsia changes its menu every quarter, so people can have something to look forward to the next time they fly. This season’s star is the INSPI(RED) Burger. 10% of sales from each burger will go directly to HIV/AIDS programs in ASEAN.

Gone are the days when airline food is equivalent to tasteless and unappetizing dishes. These days, every airline company is outdoing each other in making an impressive menu for its passengers, from the luxury airlines to low-cost ones like Malaysian airline, AirAsia. The latest addition to its in-flight menu is the INSPI(RED) Burger.

In an effort to improve the dining experience of their passengers, AirAsia partnered with one of the most popular Thai chefs in the United States, Chef Hong Thaimee. Chef Hong’s role in the partnership was to create a dish that would resonate with the airline’s diverse guests.

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“We’re a regional carrier, so we want to give our customers a flavor of the Asian experience,” Gilbert Simpao, chief commercial officer for AirAsia Philippines, tells ANCX, during the launch of INSPI(RED) Burger, at the Amorita Resorts in Panglao, Bohol. “AirAsia contacted Chef Hong because she’s a very famous and successful chef. We gave her leeway, so she could use her background, experience, and passion to create something wonderful.”

The result is a juicy, tangy, homemade burger, with a chicken patty steeped in fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass. The patty is flanked by two beetroot-flavored, red brioche buns. The shredded purple cabbage and seedless tomatoes add flavor to the burger. Its best ingredient, though, is the Nam Prink Noom Mayo, a green chili mayonnaise, which Chef Hong borrowed from her grandmother.

Born in Chaingmai, Thailand, Chef Hong moved to New York City 12 years ago to jumpstart her career as a chef, after gaining success as a model and business executive in Bangkok City, Thailand. In The Big Apple, she gained work experience by taking jobs at several restaurants, before she decided to open her own place, called Ngam, which served modern Thai food. Through traveling the world and being exposed to different people, Chef Hong became a humanitarian activist, inspirational speaker, and author.

When she sealed her partnership with AirAsia, she asked the almost-two-decade-old airline if they wanted to support her advocacy of supporting people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). She also wanted to raise awareness of the disease. The airline company happily agreed.

Coincidentally, in 2018, AirAsia already started a partnership with RED, a licensed brand that collaborates with the private sectors to support and fund initiatives that are related to HIV and AIDS awareness and eradication.

Simpao says, “Everything kind of goes full-circle. The organization RED is a partner. AirAsia’s color is red. And our new burger by our partner chef is red. We do hope this makes an impact and a significant contribution to our fight against HIV and AIDS.”  

For this initiative, 10% of the sales from each INSPI(RED) burger will go directly to the HIV/AIDS programs in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

One of AirAsia’s goals is to bring Filipino cuisine to a wider audience. For their new menu, they’ve put a twist to the classic adobo by serving it with java rice and bananas on the side.

The best-sellers include the famous beef tapa with scrambled eggs, chicken teriyaki, nasi lemak, and chicken rice. Recently, they launched the Manila-Osaka flight and coming up with more Japanese dishes is part of the agenda.

“We don’t want to settle,” Simpao says when asked what’s behind the menu upgrade. “Airlines is a very tough business. Any edge we can have over our competition—or course, low fares are important—but a great in-flight experience can also give us the edge. One part of the experience is having good meals onboard. The meals are not bundled into the price of the fare. If we want the passengers to pay extra, we have to make sure that we give them food that is worth their hard-earned money.”

source: news.abs-cbn.com

UN appoints new HIV/AIDS chief after controversy

UNITED NATIONS, United States—United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed a new HIV/AIDS chief on Wednesday after the previous incumbent left accused of serious mismanagement.

Oxfam International executive director Winnie Byanyima of Uganda will lead UNAIDS, a spokesperson for Guterres said in a statement.

She succeeds Michel Sidibe who stepped down in May after he was accused of creating "a patriarchal culture tolerating harassment and abuse of authority."

An Independent Expert Panel (IEP) report commissioned by UNAIDS's governing body said the agency's culture under Sidibe also failed "to uphold the United Nations' laws and values."

Sidibe left UNAIDS after a decade-long tenure to become Mali's health minister.

Guterres continued to praise Sidibe despite his being reprimanded for mishandling a sexual assault investigation involving one of his top deputies.

Sidibe's divisive era led AIDS experts to voice concern over the future of the UN body, which UNAIDS leads a global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

In the statement announcing Byanyima's appointment, Guterres said she "brings a wealth of experience and commitment in harnessing the power of government, multilateral agencies, the private sector and civil society to end the HIV and AIDS crisis for communities around the world."

Byanyima, 60, said she was "honored" to be joining UNAIDS "at such a critical time in the response to HIV."

AIDS-related illnesses have killed 35 million people since the first cases were reported more than 35 years ago.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

14 students with HIV expelled from school in Indonesia

Fourteen students with HIV have been expelled from a public elementary school in Indonesia following demands from parents of other students, the school's headmaster and a local group that assists HIV-infected children said Thursday.

Karwi, headmaster of the Purwotomo Public Elementary School in the town of Solo in Central Java Province, said the students have not been allowed to attend the school since last week.

"The parents of other students are worried that the students would transmit the disease to their children," said Karwi, who likes many Indonesians goes by a single name.

Explanations from the school on how HIV is transmitted failed to convince the parents, who threatened to move their own children to another school if the school did not expel them.

The students had studied there since early last month after their previous Bumi Public Elementary School was combined with the Purwotomo school.

Puger Mulyono, founder of nongovernmental organization Lentera Foundation that shelters and otherwise assists children with HIV, said that in the previous school, the students did not face any problems, even though parents of other students knew they were HIV carriers.

The Solo Education Agency are now looking for another school for the students.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Fury at HIV data leak in conservative Singapore

Rico has lived with HIV for almost a decade, confiding in only a small number of people in socially conservative Singapore, fearful of the reaction. Last month, he got a phone call saying information about his condition had been published online.

Rico was one of 14,200 people whose HIV status, name and address were dumped on the internet by an American man who is believed to have obtained the confidential data from his partner -- a senior Singaporean doctor.

"The LGBT community is angry and frustrated with the entire ordeal," said Rico, who did not want to be identified by his full name.

The 31-year-old told AFP he was frightened that "the leaked information may change people's perception of me", adding that he had not told all his friends he was HIV-positive.

"Society may be tolerant to the LGBT community but I do not think they are ready to accept a gay and HIV-positive individual. Not in my lifetime," he said.

While Singapore is modern in many ways, observers say social attitudes have not progressed at the same pace as economic development and are often highly conservative, as in other parts of Asia.

Those in Singapore with HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- have long complained of prejudice and campaigners say the negative reaction to the data breach has highlighted the stigma.

A human resources manager working in the hospitality industry was quoted in local paper the Straits Times as saying she would sack any of her staff if their names were among those published.

The virus is usually transmitted through sex or sharing of needles and cannot be spread via casual contact, such as shaking hands or hugging.

Foreigners with HIV were for many years not allowed to set foot in Singapore at all. In 2015, authorities lifted the ban on foreigners with the virus making short visits but those seeking to work in Singapore must still pass a test.

The affluent city-state of 5.6 million people is home to many overseas workers, from wealthy bankers to laborers at construction sites.

WIDESPREAD CONSTERNATION

The leak, which involved the data of 5,400 Singaporeans and 8,800 foreigners, has caused widespread consternation. Sumita Banerjee, executive director of NGO Action for AIDS (AFA), said people with the virus had been calling up her group in tears.

"One of the main concerns is that employers, friends and family who were not aware might react badly," she told AFP, adding some were afraid of losing their jobs.

But according to guidelines from health authorities, there are generally no valid grounds for terminating the services of an HIV-positive employee simply due to their condition.

Singapore authorities say they have rushed to block access to the information that was dumped online, allegedly by Mikhy Farrera Brochez, although they have warned he still has it and could release it again.

Since the leak, local media has reported Brochez was arrested in the United States for allegedly trespassing in his mother's home, although the case appears unconnected to the data breach.

Speaking to the Straits Times, he protested his innocence and described reports about him as "terribly nasty and inaccurate".

HIV-positive psychologist Brochez first arrived in the city-state in 2008 and used blood samples from his boyfriend, doctor Ler Teck Siang, to pass an HIV test and get a work permit.

He allegedly obtained the data of HIV-positive people from Ler, who had access to the official HIV registry.

In May 2016, police seized documents, a laptop and mobile phones during searches of Brochez's and Ler's apartments after receiving information that the American may be in possession of confidential data.

Brochez was subsequently jailed for lying about his HIV status, using fake degree certificates to get work, and taking drugs.

He was deported from Singapore in 2018, but unknown to authorities, he was still in possession of the HIV data, which he later released.

Authorities have not offered any explanation as to why Brochez leaked the data.

The government has come under fire for the leak, the second major data breach disclosed within the space of a few months -- last year, health records of about 1.5 million Singaporeans were stolen in a suspected state-sponsored hack.

In a statement, the health ministry said that the "well being" of those affected by the HIV data leak was their "priority" and support was being offered.

But for Rico, the damage has already been done, and he fears some people with HIV will now refuse to seek treatment due to safety concerns.

"I will not be surprised if the fear drives people underground," he said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

New cases of HIV rise in Eastern Europe, decline in the West

LONDON -- More than 130,000 people were newly diagnosed with HIV last year in Eastern Europe, the highest rate ever for the region, while the number of new cases in Western Europe declined, global public health experts said on Wednesday.

European Union and European Economic Area countries saw a reduction in 2017 rates, mainly driven by a 20 percent drop since 2015 among men who have sex with men. That left Europe's overall increasing trend less steep than previously.

All told, almost 160,000 people were diagnosed in Europe with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, according to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization's (WHO) regional office for Europe.

"It's hard to talk about good news in the face of another year of unacceptably high numbers of people infected with HIV," said Zsuzsanna Jakab, director of the WHO regional office. Calling on governments and health officials to recognize the seriousness of the situation, she urged them: "Scale up your response now."

The United Nations AIDS agency UNAIDS warned in July that complacency was starting to stall the fight against the global epidemic, with the pace of progress not matching what is needed. Some 37 million people worldwide are infected with HIV.

The WHO's European Region is made up of 53 countries with a combined population of nearly 900 million. Around 508 million of those live in the 28 member states of the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

The joint report said one reason for the persistence of HIV in Europe is that many people infected with the virus are diagnosed late, meaning they are more likely to have already passed it on and are also at an advanced stage of infection.

It also found that in the European region, men suffer disproportionately from HIV, with 70 percent of new HIV cases diagnosed in 2017 occurring in men.

Since the start of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, more than 77 million people worldwide have become infected with HIV. Almost half of them - 35.4 million - have died of AIDS. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

iPhone 8 gets refresh with red color option

MANILA - Apple refreshed its iPhone 8 line on Tuesday with a red color option, adding it to a range of products wherein a portion of sales will be used to fund the fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Cupertino, California-based Apple is giving its iPhones a scarlet hue mid-way into its release cycle for the second year in a row. Unlike the red iPhone 7 and 7 Plus which had white fronts, the red iPhone 8 and 8 Plus have black fronts.

Apple did not announce a red color option for the pricier iPhone X. The company is expected to release new iPhones by the fourth quarter.

With the Product (RED) line of iPhones, iPods and accessories, Apple said it raised so far $160 million for HIV/AIDS research.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Gay dating app Grindr scorched for handling of HIV data

SAN FRANCISCO - Gay dating app Grindr was under fire on Monday for sharing information about users' HIV status or locations with two companies enlisted to optimize its software.

Grindr chief technology officer Scott Chen said in a Tumblr post that sharing data with partners such as Apptimize and Localytics was "industry practice" and that steps were taken to protect people's privacy.

"As a company that serves the LGBTQ community, we understand the sensitivities around HIV status disclosure," Chen said.

"Our goal is and always has been to support the health and safety of our users worldwide."

Grindr users have the option of sharing their HIV status and when they were most recently tested.

Researchers worried that including the health information with other data such as location and email address could result in people being identified.

Online rights champion Electric Frontier Foundation called Grindr's response "disappointing."

The Los Angeles-based company said that it uses Apptimize and Localytics to test and validate its platform, and that data it shares with them could include users' HIV status or location fields.

Sensitive data is encrypted when sent, and vendors are under strict contractual terms to keep it secure and confidential, according to Chen.

Norwegian nonprofit research group SINTEF uncovered the data sharing, and concern spread in the US after Buzzfeed reported the findings.

"Grindr has never, nor will we ever sell personally identifiable user information –- especially information regarding HIV status or last test date -– to third parties or advertisers," Chen said.

He noted though that Grindr is a public platform, and that should be kept in mind when deciding what to put in profiles.

News website Axios reported that Grindr's security chief said the company has stopped sharing users' HIV status with its third-party vendors.

"You guys should just close up now," read one of the few comments in an online chat forum under the Grindr post at Tumblr.

"No one cares about your efforts or industry standards. You betrayed the LGBT community in more than just the one way."

gc/oh

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Cambodian doctor guilty of infecting patients with HIV

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - An unlicensed Cambodian doctor was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday after he was found guilty of infecting more than 200 people with HIV, including some who later died.

The case has shone a spotlight on the chronically underfunded healthcare system in the impoverished nation where many have to rely on self-taught or unlicensed medics to receive treatment.

Yem Chroeum, 55, was facing the prospect of life in prison but his murder charge was reduced by the court to a lesser manslaughter offence, his defence lawyer said.

"My client still insists he is innocent," lawyer Em Sovann told AFP by telephone after the verdict was announced.

"I will represent him if he wants to appeal this conviction," he added.

The rural doctor was convicted of infecting locals in the remote village of Roka in western Battambang province by reusing dirty needles.

For millions of Cambodians -- especially the poor and those in isolated regions -- unlicensed doctors are the only realistic healthcare option for everyday ailments.

World Bank figures say Cambodia, one of Asia's poorest nations, has just 0.2 doctors for every 100,000 people, on a par with Afghanistan.

Similarly impoverished Myanmar has 0.4 per 100,000, while France boasts 3.2 per 100,000.

Much of Cambodia's shortfall is made up by unlicensed practitioners, many of whom are self taught.

But the HIV infections in Roka shocked the country and saw the government vow to crack down on unlicensed healthcare providers.

Some of those who were infected testified at the trial.

Loeum Lorn, 52, said he and four of his family members had contracted HIV.

"We are his (the doctor's) victims but it was only late on that we discovered we were infected," he told reporters last month outside the trial.

He added that around 10 villagers who were infected, mostly elderly, had since died.

During the trial, prosecutors accused the doctor of hiding the facts and changing his story.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Charlie Sheen says he is HIV positive

NEW YORK - Former "Two and A Half Men" star Charlie Sheen said on Tuesday he is HIV positive.

Sheen, 50, told NBC's "Today" show in a television interview that he was diagnosed about four years ago.

"I am here to admit I am HIV positive," Sheen said. "It's a hard three letters to absorb."

Sheen, who is three times divorced, played the womanizing bachelor Charlie Harper on top-rated U.S. comedy series "Two and A Half Men" for eight years before being fired in 2011 for bad behavior that included cocaine-fueled partying with porn stars and a conviction for assaulting his ex-wife.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Alcoholism drug may help design HIV cure: study

PARIS - A treatment for alcoholism can reactivate dormant HIV, potentially allowing other drugs to spot and kill the virus hiding out in human immune cells, researchers said Tuesday.

The medication, called Disulfiram, draws out the AIDS-causing virus without any side effects for patients, according to a study published in The Lancet.

In people undergoing treatment for AIDS, the virus can take cover in certain cells and hide away, only to reemerge once therapy is stopped.

This latency has been one of the biggest hurdles in developing a cure.

"Waking up" the virus - and then destroying it -- is a promising strategy for ridding patients of HIV.

But other drugs which are able to rouse HIV from its dormant state are toxic to humans.

In clinical trials led by Sharon Lewin, a professor at the University of Melbourne, 30 people on antiretroviral treatment (ART) were given increasing doses of Disulfiram over a period of three days.

At the highest dose, there was evidence of slumbering HIV being stimulated, with no side effects.

"This trial clearly demonstrates that Disulfiram is not toxic and is safe to use, and could quite possibly be the game changer we need," Lewin said in a statement.

The next step will be to test Disulfiram's rousing effect in combination with a virus-killing drug.

"Waking up the virus is only the first step to eliminating it," said the study's lead author Julian Elliott, head of clinical research in the department of infectious diseases at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

"Now we need to work out how to get rid of the infected cell."

Approximately 34 million people have died of HIV-related causes worldwide. By the end of 2014, there were an estimated 36.9 people living with HIV globally.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

HIV's infection tactics could guide AIDS vaccine, study finds

WASHINGTON - New research that sheds light on the methods and machinery used by HIV to infect cells provides insight into the tricky virus that potentially could guide the development of a vaccine against the virus that causes AIDS, according to U.S. government and other scientists.

Separate studies published on Wednesday describe in detail the structure and dynamics of the spike on the surface of the human immunodeficiency virus that it employs to fuse with and enter cells.

The researchers expressed hope that the information can provide a road map for a potential vaccine designed to keep the spike in a "closed" state to prevent the virus from successfully infecting cells.

"We can expect a lot of activities being devoted to that goal," Yale University virologist Walther Mothes, one of the researchers, said, calling the new findings "a major step forward for drug and vaccine design."

Another researcher, structural biologist Jason Gorman of the Vaccine Research Center at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, expressed optimism "that this new information will pave the way for a vaccine. Of course, there are always many barriers to overcome."

The research, published in the journals Nature and Science, may point to a way through a vaccine or perhaps new drugs to enable the immune system - the body's natural defense system - to zero in on HIV and block its ability to infect cells.

The research revealed the detailed structure of the spikes on the surface of HIV as well as details on how the spike rearranges itself into three different configurations.

Three sets of a pair of molecules make up each spike, and the spike alters its shape before and during cell binding, the researchers said. The configuration that the spikes most often assume is the "closed" state, which is particularly difficult for the immune system to detect. But in that form the spike also has difficulty infecting a cell.

The spikes need to be in their "open" state in order to fuse with a cell and infect it. But that state exposes parts of the virus that may be more vulnerable to antibodies, the protective proteins produced by the immune system in response to an invader like a virus.

As a result, the spike usually takes its "closed" form and opens for a short time, making it hard for the immune system to find and attack the virus, the researchers said. A class of antibodies called "broadly neutralizing antibodies" are able to keep the spike closed and curb further cell infection by HIV but are rarely found in HIV-infected people.

Scientists have tried for decades to develop a safe and effective vaccine to prevent AIDS, caused by HIV infection. HIV is complex and extremely changeable, thwarting the immune system at nearly every turn.

Gorman said the work provided atomic-level details of the full spike that are critical for allowing scientists to try to deprive it of its flexibility "and lock it into the closed state that elicits and is recognized by broadly neutralizing antibodies."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Baby's HIV 'cure not a fluke,' US researchers say

WASHINGTON - A little girl who was treated for HIV shortly after birth still shows no sign of infection at age three, suggesting her apparent cure was not a fluke, US researchers said Wednesday.

The story of the first child known to have been cured of HIV through early treatment with powerful doses of antiretroviral drugs -- what researchers call "sustained remission" rather than a cure -- was initially announced in March when she was two and a half.

A handful of HIV-infected adults around the world have been described in medical literature as newly free of the disease, most famously Timothy Brown, also known as "the Berlin patient," who was given a bone marrow transplant for leukemia that wiped out his HIV as well.

But no easy method has emerged to eradicate the three-decade-old human immunodeficiency virus that infects 34 million people globally and is responsible for 1.8 million deaths each year.

The girl's updated case report in the New England Journal of Medicine also sought to answer questions raised by outside experts over whether she was ever really infected, by describing DNA and RNA tests that were positive for HIV just over a day after birth.

The child was given antiretroviral drugs until the age of age 18 months and, after a year and half without treatment, no sign of the disease has returned, the article said.

"Our findings suggest that this child's remission is not a mere fluke but the likely result of aggressive and very early therapy that may have prevented the virus from taking a hold in the child's immune cells," said lead author Deborah Persaud, a virologist and pediatric HIV expert at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

The child's mother gave birth to her prematurely, about a month early, and had not received any prenatal care. She was unaware that she was HIV positive until she was tested at the Mississippi hospital where she delivered.

The newborn also tested positive for HIV, and the high level found in her blood suggested that she had become infected with human immunodeficiency virus while in the womb, researchers said.

She also showed signs of HIV in blood tests at 19 days of age, data that "support the authors' perspective that the infant was truly infected," said an accompanying editorial by Scott Hammer, a leading HIV scientists at Columbia University Medical Center.

"The big question, of course, is, 'Is the child cured of HIV infection?' The best answer at this moment is a definitive 'maybe,'" he wrote.

A longer term follow up of the child is needed, he said, cautioning that her case may be "unique," even as it shows a proof of principle that may lead to more rigorous studies down the road.

The child was given antiretroviral drugs for the first 15-18 months of her life, when she was lost to follow up.

Her mother brought her back to doctors at 23 months of age, saying she had last given her anti-HIV medication at age 18 months.

"This happened almost by accident," said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"It wasn't that the doctor said 'let's stop the therapy.' This is not recommended for home use," he told AFP.

Tests at 23 months were negative for HIV, and by the time the child reached 30 months of age, tests still showed no sign of HIV or HIV antibodies, said the study.

"We're thrilled that the child remains off medication and has no detectable virus replicating," said pediatrician Hannah Gay of the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

"We've continued to follow the child, obviously, and she continues to do very well," said Gay, who first treated her.

"There is no sign of the return of HIV, and we will continue to follow her for the long term."

The girl's medical team believes the reason for her success was the early intervention, and they hope to investigate whether treating other infected infants within hours or days of birth could show similar outcomes.

A US-government funded study is set to begin in low and middle income countries in 2014 that would test the method in HIV-infected newborns on a wider scale, Fauci said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Stem-cell therapy wipes out HIV in 2 patients

LONDON - Two men with HIV have been off AIDS drugs for several months after receiving stem-cell transplants for cancer that appear to have cleared the virus from their bodies, researchers reported on Wednesday.

Both patients, who were treated in Boston and had been on long-term drug therapy to control their HIV, received stem-cell transplants after developing lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.

Since the transplants, doctors have been unable to find any evidence of HIV infection, Timothy Henrich of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston told an International AIDS Society conference in Kuala Lumpur.

While it is too early to say for sure that the virus has disappeared from their bodies altogether, one patient has now been off antiretroviral drug treatment for 15 weeks and the other for seven weeks.

Last July Henrich first reported that the two men had undetectable levels of HIV in their blood after their stem-cell treatment, but at that time they were still taking medicines to suppress HIV.

Using stem-cell therapy is not seen as a viable option for widespread use, since it is extremely expensive, but the latest cases could open new avenues for fighting the disease, which infects about 34 million people worldwide.

The latest cases resemble that of Timothy Ray Brown, known as "the Berlin patient", who became the first person to be cured of HIV after receiving a bone marrow transplant for leukaemia in 2007. There are, however, important differences.

While Brown's doctor used stem cells from a donor with a rare genetic mutation, known as CCR5 delta 32, which renders people virtually resistant to HIV, the two Boston patients received cells without this mutation.

"Dr. Henrich is charting new territory in HIV eradication research," Kevin Robert Frost, chief executive officer of the Foundation for AIDS Research, which funded the study, said in a statement.

Scientific advances since HIV was first discovered more than 30 years ago mean the virus is no longer a death sentence and the latest antiretroviral AIDS drugs can control the virus for decades.

But many people still do not get therapy early enough, prompting the World Health Organization to call for faster roll-out of medicines after patients test positive.

Indian generics companies are leading suppliers of HIV drugs to Africa and to many other poor countries. Major Western HIV drugmakers include Gilead Sciences, Johnson & Johnson and ViiV Healthcare, which is majority-owned by GlaxoSmithKline.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Anxiety over rising HIV, AIDS cases creeps into burgeoning BPO sector

MANILA, Philippines - Some workers applying for jobs at call center companies are being asked to reveal if they have the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) – a clear violation of the AIDS law that prohibits discrimination against people living with the virus.

This was one of the issues discussed Friday at the National Dialogue on HIV and Human Rights organized by the United Nations Development Programme, and which focused on the forms of discrimination experienced by people living with HIV (PLHIV).

Edu Razon, president of Pinoy Plus, said some business process outsourcing companies have started asking applicants if they have HIV and requiring them to get tested. “If you’re a PLHIV and you’re applying for a job in the BPO, you’re reluctant to apply because of that,” he said.

UNDP officials at the forum advised the support groups working with PLHIVs to document such instances of discrimination in order to make a case against violators.

The concern about HIV cases in the burgeoning BPO sector is not surprising, given recent pronouncements by government agencies pointing to the galloping increase in HIV/AIDS cases in the country.

The National AIDS Registry shows that from one new HIV case detected every three days in 2006, this has risen to 10 cases per day in the first quarter of 2012.

Law bars mandatory testing

Republic Act 8504 or the country’s AIDS law does not prescribe mandatory HIV testing for employment and prohibits discrimination in the workplace on account of having the virus.

The BPO sector employs about 640,000 workers and has so far contributed $11 billion to the economy. It is expected to grow to a $25-billion dollar industry and employ a total of 1.3 million workers.

Document cases – UNDP

Teresita Marie Bagasao, country coordinator of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said, there is a need to document these cases because they provide a clear picture of the different facets of discrimination experienced by those living with the virus.

“It’s very difficult to support an action if you don’t have evidence. You have to establish that such discrimination really exists,” said Bagasao.

Razon, however, noted that some BPO applicants are afraid to file a complaint because that would mean they have to disclose their HIV status. Participants to the dialogue, among them from the Commission on Human Rights, said PLHIV are faced with a dilemma between accessing services for redress and “coming out” publicly.

Jonas Bagas, executive director of TLF-Share, a non-government organization whose work is focused on the gay community, said most men having sex with men (MSM) do not submit themselves for HIV testing because of discrimination.

He cited a 2011 study of the National Epidemiology Center of the health department which showed that while the rate of MSM submitting themselves for testing has increased to 15 percent, only five percent of them come back for the results.

“They stop accessing results because of fear of being disclosed. They don’t want to know (if they’re infected),” he added.

Bagas said MSM are also afraid to go for testing because of the perception that HIV is a “gay disease.”

According to the UNAIDS, the transmission trend of HIV in the country has shifted from heterosexual to male-to-male sex, with five out of six Filipinos being infected with the virus in the country in 2011 coming from the MSM sector.

source: interaksyon.com

Male student raped by 2 men

MANILA, Philippines – A 21-year-old college student sought help from police after he was allegedly raped by two unidentified men last May 23.

According to “Ian” (not his real name), he had just left school when he was hit on the head with a hard object, rendering him almost unconscious.

Ian said he recalled that 2 burly men carried him inside a van, where he passed out.

When he woke up, Ian said he found himself naked and tied to a bed inside a room.

He claimed that he was forced to drink a suspicious beverage, which was allegedly laced with drugs.

"Pumiglas ako kaso mahina katawan ko. Hinalikan ako, sabi ko ‘Kuya tama na.’ Sabi niya magugustuhan mo rin 'yan. ‘Enjoy ka lang.’ Naiyak na 'ko. Gusto kong lumaban,” he said.

After he was allegedly raped, Ian said he was again carried into the van and was dropped along EDSA.

Ian said he later discovered that the men also stole P6,000 from him, which was supposed to cover his enrollment fee.

The student sustained a wound on his head and is set to undergo a medical test to determine if he contracted Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). -- Report from Niko Baua, ABS-CBN News

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Once-daily AIDS pill can slash HIV infection risk

LONDON — AIDS drugs designed to treat HIV can also be used to reduce dramatically the risk of infection among heterosexual couples, two studies conducted in Africa showed for the first time on Wednesday.

The findings add to growing evidence that the type of medicines prescribed since the mid-1990s to treat people who are already sick may also hold the key to slowing or even halting the spread of the sexually transmitted disease.

The research involving couples in Kenya, Uganda and Botswana found that giving daily AIDS drugs reduced infection rates by an average of at least 62 percent when compared with placebo.

"Effective new HIV prevention tools are urgently needed and these studies could have enormous impact in preventing heterosexual transmission," Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said in a statement.

In an indication of the importance of the latest evidence, Chan said the United Nations health agency would now work with countries to use the new findings to implement better protection strategies.

The larger of the two studies examined 4,758 couples in Kenya and Uganda in which one partner was HIV-positive and one was negative. Those negative partners taking Gilead Sciences Inc.'s tenofovir, or Viread, had on average 62 percent fewer infections.

For couples on Truvada — another Gilead drug combining tenofovir and emtricitabine — the infection risk was cut by an estimated 73 percent in the clinical trial, which was led by researchers at the University of Washington.

The study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, whose director of HIV and Tuberculosis, Stefano Bertozzi, said it marked "a significant milestone in the quest to develop new HIV prevention measures".

The second study, involving just over 1,200 sexually active men and women in Botswana, found those on daily Truvada reduced their risk of HIV infection by 62.6 percent.

The idea of such "pre-exposure prophylaxis", known as PrEP, has gained traction in the past year, following results of other research showing a fall in infection rates among gay men taking AIDS drugs.

However, PrEP took a knock earlier this year when another study failed to demonstrate a protective effect in high-risk women. The latest strong evidence is likely to restore confidence in the approach.

"Tipping point" IN HIV FIGHT

Around 33 million people worldwide have the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, most living in Africa and Asia. Only about half know their HIV status, and the WHO hopes that news of an effective approach to prevention will encourage more people to get tested.

Michel Sidibe, head of the UN's program on HIV/AIDS, said the new studies "could help us to reach the tipping point in the HIV epidemic".

The larger study, conducted in Kenya and Uganda, had been scheduled to run until late 2012 but it was stopped early because the evidence of efficacy was so strong.

Results of the Botswana study, led by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had been due to be unveiled next week at an international AIDS congress in Rome but were released ahead of time to coincide with the University of Washington research.

When treating HIV/AIDS, antiretrovirals are typically given in cocktails of three or more medicines. The PrEP approach of using just one daily pill is much more convenient — and the drugs are available as generics in many poor countries at prices as low as 25 US cents a tablet, according to the WHO.

Prices could fall further and supplies increase following an agreement by Gilead, the leading maker of HIV drugs, to share intellectual property rights on its medicines in a new patent pool. The California-based group on Tuesday became the first drug maker to sign up to the Medicines Patent Pool. — Reuters

SOURCE: gmanews.tv