HIV World News

Until a few years ago there was no talk of curing HIV. Research focused on making anti-HIV drugs better, trying to find a vaccine or understanding why they didn’t seem to be working. Another area was public health – trying to encourage sexual behaviour that could prevent the spread of HIV, though this hasn’t been altogether successful – it would seem we are just a species that likes to take risks.

As the African Union (AU) begins its 21st summit in Addis Ababa, celebrating 50 years of African unity, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has released Update a new report on the AIDS response in Africa, documenting the remarkable recent progress against HIV on the continent.

The number of people in Africa receiving antiretroviral treatment increased from less than 1 million in 2005 to 7.1 million in 2012, with nearly 1 million added in the last year alone.

Top AIDS scientists are in Paris to mark the 30th anniversary of the detection of HIV. One of them is Sharon Lewin. Her work on latent HIV cells could lead to a cure, but she warns it's a "tough ask."

DW: We've had antiretroviral drugs for a number of years now, but we're still looking for a cure. Why do we need a cure for HIV?

Professor Sharon Lewin: I think there are three main reasons why we need a cure. The first is that treatment isn't perfect.

There was no fanfare on May 20, 1983 when Science published what is undoubtedly among the most important medical papers of the 20th century.

In the usual dry prose, researchers from the Institut Pasteur in Paris described a new retrovirus, which they dubbed lymphoadenopathy associated virus, or LAV.

It was, they reported, a "typical type-C RNA tumor virus" with a tropism for T-lymphocytes and was similar to -- but clearly distinct from -- human T-cell leukemia viruses, which had recently been discovered.

“It will take 10 years.” That is what researchers usually say when asked how much longer it will take to develop a safe and effective HIV vaccine.
Some of the world’s brightest minds have been on this quest for 30 years, yet we still do not have an HIV vaccine to use today. Recent clinical trials, such as the HVTN 505 study that was stopped because the vaccine was shown to be ineffective at preventing HIV, have generated new challenges to the field.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) joins partners and allies around the world in recognizing World AIDS Vaccine Day.

Developing an HIV vaccine is one of the greatest scientific challenges the world faces—and one of the most important. While encouraging progress has been made in the AIDS response, getting to zero new HIV infections will ultimately require a safe and highly effective HIV vaccine.

On the appointment of Roberto Azevedo as Director General of the World Trade Organization, international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned the WTO and incoming DG that access to medicines must become a priority. This includes allowing least-developed countries to remain exempt from introducing intellectual property rules, and maintaining the right of countries to use all flexibilities at their disposal to ensure access to affordable generic medicines.

Couples counseling after pregnant women tested positive for HIV raised HIV testing rates among their male partners in four socioculturally different countries with low to medium HIV prevalence—Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Georgia, and India.

Counseling and testing male partners of HIV-positive pregnant women is essential to controlling the HIV epidemic, but the best strategy to encourage testing in partners remains unknown. This randomized trial tested the value of couples-oriented posttest HIV counseling, which aims to give pregnant HIV-positive women tools and strategies to encourage partner testing.