Welcome to the 63rd issue of HIV This Week ! In this first issue of 2009, we cover paediatric treatment (early diagnosis and treatment of asymptomatic infants in South Africa reaps benefits; better viral suppression with protease inhibitor-based regimens in infants previously exposed to single dose nevirapine; how universal p neumococcal conjugate vaccine programmes benefit [...]
Violari A, Cotton MF, Gibb DM, Babiker AG, Steyn J, Madhi SA, Jean-Philippe P, McIntyre JA; CHER Study Team. Early antiretroviral therapy and mortality among HIV-infected infants . N Engl J Med; 2008 20;359(21):2233-44
In countries with a high seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), HIV infection contributes significantly to infant mortality. Violari and [...]
Jaspan HB, Berrisford AE, Boulle AM. Two-Year Outcomes of Children on Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor and Protease Inhibitor Regimens in a South African Pediatric Antiretroviral Program. Pediatr Infect Dis 2008;27(11):993-8
Few data exist on the efficacy of the limited regimens for children with HIV, which are available in sub-Saharan Africa. Jaspan and colleagues [...]
Zar HJ, Madhi SA. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine—a health priority. S Afr Med J 2008; 98(6):463-7.
Pneumonia is a major cause of childhood mortality and morbidity. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most important bacterial pathogen causing pneumonia in children. The HIV epidemic has increased the burden and severity of childhood pneumococcal pneumonia and invasive disease [...]
Six Week Extended-Dose Nevirapine (SWEN) Study Team, Bedri A, Gudetta B, Isehak A, Kumbi S, Lulseged S, Mengistu Y, Bhore AV, Bhosale R, Varadhrajan V, Gupte N, Sastry J, Suryavanshi N, Tripathy S, Mmiro F, Mubiru M, Onyango C, Taylor A, Musoke P, Nakabiito C, Abashawl A, Adamu R, Antelman G, Bollinger RC, Bright P, [...]
Chung MH, Kiarie JN, Richardson BA, Lehman DA, Overbaugh J, Kinuthia J, Njiri F, John-Stewart GC. Highly active antiretroviral therapy versus zidovudine/nevirapine effects on early breast milk HIV type-1 Rna: a phase II randomized clinical trial. Antivir Ther 2008;13(6):799-807.
Defining the effect of antiretroviral regimens on breast milk HIV type-1 (HIV-1) levels is useful to [...]
Conde DM, Silva ET, Amaral WN, Finotti MF, Ferreira RG, Costa-Paiva L, Pinto-Neto AM. HIV, reproductive aging, and health implications in women: a literature review. Menopause 2009; 16(1) [Epub ahead of print]
Infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is increasing among women. After the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), a decrease occurred [...]
Obare F, Fleming P, Anglewicz P, Thornton R, Martinson F, Kapatuka A, Poulin M, Watkins S, Kohler HP. Acceptance of repeat population-based voluntary counseling and testing for HIV in rural Malawi. Sex Transm Infect 2008 Oct 16. [Epub ahead of print]
Obare and colleagues set out to examine the acceptance of repeat population-based voluntary counselling [...]
Khumalo-Sakutukwa G, Morin SF, Fritz K, Charlebois ED, Rooyen HV, Chingono A, Modiba P, Mrumbi K, Visrutaratna S, Singh B, Sweat M, Celentano DD, Coates TJ; for the NIMH Project Accept Study Team. Project Accept (HPTN 043): A Community-Based Intervention to Reduce HIV Incidence in Populations at Risk for HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa and Thailand. [...]
Gulick RM, Lalezari J, Goodrich J, Clumeck N, DeJesus E, Horban A, Nadler J, Clotet B, Karlsson A, Wohlfeiler M, Montana JB, McHale M, Sullivan J, Ridgway C, Felstead S, Dunne MW, van der Ryst E, Mayer H; MOTIVATE Study Teams. Maraviroc for previously treated patients with R5 HIV-1 infection. N Engl J Med 2008; [...]
Diehl LA, Fabris BA, Barbosa DS, De Faria EC, Wiechmann SL, Carrilho AJ. Metformin Increases HDL3-Cholesterol and Decreases Subcutaneous Truncal Fat in Nondiabetic Patients with HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2008;22(10):779-86.
The purpose of this study was to assess metformin effects on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) composition of patients with HIV-associated lipodystrophy (LDHIV). Twenty-four adult [...]
Epple HJ, Schneider T, Troeger H, Kunkel D, Allers K, Moos V, Amasheh M, Loddenkemper C, Fromm M, Zeitz M, Schulzke JD. Impairment of the intestinal barrier is evident in untreated but absent in suppressively treated HIV-infected patients. Gut. 2008 Oct 20. [Epub ahead of print]
Impairment of the gastrointestinal mucosal barrier contributes to progression [...]
Eisele TP, Mathews C, Chopra M, Lurie MN, Brown L, Dewing S, Kendall C. Changes in Risk Behavior Among HIV-Positive Patients During Their First Year of Antiretroviral Therapy in Cape Town South Africa. AIDS Behav. 2008 Oct 10. [Epub ahead of print]
Eisele and colleagues explored explore changes in sexual risk behaviour over the first [...]
Bechange S, Bunnell R, Awor A, Moore D, King R, Mermin J, Tappero J, Khana K, Bartholow B. Two-Year Follow-Up of Sexual Behavior Among HIV-Uninfected Household Members of Adults Taking Antiretroviral Therapy in Uganda: No Evidence of Disinhibition. AIDS Behav. 2008 Oct 24. [Epub ahead of print]
This paper examines HIV risk behaviour among HIV-uninfected [...]
Prata N, Sreenivas A, Bellows B. Potential of dual-use policies to meet family planning and HIV prevention needs: a case study of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 2008; 34(4):219-26.
The fight against the HIV epidemic in many high-prevalence countries is a struggle to motivate culturally relevant risk reduction in general populations [...]
I have recently come to Thailand and started to access my HIV medications after accessing them for years in South Africa and before that in the UK. In the UK while expensive they were provided free by the NHS. In fact HIV medications (many of them are cheap to make) (Ranbaxy and Cipla for instance in India) and was the entire reason I went to the UK in 2000 when I discovered I was HIV+. Then back to South Africa where interestingly one night I was arrested by the police when they raided my house where I was staying (because I was one of the few white people living there) and they suspected I was a drug dealer. When they discovered my HIV medication I was arrested and later charge with “possession of drugs” and had to appear in court 3 times. But here I am in Thailand and fatre years of accessing my medications in South Africa – regimen of AZT, 3TC and Efavirenz, I could access them if I purchased them privately at Helen Joseph for around R400 and if I went to a Government clinic for R35 a month. And here is Thailand I am paying close to R800 at the Anonymous Red Cross Clinic in Bangkok, and they think they are doing me a favour. My question is why do HIV medications remain to be so expensive in Thailand. I paid 2600 Baht which for most people here is a lot of money, most people earn less than 10 000 Baht and then they asked me to do a questionnaire and in there was a reason why I went to the anonymous clinic and one of the reasons given was because it was CHEAP!!! My question is why do HIV medications remain so expensive in Thailand, why are activists not doing more to reduce the price of medication in Thailand, why does the Government not do more and what is UNAIDS doing to get them to reduce the price of medication so that more people are treated. Martin L
1 Comment
February 5th, 2009 at 1:06 am
Hello, Iwish to thank you for sending me the HIV This Week issue. As I am presently working as AIDS education nurse, in Mauritius, this issue proved to be very helpful and intereresting, Iwould also like to have news regarding latest development in HIV treatment.Thanks and best regards