HIV and sexual health charities Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) and Widows and Orphans International (WOI) are calling for people in Barking & Dagenham to get involved in World AIDS Day (December 1) this year, either by attending an all-day HIV testing service, making a donation to support local HIV services, or wearing a red ribbon to raise awareness.

World AIDS Day, which has been running every December since 1988, is dedicated to raising awareness of HIV and AIDS. In the UK alone, over 80,000 people are living with HIV and over 7,000 are diagnosed every year.

On Tuesday 1 December, THT and WOI will be running a special extended session of THT’s ‘Fastest’ one-hour HIV testing service. The session will take place at Barking Learning Centre from 10.00am - 1.00pm and 2.00pm - 4.30pm, offering free, confidential HIV testing to local people.

The test involves a simple finger-prick blood test, with results available within one hour. Those who attend the clinic will be given information and advice before and after the test, and anyone who tests HIV positive will be fast tracked into a treatment centre. They will also be given information on the range of services available for people living with HIV, including counselling and peer support.

Adam Wilkinson, London Operations Manager for THT, said: “World AIDS Day is one of the most important events in THT’s calendar. Currently in the UK one in four people with HIV don’t know they have it, so we would encourage people to come forward for testing if they think they’ve been at risk. There are plenty of other ways for local people to get involved, either by attending an event, making a donation, or just wearing a red ribbon.”

Joshua Odongo, Director of WOI, said: “The commemoration of World AIDS Day annually offers all of us the opportunity to reflect on the huge price HIV/AIDS has taken, and is still taking, from humanity. Individually, we need to take the lead in stopping AIDS by going for a test and reducing the risks to ourselves and those we love. What you decide to do will go a long way in contributing to the success of all of humanity.”

THT and WOI run ‘Fastest’ clinics in Barking & Dagenham twice every week at Barking Learning Centre, on Saturdays (12.30pm - 4.30pm) and Thursdays (6.00pm - 9.00pm).

Source
Terrence Higgins Trust

Researchers conducting clinical trials in Rwanda have concluded that the risk of postnatal transmission is minimal in HIV-positive mothers undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) while breastfeeding. The results of the trials have been published in the current issue of AIDS, the leading journal in the field of HIV and AIDS research. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

Although formula feeding has been the recommended strategy for preventing postnatal HIV transmission in developed countries for many years, researchers have recognized that this intervention is not feasible for many women in resource-limited settings. Despite this, there had until now been no single study conducted which formally compared maternal breastfeeding with HAART with formula feeding within the same cohort in resource-limited countries.

Dr. Cecile Alexandra Peltier, together with her colleagues, conducted their study with the aim of assessing the 9-month HIV-free survival of children with two strategies to prevent HIV mother-to-child transmission. Women participating in the cohort study could choose the mode of feeding for their infant: breastfeeding with maternal HAART for six months, or formula feeding. All received HAART from 28 weeks of gestation.

Of the 227 infants who were breastfed during the trial, only one became infected with HIV, corresponding to a 9-month cumulative risk of postnatal infection of 0.5% in the breastfeeding group. Moreover, the overall mortality rate of the infants involved in the study was significantly higher in the formula-fed group (5.6%) than in the breastfed group (3.3%).

The results of the study have lead researchers to conclude that maternal HAART while breastfeeding could be a promising alternative strategy in resource-limited settings. A key implication of this study is that women can be offered a choice in infant-feeding options, both of which could be safe and effective, given regular postnatal follow-up and counseling.

About AIDS

AIDS publishes the very latest ground breaking research on HIV and AIDS. Read by all the top clinicians and researchers, AIDS has the highest impact of all AIDS-related journals. With 18 issues per year, AIDS guarantees the authoritative presentation of significant advances. The Editors, themselves noted international experts, are committed to making AIDS the most distinguished and innovative journal in the field.

Source
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

In honor of World AIDS Day, The AIDS Institute (TAI), one of the nation’s leading advocacy organizations for support of people with HIV/AIDS and their providers, joined Nobel Laureate Dr. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, in calling for government leaders, patient advocates and the research community to expand therapeutic HIV vaccine research.

TAI believes with more research funding, biotechnology treatments such as therapeutic vaccines could lead to dramatic improvements in care for the estimated 33.4 million people living with HIV.

“This kind of research needs a lot of money,” said Dr. Barre-Sinoussi. “For basic research, but also for the trial to see if it’s working or not. We need to have more funding for new scientists, young scientists that would like to come to us with innovative, new, creative ideas. This is the future.”

The therapeutic HIV vaccines under investigation are designed to supplement or possibly to provide an alternative to current antiretroviral “cocktail” treatments for HIV. Researchers hope that one day therapeutic vaccines can be given to already infected individuals to help fight the disease by adjusting their immune response.

TAI Executive Director Michael Ruppal said expanded HIV vaccine funding for biotechnology research is crucial for scientists so they can conduct more trials and determine whether certain therapeutics are working.

“People with HIV are only estimated to survive 24 years after diagnosis,” he said. “The only way that number will significantly change is with more research funding, which will lead to new therapeutic trials. These trials will help us determine whether the vaccines are working, and in return, help achieve our goal of improved HIV care.”

Leading AIDS treatment activist David Miller, a board member of TAI and member of the Cornell Adult AIDS Clinical Trial Group’s Community Advisory Board, explained why the government and researchers need to invest more resources into HIV therapeutic vaccines.

“Advancing therapeutic vaccine research now will save lives. It’s as simple as that,” Miller said. “We know that data from therapeutic vaccine research clearly indicates significant survival benefits and a decrease in disease progression. For the growing number of patients facing drug resistance to HAART, therapeutic vaccines may be our best hope. We need to make this the highest priority of research at the NIH and at leading vaccine research institutions. A growing number of treatment activists who have seen compelling data believe these vaccines can change the current course of the AIDS crisis.”

How to Advocate for Therapeutic Funding: You can help the cause by visiting http://www.theaidsinstitute.org to learn more, find local services, volunteer and contribute.

The AIDS Institute depends on the support of its various communities to achieve its mission to promote action for social change through public policy research, advocacy and education. Help ensure TAI has the resources to fight AIDS and ensure quality healthcare for all people by making a donation or giving of your time and talents.

Donations can be mailed to The AIDS Institute at 17 Davis Blvd. Suite 403, Tampa, Florida 33606. Your contribution is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. The AIDS Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

About HIV/AIDS

When HIV infects a person, the cells it infects most often are CD4 cells, which are a type of white blood cell. The genetic code of the virus becomes part of the cells. When CD4 cells multiply to fight an infection, they also make more copies of HIV.

More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981. By the end of 2007, women accounted for 50% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and for 59% is sub-Saharan Africa. Africa has 11.6 million AIDS orphans. In developing and transitional countries, 9.7 million people are in immediate need of life-saving AIDS drugs; of these, only 2.99 (31%) are receiving the drugs.

About Therapeutic Vaccines

Biotechnology researchers conducted the first therapeutic vaccine trial in AIDS patients in 1983. Less than 50 conventional trials have been carried out since then. Results have consistently shown that immune responses were evident as a result of vaccination. Although clinical improvements have rarely been observed, some recent studies have shown patient benefit.

Source
AIDS Institute