HIV News Around The Globe

Happy New Month, Prevention Advocates!

We have many events lined up for this month. Stay tuned for updates in this month's issue of Monday's Press—we'll keep you informed.

AIDS 2024 will convene thousands of people living with, affected by and working on HIV to share knowledge, best practices and lessons learnt from the HIV response over the past 40 years, as well as from the responses to COVID-19, mpox and other public health threats.

AIDS 2024 in Munich, Germany, and virtually will provide a powerful platform to strategically align around a unified and equitable response to the pandemic. It will signal to the world that the HIV response is united behind an evidence-based approach that puts people first.

In the lead up to the conference, we are mobilizing a groundswell of support to help champion this principle. Join the call to action on social media using #PutPeopleFirst!

Read more on this here

Rwanda will host 2025 Conference on HIV Science

The International AIDS Society (IAS), has announced the host country for its 2025 Conference on HIV Science. In a press release, copied to Ghana Business News the IAS says the 13th edition of the conference, the largest scientific conference on HIV will be held in Kigali, Rwanda.

The dates are set from July 14 to 17, 2025, it said, adding that pre-meetings will take place on July 13.

One of the main reasons for choosing Rwanda, the organizers say, is because most Africans can travel to the country visa-free.

The IAS Conference on HIV Science is the world’s most influential meeting on HIV research and its applications, the organizers say.

You can read more about this update here

Two-drug regimens for the treatment of HIV in Africa

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), has disclosed that it is set to host the first-ever Nigeria HIV Prevention Conference.

The conference theme: “Accelerating HIV Prevention to End AIDS through Innovations and Community Engagement” will hold in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city from May 7th- May 9th, 2024.

The conference will showcase a diverse array of sessions, including dedicated tracks on youth empowerment under the theme “Adolescents and Young People (AYP) as Change Agents,” community engagement sessions, leadership discussions, plenary sessions, sponsored sessions, and special sessions.

The distinguished keynote speaker of the conference is Angeli Achrekar, Deputy Executive Director, Programme, UNAIDS Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, The Director General of NACA, Dr Temitope Ilori, expressed anticipation for the conference, emphasizing its role in uniting stakeholders to accelerate progress towards ending the HIV epidemic in Nigeria.

“The first ever HIV prevention conference will serve as a pivotal platform for everyone to unite in their efforts and effect tangible advancements towards ending the HIV epidemic in Nigeria,”Dr Ilori.

Read more here

Two-drug regimens for the treatment of HIV in Africa

Two-drug regimens for the treatment of HIV are increasingly available. The oral regimen of dolutegravir plus lamivudine is recommended as a preferred option in multiple national guidelines but is not currently included in WHO HIV treatment guidelines nor widely used in Africa. Long-acting injectable cabotegravir and rilpivirine is being rolled out in the USA, Europe, and Australia but its use in sub-Saharan Africa is currently restricted to clinical trials. Given the increasing life expectancy, rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases, and resulting polypharmacy among people living with HIV, there are potential advantages to the use of two-drug regimens, particularly in African women, adolescents, and older adults. 

This Viewpoint reviews existing evidence and highlights the risks, benefits, and key knowledge gaps for the use of two-drug regimens in settings using the public health approach in Africa.

You can read more about the publication here

Florida Passes Bill Allowing Pharmacists to Provide PEP to Prevent HIV

The Florida legislation permits pharmacists to screen for HIV, dispense post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) meds and more.

Florida pharmacists will soon be able to provide more HIV care to their clients, thanks to a bill signed by Republican governor Ron DeSantis. Specifically, pharmacists can screen for HIV and provide post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which refers to medication people take to prevent HIV transmission shortly after a high-risk exposure.

The law takes effect July 1, according to a news release from Rep. Gallop Franklin (D–Tallahassee), who sponsored the bill and is also a pharmacist.

“Florida has among the highest HIV infection rates in the country. With Governor Ron DeSantis’ signature today, Florida is taking a giant leap forward to put a check on the advance of HIV/AIDS in the Sunshine State,” Franklin said in the news release.

In 2022, there were 124,577 Floridians living with HIV, and more than 600 died from HIV-related illness, the Florida Department of Health reports.

You can read more about the bill here

America, Uganda partner in new HIV vaccine study

According to reports on Tuesday, Uganda and the United States have collaborated on a pharmaceutical project. The report indicated that the US's Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) teamed up with Ugandan scientists to develop an HIV vaccine. The vaccine uses the mRNA vaccine technology that came out during Covid vaccine development.

As seen in the Ugandan newspaper, the Monitor, research into the production of the new vaccine; RapidVax has already begun, as confirmed by the country director of the WRAIR, Dr. Vamsi Vasireddy. Researchers propose that the body can more effectively fight off infection because of RapidVax's frequent immune system stimulation.

You can read more about this report here