HIV Prevention News Around The Globe

140,000 Children Infected with HIV in Nigeria

The federal government has said that an estimated 140,000 children in Nigeria are currently infected by HIV virus.

It also said that despite efforts being made to control HIV infection among children, pediatric treatment remained at mere 35 percent as against the global set standard of 95 percent.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the launch of The Preventing Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV and Paediatric AIDS Acceleration Plan Committee in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said that HIV infection still remained a major threat to the survival of children. He said statistics has it that more than 22,000 new infections of HIV are recorded yearly in the country, with 300 children losing their lives annually.

His words: “As you are aware, Nigeria contributes 25. percent of the global burden of HIV transmission between mothers and their children. Despite testing approximately 4 million pregnant women in 2023, our PMTCT (Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission) and pediatric HIV coverage remains at about 35 percent, falling significantly short of the 95 percent target.

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Rwanda: How a New Biannual Anti-HIV Drug Could Benefit Rwanda

A New HIV Preexposure prophylaxis drug, which if approved, will be taken only twice a year and give 100 percent protection to the users, is a good step forward in the fight against the disease, Deo Mutambuka, the Executive Secretary of the Rwanda Networks of people Living with HIV/AIDS (RRP ), has said.

A large clinical trial in South Africa and Uganda has shown that the twice-yearly injection of the new drug - lenacapavir, gives young women total protection from HIV infection, working much better than the currently available options.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention, commonly known as PrEP, is a form of medication used to prevent HIV infection. PrEP is a general term for the use of medications to prevent the spread of the disease in people who have not yet been exposed to a disease-causing agent. Lenacapavir is a fusion capsid inhibitor. It interferes with the HIV capsid, a protein shell that protects HIV's genetic material and enzymes needed for replication.

The clinical trials for the efficacy of the drug involved 5,000 people who participated at three sites in Uganda and 25 sites in South Africa. The trials aimed at finding out whether a six-monthly injection of lenacapavir was safe and would provide better protection against HIV infection as PrEP for women between the ages of 16 and 25 years than Truvada F/TDF, a daily PrEP pill that has been available for more than a decade.

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UNESCO and China provide lifesaving medical care for HIV-infected orphans

This collaborative effort aims to provide essential healthcare and support to some of the most vulnerable members of society.

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV remains a significant public health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Without intervention, the risk of an HIV-positive mother transmitting the virus to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding ranges from 15% to 45%. However, with effective antiretroviral treatment, this risk can be reduced to below 5%.

Despite medical advances, stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS continues to be a major barrier to the prevention and treatment of the disease. Many individuals, including children, face discrimination and social exclusion due to their HIV status. This stigma often leads to delays in seeking treatment and a lack of support systems for those affected.

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Kenya Advances Integration of HIV Services to Enhance Patient Care and Efficiency

Kenya has intensified its pursuit of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic which is relying heavily on integrating stand-alone HIV programming with primary health-care platforms to improve population-level health and ensure sustainability.

This follows the move by the Government through the Ministry of Health to establish a team tasked with responsibility of strategising on the interventions needed for integrated HIV prevention, care, treatment and support at the health centre in a bid to improve patient retention in long-term HIV care and treatment.

According to the head of National AIDS and STIs Control Programme [NASCOP] at the Ministry Dr Rose Wafula, the team will help in the creation of integrated care plans that keep patients moving forward thus delivering health services in complementary and coherent ways so that people get the care they need in ways that are effective, efficient and equitable. “Currently, in terms of location, we have standalone comprehensive care clinics (CCCs) or places that are labelled for HIV-positive clients and then the rest of the health facility,” Wafula said.

“So, the future would look like this, we do not need to see a standalone place that is labeled HIV, which is stigmatising. We will move to an integrated place where somebody has just come for a service and that service is provided without necessarily labeling the person.” she added

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2000 BRITAIN PIONEERS HIV VACCINE

The World Aids Conference in South Africa has announced trials for a new HIV vaccine will begin in Britain.

Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris will be one of 18 healthy volunteers who will take part in the first toxicity tests. The MP for Oxford West, Dr Harris, 35, said: “I hope to be a small part of a process that will deliver something that will save Africa from further devastation.” The vaccine has been developed by researchers at Oxford and Nairobi Universities who studied prostitutes in Kenya and found a group who resisted the disease in spite of daily exposure to it.

If the tests in Oxford are successful, trials will go to Nairobi in October under the supervision of Professor Job Bwayo and his team. Professor of immunology at Oxford University Andrew McMichael said: “Our chances of developing a vaccine are better than 50-50. But the earliest we could expect a vaccine to be ready would be in seven to 10 years.

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Upcoming Events

The 25th International AIDS Conference

AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, will take place in Munich, Germany, and virtually from 22 to 26 July 2024. Pre-conferences will be held on 20 and 21 July. The Global Village (free entry) opens its gates on Sunday 21 July.

AIDS 2024 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.

Some Global Village sessions and activities to expect at AIDS 2024:

Film screenings, sessions and workshops:

• Addressing HIV stigma, inside and out: Sharing UK approaches and learning from each other

• Bridging the gap: From childhood to adolescence with HIV

• Denied, discriminated against and deported: The global realities of migration, mobility and health equity for people living with HIV

• DoxyPEP in poorly regulated settings: The standpoints

• It's more than money: Funding for HIV and AIDS advocacy with key populations

• Mind your language! Why words matter and why the community must lead

• Putting people first: Re-engaging communities in HIV care

• The Legend of the Underground

If interested, please mark your calendars and register your attendance here.