Kampala Key, Vulnerable and Priority Populations (KVP) News

BY FESTUS MOGAE AND STEPHEN LEWIS, 12 JULY 2012 In Uganda and across Africa, HIV continues to prey on women, sex workers and men, who have sex with men. http://allafrica.com/stories/ 201207131147.html It is clear that to end the HIV epidemic, we must protect and support these groups. Yet, our country and others enforce bad laws and customs that disempower these groups and make them more likely to be infected with HIV. We cannot hope for an HIV-free generation when we have laws that marginalize and punish those most vulnerable to the disease. A global commission of legal, human rights and HIV leaders recently released a report that showed punitive laws were standing in the way of effective AIDS responses. Archaic laws and customs make women and girls more vulnerable to HIV. Legally condoned violence and oppression - including genital mutilation, sexual violence, denial of property rights and early marriage - undermine the ability of women to protect themselves. Laws ...

Estimating the range of potential epidemiological impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis: run-away success or run-away failure?. Cremin, Íde; Hallett, Timothy B. Supplemental Author Material Published Ahead-of-Print Abstract Objective: To investigate the influence of potential interactions between key aspects of a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) intervention on projections of epidemiological impact and cost-effectiveness. Methods: A mathematical model representing the HIV epidemic and intervention context in Nyanza province in Kenya was developed. We consider a scenario whereby a fixed annual budget is allocated to a PrEP intervention. A standard projection of impact is generated, assuming that the unit cost of PrEP, adherence to PrEP and the ability of the programme to direct PrEP to those at high risk, all stay constant. The influence of dynamic assumptions and possible interactions between PrEP intervention assumptions is then assessed in comparison. Result...

February 24, 2015 Dear Advocates,   Today at the  Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, new data on oral PrEP and vaginal tenofovir microbicide gel emerged that have implications for HIV prevention worldwide. We’ve collated the press releases and statements from groups involved in the research, as well as links to relevant webcasts—which become available 24 hours after presentation. Click here to view these resources ; read on for a summary of the news. Three  oral PrEP  trials presented at CROI provided additional evidence for use of the pill Truvada (TDF/FTC) for prevention. All three trials had very high rates of consistent use and very high rates of protection against HIV infection, specifically: The  Partners Demonstration Project  among discordant heterosexual couples (where one partner is HIV-positive and one is not) in Kenya and Uganda showed that a program that delivers both PrEP for ...

Renowned Ugandan activist Frank Mugisha will present Martha Tholanah with the award on stage at the prestigious Teddy Awards ceremony in Berlin  this Friday . 11 February 2015  [Berlin]  – The David Kato Vision & Voice Award (DKVVA) is proud to announce that the 2015 award will go to HIV Positive activist Martha Tholanah from Zimbabwe. Martha risks her life everyday to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people across the country. Her activism is a powerful example of a straight ally standing in solidarity with LGBTI people despite threats to her own safety and security. Martha also demonstrates extraordinary leadership on behalf of other marginalized communities, fighting for women’s rights, disability rights and sex worker rights both locally and internationally. She will receive the award on stage  this Friday , at the prestigious Teddy Awards ceremony which is part of the Berlin International Film Festiva...

Can be accessed from: Gus Cairns Published: 04 February 2015 http://www.aidsmap.com/No- improvements-in-CD4-count-at- diagnosis-in-African-patients- in-last-decade/page/2942452/? utm_source=NAM-Email- Promotion&utm_medium=hiv- update&utm_campaign=hiv-update A study by Harvard Medical School has found that the average CD4 count in sub-Saharan African people who are diagnosed with HIV has not risen since 2002. Neither has the average CD4 count on initiation of treatment, which remains well below the AIDS-defining limit of 200 cells/mm3.  The authors call for far more active HIV  testing and facilitated referral programmes, and continued global financial support for HIV testing and treatment. A second study of a number of different prevalence and incidence surveys conducted by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) among selected populations in the region shows that annual HIV incidence ranges from zero to 19% according to the population studied, i...

White House Releases FY16 Budget Request Kaiser Family Foundation http://kff.org/news-summary/ white-house-releases-fy16- budget-request/  The White House's FY2016 budget request includes the majority of funding for U.S. global health programs. The administration has flat-lined PEPFAR funding and cut tuberculosis funding for USAID Global Health Programs by 19.1 percent. Furthermore, while the pledge to provide $1 to the Global Fund for every $2 pledged by other donors has been met, the overall U.S. contribution to the Global Fund was reduced by 18 percent. New Resources: Models, Tools, and Research   US Guidelines on Prevention with People Living with HIV Now Emphasise Engagement with Care, HIV Treatment and Social Factors aidsmap http://www.aidsmap.com/page/ 2931199/   A recent article for aidsmap summarizes new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Cont...