Posts Tagged AIDS

By Maya Dusenbery • 9 years ago

Why is the Obama administration still funding anti-gay, anti-choice conservative religious groups?

Over at The Nation, Andy Kopsa has a damning long-read about how the Obama administration is still funding anti-gay, anti-choice conservative religious groups–despite the President’s promises that, under his watch, tax payer money wouldn’t go towards groups that discriminate, proselytize, or are just plain ineffective. 

Over at The Nation, Andy Kopsa has a damning long-read about how the Obama administration is still funding anti-gay, anti-choice conservative religious groups–despite the President’s promises that, under his watch, tax payer money wouldn’t ...
By Maya Dusenbery • 10 years ago

Infographic: The US’s anti-prostitution pledge is hindering the war on AIDS

The Nation has some interesting infographics on the effect of the US’s anti-prostitution pledge. The US provides nearly 60 percent of global funds to fight the AIDS epidemic–money that low-income countries absolutely depend on. But, as Melissa Gira Grant explains, for the last decade, it’s comes with the catch–pushed by conservative Rep. Chris Smith but supported by some feminist organizations too–that any NGO receiving this funding must adopt an explicit policy opposing prostitution. And the pledge is so vague that it’s led many groups to stop providing any services to sex workers, out of fear of losing their funding.

Click here for larger image.

This terrible policy–Lori’s called it “senseless discrimination“–not only harms sex workers, who are ...

The Nation has some interesting infographics on the effect of the US’s anti-prostitution pledge. The US provides nearly 60 percent of global funds to fight the AIDS epidemic–money that low-income countries absolutely depend on. But, as ...
By Samhita • 11 years ago

Scientists say a baby girl born with HIV has been cured

A turning point in HIV/AIDs medicine yesterday–scientists have found a baby girl that they believe has been cured of HIV through the application of heavy doses of anti-viral drugs within the first 2 days of birth.

via NPR,

The fact that the newborn tested positive for HIV within 30 hours of birth is a sign she was probably infected in utero, HIV specialists say.

Gay decided to begin treating the child immediately, with the first dose of antivirals given within 31 hours of birth. That’s faster than most infants born with HIV get treated, and specialists think it’s one important factor in the child’s cure.

In addition, Gay gave higher-than-usual, “therapeutic” doses of three powerful HIV drugs rather than the “prophylactic” doses usually ...

A turning point in HIV/AIDs medicine yesterday–scientists have found a baby girl that they believe has been cured of HIV through the application of heavy doses of anti-viral drugs within the first 2 days of birth.

via ...
By Katie Halper • 11 years ago

You can now test for HIV at home

The Food and Drug Administration has approved OraQuick, a product that allows you to test for HIV in your own home. An over-the-counter test already existed but required you to prick your finger and send the blood sample to a lab.  But the new test allows users to take a swab from the inside of their gums and wait 20 to 40 minutes to see the results.

Dr. Robert Gallo, who headed the National Institutes of Health lab that developed the first American HIV blood test calls the news,“wonderful because it will get more people into care.” Mark Harrington, the executive director of the Treatment Action Group, (TAG), the independent AIDS research and policy think tank ...

The Food and Drug Administration has approved OraQuick, a product that allows you to test for HIV in your own home. An over-the-counter test already existed but required you to prick your finger and send ...
By Courtney • 13 years ago

HIV-reducing vaginal microbicide stalled without funding

It’s one thing when we don’t know how to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems, like HIV and AIDS infection rates. It’s another when we actually have a realistic solution (or one of many), and we simply can’t figure out how to allocate resources to fund it. Reading that money is the only thing standing between women all over the world and a new vaginal microbicide that significantly reduces HIV infection made me so frickin’ angry. Here’s an excerpt from the New York Times piece this weekend:

Donors have not committed enough money for even one of the two studies needed to confirm a promising South African trial of the microbicide and get it into women’s hands. Only ...

It’s one thing when we don’t know how to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems, like HIV and AIDS infection rates. It’s another when we actually have a realistic solution (or one of many), and ...