Results from a study published in PLOS Global Public Health show that people with HIV and common mental disorders in Zimbabwe can benefit from a low-cost and brief psychological intervention called the Friendship Bench to improve their mental health outcomes and, consequently, sustain viral suppression on antiretroviral therapy ..read more

New mothers living with HIV are often unsure about whether or not to breastfeed their children, and for how long, the African Workshop on HIV & Women held in Nairobi, Kenya in February heard. This is because their infant feeding practices are influenced by the people around them, which makes the decision-making process even more difficult ..read more

Despite advances in HIV care and treatment, a study has found a large proportion of people with HIV still experience symptoms that are underestimated or unacknowledged by their HIV doctors. Dr José Galindo Puerto of the Spanish AIDS Interdisciplinary Society (SEISIDA) and colleagues found discrepancies between the frequency and burdens of HIV and HIV treatment symptoms reported by Spaniards living with HIV and the HIV specialists caring for them. Their results highlight a need for better communication between clinicians and patients ..read more

While there have been reductions in the rates of most major causes of death among people with HIV in North America and Europe since 1996, people who inject drugs – particularly women – remain vulnerable to early death. Background Before 1996 – when combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) became the mainstay of HIV treatment – death from AIDS was a near inevitability, even in high-income countries. Due to ART’s high effectiveness at suppressing HIV, AIDS-related deaths have declined steeply, particularly in Europe and North America. [GLOSSARY ..read more

How young people feel about long-acting injectable treatment remains largely unexplored. The More Options for Children and Adolescents (MOCHA) study provides some insight into the experiences of young people aged 12-18 who have switched to long-acting cabotegravir / rilpivirine based treatment. It is the first to examine use of long-acting injectable antiretrovirals in virally suppressed adolescents ..read more

A recent study identifies the factors which contribute to the effective delivery of youth-friendly services, so as to achieve better outcomes for adolescents. Globally, around five million adolescents (aged 15-24) are living with HIV. There is consensus that youth-friendly approaches to delivering care do support better health outcomes. However, there are gaps in knowledge about how they work in practice. This analysis explored whether specific mechanisms could influence outcomes ..read more

A symposium at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2024) earlier this month included presentations advocating changes in practice on what might be called opposite ends of the menu of PrEP options now on offer ..read more

Weight gain on antiretroviral treatment is not solely a ‘return to health’ effect, research presented earlier this month at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2024) suggests ..read more

People with HIV aged 65 and older were more likely to be prescribed opioids and be diagnosed with opioid use disorder than HIV-negative older adults in the US, according to data presented by Dr Stephanie Shiau to the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2024) in Denver recently ..read more

How young people feel about long-acting injectable treatment remains largely unexplored. The More Options for Children and Adolescents (MOCHA) study provides some insight into the experiences of young people aged 12-18 who have switched to long-acting cabotegravir / rilpivirine based treatment. It is the first to examine use of long-acting injectable antiretrovirals in virally suppressed adolescents ..read more