This week, we’re catching up on the latest news from the 2014 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), including the announcement that a second baby may be functionally cured of HIV.
EGPAF – “Latest Breakthrough Brings Fresh Hope for An AIDS-Free Future” – Dr. Jeffrey Safrit, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s (EGPAF) director of clinical and basic research, discusses new findings that a second infant may have been functionally cured of HIV and what this means for the effort to end pediatric AIDS worldwide.
JIAS – “High HIV incidence in the postpartum period sustains vertical transmission” – Acute infection with HIV in the postpartum period results in high risk of vertical transmission through breastfeeding. A study was done to determine the HIV incidence rate and associated risk factors among postpartum women in Southern Mozambique.
The New York Times – “Early Treatment is Found to Clear HIV in a 2nd Baby” -- Health columnist Donald McNeil analyzes the implications early and aggressive antiretroviral intervention will have on the pediatric HIV landscape and the bid to find a cure.
EGPAF – “HIV 101: Tracing the Genesis AIDS” -- In the latest installment of our HIV 101 series, we’re sharing a captivating audio story from our friends at Radiolab that attempts to track down “patient zero” and the origins of the AIDS epidemic.
AllAfrica.com – “South Africa: Cabinet Welcomes Discovery of Potent HIV Antibodies” – This week, the Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) announced the discovery of potent new HIV antibodies that could potentially neutralize and kill multiple strains of HIV. The research was presented at CROI.
ScienceSpeaksBlog – “Building a health workforce to achieve an AIDS-Free Generation” – As the Senate Foreign Relations Committee takes up the nomination of Deborah Birx, M.D., Mandy Folse, director of the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, discusses how a shortage of health workers could become a barrier to implementing global HIV/AIDS policies.
