A cross-section of articles we've read this week about HIV/AIDS, STIs and a wide cross-section of structural and systemic factors impacting HIV/AIDS in Black communities.
Risk of HIV Infection High During Pregnancy, the Postpartum Period
Women living in world regions where HIV infection is common are at high risk of acquiring HIV infection during pregnancy and the postpartum period, according to a study by US researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine. Alison Drake and colleagues from the University of Washington in Seattle also found that mothers who acquire HIV during pregnancy or postpartum are more likely to pass the infection on to their offspring than mothers with chronic HIV infections.
Science
Marijuana May Protect the Immune System Against HIV and Slow Disease Progression
New evidence that chronic intake of THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, can protect critical immune tissue in the gut from the damaging effects of HIV infection is reported in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses website.
Miscellaneous
AIDS Mortality Decreased in Heterosexuals by Reducing HIV Transmission among Drug Injectors
Although community network studies show that sexual relationships occur between members of "risk groups" -- men who have sex with other men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID), non-injection drug users (NIDU) -- and heterosexuals, researchers at New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) note that little research has been done to help explain how HIV epidemics and programs in one population affect others
Building Better Barriers
Donte Smith likes pretty much everything about the female condom-except its name. "It's a little annoying," the 27-year-old Chicagoan, a self-described queer man of color, says of the condom's moniker. "It's more of a receptive condom. The gender of the person doesn't have to be female." Calling it the female condom "really turns people off," says Smith, an outreach worker at a community center for LGBT youth.
HIV, Black Men & The New Prison Pipeline
This month (February 7th) marked the sixteenth annual observance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). HIV/AIDS, once considered a "gay white man" disease, is still consistently on the rise in black American communities across the US. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports "of all racial/ethnic groups in the US, blacks have the highest HIV burden and higher proportions of new infections and deaths." Although improvements in HIV treatment over the last 30 years have transformed HIV/AIDS from a death sentence to a manageable, chronic condition, a troubling trend is emerging: HIV criminalization.
Jason Collins Has "Reframed the Conversation" Around Sports, Blacks and Homophobia
Rod McCullom takes a look at the reaction to the veteran player's announcement.
Louisiana HIV/AIDS Patients Get Temporary Relief on Insurance Coverage
People living with HIV and AIDS in Louisiana will be able to use a federal grant to help them pay for their health care coverage, at least for four more weeks.
Private Alternative to Medicaid Expansion Faces Crucial Vote in Arkansas
In Arkansas, an alternative to the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion uses federal dollars to purchase private health plans for low-income residents who fall in a coverage gap. But now, as other states consider following suit, the Arkansas law, known as the "private option," could end unless it is renewed by state lawmakers. Hari Sreenivasan reports.
Progress Against Hepatitis C, a Sneaky Virus
Forty years ago, a beloved neighbor was bedridden for weeks at a time with a mysterious ailment. She knew only that it involved her liver, and that she must never drink alcohol, which would make things worse.
Study Shows HIV Program Success
An NYU Center for Drug Use and HIV Research study released on Feb. 21 said programs such as drug counseling, needle exchanges and rehab have a higher effect on the reduction of HIV transmission and death of heterosexuals as opposed to any other solution.
Uganda Gays Face Life in Jail Under Tough New Law
Defying U.S. warnings, Ugandan President Yoweir Museveni signed a tough new anti-gay bill that toughens already strict legislation against homosexuals on Monday.
"You've Got This" Helps Those Newly Diagnosed with HIV
A website is working to help give people newly diagnosed with HIV a message of hope for their future. Healthline's website "You've Got This" allows people living with HIV/AIDS to upload short videos that will give hope to the more than 2 million people recently diagnosed with HIV.
