hivandhepatitis.com

Study Suggests Why Adult Circumcision Helps Prevent HIV Infection

Removal of the foreskin reduces the presence of anaerobic bacteria, which enables the immune system maintain control of sexually transmitted pathogens such as HIV, according to a study from Uganda reported in the April 16, 2013, edition of the open-access online journal mBio, published by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).

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CROI 2013: Consistent Condom Use Stops 70% of HIV Infections, Says CDC

An analysis by Dawn Smith of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported at the 20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2013) last week in Atlanta has provided the first estimate of the efficacy of condoms in preventing HIV transmission during anal sex since 1989. It found that condoms stop 7 out of 10 anal transmissions -- the same efficacy found by the 1989 study.

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New Advocacy Group Wants to Improve Feasibility of PrEP for U.S. Women

Following disappointing results from the VOICE trial released at the recent 20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Atlanta, a new U.S. Women and PrEP Working Group has called on the federal government to help American women use antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) safely and effectively. But the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) responded by urging the Food and Drug Administration to rescind its approval of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) for HIV prevention.

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CROI 2013: Does Hormonal Contraception Raise the Risk of HIV Infection? [VIDEO]

Use of hormonal contraception such as Depo-Provera does not appear to increase the likelihood of women becoming infected with HIV, nor was it associated with greater HIV shedding among women on antiretroviral therapy (ART), which could increase transmission risk, according to 2 studies presented at the 20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2013) last week in Atlanta.

Some prior research has suggested that use of hormonal contraceptives like the injectable depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA or Dep-Provera) may be associated with increased risk of HIV acquisition or transmission, but data have been inconclusive and some studies looked at untreated people rather than those on ART.

Angela Crook from the MRC Clinical Trials Unit in London evaluated the association between hormonal contraception use and risk of HIV among women participating in a large Microbicides Development Programme trial.

Summer Day from the University of Washington in Seattle looked at the converse question: whether using hormonal contraception makes it more likely that HIV positive women on ART will transmit the virus to their sexual partners.

Both studies found that the answer appears to be no. Neither found a link between hormonal contraceptive use and HIV acquisition or transmission, respectively. According to Day, these findings do not support efforts to restrict women with HIV from using hormonal methods, but rather suggest an additional potential benefit of early ART.

[Angela Crook and Summer Day speak at CROI HIV prevention press conference, Atlanta, March 5, 2013]

3/11/13

Reference

A Crook, H Rees, G Ramjee, et al. Hormonal Contraception and Risk of HIV: An Analysis of Data from the Microbicides Development Programme Trial. 20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Atlanta, March 3-6, 2013. Abstract 28.

S Day, S Graham, L Masese, et al. Is Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Likely to Increase Infectivity in HIV-1⁺ Women Receiving ART? 20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Atlanta, March 3-6, 2013. Abstract 29.