GLBT Youth Respond to Increasing HIV Rates

The National Youth Advocacy Coalition responded today to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest report indicating that there are an estimated 40% more people living with HIV in the United States than previously thought. These new figures were gathered by the CDC using improved technology and methodology. The CDC’s report shows the largest population representing new HIV infection were young people aged 29 and under, indicating that existing pubic education efforts surrounding HIV prevention must be updated to be more relevant and effective at reaching youth as well as increased in breadth and depth to reach this demographic.

“The National Youth Advocacy Coalition applauds the CDC for providing the most accurate information on the status of our country’s HIV epidemic, but we are extremely concerned about the implications of these new numbers,” said Greg Varnum, NYAC’s acting executive director. “These latest figures clearly show that Americans aged 29 and under are not adequately or effectively engaged by existing methods of public education around HIV prevention and the importance of HIV testing. In this electronic era of MySpace, Facebook, Sidekicks and text messaging, NYAC will be taking a leading role in delivering public health messages to Gen Y through the technologies they use everyday.”

Read more at nyacyouth.org.

India Makes Progress With AIDS Vaccine

A second Phase I AIDS vaccine clinical trial in India was successfully completed, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the National AIDS Control Organization and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative announced. The results of the trial of an MVA-based AIDS vaccine candidate (TBC-M4), which was conducted in Chennai, indicated that the vaccine candidate had acceptable levels of safety and was well tolerated.

The proportion of volunteers whose immune systems responded to the vaccine candidate suggests the candidate holds promise. The trial was done using two doses of the candidate vaccine. After three injections, 82 percent of the volunteers who received a low dose and 100 percent of those who received a high dose registered immune responses to the vaccine. The 100 percent response rate is greater than that seen with the majority of AIDS vaccine candidates tested in humans to date. However the strength and diversity of these immune responses were modest. It may be possible to boost the immune response, if this vaccine is used in combination with other candidate AIDS vaccines.

Get the full report from iavi.org.

Gay Men Hardest Hit By Global HIV Epidemic

Gay and bisexual men have always been at the center of the HIV/AIDS crisis in America, but the global epidemic is typically framed as most affecting heterosexuals in developing nations. Data unveiled last week at the 17th International AIDS Conference show that around the world, men who have sex with men, like their U.S. counterparts, are the group hardest hit by the deadly disease.

“One thing that was clear is that men who have sex with men in every country that it has been studied in are 10 to 30 times more likely to have HIV than the general male population,” said Walt Senterfitt, an AIDS activist with the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project.

Read the whole story at washintonblade.com, or you can read more about HIV here at gayagenda.com.

HIV & Homophobia Work Against Each Other

Less than 1% of HIV/AIDS prevention spending targets gay and bisexual men worldwide.

Research by UNAIDS from 2006, the most recent data available, shows that only a tiny fraction of the $669 million (£352 million) spent globally on prevention services is aimed at men who have sex with men.

Craig McClure, executive director of International AIDS Society, said: “It’s very difficult to provide services to men who have sex with men in countries that don’t acknowledge they exist or criminalize them if they do exist,” according to Advocate.com.

The figures have alarmed experts, particularly due to the fact that, globally, rates of HIV infection amongst gay and bisexual men are rising at a greater rate than amongst the general population.

Read more at pinknews.co.uk.

AIDS Activist Resort to Novelties to Attract At Risk

Could the AIDS virus be stopped with gift cards?

Desperate for a way to stop the escalating spread of HIV among young gay men, public health officials are looking to novel strategies, such as enlisting local gay opinion leaders to urge their peers to practice safe sex.

Promising signs from such a project in North Carolina led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to begin rolling it out on a broader scale, to more than 200 community organizations. The budget is $1.5 million over a two-year period.

The idea is to give gift coupons to popular, influential men in the gay community and encourage them to talk up condom use, regular HIV testing and other responsible actions.

It may sound frivolous, but little else has proven effective for the men most affected by the epidemic.

Read more at blogs.healthcare.com.

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