"As the U.S. Wrests Greater Control Over HIV, What's the Key to Success?"
(POZ, April 2017)
Things are looking up in the U.S. HIV epidemic, with a likely increasing proportion of those living with HIV on treatment and virally suppressed. Going forward, addressing disparities, especially racial ones, is vital for further progress.
(POZ, April 2017)
Things are looking up in the U.S. HIV epidemic, with a likely increasing proportion of those living with HIV on treatment and virally suppressed. Going forward, addressing disparities, especially racial ones, is vital for further progress.
In March 2017, I was a guest on National Public Radio's 1A program to discuss Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV along with the NIAID's Anthony Fauci, the National Minority AIDS Council's Matthew Rose and author Evan J. Peterson.
"PrEP Fails in a Third Man, but This Time HIV Drug Resistance Is Not to Blame."
(POZ, February 2017)
A Dutch man has contracted a non-drug-resistant strain of HIV while, according to numerous sources of evidence, adhering well to the daily regimen of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). His case has puzzled experts because the only two cases of PrEP failure documented thus far, both reported within the past year, involved rare drug-resistant strains of the virus that apparently evaded the two drugs in Truvada.
(POZ, February 2017)
A Dutch man has contracted a non-drug-resistant strain of HIV while, according to numerous sources of evidence, adhering well to the daily regimen of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). His case has puzzled experts because the only two cases of PrEP failure documented thus far, both reported within the past year, involved rare drug-resistant strains of the virus that apparently evaded the two drugs in Truvada.
"PrEP: A Dream Deferred."
(POZ, January 2017)
Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is failing the demographic that needs it most, black men who have sex with men (MSM). Meanwhile, Truvada’s increasing popularity as HIV prevention among white MSM means PrEP is apparently on a path to widen already tragic racial disparities in infection rates among MSM.
Are those who launched PrEP to blame for failing to anticipate its anemic uptake among black MSM?
(POZ, January 2017)
Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is failing the demographic that needs it most, black men who have sex with men (MSM). Meanwhile, Truvada’s increasing popularity as HIV prevention among white MSM means PrEP is apparently on a path to widen already tragic racial disparities in infection rates among MSM.
Are those who launched PrEP to blame for failing to anticipate its anemic uptake among black MSM?
"Syringe Services Programs Face an Uncertain Future in the Trump Era."
(POZ, January 2017)
As Donald Trump’s inauguration fast approaches, advocates for harm reduction programs that support injection drug users (IDUs) are waiting—some are fearful; others are cautiously optimistic—for signs of how the billionaire businessman’s presidential administration may impact the future of such efforts.
(POZ, January 2017)
As Donald Trump’s inauguration fast approaches, advocates for harm reduction programs that support injection drug users (IDUs) are waiting—some are fearful; others are cautiously optimistic—for signs of how the billionaire businessman’s presidential administration may impact the future of such efforts.
"Racism Got You Stressed? That May Be Holding Kids Back at School, Too."
(The Nation, Oct. 2016)
Research suggests the stress all of today's widespread racial conflict generates may itself do lasting damage to the next generation of people of color in the United States. According to a new paper out of Northwestern University, race-based stress kick-starts psychological and biological changes among black and Latino children that compromise their school performance and ultimately widen school achievement disparities between races.
(The Nation, Oct. 2016)
Research suggests the stress all of today's widespread racial conflict generates may itself do lasting damage to the next generation of people of color in the United States. According to a new paper out of Northwestern University, race-based stress kick-starts psychological and biological changes among black and Latino children that compromise their school performance and ultimately widen school achievement disparities between races.
"Decision 2016: The Politics of a Pandemic."
(POZ, Sept. 2016) National, state and local races will affect HIV prevention, care and treatment—both at home and abroad.
“Everyone pays attention to national elections or top-of-the-ticket elections,” says Greg Harris, an HIV-positive Illinois state legislator. “But for people with HIV, the real decisions that impact their lives, including housing, funding, supportive services—whether it’s mental health treatment or substance abuse—are all made at the local level.”
(POZ, Sept. 2016) National, state and local races will affect HIV prevention, care and treatment—both at home and abroad.
“Everyone pays attention to national elections or top-of-the-ticket elections,” says Greg Harris, an HIV-positive Illinois state legislator. “But for people with HIV, the real decisions that impact their lives, including housing, funding, supportive services—whether it’s mental health treatment or substance abuse—are all made at the local level.”
August 2016: My article for POZ, "When Can We Expect PrEP 2.0?" (Dec. 2015) won a silver medal in health and fitness reporting from NJLGA, the Association of LGBT Journalists. The article asks what the future holds for new forms of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV, including long-acting injectables, less toxic drugs, even a subdermal implant that can deliver contin-uous drug for months.
"Antiretrovirals: A Success Story." (POZ, June 2016)
Celebrating 20 years of effective HIV treatment
In July 1996, infectious disease experts gathered in Vancouver for the 11th International AIDS Conf-erence. These gatherings had become bleak affairs in recent years, as data painted in stark relief the fact that the handful of drugs approved since AZT in 1987 had proved a feeble line of defense against HIV. But data had recently begun to surface suggesting that emerging drugs might allow clinicians the means to finally send the virus into retreat.
Celebrating 20 years of effective HIV treatment
In July 1996, infectious disease experts gathered in Vancouver for the 11th International AIDS Conf-erence. These gatherings had become bleak affairs in recent years, as data painted in stark relief the fact that the handful of drugs approved since AZT in 1987 had proved a feeble line of defense against HIV. But data had recently begun to surface suggesting that emerging drugs might allow clinicians the means to finally send the virus into retreat.
"A Tale of Two Cities." (POZ, May 2016)
New York City and San Francisco want to end their HIV epidemics.
San Francisco recently launched a multipronged HIV-fighting campaign called “Getting to Zero,” in which the members of local academia, the public health department and community-based organizations, as well as government officials and health care providers, are working in lockstep. Meanwhile, the major players in New York’s epidemic have formed a similar alliance.
New York City and San Francisco want to end their HIV epidemics.
San Francisco recently launched a multipronged HIV-fighting campaign called “Getting to Zero,” in which the members of local academia, the public health department and community-based organizations, as well as government officials and health care providers, are working in lockstep. Meanwhile, the major players in New York’s epidemic have formed a similar alliance.
"Is Charlie Sheen Pining After the Wrong Clinical Trial of Long-Acting HIV Meds?"(POZ, March 2016)
During his February appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, Charlie Sheen said his profound dislike of adhering to a daily HIV regimen had piqued his interest in participating in a clinical trial of an investigational treatment called PRO 140, which is a weekly self-injectable monoclonal antibody against the virus. But would he be better off joining a trial of a longer-acting treatment, one dosed only every eight weeks?
During his February appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, Charlie Sheen said his profound dislike of adhering to a daily HIV regimen had piqued his interest in participating in a clinical trial of an investigational treatment called PRO 140, which is a weekly self-injectable monoclonal antibody against the virus. But would he be better off joining a trial of a longer-acting treatment, one dosed only every eight weeks?
"PrEP Fails in Gay Man Adhering to Daily Truvada,
He Contracts Drug-Resistant HIV."
(POZ, February 2016)
Researchers have for the first time documented a case of an individual contracting HIV, a multi-drug resistant strain, while apparently adhering well to the daily regimen of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The scientists concluded that it is indeed possible for individuals who are adherent to PrEP to contract HIV when they are exposed to a virus that is resistant to both drugs included in Truvada. While this case is concerning, experts in the PrEP field suggest that such failures of PrEP will likely remain rare.
He Contracts Drug-Resistant HIV."
(POZ, February 2016)
Researchers have for the first time documented a case of an individual contracting HIV, a multi-drug resistant strain, while apparently adhering well to the daily regimen of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The scientists concluded that it is indeed possible for individuals who are adherent to PrEP to contract HIV when they are exposed to a virus that is resistant to both drugs included in Truvada. While this case is concerning, experts in the PrEP field suggest that such failures of PrEP will likely remain rare.
"Sorry, Pollyanna, Happiness Doesn't Make You Live Longer."
(Second Nexus, Feb. 2016)
If you pay attention to the preachings of self-help gurus and panacea-promising magazine articles, you might think that a sunny disposition is the key to a long life. But a study published in the Lancet in December casts serious doubt on this received wisdom, finding that, while happiness may influence healthy behaviors, it has no apparent direct effect on the risk of death.
(Second Nexus, Feb. 2016)
If you pay attention to the preachings of self-help gurus and panacea-promising magazine articles, you might think that a sunny disposition is the key to a long life. But a study published in the Lancet in December casts serious doubt on this received wisdom, finding that, while happiness may influence healthy behaviors, it has no apparent direct effect on the risk of death.
"Eyewitness Testimony Is Unreliable… Or Is It?"
(The Marshall Project, Oct. 2015) A new study of the data says it depends on timing.
The question of how confident witnesses are when they first identify a subject in a lineup might seem like a minor detail. But it’s at the center of a vigorous debate among eyewitness memory experts. The outcome of this debate could have important ramifications for the criminal justice system, and could add an important layer of nuance to the critiques of eyewitness testimony.
(The Marshall Project, Oct. 2015) A new study of the data says it depends on timing.
The question of how confident witnesses are when they first identify a subject in a lineup might seem like a minor detail. But it’s at the center of a vigorous debate among eyewitness memory experts. The outcome of this debate could have important ramifications for the criminal justice system, and could add an important layer of nuance to the critiques of eyewitness testimony.
"It's Science: Raising the Minimum Wage Would Make America a Happier Place." (The Nation, Oct. 2015)
“There’s this idea that our society is premised on the pursuit of happiness,” says Laura Smith, a psychologist at Columbia University’s Teachers College. That premise, she reasons, is tied to the implicit American social contract, “which is that a hard day’s work is going to be the pathway to full enfranchised citizenship. And when full-time contributors to the necessary fabric of society can’t earn enough to lift their families out of poverty, our tacit social contract is compromised.”
“There’s this idea that our society is premised on the pursuit of happiness,” says Laura Smith, a psychologist at Columbia University’s Teachers College. That premise, she reasons, is tied to the implicit American social contract, “which is that a hard day’s work is going to be the pathway to full enfranchised citizenship. And when full-time contributors to the necessary fabric of society can’t earn enough to lift their families out of poverty, our tacit social contract is compromised.”
"The Cure For HIV Is Not Around the Corner." (POZ, Oct. 2015) Cutting through the hope and the hyperbole.
Erroneous media reports aren't the only cause of the public's misperception that a cure for HIV is "within reach." Even non-profit leaders such as amfAR and Bill Gates have contributed, willfully or not, to this gross distortion of the truth. This article seeks to set the record straight and give readers and accurate sense of where we are in the quest for a cure.
Erroneous media reports aren't the only cause of the public's misperception that a cure for HIV is "within reach." Even non-profit leaders such as amfAR and Bill Gates have contributed, willfully or not, to this gross distortion of the truth. This article seeks to set the record straight and give readers and accurate sense of where we are in the quest for a cure.
Sept. 2015: For my coverage of Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV, I received the Excellence in HIV/AIDS Coverage Award from NJLGA, the Association of LGBT Journalists, as well as a bronze award for health information reporting from the National Health Information Awards. The article, "PrEP and Prejudice", which appeared in POZ magainze's Oct/Nov 2014 issue, examines the science surrounding the new HIV prevention method (taking a pill each day reduces risk by over 99 percent) while asking tough questions about whether PrEP will ultimately reduce HIV incidence among gay and bisexual men.
Michelangelo Signorile interviewed me for his SiriusXM satellite radio show, The Gist, on Sept. 4, 2015.
We spoke about the new scientific paper about the group of more than 650 men who have sex with men who have been receiving Truvada as PrEP (to prevent HIV) from a San Francisco clinic. During the average seven months that the members of the group have been on PrEP, there have been no new HIV infections among them. Half of the men have contracted at least one sexually transmitted infection during their first year, or partial year, on Truvada, which indicates that the group as a whole is engaging in high risk sex. It seems that PrEP is doing its job, and that the men have likely been adherent to the daily regimen. However, there are concerns that many of the men may have begun using condoms less frequently as a result of starting PrEP.
We spoke about the new scientific paper about the group of more than 650 men who have sex with men who have been receiving Truvada as PrEP (to prevent HIV) from a San Francisco clinic. During the average seven months that the members of the group have been on PrEP, there have been no new HIV infections among them. Half of the men have contracted at least one sexually transmitted infection during their first year, or partial year, on Truvada, which indicates that the group as a whole is engaging in high risk sex. It seems that PrEP is doing its job, and that the men have likely been adherent to the daily regimen. However, there are concerns that many of the men may have begun using condoms less frequently as a result of starting PrEP.
"What 311 Calls Can Tell Us About Gentrification."
(New York magazine, August 2015)
A fascinating sociological study out of NYU found that New York City complaints about neighbors tend to spike at the "fuzzy," ill-defined boundaries between segregated neighborhoods. New York, which is one of the most racially diverse cities in the country and also one of the most starkly segregated, is quite the crucible, with a long history of such racial tension.
“Fact-Checking AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Latest Anti-PrEP Screed.” (POZ, July 2015) An audit revealed a laundry list of errors, if not flat-out lies about Truvada's use as HIV prevention. AHF eventually issued a strident rebuttal to the POZ fact check.
Just in time for gay pride, AIDS Healthcare Foundation published an ad criticizing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in various gay publications around the country. The ad, ironically entitled “The War Against Prevention,” is nothing short of a scurrilous attack on Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as HIV prevention and on gay men’s right to protect themselves against HIV. The missive uses crafty manipulations, and select omissions, of the science behind PrEP to push the agenda of AHF’s notoriously anti-PrEP president, Michael Weinstein.
Just in time for gay pride, AIDS Healthcare Foundation published an ad criticizing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in various gay publications around the country. The ad, ironically entitled “The War Against Prevention,” is nothing short of a scurrilous attack on Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as HIV prevention and on gay men’s right to protect themselves against HIV. The missive uses crafty manipulations, and select omissions, of the science behind PrEP to push the agenda of AHF’s notoriously anti-PrEP president, Michael Weinstein.
“Is It Time for the End of ‘AIDS’?” (POZ, July 2015) Two decades into the antiretroviral era, the often misused term 'AIDS' has an awkward place in the dialogue about the HIV epidemic.
Mixed messaging resulting from the use of "end AIDS" slogans, which depend on narrowly focused verbiage, speaks to decades of confusion resulting from the existence of two terms to define the epidemic, HIV and AIDS. And as the battle against the virus and syndrome alike moves into a new front, the time is ripe to ask whether, at least in certain contexts, the term “AIDS” should be pushed increasingly into the wings so that center stage can instead feature “HIV” and the more broad term “HIV disease,” which has come into vogue among many clinicians and researchers.
Mixed messaging resulting from the use of "end AIDS" slogans, which depend on narrowly focused verbiage, speaks to decades of confusion resulting from the existence of two terms to define the epidemic, HIV and AIDS. And as the battle against the virus and syndrome alike moves into a new front, the time is ripe to ask whether, at least in certain contexts, the term “AIDS” should be pushed increasingly into the wings so that center stage can instead feature “HIV” and the more broad term “HIV disease,” which has come into vogue among many clinicians and researchers.
“The Audacity of New York's Hope to End AIDS” (POZ, May 2015) Can the Empire State end its epidemic by the decade's end? And what exactly would it mean to do so?
While the national estimated HIV infection rate remains constant, New York State’s HIV incidence has apparently fallen by 40 percent during the past decade. To meet the new end-AIDS target, the state essentially needs to double the overall rate of decline of its HIV incidence. Doing so will require, in particular, tackling head-on the essentially un-changing HIV transmission rate among New York’s men who have sex with men, and the rising rate among MSM ages 13 to 29. While anecdotal evidence suggests that PrEP’s use is surging among gay New Yorkers, it remains to be seen whether a critical mass of Truvada can be effectively targeted to those who are at the highest risk, in particular young black MSM.
While the national estimated HIV infection rate remains constant, New York State’s HIV incidence has apparently fallen by 40 percent during the past decade. To meet the new end-AIDS target, the state essentially needs to double the overall rate of decline of its HIV incidence. Doing so will require, in particular, tackling head-on the essentially un-changing HIV transmission rate among New York’s men who have sex with men, and the rising rate among MSM ages 13 to 29. While anecdotal evidence suggests that PrEP’s use is surging among gay New Yorkers, it remains to be seen whether a critical mass of Truvada can be effectively targeted to those who are at the highest risk, in particular young black MSM.
“PrEP Is Ready for Primetime.” (POZ, March 2015)
New research underscores Truvada's great potential for preventing HIV among gay and bisexual men.
The use of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among gay and bisexual men has entered a new, particularly exciting phase. Gone is the silence surrounding this daily-pill HIV prevention method, whose July 2012 approval inspired barely a whisper from the press or among everyday people—that is, until over a year later. Media coverage has now largely progressed from a subsequent period of head scratching over the Great Mystery: Why is no one using PrEP? Similarly falling away are scientists’ questions as to whether widespread Truvada uptake will slow, and actually send into retreat, the expanding rates of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM). And a chorus of advocates is clamoring for efforts to target the powder-blue pills where they’ll do the most good.
New research underscores Truvada's great potential for preventing HIV among gay and bisexual men.
The use of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among gay and bisexual men has entered a new, particularly exciting phase. Gone is the silence surrounding this daily-pill HIV prevention method, whose July 2012 approval inspired barely a whisper from the press or among everyday people—that is, until over a year later. Media coverage has now largely progressed from a subsequent period of head scratching over the Great Mystery: Why is no one using PrEP? Similarly falling away are scientists’ questions as to whether widespread Truvada uptake will slow, and actually send into retreat, the expanding rates of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM). And a chorus of advocates is clamoring for efforts to target the powder-blue pills where they’ll do the most good.
“Propecia Side Effects. What You Don't Know About Propecia (Because They Don't Know Either)." (AskMen.com, March 2015)
Even though the balding wonder drug Propecia was approved back in 1997 and has been prescribed to millions of follicle-challenged guys since then, scientists still don’t have a firm handle on how safe it is.
That’s the conclusion of a group of researchers who reviewed all the published reports on clinical trials about the use of Propecia’s generic equivalent, finasteride, to treat male pattern baldness.
Even though the balding wonder drug Propecia was approved back in 1997 and has been prescribed to millions of follicle-challenged guys since then, scientists still don’t have a firm handle on how safe it is.
That’s the conclusion of a group of researchers who reviewed all the published reports on clinical trials about the use of Propecia’s generic equivalent, finasteride, to treat male pattern baldness.
“Pushing His Luck.” (Hep magazine, spring 2015) How one man finally hit the jackpot of a hepatitis C-free life.
Jack Berlin doesn’t want you to think he’s anything special. He may be a successful businessman, but he’s no smarter than anyone else. He’s just a responsible, pay-it-forward kind of guy who’s been very lucky: fortunate to have found a profession that taps his passions and propels him to work hard; blessed with a rich family life.
Oh, and he kicked hepatitis C in the butt.
Jack Berlin doesn’t want you to think he’s anything special. He may be a successful businessman, but he’s no smarter than anyone else. He’s just a responsible, pay-it-forward kind of guy who’s been very lucky: fortunate to have found a profession that taps his passions and propels him to work hard; blessed with a rich family life.
Oh, and he kicked hepatitis C in the butt.
“It Really Might ‘Get Better’ for LGBT Teens.”
(The Atlantic, February 2015) A new study lends support to the idea that bullying and depression decrease over time.
In September 2010—spurred by a slew of media reports about LGBT young people committing suicide—sex columnist and gay-rights activist Dan Savage posted a YouTube video with his husband, Terry Miller, directly addressing LGBT teens struggling with bullying. “It gets better,” the couple promised, pointing to their own lives as inspiration.
The mantra soon morphed into its own campaign. Five years later, the roughly 60,000 “It Gets Better” videos have generated an estimated 60 million YouTube views, and Savage has turned the It Gets Better Project into a non-profit organization to support LGBT youth.
Most recently, a study out of Northwestern University has lent more support to Savage’s promise, showing empirically that life really may improve significantly for many LGBT youths in the U.S. as they grow into young adulthood.
(The Atlantic, February 2015) A new study lends support to the idea that bullying and depression decrease over time.
In September 2010—spurred by a slew of media reports about LGBT young people committing suicide—sex columnist and gay-rights activist Dan Savage posted a YouTube video with his husband, Terry Miller, directly addressing LGBT teens struggling with bullying. “It gets better,” the couple promised, pointing to their own lives as inspiration.
The mantra soon morphed into its own campaign. Five years later, the roughly 60,000 “It Gets Better” videos have generated an estimated 60 million YouTube views, and Savage has turned the It Gets Better Project into a non-profit organization to support LGBT youth.
Most recently, a study out of Northwestern University has lent more support to Savage’s promise, showing empirically that life really may improve significantly for many LGBT youths in the U.S. as they grow into young adulthood.
“Selling the End of AIDS.” (POZ, Oct. 2014) As slogans anticipating an end to the AIDS epidemic gain favor, skeptics worry that such promises are unrealistically ambitious and will backfire.
Campaigns to end the epidemic were on the upswing in the late aughts. By November 2011, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a speech announcing a new push for an “AIDS-free generation,” which has remained the corner-stone of the Obama administration’s global AIDS strategy. On December 1, 2011, World AIDS Day, both President Barack Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also made calls for an end to AIDS.
The lingo trickled down. Adopting such language in their public relations strategies were groups such as amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, which frequently speaks of an eventual end to AIDS in its fundraising pitches.
Campaigns to end the epidemic were on the upswing in the late aughts. By November 2011, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a speech announcing a new push for an “AIDS-free generation,” which has remained the corner-stone of the Obama administration’s global AIDS strategy. On December 1, 2011, World AIDS Day, both President Barack Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also made calls for an end to AIDS.
The lingo trickled down. Adopting such language in their public relations strategies were groups such as amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, which frequently speaks of an eventual end to AIDS in its fundraising pitches.
“The Normal Heart: From Stage to Screen.”
(POZ, May 2014) After starring in the Broadway pro-duction of Larry Kramer’s play about the dawning of the AIDS crisis, Joe Mantello joined the cast of the upcoming HBO version as well.
Joe Mantello made his Broadway debut as an actor in 1993, creating the role of Louis in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, a play that shares the mantle with Kramer’s as one of the two most important theatrical explorations of AIDS. Mantello then put acting aside for a vastly successful directing career that includes the Broadway juggernaut Wicked as well as Tony Awards for Take Me Out and Assassins. Returning to the stage in 2011, he delivered a devastating performance as Ned Weeks in the critically acclaimed Broadway production of The Normal Heart.
(POZ, May 2014) After starring in the Broadway pro-duction of Larry Kramer’s play about the dawning of the AIDS crisis, Joe Mantello joined the cast of the upcoming HBO version as well.
Joe Mantello made his Broadway debut as an actor in 1993, creating the role of Louis in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, a play that shares the mantle with Kramer’s as one of the two most important theatrical explorations of AIDS. Mantello then put acting aside for a vastly successful directing career that includes the Broadway juggernaut Wicked as well as Tony Awards for Take Me Out and Assassins. Returning to the stage in 2011, he delivered a devastating performance as Ned Weeks in the critically acclaimed Broadway production of The Normal Heart.
“Coinfected With HIV and Hep C? Time To Party Like It’s 1996.” (Hep magazine, March 2014) The doors are swinging wide open for those coinfected with HIV to be cured of hep C.
If you think that having HIV means you can’t be cured of a coinfection with hepatitis C, then think again. If you think the only way to rid yourself of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and to spare your liver of its damaging consequences is to undergo a year of interferon treatment, suffering from the drug’s miserable flu-like side effects, there is good news for you.
The hep C revolution is upon us. Echoing the 1996 introduction of HIV antiretroviral cocktails, 2014 is all but certain to go down in history as HCV’s watershed year (give or take a few months on either end).
If you think that having HIV means you can’t be cured of a coinfection with hepatitis C, then think again. If you think the only way to rid yourself of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and to spare your liver of its damaging consequences is to undergo a year of interferon treatment, suffering from the drug’s miserable flu-like side effects, there is good news for you.
The hep C revolution is upon us. Echoing the 1996 introduction of HIV antiretroviral cocktails, 2014 is all but certain to go down in history as HCV’s watershed year (give or take a few months on either end).
In this image, captured by an electron microscope, HIV (orange) is budding off this CD4 T immune cells (green).
“How HIV Instigates Cellular Suicide to Cause AIDS.” (POZ, January 2014) A scientific break-through sheds major light on a mystery that has perplexed scientists across the decades of the AIDS epidemic.
Researchers have struggled to assemble the clues as to how the immune systems of people with AIDS are so devastatingly brought to heel. It has been a long and winding path toward under-standing the precise cellular mechanisms con-necting HIV to AIDS. Now, one team of scientists has made a significant break in the case, clarifying the step-by-step process by which the virus causes the syndrome and challenging previous theories about how CD4 cells faced with the virus die off en masse.
Researchers have struggled to assemble the clues as to how the immune systems of people with AIDS are so devastatingly brought to heel. It has been a long and winding path toward under-standing the precise cellular mechanisms con-necting HIV to AIDS. Now, one team of scientists has made a significant break in the case, clarifying the step-by-step process by which the virus causes the syndrome and challenging previous theories about how CD4 cells faced with the virus die off en masse.
“PEPFAR Turns 10: Success at a Crossroads.” (POZ, Dec. 2013) History’s largest international response to a disease hits a major milestone, with cause for celebration and concern.
They said it could never be done.
At the dawn of the 21st century, Africa, the birthplace of humanity, was ravaged by an unchecked plague. Vast swaths of the population were threatened with extinction. Only 50,000 people in the sub-Saharan region of the continent were receiving the antiretroviral (ARV) treatment that had sent Westerners with AIDS to rise out of their hospital beds like Lazarus and return to robust health. A staggering 17 million sub-Saharans had already died in the pandemic, and 25 million more were living with the virus.
They said it could never be done.
At the dawn of the 21st century, Africa, the birthplace of humanity, was ravaged by an unchecked plague. Vast swaths of the population were threatened with extinction. Only 50,000 people in the sub-Saharan region of the continent were receiving the antiretroviral (ARV) treatment that had sent Westerners with AIDS to rise out of their hospital beds like Lazarus and return to robust health. A staggering 17 million sub-Saharans had already died in the pandemic, and 25 million more were living with the virus.
“A Cater-Waiter to the Elite.” (The New York Times, October 2013) A life replete with promise, delayed by dehumanizing servitude.
Once there was an intrepid young man who, freshly draped with the lush greenery of an Ivy League degree, saw the world at his feet. Those feet soon became callused and blistered, however, by the demands of an interminable sentence of hard cater-waiting (just punishment for his majoring in English).
This most-likely-to-succeed, ever-aging dreamer fell in line with a stream of anonymous drones dressed in slop-stained polyester tuxedos, ladling out untouchably rich food French-service-style to the very brand of socialite from whose loins he had himself sprung as a wide-eyed child of privilege a distant generation before.
Once there was an intrepid young man who, freshly draped with the lush greenery of an Ivy League degree, saw the world at his feet. Those feet soon became callused and blistered, however, by the demands of an interminable sentence of hard cater-waiting (just punishment for his majoring in English).
This most-likely-to-succeed, ever-aging dreamer fell in line with a stream of anonymous drones dressed in slop-stained polyester tuxedos, ladling out untouchably rich food French-service-style to the very brand of socialite from whose loins he had himself sprung as a wide-eyed child of privilege a distant generation before.
“Too Close for Comfort.” (Out, Nov. 2013) Why serial monogamy isn't so safe. Most HIV transmissions among gay men happen within stable sexual part-nerships, not flings.
Todd Murray, 32, who works in marketing in Portland, Ore., and who was infected with the virus by a boyfriend when he was 19, recalls his own self-induced blindness: “I kind of had this fake, made-up safety net: that because I was monogamous and because I was the white-picket-fence type of guy, those conditions and that type of mentality would in turn not put me at risk.”
While some might be quick to point the finger at poz guys, engaging in the age-old, unhelpful, and ultimately destructive practice of stigmatizing them, ignorance is likely enemy No. 1. The fact is that a third of HIV-positive gay and bi guys don’t even know they’re infected.
Another major problem lies in a paradox: Trust in a guy can backfire by creating a false sense of security when gays over-rely on that warm, fuzzy emotion as a proxy for more proactive measures of protection. Research has shown that gay and bi guys who have greater trust in their partners are less likely to use condoms or to have been tested for HIV while in a relationship.
Todd Murray, 32, who works in marketing in Portland, Ore., and who was infected with the virus by a boyfriend when he was 19, recalls his own self-induced blindness: “I kind of had this fake, made-up safety net: that because I was monogamous and because I was the white-picket-fence type of guy, those conditions and that type of mentality would in turn not put me at risk.”
While some might be quick to point the finger at poz guys, engaging in the age-old, unhelpful, and ultimately destructive practice of stigmatizing them, ignorance is likely enemy No. 1. The fact is that a third of HIV-positive gay and bi guys don’t even know they’re infected.
Another major problem lies in a paradox: Trust in a guy can backfire by creating a false sense of security when gays over-rely on that warm, fuzzy emotion as a proxy for more proactive measures of protection. Research has shown that gay and bi guys who have greater trust in their partners are less likely to use condoms or to have been tested for HIV while in a relationship.
“The Case of the Baby ‘Functionally Cured’ of HIV: A Detective Story.” (POZ, April 2013) Was the famous baby really functionally cured of HIV? (Ultimately the answer was no; the virus rebounded in the child in 2014.)
“A baby is ‘functionally’ cured of HIV.”
Such a claim is so profound and seemingly unprecedented, it should come as no surprise that skeptics would pick over every piece of available data and every last word out of the mouth of the scientists involved with the case.
“A baby is ‘functionally’ cured of HIV.”
Such a claim is so profound and seemingly unprecedented, it should come as no surprise that skeptics would pick over every piece of available data and every last word out of the mouth of the scientists involved with the case.
“Falling Through the Cracks.” (POZ, March 2013) We can strengthen two of the weakest links in the U.S. health care chain for people with HIV/AIDS: linking people to care and re-taining them in care. Doing so requires a collective approach.
A central goal of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy is to ensure that all Americans with HIV are engaged in proper care. Pharmaceutical companies have spent vast sums of money over the decades to make the simplest, most tolerable antiretroviral drugs, with the ultimate goal of improving adherence and thus the likelihood of achieving an undetectable viral load. With recent research showing that fully suppressing the virus can significantly reduce infectiousness, and that early treatment may lead to improved health outcomes, the drive to get people with HIV on treatment as early as possible is on a steady, upward tilt.
Yet only an estimated 16 to 36 percent of Americans with HIV have a suppressed viral load. This figure is the last calculation in a series of statistical wake-up calls that have shaken the HIV community since the 2010 introduction of a a new catchphrase: the “treatment cascade.”
A central goal of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy is to ensure that all Americans with HIV are engaged in proper care. Pharmaceutical companies have spent vast sums of money over the decades to make the simplest, most tolerable antiretroviral drugs, with the ultimate goal of improving adherence and thus the likelihood of achieving an undetectable viral load. With recent research showing that fully suppressing the virus can significantly reduce infectiousness, and that early treatment may lead to improved health outcomes, the drive to get people with HIV on treatment as early as possible is on a steady, upward tilt.
Yet only an estimated 16 to 36 percent of Americans with HIV have a suppressed viral load. This figure is the last calculation in a series of statistical wake-up calls that have shaken the HIV community since the 2010 introduction of a a new catchphrase: the “treatment cascade.”
