STD & HIV: Sexually transmitted infections increase the risk of HIV acquisition and transmission by fivefold. WHO. Report on global sexually transmitted infection surveillance. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization 2013
Argentinian
patient controls HIV for at least 12 years after stopping treatment.
An Argentinian woman, now in her 50s, has controlled HIV
below the limits of detection since stopping HIV treatment due to side effects
in 2007: US National Institutes of Health report.
HIV
Elite Controllers
HIV is controlled with daily, life-long anti-retroviral
therapy. A handful of people with HIV are able to control the disease without
treatment. These so called ‘elite controllers’ are offering clues in the
search for a cure.
HIV
RNA is detectable in blood one week after infection.
HIV
RNA is detectable in blood one week after infection. Peak viral load observed
20 days after infection.
Sexually
transmitted diseases are on the rise.
Cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia – the three most
common STDs – are at an all-time high.
HIV vaccine attempt fails.
An experimental vaccine could not protect people against HIV
in a trial in South Africa.
Herpes
simplex virus (HSV) infection lasts for life.
Treatment cannot fully eradicate it. Dormant Herpes virus may spring
back to life.
Increased
incidence of STIs with use of PrEP
Pre-exposure prophylaxis is effective in reducing HIV risk. However,
decreases condom use by PrEP users increased the incidence of other sexually
transmitted infections.
Reinforced
recommendation for Syphilis screening during pregnancy
Given the rising incidence of Syphilis, screening for the
infection is recommended in early and late pregnancy.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) related cancers of mouth
and pharynx
Smoking and oral sex increased the risk; effect is
more apparent in men.
Semen harbors wide
range of viruses
Twenty-seven viruses including Zika, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, chikungunya, mumps, Epstein-Barr and chicken pox are found in semen. The list is in addition to the obvious culprits such as hepatitis viruses, herpes viruses and HIV.
Beware:
HIV/AIDS Home Test Kits may be unreliable.
False results are possible
with HIV/AIDS self-test kits, according to Medicines
and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
Mycoplasma
genitalium: highly prevalent, drug-resistant, inadequately tested.
Symptoms
of Mycoplasma genitalium are easily
mistaken for chlamydia or gonorrhea.
Chlamydia
– rectal screening in women
Chlamydia prevalence in rectum was 9 in women. None of the patients reported any rectal symptoms; 60% of the women with a rectal Chlamydia infection denied anal intercourse.
Urogenital Neisseria
meningitidis: New kid in the block?
Neisseria meningitides, a pathogen that causes meningitis,
including among men who have sex with men, is increasingly associated with
urogenital infections.
Syphilis rate
skyrockets among gay & bisexual men
Among gay and bisexual men, syphilis rate is 106 times
higher than the rate in heterosexual men and 168 times higher than the rate in
women.
New genital herpes
vaccine provides powerful protection: Animal Study
The vaccine induces antibodies against three different parts
of the virus, including two components that normally help herpes virus evade
immune attack. The findings are likely to lead to human clinical trials.
Can HIV Drugs Boost
Syphilis Risk?
Antiretroviral
drugs taken to treat HIV infection
may increase the risk for syphilis,
new research contends.
Sexually
Transmitted Disease cases hit new high
The Sexually Transmitted Diseases epidemic is getting worse.
Travel and Sexual
Health Risk
Around 1 in 10 men and 1 in 20 women reported sex with a new
partner during their travels abroad. Sex while overseas is less likely to be
protected. Use of alcohol and drug prevents adoption of safer-sex practices.
Women who
do not exercise face higher risk of Cervical Cancer.
In addition to smoking cessation and undergoing regular
screening, sedentary life is another important modifiable risk factor. Just 30 minutes of exercise a week might lower
chances of cancer cervix.
Bone
marrow transplant cures severe HPV disease in immuno-deficient.
Recurrent,
treatment resistant genital warts may be due to GATA2 immunodeficiency. Bone
marrow transplant may be the answer.
HIV vaccine: New
hope or false dawn?
VRC01,
an antibody under study stops up to 90 percent of HIV strains worldwide from
infecting human cells.
Syphilis
is on the rise in many cities
HIV and Hepatitis C co-infection exist in 2.3 million
people worldwide. People living with HIV are six times more likely to be
co-infected with Hepatitis C.
Yet another sexually transmitted infection needed to watch
out for. Unfortunately, Mycoplasma genitalium is not on the radar of many
physicians.
Transmission of Shigella is easy with anal contact. Diarrhoea lasting more than 48 hours is a warning sign.
We
do not know how long the virus is present in semen in men who have had Zika.
HPV-16 in mouth
and throat cancers
Human papilloma virus
type 16 in the oral cavity increases the risk of mouth and throat cancers by 22
fold.
HIV
test rate is low even among those who think they are at risk of HIV
Among people who
perceive themselves to be at risk of HIV infection, only 14% had taken an HIV
test.
Importance
of rectal and oral swabs in the Chlamydia and Gonorrhea screening
Reliance on urogenital screening alone misses most of Gonorrhea
and Chlamydia in men and more than 15% of infections in women, reporting anal
sex.