HIV News

I knew AIDS2010 in Vienna would be a great learning experience, but I suppose I didn't expect to feel such profound gratitude for my life and my advantages. Life is such an arbitrary thing; I was born here, you were born there, she was born over there... and that simple geography equation will mean virtually everything when it comes to our human rights, our access to basic health care and services, and how long we will likely live on this planet.

In my final video blog, I introduce you to some people who were attendees as a result of scholarship programs, and I talk to the Chair of AIDS2010 about the importance of every voice being included.

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The conference is starting to wind down. From a personal and environmental perspective, you can feel the air slowly 'leaving the balloon.' The palpable energy level has dropped appreciably. Many of us are just overloaded. There is so much information being disseminated, as well as events, press conferences, and activities, many occurring concurrently, that it is physically impossible to attend but a fraction of it.

One of my greatest regrets is that I haven't had an opportunity to have any substantive conversations with my brothers and sisters from other countries. There has just been so little time. I have had the opportunity to speak with a couple of the gentlemen in my traveling party who work for organizations that have similar programs to my own. I have found those conversations to be enlightening and helpful.

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This blog entry wraps up my series of reports highlighting several abstracts presented at the XVIII AIDS Conference in Vienna on the most recent studies of "HIV Controllers (HCs)" and "Long Term Nonprogressors (LTNPs)" -- a unique group of HIV-positive individuals whose immune systems or genetic make-up contribute to remarkable suppression of the virus without aid of antiretroviral medications.

Clinical research studies of our community are relatively recent when compared to the 30 year-long HIV/AIDS epidemic. For example, the earliest study of LTNPs was inspired in 1993, when Dr. Mark Connors (head of the HIV-Specific Immunity Section of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - NIAID) recognized that several participants involved in a separate study under his direction "had this inexplicable level of control of HIV." [Source: "Insights from People Who Keep HIV in Check", NIAID Discovery News, Spring 2008 Issue]. Since that time, many institutions, scientists and study volunteers have brought all of us closer to understanding how we keep this virus at bay. In time, the answers will come, I just know they will!

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Everywhere you look at AIDS 2010, HIV is being expressed artistically. It's as if the disease is so profound to people that simple words can't communicate their feelings. AIDS has been a productive artistic muse over the years and is the subject of countless pieces of theater, literature, film, dance, and music.

In my video blog entry from Vienna, I'm taking a look back at art and AIDS, and a look around me, at some of the very beautiful -- and very funny -- art pieces that this disease has inspired.

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During the International AIDS Conference, I sat down with Carl Dieffenbach, the Director of the Division of AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is part of the National Institutes of Health. (Dr. Dieffenbach is a regular guest blogger for AIDS.gov).

We talked about the possibility of a "functional cure" for HIV, the research that NIH is presenting here in Vienna, and the impact of the new National HIV/AIDS Strategy on the work that Dr. Dieffenbach and his colleagues are doing to find treatments -- and ultimately a cure -- for HIV.

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I was designated an "elite controller" of HIV in 2004, when few of us were identified and information on our spontaneous and mysterious control of the virus was hard to find. I had just passed the 12th anniversary of my diagnosis by then, and was extremely curious to know what was going on -- was I going to get sick, was I going to die? My own doctor, a specialist in HIV, could not give me an explanation, and Google searches on HCs or LTNPs were not productive either, because I tried.

It's truly remarkable, then, to learn how our mysteries are being solved by researchers around the globe, and it's in this light that I share with you a few of the most intriguing abstracts (posted here in abbreviated form). I have also posted brief comments on why I believe they are important, not only to members of the HC/LTNP community, but to the entire PLWHA population.

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"Charity begins at home." A cliché? Certainly! But with dwindling resources for everything and a raging HIV Epidemic in Black people in the United States, should we concentrate more of our efforts here?

This question, which has created an ongoing tension for many HIV/AIDS advocates in the U.S., was the proverbial "elephant in the room" during a breakfast meeting I attended with billionaire philanthropist Sheila Johnson this morning. Ms Johnson acknowledged coming to the same conclusion through her international work with CARE upon learning of the devastation that HIV was causing in Washington DC. For years, we (Black U.S. HIV advocates) have witnessed the constant flow of wealthy celebrities overseas, often to Africa, to attempt to make some small impact in the epidemic. We have struggled with the dichotomy of two virtual epidemics: one here and the other overseas. If we are truly our brother's keepers, how can we begrudge anyone helping our brothers and sisters in the "motherland"? No one will discount the devastation of HIV in Africa.

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Yesterday, during the International AIDS Conference, I sat down with Regan Hofmann the Editor-in-Chief of POZ Magazine. The magazine has been an important publication for people living with HIV/AIDS and their friends and families for over 15 years. It was a pleasure to speak with her and learn about the messages she will be taking back to her readers from the 2010 International AIDS Conference. I also enjoyed learning about how it felt for her to be invited to the White House and to attend the debut of the recent National HIV/AIDS Strategy. During our conversation, Regan also emphasized the importance of communities and government coming together to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

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In light of the International AIDS Society conference being held in Vienna this week, many people have raised questions about the Obama Administration's commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

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Today was a blast, because I spent it with my intellectual peers -- puppets, show people and youth! In this video blog entry from AIDS2010 in Vienna you'll meet some amazing young people from around the world who are making a difference in their communities. You'll also be as charmed as I was by a program that teaches children in Africa about HIV/AIDS through puppetry.

If there is one thing I have learned, it is that these young people can speak for themselves. So I'll let them. Thanks for watching!

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One of the 30,000 people here in Vienna for AIDS 2010 is Svetlana Antoniak. She is a short, round woman with curly, shoulder-length red hair. At first glance she seems jovial but matronly, a person who loves life but knows her responsibilities. At closer inspection, though, it's clear that the vivid gleam in her eyes is offset by a face that has become drawn from exhaustion and worry. Antoniak looks soulworn.

And no wonder: Antoniak is the head of one of Eastern Europe's most successful HIV/AIDS clinics. And it may be about to die.

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It was a great pleasure to speak with two members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria.

I sat down with Helene Gayle, the President and CEO of CARE USA, and Phill Wilson, the CEO of the Black AIDS Institute to discuss what they were taking away from the 2010 International AIDS Conference, and how they felt about the White House's recently launched National HIV/AIDS Strategy. The following two videos highlight those conversations.

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With yesterday's release of the CDC's report on the relationship between poverty and HIV, and another study on morbidity and mortality released by the University of California, Day Three of the International AIDS Conference of 2010 began on a more somber note. To be blunt: It's about Poverty, stupid.

While the CDC's report demonstrated a clear link between HIV infection and poverty in urban centers, the UC report focused on dramatically heightened mortality rates of 'disadvantaged' (read: poor black folks) who have been linked to care and started on state of the art antiretroviral therapy -- rates that were in excess of third world countries. None of the deceased patients ever received viral suppression, despite robust supportive and case management services to help them. In short, even getting low income minorities into care is, as Winston Churchill would say (and I paraphrase); 'is not the end, is not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.'

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AIDS 2010 has brought me a couple of incredible firsts: It's my first AIDS conference, and it's my first time traveling abroad. Either of those things on its own would be overwhelming, but "overwhelming" doesn't quite cover it. My coworkers had told me all about it, and I can remember being amazed by just their descriptions of the conference two years ago, so I'd braced myself. I thought I was prepared.

I really, really wasn't.

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Greetings from the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna! It is invigorating to once again be among the more than 20,000 HIV/AIDS scientists, public health officials, advocates, and front-line workers in the fight against this disease. The International AIDS Conference always provides a platform for the world's HIV/AIDS leaders to share the latest information and science on HIV prevention, treatment and care.

From this exciting venue, I want to update you on two important new studies ...

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This year marks two milestones for 1) the number of abstracts submitted for presentation on this subject, and 2) the number of international collaborating clinical research teams -- such as the "CASCADE Collaboration": team members from France, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. The abstracts are representative of eight groups working together across many disciplines and institutions to unlock the mysteries of viral control. In fact, in the many years I've been following developments on this field, I've never seen as many abstracts or so many countries contribute -- last count was 16 -- to the body of knowledge being accumulated on the HC/LTNP group. It's tremendous!

I am grateful for the invitation from the fabulous editorial staff at The Body to highlight a few of the most intriguing abstracts (posted here in abbreviated form) with brief comments on why I believe they are important, not only to members of the HC/LTNP community, but to the entire PLWHA population.

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Today at the International AIDS Conference meeting, researchers from the United States, France, Canada, and Romania presented findings on the important clinical topic of malignancies that can develop in people with HIV/AIDS. Scientists from the U.S. National Cancer Institute reported that the rates of so-called "AIDS-defining malignancies," like Kaposi's sarcoma and non-Hodkgin lymphoma (NHL), have decreased over time in the United States while the cancer burden for other malignancies, like lung cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, and anal cancer has increased among HIV-infected Americans.

Similar findings were presented by researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. They found that -- compared to the general population -- people with advanced HIV infection had higher rates of liver cancer, anal cancer, and lung cancer. In addition, in general, cancer diagnoses among people with HIV/AIDS occurred at a younger age compared to the general population.

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The first set of scientific presentations at AIDS 2010 brought us some new research on raltegravir (Isentress), a study on raltegravir and some new data on ... let me see here ... ah, yes! Raltegravir! How could I forget.

Five presentations comprised the conference's opening set of oral abstract presentations; of them, three focused on various strategies for the use of raltegravir, currently the only integrase inhibitor on the market. (Of the other two presentations, one was devoted to a competing integrase inhibitor in the pipeline; the other discussed TBR-652, a CCR5 antagonist with potential anti-inflammatory properties.)

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Tonight, as part of the 2010 International AIDS Conference, we attended a session on new media, HIV/AIDS in the Information Age: How Digital Media Can Fight the Epidemic. Moderated by Scott Evertz, Senior Vice President of Gibraltar Associates, the session highlighted public and private examples of using digital media to communicate public health messaging. We heard from Tina Hoff from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Jason Rzepka from MTV. Tina and Jason spoke about the GYT campaign and how they've used video, social media, and online marketing to reach their audiences. Jenny Taussig from Emory University and Jackie Kahn from Gibraltar presented AIDSVu, an online tool that uses mapping to share information about the epidemic and provides information on local HIV testing centers. They've also incorporated social networking, encouraging people to "make the pledge" to take an HIV test.

We also saw some of our other colleagues at this session, including Dr. Cheryl Smith, Associate Medical Director for Clinical Care and Services at the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) AIDS Institute. Back in April, we blogged about the AIDS Institute's development of a widget that educates healthcare providers about acute HIV infection, Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and hepatitis B&C guidelines.

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Last week, we released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy -- a comprehensive plan to fight HIV in the United States. On Sunday, June 18, 2010, The Office of National AIDS Policy in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services sponsored a session at the International AIDS Conference entitled "A Discussion on the U.S. National HIV/AIDS Strategy." The purpose of the session was to describe the development of the recently released National HIV/AIDS Strategy to an international audience, as well as to introduce the audience to a few of the individuals responsible for the development and the implementation of the Strategy.

The session began with remarks by Jeffrey Crowley, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Mr. Crowley addressed ONAP's year-long effort of community engagement and outreach to Federal agencies to solicit recommendations for the Strategy. Dr. Koh discussed the interagency process in developing the Strategy and the duties of his office to oversee the Strategy's implementation.

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