Desmond Tutu Health Foundation’s Post

Yale infectious disease specialist Jeffrey Wickersham has spent 15 years working to curb the spread of HIV in Malaysia — most recently by collaborating on an app that tracks and prompts interventions to prevent high-risk drug use: bit.ly/4fLeZZo #Yale

🌍 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐈𝐃𝐒 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒: 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 On this World AIDS Day, 𝗗𝗿. Praful Godkar shares invaluable insights into the laboratory science behind HIV/AIDS management. His article highlights: 🧪 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. 📋 𝐂𝐃𝐂 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. 🚑 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐥𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬 (𝐏𝐄𝐏) 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬. As we reflect on the progress made, it’s essential to stay informed and proactive. Knowledge is our most powerful weapon in reducing stigma, improving care, and ultimately ending the epidemic. 📖 Dive into the article to learn more: https://lnkd.in/dghWYGbD #WorldAIDSDay #HIVCare #LaboratoryTesting #PEP #CDCClassification #HealthcareInnovation #EndStigma #KnowledgeIsPower #AGDBiomedicals

In Central Asia, 3 of the 5 countries have been validated for hepatitis B control targets. Despite this progress, the burden of the disease remains high. WHO/Europe is working with our Member States to strengthen efforts towards triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, #HepatitisB and Syphilis. Our two-day regional workshop on #HepatitisB in Central Asia is underway in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Together with national public health authorities and implementing partners, we will explore strategic priorities for the elimination of hepatitis B in Central Asia. The workshop will also train non-specialists on clinical management of hepatitis B in line to WHO guidelines. I thank the Robert Koch Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their partnership on these efforts. Find out more about this workshop: https://bit.ly/3Z2X759

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is still one of the biggest health threats in 2025. In 2019, more people died from AMR than from HIV/AIDS or malaria, and the number could increase by over 70% by 2050 if we don’t take action. https://lnkd.in/eyGd7dnt

💡As we draw towards the end of #WorldAntimicrobialAwarenessWeek, did you know that increased use of #HIVmedicines has been accompanied by the emergence of #HIVdrugresistance. It is caused by changes in the genetic structure of HIV, thereby affecting the ability of medicines to block replication of the virus. It is therefore important to retain patients in care, ensure treatment adherence, increase access, use of viral load testing, and switch regimens rapidly in cases of confirmed treatment failure. World Health Organization #ARTSavesLives #AMRAwarenessWeek #WAAW

- Same cells, different distributions, different diseases @the GI mucosa level: # Chron's disease = Th17/Tregs ratio > 1 ---> we use anti-IL17 Ab # HIV = Th17/Tregs ratio < 1 ----> we use..... ART...only?-----> We have to think beyond the virus. # Both diseases = Chronic systemic inflammation # Both diseases = Microbial translocation

Pleased to see Fatemeh Tavakoli's comprehensive review on HIV partner notification in low/middle-income countries is out! It highlights key barriers (e.g., stigma) and facilitators (e.g., love). Effective interventions must address the barriers and adapt to diverse needs. #HIV #GlobalHealth #PartnerNotification

Leaky gut: a common phenomenon in multiple chronic diseases... # Your immune system can't keep up with the number of bacteria (mainly LPS) passing through the "leaky gut barrier". # It happens during HIV infection but also with Chron's disease # The TLR-4 (Toll-like Receptors-4) gets overwhelmed # Your CD14 will be up (you can detect it with flow cytometry)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released an MMWR report highlighting that from 2017–2023, the CDC supported over 2 million people in 37 countries to start taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV. In 2023 alone, over 850,000 people started taking CDC-supported PrEP, 96% of whom lived in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite progress, efforts are still needed to stop new infections and end HIV as a public health threat. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g-SGZRin

Did you know that voluntary male circumcision (MC) has been shown to decrease the rates of viral transmission of STIs?  Studies have shown that MC can protect against HIV, human papillomavirus, and the herpes simplex virus type 2. In fact, major health bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have endorsed offering male circumcision because it can reduce a male's chances of acquiring HIV by 50-60%. Learn more about how Touchstone can assist circumcision with the CCplus Circumcision Stapler by visiting http://www.touchstone.hk/ References https://bit.ly/3IPQhId https://bit.ly/41IwjHH http://bit.ly/3ETlOYC