Latest news with #HumanImmunodeficiencyVirus
The Star
5 days ago
- Health
- The Star
The doctor will be arriving ... in a mailbox
You can now do self-administered tests for everything from thyroid function to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the privacy of your own home – and that list continues to grow, as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first at-home cervical cancer test. While the tests can make it easier for people to access healthcare and can be helpful for those who have extreme anxiety about sensitive or invasive medical exams, experts warn that most of the tests cannot replace an actual in-person visit. Here's what doctors say you can test for at home, and when you should make the trek to your physician's office. There are two kinds at 'at-home tests.' In one type, the patient collects the sample and sends it off to a lab; the new cervical cancer test is like this. The other gives an instant result – think Covid-19 and pregnancy tests. HIV home-testing kits can improve rates of diagnosing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in rural communities and help people who are nervous about going to the doctor to seek a sensitive test, said Dr Joseph Cherabie, an infectious diseases specialist in St. Louis, Missouri. 'You really want to get people to care as quickly as possible, but some people could be very anxious about that results as well,' Dr Cherabie said. 'And they have very negative reactions.' Labs are required to report a positive HIV test, instead of putting the onus on the patient who took the test, he said, and often, the patient is matched up with HIV support services. 'If you are part of a sexual and gender minority community, going to a doctor's office can be full of a lot of historical trauma, and you may prefer to just do testing at home without anyone judging you or asking you invasive questions about your sex life,' Dr Cherabie said. The new cervical cancer test – which tests for strains of human papillomavirus, or HPV – involves a testing swab that's like a tampon, said Dr Susan Modesitt, a gynaecologic oncologist at Emory University in Atlanta. It is not, she said, a replacement for a Pap smear, the exam in which a metal speculum is inserted in the vagina to scrape cervix cells. A doctor's visit also involves a pelvic exam, a chance to talk about abnormal bleeding – a sign of endometrial cancer – and other symptoms and issues, like menopause or STIs. 'There are so many other reasons to see your doctor and get an exam outside of a cervical cancer screening,' Dr Modesitt said. The at-home cervical cancer test from Teal Health requires a prescription, and the company said that results are not left for the patient to interpret. Colon cancer screening Some at-home tests can replace a trip to the doctor's office. That's especially true in rural areas, where it can be difficult to get a colonoscopy. 'The colonoscopy requires a pre-op, and you have to drive maybe 70 miles (113km) for it,' said Dr Steven Furr, board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians who practices in rural Alabama. 'You get anaesthesia. It's actually almost like a surgical procedure in many ways. 'So, for a lot of people, that's pretty arduous. That's where an at-home test can come in handy.' But, Dr Furr said, if your test reveals issues, you need to go to your doctor. Plus, patients should always discuss test results with their physician instead of interpreting them on their own, he said. If you have symptoms of what you're testing for, go to the doctor. At-home colon cancer tests aren't the right option for people with a history of colon cancer or high-risk conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, said Dr Zachariah Foda, a gastroenterologist at Johns Hopkins. He added that they're also not recommended for people who are having gastrointestinal symptoms. While there are tests for many things – running anywhere from $15 (RM64) to $400 (RM1,693), depending on what is being evaluated – Dr Furr said it's essential to make sure that your test is FDA-approved so you can better trust the results. 'Anytime we get people involved in their own healthcare and help them understand what's going on, I think that's a good thing and it gives us a chance to talk,' he said. 'Any kind of screening is better than no screening.' – AP
The Print
6 days ago
- Health
- The Print
Eliminating AIDS has been an uphill battle. But Melbourne researchers just got one step closer
'We sort of took on this challenge to try and see if we could redesign the lipid nanoparticle. And that is eventually where I think the biggest breakthrough has been,' Paula Cevaal, lead author at the University of Melbourne, told ThePrint. One of the reasons why HIV is a formidable opponent is because it hides inside our cells, making it difficult to eliminate them. The researchers combined different lipids—fats that can deliver treatment into the cell—into a fat bubble to deliver to the right cell where the virus is hidden. Bengaluru: Eliminating AIDS is a Sisyphian challenge. Treatments mostly miss the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that are hidden in the body. But in a breakthrough, a team of researchers from Melbourne have found a way to root out the virus hiding in our immune cells. They claim that they can reach 75 percent of infected cells. The study, 'Efficient mRNA delivery to resting T cells to reverse HIV latency', was published in the Nature Communications journal. Udayakumar Ranga, a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), and who was not part of the study told ThePrint, 'Even if you have the best weapon in the world, there is nothing you can do to the virus because it is silent.' The silent virus acts like a sleeper cell Explaining why it's so difficult for the body to fight HIV, Ujjwal Rathore, Staff Research Scientist, University of California, said, 'Those (virus particles) just look essentially like any other cells which are uninfected (and) your immune system is unable to clear those infected cells.' Rathore was not part of the study. Usually to fight the virus, one needs to send mRNA—a messenger to tell the cells what proteins to make—to the cells to activate and kill the virus, a normal procedure in building vaccines. Then the T Cells, a type of white blood cells that fight infection, will be motivated to produce a protein to fight the virus. Now the challenge is how to deliver that mRNA. The usual delivery of mRNA is not effective as it breaks down by the time it reaches the T cell. 'Whereas if you make and encapsulate this mRNA into lipids and lipid nanoparticles, then the stability of mRNA increases, and the delivery is possible into cells,' Rathore added. Inside the cell, the delivery partner knocks on the door of the T cells. Then the unboxing begins—the endosomal escape mechanism. '(This) will break down the mRNA assembly or the cargo when in contact with the T-cell. Then the mRNA will be released, and that mRNA will start expressing the protein, the targeted protein,' explained Mrinmoy De, Associate Professor, Department of Organic Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science (IISc). With the help of the newly designed LNP (the delivery partner), the researchers used HIV's own 'master switch' protein—called Tat—to force hidden virus out of dormant immune cells. The study is carried out by taking cells from humans, in a petri dish inside the laboratory and not on humans. 'We haven't done in this study anything in animal models or anything in people. We're not there yet,' said Cevaal. Cevaal's study showed that one can force the hidden virus out of hiding in infected cells. However, simply revealing the virus is not enough—a second step to boost the immune attacks or adding antiviral drugs will be critical to fully clear the virus. Imagine the virus is a thief hiding in one of many rooms in a huge palace. To catch the thief, the cops must search every single room. HIV, just like a thief, can hide in any of the CD4, special type of immune cells. So when the war room is highjacked by the HIV sleeper cells, the immunity system collapses. This is the issue with HIV, which can enter any of the many CD4 cells in the body and hide there. To pop out the stealthy virus, the drug must enter every individual cell, like an encounter specialist. 'Only one in 10,000 to 100,000 CD4 cells may harbour a hidden virus. The therapy of making a drug enter every cell has its undesirable side effects,' said Ranga. According to Ranga the researchers did something smart. They delivered a Tat protein in the form of mRNA and was made to pop into the cells with the help of specially designed LPN. 'However, Tat protein itself is highly toxic and can cause cell death,' Ranga added. So even though they do not activate the cells, the danger remains. 'Of course this is an essential question that we are studying at the moment and that we will continue to study closely. We will perform experiments to test whether they (healthy cells) are affected by the presence of this Tat protein and up to what extent,' Cevaal added. The potential of such studies depends on how they translate into a technology to reach patients. 'We are very much aware that the pursuit to try and resolve the HIV AIDS pandemic is very much not a done deal, that's really triggering us to continue working in this area to design a new therapeutic,' Cevaal added. (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: Eradicating malaria or mosquitoes? Gene editing raises ethical questions
The Star
06-06-2025
- Health
- The Star
HIV prevention a priority after 22 cases among varsity students in 2023, 2024
Ling said the cases caused by unsafe sexual practices show a need for more preventive efforts especially among university students. JOHOR recorded 22 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) cases among university students over the past two years, says state executive councillor Ling Tian Soon. Of this number, 12 cases were recorded last year while 10 were reported in 2023, said the Johor health and environment committee chairman. 'All these cases were found to have been caused by unsafe sexual practices. 'This highlights the need for more preventive efforts among young people, especially university students,' he said during the state assembly sitting. He was responding to a question from Selamat Takim (BN-Sungai Balang) who had asked about the number of HIV cases among university students in Johor, and the efforts to address the issue. Ling said the state government was working with educational institutions to improve HIV awareness among youths via the 'Healthy Without AIDS Programme for Teenagers (Prostar) 2.0'. 'The programme aims to educate teenagers and youths about HIV while also empowering them to be advocates for a healthier lifestyle, free from HIV. 'A total of 1,673 university and secondary school students have taken part in activities held under the programme which began in 2023,' he elaborated. Ling said other initiatives, such as health talks, community forums and awareness campaigns had also been held occasionally to improve understanding of HIV and its prevention. 'Social media and other digital platforms have been used to spread awareness,' he said, adding that the state government was committed to strengthening HIV preventive measures. Health clinics across the state are also providing free and confidential HIV screening for the public, according to Ling. 'This is to encourage early detection for timely intervention. 'The clinics also provide free and confidential counselling services,' he added. — VENESA DEVI
GMA Network
04-06-2025
- General
- GMA Network
Cebu City logs 101 new HIV cases in First Quarter of 2025
Cebu City has logged a total of 101 new cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the First Quarter of 2025. According to Dr. Kimberly Sanchez, social hygiene physician at the Cebu City Health Department, the new cases are almost half of the total number of HIV cases in Central Visayas at 255. Sanchez said that 27 percent of the new cases in Cebu City involved persons ages 15 years old to 24 years old. Most of these persons living with HIV are males who have had sexual contact with fellow males, and those who shared needles while indulged in illegal drugs use. However, Sanchez said that living with HIV should not be perceived as a 'death sentence,' as persons can still live as normally as possible once intake of medicines is observed properly to strengthen the immune system. The medicines are available at health centers, free of charge, she said. Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that the real challenge is the continued spread of HIV, not Monkeypox (Mpox). 'Ang malaking problema po natin, hindi Monkeypox kundi ang paglaganap ng HIV; 500-percent increase po tayo sa HIV cases sa mga edad 15 hanggang 25. In fact, ang pinakabatang na-diagnose natin ay batang 12-anyos sa Probinsya ng Palawan,' Herbosa pointed out. The DOH official added that based on data, the Philippines has the most number of new HIV cases in the Western Pacific Region. Should prevention measures fail, DOH underscored it is possible that an estimated 400,000 individuals in the Philippines may contract HIV. 'Maganda magkaroon tayo ng public health emergency for HIV dahil magtutulong-tulong ang buong lipunan. The whole of government can help us in this campaign na mapababa ang new cases of HIV,' Herbosa added. Based on DOH data, the Philippines has a total of 148,831 HIV cases, as of this writing. In the first three months of 2025, confirmed cases have reached a total of 5,101 which is higher compared to the 3,409 cases in the same period in 2024. The DOH once again called on the public to observe preventive measures such as undergoing HIV test that is free and confidential and to always practice safer, protected sex.
News18
18-05-2025
- Health
- News18
World AIDS Vaccine Day 2025: History, Significance, And Quotes
World AIDS Vaccine Day 2025: The day is inspired by President Bill Clinton's 1997 speech. It honors researchers and raises awareness about HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Vaccine Day 2025: As the world continues its battle against the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the urgent need for an effective vaccine, both preventive and therapeutic, remains vital. HIV gradually weakens the immune system, leaving individuals vulnerable to infections and life-threatening complications. To spread awareness about this critical issue, World AIDS Vaccine Day, also known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, is observed annually on May 18. This significant day serves as a global platform to highlight the continuous fight against HIV/AIDS and highlight the vital importance of HIV vaccine research. It is also a day to recognise and honour the dedicated researchers, tireless volunteers, and healthcare professionals who are working relentlessly towards developing a safe and effective vaccine. The origin of World AIDS Vaccine Day can be traced back to a powerful speech delivered by the then United States President Bill Clinton. Recognising the devastating impact of AIDS, President Clinton, on May 18, 1997, called for a global effort to develop an HIV vaccine. As noted by the HIV Info website, he stated that 'only a truly effective, preventive HIV vaccine can limit and eventually eliminate the threat of AIDS," urging setting ambitious goals and creating such a vaccine within the next ten years. Following this landmark speech at Morgan State University in Maryland, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) took the initiative to formalise this call to action. The first World AIDS Vaccine Day was observed on May 18, 1998, commemorating the anniversary of Clinton's speech. This annual tradition of observing May 18 as World AIDS Vaccine Day or HIV Vaccine Awareness Day has continued globally ever since, serving as a crucial reminder of the ongoing fight. World AIDS Vaccine Day holds immense significance, as it provides a vital platform to raise public awareness about the critical and persistent need for HIV vaccine research. On this day, people worldwide come together to pay tribute to the millions of lives tragically lost to AIDS, emphasising the far-reaching impact of the disease on a global scale. Furthermore, HIV Vaccine Awareness Day offers a crucial opportunity for public education, helping to debunk prevalent myths and misconceptions surrounding HIV/AIDS. The day also serves as an important occasion to express gratitude to the dedicated volunteers, the committed community members, the medical professionals, and the brilliant researchers who dedicate their careers to developing a secure and reliable HIV vaccine. World AIDS Vaccine Day 2025: Quotes First Published: May 18, 2025, 07:10 IST
