PEPFAR Program Outlines End of Year Progress to the Congress

via Science Speaks, by Meredith Mazzotta

PEPFAR releases 8th annual report to Congress: The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program delivered its 8th annual report to Congress recently. The five-page document outlines the program’s progress as of the end of fiscal year 2011 in various areas including:  supporting 3.9 million people on antiretroviral treatment; testing 9.8 million pregnant women for HIV in the course of the year; providing prevention of mother-to-child transmission services to more than 660,000 HIV-infected pregnant women allowing 200,000 babies to be born HIV-free; and providing care and support for nearly 13 million people, including more than 4.1 million orphans and vulnerable children. The report also stressed the importance of “leading with science” as we respond to the pandemic, smart investments including spurring private-sector engagement, country ownership, and shared responsibility.

TB institute confirms 8 patients resistant to all known TB drugs:  According to this article in the Hindustan Times, eight of the 12 patients originally reported as having what was coined “totally” or “extremely” drug resistant TB (neither term is recognized by the World Health Organization) have received confirmatory sputum sample testing that show resistance to all first- and second-line TB drugs. Since the original diagnoses of the dozen patients, three have died and, according to a city TB officer, of the six patients that remain in Mumbai, five are undergoing treatment for extensively drug-resistant TB, and one is being treated at Hinduja hospital.

Nonprofit TB Vaccine Developers Sign MOU to Accelerate Progress: Aeras announced it will be joining with the Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI) to “enhance and strengthen collaborative efforts to advance the world’s most promising TB vaccine candidates.” The memorandum of understanding between the two organizations will work to address opportunities and challenges in TB vaccine development that were outlined in the strategic blueprint released by advocates in late March, and published in the journal Tuberculosis, just before World TB Day. According to the Aeras press release, the two organizations will advise each other on vaccines in development, work to streamline the process of candidate selection and review, as they work together to achieve the goals outlined in the blueprint.

Read the Rest.


[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]

Dr. Grant Colfax is Appointed Director of White House Offices of National AIDS Policy Position

via PR Newswire

San Francisco AIDS Foundation applauds President Obama's selection of Dr. Grant Colfax to become director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy. Dr. Colfax is uniquely suited to continue the momentum established under his predecessor, Mr. Jeffrey Crowley, in advancing the ambitious goals outlined in the president's National HIV/AIDS Strategy and moving us closer to an AIDS-free generation.

"Dr. Colfax has been instrumental in the decline of new HIV infections in San Francisco in recent years," said San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Neil Giuliano. "His unique blend of experience serving on the front lines of the epidemic, implementing the national strategy at the local level, working as a direct service provider within the Ryan White CARE system, and conducting cutting-edge research makes him the right person at the right time to lead the Obama administration's efforts to end HIV/AIDS in the United States."

The Office of National AIDS Policy provides essential leadership in addressing the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic. As director, Dr. Colfax will be required to take a fresh look at how resources can be targeted to reduce HIV infection rates, increase access to treatment, and decrease HIV-associated health disparities related to sexual orientation, race, gender, and socio-economic status in hard-hit communities across the country. His track record in San Francisco demonstrates he is well suited for this challenge.

"Dr. Colfax will play a critical role over the next several years to ensure the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and HIV service integration to address the health care needs of people living with HIV," said Ernest Hopkins, director of legislative affairs at San Francisco AIDS Foundation. "Having worked closely with him on complex issues and having seen his consensus-building skills among diverse populations, including communities of color, I am confident that the AIDS community will have a strong advocate within the administration. I know Dr. Colfax will work to ensure that the coming changes to our health care system are made thoughtfully, carefully, and with a strong focus on improving the health status of the most vulnerable people."

As director of the HIV Prevention and Research Section at San Francisco Department of Public Health, Dr. Colfax elevated the role of community-based health research in local planning and funding decisions and instituted innovative, evidence-based HIV prevention tools, such as measuring and mapping community viral load and enhancing HIV testing and linkage to care, making San Francisco's HIV prevention planning and service system a model for jurisdictions across the nation. When developing the city's most recent HIV prevention plan with diverse stakeholders, Dr. Colfax was mindful to ensure its consistency with the emerging National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Throughout his career, he has maintained his role as a physician at Ward 86 at San Francisco General Hospital, the nation's first HIV/AIDS-specialized clinic.

San Francisco AIDS Foundation stands ready to work with Dr. Colfax, the White House, and other community partners across the country to reduce new HIV infections, increase access to care for all people living with the disease, and reduce HIV-related health disparities.


[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]

House of Lords Committee on HIV & AIDS calls for prevention prioritization

As encouraging results from recent PrEP and microbicide studies revolutionize the HIV/AIDS prevention landscape, the House of Lords Select Committee on HIV & AIDS in the UK has called for greater emphasis and funding toward prevention. The UK government spends up to £750 million each year on treatment, but less that £3 million on prevention campaigns. The committee reports that current efforts to fight the epidemic are “woefully inadequate” and that this failure can have “potentially huge cost implications”.

“I know these are difficult times, but if you were to try to find one good investment, it would be to spend more on prevention, because that investment prevents the treatment costs … Prevention must be the key policy,” says Lord Fowler, chairman of the committee. (Incidentally, Lord Fowler was Health Secretary back in 1986, when he led the Don’t Die of Ignorance campaign on AIDS.)

The committee recommends a new national HIV campaign; failing that, it advises the prioritization of prevention messaging – especially testing. Additionally, it also highlights the need for greater funding for prevention efforts targeting gay men and Africans.

In a significant move for those working on new prevention technologies, the committee recommends that research into the use of PrEP to prevent infection in HIV-negative people needs to be a funding priority for the National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council.

To read aidsmap’s detailed story on this development, click here.

[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]