“Game changer” in fight against HIV?

Posted by administrator on March 8, 2012

From Fenway Health…

Press Release: Analysis examines biomedical prevention technology to be reviewed by U.S. Food and Drug Administration by June 15, 2012

Pre-exposure chemoprophylaxis (PrEP) —taking antiretroviral medications to prevent HIV transmission—could be a “game changer” for HIV prevention, according to an analysis released by The Fenway Institute.

PrEP has demonstrated partial efficacy with men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexuals in several recent studies. Recent modeling of PrEP implementation coupled with scaled up treatment predicts that PrEP could significantly reduce HIV incidence and prevalence. If PrEP is accompanied by sustained care, behavioral interventions, and safety monitoring, PrEP need not lead to increased sexual risk behavior or drug resistance.

“PrEP has the potential to dramatically reduce HIV incidence among gay men, heterosexual women and men, and other populations,” said Sean Cahill, Director of Health Policy Research at The Fenway Institute and author of the report. “We look forward to action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization this year to make PrEP available to those most vulnerable to HIV. PrEP could prove an invaluable new tool in the fight against HIV.”

To read the full press release go to Fenway Health online.

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Gay men at risk for antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea

Posted by administrator on February 24, 2012

A new editorial published in the New England Journal of Medicine brings to light the concern for the rising rate of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea in the U.S.

What is Gonorrhea and why am I at risk?

Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with an estimated 600,000 plus cases every year. It disproportionately affects vulnerable populations such as minorities who are marginalized because of race, ethnic group, or sexual orientation. Men who have sex with men, for example, are among the populations hardest hit by the disease.

Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhea, a bacterium that grows and multiplies quickly in moist, warm areas of the body such as the cervix, urinary tract, mouth, or rectum.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms include burning while urinating, discharge, and pain during intercourse. Symptoms of rectal infection include anal itching, and sometimes painful bowel movements. Symptoms usually appear two to five days after contracting the infection, although in some cases there may be no symptoms at all, particularly with rectal infection.

What is the danger of infection?

Men with untreated gonorrhea may develop Epididymitis (an inflammation of the epididymis-the long, tightly coiled tube that lies behind each testicle and collects sperm), an inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis), and a higher risk of getting bladder cancer.

What can I do?

Most forms of Gonorrhea can still be treated effectively with antibiotics. However, the best defense is still a good offense. Condoms are still your best bet to keep from getting infected in the first place. Limiting the number of sexual partners also helps in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. If you think you may be infected, see a doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

For more information:

New England Journal of Medicine
WebMD
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

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Tenofovir increases risk of kidney damage

Posted by administrator on February 22, 2012

From SF Gate online:

Patients who take one of the most widely prescribed drugs to treat HIV  infection increase their risk of kidney damage by up to 34 percent every year  they take the medication, according to a study of more than 10,000 HIV-positive  veterans.

The study, by the San Francisco VA Medical Center and published online  earlier this month, is one of the largest to address the long-term risk of  tenofovir, an antiretroviral drug that is taken daily, usually in a single pill  combined with other drugs.

Doctors have long known that antiretroviral drugs carried some risk of kidney  damage, but how much – and whether that damage is caused by a particular drug or  combination of drugs, or by the HIV infection itself – has been the source of  much debate.

Read the full article: http://www.sfgate.com.

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Aging and gay men

Posted by administrator on February 19, 2012

From the Huffington Post Gay Voices: 

Perry N. Halkitis, Ph.D., M.S..Professor of Applied Psychology, Public Health, and Medicine, Steinhardt School, NYU

In 2011 the Institute of Medicine released a historic report documenting the health disparities faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. This report was call to action for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to address the burgeoning and often underserved health needs of the LGBT population. In the United States these health disparities coincide with an epidemiological shift: the aging of the American population. Due to increases in life expectancy and aging of the “baby boomer” generation, or those born between 1946 and 1964, approximately one third of the United States population will be 55 years or older by 2014.

While no direct population figures exists, extrapolations drawn from multiple sources suggests that within the population of older Americans, approximately 1.2 to 1.4 million will be older gay men, a figure more pronounced in urban areas such as New York City, where it is estimated that approximately 5 percent of gay men are 50 or older. A significant proportion of these older gay men, both nationally and in New York City, live with HIV, and as a group this generation of gay men, to whom I have previously referred as “the AIDS generation,” have all been directly impacted by the epidemic.

Read the full article on the Huffington Post.

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It gets better… The San Francisco Police Department

Posted by administrator on February 15, 2012

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Feds to meet with Philly’s gay community regarding health

Posted by administrator on February 13, 2012

In the coming months, the White House Office of Public Engagement will coordinate a number of comprehensive conversations with LGBTs across the nation about the everyday issues impacting the community, and Philadelphia next week will serve as the inaugural host city for the series. Top officials from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, including Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, will take part in the White House LGBT Conference on Health, a daylong event Feb. 16 at Thomas Jefferson University.

The event is being staged in partnership with Mazzoni Center. In addition to Sebelius, the conference will include remarks by HHS assistant secretary for health Dr. Howard Koh, HHS assistant secretary for aging Kathy Greenlee and HHS deputy general counsel Ken Choe. The event is designed to educate community members about the administration’s LGBT-focused health efforts, and to provide the federal government input from locals about their ongoing health needs.

Read more on the The Philadelphia Gay News Website.

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Saliva test just as good for HIV testing

Posted by administrator on February 10, 2012

From TheScientist.com:

A pain-free, non-invasive saliva test is as accurate as a traditional blood test to diagnose infections of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to a new meta-analysis published yesterday (January 24) in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The test could be a solution for countries that wish to adopt self-testing strategies for HIV.

Pooling data from five worldwide databases, an international team of researchers found that Oraquick HIV-1/2, a saliva test sold by Pennsylvania-based OraSure Technologies, is 99 percent accurate for HIV in high-risk populations and about 97 percent accurate in low-risk populations. The test requires a single swab of the gums, which is then inserted into a handheld device that produces results in 20 minutes. The Oraquick has been available to clinicians since 2004 and is being considered for use as an over-the-counter test in the United States and sub-Saharan countries

You can read the full article at TheScientist.com.

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Gay seniors and sexual minority stress

Posted by administrator on January 23, 2012

From LGBTQ Nation.com:

LOS ANGELES — Sexual minority stress, along with aging-related stress, jeopardizes the mental health of midlife and older gay men, according to a new study published by the American Journal of Public Health.

In the study, sexual minority stress included the men’s perceptions that they needed to conceal their sexual orientation, or that others were uncomfortable with or avoided them because of they are gay.

The study also found that legal marriage for same-sex couples may confer a unique protective effect against poor mental health. Having a same-sex domestic partner or same-sex spouse boosted the emotional health of the studied men, but having a same-sex legal spouse appeared to be the most beneficial relationship arrangement.

Read the full article on the LGBTQ Nation Website.

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Health Alert – Shigella

Posted by administrator on January 17, 2012

Since mid-2011, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has received a number of reports of shigellosis due to Shigella flexeri, a species of Shigella that is infrequently diagnosed in Pennsylvania. The cases have occurred in the southeastern part of the state among men who have sex with men (MSM) who may or may not be HIV-positive.

What is Shigella?

Shigella is one of the bacterial agents that causes acute diarrhea. Symptoms often include cramping, fever and vomiting. The infection spreads easily from person to person by the fecal-oral route since a very small number of organisms are necessary to produce transmission.

How do you catch Shigella?

The Pennsylvania Health Alert Network reports “Shigella outbreaks have been previously reported in MSMs and are usually correlated with having multiple partners combined with unprotected high-risk sexual behavior. The fact that some of these patients are also HIV infected raises added concerns, not only due to the potential for transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections through the same high risk behaviors, but also because immune-compromised individuals can have extended carriage of Shigella.” 

What can you do?

Persons with diarrhea usually recover completely, although it may be several months before their bowel habits are entirely normal. Once someone has had shigellosis, they are not likely to get infected with that specific type again for at least several years. However, they can still get infected with other types of Shigella. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent shigellosis. However, the spread of Shigella from an infected person to other persons can be stopped by frequent and careful hand-washing with soap.

For more information about Shigella, you can go to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention Website.

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LGBT Cancer Network Expands Resources Directory Beyond NYC

Posted by administrator on January 11, 2012

The National LGBT Cancer Network, the first program in the country to address the needs of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people with cancer and those at risk, announced this past November that is has expanded its directory of LGBT-friendly cancer screening facilities beyond New York City.

The directory now covers facilities in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

You can search the directory for screenings in Pennsylvania on the Cancer Network Directory.

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