Bloomberg: Could New Anti-HIV Pill Reshape AIDS Strategy in Africa? – The way the AIDS war is fought in Africa will see change with Monday’s FDA approval of Truvada as a medication for HIV prevention – a strategy called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. Because of the costs and risks of the drug, global health workers must do more to reach the most high-risk populations.
AP: U.N. Reports Progress Against HIV in Poor Countries – HIV deaths and new infections are dropping, according to the United Nations, all thanks to the work to increase treatment. While progress has been made from affected countries’ increasing their allotted money, UNAIDS is calling for an even larger increase, “If we can get to scale with AIDS treatment, we’re not only saving lives but we’re preventing infection and beginning to end this epidemic.” (Lauran Neergaard)
Washington Post: International AIDS Conference will have a big footprint in host city D.C. next week – The 19th International AIDS Conference begins this Sunday in Washington D.C. and marks “the first time in 22 years that it will be held in the United States; organizers had stopped scheduling it here during the ban” on HIV positive people from visiting the country. More than 21,000 people from 177 counties are registered for the weeklong conference, and many more are expected to be in town for other events. (Tara Bahrampour)
AP: UN: Hunger in Sahel brings steep rise in aid need – The UN humanitarian office has reported a more than 20 percent increase in the number of people who need international aid since the beginning of 2012. As of the end of June, 62 million people require humanitarian aid, up from 51 million people in January. 18 million people in Africa’s Sahel region are facing severe hunger and malnutrition, a situation made worse by the conflict in northern Mali.
