Could part of the explanation for the apparent susceptibility of sub-Saharan African heterosexual women to HIV infection (eight-fold that of males) lie in the bacterial flora of their female genital tract (FGT)? Studies published in STI journal have considered the relationship between a certain state of the FGT bacterial microbiome – especially the depletion of […]
Category: STI prevention and surveillance
Fresh WHO guidelines on gonorrhoea management + latest US surveillance data on gonorrhoea resistance
The emergence in various locations of resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) is narrowing the therapeutic options. The recent (July 2016) WHO Guidelines, revised from 2003, reflect the concern both to treat effectively and steward our remaining defences against the infection in a globally coordinated manner. They recommend either dual therapy with either single dose […]
How Mobile Technology Can Lead to Improved Care of STIs – by Julie Potyraj
Blog by Julie Potyraj, Community Manager, Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University e: jpotyraj@publichealthonline.gwu.edu As we move into an era where our phones do everything from lowering the temperature in our homes to arranging a ride, it comes as no surprise that these devices also offer a new way to meet and engage […]
UK National Health Service (NHS) kicks PrEP into the long grass
A recent BMJ editorial condemns the NHS position that it will not consider PrEP for direct NHS funding. The decision was first communicated in an NHS statement issued in March, then confirmed by a review on 31st May, following reconsideration in response to objections raised by interested groups. This brought to an end an eighteen-month process […]
Population-based evidence for the preventative efficacy of quadrivalent HPV in Australia
The HPV vaccination programmes introduced by many countries over the last few years (since 2007) reveal considerable diversity in the coverage they have achieved, the mode of access (i.e. school, public health, private clinics) and responsibility for cost (i.e. publically vv. privately funded) – even in Europe (see ECDC Guidance). In the light of the […]
IDU and HIV in the Middle East: a brief window of opportunity?
There are regions of the world where intravenous drug use (IDU) is known to have a key role in evolving HIV epidemics. Information about IDU populations, on the basis of which to motivate and inform public health interventions, can be scant and of poor quality (STI/Aceijas & Hickman). This deficiency is particularly important to address, […]
Cultural constraints on the uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision in Eastern and Southern Africa
My previous blog spoke of the recent PLoS-Medicine Collection on the progress of a UNAIDS initiative for a five-year scale-up of Voluntary Male Medical Circumcision (VMMC) for HIV prevention in 14 high priority Eastern and Southern African countries. Among the papers, Ashengo & Njeuhmeli (A&N) and Macintyre & Bertrand (M&B) deal with what the authors […]
The roll-out of UNAIDS voluntary medical male circumcision programmes in sub-Saharan Africa: Is it working?
Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) has been demonstrated to reduce HIV acquisition by 60% or more. WHO and UNAIDS have recommended that VMMC form a part of comprehensive HIV prevention programming in regions of high prevalence, such as sub-Saharan Africa. Mathematical modelling suggests that the achievement of 80% VMMC coverage within 5 years in 14 […]
Taking seriously the public health impact of disengagement from HIV care in the US
ART as a strategy for “treatment-as-prevention” is frequently acknowledged. Public health efforts, in the US as elsewhere, have focussed on prompt initiation of ART for the newly-diagnosed so as to shorten the duration of viremia – and thereby also reduce transmission risk. But what about the public health implications of people living with HIV (PLWH) […]
What fluidics engineering can do to prevent vertical HIV/syphilis transmission in low resource settings
The economic case for investment in the prevention of vertical (mother to child) transmission of HIV and syphilis is easily made – even in low resource settings. Yet the virtual elimination of maternal HIV transmission remains a goal still to be achieved in many regions, while syphilis in pregnant mothers is often unaddressed with tragic […]