The Viral Truth: Making Sense of HIV/AIDS News

On the June 22 episode of The View, guest host D.L. Hughley attempted to school America on why HIV is so prevalent among African-American women. He said with confidence, "They are getting it from men who are on the down low."

Read more …

Obama concluded his speech optimistically, praising young LGBT people -- particularly activists -- for standing up for themselves and their rights. "I believe because of them that the future is bright. It's certainly bright for them," Obama said. "And I want you all to know that as this work continues, I'm going to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you, fighting by your side every step of the way."

Read more …

Finally, the release of the U.S.'s first-ever national HIV/AIDS strategy is almost upon us. "We're no longer talking months; we're talking weeks," said U.S. Office of National AIDS Policy director Jeffrey Crowley in a conference call with community members on June 17. Organizations across the U.S. are circling the wagons, preparing to alert their constituencies about the strategy upon its release.

Read more …

The CCR5 inhibitor Selzentry (Celsentri, maraviroc) should be used with caution by HIV-positive people with kidney problems, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration release. The release provides details on several changes that have just been made to the official drug labeling for Selzentry, all of which have to do with the renal (kidney) issues.

Read more …

With May sweeps coming to an end, it's network television tradition to throw in, out of nowhere, cliffhangers that draw you back to a new season in the fall. ABC's Emmy-winning Sunday night drama, Brothers & Sisters, was no exception to that rule. The season finale on May 16 pulled out all the stops with a multi-car pile-up; the death of Rob Lowe's character; and the revelation that Ron Rifkin's character, a 70-something gay man, tested HIV positive.

Read more …

On May 13 at GMHC's Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) monthly meeting, Larry Kramer, longtime HIV/AIDS activist and one of GMHC's co-founders, blasted GMHC Chief Executive Officer Marjorie Hill and the co-chair of GMHC's Board of Directors (BOD), Matthew Moore. "You all should just resign," he said as they both sat in the audience.

Read more …

A quick note on some HIV/AIDS-related news trickling out of Haiti in the aftermath of this week's devastating earthquake: A key HIV/AIDS clinic in Haiti, the GHESKIO facility in Port-au-Prince, has been severely damaged but most of its staff is accounted for and OK, according to a message from Jean W. Pape, M.D., the director of the facility.

Read more …

First came the over-the-top headlines hailing the results as a veritable miracle of science. Then came the over-the-top headlines calling the results into serious doubt.

Read more …

That's the lesson we can apparently take away from the news of the past two weeks. On the one hand, you have The Big News of the Year: Heralds throughout the U.S. trumpeted the story about an almost-sort-of-successful HIV vaccine, despite the fact that even if it does pave the way toward a fully effective anti-AIDS shot, that may not happen for at least another decade.

Read more …

Twenty-five years in prison and a lifetime of parole. That's the sentence that was initially handed down to Nick Rhoades, a 34-year-old, HIV-positive man living in Iowa. His crime: Failing to disclose his HIV status to another man before having sex with him.

Read more …