The latest international news, analysis and features on the HIV epidemic from Avert. Share your views and expertise with your peers in the comments box below the articles.
Retention of care for people taking post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV needs to be improved, with only 56 percent of people eligible for PEP completing the 28-day treatment regime. In a study published in AIDS Journal, the authors analyse data on completion rates for PEP, highlighting the need to understand poor adherence rates and integrate this understanding into the broader HIV agenda.
Protection from HIV infection for women could be as simple as inserting a tampon shaped applicator minutes before having sex. Bio-engineers from the University of Washington have discovered a potential faster way to deliver drugs to protect women from HIV infection. This new method spins the drugs into silk-like fibers that quickly dissolve when in contact with moisture. This could potentially provide a more effective and discreet form of HIV protection, by inserting a drug-loaded applicator into the vagina before having sex.
Prior to the start of the 2014 International AIDS conference in Melbourne, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has published their first consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations.
