HIV

For HIV-Positive Babies, New Evidence Favors Starting Drug Treatment Just After Birth

5:23am December 04, 2019

by Pien Huang

Doctors used to worry that antiretroviral drugs were too powerful for HIV-positive newborns. More evidence is emerging that, in fact, early treatment can be safe and effective.

Health & Safety

Guilford Among Top Counties For New HIV Infections

7:27am September 09, 2019

by Bethany Chafin

A new report shows that Guilford County ranks second among large urban counties in North Carolina for new HIV infections.

A fisherman's boat makes its way across Lake Chilwa in Malawi. A large portion of Lake Chilwa dries out every year, and the fishing industry disappears along with it. Most fishermen then head to Lake Malawi, where there is fishing year-round.

Health & Safety

The Dark Secret Of Lake Malawi: Trading Sex For Fish

12:36pm June 28, 2019

by Marc Silver

Along the lakes of Malawi and Kenya, men catch fish and women sell the fish. But there's a controversial practice that's part of the business.

Marchers at a candlelight vigil in San Francisco, Calif., carry a banner to call attention to the continuing battle against AIDS on May 29, 1989. The city was home to the nation's first AIDS special care unit. The unit, which opened in 1983, is the subjec

1st AIDS Ward '5B' Fought To Give Patients Compassionate Care, Dignified Deaths

2:48pm June 26, 2019

by Terry Gross

A new documentary tells the story of America's first inpatient unit dedicated to the care of people with AIDS. Nurse Cliff Morrison helped create 5B in 1983, and worked on it with Dr. Paul Volberding.

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Health & Safety

They Thought This HIV Strategy Couldn't Work. But It Did

1:13pm June 24, 2019

by Joanne Silberner

An unprecedented five-year study aimed to find out whether the treatments to stop the spread of HIV in the West would work in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Truvada to prevent HIV infection in people at high risk.

Health & Safety

Expert Panel Recommends Wider Use Of Daily Pill To Prevent HIV Infections

9:55pm June 11, 2019

by Allison Aubrey

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says people at high risk of being infected with HIV should be offered a daily pill containing antiretroviral medications. The drug's cost remains a hurdle.

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Jake Powell, who works in New York City, is originally from Wyoming. Powell joined the PrEP4All movement after having to go off the drug for six months because it was too costly, even for someone with health insurance.

Old Fight, New Front: AIDS Activists Want Lower Drug Prices. Now!

3:37pm May 30, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

In the 1980s, ACT UP demanded action from the U.S. government and got results with drama. AIDS activists today have fresh tactics for their new goal: a more affordable HIV prevention pill.

In Larkana, Pakistan, on May 9, 2019, a paramedic takes a blood sample from a baby for a HIV test. The government is offering screenings in the wake of an HIV outbreak.

Health & Safety

Medical Investigation: How Did 494 Children in One Pakistani City Get HIV?

3:01pm May 21, 2019

by Benazir Samad

In late April, a tragedy began to unfold in Larkana. First one, then 15, now hundreds of youngsters have been found to be HIV positive. Who is responsible?

HHS Secretary Alex Azar at a White House roundtable discussion of health care prices in January. Azar tells NPR his office is now in "active negotiations and discussion" with drugmakers on how to make HIV prevention medicines more available and "cost-effe

How HHS Secretary Reconciles Proposed Medicaid Cuts, Stopping The Spread Of HIV

9:35am April 09, 2019

As head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar is charged with making Trump's plan to end HIV in the U.S. by 2030 work. "We have an historic opportunity," he tells NPR.

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A color-enhanced scanning electron micrograph shows HIV particles (orange) infecting a T cell, one of the white blood cells that play a central role in the immune system.

Bone Marrow Transplant Renders Second Patient Free Of HIV

2:04pm March 05, 2019

by Richard Harris

British doctors report the apparent eradication of HIV from a patient who was undergoing treatment for cancer. It's only the second time this has been accomplished, despite many attempts.