Posts

Machine learning takes a village: Assessing neighbourhood-level vulnerability for an overdose and infectious disease outbreak

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Multiple areas in the United States of America (USA) are experiencing high rates of overdose and outbreaks of bloodborne infections, including HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV), due to non-sterile injection drug use. We aimed to identify neighbourhoods at increased vulnerability for overdose and infectious disease outbreaks in Rhode Island, USA. The primary aim was to pilot machine learning methods to identify which neighbourhood-level factors were important for creating “vulnerability assessment scores” across the state. The secondary aim was to engage stakeholders to pilot an interactive mapping tool and visualize the results. Read more

Web-Based Service Provision of HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and STIs Prevention, Testing, Linkage, and Treatment for Key Populations

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Despite the growth of web-based interventions for HIV, viral hepatitis (VH), and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for key populations, the evidence for the effectiveness of these interventions has not been reported. Read more

Sex, drugs and techno

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Recreational and sexual drug use among men who have sex with men may result in increased risk of poor health. The aim of this study was to better understand drug use and harm reduction techniques among Swedish men who have sex with men traveling to Berlin in order to improve the health of this population and inform public health strategies. Read more

Consolidated guidelines on HIV, viral hepatitis and STI prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations

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The Consolidated guidelines on HIV, viral hepatitis and STI prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations outline a public health response for 5 key populations (men who have sex with men, trans and gender diverse people, sex workers, people who inject drugs and people in prisons and other closed settings). They present and discuss new recommendations and consolidate a range of recommendations and guidance from current WHO guidelines. Read more

HIV/AIDS Language Compendium

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HIV civil society coalition the Love Alliance launched the first HIV/AIDS Language Compendium. The compendium has been praised as a useful tool for high level United Nations negotiations and can be used for community advocacy to advance human rights commitments — particularly regarding access to healthcare and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Read more

For a hard-to-reach population in Ukraine, innovative online HIV outreach proves critical

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Roman Marchenko has dedicated years of his life to LGBTI activism. It’s a community he knows well, yet even he was surprised at the difficulty his HIV treatment and prevention organization had in reaching one key population – men who have sex with men, or MSM. Read more

LINKAGES project: “Going Online”

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Going Online is a vision and evolving framework for how HIV programs can use online and mobile platforms to accelerate impact toward meeting their HIV education, prevention, testing, and treatment objectives. Read more

Signs and symptoms of HIV infection

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The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) targets the immune system and weakens people’s defense against many infections and some types of cancer that people with healthy immune systems can fight off. As the virus destroys and impairs the function of immune cells, infected individuals gradually become immunodeficient. Immune function is typically measured by CD4 cell count.
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HIV transmission

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HIV can be transmitted via the exchange of a variety of body fluids from infected people, such as blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal secretions. HIV can also be transmitted from a mother to her child during pregnancy and delivery. Individuals cannot become infected through ordinary day-to-day contact such as kissing, hugging, shaking hands, or sharing personal objects, food or water.
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Diagnosis

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HIV can be diagnosed through rapid diagnostic tests that provide same-day results. This greatly facilitates early diagnosis and linkage with treatment and care. People can also use HIV self-tests to test themselves.
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