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Science Speaks series interviews key players in global AIDS fight

In the final installment of a series recognizing the 30th anniversary of AIDS on the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog, John Donnelly interviews Warren "Buck" Buckingham, director of the Office of AIDS Relief at the Peace Corps, about his work in the field.

14 Jun 2011

Now is not the time to give up on fighting AIDS

Accomplishing the targets set forth in the U.N. High Level Meeting on AIDS declaration "would cost billions more per year from all sources," a New York Times editorial states.

14 Jun 2011

New software holds promise for revolutionising treatment of hearing impairments

New software 'hearing dummies' are part of cutting-edge research that promises to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of hearing impairments.

14 Jun 2011

IRIN examines factors influencing health worker migration and how countries working toward solutions

In this article, "IRIN took a look at some of the push and pull factors behind health worker migration, and what countries are doing to address them."

14 Jun 2011

Billions committed for children’s vaccines

British Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged £814m to help vaccinate children around the world against preventable diseases like pneumonia. He made the announcement at a summit in London where countries are being asked to give an extra £2.3bn ($3.7bn) by 2015 for child vaccines. He said, “Three children die every minute from pneumonia alone. Waiting is not the right thing to do and I don't think that 0.7 per cent of our gross national income is too high a price to pay for saving lives.”

13 Jun 2011

UC Davis, Jackson Laboratory and NCI partner for human clinical trials on cancer

About nine out of 10 new cancer drugs successfully clear preclinical development hurdles, but then they fail in human clinical testing. A new partnership facilitated by SAIC-Frederick Inc. aims to help change that outcome.

13 Jun 2011

UNAIDS, PEPFAR announce campaign to eliminate MTCT of HIV by 2015

A team led by UNAIDS and PEPFAR on Thursday at the U.N. High Level Meeting on AIDS announced a plan to virtually eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015 by "ensuring that all women, especially pregnant ones, have access to quality life-saving HIV prevention and treatment services - for themselves and their children," BBC News reports.

13 Jun 2011

S. African government program reduced MTCT HIV transmission rate to 3.5%, study shows

The South African government's program to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV has reduced the rate of virus transmission to about 3.5 percent, "potentially sparing some 67,000 babies from HIV infection," according to research presented on Wednesday by the Medical Research Council at the 5th South African AIDS Conference in Durban, Health-e/allAfrica.com reports.

13 Jun 2011

Huffington Post AIDS commentaries

The Huffington Post has several commentaries about the 30th anniversary of AIDS and other issues surrounding the epidemic.

13 Jun 2011

Amplifon, Rion, William Demant lead $1.4 billion Asia-Pacific retail hearing aid market

According to a new report by iData Research, the leading global authority in medical device market research, the Chinese and Indian markets for hearing devices, including retail and wholesale sales, is valued at over $1 billion and will almost double-in-value by 2017.

10 Jun 2011

Ambassador Goosby says hope is 'major motivator' in AIDS fight

In a post on State's "DipNote" blog, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby looks back at his time working in HIV/AIDS and expresses hope about the future, writing, Thanks to the support of the Obama Administration - which has continued to put forth robust funding for HIV/AIDS - and the bipartisan support from Congress, we are making remarkable achievements and we remain the major contributor to the resource needs this diseases continues to require.

10 Jun 2011

Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Garrett discusses HIV/AIDS

The Council on Foreign Relations features an interview with CFR Senior Fellow for Global Health Laurie Garrett, who "notes that discovery of HIV/AIDS was the beginning of what we now consider to be global health."

10 Jun 2011

Ban calls for global unity to end AIDS by 2020 at U.N. meeting opening

In his opening address at the U.N. High Level Meeting on AIDS on Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "told presidents, ministers and diplomats from across the globe that if all partners involved in the fight unite 'as never before,'" the goal of "zero new infections, zero stigma and zero AIDS-related deaths" can be achieved, the Associated Press/Kansas City Star reports.

10 Jun 2011

Experts discuss impact of new vaccines on global health

This Malaria Policy Center blog post describes the event "Spurring health and wealth through medical breakthroughs," during which Washington Post columnist and ONE Fellow Michael Gerson; John Lusingu, principal research scientist at the Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research and co-principal investigator in the RTS,S malaria vaccine trial in Tanzania for the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative; and Margaret McGlynn, board member of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and former president of Merck Global Vaccines and Anti-Infectives, "brought unique perspectives to the impact of new vaccines on many global health issues, particularly HIV/AIDS and malaria".

10 Jun 2011

Researchers and advocates form new vaccine foundation

Researchers and "advocates for all vaccine research today launched yet another effort to increase funding and coordination," ScienceInsider reports. The Foundation for Vaccine Research "has recruited a board stacked with several prominent HIV/AIDS researchers," the article notes.

10 Jun 2011

Press on with AIDS research

"In an era of strained finances, it makes sense to invest in solutions that save money in the long run. HIV vaccine development fits that bill. As we mark the 30th anniversary of AIDS, there could be no better way to commemorate the occasion than to renew our commitment to its end".

10 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Health law's latest day in court; Obama's "abdication" on Medicare; Blue Shield profits vs. premiums

Provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, "may violate the constitution of Ayn Rand, but they do not violate the Constitution of the United States," acting solicitor general Neal Kumar Katyal told a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday. Conversely, attorney Paul Clement, representing Georgia and 25 other states, framed the issue of mandated purchase of health insurance as an issue of liberty.

10 Jun 2011

Global initiative to prevent HIV in babies

World leaders met to decide on the launch of a global plan with the goal of ensuring that every baby is born HIV-free by 2015 and that their mothers with the HIV virus live to raise them.

9 Jun 2011

New vaccines on the horizon

In a report published in The Lancet, researchers say there is the potential to develop 20 new or improved vaccines over the next decade. They emphasize that funding is crucial - but so is trust and confidence in vaccines. It is said that AIDS and malaria vaccines as the most important areas for research. Authors further suggest that neglected tropical diseases, such as leprosy, should also be investigated.

9 Jun 2011

Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy to launch first ever national PN research registry

What starts as burning, numbness, pain, and/or tingling in the feet, or hands in some can turn into a debilitating condition. Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), one of the largest and most common neurodegenerative disorders, affects more than 20 million Americans of all races and ethnic backgrounds.

9 Jun 2011