Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

May 30, 2013

High-Risk HIV Behavior Declines in US

Fewer people in the United States are engaging in behaviors that put them at high risk of acquiring HIV, a new report says. About 10 percent of men and 8 percent of women surveyed in the United States reported taking part in sexual or drug-related behaviors in the last year...

May 30, 2013

Proposed HIV Treatment Could Hitchhike with Virus

A major obstacle in attempting to suppress the HIV epidemic has been getting treatments to high-risk groups, such as intravenous drug users, who account for most of the disease spread. A newly proposed, although theoretical, therapy for HIV would get around this problem with a unique strategy the use of...

May 30, 2013

Contraception Increases Risk of HIV Infection in Women

Hormonal contraception may make it easier for HIV to spread between heterosexual sex partners, according to a new study conducted in Africa. Women in the study who used hormonal contraception had double the risk of acquiring HIV or transmitting it to their male partners as those who did not use...

May 30, 2013

30 Years Later: AIDS by the Numbers

This week marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were reported in 1981. Since that time, great strides have been made in understanding the disease and treating it, yet it remains incurable. Here's a look at how AIDS has changed our world: 25 million: The number of people...

May 30, 2013

The Best HIV Prevention Strategies Differ by At-Risk Group

Public-health experts know effective HIV prevention strategies involve public health messages tailored to each group that has a high risk of infection. The groups of people who are most at risk for spreading and contracting HIV include men who have sex with men, people who are homeless, injection drug-users and...

May 30, 2013

Pope's Shift on Condom Vital to AIDS Fight, Health Experts Say

Pope Benedict XVI's assertion in his new book that condom use may be justified in certain situations could have an important impact on HIV transmission in Africa, some public health experts say. Others say the pope's comments don't go far enough. The Catholic Church is a huge player in the...

May 30, 2013

HIV Pill Seems to Succeed as a Preventative

Gay men may greatly lower their chances of being infected with HIV by taking a daily dose of a drug combination commonly used as a treatment for the virus, an international study has found. The strategy was shown to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV by 43.8 percent among men...

May 30, 2013

14 Adults 'Cured' of HIV: Here's How

Following the recent news that a U.S. baby has been cured of HIV, European researchers now report they have identified 14 adults who appear to have achieved a similar cure. The 14 adults have been off HIV medication for an average of seven years, and have not experienced a relapse...

May 30, 2013

HIV Tests at the Dentist Could Reduce Disease Spread

SAN FRANCISCO – Some dentists not only check your teeth, but also take a swab along your gum line to test for HIV. And a new way of offering the test may boost its acceptance in patient's eyes, dentists say. Dentists hope the practice can reduce the number of people...

May 30, 2013

Clue to Why Human Body Can't Fight HIV Discovered

One reason the human body cannot fight off an HIV infection is because a single protein the virus produces thwarts human defenses, a new study says. When HIV enters the human body, it produces a protein called vpu that directly combats a critical defense protein of the human immune system,...

Jun 2, 2013

AIDS Epidemic: Is an End Possible?

NEW YORK CITY — More than 30 years after the discovery of the AIDS virus, experts are optimistic that a cure for the disease will be found, and that an end to the AIDS epidemic is possible. But they caution there is still a lot of work to be done....

Jun 3, 2013

AIDS Exhibit Explores Early Years of Epidemic

NEW YORK - Young people today do not know a world without AIDS, and many may not be aware of the confusion, fear and panic that surrounded its emergence as a completely new disease. And even though it was just over 30 years ago, some people not directly affected by...

Jun 28, 2013

Imaging HIV's Inner Shell

Scientists have created the best image yet of the cocoon-like container that carries HIV’s genome. Resembling a long, intricately woven basket, the inner shell, or capsid, of HIV shown in this video might be a new target for future antiretroviral therapies. Normally, when HIV infects a cell, the capsid is...

Jul 3, 2013

Two HIV Patients Are Virus-Free After Bone Marrow Transplant

Two men with HIV who received bone marrow transplants in Boston appear to have no detectable levels of the virus in their bodies, and were able to stop taking medication for the condition, researchers say. One patient has been off HIV medication for seven weeks, and one for 15 weeks,...

Oct 24, 2013

Baby 'Cured' of HIV Still Infection-Free After 3 Years

A Mississippi baby born with HIV and treated in the early hours of her life remains free of the infection three years later, despite being off of medications for 18 months, according to a new report. Researchers first reported the baby's case in March of this year, when the baby...