Two mother-baby HIV cases diagnosed in New Zealand – the first in nearly 20 years
Perinatal HIV cases were effectively eliminated in New Zealand in 2007 after routine screening was added to antenatal check-ups the previous year.
As a result, prevention methods in
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Politico
28 minutes ago
- Politico
HIV prevention gets an AI upgrade
WORLD VIEW Artificial intelligence chatbots could help with the introduction of a twice-yearly shot that can help prevent HIV, experts said at the International AIDS Society conference on HIV science in Rwanda on Monday. How so: Chatbots that answer people's questions on sex, health and other issues; help them self-test and interpret results and then connect them with health providers for prevention and treatment options are being tested in countries like South Africa to increase HIV prevention and treatment. 'We see these tools as demand-generation engines,' said Sarah Morris, chief product officer at Audere, a Seattle-based digital health company that's been involved in creating and testing such chatbots. Why it matters: 'They can help people in a private safe space with counseling, help them understand why testing or [pre-exposure prophylaxis] might be right for them, and we're hoping that this lays a really nice glide path for [lenacapavir] introduction,' she said referring to Gilead's HIV prevention shot just approved by the FDA. HIV experts believe the drug will be transformative in decreasing the number of new HIV infections if made available at scale globally. AI companions aren't judgmental and don't gossip, but they can provide access to confidential advice and support, said Shawn Malone, HIV/AIDS project director at the global health nonprofit PSI, who's worked on another chatbot in South Africa. Malone stressed that the AI tool 'is in no way meant to replace face-to-face care,' but 'we are hoping that we can take some pressure off providers so that they can use the very limited time they have in a way that's most meaningful, that's most impactful.' WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Ancient Greek philosopher Plato would see AI as 'intriguing and persuasive – but misleading, and far from the truth,' said former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, Euronews reports. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Danny Nguyen at dnguyen@ Carmen Paun at cpaun@ Ruth Reader at rreader@ or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@ Want to share a tip securely? Message us on Signal: Dannyn516.70, CarmenP.82, RuthReader.02 or ErinSchumaker.01. WORKFORCE President Donald Trump's Federal Trade Commission is considering whether to defend a Biden-era rule that would ban employers from requiring workers to sign agreements that would bar or restrict them from quitting and joining rivals. President Joe Biden's FTC approved the rule in 2024, but before it could go into effect, courts blocked it on the grounds that the agency had overstepped its authority. On Thursday, the deadline to decide whether to back the rule, the FTC requested a 60-day extension. Earlier that week, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) urged the Trump administration to stand behind the rule. 'I would love for the Trump administration to defend the rule,' Murphy said during a livestream on social platform X last week. 'It's a pro-worker rule, it's a pro-startup, pro-entrepreneurship rule, and just because it has Biden's fingerprints on it shouldn't mean it's not worth pursuing.' Washington watch: With Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.),Murphy has introduced bipartisan legislation to limit the use of noncompete agreements except in certain circumstances. 'We'll continue to pursue our bipartisan legislation,' Murphy said. 'If we want to do something about wages in this country, we've got to stop this gimmick.' Why it matters for doctors and hospitals: Hospital administrators have said they rely on such contracts to protect their businesses from cutthroat competition for talent. Both the American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals are among the hospital groups that have lobbied for an exemption. Doctors would benefit from a noncompete ban: A large share of them — 45 percent in group practices and likely many more in other areas of medicine — are bound by the contract provisions. In the states: While a handful of states have laws that limit noncompete agreements, Florida is taking a different approach by expanding them. This spring, state legislators passed the CHOICE Act, which permits agreements of up to four years instead of two. Kevin Paule, an attorney who handles noncompete agreements and business divorce cases at the Florida-based law firm Hill Ward Henderson, described the law as unusual, but noted it's not an across-the-board extension since it applies only to workers with an income above a certain threshold. It also includes a carveout for licensed health care providers. 'In some respects, there's a limiting component of this, but it definitely draws out the period that somebody would have to sit on the sidelines,' Paule told Erin. 'This gives employers a lot more teeth to put in their employment agreements if they want to.' What's next: Since Florida doesn't have a pocket veto, the CHOICE Act became law on July 1 without GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis signing the bill. Nationally, the FTC's new deadline to decide whether to back the noncompetes rule is Sept. 8.
Arab Times
an hour ago
- Arab Times
PAAET requires medical exam for health majors
KUWAIT CITY, July 15: Acting Dean of Admissions and Registration at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) Dr. Fawzi Al-Doukhi announced the adoption of new health requirements for admission to certain medical and health specializations for the 2025/2026 academic year. These new requirements were laid down after the identification of infectious disease cases that prevented graduates from being appointed to health agencies despite meeting the academic requirements. Al-Doukhi revealed that students accepted into the aforementioned specializations must submit a recent medical examination certificate, proving they are free of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and hepatitis B and C. He indicated that the new procedures apply to all programs in the College of Nursing, in addition to several courses in the College of Health Sciences, as follows: Respiratory Therapist, Anesthesia Technician, Medical Laboratory Technology, and Emergency Medical Technician. He confirmed that the basic admissions plan for the 2025/2026 academic year started as scheduled, and that applications this year will be limited to Kuwaiti students only, as per the directive of the Higher Admissions Committee. He disclosed that the application period will be from Aug 8-18, with a comprehensive media and advisory campaign in the admissions halls, official social media platforms and Kuwait TV. He added that a pavilion will be established at the Avenues Mall from Aug 2-7 to respond to the queries of students and parents. He said the new specializations being offered for the first time include Fire Engineering Technology in cooperation with the Kuwait Fire Force (KFF). He added that the program is for four years and the students will graduate directly as firefighting officers. Requirements for this specialization: Applicants must be male (only this year) A minimum GPA of 85 percent Must hold a recent certificate (issued within the last three years) Pass the interview and medical examination Meet the requirements of KFF Other majors offered last year include: Respiratory Therapist at the College of Health Sciences Energy Efficiency at the College of Technological Studies Applied Statistics, Marketing, Logistics Management, and Human Resources Management at the College of Business Studies Al-Doukhi pointed out that the increasing demand for medical majors reflects a growing awareness among students of the importance of these specializations and the labor market's need for them. He called on all Kuwaiti students to follow the authority's official platforms and benefit from the available support and guidance, emphasizing the authority's commitment to facilitating admission and achieving fairness in educational and employment opportunities. He revealed that this year's admissions plan includes several categories of Kuwaitis as follows: 1. New students (high school graduates who are not enrolled or employed) 2. Students on study leave from accredited official bodies 3. Employees with a 'no conflict' certificate (limited to institutes) 4. Employees wishing to combine work and study (providing a certificate proving the combination) Basic Admission Requirements: The student must not be enrolled in another university or academic institution. The high school diploma must be accredited or officially certified and equivalent. A proper academic sequence for the secondary stage must be present. For holders of Saudi certificates: A test of academic ability and achievement is required; otherwise, the certificate will not be valid. Applications are submitted via: - The authority's official website - The Sahel government application Some categories(students on study leave, combining work and study, and no conflict) are required to appear in person at the admissions halls. After the admission results are announced, the students will receive a message confirming their acceptance into a specific major and will be asked to approve or reject their acceptance electronically. The deadline for approval is Sept 6, 2025; after which admission will be automatically revoked for any student who has not approved the admission. Al-Doukhi pointed out the difference between the application percentage and the acceptance percentage, explaining that the application percentage is the minimum percentage allowed for admission, while the acceptance percentage is the lowest percentage accepted after the competition. In health specializations
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
ViiV's HIV shot preferred, as activists spotlight funding crisis at IAS 2025
ViiV Healthcare's combination injectable human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) medication was preferred over a daily tablet in treatment-naïve patients in a Phase IIIb trial. A global specialist in HIV that is majority owned by GSK, with Pfizer and Shionogi as shareholders, ViiV announced data from the Phase IIIb VOLITION study (NCT05917509) at the International AIDS Society (IAS) conference 2025, taking place from 13 to 15 July in Kigali, Rwanda. In the study, 89% of treatment-naïve HIV patients switched to Cabenuva (a combination treatment of cabotegravir and rilpivirine) following rapid viral suppression with daily Dovato (dolutegravir/lamivudine). Cabenuva is dosed once every two months by a healthcare professional. Patients were initially treated with daily Dovato until they achieved viral suppression. At this point, they were offered the opportunity to change to Cabenuva. The most common reasons cited for choosing Cabenuva were not having to worry about missing a dose each day (80%) and not having to carry medication (68%). ViiV CMO Jean van Wyk said: 'Long-acting injectables provide options that can offer high effectiveness and tolerability, improved adherence, and a preferred dosing schedule compared with daily oral pills. We believe they are a key part of HIV treatment and prevention and will play a critical role in achieving our ambition of ending HIV and AIDS.' Patients were initially treated with daily Dovato until they achieved viral suppression. At this point, they were offered the opportunity to change to Cabenuva. Effectiveness was also sustained with Cabenuva in the real world, with data from several observational studies. In these studies, Cabenuva was shown to address challenges associated with daily oral pills, offering improved treatment satisfaction, high effectiveness and a patient-preferred treatment option that supports long-term virologic control. It also provides better adherence to treatment, something which is a real issue with daily PrEP options due to stigma concerns. GlobalData, the parent company of Clinical Trials Arena, predicts sales of Cabenuva to reach $2.83bn in 2030. ViiV is also investigating an HIV therapy that can be dosed once every four months. In a Phase IIb trial, the therapy was able to suppress viral load below 50 copies per millimetre in blood. Long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV has been prominent on the agenda at the IAS 2025 meeting. MSD has initiated two Phase III studies of its monthly oral PrEP candidate, and Gilead is set to report more positive data from its two-Phase III studies of twice-yearly Yeztugo (lenacapavir). On 14 July, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed the use of Yeztugo, saying that without a vaccine, it is the 'next best thing'. GlobalData analysts highlighted that the approval of Yeztugo is a 'momentous step in improving PrEP options available for people vulnerable to contracting HIV'. The main topic of conversation at the IAS 2025 conference, however, is the loss of various funding schemes which helped to provide treatment and research into HIV. Funding cuts by Trump's administration are already impacting low-income and middle-income countries, with cases of HIV already rising just six months after the reductions were made. During IAS's opening session, a group of activists took to the stage to vocalise their anger at the loss of funding, as well as some companies removing their diversity policies that recognised patients from LGBTQ+ communities, many of whom are more susceptible to transmitting HIV. The activists chanted 'we will not be erased' as they took to the stage, with several members of the group sharing their views and experiences as HIV patients from the LGBTQ+ community. The conference states it is welcoming of protests and that it 'endorses freedom of speech as an essential principle to end the HIV pandemic as a threat to public health'. "ViiV's HIV shot preferred, as activists spotlight funding crisis at IAS 2025" was originally created and published by Clinical Trials Arena, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
