Latest news with #HIV-negative
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Kin of girl who contracted HIV during blood transfusion being compensated, state govt tells Kerala high court
Kochi: The state govt has informed high court that an order has been issued sanctioning appropriate financial aid to the father of a nine-year-old girl who allegedly contracted HIV during a blood transfusion at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram, and died in 2018. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Health and family welfare additional chief secretary Rajan Khobragade submitted in an affidavit that necessary instructions had also been issued to the revenue (disaster relief fund) department to take further steps for disbursing the financial assistance from the chief minister's disaster relief fund (CMDRF) on an urgent basis, vide order dated May 12. The affidavit was filed in response to a petition submitted by the girl's father, seeking adequate financial aid to help the family cope with the mental trauma caused by the child's untimely death and to relieve the financial burden from prolonged medical treatment. The girl, initially suspected to be suffering from leukaemia, was treated at the Medical College Hospital, Alappuzha, and later referred to RCC. She underwent 49 blood transfusions during her treatment. According to the petitioner, one of the blood donors was later found to be HIV-positive. He alleged that his daughter, who was HIV-negative at the start of treatment, contracted the infection during her treatment at RCC. However, the affidavit stated that RCC was of the considered view that the child and her family were provided full medical, psycho-social and emotional support throughout the unfortunate episode and that no lapses could be attributed to the RCC. The RCC had not recommended compensation, contending that the cause of death was not HIV infection. It was also submitted that RCC does not maintain any funds for compensating deaths or accidents arising from contingent events linked to the institution. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The affidavit also included technical details regarding the current blood testing equipment used at RCC, highlighting the advancements in technology, including the make, model, and its superiority over the equipment in use at the relevant time.
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Scientists discover disturbing 'unexpected' side effect of new mRNA jab
Patients given experimental mRNA jabs for HIV have developed an 'unexpected' side-effect needing further investigation, experts say. About 7 per cent of volunteers given the jabs in the trial broke out in an itchy bumpy rash called hives. While this rash disappeared for some sufferers, over half were still experiencing bouts a year after injection. Some were still breaking out in hives almost three years after receiving the jab. Experts analysing the data noted volunteers who suffered the hive reaction were more likely to have received the Moderna mRNA Covid vaccine in the past. However, they added this finding didn't necessarily mean the two are linked and how and why the new jabs were provoking this reaction remained unclear. The reaction was seen across a trio of potential HIV jabs manufactured by Moderna with the same mRNA technology famously used in Covid vaccines. These jabs were tested on a group of 108 HIV-negative volunteers to measure their overall safety. Volunteers were split into three groups, each receiving one of the three different vaccine formulas. These groups were then split further into a high-dose or low-dose cohort for a total of six different cohorts. After the initial injection repeat doses were administered at 12 weeks and then again at 24 weeks. In their report experts from the University of Pittsburgh found the jabs to be 'generally safe and tolerable'. However, they noted the hive reaction in seven participants — seen across all three vaccine formulas— was an 'unexpected' result. Writing in the Annals of Internal Medicine, they said what was causing the hives in some people was unclear. But they theorised it could be due to a combination of vaccine components, the dosage, and an unknown environmental factor. The scientists said while mRNA vaccine technology continued to hold great promise, further research was needed into what was causing this hive reaction. Independent experts, writing in a linked editorial, agreed. They said that while hives is, overall, a minor ailment it can still contribute to vaccine hesitancy and hinder vaccine uptake. The experts said more work was needed to understand the mechanisms behind the reaction 'to ultimately promote the safety and uptake of vaccines'. There is currently no cure for HIV, which affects approximately 100,000 Britons and 1.2million Americans. Although there are prevention drugs, they need to be taken daily. WHAT IS HIV? HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus. While AIDS cannot be transmitted from 1 person to another, the HIV virus can. There's currently no cure for HIV, but there are very effective drug treatments that enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life. With an early diagnosis and effective treatments, most people with HIV will not develop any AIDS-related illnesses and will live a near-normal lifespan. Source: NHS A vaccine that offers lifetime protection from the virus would be a breakthrough for the disease that has claimed millions of lives. But despite 40 years of research since HIV was first identified, a vaccine has been elusive, with half-a-dozen real-world trials repeatedly failing to deliver on initial results. HIV is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease. AIDS is the name used to describe the potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by HIV. While AIDS cannot be transmitted from one person to another, the HIV virus can. There's currently no cure for HIV, but there are extremely effective treatments. With an early diagnosis most people with HIV will not develop any AIDS-related illnesses and will live a near-normal lifespan. Currently health officials focus on measures like encouraging safe sex and providing patients medications that stop HIV from spreading. HIV is estimated to have claimed over 40million lives since it first emerged. While new HIV diagnoses in the UK had been trending down for years, there has been a recent surge of new cases. In 2023, there were just over 6,400 HIV diagnoses in the UK, a 46 per cent increase compared to the year before. Health officials have said the wave of new cases could be a sign of ongoing transmission or a reflection of migration bringing more people with HIV into the country.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'My wife fears sex, I fear death' - impacts of the USAID freeze
Life for Mike Elvis Tusubira, a motorcycle taxi rider with HIV in Uganda, has been turned upside down since US President Donald Trump halted foreign aid last month. Not only does the 35-year-old fear for his own survival as he takes life-saving anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs - but he says he will have to split up from his wife as they can no longer have safe sex. His partner is HIV-negative and relies on PrEP, a medicine that reduces the risk of contracting HIV. "It means that even my marriage will end, because actually without the preventive measures, she's not going to stay," he told the BBC. "No condoms, no [anti-HIV] lubricants, no PrEP, nothing. We can't stay in marriage without meeting. It means that I have to stay single." All the couple's medicines and contraceptives were supplied thanks to funding from the US government's main overseas aid agency USAID. Since the sudden shutdown, which he heard about on social media, they have not been able to replenish their supplies. His wife has completely run out of PrEP now and they are both afraid that relying just on condoms - they have some left - is too risky. Trump ordered the 90-day pause on foreign aid on his first day back in office, after which stop-work orders began to be issued to organisations funded by USAID. Waivers were subsequently issued for humanitarian projects, but by that time the HIV programme Mr Tusubira was part of - run out of Marpi Clinic in the north of the capital, Kampala - had closed. He phoned his counsellor at the Kiswa Health Centre III in the city to find out what was going on. "My counsellor was in the village. He told me that he is no longer at the clinic." The father of one, who tested positive for HIV in 2022, has since missed a test to determine how much virus is in his blood and the strength of his immune system. "I'm moving in the dark, in the darkness. I don't know whether my viral load is suppressed. I'm traumatised." He does not think his job driving a motorbike taxi - known locally as a "boda-boda" - will be able to help his family get over the hurdles they now face. "Some other people say that the drugs will be in private pharmacies... as a boda-boda rider I don't know whether I can raise the money to sustain my treatment." They have also been impacted by the loss of services provided by non-government organisations (NGOs) that received funding from USAID, he says. His wife was getting her PrEP via an NGO at Marpi and his five-year-old son was benefitting from one that provided school and food for vulnerable children. "My child is no longer at school now," he said. Uganda's health sector is heavily reliant on donor funding, which supports 70% of its Aids initiatives. The East African nation is among the top 10 recipients of USAID funds in Africa. According to US government data, the country received $295m (£234m) in health funding from the agency in 2023 - ranking third after Nigeria which received $368m and Tanzania with $337m. USAID also supports its malaria, tuberculosis and leprosy programmes - as well as funding maternal and child health services and emergency health assistance. Thousands of healthcare workers have been impacted by the US funding freeze. Dr Shamirah Nakitto, a clinician with Reach Out Mbuya (Rom) - a faith-based community organisation providing medical and psychosocial support to people living with HIV in Uganda - was based at Kisenyi Health Centre IV, which serves a densely populated slum in Kampala. On average, she attended to 200 patients with HIV/Aids and tuberculosis daily. But after the stop-work order, all Rom-supported health workers were laid off. Its tuberculosis unit now stands silent and its orphans and vulnerable children section has also been shut at Kisenyi. "We are waiting for the 90 days. So, this compulsory leave, I hadn't prepared for it," she told the BBC. "It was so abrupt. We didn't have a proper handover at the facility. We just stopped working." Uganda's health ministry says it is exploring ways to minimise disruptions. Dr Diana Atwine, the top civil servant at the ministry, urged staff "willing to continue working in the spirit of patriotism as volunteers" to get in contact. Further south in Malawi, USAID-funded activities have also ground to a halt. The country received $154m from USAID's health budget in 2023, making it the 10th largest recipient in Africa. In the northern city of Mzuzu, the gates are shut at a clinic that has been a key provider of HIV services in the region. Vehicles sit idle; there is no sign of activity at the Macro Mzuzu Clinic. Workers locked the doors, turned off the lights and went home 18 days ago. Despite the US State Department's waiver on 28 January allowing the delivery of medicine such as ARVs, many clinics have closed as without the critical staff who co-ordinate USAID's activities, distributing medicines is a challenge. Even where services are technically permitted to resume, many contracts remain in limbo. Health workers are unsure of what they can and cannot do. The Trump administration plans to reduce USAID staff by more than 90%. Atul Gawande, USAID's former global health assistant administrator, posted on X that the agency's workforce would be slashed from 14,000 to 294 - with only 12 staff assigned to Africa. More than 30 NGOs in Malawi have also been severely impacted by the funding freeze. Eddah Simfukwe Banda, a 32-year-old subsistence farmer, has been getting ARVs since 2017 from the Macro clinic, where various NGOs were providing HIV programmes. She is worried about her own fate - and that of her sister-in-law, who also relies on donor-funded medication - and says they little option but to pray. "We have to pray as Malawians. Those of us that believe depend on a God who opens doors when one is closed," she told the BBC. The mother of three, who has a three-week supply of ARVs left, also said systemic failures were to blame: "As Malawians, we depend too much on receiving aid. At times we are lazy and squander and rely on other countries to help us. "Let this be a lesson that we have to be independent," she said. But this is difficult for one of the poorest and most aid-dependent countries in the world. According to the World Bank, Malawi is vulnerable to external shocks - including prolonged droughts, cyclones and erratic rainfall. A disruption of this magnitude in its healthcare system presents an enormous challenge. For decades, the US has been Africa's most significant public health partner. In particular through its ground-breaking programme to counter the global spread of HIV, which was launched in 2003. Called the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), it has saved more than 25 million lives. According to head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), USAID gave $8bn of aid assistance to Africa over the past year. "Seventy-three per cent went to healthcare," Jean Kaseya told BBC Newsday last month. Health experts warn that replacing this funding will be extremely difficult. African governments have made strides in reducing aid dependency. Kenya now funds nearly 60% of its HIV response. South Africa covers almost 80%. But for many low-income nations, debt burdens, climate disasters and economic shocks make self-sufficiency nearly impossible. Amref Health Africa, one of the leading health NGOs on the continent, warns that without urgent action, global health security is at risk. "This would require African governments and Africa CDC to increase their own funding, which is almost impossible under the current debt distress conditions," its CEO Dr Githinji Gitahi told the BBC. "With accelerating outbreaks from climate change and human-environmental conflict, this would leave the world fragile and unsafe - not only for Africa but for everyone." Worldwide in 2023, there were 630,000 Aids-related deaths and 1.5 million new infections. While infection rates have been declining in the worst-affected countries, the impact of the USAID shutdown could reverse these gains. "If you take away this major contribution by the United States government, we expect that in the next five years, there'll be an additional 6.3 million Aids-related deaths," Winnie Byanyima, the head of UNAids, told the BBC's Africa Daily podcast this week. "There will be 8.7 million new infections, 3.4 million additional Aids orphans. I don't want to sound like a prophet of doom, but I have a duty to give the facts as we see them." The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has also warned of the dangers of interrupting HIV treatments. "HIV medicines must be taken daily or people run the risk of developing resistance or deadly health complications," Tom Ellman, from MSF Southern Africa, has said in a statement. Back in Uganda, Mr Tusubira feels bleak about the future. He has about 30 days left of his ARV medication - and may opt to leave Kampala and go home to his village after that. "At least it will be a bit simpler. If I die, they just bury me there, instead of disturbing my people here in Kampala. "Because I have no way I can live here without ARV services." What is USAid and why is Trump poised to 'close it down'? Ugandan teenage cancer patient: How a bed saved my life 'I found out I had cervical cancer while I was pregnant' Why trainee Kenyan doctors are taking their own lives Why South Africa's health insurance is causing ructions How Trump locked out contraception in Africa in his first term Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
How USAID shutdown dey endanger HIV/AIDS treatment for Africa
Mike Elvis Tusubira na Ugandan motorcycle taxi rider wey dey live wit HIV since 2022, wen dem first diagnose am. For am—one of di 1.4 million pipo for Uganda wey dey live wit HIV—USAID na lifeline. Di next three months, e say, na "literally a matter of life and death." "Di stopping of all di projects of USAID projects don affect me psychologically. I no know wetin go come next. Wetin go happun to me?" e tok. "My counsellor tell me say e no longer dey di clinic. Wetin go happen to my pikin and partner?" "I dey worried about my future. And actually, di future fit no dey dia. Becos no mosquito nets, no ARVs, no condoms, no services at all." Mike wife dey HIV-negative and she dey rely on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a medicine wey dey reduce di risk of contracting HIV. Since di abrupt shutdown, neither im nor im partner don replenish dia supply of di life-saving medicine. Di uncertainty, e say don already put a strain on dia relationship. Uganda dey among di top ten recipients of USAID funds in Africa. According to US goment data ( di country receive $295 million in health funding from di agency in di 2023 financial year—ranking third after Tanzania ($337 million) and Nigeria ($368 million). Uganda health sector dey heavily reliant on donor funding. USAID supports dia HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and leprosy programs. E also dey fund maternal and child health services and emergency health assistance. Foreign donors dey fund 70% of Uganda AIDS response. Health Workers dey Affected Thousands of healthcare workers dey impacted by di USAID funding freeze. Shamirah na clinician with Reach Out Mbuya (ROM)—a faith-based community organization wey dey provide medical and psychosocial support to pipo living with HIV in Uganda. She bin dey based at Kisenyi Health Centre IV, wey dey serve a densely populated slum in Kampala. On average, she dey attend to 200 patients with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis daily. But after di stop-work order, all ROM-supported health workers bin dey laid off. Now, di Tuberculosis Unit also dey silent. The Orphans and Vulnerable Children section— wey also dey funded by USAID—too dey shut. "We dey wait for di 90 days. So, dis compulsory leave, I no prepare for am," she tok. "E dey so abrupt, we no get enough time to prepare. We no get a proper handover of evritin for di facility. We just stop working." Uganda Goment Respond Uganda Ministry of Health say dem dey explore ways to integrate essential services into routine healthcare to minimize disruptions. "As such, contracted staff wey dey willing to continue to work in di spirit of patriotism as volunteers until we harmonize with di United States goment dey encouraged to contact di respective hospital directors or my office," na so one official statement from Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine tok. Panic in Malawi Further south in Malawi, USAID-funded activities also don ground to a halt. For Macro Mzuzu Clinic, a key provider of HIV services for di country northern region, di gates dey shut. Vehicles dey idle. No sign of activity. According to local resident Eddah Simfukwe Banda, weyes dey depend on di clinic for her antiretroviral treatment, di clinic don dey deserted since dem issue di stop-work order. Even after di US State Department issue a waiver on 28 January to allowing di delivery of medicine such as ARVs, many clinics still remain closed. Without di critical staff wey dey coordinate USAID activities, distributing medicines don become a challenge. Even wia services technically dey permitted to resume, many contracts remain in limbo. Health workers dey unsure of wetin they fit and fit no do. Di Trump administration plan to significantly reduce USAID staff by more than 90%. Atul Gawande, USAID former Global Health Assistant Administrator, post on X say di agency workforce go dey slashed from 14,000 to 294—with only 12 staff assigned to Africa. More than 30 NGOs also dey severely impacted by di funding freeze. Malawi receive $154 million from USAID health budget in 2023, wey make dem di 10th largest recipient in Africa. Di country remains one of di poorest and most aid-dependent in di world. According to di World Bank, Malawi dey vulnerable to external shocks—including prolonged droughts, cyclones, and erratic rainfall. A disruption of dis magnitude for dia healthcare system presents an enormous challenge. Eddah Simfukwe Banda, dey worried about her own fate—and dat of her sister-in-law, wey also dey rely on donor-funded medication. "As pipo wey dey on ART treatment we het several options to dis case. One we get to pray as Malawians. Those of us wey believe and depend on God say we have a God wey dey open doors wen one dey closed," she tok. Right to Care, anoda USAID-funded health provider, dey forced to suspend most of dia operations, including dia HIV outreach programs for LGBTQ+ individuals in northern Malawi. A staff member describe di facility as "semi-deserted," with only a handful of personnel allowed through a small walk-in gate. A Grim Outlook According to UNAIDS, di global outlook dey grim. In 2023, e bin get 630,000 AIDS-related deaths worldwide and 1.5 million new infections. While infection rates don dey decline in di worst-affected countries, di impact of di USAID shutdown fit reverse dis gains. "If you take away dis major contribution by di United States goment, we expect say in di next five years, dia go be an additional 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths," UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima tell BBC Africa Daily podcast. "Fia go be 8.7 million new infections, 3.4 million additional AIDS orphans. I no wan sound like a prophet of doom, but I get a duty to give di facts as we see dem." A major concern for health experts na drug resistance. According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), any interruption in HIV treatment fit get severe consequences. "Any interruption to HIV services and treatment dey deeply distressing to pipo wey dey care and an emergency wen e comes to HIV treatment," na so Tom Ellman, director of di South Africa Medical Unit at MSF Southern Africa tok. "HIV medicines must be taken daily or pipo go run di risk of developing resistance or deadly health complications." Byanyima echo dis concerns, sharing di words of a desperate patient: "One pesin living with HIV don describe am as, 'Di na death trap. Please tok to di American goment. Dis na death trap for us. If I no get my tablets next month and di following month, how much longer I get to live?'" Africa fit Fill di Gap? For decades, di US na im be Africa most significant public health partner. Since di launch in 2003, di US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) don save more than 25 million lives. "In di past year, USAID give $8 billion of aid assistance to Africa. Seventy-three percent go to healthcare," Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya tell di BBC Newsday program on 29 January. Health experts warn say replacing dis funding go dey extremely difficult. African goments don make strides in reducing aid dependency. Kenya now dey fund nearly 60% of dia HIV response. South Africa dey cover almost 80%. But for many low-income nations, debt burdens, climate disasters, and economic shocks dey make self-sufficiency nearly impossible. Amref Health Africa CEO, Dr. Githinji Gitahi, warn say without urgent action, global health security dey at risk. "Dis go require African goments and Africa CDC to increase dia own funding, wey dey almost impossible under di current debt distress conditions," e tok. "With accelerating outbreaks from climate change and human-environmental 'conflict,' dis go leave di world fragile and unsafe—not only for Africa but for evribodi.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's Assault on the Government Has Canceled a Human Trial for a Promising HIV Vaccine
Billionaire Elon Musk's assault on the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is already proving devastating for ongoing, life-saving research. Case in point, as Science reports, researchers across eight African countries were set to launch a phase 1 clinical trial of two experimental HIV vaccines. But now that foreign aid funding has officially been frozen for at least three months by president Donald Trump's administration, the trial is indefinitely on hold. The trials were designed to evaluate the safety and immune response of two experimental HIV vaccines, dubbed BG505 GT1.1 and in HIV-negative adults. Scientists have been excited about the discovery of HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs), which could realize a new generation of vaccines against the deadly sexually transmitted virus. "The vaccines are in the country," South African Medical Research Council chief scientific officer Glenda Gray told Science. "The regulators have approved the study. [Clinicians] at the sites have been trained." USAID had recently awarded more than $45 million to the BRILLIANT Consortium, a pan-African program established to advance the HIV vaccine field. But with the Trump administration yanking all funding, Gray and her colleagues had to cancel the trials. "It would be unethical to start a study that you can't guarantee you can continue," she told Science, calling Trump's decision to cut off aid as "tectonic." Besides funding HIV vaccine research, Trump's executive order, which pauses new obligations for US foreign aid and introduces a "90-day pause" on existing foreign development assistance, is also grinding other potentially lifesaving research to a halt. As Agence France-Press reports, USAID's President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) is also in limbo. The funding freeze caught its staffers, some of whom have built entire careers around the initiative, by surprise. "I have never been more stunned by anything in my life," former PMI senior community health adviser Anne Linn, who was fired last week, told AFP. "I don't know how anyone could possibly justify that. The cruelty and the waste of it all." What particularly stands out is Musk's motivations for targeting USAID. The richest man in the world has since called the agency "evil" and a "criminal organization," outright calling for its destruction and furthered harebrained conspiracy theories that link USAID to the outbreak of COVID. The billionaire's crusade against the foreign aid agency will likely play an insignificant role in his overly ambitious plans to excise $2 trillion from the federal government's budget as foreign aid makes up less than one percent of the total budget. Instead, as some have suggested, Musk has needlessly sentenced "thousands, if not hundreds of thousands" to die, as one anonymous USAID official told Politico. As The Lever reported earlier this week, Musk also appears to have a huge conflict of interest motivating him to gut USAID, as the agency's inspector general was investigating his Starlink partnership with the Ukrainian government. Following the whirlwind of Musk's excoriating comments and his inexperienced minions infiltrating USAID's offices, the agency's new acting leader, secretary of state Marco Rubio, has promised in a waiver that "implementers of existing life-saving humanitarian assistance programs should continue or resume work if they have stopped." What exactly counts as "life-saving" assistance will likely remain contentious. As AFP reports, Linn and her colleagues have yet to resume work. According to Science, however, anti-HIV drug distribution does fall under the vague header. Rubio has also since clarified his personal stance on the matter, arguing in a recent televised segment that the US isn't a "global charity" and that "these are taxpayer dollars." In short, the Trump administration's vengeful plot to sabotage USAID has already caused major chaos around the world. "It's an absolute mess," Middle East at Refugees International senior advocate Jesse Marks told AFP. "All of these organizations who received stop-work orders need to communicate with USAID about what it all means... But there is no one on the other line to answer." Beyond putting thousands of lives in danger, experts have since pointed out that the US is surrendering a huge amount of geopolitical influence and goodwill — and the money saved by abandoning USAID is pitiful in comparison. "If we're not there as a country giving them an alternative to Chinese investment, I guarantee you [China] will start funding the hospitals for goodwill," Jason Glaser, CEO of a US-based nonprofit named the La Isla, told Science. "The Trump administration has just put America last, while handing a gift to our biggest adversaries, notably China," former USAID Bureau for Asia assistant administrator Michael Schiffer wrote in a recent opinion piece. "America's alliances will suffer. US partners will be at risk. And America's enemies will rejoice." More on USAID: Elon Musk Reportedly Has a Huge Conflict of Interest Motivating Him to Gut USAID
