HIV Vaccine Awareness Day

National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is the lead for this day. Read and share this 2013 NIAID Bulletin about HIV Vaccine Awareness Day

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2013/Pages/HVAD2013.aspx

The implementation of scientifically proven HIV prevention strategies is helping to reduce the number of new infections—the annual HIV infection rate globally fell by 22 percent from 2001 to 2011—but a great deal more must be done. Significant scale-up of proven HIV prevention strategies coupled with the discovery of new HIV treatment and prevention interventions are needed to achieve an end to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. A safe, effective and durable HIV vaccine is an essential cornerstone to the long-term strategy to achieve this goal.

Developing a safe and effective HIV vaccine has been a long and difficult process largely because HIV has proven to be an especially tough target. Recent developments with the HVTN 505 clinical trial and analyses from the HVTN 503 “Phambili” vaccine study have been disappointing, but they also provided clear answers about investigational vaccine strategies that, ultimately, were not effective. Still, the new directions for HIV vaccines that have been recently initiated define our future path and will be pursued.

Among many projects, scientists continue to explore findings from the RV 144 HIV vaccine study in Thailand, which, in 2009, provided proof-of-concept that an HIV vaccine can afford a modest level of protection. Ongoing research related to the Thai trial is providing important information about human immune responses and other factors that may explain why the investigational vaccine protected some trial volunteers from HIV infection but not others. Such data will help advance researchers’ understanding of HIV’s structure and vulnerabilities and help guide the development of future HIV vaccine candidates. Large-scale investigational vaccine clinical trials designed to build on the RV 144 results and create a more robust and durable level of protection are expected to begin in two-to-three years in South Africa.

In basic research, scientists are making important discoveries about broadly neutralizing antibodies capable of disabling a wide range of HIV strains when tested in the laboratory setting. For example, NIAID scientists recently charted the co-evolution of HIV and a strong antibody response in an HIV-infected study participant, who is one of the 20 percent of HIV-infected individuals who naturally develops broadly neutralizing antibodies to the virus after several years of infection. Their findings could help identify which proteins to use in an investigational vaccine to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies more quickly. In another advance, a team of NIH scientists recently developed a new tool to identify broadly neutralizing antibodies from blood samples, which could help speed HIV vaccine research.

Other interesting basic research findings have included the identification of a new HIV-suppressing protein, called CXCL4, in the blood of HIV-infected individuals. NIAID scientists found that CXCL4 binds to HIV in such a way that the virus cannot attach or enter a human cell, leading to the conclusion that it may serve to regulate viral replication in an infected individual and, therefore, control the pace at which HIV disease progresses. Additionally, NIAID researchers found that even though HIV diversifies widely in infected individuals over time, the virus strains that are passed on through heterosexual transmission often resemble the strain that originally infected the transmitting partner. Learning more about the characteristics of these dominant strains could help inform HIV vaccine design.

Recent NIAID investments in basic research toward innovative HIV vaccine discovery research and vaccine immunology and immunogen discovery should also prove fruitful in the coming years for HIV vaccine research.

On this HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, NIAID thanks the thousands of men and women who have selflessly volunteered for clinical studies and the scientists and clinicians working to find an effective HIV vaccine. NIAID shares your commitment and will continue the important research needed to make a protective HIV vaccine a reality.

NIAID conducts and supports research—at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide—to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

April is STD Awareness Month

APRIL IS STD AWARENESS MONTH

Check out the CDC website link for more information on STD Awareness Month and more ideas for your outreach program

http://www.cdc.gov/features/stdawareness/index.html

Know the facts! GYT: Get Yourself Tested

False assumptions about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)—how they're spread, treated, and prevented—are everywhere and it can be especially hard for people to get the facts. Here are five you need to know:

• You can't tell someone has an STD just by looking at them.
• STD tests aren't always a part of a regular doctor visit.
• Almost all STDs that can be spread via unprotected vaginal sex can also be spread through unprotected oral and anal sex.
• Using a condom can take a lot of the worry out of sex, since it can prevent unintended pregnancy and protect you from STDs.
• STD testing is a basic part of staying healthy.

Because half of the estimated 20 million STDs that occur in the United States each year are among young people, STD Awareness Month 2015 is focused on this population. This month-long observance provides an opportunity to clear up misperceptions about STD prevention and testing, and confront the unique challenges that young people face when it comes to preventing these infections.

Half of all sexually active young people in the United States will get an STD by the time they're 25—and most won't know it.Know the Facts

Not having sex is the only way to prevent STDs. This includes vaginal, anal, and oral sex. If you are sexually active, however, you can lower your risk of getting STDs by:

• Being in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and does not have STDs.
• Limiting the number of people you have sex with if you have more than one partner.
• Using latex condoms and dental dams the right way every time you have sex.
• Getting an HPV vaccine, which can protect you against diseases (including cancers) caused by the human papillomavirus.

GYT: Get Yourself Tested

Getting yourself tested for STDs is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health. Not only is it quick and simple, it's also usually confidential. A 2014 study found that one-third of adolescents didn't talk about sexual health issues with their physicians at all during annual health visits. It is important to be honest with your health care provider about your sexual history so that he or she can provide you with the appropriate STD testing and prevention guidance. If you're not comfortable talking with your regular health care provider about STDs, there are many clinics that provide confidential and free or low-cost testing. It is also important that you find and visit a doctor or other medical provider who stays current on STD and HIV testing recommendations.

Share the Knowledge

Now that you know the facts, it's time to spread the word! The GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign is a youth-oriented, empowering social movement to encourage young people to get tested and treated for STDs and HIV. GYT campaign materials have been developed for doctors, health departments, school administrators, and community-based organizations to help young people increase their knowledge about STD prevention and testing. You can order newly designed GYT posters, stickers, and postcards at CDC-INFO on Demand to display in schools, clinics, community organizations, and health departments.

GYT is a partnership between the American College Health Association, Kaiser Family Foundation, National Coalition of STD Directors, MTV, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Technical consultation for GYT is provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Greater Than AIDS

Know  *  Talk  *   Protect  *  Get Tested  *  Take Action

Greater Than AIDS is an unprecedented collaboration among a broad coalition of public and private sector partners united in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States, in particular among disproportionately affected groups. 

Be part of the solution. For complete information on the

Greater Than AIDS campaign and promotions

visit greaterthan.org

Total Access Group offers promotional items for agencies to
economically include the 'Greater Than' message into their condom distribution.