Football, HIV and Saving Lives

posted: 16/03/2011

When Birmingham City play Arsenal in the Carling Cup Final this weekend, they are launching a HIV awareness campaign for soccer fans.
 

Birmingham City and England goalie Ben Foster with midfielders Alexander Hleb and Craig Gardner are supporting Football Saving Lives, a national health promotion project.
 

Get Tested, then Stay Negative or Get Treated
“Saving lives is, of course, a lot harder than saving goals,” says Ben Foster, “but I’m a proud to be an ambassador for this campaign, precisely because it makes things so simple: get tested, get treated.

It’s as easy as that. It is definitely in your best interest to get HIV tested if you get the opportunity: if you’re negative, then you can stay that way, and if you turn out positive there are now life saving treatments available ”.
 

22,000 people do not know they have HIV
Football Saving Lives is part of a Birmingham NHS HIV campaign. Dr Steve Taylor says “One in four of those who have HIV are unaware they’re infected. That means that they cannot access the life-saving treatment we can now offer, and in addition they may well be unknowingly infecting others. We need to tackle this problem and diagnose the 22,000 people in the UK who have HIV but are totally unaware.”
 

Football Saving Lives raises public HIV awareness and corrects the wrong ideas people may have about HIV and HIV testing. Being rhis reluctance to take HIV tests, or thinking you are not at risk, remain key reasons why so many are untested and often end up in hospital because of the damage HIV infection causes over time.
 

People still die of HIV even though excellent treatment gives people reasonable health and life propects as long as people are tested and diagnosed early.
Soccer fans may not give much thought to HIV so the players and campaigns hopes to make fans think and act.
 

HIV hasn’t gone away
“I grew up in Birmingham,” says Blues midfielder Gardner, “and I remember the HIV prevention campaigns at school. But I haven’t heard anybody talk about HIV for years – I thought it had just gone away. But to think that there are some 22,000 people out there who have no idea they are infected is a really scary statistic. I’m supporting this campaign because I believe that education and raising awareness are the best ways of helping young people look after their sexual health and start to reduce the spread of HIV.”
 

Testing and timely HIV treatment allows people to live a near normal life. Treatment also helps cut the spread of HIV because people on successful HIV treatment with undetectable viral loads are far less likely to pass on HIV.
 

Almost all pregant women get tested - why not soccer fans?

Ninety-five per cent of pregnant women already receive an HIV test as standard, and if the mother has HIV treatment of the mother and baby means babies now rarely get HIV.
 

“Football Saving Lives is about getting these really important public health messages regarding sexual health and HIV testing out to the public,” summarises Alexander Hleb, on loan to Birmingham City from Barcelona.
 

Football Saving Lives, includes player profiles

Source

U-Sex Survey for Gay Men

posted: 14/03/2011

The u-sex study is trying to find out more about why some gay and bi men have anal sex without using condoms. There’s an online survey to take part in for all gay and bi men (with or without HIV).

Later parts of the study will look at negative and untested men, living in London, who have had condom-less anal sex recently.
 

The survey, which takes about 20 minutes, asks you your background, sexual behaviour, and experiences and views about anal sex without condoms. Whatever you say in the online survey is all confidential - and it's on a secure website.
 

Join the U-Sex survey

The online survey is on the secure site (https) surveymonkey and you start here – please tick the box at the bottom left to agree to take part in the survey.

The survey is being done at City University, London by researcher Matthew - more information about it here.

Mambo, Health and Africans

posted: 07/03/2011

Mambo 6 is the latest issue of the healthier lifestyle magazine for Africans who are living in the UK. Features in this issue include African and gay  and homophobia in Uganda . There is a look at issues facing HIV positive children  and a new London testing initiative.

Positive Pastor tells Congregation

Pastor Gideon Byamugisha is one of the first African religious leaders talking openly about their HIV positive status, and David Olapoju talks about overcoming tuberculosis.

There is also the latest round up of news from Africa  and you can win a Nokia smartphone  by entering their survey.

Mambo 6 download pdf

Treating to Prevent HIV

posted: 03/03/2011

Could people who do not have HIV use HIV treatment drugs (PrEP) to stop themselves from getting HIV? The detailed results just out for gay and bi men are better than the early findings. This means PrEP could be approved for use in the USA by the end of the 2011.

Last year, the first results from a study of gay and bisexual men appeared. Taking PrEP cuts gay and bi men’s risk of getting HIV. But there were worries because many of the men did not take all the tablets. Some men got HIV.

HIV infection
Much better updated results were announced at the CROI conference in Boston, USA, that has just ended.

In the different places where the trial took place, including South Africa, the taking of PrEP (HIV drugs to prevent HIV infection) varied a lot.

Gay and bi men in the two USA cities (Boston and San Francisco) of the international iPrEx study of tenofovir/FTC (Truvada) had near-perfect HIV-prevention drug taking, compared with 50% tablet taking at the other sites.
 

And the men taking the greatest sexual risks for HIV, by having unprotected receptive anal sex, were taking the prevention treatment better than men taking less HIV risks – which is good to know.
 

USA approval within a year?
Lead investigator Bob Grant announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had agreed that the trial results were good enough for the FDA to consider allowing the use of Truvada to prevent HIV. PrEP, as a result, might be approved in the USA by the end of this year.
 

First USA Guidelines for gay men published

Interim Guidance: Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection in Men Who Have Sex with Men from USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

2500 men and the results

There were almost 2500 men in this trial and 130 of them got HIV by the end. Like most drug trials men were randomly split into two groups and told they would either get Truvada, or a dummy pill, but no-one would know who was taking what, until the end. The men were therefore warned they should still use condoms, because half were using the dummy pill.
 

48 of the men who got HIV took the Truvada and 82 of the men who were taking the dummy pills, a HIV infection rate of 2.6% a year. Another 10 other men have HIV, but they already had the symptoms of HIV infection when they joined the study.
 

This means that the final ‘how well does it work’ rate in the ‘modified intent to treat’ analysis, (this leaves out the 10 men who started the study with HIV, and ignores things like different rates of tablet-taking and the men’s level of sexual risk-taking), was 42%.
 

PrEP worked better when men were over 25 (56%), among men who took more than 9 out of 10 of the tablets (68%), and among the men who were circumcised (76%).
 

Would PrEP be cost effective? 

Other new studies have now looked at the value for money of treating people to prevent HIV in South Africa. The answer is mixed. 

It is usually cheaper to treat the person with HIV than treating one or more HIV negative people with PrEP. Treating the person with HIV should reduce their viral load so it becomes undetectable and their chance of passing on HIV then becomes very small. In mixed status couples, that may be enough protection for many. But PrEP would help protect negative partners who have unsafe sex outside the main relationship and who don't use condoms.  

Source and more details

HIV Training and Resources

posted: 02/03/2011

The Sheffield Centre for HIV & Sexual Health has a solid reputation for its training courses and resources. Their 2011 training and resources brochure is now available.
 

We’re highlighting here a few useful courses and resources – HIV prevention for men who have sex with men, HIV Reality Check (about HIV stigma), Partner Notification Skills for Beginners, and a leaflet written by Sheffield women living with HIV.

• HIV Prevention with Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM)
  1 day course £125 13th July 2011; 11th July 2012

This one-day training course explores the reasons for HIV prevention work with men who have sex with men (MSM), one of the communities most affected by HIV in the UK.
It outlines ways to plan interventions that are targeted and appropriate.
 

In order to plan effective interventions you need to understand the context in which MSM live their lives. This course examines key issues, including the impact of internalised homophobia on self esteem and risk-taking behaviour, and how existing services may be inappropriate and inaccessible due to hetero-sexism and a lack of awareness.
 

The course also highlights the needs of specific MSM communities / population groups that may be more vulnerable to HIV infection e.g. young men, black and minority ethnic community men, men engaging in risk-taking behaviours with multiple sexual partners, and men with lower educational qualifications.
 

The course closes by exploring the opportunities and challenges involved in different methods of working with MSM, including:
• Outreach in a range of settings (e.g. Public Sex Environments, Online, Pubs, Clubs, and Saunas)
• Work in community settings (e.g. drop-ins)
• Community development
• Group work (e.g. training and workshops)
• Production of targeted campaigns / resources
The course is for anyone planning, commissioning or delivery of HIV prevention / sexual health promotion with MSM in both the statutory and voluntary sectors.

• HIV Reality Check
  

1 day course; £125, 10th October 2011

Developments in treatments mean that more and more people with HIV are living longer and
healthier lives. But the prejudice and stigma experienced by people living with HIV can still be a barrier to them accessing the support services and treatment they need.
 

Currently, about a third of people with HIV are unaware that they have the infection, with stigma playing a major part in preventing people from testing for HIV.
 

This one-day training course encourages service providers to:
• Check their current levels of knowledge and understanding on HIV and transmission
• Explore the varying impacts of HIV related stigma on different communities
• Discuss the issue of prosecution for HIV transmission, and anxieties around disclosure of HIV status
• Action plan based on recommendations produced in consultation with people living with HIV
 

The course is suitable for professionals looking to develop their basic knowledge and awareness of HIV related stigma. The training is suitable for professionals from services including Primary Care, Social Care, Health and Education.

• HIV Reality Check Manual

£40, available in April 2011
A training manual with accompanying CD, for health and social care professionals on raising awareness and addressing the issues of HIV related stigma and discrimination in service provision.
The manual includes:
• Research and consultation findings on people living with HIV’s experiences of stigma and discrimination
• A range of training sessions with step by step exercises for delivering training to other professionals
• Guidance for the planning and delivery of training for people living with HIV, on developing the skills to manage stigma and discrimination and for positive living.
 

• Partner Notification Skills for Beginners

2 day course; £250; 7th - 8th March 2011; 5th - 6th March 2012
 

This two day course has been designed to assist practitioners who are new to the role of tracing and notifying sexual partners of those found to have sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, to:
• Understand the rationale and evidence base for partner notification
• Understand national guidelines, policies and protocols related to partner notification
• Understand the legal and ethical framework for partner notification
• Explore different partner notification strategies
• Develop the skills to negotiate partner notification with patients, and trace partners directly if required
• Assess outcomes and audit partner notification
 

• Positive Women Thoughts and Feelings
  

£15 for 25 copies

A booklet of writing and illustrations by a group of HIV positive women from Sheffield about their experiences of living with HIV - a useful resource in raising issues around HIV and AIDS.

Sheffield's training and resources - details and booking form