Claire McCartneyApril 26, 2013 16:02

New study finds anti-HIV treatment may protect children’s hearts

Due to the use of new combination anti-HIV treatment therapy, children living with HIV today face fewer heart problems than in the past, a new NIH study finds.

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Children who now receive antiretroviral therapy have been shown to have about 40 percent less heart damage than children who received single drug or no treatment in the 1990s. (Paula Bronstein/Staff/AFP/Getty Images)

The combination drug therapy now used to treat children born with HIV-1 appears to protect against previously common heart damage, according to a new study published earlier this week.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that fewer HIV-positive children on today’s combination drug treatment had heart damage than those who participated in a study in the 1990s.

Claire McCartneyApril 2, 2013 17:13

Five interesting ways people are fighting HIV around the world

HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns are using new techniques to reach wider audiences.

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An activist waves a rainbow flag in support of HIV/AIDS awareness on the 2012 World Aids Day in Manila. (Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images)

In an attempt to reach a wider audience, many HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns are using creative techniques to send a positive message about HIV prevention and treatment. Here are five interesting ways people are fighting the disease around the world:

1) In the village of Corozal in Honduras, members of the local Garifuna tribe use musical performance and theater to promote HIV awareness. According to NPR, the Garifuna have an HIV rate that is five times higher than the national rate. In order to combat the rampant spread of the disease, members of the community have formed a theater troupe that puts HIV on mock trial in community shows. Health ministry officials in the capital of Tegulcigalpa are conducting research with the CDC to determine the program's effectiveness.

Emily JudemMarch 4, 2013 12:17

Twitter's reactions to toddler's #HIV cure

Here's how Twitter reacted to Sunday's news that a toddler in Mississippi, who was born with HIV, has been effectively cured.

Emily JudemMarch 1, 2013 15:07

PEPFAR report recommends countries control own HIV/AIDS programs

An independent evaluation of PEPFAR praised the program's achievements but said its work is unfinished. Among its recommendations is a shift to an advisory role.

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HIV/AIDS activists, some of them living with the virus, yell during a demonstration April 25, 2012 in Nairobi on the sidelines of a joint conference sponsored by the US embassy here and Kenya's vision 2030 about health and reducing mortality in the East African nation. The activists demanded that the US' - HIV programme, PEPFAR and the Kenya government work together to utilise some 500 million of unspent PEPFAR funds to get desperately needed HIV treatment to more Kenyans. (Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images)

An independent evaluation of the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), released last week by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), lauded the program’s achievements as proof that HIV services can be delivered successfully on a large scale. The report also recommended several changes to the program, to ensure that the HIV/AIDS response is sustainable.

Claire McCartneyFebruary 7, 2013 12:14

On National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a crisis continues

A look at some of the programs trying to stem the AIDS epidemic among African-Americans.

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The details of a panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt which is on display at the National Cathedral July 17, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/AFP/Getty Images)

On this 13th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, GlobalPost looked at some of the leading initiatives for combating HIV/AIDS in the black community. The staggering number of black Americans living with HIV has spurred many efforts to combat transmission of the disease, and recently, the focus has shifted from understanding the risk factors to addressing them head-on.

Living with HIV: the new normal (VIDEO)

Stacey LeascaDecember 10, 2012 08:39

In today's world, testing positive for HIV no longer equates to a death sentence. But after the diagnoses, how does one go on living?

In Middle East, HIV infection rates are rising

Erin CunninghamDecember 9, 2012 07:00

CAIRO — The Middle East and North Africa region has long had one of the world’s lowest HIV prevalence rates. But that could be changing. According to the UNAIDS 2012 Global Report, the region is one of just two areas where HIV infection rates continue to grow — and where antiretroviral treatment is the least accessible due to traditional societal stigma and intransigent authorities.

New study finds anti-HIV treatment may protect children’s hearts

Five interesting ways people are fighting HIV around the world

Twitter's reactions to toddler's #HIV cure

PEPFAR report recommends countries control own HIV/AIDS programs

On National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a crisis continues

Living with HIV: the new normal (VIDEO)

In Middle East, HIV infection rates are rising

Two decades of HIV/AIDS Public Service Announcements

Eastern Europe struggles to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS

The global state of AIDS/HIV (INFOGRAPHIC)