World AIDS Day 2022: ‘Rock the Ribbon’ and fight HIV

The first of December is World AIDS day. Each year, National AIDs Trust encourages everyone to ‘Rock the Ribbon’ and ‘unite in the fight against HIV’. The global awareness and fundraising campaign aims to stamp out AIDS. AIDS is short for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It’s a medical umbrella term for various serious – and potentially life-threatening – illnesses and infections that occur when someone’s immune system has been ravaged by HIV. When you have AIDS, your body is unable to fight off diseases or recover from viruses like the common cold that might be benign in someone without the condition.

Join in with #worldaidsday and #rocktheribbon with us! The event highlights the importance of getting yourself checked out for HIV, so SciAni has rounded up everything you need to know about HIV testing to make sure you’re clued up on the pain-free way to keep yourself and others safe from AIDS. We also reveal a successful way to motivate men to test for HIV, a gendered approach to Prevent HIV in women with Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and a start-up helping to increase PrEP adherence and retention in everyone. Finally, our last animation shows that the underlying mechanism of HIV is not what people previously thought…in fact, it’s an entirely new paradigm! You can donate to the campaign here.

 What you need to know about HIV testing

Getting tested for HIV can feel scary. Luckily, there is now a way to test yourself for HIV quickly and painlessly. Here, we break down how an easy gum swab can provide accurate results in 20 minutes – with no blood, no pain, and all from the privacy of your own home.

Motivating men to test for HIV: A successful nudge using U=U messaging

In South Africa, men are less likely than women to know their HIV status or take antiretroviral treatment and often experience higher mortality. A new study led by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania found that peer-delivered messaging about HIV being untransmissible if undetectable when on treatment (U=U) increases men’s HIV testing uptake.

Preventing HIV in women with Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

How can you protect yourself from HIV? This animation explains everything you need to know about HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for women: a pill that is over 90% effective at preventing HIV among women when taken daily.

UrSure impacts PrEP adherence and retention

UrSure Inc. is an HIV prevention startup that makes diagnostic tests to measure and improve adherence for patients on PrEP for HIV prevention ormedication for HIV treatment. They are collaborating with public health departments, researchers, and clinics to use UrSure impacts PrEP adherence and retention across the US.

Macrophages, not CD4 T cell depletion, cause AIDS: a new paradigm?

Watch this animation to learn the mechanism behind the progression of HIV to AIDS. The Kuroda Lab demonstrates for the first time that the destruction of macrophages by the virus is indispensable in the pathogenesis of AIDS, rather than caused by the depletion of CD4 T cells as previously thought.