BMJ Editorial: Protect the Independence of Global Health Research

Seven University of Washington faculty members recently joined more than 200 researchers from 40 different countries in a call to action to protect the independence and integrity of global health research.  The editorial, published in the most recent issue of BMJ Global Health, highlights the pervasiveness of donor and NGO influence on program evaluation findings and dissemination.

They Thought This HIV Strategy Couldn't Work. But It Did

In high-income countries like the U.S., the standard of care for people infected by HIV is to provide antiretroviral pills when the virus is found, even when there are no symptoms of AIDS. The strategy staves off the disease and has a second – big – benefit. It's been shown to prevent the spread of HIV in sexual encounters. It's called "treatment as prevention" (TasP in medical jargon), or "test and treat."

But in low-income countries, "test and treat" is not the typical approach to prevention. There's been no research to support it.

Mind the Gap: The Burden of HIV Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups and Their Participation in Preventive HIV Vaccine Clinical Trials

An analysis conducted by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) observed an overall increase in the proportion of racial and ethnic minorities enrolled in Phase 1 and Phase 2A preventive HIV vaccine clinical trials in the United States between 2002 and 2016 compared to 1988 to 2002. The findings were published on December 5, 2018 in Public Health Reports.

Male Birth Control Gel Trial Starts in Kenya

By Pauline Kairu, Daily Nation 

An exciting global study on male contraception is happening in Kenya.

A phase-two clinical trial, participants in the trial will be required to apply a gel on their shoulders. This gel is intended to lower sperm count to a point at which the men cannot impregnate a woman.

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