HIV news from aidsmap.com

Turning HIV’s power against itself may help target hidden virus – another step towards a cure
Researchers used selected molecules to make human cells less tolerant of damage, so that reactivating hidden HIV becomes a clear trigger for cell death. While making cells more vulnerable to dying may sound counterintuitive, the strategy ensures that cells harbouring HIV are eliminated, removing the hidden virus they contain. This in turn means there potentially will be no viable virus left to re-do the spreading all over again in the absence of treatment.
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Low-level but detectable HIV raises the risk of treatment failure, but not long-term harm
Persistent low-level detectable HIV appeared to significantly increase the risk of treatment failure but had no long-term impact on the occurrence of serious health problems in a recent study. Having integrase inhibitors as part of the therapy seemed to be protective against treatment failure in those with low-level detectable virus, Professor Enrique Bernal and colleagues report in the journal AIDS.
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Despite U=U, concerns about sharing HIV status persist among older people
Despite a decade of widespread ‘Undetectable equals Untransmissible’ (U=U) messaging and advances in HIV prevention, stigma has barely shifted for older people living with HIV in Amsterdam. ‘Disclosure concerns’ fell only marginally over ten years, while negative self-image did not change, report Dr Kevin Moody and colleagues in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
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