News

HIV Protection is 100% with Twice-Yearly Injections, According to a Study.

Published

4 months ago

2024-07-24

Salman Ahmad

Nardus Engelbrecht / AP

(VOR News) – On Wednesday, HIV researchers reported that women who received twice-yearly AIDS shots were 100% protected from new infections.

Young women and girls who received immunisations in a 5,000-person research in South Africa and Uganda did not get sick. About 2% of daily preventative pill users contract HIV from infected sexual partners.

Salim Abdool Karim called the injections “striking” for their protection. He directs a Durban AIDS research institute and was not engaged in the study.

Gilead’s Sunlenca HIV shots are only approved in the US, Canada, Europe, and other nations. The company is expecting male test results before asking approval to use it as an infection preventative.

The findings were discussed at an AIDS conference in Munich and published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.

Gilead funded the study, and some researchers worked on it. Due to unexpectedly strong findings, the experiment was discontinued early, and all individuals received lenacapavir injections.

HIV prevention drugs and condom use are problematic in Africa.

Gilead’s Truvada and Descovy preventive drugs were taken by 30% of the new study participants, and that percentage gradually fell.

In Masiphumelele, South Africa, Thandeka Nkosi, who heads Gilead research at the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, described the twice-yearly injection as “quite revolutionary news.” She explained, “It simply removes the stigma surrounding taking pills to prevent HIV and allows participants to make their own decisions.”

AIDS prevention experts commend the Sunlenca vaccine, but Gilead hasn’t established a fair price for the most vulnerable. The company claimed it would seek a “voluntary licensing program,” limiting generic manufacture to a select group.

Winnie Byanyima, Geneva-based U.N. AIDS agency executive director, says “Gilead has a tool that could change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic.”

She said her organisation pressured Gilead to share Sunlenca’s patent with a U.N.-backed program that negotiates major contracts to allow generic drugmakers to provide affordable pharmaceuticals for developing nations. In the US, HIV treatment medication costs over $40,000.

The injections could “reverse the epidemic if they are made available in countries with the highest rate of new infections,” said Doctors Without Borders’ Dr. Helen Bygrave. She begged Gilead to set a fair Sunlenca price for all nations.

Last month, Gilead said it was too early to assess Sunlenca’s preventive costs in underdeveloped nations. Dr. Jared Baeten, Gilead’s senior vice president of clinical development, said the company was talking to generics makers and understood the importance of moving rapidly.

Apretude, a second HIV preventative injection every two months, is approved in some countries, mainly in Africa. Most developing nations cannot afford its $180 per patient per year price.

Byanyima said gay men in countries where same-sex partnerships are outlawed and domestic violence victims need constant protection.

Among new HIV infections in 2022, 46% were women.

Girls and women from African countries had a threefold higher risk than men. Byanyima compared the Sunlenca finding to the decades-old discovery of AIDS drugs, which made HIV infection a chronic disease rather than a death sentence.

Nelson Mandela, the president of South Africa at the time, halted patents to increase access to pharmaceuticals, lowering the cost per patient from $10,000 to $50.

Health worker Olwethu Kemele of Desmond Tutu Health Foundation expects the immunisations to boost HIV prevention services and curb the virus’s spread. She says young women hide pill use from family and lovers. She said girls struggle to continue.

According to UNAIDS, 2023 will have the lowest number of HIV-positive individuals since the late 1980s. An examination of the global pandemic was conducted.

Approximately 1.3 million people contract HIV every year, and over 600,000 die from the disease, most of them in Africa. Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East are experiencing an increase in HIV infections despite progress in Africa.

Another study presented at the AIDS conference by Andrew Hill of the University of Liverpool and colleagues estimated that Sunlenca should become cheaper at $40 per treatment until production reaches 10 million people. He stressed that health officials needed Sunlenca immediately.

He said “This is about as close to an HIV vaccine as you can get.”

SOURCE: NBC

News

Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns

Published

2 days ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.

Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”

The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

Lawless protestors run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest.

The Prime Minister dances.

This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.

Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved. pic.twitter.com/PVJvR6gtmf

— Don Stewart (@donstewartmp) November 23, 2024

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.

On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”

Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.

Pro-Palestinian protests

Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.

Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.

Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.

On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.

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News

Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla

Published

2 days ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

The zookeeper's negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla

The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.

The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.

The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.

“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”

According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.

Calgary Zoo Questioned

It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.

An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.

Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.

“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.

The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.

“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.

“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.

While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”

Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.

The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.

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News

Canada’s Lotto Max Jackpot Climbs to $80M

Published

2 days ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.

Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.

The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.

While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.

Lotto Max History

Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.

The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.

Let’s have a look at the rules:

Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
Numbers cannot be repeated
Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
Each play buys 3 lines
Each play costs $5

Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)