Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Court Strikes Down Military's HIV Policy
NBC News: Judge Strikes Down Military's Limits On Service Members With HIV
In a landmark ruling, a federal court has ordered the Defense Department to end a long-standing Pentagon policy forbidding enlisted military service members from deploying in active duty outside the continental U.S. and being commissioned as officers if they have HIV. Supporters hailed it as overdue legal affirmation that people receiving effective antiretroviral treatment for HIV are essentially healthy and pose no risk to others. (4/7)
Military.com: Judge Overturns Military Ban On HIV-Positive Troops Getting Commissioned As Officers
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled Wednesday that the Department of Defense must reconsider Nicholas Harrison's application to become a JAG officer for the D.C. National Guard without taking into account his HIV-positive status. The ruling also applies to "any other asymptomatic HIV-positive service member with an undetectable viral load." (Toropin, 4/7)
In other updates on the fight against HIV and AIDS —
WTOP: Researcher Excited After HIV Cases Go Into Remission Following Stem Cell Use
HIV-positive is a chronic condition that can be controlled with daily doses of medicines but there’s no known cure. However, there have now been three cases of HIV being put into remission that a D.C.-area researcher finds “exciting.” The research was conducted by the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trial Network that is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Each case, the most recent announced on Feb. 15, involved use of stem cells modified to prevent the ability of HIV to replicate and continue to infect the body. (King, 4/6)
WWL TV: New Orleans DJ, Crescent Care Team Up To Get More People Tested For HIV
When the world turned it’s focus to stopping the spread of COVID-19, the HIV epidemic didn’t stop.The Center for Disease Control says that before the pandemic began, Louisiana had one of the highest rates of HIV in the country. And with the immediate need for more COVID testing, HIV testing took a back seat. ... DJ RQAway wants to change that. He’s teaming up with Crescent Care to provide free HIV testing at his show “Lagniappe” at Tipitina’s this Saturday. "All of my events have been about access, creating access to quality events for young black people in New Orleans. Every single one,” DJ RQAway, whose given name is Jevon Thompson, said. “This particular one we have the added access of being able to check out your sexual health." (Winstrom, 4/7)
Variety: Magic Johnson Talks Lakers Career, HIV Activism And Apple Docuseries
It’s not hyperbole to say that Johnson’s HIV diagnosis changed the world. When he got the news from his doctors in October 1991, he considered keeping it a secret. But the activist Elizabeth Glaser — who had contracted HIV from a blood transfusion and was a presence in Hollywood because of her marriage to actor Paul Michael Glaser — urged him to come forward. “I think Elizabeth Glaser was right when she asked me to become the face of HIV and AIDS,” Johnson says. “I didn’t know what she was talking about at that time, but I’m glad that she pointed me in the right direction and made me get involved.” In hindsight, Johnson wishes he hadn’t retired from the NBA in 1991 after announcing his diagnosis and being told by doctors that his new meds would hinder his athleticism. But he maintains that he made the right decision at the time, given the information available to him. (Hailu and Setoodeh, 4/8)
The Independent: Ukraine Has One Of The Highest HIV Rates In Europe. War Could Set Back The Fight Against The Virus By 20 Years
Under shelling and missiles, medics risk their lives to treat the 250,000 people in Ukraine with HIV amid fears that the war could set their efforts back decades. (Trew, 4/6)
