The recent failure of an HIV vaccine was probably caused by the immune system reacting to the virus 'shell' used to transmit the therapy around the body, according to research published 16 November 2009 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The trial, called 'STEP', was halted in September 2007 because preliminary results suggested that people who had been given the vaccine were more likely to be infected with HIV than people who had been given a placebo.

A scientist who is helping to treat thousands of people living with HIV and tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa was awarded the Royal Society Pfizer Award at a ceremony last night (27 October). Dr Linda-Gail Bekker's research looks at how TB epidemiology has changed in the HIV era. Researchers estimate that more than one in ten of all South Africans over 2 years old were living with HIV in 2008. South Africa has also seen a six fold increase in tuberculosis rates in the last 20 years.

NPR examines U.S. policy for HIV-positive visitors and immigrants. While "Congress has removed the statute, and the Department of Health and Human Services is working on a more lenient immigration rule,"

HIV-Positive Babies More Likely To Contract Deadly TB If Given BCG A three-year study in South Africa found that babies who were born HIV-positive had a higher risk of contracting a deadly form of tuberculosis if given the widely used BCG vaccine, the

Preferences in the race of sexual partners influenced by subtle racism may perpetuate HIV-related health disparities. Black gay men have less choice when it comes to sexual partners than other groups and, as a result, their sexual networks are closely knit.

Many people who test positive for HIV are diagnosed late in the course of their infection when treatment might be less effective, according to a report published Thursday in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Reuters Health reports.

Taiwan Marks Increased Numbers Of HIV-Positive Students The Taiwan AIDS Foundation said that according to Department of Health's Centers for Disease Control statistics, the average age of HIV positive people in the country is getting younger, the China Post reports.

Paul Thorn - project director of the Tuberculosis Survival Project, who was scheduled to speak at the Pacific Health Summit in Seattle on Wednesday - has called on the Obama administration to change the policy banning people who are HIV-positive from entering the U.S., the Seattle Times' blog, the "Business of Giving," reports. Thorn said he was denied a U.S.

Future Studies Needed To Determine If 'Test And Treat' Approach Could 'End HIV Pandemic Within 50 Years,' Researchers Say In a Journal of the American Medical Association