On Wednesday, June 10, the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM) confirmed that a Californian adult film actress had tested positive for HIV. The Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation is a clinic based in San Fernando Valley that serves the Southern California adult film industry. AIM provides testing, treatment, and counseling services for actors and actresses in this region.

This is the first publicly confirmed case of HIV in the Southern California industry since 2004, when a sudden outbreak halted adult film production for a month. At the time, Darren…

A recently developed contraceptive ring may not only prevent pregnancy, but also protect women from contracting HIV, says a new study featured in the May issue of the journal AIDS.

Researchers from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York are studying the effectiveness of a vaginal ring that uses anti-HIV chemicals and other natural materials already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The chemicals in the ring, which disable sperm and disrupt numerous stages in the HIV life cycle, are released over a 28-day period.

Brij…

June 27 marks the 15th National HIV Testing Day, when health clinics and hospitals nationwide will sponsor health fairs, community education workshops, and extended testing hours to promote voluntary HIV testing. Every year, the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) cooperates with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to organize this nationwide event.

The purpose of National HIV Testing Day is to encourage those at risk to get tested and to remove the stigma that surrounds HIV tests. This stigma exists because those who actively seek getting…

Researchers from the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco have found that HIV increases the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which artery walls thicken as a result of a buildup of fatty materials. HIV competes equally with other common high risk factors of atherosclerosis, such as diabetes and smoking. These findings support a potential change in treatment for long-lived HIV patients regarding atherosclerosis.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body’s cells cannot properly intake dietary sugar resulting in a buildup of sugar…

One of the most common difficulties people with HIV/AIDS encounter is deciding whether to have or keep a pet. Though individuals with healthy immune systems do not usually consider caring for animals risky, HIV/AIDS patients have a higher chance of picking up life-threatening illnesses from bites, scratches, and cleaning responsibilities.

Illnesses from pets can result in a variety of symptoms, including severe diarrhea, brain infections, and skin lesions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Caring for a pet can be a gratifying experience for individuals with HIV/AIDS…