Any substance use treatment is better than none when it comes to reducing how often gay and bisexual men use methamphetamine (crystal meth), a study from Los Angeles has found. This study’s findings emphasise the importance of harm reduction over an abstinence-only approach to managing methamphetamine use.

Although half of new HIV diagnoses are in people born in another country, migrants have less access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment services across Europe. Many European countries have no data on migrants’ engagement with the HIV care continuum, which is likely to leave any barriers to care unaddressed, data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show. Rather than declining, new HIV diagnoses are increasing in gay and bisexual men born overseas. In many countries, migrants have limited access to the HIV prevention medication PrEP.

Countries with greater income inequality have more new HIV infections and more deaths from both AIDS and COVID-19, a recent study has found. Governments’ responses to pandemics have often focused heavily on individual behaviour, encouraging or mandating behaviour change to limit the spread of infection. However, much less attention has been paid to how broader social determinants impact health outcomes for these global crises. [GLOSSARY]

Disengagement from HIV care happens for numerous reasons and efforts to promote re-engagement in care should develop strategies that address the multiple patterns of disengagement, a study of people with unsuppressed viral load in Uganda reports. Interrupting treatment, or disengaging from care, is common, although calculating what proportion of people with HIV are not currently engaged in care is complicated by the fact that people may move from one clinic to another.

Around one in ten people with HIV developed limited treatment options – which meant that they could no longer take a standard three-drug antiretroviral combination – during approximately five years of follow-up, a large study has found.

Taking doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis after sex – known as doxyPEP – did not reduce the likelihood of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among cisgender women in Africa as it does for gay and bisexual men, according to recently published study results. Actual use of the antibiotic was found to be low, however, suggesting doxyPEP might still work for women if adherence is higher.

HIV prevention coverage is increasing among gay and bisexual men in Australia, but some men remain less well protected. Gay and bisexual men under the age of 25, bisexual men of all ages, and men living in suburbs with fewer gay residents have higher levels of HIV risk and lower levels of prevention coverage.

A positive diagnosis continues to be a source of isolation and stigma for people living with HIV, especially among trans people, younger people and women. Findings from the UK’s largest survey of people living with HIV show that while knowledge of ‘Undetectable equals Untransmittable’ (U=U) is high and linked to higher self-esteem, women are less likely to know and believe that U=U is true. One in 10 of all survey respondents said they were refused healthcare (4% in the last year) and a further one in 10 felt afraid to access healthcare.

A positive diagnosis continues to be a source of isolation and stigma for people living with HIV, especially among trans people, younger people and women. Findings from the UK’s largest survey of people living with HIV show that while knowledge of ‘Undetectable equals Untransmittable’ (U=U) is high and linked to higher self-esteem, women are less likely to know and believe that U=U is true. One in 10 of all survey respondents said they were refused healthcare (4% in the last year) and a further one in 10 felt afraid to access healthcare.