The Hill: Trump’s World AIDS day proclamation fails to mention LGBT community
“President Trump failed to mention the LGBT community in his World AIDS day proclamation, drawing criticism from several prominent civil rights organizations. ‘Today, on World AIDS Day, we honor those who have lost their lives to AIDS, we celebrate the remarkable progress we have made in combatting this disease, and we reaffirm our ongoing commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat,’ Trump said in his official statement marking the day of remembrance…” (Delk, 11/30).

HuffPost: Why Donald Trump’s World AIDS Day Statement Falls Flat
“…But Trump’s actions since becoming president suggest that finding a cure for HIV/AIDS is not a priority: In March, for example, he proposed cutting funding for the National Institutes of Health — the largest public funder of medical research around the globe… While Congress was able to beat back that proposal and slightly increase spending on biomedical research, this budget boost can only help the NIH hold steady, not break new ground, when it comes to finding cures for diseases like AIDS…” (Almendrala, 12/1).

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Science: For World AIDS Day, an urgent call for more attention to men and boys
“…[T]his 1 December there’s also a loud lament about treatment shortcomings within a surprising demographic: boys and men. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has bluntly titled its new report Blind Spot and notes in its first sentence that focusing on boys and men may seem ‘counterintuitive’ given the gender inequalities that often put girls and women at a disadvantage when it comes to infection and treatment. But data speak. Overall, more than 20 million of the 37 million HIV-infected people in the world now receive antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, which both save lives and prevent transmission. But in people 15 years of age or older, ARV coverage of males is only 47 percent compared with 60 percent for women…” (Cohen, 11/30).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Among children, AIDS epidemic is far from over, UNICEF finds
“Eighteen children every hour were infected with HIV last year, a sign of scant progress in protecting the world’s young from the deadly AIDS-causing virus, the United Nations’ children’s agency said on Friday. At the current rate of infection, there will be 3.5 million new cases of HIV among adolescents by 2030, according to projections in the 2017 UNICEF Statistical Update on Children and AIDS…” (Wulfhorst, 11/30).

U.N. News Centre: World AIDS Day: If everyone, everywhere realizes right to health, epidemic can be defeated, says U.N.
“The world will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — which include the target of ending AIDS by 2030 — without people attaining their right to health, the United Nations said Friday, marking World AIDS Day with a strong appeal for the full realization of this fundamental right by everyone, everywhere…” (12/1).

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Newsweek: World AID Day 2017 Theme, Facts, and Events: Everything You Need To Know
“Today is World AIDS Day and, though the number of new HIV infections in the United States has declined since 2010 — and the number of worldwide deaths from AIDS has gone down by 50 percent since 2005 — there are still more than 36 million people around the world who are living with AIDS, according to the World Health Organization. Only half are receiving appropriate treatment — which makes the [organization’s] global theme for the 30th World AIDS Day particularly fitting. This year, WHO has declared the theme is ‘right to health.’ Specifically, the organization hopes to draw attention to the need for universal health coverage…” (Sheridan, 12/1).

BuzzFeed News: The Majority Of People Living With HIV In Asia-Pacific Don’t Have Access To The Drugs They Need (Rushton, 11/30).

Financial Times: Russia faulted for HIV epidemic that bucks global trend (Hille, 11/30).

The Guardian: ‘Every app is a dating app’: technology blamed for spike in HIV rates in Pakistan (Rasmussen/Ullah, 12/1).

The Guardian: ‘Society needs to learn to accept’: living with HIV and AIDS in Africa — in pictures (Schermbrucker, 12/1).

TIME: ‘We Need a Day.’ Meet the Man Who Helped Create World AIDS Day (Waxman, 11/30).

Quartz: Nine out of ten adolescent deaths due to AIDS are in Africa (Chutel, 12/1).

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POLITICO: State Dept: Tillerson ‘committed to doing this job’
“President Donald Trump’s administration downplayed reports Thursday of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s imminent departure, saying no personnel changes had been made even as Tillerson made unscheduled visits to the White House…” (McCaskill, 11/30).

POLITICO: Mattis says ‘there’s nothing to’ reports of Tillerson exit
“Defense Secretary James Mattis today dismissed reports that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is on his way out of President Donald Trump’s administration…” (Morgan, 11/30).

POLITICO: We’ll take Pompeo over Tillerson, frustrated diplomats say
“Mike Pompeo may have a partisan reputation, hawkish instincts, and little diplomatic experience, but morale at the State Department is so low that many career diplomats would be glad to see the CIA director replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. Anything, they say, would be better than this…” (Toosi, 11/30).

Roll Call: White House Won’t Discuss Tillerson’s Future Beyond Year’s End
“The White House that routinely labels as fake any news it does not like is studiously withholding such phraseology when it comes to media reports that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is a short-timer…” (Bennett, 11/30).

Washington Post: Rex Tillerson brushes off reports that he is being shown the door
“…Tillerson went about his day as usual, including two routine meetings at the White House, department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly called Tillerson’s chief of staff, Margaret Peterlin, to say the ‘rumors are not true,’ according to Nauert. She said Tillerson ‘brushed this off today’ because he’s lived through rumors of his imminent departure before…” (Gearan/Morello, 11/30).

Washington Post: White House plan to oust Tillerson could elevate Trump loyalist Pompeo
“The White House is readying a plan to oust Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and install loyalists to President Trump in two top national security positions, laying the groundwork for another seismic personnel change in an already turbulent presidency, two administration officials confirmed Thursday…” (Parker et al., 11/30).

Washington Post: The end of Rex Tillerson may finally be here
“…It’s no secret that the relationship between Tillerson, a buttoned-up former ExxonMobil chief executive, and Trump, a former TV showman, has deteriorated…” (Tharoor, 12/1).

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Reuters: War drives record $22.5 bln aid appeal in 2018
“The United Nations launched a record annual humanitarian appeal on Friday, asking donors for $22.5 billion to meet the needs of 90.[9] million in 2018, mainly because of wars in Africa and Middle East…” (Miles, 12/1).

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Devex: Steiner says new UNDP plan is not a cure-all, but a ‘future-focused’ push forward
“The United Nations Development Programme, one of the largest U.N. agencies responsible for reducing poverty and inequality, is backing a redesigned, ‘future-focused’ plan that is necessary to face the world’s changing development and political challenges, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner told Devex. UNDP rolled out its new strategic plan for 2018 through 2021 on Wednesday, and is now working to persuade member states to match its revamped strategy with an 11 percent growth in available resources, from about $23 billion to more than $25 billion over the next four years…” (Lieberman, 12/1).

Inter Press Service: Six ‘Signature Solutions’ — New Development Plan for a New Era
“While the top priority of any development strategy is still the same — to leave no one behind — the new challenges that have emerged show the need to adapt the actions necessary to face them. This appears to be the key rationale behind the new 21st century development plan, which identifies six ‘signature solutions’ against which the U.N. development agency will align its resources and expertise to make a real impact on poverty, governance, energy access, gender equality, resilience, and environmental sustainability…” (Kamal, 11/30).

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PRI: To combat the spread of Zika, a nonprofit is using drones and sterile mosquitoes
“…In partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Insect Pest Control Lab in Vienna, Austria, WeRobotics is testing out [drone] technology and hopes to put it to use in Zika hotspots in Latin America. But releasing hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of mosquitoes comes with engineering challenges, [Patrick Meier, executive director and co-founder of WeRobotics,] says…” (Emmanouilidou, 11/30).

Wall Street Journal: In Rwanda, Drones Deliver Medical Supplies to Remote Areas
“…Several drone companies are using cutting-edge technology to deliver essential medical supplies to remote areas where people are isolated by rugged terrain, bad roads, and seasonal flooding — and, in the process, gaining experience that could be used for shipments in more densely populated places. … A San Francisco-based automated logistics firm called Zipline International Inc. is working with the Rwandan government to deliver blood and vaccines by drone on demand. The company plans to expand into Tanzania next year. Matternet Inc., based in Menlo Park, Calif., has run pilot projects in Haiti, Bhutan, and Papua New Guinea…” (Hotz, 12/1).

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Associated Press: Philippines puts dengue immunization program on hold
“The Philippines on Friday put on hold its dengue immunization program, the world’s first, after new findings by the vaccine manufacturer that severe cases of dengue can occur in the longer term among those vaccinated without prior infection…” (12/1).

CNN Philippines: Gov’t halts dengue vaccination program due to health risk
“…Those at risk are some 70,000 children who were vaccinated under a Health Department program since 2016. ‘In the light of this new analysis, the DOH will place the dengue vaccination program on hold while review and consultation are ongoing with experts and key stakeholders and the WHO (World Health Organization),’ Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a media briefing on Friday…” (Tan, 12/1).

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Reuters: Yemen blockade needs to be fully wound down: U.N. aid chief
“The Saudi-led military coalition must fully lift its blockade on Yemen, where seven or eight million are ‘right on the brink of famine,’ U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said on Friday, but he declined to say if maintaining such a blockade was legal…” (Miles, 12/1).

U.N. News Centre: New funding provides much needed boost for Yemen aid operations, but needs outstrip means
“A United Nations-managed humanitarian emergency fund has allocated $70 million to strife-ridden Yemen, enabling critical life-saving relief operations across large parts of the country. … The latest, much-needed allocation — made possible through contributions from 18 donors — will help many, but more resources are urgently needed to ensure that the $1 billion funding gap in the 2017 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan can be closed and all those who need assistance can be reached…” (11/30).

Washington Post: Saudi Arabia lifted its blockade of Yemen. It’s not nearly enough to prevent a famine.
“…Last week, after an international outcry, Saudi Arabia relaxed that blockade. Aid deliveries were allowed to two rebel-held sea and air ports. … It’s better than nothing. But aid groups say it’s not nearly enough. They warn that unless Saudi Arabia permits commercial shipments of fuel and food immediately, millions of people will starve…” (Erickson, 12/1).

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Al Jazeera: Syria’s besieged areas await winter with trepidation (11/30).

Associated Press: Pope demands ‘decisive measures’ to resolve Rohingya exodus (Winfield, 11/30).

The Economist: After years of success, progress against malaria is slowing (11/30).

Xinhua News: Kenya, U.N. seek to eradicate Guinea worm (11/30).

Xinhua News: U.N. trains Somali health workers on containing cholera, malnutrition (12/1).

Xinhua News: South Sudan sees progress in curbing maternal deaths amid challenges (11/30).

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The Hill: World AIDS Day — let’s work with urgency to battle this disease
Bill Frist, former Republican Senate majority leader from Tennessee, cardiothoracic surgeon, and founder of Hope Through Healing Hands; and Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS and under secretary general of the U.N.

“…[I]f the U.S. — the nation that has demonstrated the greatest leadership and commitment of resources in the fight against AIDS — reduces its investment at the precise moment when efforts need intensifying, it sends the message that America is not committed to the global effort to defeat the AIDS epidemic. PEPFAR must be fully funded; U.S. contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria must be maintained. Failure to fully fund these programs could stall our momentum and result in deadly consequences. … It is an especially critical time to invest robustly in research, to plan ahead for the dissemination of these exciting new tools, and to find ways to get the best options for prevention and care to the greatest number of people at the lowest cost. PEPFAR was created in a moment when little was known about how to stop the AIDS epidemic. Today, we know what to do, how to do it, and where it needs to be done. We have the medicine, the prevention tools, and the international cooperation required to tackle this global health challenge. All that stands now between the possibility and the reality of ending AIDS is the determination of today’s leaders” (12/1).

Devex: Opinion: We started PEPFAR. Politicizing AIDS would be a disaster.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Bill Frist, former Republican Senate majority leader from Tennessee, cardiothoracic surgeon, and founder of Hope Through Healing Hands

“…[T]he PEPFAR model has become the gold standard for addressing large-scale epidemics. PEPFAR’s impact extends far beyond immediate improvements in public health. … And its impact is substantial and visible. … Yet challenges remain. … While PEPFAR is working, we need to expand our commitment to prevent new infections. … The United Nations believes that we can see an AIDS-free generation by the year 2030. But only if we invest in the programs that work abroad — such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria — and here at home, such as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and the Minority AIDS Initiative. Once again, progress will require the same allegiance to policy — not politics — that launched PEPFAR in the first place. If these programs become a partisan football, the most vulnerable people in the world will pay the price. We are sounding the alarm, before our progress is further undermined by hardline ideology or political infighting. This World AIDS Day, we’re asking our colleagues and friends to think of the lives we’re trying to save — not the political parties to which we belong. That’s how we will end AIDS” (12/1).

Washington Post: Trump wants to gut America’s progress against AIDS
Michael Gerson, columnist

“…The Trump administration is proposing a reduction in funding and a shift in strategy in the fight against global AIDS that together would increase infections, cost lives, and threaten the extraordinary progress of the past 15 years. … During the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, the strategy on AIDS was pretty consistent: Put as many people on treatment as possible. Use economies within the program, and falling drug prices, to increase that number even further. Focus on the places and groups where transmission is highest, but act broadly enough to block transmission routes across the continent. For the first time since early in the American AIDS response, a fundamental change in approach is being debated. In its 2018 budget, the Trump administration proposes an [$860 million] cut in America’s bilateral HIV/AIDS programs (along with a $225 million cut for the Global Fund). The State Department, in turn, has written a new AIDS strategy to reflect this lower level of funding. Resources would be concentrated on 13 ‘priority’ countries, while current levels of treatment would be maintained in other places. … Does Trump really want to be known for undermining an effort he praised during his campaign, as well as in his recent U.N. General Assembly speech? … There is only one AIDS strategy adequate to controlling this disease: full funding, and full speed ahead” (11/30).

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PLOS Medicine: The end of HIV: Still a very long way to go, but progress continues
Steven G. Deeks, professor of medicine in residence at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); Sharon R. Lewin, inaugural director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity; and Linda-Gail Bekker, deputy director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre

“…The aspirational slogan Let’s End It suggests that the goal of ending the epidemic is in our grasp and hinges only on our collective commitment to do so. However, the remarkable progress, activism, resources, ingenuity, and sheer fortitude that have brought us this far will be needed in at least equal measure to take us to the end. Only by harnessing the maximum available resources; innovating and implementing relentlessly; and applying the fruits of these processes without prejudice to all human populations, wherever they are needed, will we be able to start imagining an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic” (11/30).

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The Hill: Foreign assistance should be directed where the need and impact are greatest
Bill O’Keefe, vice president for government relations and advocacy at Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and executive committee member of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN)

“…One key point [of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network’s (MFAN) Guiding Principles for Effective U.S. Assistance]: the primary focus of foreign assistance should be where need is greatest or where it can have the most impact. … [I]nternational assistance programs should be measured based on their development impact; just as diplomatic initiatives should be measured by their diplomatic impact. Too often Washington is tempted to measure the impact of aid primarily by the national security or economic dividends they yield. While these dividends are very real, they risk distorting the rationale for the work. And if we distort the goals of international assistance, then we might distort the programs and ultimately make them less effective. Furthermore, focusing on political or national security aims, rather than development results, can backfire. … For many of us, including faith-based organizations like CRS, we provide assistance because we believe it is the right thing to do. Fortunately for all of us, saving lives and protecting human security overseas results in greater human security at home as well” (12/1).

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STAT: A new vaccine against typhoid fever will also help fight antimicrobial resistance
Seth Berkely, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

“…Until relatively recently, antibiotics were a major part of the solution in the fight against typhoid fever. … But through the widespread overuse and misuse of antibiotics, the typhoid-causing pathogen has developed resistance to multiple drugs. … The solution to this problem is to prevent typhoid fever in the first place. … [The typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) is] one of the most widely anticipated vaccines … Demand for the vaccine is expected to be high. Not just because TCV should save three lives for every 10,000 doses administered, but also because of the significant role it will play in reducing the growing threats posed by antimicrobial resistance, and the associated economic burden it brings. … With an estimated 50 million doses of antibiotics prescribed for typhoid every year, one solution is simple: prevent the disease in the first place through vaccination and continued improvements in water and sanitation” (11/30).

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The Hill: Tuberculosis epidemic desperately needs new vaccination strategies
José Luis Castro, executive director of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease

“…To defeat the TB epidemic, we need nothing short of a research-and-development revolution. … Currently, investment in TB research and development — especially in vaccines — is embarrassingly low. … We must keep driving research forward until we have a vaccine. Investing in R&D over the long term will mean future generations — our children and grandchildren — will not have to suffer from this devastating disease. … Public health victories that eliminate infectious diseases — or bring us to the brink of elimination — have never happened without a vaccine. The entire world — not just the hotspots — desperately needs new TB vaccines and vaccination strategies to bring an end to the TB epidemic” (11/30).

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WHO: World AIDS Day 2017
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says in the statement, “The principle of ‘everybody counts’ must be enshrined in policies, laws, and practices that span across all relevant sectors, adopting a whole-of-government approach. The message is simple — make everybody count!” (12/1).

UNDP: World AIDS Day
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner says in the statement, “Only by harnessing the sense of urgency and commitment to human dignity, health, and inclusion that we saw in the early days of the HIV epidemic will we achieve the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat and deliver on the promise of the 2030 Agenda” (12/1).

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Council on Foreign Relations’ “Africa In Transition”: New Study on Trump Administration’s Impact on U.S.-Africa Relations
John Campbell, the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at CFR, highlights a new South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) study on “the African response thus far to the presidency of Donald Trump.” The report, written by John Stremlau, a SAIIA fellow and a visiting professor at the University of the Witswatersrand in Johannesburg, “contains in one place a great deal of information, ranging from the impact of proposed budget cuts at the State Department on Africa to cataloguing public statements about Africa made by the president (almost none), the secretary of state (also almost none), and Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. (a significant number). … [The study] shows where we are now and provides a benchmark for going forward…” (11/30).

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Center for Global Development’s “Global Health Policy Blog”: New Evidence on the Health Loss but not the Health Gain of WHO’s AIDS Treatment Guidelines
Mead Over, senior fellow at CGD, discusses findings from a recent paper on treatment eligibility and retention in clinical HIV care in South Africa, highlighting the importance of weighing opportunity costs and resource reallocation for early initiation of treatment (12/1).

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Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: Global Fund News Flash
The latest issue of the Global Fund News Flash is a World AIDS Day Special Edition, featuring an article on how women and others are challenging stigma and discrimination in West and Central Africa; a piece by Interim Executive Director Marijke Wijnroks, thanking partners and recognizing the (RED) campaign for reaching $500 million raised for the Global Fund; and a link to the Global Fund’s updated HIV/AIDS webpage (12/1).

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IntraHealth International’s “Vital”: Nurses Are Boosting Tanzania’s HIV Prevention Efforts in the Lake Zone Regions (Blyth, 11/30).

IntraHealth International: Health Officials Tap into Powerful Data to Expand HIV Services in Namibia (11/30).

IntraHealth International: New Project Uses Data and Determination to Expand Key HIV Services in Eastern Uganda (11/30).

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PLOS Collections: malERA — An updated research agenda for malaria elimination and eradication
“‘malERA Refresh’ is a forward-looking research and development agenda that accelerates progress towards malaria elimination and global eradication. The malERA Refresh special collection comprises seven papers that address the scientific achievements and the current challenges in different fields. Together, the collection sets out a multi-disciplinary agenda for research, development, and innovation. The outputs are the result of a consultative process with over 180 scientists, malaria program managers, and policymakers organized into six panels. Each panel was guided by a chair and co-chair(s) who worked with the Leadership Group that oversaw the process…” (11/30).

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White House: President Donald J. Trump Proclaims December 1, 2017, as World AIDS Day
“…Today, on World AIDS Day, we honor those who have lost their lives to AIDS, we celebrate the remarkable progress we have made in combatting this disease, and we reaffirm our ongoing commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat…” (11/30).

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U.S. Department of State: Latest Results From the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
“On the eve of World AIDS Day 2017, the United States announced that the impact of President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has reached historic highs through the program’s rapid acceleration of HIV prevention and treatment efforts, driven by transparent, accountable, and cost-effective investments. As of September 30, 2017, PEPFAR supported more than 15.2 million men and boys with substantial protection from HIV infection through the provision of voluntary medical male circumcision. This high-water mark was reached due to the largest single-year increase (3.4 million) in these results since the beginning of PEPFAR. PEPFAR also achieved landmark levels in its support for antiretroviral treatment, now supporting more than 13.3 million men, women, and children with this lifesaving intervention…” (11/30).

U.S. Department of State: U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, M.D.
“…[W]e are at an unprecedented moment in the HIV/AIDS pandemic. For the first time in modern history, we have the opportunity to actually control the global pandemic without a vaccine or a cure, and this is a very exciting time for us. The United States remains the key leader of the HIV/AIDS response, and under this administration leadership of President Donald Trump, we are continuing to lead in the response around the globe…” (11/30).

U.S. Department of State: Remarks at “Increasing Impact through Transparency, Accountability, and Partnerships” to Commemorate World AIDS Day 2017
Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said, “…PEPFAR continues to work tirelessly to save every life. We are still pioneering methods to fight this disease and bring hope to even more people. And we are closer than ever before to ending this pandemic. Last September, at the U.N. General Assembly, Secretary Tillerson announced PEPFAR’s new Strategy for Accelerating HIV/AIDS Epidemic Control. We believe it is possible to control this pandemic. And in partnership with countries that share our vision, we are creating the roadmap to control. Through this strategy, PEPFAR will invest its resources to continue decreasing the number of new HIV infections using data-driven programming to focus on the highest-burden populations and locations…” (11/30).

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