Ryan White HIV/AIDS program hits anniversary amid national funding crisis

The Ryan White program, named after a teenager who died of AIDS, is celebrating 21 years of existence while the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, one of  its most important components, faces an ongoing funding crisis. #

Grand Rapids man gets six months in HIV disclosure case

Cordlin Comer, a Grand Rapids area man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to failing to disclose his HIV positive status to a female sexual partner, faces less than a year in jail.

Calley says focus will be on strong public health policy

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley says the Snyder administration will put a focus on improving public health and an expert on the subject provides a road map for how the administration can improve the health of Michigan residents to build a better workforce and a stronger economy.

Researchers find mutation that helps prevent HIV from becoming AIDS

Researchers have discovered a genetic mutation in people with HIV which may assist them in preventing the disease from progressing, reports The Philadelphia Enquirer. The study looked thousands of HIV-positive individuals who have been able to control their infection without the assistance of anti-retroviral medications. Those individuals have been identified in literature as elite controllers, [...]

Sunshine week shines light on public records laws, gov’t accountability

It’s National Sunshine Week, a time for Americans to celebrate America’s open records laws.

Pugh: Detroit needs to be ‘squeaky wheel’ to tackle HIV ‘crisis’

FERNDALE — At a hearing to discuss national HIV/AIDS policy on Wednesday, incoming Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh said that the Motor City, which has recorded infection rates as high as those in hard-hit Uganda, needs more money to combat the “crisis” that is eating away at the city. Pugh pledged to be a “noisy voice” for those who lack political access and are battling the disease.

As city attorney stands his ground, new documents raise questions in Lansing sex sting case

LANSING — New documents obtained by Michigan Messenger show Lansing City Attorney Brigham Smith may have violated city policies and state laws when he released the HIV-positive status of a man arrested in a May 22 sex sting operation in a city nature center. Smith argues he has not broken any laws.

Researchers discover new strain of HIV

Researchers in Europe announced they have found a new strain of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in a woman from Cameroon. The new virus, researchers say, appears to have originated in gorillas, unlike the other three subtypes of the virus which are believed to have evolved in chimpanzees, the BBC is reporting.

Bernero challengers say investigation into HIV disclosure necessary

LANSING — Mayoral candidates Charles Ford and Carol Wood, who are both trying to unseat incumbent Virgil Bernero, say city officials should press for an investigation into the release of a man’s HIV-positive status by the city attorney earlier this month.

“If some one on my staff were to divulge confidential information like that, I’d do my own investigation,” said Ford, a Lansing School Board member. “I wouldn’t need an attorney general investigation.”

MDCH: Mich. attorney general should investigate release of man’s HIV status

LANSING — The Michigan Department of Community Health is calling on city officials to request an investigation by the Michigan attorney general’s office into the release of a man’s HIV status related to arrests made during a controversial sex sting in May.