People living with HIV age faster, but antiretroviral therapy can help: New study

News brief

It’s well established that HIV speeds up the aging process, possibly due to chronic inflammation. But antiretroviral therapy (ART) can slow down and possibly even reverse aging caused by an infection, according to new research presented in Munich at the annual meeting of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID).

Researchers estimated biological age by developing a tool called the proteomic aging clock (PAC,) which analyzes protein patterns in blood plasma to estimate a person’s biological age.

Using PAC, the study examined the plasma of people with HIV. They looked at samples from patients, both when they had detected levels of HIV in their blood but had yet to begin ART, and then when their infections were undetectable owing to treatment.

HIV can accelerate biological age by 10 years

Researchers found that when HIV was untreated, participants’ biological age was accelerated by a median of 10 years. But after a median duration of 1.55 years of ART, they documented a statistically significant mean reduction of 3.7 years in proteomic age. The analysis found that a person’s proteomic age continued to move closer to their chronological age the longer they were on ART. Researchers say this suggests ongoing biological recovery with sustained treatment.

“This research demonstrates the importance of early start and optimal adherence to ART," Barry Ryan, PhD, a scientist at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne and the study’s lead author, said in an ESCMID press release.

Report notes 3 European nations reach 90% HPV vaccine uptake in girls

News brief

Stephanie Soucheray, MA

This week marks European Immunization Week, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) today highlighted a new report marking 15 years of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in the region. Now all European Union countries have HPV recommendations in place for both adolescent girls and boys.

Three countries, Iceland, Portugal, and Norway, have reached the 2024 target of 90% HPV vaccination among girls by the age of 15 years. Since 2020, the ECDC said all European countries have reported a decreased incidence of cervical cancer among vaccinated women.

The elimination of cervical cancer in the EU/EEA is becoming an achievable goal.

“The elimination of cervical cancer in the EU/EEA is becoming an achievable goal, thanks to the HPV vaccination programmes. The progress we are seeing across Europe demonstrates what can be accomplished when countries invest consistently in effective immunisation strategies,” said Bruno Ciancio, MD, MS, head of the ECDC’s Directly Transmitted Diseases and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Unit, in an ECDC statement.

Vaccine-coverage dashboard launched

The report shares a growing body of research conducted in European countries showing sustained protection against cervical cancer among HPV vaccine recipients. A Swedish study cited revealed that vaccination of girls before the age of 17 reduced the incidence of cervical cancer by 88%.

The ECDC also announced today the launch of a new dashboard, which will display vaccination coverage for HPV and for other vaccine-preventable infections across the European Union. The ECDC said the dashboard will give a transparent, up-to-date overview of how each European country is performing in terms of vaccination coverage.

Quick takes: California urges mpox vaccination, UK menB campaign, Legionnaires' in North Carolina

News brief

Stephanie Soucheray, MA

The California Department of Public Health is encouraging mpox vaccination for those at risk in light of the first travel-related case of clade 1 mpox identified in San Francisco. Officials said the patient was unvaccinated and had recently traveled to a country where clade 1 mpox is circulating. The patient was hospitalized with an improving condition, officials said. Clade 1 cases are not common in the United States, but officials warn that clade 2 mpox continues to circulate in the state, with cases rising. This is the seventh clade 1 mpox case reported in California since November 2024. Clade 1 infections can be more severe than those caused by clade 2, the more common strain seen among men who have sex with men. Vaccination provides protection against both strains of mpox.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is offering vaccines and antibiotics to young people in Dorset following three recently confirmed cases of meningococcal infection (meningitis) in schoolchildren. All three patients have been discharged from the hospital, and there are no further suspected or confirmed cases to date. As a precautionary measure, 6,500 students in grades seven to 13 will be offered both antibiotics and vaccination. The three cases were confirmed as meningitis B and are the same substrain, but a different substrain to the one detected recently in Kent, UKHSA said.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said officials are seeing more reports of Legionnaires' disease, a type of severe pneumonia, across the state. Officials said cases increased from 201 cases in 2024 to 310 last year. Most people contract the disease after inhaling Legionella bacteria from contaminated soil or water sources.