U.S. Freezes HIV Treatment Spending in Africa, Shifts Focus to Prevention

The Obama administration is freezing spending on HIV treatment in several African countries and is instead shifting its focus to HIV prevention, Agence France-Presse reports. In response, activists and health officials say they are concerned about reversing the gains made against global HIV/AIDS since 2003, when former president George W. Bush launched the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

According to the article, HIV-positive patients enrolled in PEPFAR programs will continue receiving free antiretroviral therapy under the spending freeze, but clinics are being forced to turn away new patients.

Peter Mugyenyi, head of Uganda’s Joint Clinical Research Center, accused the United States of breaking its promise to Uganda, “ The No. 1 thing is availability of treatment,” he said. “Any other program, whatever name they call it, will fail.”

HIV specialist Eric Goemaere, MD, with Doctors Without Borders, said that spending PEPFAR funds on prevention in an effort to slow the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a “fake argument,” adding that an effective prevention strategy relies on testing.

“Why were people getting tests? It is because treatment was available,” he said.

National Black HIV/Aids Awareness Day Promotes Awareness

Yesterday marked the tenth annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The day signifies a time where communities focus on strategy, testing, awareness, and treatment for HIV/AIDS in the black community.

One of the fundamental ways black men and women can reduce the spread of HIV in their communities and preserve their health is by getting tested for the virus during routine medical care, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Physicians. Identifying HIV infection early in its course is critical. A growing number of studies have shown that starting treatment early, while the immune system is still intact, is more beneficial to HIV-infected patients than initiating therapy later in the course of disease.

As a nation, we must knock down the barriers that prevent many Americans, especially African-Americans, from receiving health care in general, and HIV testing, counseling and treatment in particular. An insidious component of this barrier is persistent stigma around homosexuality, HIV-positive status and injection drug use. Fostering acceptance of all people, regardless of lifestyle, and encouraging discussions about the behaviors that increase risk for HIV infection will help create a positive climate for HIV prevention and treatment services in black communities. I am gratified that Congress and President Obama recently lifted the 21-year-old ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs, which have been scientifically proven to reduce HIV transmission among injection drug users and serve as a gateway to treatment for drug addiction, HIV and other diseases.

Adelle Simmons, Policy Advisor in the Office of National Aids Policy highlighted some steps that President Obama has taken to address HIV/AIDS in the black community through the creation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. For more information regarding HIV/AIDS and for resources please visit: Aids.gov.

Prevention Challenges Facing African Americans

There are several challenges facing the African American community that impact HIV prevention efforts and how well African Americans with HIV/AIDS cope with the disease. Some of these challenges are

Poverty. People who don’t have much money cannot always get good health care. Day-to-day living may be more important than taking care of their health. Poor people may need to spend their time, energy, and money just to get food, shelter, and transportation. This can affect whether a person gets information about HIV and AIDS and whether they have access to HIV testing. If they become infected with HIV, they may not know it, they may not get treatment soon enough, or may not get treatment at all.

Denial. Some African Americans may believe that HIV is not a concern for the African American community or that HIV is mostly a white, gay male disease. Topics such as homosexuality, sex outside of marriage, drug use, and other sensitive issues often make talking about HIV and AIDS a challenge. African Americans may find these discussions even more challenging when already faced with the issues of race.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). Certain STDs can greatly increase the chances of getting HIV. Also, a person who has both HIV and certain STDs has a greater chance of spreading HIV to others.

Drug Use. Injecting drugs is the second leading cause of HIV infection for both black women and men. In addition to injecting drugs, people who use other drugs are more likely to take risks, such as unprotected sex when they are under the influence. Drug use can also affect treatment for those with HIV, causing them to not take medicine when they need to.

Until There’s A Cure… help raise awareness.

Talk about it.  And remember, HIV/AIDS is preventable.  Silence is deadly.

A New Team of Experts Join the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

The council—comprised of researchers, services providers and community leaders from across the United States, including people living with HIV—supplies advice, information and recommendations to the president on domestic and global HIV/AIDS policy issues. PACHA will play an important role in the formation of a national HIV/AIDS strategy, and it supports the primary goals of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy.

“I’m pleased to have a new group of experts joining PACHA, and I look forward to hearing from the council about our continued efforts to prevent the spread of HIV infections in the United States and to provide care and treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS around the world,” President Barack Obama said in a statement.

PACHA’s first meeting with the Obama administration was held February 2 in Washington, DC.

Miss America 2010 supports HIV/AIDS awareness

The newly crowned Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron of Fredericksburg, Virginia, promises to promote HIV awareness and education during her one-year reign, The Free Lance-Star reports. The platform is a personal one for Cameron, whose uncle died of AIDS-related illnesses when she was 8 years old.

“We need to let people know this is a disease affecting people right here, right now,” said Cameron, a 22-year-old African American. “We need to make sure we’re having those uncomfortable conversations that are lifesaving conversations.”

Human Rights and HIV

Today, more than ever, HIV/AIDS is a Human Rights issue… the right to health care, the right to education, the right to privacy, the right to non-discrimination. As the number of people living with HIV and with AIDS continues to grow in nations with different economies, social structures, and legal systems, HIV/AIDS-related human rights issues are increasing. Thirty years have passed since the epidemic began. For about half of this period we have had the means to effectively treat this preventable disease.

Ignorance and Silence is deadly.
Awareness and Advocacy will save lives.
How can you become a part of the solution?

Rise in Teen Pregnancy

The pregnancy rate among teenage girls in the United States has jumped for the first time in more than a decade, raising alarm that the long campaign to reduce motherhood among adolescents is faltering, according to a report released Tuesday. The pregnancy rate among 15-to-19-year-olds increased 3 percent between 2005 and 2006 — the first jump since 1990, according to an analysis of the most recent data collected by the federal government and the nation’s leading reproductive-health think tank.

Teen pregnancy has long been one of the most pressing social issues and has triggered intense political debate over sex education, particularly whether the federal government should fund programs that encourage abstinence until marriage or focus on birth control. The cause of the increase is the subject of debate. Several experts blamed the increase in teen pregnancies on sex-education programs that focus on encouraging abstinence. Others said the reversal could be due to a variety of factors, including an over-sexualized culture, lack of involved and positive role models, an increase in poverty and complacency about AIDS, prompting lax use of birth control such as condoms.

The rate at which U.S. teenagers were having sex rose steadily through the 1970s and 1980s, fueling a sharp rise in teen pregnancies and births. That trend reversed around 1991 because of AIDS, changing social mores about sex and other factors, including greater use of contraceptives, which pushed the U.S. teen pregnancy rate to historic lows.

The Obama administration is currently launching a $110 million pregnancy prevention initiative focused on programs with proven effectiveness but has left open the possibility of funding some innovative approaches that include encouraging abstinence.

New HIV infections with virus resistant to HIV drugs could rise significantly in San Francisco.

The number of new HIV infections with virus resistant to HIV drugs could rise significantly in San Francisco and become a self-sustaining epidemic, according to a study published in the journal Science and reported by Bloomberg News. The authors also fear that an upswing in transmitted drug-resistant virus could imperil efforts to test and treat nearly everyone living with HIV in developing countries. Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) is an ever-present concern for scientists, physicians and people with HIV. When people with drug-resistant HIV pass their virus to others, those newly infected people have fewer treatment options. About 13 percent of people newly infected with HIV in San Francisco get drug-resistant strains.

According to the World Health Organization, about 33.4 million people were infected with the AIDS- causing virus worldwide as of the end of 2008, making it the world’s most prevalent infectious disease. More than 4 million people in low- and middle-income nations were receiving treatment as of the end of 2008, a 10-fold increase over five years.

China Launches Weekly HIV Radio Show

The global efforts to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS has taken a significant step forward. With a potential to reach 300 million people in 60 cities China’s leading state-run radio networks has launched a nationwide, AIDS-focused program featuring HIV-positive hosts, Xinhua News Agency reports. 

The weekly show, Positive Talks, began airing January 16 on China National Radio (CNR). It features audience interaction and interviews with experts in the field. 

The show’s goal, said CNR deputy editor-in-chief Yang Wenyan, is to raise HIV awareness in China while giving more attention, care and support to those living with the virus there. According to estimates by the Chinese Ministry of Health and UNAIDS, between 560,000 to 920,000 people are living with HIV in China.

Tens of thousands of people are injured or dead after a 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday. As the world turns its attention to the incalculable devastation and suffering, we take special note of the 200,000 citizens living with HIV/AIDS.

“Just as food, water and shelter are critical human needs for those afflicted by this national tragedy, so are life-saving medications for those living with HIV/ADS,” said Nora Hanna, Executive Director of Until There’s A Cure Foundation. “We want to make sure that all of their critical care needs are met.”

Make your tax-deductible gift now and provide life-saving medications here at UTAC, or donate to any of the following organizations:

* The American Red Cross via their website or text messaging. By texting “HAITI” to “90999″, a $10 donation will be charged to your phone bill.
* Doctors Without Borders
* Partners in Health
* AmeriCares

For other ways to help – including volunteer opportunities – contact the Consulate General of Haiti in New York City at 212-697-9767.

Think of the patients. Think of the children who need healthy, strong parents. You’ll be glad you did.