Promising HIV prevention

Treatment can't solve the problem, but adding a couple of new tools to the fully scaled-up implementation of available HIV prevention options could cut the global HIV infection rate in half.

The recent announcement that a pill currently used to treat HIV infection can also help prevent it was an important milestone in the effort to keep people from getting the virus.

The breakthrough utilizes a strategy known as pre-exposure prophylaxis. At-risk people take a drug in advance of exposure to the pathogen that makes it less likely they will become infected.

We must all build on HIV/Aids success

On World Aids Day we pay tribute to the millions who are infected and affected by HIV/Aids worldwide. We continue to spread the word that in spite of much success, too many lives are still being devastated by this deadly disease. Our task looms large, but our message is simple: we have a shared responsibility as governments and individuals to build on the success achieved by making smart investments and decisions that will ultimately save more lives.

Photos tell of life with HIV

Of the eight men and women whose photographs have gone up on the walls of the Overture Center’s Playhouse Gallery this week, five are using pseudonyms such as “Anonymous,” “Your Neighbor,” and “Could Be You.”
The fact that some of the photographers featured in “Living with HIV/AIDS: Perspectives Through the Lens” didn’t want their identities revealed is itself a statement about the stigma that still surrounds this disease, said Heidi Nass, a patient advocate for the HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Care Program at UW-Health and one of the show’s photographers. All of the photographers are HIV positive.

Why The HIV/AIDS Community Should Care About the New Medicare Panel

Over the years, HIV/AIDS activists and their allies have been pioneers in creating new frontiers in the medical establishment. Through their efforts, the FDA drug approval procedures were reformed so promising new therapies could reach desperate patients quicker. The heroic efforts of the HIV/AIDS community has made health care better for millions of Americans.

I celebrated the passage of the new health reform law. It has given Americans living with HIV/AIDS much reason to hope. But even in victory, there are important details that must be worked out. We should not be afraid of making changes that will protect patient rights and total care. One such change that is needed relates to the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB).