Advertisement
The Body: The Complete HIV/AIDS Resource Follow Us Follow Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Download Our App
Professionals >> Visit The Body PROThe Body en Espanol
Home Page for TheBody.com, the Complete HIV/AIDS Resource What's New About HIV Ask the Experts About HIV HIV/AIDS Blogs Connect With Others About HIV Just Diagnosed With HIV HIV Treatment HIV Prevention Living With HIV Personal Stories of People With HIV
  
  • Email Email
  • Comments Comments
  • Printable Single-Page Print-Friendly
  • Glossary Glossary

Sign On: Treatment Prevents Transmission -- Obama, Stand Up for Treatment Expansion Worldwide

From HIV Prevention Justice Alliance

October 7, 2011

Have you heard the biggest news in ages? Science shows that there is a 96% reduction in risk of HIV transmission if people have access to AIDS drugs.

We've been saying for years that treatment -- as a key component of comprehensive care -- is among the best tools out there for ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

A few months ago, U.S.-funded scientists proved we were right. Thanks to the HPTN 052 study, they found out that AIDS treatment reduces the risk of HIV transmission by 96%.

Advertisement
Click here to urge the President to put the promise of this study into practice in the U.S. and worldwide.

Unfortunately, the U.S. administration has actually been putting less funding directly into global AIDS treatment for the last few years, and is adding people to treatment only through "cost savings." And domestic programs are on the chopping block of deficit reduction -- even though treating HIV prevents future costs.

The science is clear -- but we are still waiting for White House leadership, and facing mounting challenges to domestic treatment expansion.

So the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance and our friends at SisterLove are supporting Health GAP, who put together a website that makes the choice clearer for the President: he can continue on the sidelines of the global AIDS fight, or he could step forward and commit to getting millions more people on treatment by 2013 -- and stand firm on what we need in the United States.

Check out this new website, and share it with your friends. While there, you can add your name to the petition that will be personally delivered to White House officials next week.

Just a few weeks ago at the PEPFAR scientific advisory board meeting, advocates got see some of the newest modeling that shows that getting people on ARVs halts deaths and new infections -- and saves money in the long run. Not a bad bang for the buck, by any means, and something that we should be proud to support.

We have the tools the end the AIDS pandemic. But what we lack is political leadership.

President Obama, despite his promises, has been missing on the global scene, and is under attack for the domestic strategies that could help here at home.

Please add your name to our petition and check out our website! The White House is making decisions right now, so sign today.

It's time for the President to step up and do what's right: treat the people to end the pandemic, and stand firm on expanding care and treatment in the United States.

Click here to sign the petition.

Thank you for continuing to fight with us for life-saving treatment for everyone worldwide.


Turning the Tide on U.S. HIV/AIDS

In the U.S., nearly half a million people -- 51% of those who know they are HIV+ -- can't get consistent care or treatment.

And this doesn't even include 250,000 who still don't know they are HIV-positive - who may also find barriers to care when diagnosed.

Almost ten thousand people (mostly in the South) are stuck on growing state-level AIDS drug waiting lists of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) - many in need of treatment don't even qualify to be on lists with increasingly restrictive enrollment criteria.

With greater access to medical care and treatment, we can turn the tide against HIV in the United States. To do this, we must:

Fully fund and implement the Affordable Care Act (health care reform) which will cover virtually all HIV-positive Americans.

Strengthen services under Medicare and Medicaid. Government insurance programs are already the most important source of medical coverage for American living with HIV/AIDS. Once health reform is fully implemented, Medicare and Medicaid will cover the majority of people living with HIV in the U.S.

These programs will also serve a critical role in efforts to expand HIV testing and other preventative health services for low-income people, the disabled, and retirees.

Congress must protect these vital programs from funding cuts and policy changes that might undermine their ability to meet the needs of low-income Americans. Prevent destructive funding cuts for vital HIV/AIDS discretionary programs.

The debt-reduction law signed by President Obama in August requires deep funding cuts for vital "discretionary funding” for a range of federal activities, including housing, health and social services.

Unless Congress protects discretionary HIV programs and services, debt-reduction provisions will result in a decline in vital services. We need allies to champion efforts to protect these services from deep funding cuts.

For more info: www.hivhealthreform.org.




  
  • Email Email
  • Comments Comments
  • Printable Single-Page Print-Friendly
  • Glossary Glossary
This article was provided by HIV Prevention Justice Alliance. Visit HIV Prevention Justice Alliance's website to find out more about their activities and publications.
 
See Also
More News and Research on HIV Medications for HIV Prevention
No comments have been made.
 

Add Your Comment:
(Please note: Your name and comment will be public, and may even show up in
Internet search results. Be careful when providing personal information! Before
adding your comment, please read TheBody.com's Comment Policy.)

Your Name:


Your Location:

(ex: San Francisco, CA)

Your Comment:

Characters remaining:

Tools
 

Advertisement