hiv prevention

"Women need to have a certain set of ideas, values & belief systems about condoms to use condoms."

"Globally, women account for more than half of the 33 million people living with HIV."

"The institution of marriage itself is not set up to empower women's... sexual and reproductive choices and power - women need to be more responsible and intentional. This is not your grandmother's marriage."
Dazon Dixon Dialo, MPH

"Women love the skills and love the tranings, but at the end of the day women really want to be told that their relationship is different and that their man doesn't cheat.. We have to get women to the place wherein they can make good and healthy decisions in ANY type of relationship"
Dazon Dixon Dialo, MPH

Three decades into the HIV pandemic, millions of anecdotal lessons and a plethora of data on stigma...  Still these statement are ground breaking!

Each component of women's services must be actively engaged in women's health and wellness. There needs to be a repetitive and unifed effort from every service provider across the spectrum (medical, beauty technicians,  medicaid, domestic violence services, housing providers, sororities, civic groups, community collaboratives, etc. etc.).

Condoms (both males and the under-represented female condom) are the least expensive and most effective tools we have to fight against HIV (unwanted preganacy, STIs, HIV re-infection/new infection)

Yet, we are still livng in a place where saying condom, offering condoms and addressing the sexual and reproductive health and desires of women is still taboo and riddled with stigma.
 read more »

CDC official Dr. Amy Lansky announced today at a plenary session of the National HIV Prevention Conference the CDC's finding that gay men and other MSM have AIDS at a rate more than 50 times (that's right, FIFTY TIMES) greater than women and non-gay/bi men.  This confirms in emphatic terms that of all the disparities and disproportionate impacts in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the greatest one is the extraordinarily disproportionate impact on gay and bisexual men (MSM) -- of all races and ethnicities, though the most disproportionate impact is on African American gay, bi and other MSM. 

As the CDC 's incidence estimates released last year revealed, MSM constitute more than half of all new cases of HIV and are the group in which the number of new cases each continues to slowly increase. What's new today is that the CDC has calculated *rates* of HIV/AIDS prevalence among MSM, not just raw numbers. Lansky says the CDC estimates that there were 692.2 new HIV cases in 2007 per 100,000 MSM. Having a rate as well as the raw numbers allows comparisons for the first time to other population groups at risk, such as women and heterosexual men.
 read more »

(cross posted at RH Reality Check)

By Julie Davids and David Ernesto Munar

ATLANTA (Aug 23)-As members of the new Administration opentheir first federal scientific gathering on HIV/AIDS six-months into the Presidencyof Barack Obama, they face a mix of high expectations and serious challengesfacing HIV-fighting efforts in the U.S. AIDS advocates are poised to assess the course on HIV/AIDS charted by theAdministration and attempt to apply their influence.

More than 3,000 scientists, service providers, publicofficials and advocates have joined in downtown Atlanta for the NationalConference on HIV Prevention (NHPC)sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Withthe newly appointed heads of the Department of Health and Human Services,Kathleen Sebelius, and CDC Director Tom Frieden welcoming delegates tomorrow,the conference opened tonight with a panel of speakers who are all living withHIV, including Magic Johnson and a member of this reporting team, David ErnestoMunar of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (see his remarks here)

The conference marks just over a year since CDC officials,presented at the International Conference on AIDS in Mexico City,unveiled stark new data suggesting the annual number of HIV infections in theU.S. is 40 percent higher than previously estimated, with African Americansshouldering the greatest number of new cases and rates still on the rise amonggay and bisexual men of all races. Based on its new calculations, CDC says that an estimated 56,300 peoplebecome infected with HIV each year, far greater than the long-standing, priorestimate of 40,000 annual infections.  read more »

HIV prevention providers and advocates are prepared to usethe conference to highlight a range of economic and political issues hamperinganti-HIV efforts, calling for a greater focus on prevention work through effortsto strengthen the "pillars" of a comprehensive, combination approach groundedin healthcare access; integration and expansion of voluntary HIV testing,prevention and treatment; and long-overdue attention to social inequalitiesthat can further the spread of the epidemic. And they are seeking to determine, and influence, whatrelative priority HIV-fighting efforts will have for this Administration in themidst of many competing challenges.

HIV Law Project’s Center for Women & HIV Advocacy has released its latest report: “Better Late Than Never: HIV Prevention Among Young Women & Girls."  The report catalogues the myriad biological, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that have caused steadily rising rates of HIV among young women and girls, particularly young women of color.  The report then offers an expansive series of recommendations to promote effective prevention efforts among this population.  Recommendations are based in interventions with proven efficacy, and are premised in the importance of integrating HIV prevention with sexual and reproductive health care.  As the Obama administration moves forward on a National AIDS Strategy, this report offers timely background and important recommendations for halting the rise of HIV among young women and girls.  

The report can be found at:
http://hivlawproject.org/resources/cwha/Better-Late-Than-Never-05072009.pdf

Congratulations to Stephanie Morain, Alison Yager and the others at the Center for this helpful new analysis.

CHAMP New York was up early today for AIDS Walk 2009! 

Although we were bright, the early morning was not- rain drizzled over Central Park as we searched for our community partner table.  The balloons and the crowd were cheerful too.  And we expanded our team by hundreds, who slapped on CHAMP stickers as they walked by, wearing our slogan:

HIV is not just a disease- it's proof positive of injustice!  

If you are one of the dozens who picked up copies of the HIV Prevention Jusitce Principles, visit us at www.champnetwork.org to endorse the principles or for your organization to join the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance (HIV PJA).  The HIV PJA is hosting its next call on Wednesday, May 27 with guest speakers explaining the relationship between poverty and HIV.

Thanks to CHAMP supporters, our team raised more than $5,000!  With help like this from people in our network, we're able to sustain our independent work to build a community-based movement that links the fight for HIV/AIDS with human rights and social and economic justice.

And thanks to Victor Bernhardtz, we have some great photos!

                            

Launching our Promo Homo campaign, we met with hundreds of participants who signed on with CHAMP’s HIV prevention justice mission, and planned new partnerships with grassroots groups.  This is a groundbreaking effort, reuniting across movements to build a powerful community-based movement at the complex intersection of HIV and homophobia and transphobia in the United States.