HIV Prevention Justice

Q and A: Moving PrEP from Promising Trial Result to Practical, Public Health Prevention Intervention?

Submitted by mjvesper on Wed, 03/02/2011 - 10:18am

As noted in these pages and press reports worldwide, the iPrex trial found that daily use of truvada protected gay men, other MSM and trangender women from HIV infection.

Updated data presented at this week's Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) showed the trial results held true through 144 weeks - nearly three years - and that the key challenge seems to be adherence. Those who took the drug most or all of the time (about 1/2 of the people in the study) had high rates of protection - over 90%. But because the other half took little or no drug at all (as confirmed by blood tests), the overal efficacy rate among trial participants was 44%.

After a long day at the conference, an eager crew of conference-goers - including researchers, people with HIV, White House officials and press - joined local community members here in Boston last night in the auditorium of Fenway Community Health for ARV-Based Prevention: A Community & Research Forum on Recent Results and What Happens Next, sponsored by AVAC and Fenway.

At the end of the formal presentations,  the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance asked panelists, "What are one to three next steps that are vital to making PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis] effective at the community or public health level, rather than just a boutique intervention for a few individuals?" Read more »

ShareThis
Tagged:

High-Impact Prevention: New Approach to Science and Practice of HIV Prevention in the United States?

Submitted by mjvesper on Wed, 03/02/2011 - 9:08am

This week at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston, researchers and clinicians from around the world met to share and discuss HIV research.

The opening plenary on Monday was delivered by Jonathan Mermin, Director of the Division of HIV/AIDS. Titled The Science and Practice of HIV Prevention in the US, the 30 minute presentation outlined Mermin's vision of a new approach called high-impact prevention (HIP). We caught up with Mermin the following day, and asked him to talk about his speech, explaining what HIP is all about.

If this quick video grabs your interest, you can view Mermin's full presentations and slides right here - and you can look around that conference site for more webcasts of important sessions. We'll be blogging about other conference matters of interest to HIV prevention justice advocates in the coming days, including some thoughts on high-impact prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis, racial disparities in infection, and other matters... 

 

ShareThis
Tagged:

Here Comes the Nat'l HIV/AIDS Strategy! Join the LIVEBLOG to weigh in!

Submitted by mjvesper on Mon, 07/12/2010 - 8:20am

Hello HIV Prevention Justice activists!

Over the past three years, we have been fighting together for a National HIV/AIDS Strategy. And now - it has finally arrived!

Go here to download and read the full Strategy, the Plan for Implementation, and the Presidential Directive: http://www.whitehouse.gov/AIDS-Strategy

TODAY: The press conference launching the Strategy (2 pm Eastern) will be a live webcast from the White House complex at WhiteHouse.gov/live. Join us for a LIVE BLOG RIGHT HERE at www.preventionjustice.org DURING the webcast to share your thoughts, analysis, and ideas. President Obama will also speak on the Strategy via live webcast at 6 pm. 

Register here to be notified when the LiveBlog starts - but be sure to scroll down for other important information!

Note: If you are a journalist and/or blogger, please identify yourself as such if you are participating in the LiveBlog.  Participants, please note: this is a public space and any comments will be publicly available during and after the Live Blog.

We have been told by numerous people involved in the creation of the strategy that we MUST "hold their feet to the fire" on implementation. If we agree that the Strategy has key elements that reflect human rights and principles of HIV Prevention Justice, you can rely on the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance to join together in action to demand implementation and monitoring. Thus, we will make sure you have all available materials to help analyze and act on the Strategy. Read more »

ShareThis
Tagged:

New Blog: AIDS and Social Justice!

Submitted by mjvesper on Mon, 07/05/2010 - 10:15am

For several years, CHAMP was very fortunate to work with Suzy Subways as the editor of our Solidarity Project publication.

She's now started a new blog called (and about) AIDS and Social Justice. She's kicked it off with some reporting from the recent U.S. Social Forum in Detroit. Highly recommended!

ShareThis
Tagged:

Arrests of HIV+ Continue, CDC Must Act! Sign On!

Submitted by mjvesper on Thu, 12/17/2009 - 3:52pm

Do you know that HIV isn't spread by spitting, and that condoms are an effective HIV prevention tool?

Of course you do.
But this information seems to be outside the knowledge of many in the legal system across this country, where the criminal prosecution of people living with HIV often continues to ignore the facts.

TAKE ACTION: Endorse the letter to CDC  asking them to keep their own promises to address HIV criminalization.ShareThis

Read more »
Tagged:

Obama’s AIDS Agenda Takes Center Stage at National Conference on HIV Prevention

Submitted by mjvesper on Mon, 08/24/2009 - 6:03am

(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.

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. ShareThis

Read more »
Tagged:

United Nations Briefing session on HIV and Human Rights

Submitted by mjvesper on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 8:36am
The "HIV and Human Rights" briefing on June 16, 2009 held at the United Nations in New York City sparked discussion about the central role of human rights in universal access to prevention, treatment care and support for HIV and AIDS. Michel Sidibé (Executive Director of UNAIDS), Sapana Pradhan Malla (Member of Parliament, Nepal), and Tembeni Fazo (African Services Committee, Zimbabwe) delivered remarks and dialoged with more than 100 UN staff, advocates and community members.
ShareThis
Read more »
Tagged:

CHAMP Activists Bring HIV Prevention Justice to the Heart of Creating Change

Submitted by mjvesper on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 2:46pm
Like any good revival, Creating Change generated spirits on fire, weeping and dancing for AIDS activists and LGBTQ leaders across the generations.  CHAMP facilitated eight sessions exploring the facts, fictions, politics and deeply rooted social causes of the epidemic in this country.  And we took action then and there at the largest annual advocacy meeting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people and allies from across the country held in Denver last week.

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.

Together we are working to address the ways that institutionalized fear and hatred of sexual diversity makes our communities more vulnerable to HIV by supporting and strengthening local community leadership, weaving national networks, and building the movement for HIV prevention justice to challenge this deep and persistent structural vulnerability.
ShareThis
Read more »
Tagged:

Yes We Will! A Call for Leadership in HIV Prevention Justice

Submitted by mjvesper on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 4:43pm
After a long campaign, we now know that Senator Barack Obama will be our next president. At this historic moment of hope, we celebrate both the power of community organizing and the possibilities the Obama victory represents for this country.

President-Elect Obama's campaign platform (the HIV/AIDS agenda is available in PDF) included a strong stance on HIV and AIDS issues, rooted in the call for a National AIDS Strategy (NAS).

We are badly in need of new and sustained resources in the fight against HIV/AIDS in this country. We also need a comprehensive, measurable strategy against the epidemic that dares to re-envision and recraft our HIV/AIDS response to meet and overcome a new generation of challenges.ShareThis
Read more »
Tagged:
Syndicate content