Florida drops HIV coverage
350 HIV-positive Floridians will have to find another source of funding for HIV meds.
Profile: Gay, Jewish and HIV positive
Profile: Gay, Jewish and HIV positive
1 in 7 gay men in D.C. are HIV+
About one in seven gay men in Washington, D.C., are HIV positive. That staggering figure was released last week by the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration [1], according to a story by The Washington Post [2].
In a study of 500 gay men in the city, more than 40 percent of the participants were unaware of their diagnosis prior to the study. One in three men reported they didn’t know the status of their last partner.
[3]
“This is a wake-up call,” gay D.C. Council member David A. Catania told the Washington Post. “It’s time for my generation to assume greater responsibility for themselves and their partners. Just because we escaped the epidemic of the 1980s doesn’t mean we are immune.”
Last year, the city distributed more 3.5 million condoms and tested 95,000 people for HIV.
While the figures for HIV among gay men in D.C. are high – almost five times higher than the rate of HIV among adults and teens across the city – figures in other cities are higher. In San Francisco, 24 percent of gay men are HIV positive; in New York it’s 25 percent and in Baltimore, an astounding 40 percent.
[1] http://doh.dc.gov/doh/cwp/view,a,1371,q,573205,dohNav_GID,1802.asp
[2] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/25/AR2010032503730.html
[3] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-hiv-testing-top.jpg
Elton will support Ukrainian boy he can’t adopt
(London) Elton John’s partner says the musician was devastated that he wasn’t allowed to adopt an HIV-positive Ukrainian toddler, but plans to support the boy anyway.
The 62-year-old pop star met 14-month-old Lev at a home for HIV-positive children in September. But he was refused permission to adopt the boy because …
South Africa to treat all HIV-positive babies
(Pretoria, South Africa) South Africa announced ambitious new plans Tuesday for earlier and expanded treatment for HIV-positive babies and pregnant women, a change that could save hundreds of thousands of lives in the nation hardest hit by the virus that causes AIDS.
President Jacob Zuma – once ridiculed for saying a …
Columnist who outed Rock Hudson as HIV positive, dies
(Los Angeles) Army Archerd, whose breezy column for the entertainment trade publication Daily Variety kept tabs on various Hollywood doings for more than a half-century, has died. He was 87.
Archerd’s wife, Selma, said he died Tuesday at UCLA Medical Center of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lungs strongly tied to …
US May Lift Entry Ban on HIV Patients
For more than two decades, anybody who is HIV positive has been prevented from entering the United States. But with President Barack Obama’s support, the ban will likely expire soon, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) taking public comments until August 17. The department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will then make the final decision. “We’re trying to end the stigma and the discriminatory practice for a disease that doesn’t warrant exclusion for coming into this country,” said the director of the CDC’s division of global migration and quarantine, Dr. Martin Cetron. “We have to appreciate this is not a threat we face from abroad.” He acknowledged that “HIV is clearly a public health disease of significance,” but added that simply letting somebody with HIV into the country does not “immediately pose a risk to the public.”
The proposal could allow an average of about 5,000 HIV-infected people into the United States each year. And according to a CDC estimate published in the federal register, the lifetime medical costs of those admitted in just the first year would total almost $100 million. The United States is one of about 15 countries that prevent entry of HIV-positive patients, though it is possible to obtain a waiver under certain conditions. See US May Lift Entry Ban on HIV Patients
The New American
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HIV travel ban to be lifted?
The DHHS posted a notice on its site signaling an end to restrictive travel for HIV‑positive people.
AIDS/LifeCycle charity bike ride gets personal when recession hits
For the last two years, Brodt has participated in the annual bike ride to raise money for HIV and AIDS-related services at the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
But Brodt, once a television producer with a six-figure salary, never thought “others” could include him.
After losing his job and health insurance, Brodt, 37, now relies on the same services that he raised money for in the past for his own HIV treatment.
He was laid off last April. Although he was offered another job in the industry, he decided to take time off to reassess his career. When he was ready to return to work, previous job offers had dried up. By then, he said, people who had provided job leads were losing their own positions.
Savings stretched only so far. Brodt moved into an older, cheaper apartment on the edge of Hollywood and gave up his car. Some weeks, he said, he had less than $20 in his bank account.
After six months, Brodt could no longer afford the $500 monthly payment for COBRA health insurance benefits. His HIV medications could run several thousand dollars a year. He stopped taking them.
It wasn’t long before he started to feel fatigued and depressed.
“I thought, maybe I need to talk to someone . . . Maybe I’m just depressed. I can’t find a job,” Brodt said. “I didn’t really think it had to do with HIV.”
Brodt’s symptoms were a textbook example of what can happen when someone who is HIV positive stops taking medication, said Brad Hare, medical director of UC San Francisco’s Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital. A lapse in treatment can increase the risk of disease progression and medication resistance, he said.
See AIDS/LifeCycle charity bike ride gets personal when recession hits Los Angeles Times -* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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AIDS/LifeCycle 8 to Raise $10+ Million to Fight AIDS 2,200 cyclists to start San Francisco-to-Los Angeles ride May 31
SAN FRANCISCO and LOS ANGELES, CA — More than 2,200 bicyclists from 41 states and 14 nations will stream out of San Francisco on May 31 en route to Los Angeles as participants in the colorful and emotional AIDS/LifeCycle, the world’s largest annual AIDS fundraiser.
The 545-mile trek is expected to raise more than $10 million to support vital HIV/AIDS-related services at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The event also raises awareness about the disease, particularly significant this year following a recent survey revealing a dramatic drop in the sense of urgency about HIV/AIDS and persistent misconceptions about HIV transmission and treatment among Americans.
Participants on the weeklong ride include cyclists and a volunteer support crew of hundreds of “roadies” who range in age from 18 to 78. Whether gay or straight, HIV-positive or HIV-negative, expert cyclists or novices, they share a commitment to reducing new infections and the suffering caused by AIDS.
“People come to AIDS/LifeCycle to fight a disease,” said Mark Cloutier, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and one of the cyclists. “But the event is also a celebration of health. Participants have the physical strength to complete a challenging course, and the emotional connectedness to help others succeed on an exhausting, yet exhilarating journey.”
Riders train for months to prepare for the rigorous ride, and raise a minimum of $3,000 each to support the work of the two sponsoring organizations. The event has raised approximately $50 million to fight AIDS since it began in 2002.
“The economic recession has deeply impacted HIV/AIDS service providers on all fronts. Charitable giving and government funding of HIV/AIDS support services are dropping while the number of people who need free or low-cost services is going up,” said Lorri L. Jean, CEO of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. “Our participants and their supporters recognize the urgent need for HIV prevention. I’m proud of the AIDS/LifeCycle community, and I’m deeply grateful.”
During the seven days of AIDS/LifeCycle, an estimated 1,080 Americans will become infected with HIV. There are 1.1 million Americans living with HIV — the highest number in the history of the epidemic — 1 in 6 of whom are Californians. Gay and bisexual men bear the brunt of the disease, representing 73 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in California and 53 percent nationally. Communities of color are also disproportionately affected; although African Americans comprise 6 percent of the state’s population, they account for nearly 19 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS.See * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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