News 2012
Chronic HCV Tied to 50% Higher Mortality in People With AIDS
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection—but not cleared HCV infection—boosted the risk of death 50% in a US group of people with AIDS.
People with AIDS have a 5 times higher mortality than non-AIDS patients, but few studies of HIV populations in the current antiretroviral era focus solely on those with AIDS. The Longitudinal Studies of the Ocular Complications of AIDS (LSOCA) includes only people with AIDS, and follow-up has continued for a median of more than 6 years. The LSOCA group is similar in age, race, and gender to the entire US AIDS population, except that it has a lower percentage of people with a history of injection drug use.
Read more: Chronic HCV Tied to 50% Higher Mortality in People With AIDS
Black America, HIV Testing and Creating an AIDS-Free Generation
Tomorrow is National HIV Testing Day. It has never been easier or more important to know your HIV status. As a result of recent advances in HIV science we have the tools to end the AIDS epidemic in our communities. The question is no longer "Can we end AIDS?", it's "Will we?" And HIV testing is a critical part of what it takes to successfully do it.
What's more, new surveillance tools give us a much better idea of how many people are living with HIV, who is infected and what communities are most impacted--both demographically and geographically. With new mapping tools we can identify HIV hot spots down to the ZIP code or census tract.
Read more: Black America, HIV Testing and Creating an AIDS-Free Generation
Gary Dourdan: Actor, Musician, Activist
One in a weekly series about the Black AIDS Institute's Greater Than AIDS ambassadors, who are using their VIP status in Black America to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS and HIV testing and treatment.
"This is where it gets messy," Gary Dourdan says with a laugh as the former CSI: Crime Scene Investigation star reveals why he abandoned his sexually promiscuous, drug- and alcohol-addicted past to get clean and get tested.
Road to AIDS 2012: A Series of Town Hall Meetings--Philadelphia
The 12th in a series of articles about the Road to AIDS 2012, a 17-city tour that seeks to define the state of the U.S. epidemic and that leads up to the International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., in July 2012. The eleventh installment reported on the Seattle meeting.
Philadelphia is working to make sure that it has the biggest representation in the United States at the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), according to participants at a town hall meeting held in May at Philadelphia City Hall.
Read more: Road to AIDS 2012: A Series of Town Hall Meetings--Philadelphia
Health Care Providers Settle with Justice Department Over Complaints of HIV Discrimination
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has a leadership role in fighting discrimination against people who are living with HIV or AIDS. It addresses this responsibility through outreach and enforcement of Federal laws. For example, DOJ enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that protects individuals living with HIV or AIDS from discrimination. The ADA requires public accommodations, like doctors’ offices, medical clinics, hospitals and other health care providers to provide individuals with disabilities, including people living with HIV, equal access to goods, services, facilities, accommodations, advantages, and accommodations. DOJ’s work supports implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which identified reducing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV as a key tactic in national efforts to reduce HIV-related health disparities.