We at The Living Affected Corporation believes that World AIDS Day reminds us of all those we’ve lost to the epidemic
in the last 30+ year and is a time for us to come together with the goal While HIV is, here in the U.S., largely a chronic manageable disease we have to acknowledge that, HIV and AIDS is decimating communities abroad. Among the hardest hit by this epidemic in our own country are men who have sex with men, including gay and bisexual men, as well as transgender women and communities of color. It is our premise that we can not forget that Black Gay Men 13-24 are still the most disproportionately affected group and more strategies must be sought to penetrate this population with information and resources. Where these communities overlap, the last 30 years can seem to have changed things very little. Living Affected rededicates itself to taking action to combat the rising rates of new infections in all communities, including our own.
It's time for us to join together to fight both HIV itself and the rampant ignorance, intolerance, and apathy surrounding this disease, meanwhile further understanding the social determinants of housing, education, food, treatment and employment in regards to dealing with marginalized communities. We are steadfast in our position that we will continue to be the "drop in" venue for those seeking "one stop" information shopping from HIV 101 to enrollment access to the Affordable Care Act.
of vigorously seeking solutions for decreasing infections and increasing linkages to care pathways while we await a world free of HIV and AIDS.
As we close out 2013, we encourage you to support our work through your year end tax deductible contributions on our web page at www.livingaffected.org or send it by mail to: The Living Affected Corporation, P.O. 46658, Little Rock, AR 72114. Your donations are an invaluable resource in keeping us as force in addressing health disparities in the LGBTQ community and beyond.
World AIDS Day 2013—Addiction Treatment Supports AIDS Treatment
Cross-posted from National Institute on Drug Abuse - Nora's Blog
NIDA displays panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt
December 1 is World AIDS Day. At NIDA, we always stress the principle that drug abuse treatment is AIDS prevention, because of the close links that exist between drug abuse and the spread of HIV. Injection drug use alone contributed to more than 7% of new infections in 2011, although the population of people who use drugs by any route who are also HIV-positive is much higher. Drug use goes hand-in-hand with various behaviors besides needle-sharing that place individuals at risk for HIV infection, such as unprotected sex.A new study
by researchers in Vancouver, British Columbia shows that, beyond the benefits of drug addiction treatment in HIV prevention, it also supports HIV treatment. Drug users face numerous unique challenges that contribute to poorer outcomes from HIV infection. The Canadian study found that, in the absence of financial and other barriers preventing access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens, opioid-dependent individuals engaged in methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) were less likely to discontinue ART than those not engaged in MMT and were more likely to achieve suppressed viral loads.This study shows that investment in drug treatment improves a crucial step in the HIV Care Continuum: helping people stay in care—since HIV treatment is a lifelong process until a cure is found. By treating drug dependence, a person is benefiting not only from a lifestyle free of illicit drug use but from one that is less compromised by HIV because remaining on ART will be more likely.
The benefits of delivering addiction treatment to HIV-positive drug users could also extend to the community, by reducing the likelihood of HIV transmission to others.
We have done much to reduce the spread of HIV, but there are still approximately 50,000 new HIV infections each year, and at the end of 2010, an estimated 872,990 people in the United States were living with an HIV diagnosis. World AIDS Day is an occasion to renew our commitment to reducing the scourge of AIDS and curbing the spread of HIV. The Canadian study is a reminder that drug addiction treatment is an intrinsic part of those goals.
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