HIV/AIDS in 2011 Olivia Cappello Smith College Peer Sexuality Educators November 29, 2011

30 Years of HIV/AIDS  First detected among US gay men and injecting drug users in 1981  AIDS first came into use in 1982  HIV identified in 1984; test licensed in 1985  By 1985, HIV has spread to all regions of the world and to all groups  1987: AZT becomes first drug approved for treating AIDS  1987: AIDS Memorial Quilt first displayed on the National Mall to raise awareness  1988: World AIDS Day established  1995: UNAIDS established  2002: Global Fund Established  2007: 33 million people living with HIV  2010: US Travel Ban removed

The AIDS Memorial Quilt

HIV/AIDS in 2011  Over 34 million people living with HIV  More than 95% in the developing world  Nearly 7,000 new infections every day  New infection rates have hit a plateau at 2.7 million per year for the last five years  $16 billion spent on AIDS treatment each year, but only 7 million people sick enough for AIDS treatment are receiving it  Donor funds have dropped 10% in last year, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS has halted grants until 2014

The world in terms of HIV infection

HIV/AIDS in the US  1.2 million living with HIV  42,011 people diagnosed in 2009  Since epidemic began in 1981, 1,108,611 people have been diagnosed  Nearly 594,500 people have died  CDC data:  61% of all new infections occur in men who have sex with men (MSM) (white MSM are the largest subset)  Young black MSM are the only risk group in the US with increasing infection rates  Women accounted for 23% of new infections in 2009 and 25% of those living with HIV in 2008  Latinos and Blacks bear the most severe burden (20% and 44% of new infections in 2009, respectively)  CDC estimates that 20% of infected Americans- 1 in 5 people- don’t know that they are HIV-positive

New HIV/AIDS Goals  Hillary Clinton: goal is to have an “HIV-free generation”  By 2015, no more mother-to-child infections  HRC and the Obama administration are endorsing interventions such as multidrug cocktails for pregnant women, male circumcision, and early treatment options

UNAIDS Strategy  Zero New Infections  Reduce transmission by half  Eliminate vertical transmission  Eliminate transmission among drug users  Zero AIDS-related Deaths  Universal access to antiretroviral therapy  Reduce TB deaths by half  Increase access to social services for HIV-affected households  Zero Discrimination  Reduce countries with punitive laws and practices surrounding HIV and at-risk groups by half  Eliminate HIV-related entry, stay, and residency restrictions in at least half of the countries that have them  Address the specific needs of women and girls in at least half of national HIV responses  Zero tolerance for gender-based violence  Very lofty goals- just increasing access to care will cost upwards of $23 billion

Fighting HIV/AIDS  Antiretroviral cocktails can be taken to lower HIV loads- has made HIV/AIDS a “chronic” diseases  Many countries provide free HIV drug regimens to their sickest citizens  Needle exchange programs  Promotion of safer sex methods  Still no vaccination or pharmaceutical prophylactic method 

Searching for a Cure  CAPRISA 004, a microbicidal vaginal gel containing the antiretroviral tenofovir, showed promise in 2010 trials in South Africa  Protected 39% of users and lowered risk among regular users by 54%  Wider trial in 2011 was halted because the gel proved safe but ineffective- 6% of users became infected  Researchers are unsure why it worked in one trial and not the other  If such a gel were to be developed, it would be revolutionary for HIV/AIDS prevention  Post-exposure prophylactic treatment with antiretrovirals might be effective in reducing transmission among men having sex with men

A Functional Cure?  Timothy Ray Brown, AKA the “Berlin Patient”, received a bone marrow transplant in 2007  Since receiving his transplant, he has been free of HIV  About 1% of Caucasians are immune to HIV  California Institute of Regenerative Medicine is planning clinical trials using stem cells  Other trials are underway using gene therapies to suppress viral loads or reverse HIV dormancy

What you can do  Protect yourself by using latex barriers every time you might be exposed to sexual fluids or blood  Get tested regularly with a 20 minute rapid screening  Antibodies show within three to six months of exposure to HIV  Raise money for AIDS research by organizations such as amfAR  Buy (RED) products, whose sales go partly to The Global Fund  Speak up! Write letters to Congress or the President asking for more funding

Sources   Unaids.org fact sheets on testing, HIV/AIDS    generation.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=clinton%20and%20aids&st=cse&gwh=02DD94AB54B4D805F56498E41B generation.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=clinton%20and%20aids&st=cse&gwh=02DD94AB54B4D805F56498E41B       hiv.html?pagewanted=2&hpw&gwh=7D24BE8EF1EF7D5BAA29A727AC475C09