A new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation recently reported that, less than a year after the CDC revised their HIV statistics to reflect that the U.S. HIV epidemic is much larger than previously reported, the public’s sense of urgency is unexpectedly low. Some of the key findings were:

• Only six percent of American felt that HIV was the most urgent health problem facing the nation. Only 40% of African Americans and 35% of Latinos see it as a "more urgent" problem now than in 2006.
• Over one-half (51%) of the public says they would be uncomfortable having their food prepared by someone who is HIV positive.
• One-third (34%) of Americans incorrectly believe or are unsure whether HIV can be transmitted by one of the following actions: sharing a drinking glass (27%), touching a toilet seat (17%), or swimming in a pool with an HIV positive person (14%).
• Nearly one in five (18%) do not know there is no cure for AIDS and about one-quarter (27%) believe or are unsure whether former professional basketball player Magic Johnson has been cured of AIDS. Moreover, many misconceptions are more common in the African American community: 37% of African Americans thinks that Magic Johnson has been cured or are unsure; 36% believe that there is a vaccine available to prevent infection and; 30% believe that there are drugs available that can cure HIV and AIDS.

I am speechless. Its hard to believe after of this all of this time that we still have so many people who are so uninformed.

Obama launches new HIV/AIDS Awareness campaign

Today the White House announced a new initiative through the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to launch a $45 million campaign to raise awareness on AIDS, an issue the President has spoken passionately about for years. This is the first federally funded national domestic HIV/AIDS campaign in almost twenty years. It appears that the program will especially target the African American community. The first phase will encourage people to be tested for HIV. Stay tuned!

Hey Pope, Can I have a moment with you...

Pope Benedict XVI recently stated that condoms are not the answer to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and can make the problem worse. His comments have set off a firestorm among, even many Catholic clergy who have dedicated their lives to helping people living with HIV around the world. I understand the Catholic Church's positions on fidelity and its overall teaching against artificial contraception. However, to state that condoms actually worsen the problem is going too far. Leaders, like Pope Benedict, what they say. the AIDS epidemic is no ordinary health problem and it will take extraordinary efforts to win this battle. Here's hoping that the Pope wakes up and chooses his words more carefully.

I just read a sobering story about the first person to be convicted in Idaho of knowingly spreading the HIV virus. This gentlemen, a term which I use loosely, who has served two jail terms for the same offense, is now facing new charges for the same offense. A grand jury on Tuesday returned an indictment charging him with seven counts of knowingly transferring the HIV virus. He has already served two separate jail terms of 3 and 7 years respectively. I hope that they finally put this serial perpetrator away. However, lost in this story is the fact that people continue to have umprotected sex and place themselves at risk despite the publicity about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Know your HIV status, but also insist that your partners get tested as well.

The Power of Protest

On February 12, 2009, organized by a Washington D.C. -based labor group called Change to Win, BEBASHI, CHOICE and a number of other organizations and individuals protested in front of the CVS store at Broad St. and Girard Avenue against their practice of locking up their condoms in the in targeted areas where mainly people in poverty reside and/or in predominately African American areas. While BEBASHI recognizes the right of retailers to display their merchandise as they see fit, they should also take into consideration the communities where they have chosen to place their stores. In this case, with HIV ravaging low-income communities, especially among the young, this policy, while probably designed to limit theft, also serves to discourage shoppers for buying condoms if they have to track down a busy store employee to find a key. As a result of the protest, CVS now displays some condoms in more convenient areas in more stores.

Who's infected and doesn't know it

Recent data from the CDC provides more detail about the approximately 232,700 living in the U.S. living with HIV who do not know it:

• Over 113,000 are African American
• Men infected through heterosexual contact (male/female) were more likely to be undiagnosed that either MSM (male-male) or hetersexual women.
• Almost half (47.8%) of the young people (ages 13-24) living with HIV were undiagnosed, a greater proportion than any other age group.

Clearly, HIV testing remains a essential tool to addressing the HIV epidemic. At least one quarter (1/4) to one-half (1/2) of all new HIV infections are transmitted by undiagnosed people. Studies show that most HIV diagnosed people make an effort to protect their partners. Moreover, early detection is a key to successful treatment.

Are you positive that you're negative (for HIV) ?

CONDOMnation I

On December 11, 2008, an FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended the approval of the FC2, a new female condom. The FC2 would be 30% cheaper than the current version, even though male condoms are much less expensive. A cheaper female condom, if widely distributed, could prevent tens of thousands of HIV infections worldwide in part because it allows women to take the lead in protecting themselves. Nationally, the rate of AIDS diagnoses for black women was nearly 23 times the rate for white women and high-risk sexual contact was responsible for 74 percent of those infections. Lets hope that the FDA gets it right and approves the new female condom soon.