www.youtube.com/watch?v=S54R7WOze-M

Visit Making AIDS History, make a donation to amfAR, and read about Elizabeth Taylor’s contribution to amfAR by downloading the AIDS Patient Care and STDs Elizabeth Taylor Tribute Issue in recognition of World AIDS Day.

*******************************************************************

34 million people living with HIV thanks to treatment access

A significant expansion in access to treatment helped slash the number of AIDS-related deaths in 2010, bringing the number of people living with HIV to a record 34 million, the United Nations said on Monday.

Read more.

December 1, World AIDS Day, is just around the corner and as the day approaches I’ve been thinking of marking the occasion by remembering and honoring absent friends who’ve died from HIV-related illnesses and complications.

For World AIDS Day last year, on my personal blog, I wrote about a true unsung hero of the epidemic, Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, who was my first AIDS doctor and whom I cannot credit enough for helping keep me, and so many others, alive and relatively well.

Before the term AIDS was created, and even prior to GRID, gay-related immune deficiency, Sonnabend was on the frontlines of gay male health in New York City. Among his accomplishments was developing effective prophylaxis regimes to avert opportunistic illnesses, creating safe sex guidelines and assisting people with AIDS to empower themselves. Retired from seeing patients, he lives in London now.

This year it’s time for me to recall five deceased friends and colleagues, and a bit of their lives and achievements.

Michael Callen — I met him through Sonnabend because we were both under his expert care. Callen was instrumental in putting a human face to AIDS, worked tirelessly to create the PWA Coalition, an organization with a crucial newsletter full of valuable information about the then-few treatment options, and he also was a fine singer and musician. He collaborated with federal researchers, fellow PWAs, drug companies, the few politicians who gave a damn, and with boundless optimism and charm. The impact of Callen’s medical advocacy and urging PWAs to empower themselves are benefiting those of us alive today.

James Reid — We became friends at the end of the 1980s in New York. Reid cherished his African-American literary heritage and read all the books by writers who flourished during the Harlem Renaissance. With a ready grin under his walrus moustache, he tended to the daily needs of his friends, abandoned by their families, as they battled AIDS destroying their bodies and minds. Full of jokes he knew were bad, Reid was a firm believer in the healing power of a smile and laughter. His shoulders comforted so many others and me when it was time to cry over all the dying and pain we were witnessing.

Steve Michael — He and his wonderful partner Wayne Turner joined with me on the 1992 ACT UP/Presidential Project in the snowdrifts of New Hampshire and South Dakota, as we chased Democratic and GOP candidates demanding they answer the question on our placards: What about AIDS? Michael and Turner, who is very much alive, eventually moved to Washington. DC. and devoted themselves to nudging President Bill Clinton to keep his AIDS promises. Expert at keeping AIDS activist concerns in the news, Michael was the go-to person for reporters who needed an excellent quote. Michael was the loudest voice on the DC Ryan White CARE Council demanding, and receiving, accountability from local service organizations.

Read more.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7RLsQFfaD0

Read Lady Gaga’s Message

Manhunt Cares is proud to partner with the GFMA, the Gay Men’s Health Charity, to promote their innovative “Count Me In” campaign and five-point action plan, launching this World AIDS Day – December 1, 2010.

The campaign is asking men to join this campaign and commit to stop the spread of HIV by agreeing to this five-point action plan:

1.  I will know my HIV status
2.  I will not assume I know someone else’s HIV status
3.  I will take personal responsibility for using condoms
4.  I will value myself and my health
5.  I will stay informed about HIV and how it’s spread

If every man commits to each of these, we can significantly reduce the spread of HIV in our community.

Don’t know your HIV and/or STI status?
Visit our Testing Resources page.

Matthew Hodson explains “Count Me In”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBTBNZBmL40

Learn more about “Count Me In”

Interested in partnering with Manhunt Cares, contact us here.

The study, published in the September 24 issue of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, found that young MSM and MSM of color were least likely to know of their infection. Fifty-nine percent of black MSM, and 46% of Hispanic MSM were unaware of their infection, compared to 26% of white MSM. Furthermore, young MSM (aged 18-29) – especially young MSM of color – were far more likely to be unaware of their HIV infection than their older counterparts.

HIV prevalence in the 21 cities varied greatly. Six percent of MSM in Atlanta had HIV, while a staggering 38% were infected in Baltimore.

Moreover, the study found a strong link between socioeconomic status and HIV among MSM—prevalence increased as income and education decreased, and awareness of HIV status was higher among MSM with greater education and income. These findings echo similar disparities seen in recent NHBS research among heterosexuals.

Clearly, HIV remains a serious health threat among gay and bisexual men in America’s major cities—especially among young MSM and MSM of color. We must reduce its devastating toll. It’s time to invigorate the response to HIV among public health professionals and community leaders across the United States; September 27, National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day provides a focus for us to renew our promise to educate the community and protect health in the United States.

• For CDC, HIV prevention for MSM of all races remains a top priority. We are working to find new ways to reach MSM with HIV prevention messages and services. We have recently expanded a successful HIV testing initiative to reach more MSM in the areas most affected in the United States. We are researching new approaches to prevention. Moreover, we are funding organizations throughout the nation to implement evidence-based prevention programs to reduce high risk behavior among MSM. Those proven behavioral interventions include: d-up!, Many Men, Many Voices, Mpowerment, Popular Opinion Leader, and PROMISE. And just this week, we launched a new website on MSM Health.
• For gay community leaders, it is critical that together we engage and make HIV education, prevention, and testing of the highest priority. We must ensure that HIV is not a rite of passage for young MSM. We can rekindle a sense of urgency and action in the gay community to again embrace the work needed to drive down new infections. Now is the time to act.
• African American and Latino leaders also need to be engaged and to recognize and support HIV prevention efforts in their communities. We must ensure we effectively protect the health and reduce the toll of HIV among African American and Latino MSM.
• State and local health departments and community-based organizations should ensure that program and funding decisions prioritize the urgent needs of MSM.

As called for in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, support is needed from all sectors of our society. We must continue to address complacency, educate younger generations, and encourage regular HIV testing. CDC recommends that MSM be tested for HIV at least once a year, and those at increased risk (e.g., those with multiple or anonymous sex partners, or who use drugs during sex) should be tested more often. Knowing your HIV status is the first step to protecting your health and the health of your partners, as well as the gateway to accessing treatment and prevention services.

Read more.

In recent years, we have made huge advances in HIV research, prevention and care.  Still, HIV and AIDS remains an epidemic in this country.  That is why my Administration is launching in the coming days a comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy focused on reducing new HIV infections, increasing access to care, and reducing HIV-related health disparities.  But government cannot address this important issue alone.  We need the commitment of businesses, churches and faith groups, philanthropic organizations, the scientific and medical communities, educational institutions and others.  And all of us have a responsibility to reduce our risk and know our status, to continue to support those already affected by this disease, and to fight the stigma and discrimination people still face.  So on this National HIV Testing Day, let us all recommit to do our part to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Read more on AIDS.gov or visit our Get Tested page.

Tree Alexander and Miguel Gomez describe how you can get involved in the Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day 2009 Campaign.

Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day 2009

Today is World AIDS Day, and it’s never too late to do your part in reducing the stigma around HIV and promoting HIV testing. There are several ways to help, and no gesture is too small to matter. So what are you waiting for? Don’t fall under the impression that everyone’s heard. Get out there, and start spreading the word!

If you’ve been on Twitter at all today, you’ve probably noticed that you can use the tags “#red” and “#laceupsavelives” to change the color of your tweets to red. You can also add a red Twibbon to your profile avatar, or change your photo for the day.

Oh, you’re more of a Facebook man? Well, head over to AIDS.gov to download a “Facing AIDS” sign, fill it out to show how you’re facing AIDS and take a photo with the sign. Upload your adorable new pic as your profile photo, and let others know to do the same. Or you can change your status to “[Your Name] is Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day. To find an HIV test site, text your ZIP to “KNOWIT” (566948), or visit ManhuntCares.com. Join me and post this to your status today.” Then again, why not change your status and upload a picture? It’ll only take a few minutes!

Last but not least, be sure to check out the Facing AIDS Flickr group, which features pictures of individuals holding their signs and showing their support. You’re encouraged to upload your own, and let it be known that you’re joining in on World AIDS Day.

Visit Manhunt Cares’ Facebook or Twitter pages to see how what we created for our Facing AIDS World AIDS Day photo!

Statement from Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Regarding National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

On September 27, our nation will observe National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD).  This is a day for us to reflect on the devastating impact that HIV and AIDS have had among gay and bisexual men, to recognize that HIV continues to affect this community disproportionately, and to commit to reducing that disparity.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for more than half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. (53%), according to the most recent CDC estimates, and black MSM are one of the subgroups most disproportionately affected by HIV in the U.S.

The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and its partners founded NGMHAAD in 2008 to refocus attention on the gay and bisexual community, which has been so severely affected by HIV and AIDS. Working together, we can ensure that HIV information and services effectively address the needs of gay and bisexual men. At HHS, we are taking steps to address many of these issues in order to make our country healthier.

As the Administration plans its National AIDS Strategy, it is especially timely that we pause to recognize the effect of HIV and AIDS among gay and bisexual men and their contributions towards ending the epidemic. President Obama’s three HIV/AIDS goals[2][2] which include: reducing HIV incidence; increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes; and reducing HIV-related health disparities in the U.S., help support this effort. Together we can work to stem the spread of HIV among gay and bisexual men, and among all Americans, and to ensure that those affected get the information, care, and services they need and deserve.

Today let’s also not forget the activists who have fought tirelessly to expand research and push for new treatments. Without their hard work we would not be where we are today. Today I want to reemphasize our commitment to preventing and treating HIV and AIDS.

To learn more visit www.AIDS.gov and www.napwa.org.

MANHUNT CARES values educating members about ways to test for HIV and other STDs (often referred to as sexually transmitted infections). Utilizing our corporate partners and trusted government funded entities, we’ve created several testing options. Click on any of the buttons below* to learn more.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VU7pUz7VlM

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNDtPIHW0dQ

NASTAD’s Connecting the Dots PODCASTS