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In response to criticism of his
Administration’s HIV/AIDS efforts, President Obama commissioned the HIV Care
Continuum Working Group to review HIV research and federal HIV data and
recommend improvements to HIV treatment and care in the United States. Citing
new studies that indicated “aggressive testing and early treatment” could
prevent HIV transmission, Obama’s order called for better coordination of the
US effort. The working group, chaired by Office of National AIDS Policy
Director Grant Colfax and US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius, must deliver recommendations to Obama within 180 days.
Under the Affordable Care Act, all
15- to 65-year-olds would be eligible for HIV screening, which is consistent
with new US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. Although the new
order would supplement Obama’s 2010 National AIDS Strategy, AIDS Healthcare
Foundation President Michael Weinstein was not optimistic the new direction
would be sufficient to achieve Obama’s stated goal of an AIDS-free generation
in the United States. Weinstein suggested the United States could learn from
other countries where HIV rates have declined.
CDC reported that the US HIV
prevalence rate has remained steady at approximately 50,000 for the past
decade. In July 2012, an Emory University team found that HIV incidence among
US black gay and bisexual men was as high as HIV rates in hard-hit sub-Saharan
Africa.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
