HIV In the United States

FAST FACTS

• More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection, and almost 1 in 7 (14%) are unaware of their infection.
• Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSMa), particularly young black/African American MSM, are most seriously affected by HIV.
• By race, blacks/African Americans face the most severe burden of HIV.

CDC estimates that 1,201,100 persons aged 13 years and older are living with HIV infection, including 168,300 (14%) who are unaware of their infection1. Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV has increased, while the annual number of new HIV infections has remained relatively stable. Still, the pace of new infections continues at far too high a level— particularly among certain groups.

HIV Incidence (new infections): The estimated incidence of HIV has remained stable overall in recent years, at about 50,000 new HIV infections per year2. Within the overall estimates, however, some groups are affected more than others. MSM continue to bear the greatest burden of HIV infection, and among races/ethnicities, African Americans continue to be disproportionately affected.

HIV Diagnoses (new diagnoses, regardless of when infection occurred or stage of disease at diagnosis): In 2012, an estimated 47,989 people were diagnosed with HIV infection in the United States. In that same year, an estimated 27,928 people were diagnosed with AIDS. Overall, an estimated 1,170,989 people in the United States have been diagnosed with AIDS3.

Deaths: An estimated 13,834 people with an AIDS diagnosis died in 2011, and approximately 648,459 people in the United States with an AIDS diagnosis have overall3. The deaths of persons with an AIDS diagnosis can be due to any cause—that is, the death may or may not be related to AIDS.

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Reduce Your Risk

In the United States, HIV is mainly spread by having sex with someone who has HIV. There are several steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting HIV through sexual contact, and the more of these actions you take, the safer you can be. These actions include:

• Choose less risky sexual behaviors. Oral sex is much less risky than anal or vaginal sex. Anal sex is the highest-risk sexual activity for HIV transmission. If you are HIV-negative, insertive anal sex (“topping”) is less risky for getting HIV than receptive anal sex (“bottoming”). Remember: HIV can be sexually transmitted via blood, semen (cum), pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum), rectal fluid, and vaginal fluid. Sexual activities that do not involve the potential exchange of these bodily fluids (e.g. touching) carry no risk for getting HIV. For more details, see Sexual Practices and HIV Risk, below.

• Use condoms consistently and correctly. When used consistently and correctly, condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV. For more details, see Using Condoms, below.

• Reduce the number of people you have sex with. The number of sex partners you have affects your HIV risk. The more partners you have, the more likely you are to have a partner with HIV whose viral load is not suppressed or to have a sex partner with a sexually transmitted disease. Both of these factors can increase the risk of HIV transmission. Remember: one in six people living with HIV in the U.S. are unaware of their infection.

• Talk to your doctor about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is taking HIV medicine daily to prevent HIV infection. PrEP should be considered if you are HIV-negative and in an ongoing sexual relationship with an HIV-positive partner. PrEP also should be considered if you are HIV-negative and have had a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or any anal sex (receptive or insertive) with a male partner without condoms in the past six months and are not in an exclusive relationship with a recently tested, HIV-negative partner. For more information, see our page on PrEP.

• Talk to your doctor right away (within 3 days) about post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) if you have a possible exposure to HIV. An example of a possible exposure is if you have anal or vaginal sex without a condom with someone who is or may be HIV-positive, and you are HIV-negative and not taking PrEP. Your chance of exposure to HIV is lower if your HIV-positive partner is taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) consistently and correctly, especially if his/her viral load is undetectable. Starting PEP immediately and taking it daily for 4 weeks reduces your chance of getting HIV. For more information, see our page on PEP.

• Get tested and treated for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and encourage your partners to do the same. If you are sexually active, get tested at least once a year. STDs can have long-term health consequences. They can also increase your chance of getting HIV or transmitting it to others. Find an STD testing site.

• If your partner is HIV-positive, encourage your partner to get and stay on treatment. ART reduces the amount of HIV virus (viral load) in blood and body fluids. If taken consistently and correctly, ART can keep people with HIV healthy for many years, and greatly reduce their chance of transmitting HIV to sex partners.

Of course, you can also reduce your risk of getting HIV by not having sex. If you aren't having sexual contact, you are 100% protected from getting HIV in that way. Alternatively, if you are having sex, you can reduce your risk if you and your partner have both been tested and know that you are both HIV-negative and you practice monogamy. Being monogamous means: 1) You are in a sexual relationship with only one person and 2) Both of you are having sex only with each other. However, monogamy won't protect you completely unless you know for sure that both you and your partner are not infected with HIV.

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Immune System 101

HOW DOES YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WORK?

Your immune system works because your body is able to recognize "self" and "non-self." This means that your body is able to tell if an invader (virus, bacteria, parasite, or other another person's tissues) has entered it—even if you aren't consciously aware that anything has happened. Your body recognizes this invader and uses a number of different tactics to destroy it.

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IN ACTION

Your immune system has many different ways of fighting off foreign invaders. When confronted with a virus, your body responds by activating specific processes of the immune system. First your body recognizes a foreign antigen and delivers it to the lymph system, where it is ingested by a macrophage.

Then the macrophage processes the virus and displays the antigens for that particular virus on its own exterior. This antigen then signals a helper T- cell.

Next the T-cell reads this signal and sounds the alarm for other parts of your immune system to respond.

The B-cell responds to this call and comes to read the antigen from the surface of the macrophage.

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America's AIDS Miracle

By Michael Elliott

Originally published by Time on November 20, 2014

How the U.S. fought the disease by thinking big and staying smart

At my home in Washington, D.C., placed so that I see it every morning, is a photograph of Princess Adeyeo, a young Liberian woman I met in 2012. Princess had been a refugee during Liberia's civil war; when she returned there, she found that she was HIV-positive. But in Monrovia's John F. Kennedy Hospital she was put on a course of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), which prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus, and a few months before our visit she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He was HIV-negative, healthy.

Right now, of course, people associate Liberia with Ebola. It's right that we get mad about Ebola-mad that the world waited so long to tackle the outbreak; mad that poor, vulnerable societies don't have the resources needed to tackle infectious diseases. But we should remember too that in the past few years, Liberia-in fact, every country, rich or poor-has seen small miracles like the story of Princess and her son, and sees more of them each year.

In 2003, across all of sub-Saharan Africa, just 50,000 people were on ARVs, now more than 9 million are. There is no reason, in the next few years, that we cannot virtually end mother-to-child transmission of HIV in even the most challenging environments. Unheralded, we just passed a tipping point: in 2013, more people were added to the rolls of those on lifesaving treatment for HIV/AIDS than the number who were newly infected. That crossover of trend lines should mark the beginning of the end of AIDS.

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World AIDS Day

What is World AIDS Day?

World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988.

Why is World AIDS Day important?

Around 100,000 are currently living with HIV in the UK and globally an estimated 34 million people have HIV. More than 35 million people have died from the virus, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.

Today, many scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, there are laws to protect people living with HIV and we understand so much more about the condition. But despite this, people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others from HIV, and stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many people living with HIV. World AIDS Day is important as it reminds the public and Government that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.

What should I do on World AIDS Day?

World AIDS Day is an opportunity for you to learn the facts about HIV and put your knowledge into action. Find out how much you know by taking our online quiz: Are you HIV aware? Test your knowledge and awareness by taking the quiz and act aware by passing the quiz on and sharing it with your friends on Twitter and Facebook.

If you understand how HIV is transmitted, how it can be prevented, and the reality of living with HIV today - you can use this knowledge to take care of your own health and the health of others, and ensure you treat everyone living with HIV fairly, and with respect and understanding. Click here to find out the facts.

You can also show your support for people living with HIV on World AIDS Day by wearing a red ribbon, the international symbol of HIV awareness and support.

World AIDS Day is also a great opportunity to raise money for NAT (National AIDS Trust) and show your support for people living with HIV. If you feel inspired to hold an event, bake sale or simply sell red ribbons, click here to get started. If you'd like to see what other events are taking place — click here and find out more.

But what about after World AIDS Day?

Although World AIDS Day is a great opportunity to get the public talking about HIV and fundraise, we need to remember the importance of raising awareness of HIV all year round. That's why NAT has launched HIVaware — a fun, interactive website which provides all the information everyone should know about HIV. Why not use what you have learnt on World AIDS Day to Act Aware throughout the year and remember, you can fundraise at any time of year too — NAT is always here to give you suggestions and ideas.

Health Care Access

A primary focus at United Way of Greater Atlanta is to ensure that people have access to primary health care. We also strive to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits. Accomplishing these goals decreases medical costs assumed by community hospitals and taxpayers.

Studies show that waiting to seek care only when a condition becomes an emergency often leads to an extended hospital stay, which is the most expensive way for an uninsured person to receive care.

SOBERING STATISTICS

• More than 794,000 people in the Atlanta region do not have health insurance, of which 144,000 are children.
• Georgia ranks 36th in the nation in health care access.
• The use of emergency rooms as a safety net increases the total medical bill to metro Atlantans by $830 million each year.
• Most uninsured Atlantans live at or below the poverty level.

FINDING SOLUTIONS

Along with its partners, United Way is addressing the issue of health care access with a variety of strategies, including free clinics, mobile health units and reducing emergency room visits.

RESULTS

Statistics show that when a person is connected to a medical home, the person’s health improves. In a study of diabetics who tended to use the emergency room to manage their disease, there was an 80 percent reduction in use of the ER when patients were connected to a medical home. United Way’s Hospital to Home program for homeless people has reduced the use of the ER by those seeking repeated health access by 72 percent.

For just $2.4 million in primary health care funds and during just one year:

• 24,901 people accessed primary care services.
• 15,039 people were able to continue living in their own homes.
• 6,512 participants successfully completed substance abuse or mental health treatment.
• 4,145 people improved their daily activities.

HOW DO WE GET THERE?

How do we get there?
A United Way investment of $4.5 million over the next three years will give more than 600,000 people access to quality health care and cut uncompensated health costs by reducing unnecessary emergency department visits.

FREE CLINICS

Georgia has a network of 100 free and reduced-fee clinics that serve patients at one-thirtieth the average cost of a trip to the emergency room. According the Georgia Charitable Care network the clinics in Georgia served 183,625 patients in 2012, with 463,927 patient encounters. Clinics have seen demand increase about 21% over the last year. In addition, it is estimated that for every $1 that is invested in a charitable clinic, $7 worth of services are provided.

The free and reduced-fee clinics are run by volunteer physicians, dentists and nurses. United Way believes that the best and most efficient way to increase health care for poor families in the Atlanta region is to invest in additional capacity in the existing free and reduced-fee clinics we already have. The clinics need additional support personnel, modern equipment and nursing supplies.

United Way has found that funds directed to the Atlanta area free and fee-reduced clinics will generate new patients at a cost of less than $35 per patient. A visit to the emergency room costs an average of $1,500. For free and fee-reduced clinics, the benefit-to-cost ratio is 30-to-1.

United Way secured an AmeriCorps grant and deployed AmeriCorps members to free health clinics throughout the 13 counties to assist doctors, nurses and dentists. The volunteers also help secure SSDI and veterans’ benefits for eligible patients.

HEALTH ON THE MOVE

In 2009, Butts County did not have any safety net resources for its uninsured residents. The entire county has only seven physicians, including one pediatrician and no obstetrics services. Compounding the lack of resources was an absence of public transportation. The Butts County Health Council, led by the Butts County Life Enrichment Team, decided to take action. The community utilized funds a partnership between United Way and Kaiser Permanente to assist the uninsured in receiving healthcare, lab work and medications. The Council quickly learned in the manner of weeks that the need would surpass the funds they had to spend on this initiative.

In 2011, the Butts County Health Council decided to partner with Southside Medical Center to bring their state of the art mobile unit to Jackson to provide primary care, women’s services and dental care to the residents. The project began with a small investment of $20,000 and has been able to leverage over $400,000 since 2011 to keep the unit in place and begin planning for a stand-alone site center for the residents in the county. Building on this success, United Way has expanded its support of mobile health with a partnership in the College Park community and West End Medical Center.

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

There are more than 300,000 preventable emergency department (ED) visits in Greater Atlanta each year. The vast majority come from DeKalb and Fulton counties. At an average cost of $1,500 per visit, this adds up to about $450 million in excess health care costs.

United Way seeks to improve the health status of low-income and uninsured Atlanta residents through reduction in unnecessary ED visits, increased usage of medical homes and improvements in service delivery.

Frequent users of emergency departments represent a small group of both insured and uninsured people — vulnerable patients accounting for a disproportionately high number of ED visits and medical care costs. Patients who use the ED in place of a medical home often have health insurance but tend to be in poorer health overall. Criteria include:

• Using the ED five or more times within the past 12 months
• Being between 18 and 64 years of age
• Having a chronic disease, such as congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, asthma and respiratory illness

United Way is deploying trained community health workers (CHWs) to do home visits and provide case management services for ED frequent users identified by Grady Health System. Building on the patient navigator work in place at Grady’s walk-in clinic, CHWs will perform home visitation, provide case management and work in partnership with Grady navigators to change the culture of ED use among the target population. In addition, the CHWs will provide valuable insight and data into behaviors to inform future interventions. This model will be valuable in reducing unnecessary ED visits, managing patients’ chronic conditions and establishing medical homes for people who do not have them.

The Red Ribbon

Where did the idea come from?

In 1991 – a decade after the emergence of HIV – a group of 12 artists gathered to discuss a new project for Visual Aids; a New York arts organisation that raises awareness of HIV. They were photographers, painters, film makers and costume designers, and they sat around in the shared gallery space in New York's East Village.

After a short brainstorm they had come up with a simple idea that later became one of the most recognised symbols of the decade - the red ribbon, worn to signify awareness and support for people living with HIV.

Why did we need a symbol?

When the artists sat down to work on this project, their aim was to get people talking about HIV. This was during a time where HIV was highly stigmatised and people living with HIV were suffering behind closed doors, some too scared to even tell their loved ones they were living with the virus. The artists wanted to create a visual expression of compassion for people living with, and affected by, HIV.

The artists were inspired by the yellow ribbons tied on trees to denote support for the US military fighting in the Gulf War. Pink and the rainbow colours were rejected because they were too closely associated with the gay community, and they wanted to convey that HIV went beyond the gay community and was relevant to everyone.

Red was chosen as it is bold and visible – symbolising passion, a heart and love. The shape was chosen simply because it was easy to make and replicate – anyone can make one by just cutting out a piece of ribbon, looping it around your finger and pinning it on.

How did the red ribbon become so well known?

In the early days, the artists made the ribbons themselves and distributing them around the New York art scene and dropped them off at theatres. Initially there was a text that went with it, to explain why they were being worn, but eventually this was dropped as its symbolism no longer needed an explanation.

Within weeks of the red ribbon idea being born, world-famous actors starting wearing the red ribbon to high-profile award ceremonies such as the Oscars and talking about why it was important. The media also cottoned on, and within a short space of time the red ribbon symbol became universally recognised.

At the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert held at London's Wembley Stadium on Easter Sunday 1992, more than 100,000 red ribbons were distributed among the audience, with performers such as George Michael wearing one. The Red Ribbon continues to be a powerful force in the efforts to increase public awareness of HIV.

Street To Home

United Way of Atlanta offers many exceptional programs to help residents with challenges they are facing. Street-to-Home is an early morning outreach program helps homeless individuals off the streets and into housing.

STREET TO HOME: THE FIRST STEP BACK

The Regional Commission on Homelessness and its community partners created an early morning outreach program to help homeless individuals off the streets and into housing. Once a month, typically before the day light, volunteers and experienced case managers engage homeless individuals and offer a chance to end their homelessness. If a person is interested, they board the Gateway bus and begin the journey toward transitional housing coupled with intense case management.

PEERS REACHING OUT TEAM (PRO)

Street to Home program has created a model to engage the homeless community using previously homeless individuals to build relationships. The Peers Reaching Out Team (PRO) is a group of individuals, whom have transitioned out of homelessness themselves and now have a desire to help serve others facing the same struggle.

RESULTS 2012-2013

• 151 in transitional housing
• 133 were reunited with family
• 75 percent of individuals stayed in housing
• 190 in permanent housing

For more information, please contact Kinte Rollins at 404.614.1042 or krollins@unitedwayatlanta.org

HIV facts

HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus which attacks the body's immune system — the body's defence against diseases.

HIV can be passed on through infected bodily fluids, most commonly via sex without a condom or by sharing infected needles, syringes or other injecting drug equipment.

There are now more people than ever living with HIV in the UK — around 100,000 — with a quarter of those people are unaware they have the virus.

Here are a few more facts about HIV in the UK:

• Over 90% of people with HIV were infected through sexual contact
• You can now get tested for HIV using a saliva sample
• HIV is not passed on through spitting, biting or sharing utensils
• Only 1% of babies born to HIV positive mothers have HIV
• You can get the results of an HIV test in just 15-20 minutes
• There is no vaccine and no cure for HIV

Have any of these facts come as a surprise? There is still loads more you can learn about HIV in the UK by visiting HIVaware — our fun, interactive new website which provides all the information everyone should know about HIV. HIVaware gives you facts and stats on HIV, busts common myths and answers your frequently asked questions.

Take your first step to Acting Aware by visiting HIVaware today.

HIV and Hepatitis Co-infection - Impact, Testing and Vaccination

Source: Ric Crawford Clinic

There’s little doubting the tremendous impact HIV drug therapy has had on the lives and futures, of HIV-positive people. Unfortunately, the life-extending benefits of HIV drug treatment have opened up a new set of problems for many HIV-positive people. Thousands of HIV-positive people in the U.S. are also infected – or at risk of being infected – with one of several hepatitis viruses.

Viral hepatitis, which can cause long-term liver problems, liver failure and liver cancer, is considered to be a leading cause of death among HIV-positive people. You can get some forms of viral hepatitis the same way you get HIV – through unprotected sexual contact and injection drug use. Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C are common forms of hepatitis among people who are at risk for, or living with, HIV/AIDS. When someone is infected with both HIV and hepatitis B or C, we say that they are coinfected.

Another common form of hepatitis – Hepatitis A – is an acute liver disease, which is spread through contaminated food, water or contact with the feces of an infected person. HAV does not lead to chronic infection in the way that hepatitis B and C do, but it can cause serious illness that can last for months.

All HIV-positive patients should be screened for viral hepatitis (A, B and C). Those who test positive for hepatitis B and C should seek care from a liver specialist (hepatologist or gastroenterologist) for further evaluation and management. This is because many HIV-positive people are now at a much lower risk of dying from AIDS-related opportunistic infections, but must now face the challenge of having to manage these other viral diseases that pose a threat to their health and lives.

In short, if coinfected, HIV-positive people must fight two infections at once – they must now face the challenge of having to manage these other viral diseases that pose a threat to their health and lives.

Listed below are points to better understand these three hepatitis viruses that are a potential threat to HIV-infected people and their health. Each of the following points discuss the ways these hepatitis viruses are transmitted, cause disease, and are treated, particularly in people living with HIV:

Hepatitis A

• Transmitted through contaminated food, water and feces.
• There is no chronic infection (no long-term liver damage).
• Once you have been infected with hepatitis A, you cannot get it again.
• Good personal hygiene and proper sanitation can help prevent hepatitis A.
• A safe vaccine is available for children 12 months and older, as well as teens and adults.

Hepatitis B

• Transmitted through infected blood, sex, needles and from infected women to their newborns.
• Chronic infections occur in 90% of infants, 30% young children, and 10% in adults.
• Hepatitis B is the leading cause of primary liver cancer worldwide.
• There are promising treatments for chronic HBV, but still no cure.
• A safe vaccine is available for newborns, children, teens and adults.

Hepatitis C

• Transmitted through infected blood, sex and needles.
• Chronic infections occur in 55 – 85% of infected individuals.
• HCV is the leading indication for liver transplants in the U.S.
• There are promising treatments for chronic HCV, but still no cure.
• There is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C.

Can You Trust Your Toothpaste?

Originally published by Healthy Black Men

Why would there ever be plastic inside your toothpaste?

Toothpaste is supposed to help clean your teeth. But for some Crest toothpaste users, that leftover food is just being replaced with tiny microbeads.Crest says that won’t be the case for long, however, as the maker of Crest toothpastes, Procter & Gamble, announced today that it will cease including the microbeads in their products and that all toothpastes containing the tiny polyethylene plastic balls will be off the shelves within six months.”We currently have products without microbeads for those who would prefer them,” the company wrote in an email to media.

The company began receiving pushback for their toothpastes’ ingredients after a story about the concerns of a Texas dental hygienist, Trish Walraven, grabbed the attention of online readers and got picked up by a range of local news sites. Walraven complained that she was continually finding the microbeads trapped under her patients’ gums.

“Polyethylene plastic is in your toothpaste for decorative purposes only,” Walraven wrote on her personal blog. “This is unacceptable not only to me, but to many, many hygienists nationwide. We are informing our patients.”

Some other smaller brands employ the same types of beads, but Crest toothpastes are the most prominent to use the plastic specks. The beads are approved for use in foods and healthcare products (like toothpaste and face scrubs) by the FDA.

But that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily a good idea.

The American Dental Association (ADA) says they’re not planning on rescinding their seal of approval from Crest products that contain microbeads.

“The Council will continue to monitor and evaluate new scientific information on this issue as it becomes available,” the ADA said in a statement. “In the meantime, the ADA recommends that individuals continue to follow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration‘s (FDA) recommendations on the use of dental health care products.”

HIV Treatment Works

Originally published by Healthy Black Men

It’s time to expand the HIV/AIDS fight from prevention to more about care, and living well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced it’s first national communication campaign focused exclusively on encouraging treatment and care for people living with HIV.

The HIV Treatment Works campaign encourages people living with HIV to Get in Care, Stay in Care and Live Well. Here is an example.

According to the CDC, to protect your sexual partners, talk about your HIV status and take steps to protect your health and your partners’ health.

The following can reduce your risk of transmitting HIV:

• Use antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART reduces the amount of virus (viral load) in your blood and body fluids. ART can keep you healthy for many years, and greatly reduce your chance of transmitting HIV to sex partners if taken consistently and correctly.
• If you are taking ART, follow your health care provider’s advice. Visit your health care provider regularly and always take your medicine as directed.
• Choose less risky sexual behaviors. Oral sex is much less risky than anal or vaginal sex. Anal sex is the highest-risk sexual activity for HIV transmission. Sexual activities that do not involve the potential exchange of body fluids carry no risk for getting HIV (like touching).
• Use condoms consistently and correctly. When used correctly and consistently, condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV infection. Condoms are also effective at preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) transmitted through body fluids, like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV.
• Condoms provide less protection against STDs spread through skin-to-skin contact like human papilloma virus (HPV which cause genital warts), genital herpes, and syphilis.

The campaign features people living with HIV talking about how sticking with care and treatment helps them stay healthy and protect others. They also discuss some of the obstacles they have experienced getting into HIV care and staying on treatment and how they overcame these obstacles, offering valuable advice to others living with HIV.

Project Inform is a National HIV/AIDS Treatment Info-line offering confidential treatment information. Call 1-800-822-7422 toll free, Monday thru Thursday for more information.

Content for this article provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and AIDS.gov.

25 Young Gay Men. 25 Inspiring Stories.

Powerful Personal Videos Reveal the Impact of HIV And Urge Others to #SpeakOutHIV 

Originally published by Kaiser Family Foundation

MENLO PARK, CA – Twenty-five young gay men get real about HIV as part of #SpeakOutHIV, a  campaign from Greater Than AIDS. The group is encouraging people to break the silence around HIV on social media in the two weeks between National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (September 27) and National Coming Out Day (October 11).

Anchored by a series of powerful personal videos recorded by men who are 25 or younger, #SpeakOutHIV challenges people to post their own stories about HIV on YouTube and share through Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms as part of a collective effort to promote more open discussion about the issue.

The campaign comes at a critical time. New HIV infections are rising among young gay men. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a 22 percent increase in new infections among gay men ages 13-24 between 2008 and 2010. Overall, young gay men account for one in five new infections in the United States, a share far greater than their representation in the population.

“Despite the continued impact of HIV, gay and bisexual men are not talking about HIV even with those closest to them,” noted Tina Hoff, Senior Vice President and Director of Health Communication and Media Partnerships, Kaiser Family Foundation – a co-founding partner in Greater Than AIDS.  “#SpeakOutHIV is about promoting a more open dialogue about HIV in all aspects of life, in relationships, with health care providers and within the community generally.”

The young men featured in #SpeakOutHIV offer unfiltered, intimate accounts about how HIV has affected them and what they want others to know about the disease. They come from regions with high rates of HIV, including the South. The majority are men of color. About one third are HIV positive.

They created their videos with cellphones and other personal devices this month at a Speak Out digital storytelling workshop organized by Greater Than AIDS in Washington, DC.  “Once the courageous stories about coming out, HIV-diagnosis, isolation, self-esteem, and the like were shared, I learned from these young men that my story is not so uncommon,” said Jai, an HIV/AIDS educator from Dallas who helped facilitate the workshop and serves as a Greater Than AIDS Speak Out ambassador. “The stories and our shared experience linked us.”

#SpeakOutHIV is part of a broader Speak Out campaign, launched last fall by Greater Than AIDS, to engage the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in response to the silence and stigma surrounding HIV. The cross-platform campaign, which features HIV-positive and HIV-negative gay men, encourages more open communication about the disease in personal relationships, as well as with healthcare providers and within the community.

AIDS United, Black AIDS Institute and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors helped organize the workshop, along with the Kaiser Family Foundation. Funding was provided by the Ford Foundation and Elton John AIDS Foundation.

To view the #SpeakOutHIV videos, go to: www.youtube.com/greaterthanaids.

For more information about Greater Than AIDS and all the Speak Out elements, including #SpeakOutHIV, visit: www.greaterthan.org/speak-out.

About Greater Than AIDS

Greater Than AIDS is a leading national public information response focused on the U.S. domestic epidemic. Launched in 2009, it is supported by a broad coalition of public and private sector partners, including: major media and other business leaders; federal, state and local health agencies and departments; national leadership groups; AIDS service and other community organizations; and foundations, among others. Through targeted media messages and community outreach, Greater Than AIDS works to increase knowledge, reduce stigma and promote actions to stem the spread of the disease. While national in scope, Greater Than AIDS focuses on communities most affected.

The Kaiser Family Foundation provides strategic direction and day-to-day management, in addition to overseeing the production of the campaigns. The Black AIDS Institute – a think tank exclusively focused on AIDS in Black America – provides leadership and expert guidance and supports community engagement. Additional financial and substantive support is provided by the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Ford Foundation, among others.

Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues, the Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Menlo Park, California.