World AIDS Day remarks and NY1's "Inside City Hall", tonight!

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Krishna Stone | 212.367.1016

Today, Janet Weinberg provided remarks at a World AIDS Day gathering hosted by Mount Sinai Comprehensive Health Program Downtown.  Below is an excerpt of her remarks.

Also, tonight at 7:00 pm—and again at 10:00 pm—Marjorie Hill will be a guest on NY1's "Inside City Hall" to discuss "where we are" in the 30th year of the Epidemic.  Dr. Roy Gulick of Cornell Medical and Earle Plante of Latino Commission on AIDS will also be joining the show.

From 56,000 to 0 Infections in One Generation

Janet Weinberg

As we enter the fourth decade of the epidemic, getting to ZERO is, for sure, a deeply ambitious goal. Yet it is a realistic goal that can be achieved with the tools we have today such as: 

MORE EDUCATION WHICH INCLUDES:

• social marketing—printed and  on-line tools—such as tweeting, Facebook, and texting with messages  that must be positive and affirming about safer behavior;
• non-abstinence-only sex education programs  in schools, homes, doctor's offices  and religious settings;
• evidence-based prevention methods such as the use of HIV-medications and condoms;
• positive images of all types of love, non-stigma driven images, words and practices; and very critically, we need to make a continued commitment to removing barriers such as homophobia, racism, sexism and poverty.

MORE PREVENTION METHODS:

• Condoms should be—and continue to be—a first line of offense.
• Test, test and test some more-which means encourage first time testers, encourage new testers to retest and experienced testers to never become lax.
• Pre- exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an important tool.
• We know that people have been trying this out in the community for years. Stories of MTV (Methamphetamine, Truvada and Viagra) cocktails are not new.
• Data on PrEP is extremely optimistic. For example, 5,000 people entered the Iprex study. 2,200 were completely compliant to the study.
• Of those 2,200, the study was essentially 100% effective. How do we sort out who will be that compliant with great reliability so we can confidently use this intervention?   Who is a good candidate for PrEP is the question, not whether we should use PrEP as a tool. 

MORE TREATMENT

• Anti-retroviral therapy is available and effective.  Yet the question remains how do we get the numbers up from 45% in continuous care to 100% in continuous care?  This is how ART can be part of the elimination of HIV disease.
• Did we ever think that pharmacy companies that normally compete against each other could and would work together to create effective treatment delivery systems that would ease the burden of the person who needs to take these pills?  Gilead and BMS did just that.
• If two pharmas can do this, so can community-based organizations and medical facilities, so can churches and CBOs, as well as schools and CBOs.
• We can lower a community's viral load. Let us not forget how effective that is as a tool.  Testing and treating all those infected with HIV--neighborhood by neighborhood--is essential.

Much of what we can do to promote the tools is dependent on each of us taking responsibility to use ALL the tools.  It will take medical providers working hand-in-hand with services providers to work on education, compliance, and stabilizing disparities.

It will take the researchers and scientists to continue to develop new and easier methods to prevent and treat HIV disease. It will take the funders and donors to continue to commit to providing resources.

It will take government officials to continue to implement coordinated strategies to resolve current and emerging issues. It will take faith-based communities to protect their followers with non- abstinence-only messaging.

We have made a lot of progress together in the last 30 years. It has not been easy. It has not been without controversy. Let's not stop now. Let's keep focused on the future to achieve--getting to zero.

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About GMHC:  GMHC is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported, and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. We provide prevention and care services to men, women, and families that are living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS in New York City. We advocate for scientific, evidence-based public health solutions for hundreds of thousands worldwide.  Our mission:  GMHC fights to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected.