No time for HIV/AIDS complacency

I have only had a chance to glance through the new National HIV/AIDS Strategy, but I can tell you it could not have come any sooner. Interest in HIV/AIDS, which has become a largely treatable disease, has waned in this country over the last decade. With 56,000 new infections annually, and 1.1 million individuals currently infected, now is not the time for declaring victory on this front.

The document was created with broad input and addresses four main areas for concerted action: reducing new infections, increasing access to care and improving health outcomes for people living with HIV, reducing HIV-related health disparities and health inequities, and achieving a more coordinated national response to the HIV epidemic.

For me, I like the vision for the plan: “The United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare, and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socio-economic circumstance will have unfettered access to high-quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination."

I look forward to the day that a similar national plan is developed for the hepatitis epidemic in this country. But for now, we need to remain vigilant on multiple health fronts. HIV/AIDS is an infection with a profound impact on this country and the world. Effective action is absolutely critical.

- Doug Hirano, MPH, APCA Executive Director