LOS ANGELES -- Forty years ago this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first cases of what would become known as HIV/AIDS, and touch off an epidemic that took 32 million lives across the globe, and 700,000 in the United States.

Rick Chavez Zbur, outgoing executive director of Equality California and a candidate for Assembly District 50 in the Santa Monica area, said Americans mustn't forget the terrible toll of this disease.

"I lost literally scores of friends to the disease, and watched our government pretty much do nothing about it for over a decade," Zbur recounted. "And so, as I think about the 40th anniversary, I think we need to remember all the people that were lost."

He added the huge loss of life and perceived inaction by the Reagan administration motivated groups like Equality California to help elect leaders who would take the disease seriously, including former President Bill Clinton, former Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Today, HIV treatments make it possible for 38 million people worldwide to live with HIV, including 1.2 million Americans.

Chavez Zbur added he's proud of the leading role California has played in making new medications more accessible.

"California is one of the states that insurance fully covers PEP and PrEP in Medi-Cal," Zbur pointed out. "And that's not the case across the country, so we need to reduce the barriers for medication that can prevent HIV."

Advocates would also like to see the repeal of laws in multiple states that criminalize the transmission of or perceived exposure to HIV and other infectious diseases, arguing the laws serve as a major disincentive for people to get tested.

New Mexico activists are tapping today's World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, to announce they'll ask the State Legislature to provide more money for treatment and prevention.

Equality New Mexico Executive Director Marshall Martinez voiced concern that many primary care providers fail to prescribe treatments known as PrEP and PEP, perhaps worried that they are specialized and complex. His group will ask lawmakers to provide more funding to the Department of Health to initiate educational outreach.

Marshall said the treatments significantly reduce risk and the effects of AIDS: "Since the beginning of the epidemic in the '80s, we've never had as powerful of a preventive tool as we have in PrEP."

According to Martinez, the New Mexico Department of Health reports there are between 3,000 and 4,000 people in the state living with HIV.

Federal data show American Indians and Alaska Natives have over twice the rate of HIV infection as their white counterparts. They also are more likely to die from HIV infection.

Nonetheless, Martinez noted the majority of those taking preventive medications are cisgender, white men. He stressed this demonstrates how important it is for the state to reach Indigenous and immigrant communities, starting with funds to train medical providers.

"And then public messaging in those sort-of non-traditional communities and from non-traditional messengers to say, 'Hey, there's this drug called PrEP - it would prevent HIV - you should ask your doctor about it,'" he explained.

It is estimated that since 1981, more than 40 million people have died from AIDS; in some countries, it is still the leading cause of death. Currently, almost 30 million people are using therapies to inhibit HIV and prevent AIDS.

Today is National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and Nevada is one of the 10 states with the highest HIV infection rates.

In 2021, more than 11,000 Nevadans were living with HIV. Recent data show nearly 70% of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. are among gay and bisexual men.

Dr. Laura Cheever, associate administrator of the HIV/AIDS Bureau for the Health Resources and Services Administration, said despite progress in care and treatment, there are still many who do not realize they have the disease. HIV today is what she called a "manageable, chronic disease," which can be treated with antiretroviral therapy leading to viral suppression and have no risk of transmitting HIV sexually to someone else.

"In order to live a near normal life span, a person with HIV needs to get on medication and stay on them," Cheever explained. "A lot of people just don't want to deal with the fact that they may have HIV because there is so much stigma still around the HIV diagnosis as well as other issues including homophobia and racism."

Cheever advised getting tested is the first step. For those who test negative, there are ways to prevent future infections. She noted pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as "PrEP," is a great option. According to the Centers for Disease Control, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by 99% when taken as prescribed.

Cheever pointed out like other chronic diseases, HIV disproportionately affects those who are part of minority populations. She added for those looking to receive care or treatment for HIV at low or no cost, you can visit hiv.gov. You can also visit takemehome.org, and enter your ZIP code to see if you are eligible to receive a free, at-home HIV testing kit.

Cheever stressed it is important to realize HIV does not solely affect men who have sex with men.

"It can be transmitted between any two people having sex," Cheever cautioned. "It is disproportionate in the population of gay men in this country which is largely based on sort of historically how it entered this country, but anyone who is sexually active is potentially at risk for HIV."

Cheever added access to health care, education and prevention efforts are all contributing factors in decreasing the rates of HIV.


get more stories like this via email

Once viewed as an automatic death sentence with the first diagnosis in 1981, HIV today is met with effective treatment options. Today is National HIV Testing Day, which encourages people to get tested to determine if they are infected. Testing is free and confidential at multiple sites around the country.

Alan Witchey, president and CEO of The Damian Center, an Indiana AIDS service organization, said testing for the virus is simple.

"You can come in and get your status in minutes. It's a rapid test," he explained. "It's just a pin prick to your finger and you can get your status in minutes, so it's worthwhile going and finding out."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Indiana, 540 new cases of HIV were detected as of January 2022 - currently, there are 13,900 people living with HIV in the state.

The agency also says an estimated 1.2 million people in the United States had HIV at the end of 2021. Of those people, about 87% reported being aware they were HIV positive. Witchey admits the urgency and attention to the diagnosis and treatment of HIV and AIDS has faded over time due to medications that help infected people live long and healthy lives, but added it is a misnomer to believe the HIV and AIDS epidemic is over.

"The epidemic is still going on in central Indiana," he said. "We had 300 new cases last year. There are about 1,000 people in central Indiana that are living with HIV and don't know it."

Witchey added often people will get diagnosed later, and they may already feel ill or have side effects related to the disease - which is why it is so important to get an early diagnosis. A 2020 study by 'aidsvs.org' found that 76% of people who developed AIDS had a late HIV diagnosis, which is defined as having an AIDS diagnosis within three months of testing positive for the HIV virus.


get more stories like this via email