Doctors and Stigma, the worse enemies of HIV in this {World AIDS Day}
In NY and other States the worse enemies of the epidemic are the Doctors and the Stigma.
The rates in NYS are 3000 a year acquiring HIV but it could be so much lower. The problem is people are not being informed by their doctors and the media that you don’t have to become HIV. They are not being told of PREP and Post exposure. Many Doctors are still sex inhibited themselves and thus not well informed about sexual issues besides the Clap and syphilis. The best choice to get the right stuff about HIV is a gay Doctor and believe me in NY and other states like Fl., CA. Washington, etc., etc. there are plenty of gay doctors. In other parts of the world you might have to travel but you can have the internet to guide you just like you are reading it here.
Even if you know you have been exposed to HIV you have 48-72 hours to get your self to an emergency room and be treated. So now you have treatment to not become HIV no matter who you are having sex without condoms, just like health service providers which for years have been protected after a prick by a syringe. They have taken the post exposure kit and have been fine. This is now available for all. In NYS Medicaid covers PREP and there are other organizations that will help you. You need to learn about these treatment options and how they work. If you become HIV you also need the information to keep you undetectable and thus not giving it to anyone else besides staying healthy and good looking.
In this blog we have page 6 which is where the most relevant information goes and kept. If you had a question all you have to do is ask (it could be anonymous) in the comment section. In this AIDS day we have kicked AIDS away in the US for those that got informed. Now we fight HIV which can lead to AIDS if not treated. We can wipe it out before we get a vaccine or magic bullet. We have the bullets now! No they are not magical but they work!!
New York will add $200 million to its funding to fight HIV and AIDS and take other steps as the state sees the number of people with the disease declining.
No new cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV have been reported since August 2014, a first since the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Monday.
About 202,000 New Yorkers have been diagnosed with HIV, and more than 112,000 individuals living with the disease.
Cuomo earlier this year vowed to eradicate the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2020.
“New York was once the epicenter of the AIDS crisis — but now we are showing the nation how to fight back and make this epidemic a thing of the past,” Cuomo said in a statement.
The state has increased its availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which is medication that helps HIV-negative individuals reduce their risk of becoming infected. The drug has become three times more available among Medicaid enrollees than it was a year ago, Cuomo said.
“Taken together, these policies and initiatives ensure that New Yorkers with HIV and those at risk for it receive the support and care they need,” state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement.
World AIDS Day is today (Tuesday), and Cuomo plans to make a speech at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on New York’s efforts, which now includes $2.5 billion annually to fight against the disease.
Cuomo said that while the state is increasing its funding, federal aid for housing assistance for people living with HIV has been flat for at least five years.
Cuomo said he plans other steps to battle the disease, such as expanding affordable housing for patients and making life insurance available to people living with HIV.
The Democratic governor plans to outline further steps in his State of the State in January.
For additional information on “Ending the AIDS Epidemic in New York state,” visit health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/ending_the_epidemic/
Follow Joseph Spector on Twitter @gannettalbany.
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