Showing posts with label HIV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HIV. Show all posts

Monday, August 21, 2017

PrEPPED and Proud: How You Can PrEPare to Stay HIV Negative


By Drew Wilson

At this moment, there are about 12,300 Coloradans who are living with HIV - including 9% who are undiagnosed and unaware of their infection. And anywhere from 325 to 400 more of us are newly diagnosed every year. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that HIV infection in Denver is down about 60 percent overall since 2005 thanks to strategies like the Fast-Track Cities Initiative (did you know the city of Denver has pledged to end AIDS by 2030?) and the use of antiretroviral drugs. These antiretroviral drugs do an excellent job of treating people with HIV, driving their viral loads down to the point where they are undetectable. And an undetectable viral load makes it very, very difficult for people who are HIV-positive to spread the virus to anybody else.

And now for the best news of all. Right now it’s easier than it’s ever been for those who are currently HIV-negative to stay that way. It’s called PrEP.

What is Prep? PrEP is Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis - the process of taking daily medication to prevent HIV infection. That medication is Truvada, currently the only medication currently approved for PrEP by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. When taken daily, it is over 90% effective in preventing HIV transmission. Pretty amazing.

Compare that to condoms, which, while up to 99% effective in laboratory conditions, can be much less effective in the real world - especially for gay men. At a 2013 conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections results were presented that showed that the effectiveness of condoms for MSM who use condoms can be as little as 70%, according to an article at POZ.com. Yikes. Not to mention that condoms aren’t always at hand, can be used incorrectly or hinder sexual performance, and, of course, there are plenty of guys out there who just don’t like them. For those men, a daily Truvada pill is an easy, effective solution.

“Current data suggests that most people in the gay community in Denver know about PrEP but that only a small number of people are actually on it,” says Mark Thrun, a Denver-based MD who is the Associate Director of HIV Medical Sciences for Gilead Sciences, the makers of Truvada. “It speaks to an enormous gap that hopefully getting the word out about will help us all remedy. There are thousands of people in the Denver area who could benefit from PrEP or at least a discussion with their medical provider about going on PrEP.”

So how do you get on PrEP? It’s pretty easy. Just bring it up to your healthcare provider. Doctors and medical professionals sometimes don’t know we exist or know a lot about our specific concerns as gay men but the more we come out, the more we start talking about our issues and concerns, the more these providers will become comfortable talking about the things we want and need to talk about. Advocate for yourself and don’t be afraid to shop around a little bit, because Colorado has a number of PrEP-friendly providers.

Currently, very few Colorado insurance providers do not pay for PrEP. So if you’ve got insurance, payment should not be much of a barrier. For people without insurance it is a little more challenging but there are financial assistance options available, so don’t give up. For more information on financial assistance and PrEP, visit http://www.proudtobeprepped.com. You owe it to yourself, your partner, and your community to learn as much as you can about PrEP and HIV prevention. 

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

HIV & PrEP: Denver Brings It Up

Let's talk. No, let's really talk. About HIV. While we have come far, gay and bisexual men continue to bear the greatest burden of this disease in Colorado. Nearly four of out of every five individuals newly diagnosed with HIV identifies as a gay or bisexual man. We still have more work to do to get that number to zero. Let's work together to change the future of HIV/AIDS by talking about testing, PrEP and staying in care.

Since talking about HIV in the heat of the moment can be a buzz kill, why not bring it up before you get it up? By bringing it up, everyone wins.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Harm Reduction Action Center Helps Prevent HIV and Hepatitis C in Denver

The Harm Reduction Action Center is Denver's recognized expert in providing HIV and Hepatitis C prevention programming, using harm-reduction principles. Harm reduction allows Harm Reduction Action Center to meet drug users "where they're at," addressing the conditions of their drug use along with the use itself.

Friday, March 7, 2014

New antiretroviral injection shows promise for HIV prevention

In a finding that could represent a major breakthrough in HIV prevention efforts, two groups of researchers working with an experimental antiretroviral injection found 100% protection in monkeys treated with the drug

Evidence from the trials suggests that the drug maintains its effectiveness even when used once every three months, reducing the problem of patients failing to take daily doses. While larger trials remain years away, a preliminary study with human subjects is set to begin later this year at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Genetic Modification of Cells Proves Generally Safe as HIV Treatment Strategy; NIH-Supported Technique Might Help Achieve Drug-Free Control of HIV

Scientists today report initial results from humans on the safety and tolerability of a novel strategy to curb HIV disease by removing key cells from HIV-infected individuals, genetically modifying the cells to resist HIV infection and returning them to those people. The basic and pre-clinical research on this strategy, which eventually might help people control the virus without drugs, was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The Phase I clinical trial was funded by Sangamo BioSciences and was led by NIAID grantee Carl H. June, M.D., with co-investigators Bruce L. Levine, Ph.D., and Pablo Tebas, M.D., all of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.  



The trial built on the observation that people who naturally have a genetic modification in a protein called CCR5 are resistant to HIV infection, and when infected with HIV, progress to AIDS more slowly. CCR5 is a cell-surface molecule, or receptor, that most HIV variants must use to enter their primary target: the CD4T cell. In the trial, CD4+ T-cells were collected from each of 12 HIV-infected volunteers whose virus was controlled by anti-HIV therapy. These cells were then treated in the laboratory with molecular tools called zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs). The ZFNs were designed to snip the DNA within the gene that codes for the CCR5 receptor. This process introduced a genetic mutation rendering CCR5 receptors non-functional. Subsequently, the cells were stimulated to multiply, and each patient received an infusion of 10 billion of their own CD4+ T-cells, with roughly a fifth of the CCR5 genes now mutated.


Four weeks later, in a planned interruption of anti-HIV therapy, half the study participants stopped taking their antiretroviral drugs for 8 to 12 weeks. Investigators found that the experimental treatment was generally safe, and that the genetically modified cells appeared to be protected from HIV infection. In one volunteer who naturally had the desired mutation in half of his CCR5 genes, HIV replication was controlled during the entire 12-week treatment interruption. Future research will include evaluating this experimental treatment in more volunteers, as well as maximizing the frequency of CCR5 disruption by ZFNs and increasing the persistence of the genetically modified cells in the body to achieve a therapeutic effect.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Reflections on World AIDS Day

By Londell Jackson

Yesterday was World AIDS Day 2013. Yesterday was also the first day of Advent.  As such, I sit and reflect upon what that means for me.  When I think about World AIDS day, I stop to reflect upon HIV and AIDS and how this virus has affected my life.  While note a regularly practicing Catholic -- I don’t go to church often -- Advent is one of the many celebrations of the Church I bring into our home.  Advent is a season of preparation, specifically for the birth of Jesus.  Moreover, Advent is a season of reconciliation, forgiveness, and self-renewal; very similar to the Lenten season.

I have lived with HIV for just over 13 years.  I am among those fortunate enough to state my seroconversion has not affected my life in any large scale. For the majority of my infection I did take any sorts of meds simply because my body was keeping the virus in check.  That was until 2006 when I was diagnosed with Poly Arteritis Nodosa (PAN), an autoimmune disease of the vascular system.  It seemed that while my immune system was dealing with the HIV, it got a little overzealous and decided to attack the blood vessels in my legs, ankles, and feet.  While my T-Cell and viral load counts were normal, the only treatment to bring this affliction into remission was to start an antiretroviral.  I won’t share with you any stories of dealing with multi-pill dosages, or horrific side effects, simply because I had neither.  By the time I started treatment, it consisted of one pill, once per day.  Besides waking up groggy and some bizarre dreams at times, my life continued uninterrupted and the PAN went into remission.  Over the years, I have developed resistance to two drugs, and am now on my third.  Still no side effects (knock on wood).

My HIV does not dictate my life as it has millions of others.  Much of that is due to my middle class standing.  Nope, I’m not wealthy by any means, but I have always had health insurance, specifically prescription coverage.  If it wasn’t for insurance, I would have been dead a long time ago (well, that is a hyperbolic assumption) simply because I could have never afforded the medication, which costs $2,300 per month.  That’s $23,600 per year for those who would like to know.  Now I understand HIV infections are on the rise for several populations in our country.  I have assumptions as to the reasons for this, but regardless of what they might be, look at the basic economic reason to take precautions around potential infection.  Enough said about that.


As a believer in Christ, and as a follower of his teachings and wishes, I honor the season of Advent in anticipation of the birth of Jesus, the Christ child.  What does this mean in layperson’s terms: I am cleaning up the house before the guest arrives.  I’m looking back at the commitments I’ve made to myself over the years, commitments I’ve made privately between myself and my god about how I can be a better community member, a better spouse, and a better individual for myself.  


What does better mean, well, that’s a book for another day, but in this particular case, living a healthier life, a life that will make my remaining years enjoyable, and how can I encourage others to do similarly.

I acknowledge I have slacked in the areas of self care and preservation as of late.  I’ve packed on all the weight I had lost, I’m not taking artist’s dates as needed and promised, and I am not tending to my spiritual needs.  These things have once been very important to me and in my life, but lately they have seemed to wane as I slowly turn into a couch meatloaf.  So, it is time again to commit myself to becoming a healthier me.  While science has developed medicines to help sustain my life, and while my choices with and without spiritual direction have led me to where I am today, I can do better.  I can do better not just for me, but for my family as well.  I can also look to identify additional ways I can encourage others in my communities to make similar commitments for themselves, however possible.


This Advent, this World AIDS Day, I recommit myself to good health and to positive stewardship.  I honor the blessings in my life, and in doing so I commit to give my family a healthier me, and I live my life as a small example for others.  It’s the least I can do to say thank you and honor all those who have gone before me, and to ensure their lives were not taken in vain.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Gay Help Wanted: Earn Money, Support HIV Testing for Gay and Bisexual Men in Denver

Colorado's Social Network Testing Project aims to enlist gay and bisexual men in the greater Denver area to recruit their friends and partners to get tested for HIV.

Potential recruiters receive $50 in gift card incentives for a first interview. There is no obligation to continue with the program after the first interview. The goal is to identify and recruit gay and bisexual men who are well-connected to other gay and bisexual men through in-person and online social networks.

Men who choose to become recruiters for the program are given personalized vouchers in paper and digital formats to give to other men. When other men bring in a recruiter's vouchers to get an HIV test, both the recruiter and the person bringing in the voucher receive $20 in gift card incentives.

In this way, the program seeks to improve the quality of life of many gay and bisexual men while also helping the community increase its overall knowledge and awareness of HIV status.

Recruiters participate on a voluntary basis and can end service with the project at any time, and for any reason.

Gift cards available as incentives typically include: King Soopers, Jamba Juice, Subway Restaurants, Starbucks, Target, Chipotle, iTunes, and others.

Anyone with questions about the project or would like to schedule a recruiter interview can contact Chris at 720-539-9760.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

HIV and Aging Survey

Shannon Southall, Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Cares is looking for people who are over 40 and living with HIV who would be interested in taking a 10 minute survey on HIV and Aging.

Southall will be presenting at the United States Conference on AIDS in September along with Dr Ben Young. At 48 years old, Southall has  been living with HIV for almost 22 years. Says Southall, "By 2016 they estimate that over 50% of those of us living with HIV will be over 50. I want to be able to share real stories and information to educate both medical providers and case managers, social workers etc about the real issues that we deal with as we grow older with HIV."


Monday, February 11, 2013

White House Blog: Addressing HIV in the Black Community

Valerie Jarret recently wrote a post for the White House Blog addressing the subject of HIV in the Black Community.

She points out that "... according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV/AIDS and nearly 50,000 people become infected with HIV each year.  In 2010, African-Americans accounted for only 14% of the U.S. population, but 44% of new HIV infections. The majority (70%) of new HIV infections among African-Americans occur among black men, and are concentrated among gay men. In fact, young black gay and bisexual men who are the only group in the black community where new HIV infections are increasing.  Black women represent 30% of new infections among African-Americans. Transgender black women are also at risk for HIV with as many as one in three in some studies diagnosed with HIV. And only 21% of black Americans have a suppressed viral load, the key health marker for HIV treatment."

Click here to read the full post.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Pauley Perrette Talks HIV Activism In the New Issue of HIV Plus

With her gothy punk clothes and Bettie Page bangs, Pauley Perrette still looks a bit like the New York club scene bartender she once was—minus the white Mohawk that first attracted TV producers and modeling agents in the ’90s. 

Today, as Abby Sciuto, the forensic wunderkind with a heart of gold on CBS’s number 1 drama, NCIS, Perrette is one of television’s most popular actresses. She’s also one of the most active in support of HIV causes.  

HIV Plus magazine caught up with the New Orleans-born Perrette to talk about why activism is important, the role the church should play in HIV outreach, and what it was like to portray an HIV-positive woman on the silver screen.

Read the full interview here.

Monday, May 7, 2012

The Denver Element - Positve Impact!

Positive Impact is a program for HIV+ gay/bi men who have a history of coping with injection drug use.  It is a 5-week educational small group experience in which participants will learn to strengthen their communication/negotiation skills around less risky sexual behavior with partners, increase their skills around status disclosure, and develop stronger relationships with their friends, families, and support networks.

Group members gain skills and experience through interactive discussions, role plays, and watching relevant skills in action via movie clips. Positive Impact is FUN, educational, and enlightening. Together, our groups of HIV+ men discover their sense of empowerment and strength as valuable and loved members of our community. Their relationships with friends, families, and partners are stronger, and the Impact that they will have on our community is invaluable.

For more information, or to enroll for the next 5-week series, contact Cody at 720.382.5900, ext. 30, or cody@thedenverelement.com.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Brothas Group HIV Educational Forum: HIV and Aging

On Tuesday, January 12 The Brothas Group will host an HIV Educational Forum on HIV and Aging.

Recent research data now proves that persons with HIV age faster than the normal population. Whether you are younger, older, or in-between, this is a concern for everyone who lives with HIV.

The forum will be presented by Ken Lichtenstein, MD at Our Saviors Lutheran Community Room at 9th and Emerson in downtown Denver at 6:30 p.m.

A free dinner will be provided at 6 p.m.

For more information on HIV and Aging visit Poz.com.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Outsources on KGNU: Are HIV infection rates worse than we thought?

The next episode of Outsources on KGNU will address recent information from the CDC about alarming new HIV infection statistics.

Host Norman Strizek will welcome to the show Ruth Pederson, the new Executive Director the Colorado Aids Project, Michael Lee, Director of Communications of the Colorado Aids Project and Ana Hopperstad, the new Executive Director of the Boulder Aids Project.

Outsources Radio Show can be heard every Monday night at 6:30 p.m. on KGNU Radio 88.5 FM Boulder and 1390 AM Denver or streaming live at KGNU.org.

As always, MileHighGayGuy will be on hand to talk about all the fun and important events going on in Denver's GLBT community.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Pop Quiz: How much do you know about HIV?

Find out how much you know — or don't know — about HIV/AIDS. Take an HIV quiz here or here.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Strength in Numbers community forum


This month's Strength in Numbers Community Forum for people with HIV will be replaced by a BBQ in Cheesman Park on Tuesday, August 12 from 6-8 p.m. near the 9th Street entrance. For more information email SINColorado@yahoogroups.com or call 720-435-5320. Bring a dish and a friend. Thanks to Brothers4Ever for the tip.

Monday, August 4, 2008

HIV infections in US worse than thought

Gay men continue to account for more than half of recent HIV infection. Read the entire article here.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

President Signs Bill Repealing Discriminatory HIV Travel and Immigration Law

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today called on the Department of Health and Human Services to update its regulations following the President’s signing of legislation to reauthorize PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Included in this measure was a provision to repeal our nation’s discriminatory law barring HIV-positive visitors and immigrants. The PEPFAR bill passed the Senate on July 16 and the U.S. House passed the bill last week.

“We appreciate the President signing the repeal of this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “The HIV travel and immigration ban performs no public health service, is unnecessary and ineffective. We thank our allies on the Hill who fought to end this injustice and now call on Secretary of Health and Human Services Leavitt to remove the remaining regulatory barriers to HIV-positive visitors and immigrants.”

HRC has been a lead organization lobbying on Capitol Hill for the repeal and will continue to work to ensure that Department of Health and Human Services’ regulations are changed. The Human Rights Campaign has worked closely with the offices of Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), as well as Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), the sponsor of an effort to repeal the ban in the House of Representatives. Both Sen. Kerry and Rep. Lee participated in a national media conference call held by HRC in March. In addition to action alerts urging members to contact their Senators, HRC and Immigration Equality drafted a coalition letter on behalf of more than 165 organizations in support of the Kerry-Smith provision in the PEPFAR bill, and directly lobbied numerous Senate offices on the repeal measure.

In December of 2007, Senators Kerry and Smith introduced legislation, the HIV Non-Discrimination in Travel and Immigration Act (S. 2486), to repeal the ban. In the House, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced similar the legislation, H.R. 3337, in August 2007. The travel and immigration ban prohibits HIV-positive foreign nationals from entering the U.S. unless they obtain a special waiver, which is difficult to obtain and can only allow for short-term travel. Current policy also prevents the vast majority of foreign nationals with HIV from obtaining legal permanent residency in the United States.

The ban originated in 1987, and explicitly codified by Congress in 1993, despite efforts in the public health community to remove the ban when Congress reformed U.S. immigration law in the early 1990s. While immigration law currently excludes foreigners with any “communicable disease of public health significance” from entering the U.S., only HIV is explicitly named in the statute. For all other illnesses, the Secretary of Health and Human Services retains the ability, with the medical expertise of his department, to determine which illnesses truly pose a risk to public health.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.


Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Nice job, America - U.S. Senate approves repeal of HIV ban

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, praised the U.S. Senate today for approving the repeal of our nation’s discriminatory law barring HIV-positive visitors and immigrants. Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) secured a provision to repeal this ban in the Senate’s legislation to reauthorize PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The PEPFAR bill passed the Senate today with the Kerry-Smith provision by a vote of 80 to 16 and now moves to conference committee before being sent to the President.

Read the rest after the jump.

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) had introduced an amendment to strike the Kerry-Smith provision from the PEFPAR bill. However, the efforts of Senators Kerry and Smith in addition to robust advocacy from HRC and our coalition partners secured enough opposition to the Sessions amendment that the Senator agreed not to bring it forward for a vote.

“We applaud the Senate for rejecting this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “We call on the leaders of the House and Senate to retain the Kerry-Smith provision in conference and ensure it is included in the final legislation sent to the President’s desk.”

“The HIV ban is ineffective, unnecessary, and simply bad public health policy,” said Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality. “It is especially harmful to gay and lesbian families, who do not benefit from the waiver available to opposite-sex couples. The Senate’s change is welcome, and long overdue.”

HRC has been a lead organization lobbying on Capitol Hill for the repeal. The Human Rights Campaign has worked closely with the offices of Sens. John Kerry and Gordon Smith, as well as Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), the sponsor of an effort to repeal the ban in the House of Representatives. Both Sen. Kerry and Rep. Lee participated in a national media conference call held by HRC in March. In addition to action alerts urging members to contact their Senators, HRC and Immigration Equality drafted a coalition letter on behalf of more than 165 organizations in support of the Kerry-Smith provision in the PEPFAR bill, and has directly lobbied numerous Senate offices on the repeal measure.

In December of 2007, Senators Kerry and Smith introduced legislation, the HIV Non-Discrimination in Travel and Immigration Act (S. 2486), to repeal the ban. In the House, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced similar the legislation, H.R. 3337, in August 2007. The travel and immigration ban prohibits HIV-positive foreign nationals from entering the U.S. unless they obtain a special waiver, which can only allow for short-term travel. Current policy also prevents the vast majority of foreign nationals with HIV from obtaining legal permanent residency in the United States.

The ban originated in 1987, and explicitly codified by Congress in 1993, despite efforts in the public health community to remove the ban when Congress reformed U.S. immigration law in the early 1990s. While immigration law currently excludes foreigners with any “communicable disease of public health significance” from entering the U.S., only HIV is explicitly named in the statute. For all other illnesses, the Secretary of Health and Human Services retains the ability, with the medical expertise of his department, to determine which illnesses truly pose a risk to public health.

Monday, July 14, 2008

HIV Community Forum on Tuesday, July 15


"Beyond Survival: A Breakthrough in Well-Being" (practical health tips from a long-term HIV survivor) will be presented tomorrow at Our Saviors Lutheran Church (9th & Emerson) by Nelson Vergel, co-author of "Built to Survive."

There will be a free dinner catered by Brothers BBQ and the forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. The dinner is sponsored by Thrive!: The Persons Living with HIV/AIDS Initiative of Colorado and no RSVP is required.

Nelson Vergel, a former chemical engineer native of Venezuela, is a 23-year HIV positive survivor who, by necessity, has become a leading treatment advocate for wellness in HIV disease. He is founding director of the non-profits Program for Wellness Restoration (PoWeR) and the Body Positive Wellness Clinic in Houston; an intern ational speaker on HIV treatments and side effect management; founder/moderator of pozhealth at yahoogroups.com (the largest HIV health discussion group on the internet); expert for TheBody.com ; and co-author of the book "Built to Survive".

Nelson will cover a wide array of very pertinent topics for persons living with HIV, including the best exercises for increasing lean body mass and decreasing belly fat ... what to eat ... data about supplements with HIV ... how to decrease bad cholesterol and triglycerides ... best options for fatigue, sexual dysfunction, depression, and diarrhea ... dealing with anal health and HPV complications ... and much more.

Banned from the USA for being HIV+

Congress has a chance this week to repeal a law that punishes individuals for being HIV-positive. Don't let them miss this opportunity.



Former Senator Jesse Helms, the notorious author of dozens of measures attacking GLBT and HIV-positive people during his years in the Senate, died on July 4. Unfortunately, the legacy of discrimination against HIV-positive people he helped to create lives on in a law that bars nearly every foreign person with HIV from entering the United States. That's right – with very few exceptions, an HIV-positive individual cannot come to the United States for any reason, be it to visit, work, study or become a legal resident.

It's an embarrassment and an outrage. And at long last, we have a chance to bring it to an end.


Ask your Senator to stand up against bias and ensure that the ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants is repealed.

Earlier this year, Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Smith (R-OR) added language to repeal this discriminatory law that was included in legislation reauthorizing efforts to fight HIV across the globe, commonly known as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). We thought we were close to finally ending the discriminatory ban which prevents HIV positive individuals from entering the country or obtaining legal U.S. citizenship.

But now, just as Congress is preparing to vote on the PEPFAR bill anti-gay Senators are pushing to remove this critical provision keeping the discriminatory ban in place.

Send a message urging your Senator to support the Kerry-Smith provision and to ensure that the repeal of the ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants remains in PEPFAR.

This discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS is inexcusable, and the policy has serious consequences. It separates families, denies American businesses access to talented workers, and bars students and tourists from accessing opportunities and supporting our economy. And it is just downright wrong.

Because of stigma alone, HIV is the only medical condition codified in U.S. law as a basis for inadmissibility for short-term travel and immigration – the admissibility of persons with all other communicable diseases is at the discretion of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Removing the ban would treat HIV/AIDS like all other medical conditions in the eyes of the law. The U.S. is one of only 12 countries – including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Sudan – that maintains such harsh and outdated travel and immigration restrictions on people living with HIV.

No one should be punished by the law because of their HIV status. That's why we need to make sure this critical provision remains in PEPFAR and this discriminatory ban is finally abolished. When your Senator votes this week on whether or not to remove the ban from PEPFAR, make sure they know that this discrimination against HIV-positive individuals must end.

Please ask your Senator to reject discrimination and stigma and support the Kerry-Smith repeal of the ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants in PEPFAR.