HIV & AIDS in the United States Update: Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

September 25, 2015

Dear Colleagues,

On September 27 we observe National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD), a time to encourage all gay and bisexual men to have the knowledge and tools they need to protect themselves and their partners from HIV infection. On this day, we reaffirm our commitment to preventing the spread of HIV among gay and bisexual men and helping all those living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives.

Over the years we have achieved encouraging milestones in the fight against HIV. Yet gay and bisexual men of all races and ethnicities continue to be severely affected by HIV infection. The most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data show that gay and bisexual men represent more than half of the 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States. In fact, HIV diagnoses continue to increase among young gay and bisexual men, and this group is the least likely of all gay and bisexual men to be linked to treatment, retained in care, or virally suppressed.

In response to these trends, we must reach all gay and bisexual men at risk for or living with HIV with scientifically proven HIV prevention strategies. We now have powerful biomedical prevention tools, such as antiretroviral therapy, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) that can drastically reduce the risk for HIV transmission. Leveraging these advances is part of the updated National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS),which provides us a road map toward reducing new HIV infections, increasing access to care, improving health outcomes, and addressing HIV-related health disparities among gay and bisexual men, especially young gay and bisexual men of color.

To address the prevention needs of gay and bisexual men, CDC is awarding approximately $37 million this year and a total of up to $75 million over three years to 12 state and local health departments to expand two prevention approaches: 1) the use of PrEP among gay and bisexual men and transgender people who are HIV-negative but at substantial risk of acquiring HIV infection, and 2) Data to Care, a new public health strategy that uses disease surveillance data to improve clinical outcomes along the HIV care continuum for people living with HIV. Through an additional investment of up to $60 million over four years from the Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative Fund (SMAIF), CDC is supporting seven state and local health departments to create community collaboratives that will provide comprehensive models of HIV prevention and care services for gay and bisexual men of color who are at substantial risk for or living with HIV.

In addition, CDC supports training and technical assistance to help ensure the successful implementation of prevention, care, behavioral health, and social services programs. Our Act Against AIDS communication campaign Start Talking. Stop HIV. focuses exclusively on gay and bisexual men and encourages them to talk openly to their sex partners about a range of HIV prevention and treatment strategies. Additionally, CDC promotes HIV testing through Testing Makes Us Stronger for black gay and bisexual men, andReasons/Razones for Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men.

Recently, we have seen promising structural changes, like marriage equality, which may influence the social determinants of health that often make life more challenging for the LGBT community. These transformations have helped remove obstacles that can make living a full and healthy life more difficult and have helped reduce the stigma and discrimination that keep people from seeking the health care they need. We hope these positive trends will contribute to future decreases in HIV disease and improve the lives of gay and bisexual men.

Thank you for your work and continued commitment to reach all who do not know the facts about HIV prevention and treatment, who remain at high risk, and who have not yet been tested or received treatment. Together we can continue to reduce the number of new HIV infections among gay and bisexual men nationwide.

Sincerely,

/Jonathan Mermin/
Jonathan H. Mermin, MD, MPH
Director
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/nchhstp

/Eugene McCray/
Eugene McCray, MD
Director
Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB PreventionCenters for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/hiv