When Will HIV End?

*This article, co-authored by GAPP co-chair Katie Lapides Coester and Ace Robinson, chair of the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership, was originally published on the POZ website.

“Is HIV still a thing?”

“Is AIDS treatment free in the U.S.?”

“When will HIV end?”

According to Google, these are questions people frequently ask related to HIV. As two organizations working to respond to the epidemic — at both the national and global level — we are well positioned to provide answers. The simple truth is that HIV is still a global crisis that is crippling many communities both in this country and around the world.

Effective treatment is available, but it is not always easily accessible nor affordable. The communities that are most impacted by HIV have always been the least likely to be aware of, have access to, and reap the benefits of optimal HIV care. And that is still very much the case today.

As to when the HIV epidemic will end — that answer depends on whether or not U.S. leadership takes the steps necessary to meet the goals to which it has committed.

The United States, along with other United Nations member states, have set the goal of ending HIV as a global health threat by 2030. Here in the United States, the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative aims to reduce HIV incidence by 90% by that same deadline.

Based on recent funding decisions, we have serious concerns about whether these goals can be achieved without significant course correction. But one thing is clear: we need immediate and bold action to end HIV.

Read the full article here.