Delaying the start of HIV therapy increases the risk of death by 70 percent, according to an analysis of data from all 22 HIV cohort studies in the United States and Canada . The striking finding has been under-reported since its presentation in late October at the annual meeting of the Infectious Disease Society of Am
Recipients of the $400,000 (additional money was added after the big check was made) earned from the Folsom Street Events this year was distributed to the nonprofit organizations that provided volunteers for beverage sales, entrance gates, and other duties. The check ceremony was held during a reception at the Supper C
Longtime gay and AIDS activist Henry Hank Wilson died Sunday, November 9, at Davies Medical Center in San Francisco. A longtime HIV/AIDS survivor, Mr. Wilson succumbed to lung cancer at age 61. Mr. Wilson was a veteran of countless struggles, from the fight against the Briggs initiative to AIDS and homeless activism. O
More state budget cuts are looming, and LGBT seniors and persons living with AIDS may be among those hardest hit, tenants groups say. Using the line item veto, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unilaterally slashed the renters rebate in September, a key housing assistance program. The rebate gave $150 million to the elder
More than any other presidential candidate before, Barack Obama included gays as part of his stump speeches to voters, despite decades of conventional wisdom that has held that the mere acknowledgement of gays could imperil a campaign. Obama acknowledged gays when he announced his run for the presidency. He did so befo
The work of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel, the only nonprofit organization in the Bay Area working to provide free or low-cost legal services to people living with HIV/AIDS, has shifted in focus since its inception in 1983. But two factors have remained consistent over the organization s 25-year history: responding to
The nip of fall is in the air and before too long influenza will follow in its path, bringing aches, pains, and lost days of work and play. But a quick flu shot can provide protection to people. Influenza is our number one vaccine preventable disease, Dr. Julie Gerberding told a September news conference that kicked of
The Breast Cancer Emergency Fund will hold its fourth annual This Old Bag benefit Friday, October 17 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the W Hotel, 181 Third Street in San Francisco. This year s theme is This Old Bag: The Power of the Purse, and is a celebration of handbags that are available during silent and live auctions. T
There was a time when Dr. Michelle Roland could be found protesting the medical establishment over its AIDS policies as a founding member of the original ACT UP/San Francisco in the 1980s. The activist group had a knack for attracting attention to its demonstrations and seeking out news coverage of its protests. Yet
Using a new method approved by federal health officials, epidemiologists with the San Francisco Department of Public Health have calculated that new HIV infections in the city are slightly less than previously thought. Total new infections are believed to be 935 per year, using 2006 data, lower than the 975 number arri
The Nobel Prize for medicine was awarded to French scientists Luc Montagnier and Francoise Barre-Sinoussi for the discovery of HIV. The committee snubbed American Robert Gallo and his claim to the discovery. The question of whether Montagnier or Gallo first discovered the virus was one of the most contentious issues in
HIV treatment education and advocacy organization Project Inform will hold its annual Evening of Hope fundraiser Wednesday, October 15 that will feature a fashion show of designer creations made from condoms. The event, dubbed A Night of Lifesaving Fashion, will be hosted by Jack Mackenroth, one of the fashion designer
Syphilis is on the rise again in San Francisco, a reversal of years of declining rates first noted three years ago. From January through August of this year, the city reported 341 early syphilis cases, a 54 percent increase over the same period in 2007. Including late latent cases of the STD brings the total up to 409
The San Francisco Department of Public Health and Internet Sexuality Information Services Inc. have launched a novel online HIV and sexually transmitted disease testing program in an effort to make services more accessible to a larger segment of the population. We want to use technology and new media to promote sexual
The state budget recently passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will likely mean changes for many people living with HIV/AIDS, especially those on Medi-Cal. The budget for the state Office of AIDS this year is $462,538,000, up from $427,993,000 in fiscal year 2007-08. But some pieces of
Twenty-five years ago, people didn t have access to the Internet, so bars like the SF Eagle - now the Eagle Tavern - were the epicenter of activity for gay leather folk in San Francisco. It was so different then, Michael Polansky, who s lived in the city since 1974, said. The bars were where everything happened. A
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has offered a more detailed breakdown of HIV infections in the United States , which offered few surprises. The analysis is based on the 40 percent increase in estimated infections, to 56,300 in 2006, that was released in early August in advance of the International AIDS C
Ron Hull washes around the leg of one of his fellow car washers during the first Tighty Whitey Car Wash that was held Sunday, September 14 in the parking lot behind Walgreens. A steady stream of cars got the washdown at the fundraiser for the AIDS Emergency Fund and the Positive Resource Center. Dylan, who declined to
An optimal HIV prevention program for the United States would require an additional $877 million in fiscal year 2009 and an additional $4.8 billion over five years, more than doubling what is currently being spent. Top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered the professional judgment budget
City officials say they are examining how to help the Immune Enhancement Project, a nonprofit agency that provides acupuncture, health education, therapeutic massage, and other services to people living with AIDS and other conditions. The organization issued a statement Friday, September 12, that said it could close by
Rainbow World Fund, an all-volunteer LGBT humanitarian aid group based in the Castro, is seeking donations and supplies for its upcoming trip to Mexico . The group s Bus of Hope, a hand-painted, rainbow-colored school bus, is set to depart San Francisco on October 4 as it heads to its final destination of Tijuana, Mexi
Walkers circled around Lake Merritt Saturday, September 6 for the fourth annual East Bay AIDS Walk. Close to 500 people took part in this year s event, raising a record amount of $89,514 for East Bay AIDS organizations. Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums addressed participants, who were treated to a post-walk barbeque.
It may be smaller than its San Francisco counterpart, but the community organized East Bay AIDS Walk takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 6 at Lake Merritt in Oakland (enter at Grand and Bellevue). Organizers note that 100 percent of donations pledged go directly back to East Bay AIDS organizations. The walk is a
A program at the University of the Pacific dental school that provided dental care to low-income people with HIV/AIDS and others ended June 30, and close to 1,000 patients will no longer been seen at the school. The Alfred A. Dugoni School of Dentistry will continue to provide services to some patients, and is working
A spate of online ads for poppers has led a longtime San Francisco activist and city health officials to address the availability of butyl and other alkyl nitrites sold in small bottles that some gay men sniff to produce a high during sex. This is a public health problem, said Hank Wilson, who founded the Committee to
PrEP, shorthand for pre-exposure prophylaxis, is the next great hope for HIV prevention. Given recent failures of vaccine and microbicide trials, participants at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City were eager to give PrEP a whirl. The concept involves giving HIV drugs to people to prevent them from be
San Francisco s health department is set to apply to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for renewal of federal HIV prevention funds that should allow the city to continue supporting ongoing prevention efforts. The CDC currently allocates about $8.8 million to the city. The HIV prevention section has a total
What s the best way to give gay people a good name in poorer regions? A queer school bus packed with medical supplies and money, of course. The rainbow-colored school bus, which will make a number of stops between Sacramento and San Diego before dropping its cargo in Tijuana, is but one of many clever money-raising ven
New HIV infections in the United States topped 56,000 a year in 2006, about 40 percent more than previous estimates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released those numbers at a hastily called telephone news conference Saturday, August 2 after an embargoed paper in a special issue of the Journal of the
More than 1,000 people from around the world marched to demand an end to stigma and homophobia Saturday, August 2, ahead of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. There are more than 22,000 delegates attending the biennial conference, taking place for the first time in Latin America. In addition to scie
Millions of dollars in cuts to San Francisco health services, including programs for people living with HIV/AIDS, have been avoided - at least for now. Mayor Gavin Newsom signed the city s 2008-09 budget Wednesday, July 30, after the Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 the previous day to pass the budget. Several HIV/AIDS
After a lengthy delay, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will announce Sunday, August 3 that data show approximately 56,300 annual HIV infections in the United States in 2006, a sharp increase from the agency s previously reported figure of 40,000 new infections per year. The CDC is also expected to rel
A trio of reports on the state of HIV/AIDS in the United States and around the world tumbled out in back to back telephone news conferences Tuesday, July 29. Together they painted a picture of significant accomplishment and remaining challenges. They offered a backdrop to President Bush signing the five-year, $50 billi
The number of people newly diagnosed with HIV in San Francisco declined again last year, continuing a trend first noticed in 2003. AIDS cases also showed a decline in 2007 while AIDS deaths appear to be holding steady. The positive diagnosis for the city s fight against HIV and AIDS can be found in the health departmen
The path of HIV vaccine research got even rockier on July 17 when the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced that it will not move forward with PAVE 100, the most ambitious trial yet envisioned. The vaccine regimen did not warrant a trial of this size and scope ... PAVE 100 will not proceed, N
The 22nd annual AIDS Walk San Francisco on July 20 saw 25,000 participants raise just over $4.5 million, slightly under last year s total. Above, Grant Burger, left, and Bruce Jervis, members of St. Francis Lutheran Church, said that they walked in remembrance of Vincent Frila and Brian Christianson. The money raised f
The Senate on Wednesday, July 16 voted to repeal the HIV travel ban on an 80-16 vote. The provision to repeal the travel ban was included in the reauthorization of the President s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Senators John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) led the effort to drop U.S. travel and imm
Cheer San Francisco held its annual awards night and Cheer for Life reception Friday, July 11 and distributed thousands of dollars to LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations, including $10,000 to Pets Are Wonderful Support and $5,000 to Foster a Dream. Additionally, donations of $2,000 were given to the Marin AIDS Project, Nor
AIDS Walk San Francisco, the 10k (6.2 mile) walk that benefits the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and more than 50 HIV/AIDS organizations serving the six Bay Area counties, takes place Sunday, July 20 in Golden Gate Park. Unlike SFAF s AIDS LifeCycle bike ride, the AIDS Walk requires no minimum amount of money raised, t
Since 1989 when a drunk driver rear-ended her, Gale Golden has been unable to work. Golden, 59, receives about $700 a month in Supplemental Social Security Income benefits, and she s afraid if she marries Jeanine Reisbig, her partner of nearly 30 years, the government will cancel her benefits and force both of them to
The archnemesis of the gay community in the Senate in the 1980s and 1990s died Friday, July 4. Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina), 86, served in that body from 1973 until his retirement in 2002. He did not have overarching and consistent principles; he had likes and dislikes. He was a bundle of prejudices, wrote political
The good news is that people infected with HIV are living longer, healthier lives; the bad news is that there are more of them, thanks to a rising rate of infection among men who have sex with men. The Cascade Collaboration looked at data from 23 cohorts of patients in Europe, Canada , and
One of the earliest leaders in the response to the AIDS epidemic in Oakland, Dr. Robert Scott, was honored for his work at the AIDS Project of the East Bay at an open house marking the agency s 25th anniversary last Thursday, June 26. Scott, 64, co-founded APEB in 1983 and still sits on the board. His private practice
Fellow AIDS activists and longtime friends gathered in San Francisco on June 19 to honor Martin Delaney, founder of Project Inform. Project Inform, a nonprofit created in 1985, connects people infected with HIV to information and resources to help manage the disease. The agency also was one of the first to advocate tha
A legislative game of chicken is being played in the U.S. Senate over reauthorization of the United States international AIDS effort known as PEPFAR, the President s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Timing is important because quick reauthorization would give President Bush added clout in trying to get other industriali
Fundraising has never been an easy task for LGBT nonprofits, and this year is no exception. But a confluence of circumstances is making it that much harder to appeal to supporters for financial help. Gay organizations dependent on charitable donations find themselves competing against rising food costs, skyrocketing ga
University of the Pacific in San Francisco, where many people with AIDS and limited incomes go for dental care, is looking at how it can retain patients. The school s Advanced General Dentistry Clinic will close June 30, according to Dr. Richard Fredekind, associate dean for clinical services at the university. The cl
AIDS advocates are outraged that the proposed Senate version of Medicare reform does not correct technical problems that have created a gap, or donut hole of coverage in the prescription drug benefit known as Medicare Part D, for people living with HIV. Congress has turned its back on people with AIDS by failing to add
The advent of same-sex marriage in California is bringing added visibility to a group often not seen much outside play date get-togethers and school assemblies: gay fathers. As the media shines a spotlight on those couples taking the plunge and exchanging marriage vows, many male couples will have their sons and daught
A San Francisco agency that helps LGBT people with substance abuse and mental health issues could be facing about $387,000 in cuts as the city s 2008-09 public health budget is prepared. Ann Harrison, executive director of New Leaf: Services for Our Community, indicated the cuts would mean denial of service to at least
Midway through a smart and funny new film examining the uproar, some would say hysteria, over America s seeming addiction to anabolic steroids, filmmaker Chris Bell gets a startling confession from one of his former heroes, bodybuilder and convicted steroid-user Gregg Valentino. Standing next to a poster of himself dis
A longtime former Kaiser Foundation Health Plan employee is suing the health care giant for harassment, failure to accommodate disability, and related charges. Jeffery Sterman, an HIV-positive gay man who worked for Kaiser for 16 years, alleges that Kaiser violated a long-standing agreement by failing to accommodate hi
The next HIV vaccine trial will focus exclusively on gay men in the United States . This represents a dramatic restructuring of what initially was planned as a far more ambitious trial. Community representatives expressed reservations about the changes. The news came during animated discussions at a regular meeting of
Egyptian human rights activists gathered at the LGBT Community Center Monday, June 2 to describe the horrific conditions faced by gays and lesbians in their country. Maher Sabry, an activist, filmmaker, and Egyptian refugee living in the Bay Area, spoke alongside Scott Long, the director of the LGBT rights program at H
Amid a throng of 2,500 cyclists and 501 roadies, the Fallen Rider, a riderless bicycle, is wheeled into Cow Palace during the opening ceremonies of the seventh AIDS/Lifecycle bike ride to Los Angeles. The ride ends this weekend in Southern California. For more on the event, see the Jock Talk column in Sports.
The band Troy and Crew was part of the stage entertainment at the AIDS Emergency Fund s new County Fair benefit Sunday, June 1 in Golden Gate Park. The fun event included a mechanical bull, pie-baking contest, and county fair-type games. The event raised funds for AEF, which provides emergency financial assistance for
The health department s planned $3 million in AIDS service cuts has been scrapped, Mayor Gavin Newsom said this week as he completes his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. As reported last week, the Department of Public Health had proposed cutting $3 million in services for people living with HIV/AIDS, mostly
The Commonwealth Club s LGBT member led forum has announced a full range of programs for Pride Month in June. Things kick off Tuesday, June 3, with Greg and Fernando, the openly gay morning team on Energy 92.7 FM. On Wednesday, June 4, attendees will get a sneak peak at this year s Frameline film festival with outgoing
People living with HIV and AIDS can expect to see more cuts in services including delivered meals, legal help, and emergency financial assistance as the city s HIV/AIDS agencies face about $3 million more in reductions than they had expected. In response to a May 7 request from Mayor Gavin Newsom that the Department of
The AIDS Emergency Fund is putting a new face on its annual fundraiser, and this year it s a little bit country. AEF s County Fair - set for Sunday, June 1 - will feature country western performers from the LGBT community, society columnist Donna Sachet in her best cowgirl outfit, and a mechanical bull - and that s jus
The National AIDS Memorial Grove was awash in colorful hats Saturday, May 17, during the annual Mad Hatter s Tea Party benefit. Along with the Alice in Wonderland-themed party, attendees enjoyed croquet, a fashion show, and lunch. Jacques Michaels, left, was the winner in the most outrageous hat category, while Matthew
The limitations of HIV prevention activities in the United States were on display at a congressional briefing Monday, May 12, where advocates called for a doubling of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s HIV prevention budget to $1.3 billion, and a refocusing of activity to better address the current epidem
There isn t much that David Mixner hasn t done in the course of his 61 years. Nor is there a chapter in American political history over the last five decades in which Mixner didn t play some role. He became an activist in the civil rights movement over the objections of his parents and protested the
With many people who have HIV and AIDS living longer, thanks to advances in medications, a group of researchers and doctors at the University of California, San Francisco is looking at how having HIV might affect cognitive health in people over 60. People who have HIV and are over 60 are being sought for the three-year
An agency with an uncertain future that is focused on helping gay Latinos has moved into the LGBT Community Center for a temporary stay. AGUILAS - Asociacion Gay Unida Impactando Latinos/Latinas A Superarse, or Association of United Gays Impacting Latinos/Latinas Toward Self-Empowerment - is waiting to move into a new
After more than a decade and $1.3 billion of funding, Congress finally got around to holding its first hearing on abstinence only until marriage sex education programs. There were few surprises and there are likely to be few real changes in federal funding of those activities. Chairman Henry Waxman (D-California) opene
After living in an RV for about nine months, alternating between San Francisco and Guerneville, Eric Swenson was introduced to AIDS Housing Alliance/SF, an agency that works to protect existing housing, provides resources to secure new housing, and promotes public policy for PWAs in the city. It s a great program, sai
Gay men longing to see San Francisco drop its ban on bathhouses should not count on the city s new HIV prevention director to champion their cause. In response to a question at a meeting with community members Wednesday, April 23, Dr. Grant Colfax said he is not inclined to support ending the decades-long policy of res
Dr. Grant Colfax, the health department s HIV prevention director, is upping his public role in the job, six months after he was named to the position. Last night (Wednesday, April 23) Colfax kicked off the first in a series of meetings he plans to hold in various neighborhoods around the city in order to hear directly
A San Francisco dental clinic whose clients include low-income people living with HIV and AIDS will close June 30, in a climate where patients prospects of finding other means of dental care appears tenuous. Dr. Richard Fredekind, associate dean for clinical services at the University of the Pacific, said the school s
The Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center and UCSF will team up for the second annual Love Your Liver health fair Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the center s office, 730 Polk Street in San Francisco. The event is free and open to the public. The health fair will feature hepatitis B education and scre
The San Francisco Health Commission voted unanimously Tuesday, April 15 to finalize approval of $46.1 million in cuts from the public health department s budget through fiscal year 2008-09. The cuts approved this week include about $2.2 million in reductions for HIV and AIDS services and at least $12 million in cuts fo
AIDS organizations in San Francisco and Oakland will take to local restaurants Thursday, April 24 for the annual Dining out for Life event. Ted Allen, formerly of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame and currently a judge on Bravo s Top Chef, is a spokesman for the fundraiser, appearing in a video message on the Dining
The $1.43 billion AIDS Drug Assistance Program was in relatively good shape in 2007. For the first time ever, none of the states had waiting lists of patients for their individually run programs, though that lasted just a month and Montana currently has six people on its list. The annual report on ADAP was prepared by
The House of Representatives passed reauthorization of America s global fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria by a vote of 308-116, on April 2. Opposition to the President s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, as the program is called, came entirely from Republicans and was largely on the grounds of cost in a time o
A long hoped for turnaround in the Castro s business scene may finally be on the horizon. Several national retailers and local merchants are moving forward with opening stores in the city s gay neighborhood while negotiations heat up for the long vacant Tower Records space on Market Street. The San Francisco AIDS Found
At least one of the 80 people who will carry the Olympic torch during its stop in San Francisco next week will be a gay, HIV-positive Navy veteran. John Caldera, 43, who serves on the city s Veterans Affairs Commission, revealed this week he has been tapped to carry the Olympic flame when it comes to town Wednesday, Ap
Names-based reporting of HIV diagnoses totaled 52,878 in the United States in 2006, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 24. At first glance that was significantly higher than the 35,537 diagnoses reported in 2005, but once one sorted through the technical explanations o
The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee Inc. has announced the top vote getters of public polling for the 38th annual Pride Parade grand marshals. The Pride board announced the first round of grand marshals Tuesday, April 1; more are expected to be named in coming weeks, officials said. Evan Low, the openly
Meeting at a summit in Maryland this week, leading researchers debated HIV vaccine research in the aftermath of recent setbacks. Despite hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars, the reality in 2008 is that an HIV vaccine clearly remains beyond our grasp, said Warner Greene at the March 25 forum. Greene, co-chair o
Action by the Senate last week would allow states to initiate Medicaid demonstration projects of the Early Treatment for HIV Act. The effort was led by Senators Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) and Hillary Clinton (D-New York) and was adopted on March 14 as part of the 2009 Budget Resolution. ETHA has been a top priority of AID
The Stop AIDS Project has hired a religious studies scholar and former nonprofit grant writer as its new executive director. Kyriell M. Noon, who had been serving as the project s interim program director since January, took over leading the agency Monday, March 10. Noon, 35, replaces Robert McMullin, who stepped down
A state ad campaign targeted at men who have sex with men is under way. The ads feature a diverse group of gay and bisexual men talking about how methamphetamine use has affected their lives. Posters and billboards started appearing earlier this month, and a cable TV ad premiered Monday, March 17. The ads, which direct
A memorial for longtime AIDS fundraiser Debra Kent will be held Sunday, March 30 at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco s Golden Gate Park. Ms. Kent died last December 21 at her home in Durham, North Carolina following a nearly two-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was 55. Friends helping organize the
Today (Thursday, March 20) is the second annual National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, meant to highlight AIDS awareness in the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. Locally, the Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center and Shaking the Feather Coalition have planned a couple of events to mark
A bipartisan effort to repeal U.S. travel restrictions on people who are HIV-positive is moving forward in the Senate. The amendment has been added to legislation reauthorizing PEPFAR, the President s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief. The effort is being led by Senators John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and Gordon Smith (R
The number of new cases of primary and secondary syphilis nationwide increased to 11,181 in 2007, a 12 percent increase over the previous year, according to preliminary data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the data at a March 12 news conference at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference in
The quest to develop a microbicide that protects against HIV infection is proving daunting. Such a compound would be part of a lube or other product used during sex, or perhaps before it, such as a douche. But a couple of candidates have fallen by the wayside and that was in trials of vaginal sex, not anal sex where tr
Reauthorization of PEPFAR - the President s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief - moved through the House Foreign Affairs Committee February 27. It allots $50 billion for the program over the next five years, significantly more than the $30 billion that President Bush requested and the $15 billion spent over the last fiv
In a move that could affect the lives of transgender people, people living with HIV and AIDS, drug addicts, mental health clients, and homeless people, the San Francisco Health Commission voted 4-3 Tuesday, March 4 to approve about $19 million in mid-year cuts and decreases to the fiscal year 2008-09 budget from the ci
For the first time in at least five years, San Francisco s LGBT Pride celebration will include a special gathering spot for people who are HIV-positive. The effort is being led by Kelly Rivera Hart, the secretary for the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee s board of directors. The HIV Pavilion is meant to g
The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee has announced its list of nominees for grand marshals to lead the 38th annual Pride parade. And unlike 2007 s initial list of nominees, which some criticized for including too many Caucasians and transgender people, this year s group of 10 individuals is a diverse bunc
A new bill designed to help maintain rent-controlled housing in California has been introduced by state Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco). Senate Bill 1299, introduced February 20, would allow local governments to require property owners who demolish rent-controlled units to replace them with units with the same
An agency that helps gay and bisexual Latinos on issues ranging from HIV to political asylum is saying if it doesn t get help from the city, it won t be able to survive. Eduardo Morales, who has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology, said AGUILAS, which started in 1994, is unique. The name stands for Asociaci—n Gay Unida Im
The U.S. Department of State has changed its policy prohibiting the hiring of persons who are HIV-positive. The decision ends a five-year legal challenge to that policy, which was headed for arguments in a federal courtroom later this month. The February 15 announcement came while President Bush was flying to Africa on
The AIDS Emergency Fund held its 13th annual Every Penny Counts day Thursday, February 14 and collected more than $27,000 in change from 32 participating Bay Area schools. The event, held at the Wells Fargo History Museum in downtown San Francisco, also saw longtime volunteer Joe Czuberki, right, presented with the Dav
Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager last week took steps opposing a discriminatory blood ban that prohibits gay men from donating. Under current federal Food and Drug Administration regulations, men who have sex with men are not permitted to donate blood if they have had sex with another man since 1977. The policy
Current HIV prevention activities for gay men are like using AZT monotherapy to treat HIV infection, University of Pittsburgh research Ronald Stall, Ph.D., told the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections meeting in Boston. Stall has instead called for a prevention cocktail in an effort to stem t
About 65 people came together Thursday, February 7 to talk about AIDS in the black community as part of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. But rather than focus on the stubborn infection rates and continuing stigma, they chose to focus on the positive. We have work to do, but let that not preclude us from celebrati
A recent Swiss AIDS Commission report demonstrated that some HIV-positive people who met several criteria did not transmit the virus to their partners, even when condoms weren t used. The finding sparked a joint statement critical of the report from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the San Francisco Department of
During an appearance in San Francisco Thursday, January 31, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said he supports doing more to fight AIDS even though he once said that those living with the disease should be isolated from others. The former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister, running in the GOP race as
In the wake of recent coverage of multi-drug-resistant staph infection in men who have sex with men, a new group is forming in San Francisco. The group - which hasn t been named yet - hopes to deal with the stigma around drug-resistant staph, as well as educate and encourage communication among community members, journ
AIDS advocates are furious with the budget that President Bush has submitted for the next fiscal year. Overall, the Department of Health and Human Services will be slashed by more than $2 billion. The Ryan White CARE Act will receive a token increase of $1 million, to $2.143 billion. The budget, released Monday, Februa
The most persistent critic of the program the National Institutes of Health has laid out for developing an HIV vaccine was given the spotlight on February 5 at the premier meeting on HIV science, the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, taking place this week in Boston. The fundamental question
People living with HIV and AIDS now have their own political club to call home in San Francisco. Local Democratic Party officials have signed off on the new HIV Democratic Club organizers contend is needed so that the voices of PWAs are heard. We believe it is time to put a face and a voice on the issues of HIV, said C
Several gay artists and a well-known HIV doctor are among those participating in San Francisco General Hospital s Heroes & Hearts fundraiser that takes place next month. The hospital s foundation, which sponsors the event, commissioned 18 art hearts from local artists. Each year, the hospital asks several artists t
Much attention has been offered in San Francisco to men who have sex with men and use methamphetamine. But there hasn t been as much attention given to the people who care about them. New workshops are being planned in the city to change that. Buzz Bense, the founder and former owner of Club Eros, is collaborating with
Research from the University of California, San Francisco documenting the spread of the USA300 strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA among gay males in San Francisco and Boston is not homophobic, but the same cannot be said of subsequent promotion and media coverage of that research. San Francis
The federal Food and Drug Administration approved a new non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor for use in treating persons with HIV who are resistant to other drugs in that class. Etravirine, sold under the name Intelence, was developed by Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson .
In 2006, the San Francisco health department launched an ad campaign encouraging gay men to disclose their HIV status. After some residents and officials expressed concern that the campaign could be seen as discriminatory, the Human Rights Commission s LGBT advisory committee held a panel discussion last week to debate
The USA300 strain of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) apparently emerged as a single clone of a particularly fit bacterium and rapidly spread from a single point across the nation. It is impossible to identify when that occurred. This conforms to patterns seen in the emergence
Are the researchers at UCSF so clueless? Did it ever occur to them to think before announcing that sexually active gay men are vulnerable to a new strain of drug resistant staph? And thanks to the San Francisco Chronicle, we awoke to banner headlines Tuesday claiming that the city is an epicenter for this lethal new ba
AIDS agencies across the state are reeling from the news that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is seeking $11 million in cuts to HIV/AIDS programs as he grapples with a $14 billion state deficit. The funding plan calls for a $7 million reduction to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program; a $3.6 million cut for local HIV preven
Gay men are significantly more likely to become infected with what some researchers call the superbug MRSA - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - than are heterosexuals, according to a new study. Much of the transmission appears to be through sexual contact, though historically, transmission often is through n
On the heels of a recent study showing gay men may be more likely to become infected with drug-resistant staph infections, the Stop AIDS Project announced that it will convene a community forum Wednesday, January 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. A location will be posted on the agency s Web site (http://www.stopaids.org) as soon as
Santa Clara County is replacing the head of its AIDS department with the head of emergency medical services, even though he reportedly has no experience in HIV/AIDS work. The move comes among shrinking funds and a disease that refuses to loosen its grip on the community. The county continues to face budget cuts, so the
San Francisco s black community continues to decline at alarming rates as an increasing amount of African Americans move out of town. According to 2006 census estimates, there were only 51,000 African Americans living in San Francisco, accounting for just 7 percent of the city s population. Yet African Americans accoun
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted an updated HIV prevention strategic plan on its Web site this month that will guide the agency s HIV prevention efforts for the next three years, Dr. Robert S. Janssen wrote to state and local officials. Janssen, who heads up HIV prevention at the CDC, noted that th
The San Francisco AIDS Foundation held its kick-off event for the AIDS LifeCycle 7 ride Sunday, January 13 at the San Francisco Design Center Galleria. Hundreds of Bay Area riders and supporters attended the celebration, which featured a performance by Tammy Nelson from Beach Blanket Babylon, above. Additionally, the P
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a very diverse family of bacteria that is found in nature, humans, and animals. It can cause everything from a common pimple to food poisoning to life-threatening pneumonia and blood infections. Studies have shown that up to a third of Americans can be colonized with staph - it is g
Money to fight AIDS in Santa Clara County has been harder to find, as the disease itself spreads. The state s budget deficit is expected to be at least $10 billion to $14 billion this year, and that s likely to make the situation worse. This is the climate in which Marta Donayre recently became executive director of AI
A new political club seeking chartership from local Democratic Party officials aims to give voice to the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS. The new HIV Democratic Club already has 20 members signed on and expects to be granted official status later this month. Organizers of the club argue the city s HIV populati
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