Friday, February 7th was National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This day focused attention on HIV in the Black community, the population most affected by HIV in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Blacks had nearly half (44%) of all new HIV infections in the United States in 2010. Furthermore, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men were infected with HIV at greater rates than heterosexual men or women.
The theme for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day this year was “I Am My Brother’s/Sister’s Keeper: Fight HIV/AIDS,” encouraging everyone to work together to protect the community from HIV. Events were held across the nation to spread awareness of HIV and offer free testing.
Here at UCLA CBAM, we recognize the need for HIV prevention and treatment work in the community. Our staff attended local events and discussed our research efforts in this area, which include the following:
HPTN 073: PreExposure Prophylaxis Uptake and Adherence among Black Men who have sex with men (BMSM)
This is a collaborative project of the national HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), protocol #073 (HPTN 073). The trial tests Truvada®, an HIV treatment medication, for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is an HIV prevention method in which people who are HIV-negative can be prescribed a daily HIV treatment drug to reduce their risk of becoming infected. The FDA approved Truvada® for use as PrEP in 2012. The Los Angeles site is enrolling 75 BMSM over a one-year period. READ MORE
MSM and Substances Cohort at UCLA Linking Infections Noting Effects (MASCULINE)
The goal of this project is to assemble a cohort of minority men who have sex with men (MMSM) who actively use substances and engage transmission risks. This will facilitate studies on interactions between substance use and HIV progression and/or transmission. READ MORE
Potential Adoption of PREP Among Black/African American MSM in Los Angeles
The goal of this study was to assess the acceptability (i.e. adoption intentions) of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention among at risk black/African American MSM in Los Angeles County. The study also examined if social and behavioral factors such as HIV stigma, AIDS conspiracy theories, perceived risk of HIV, current HIV risk behaviors and access and use of health care services might facilitate or impede future adoption of PrEP among this population. READ MORE