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N.Y.C. Council speaker calls on Mayor Eric Adams to resign; KY could do more to protect kids from accidental drug ingestion, shootings; OH food banks face fed funding uncertainty, DeWine budget cuts; Protesters say Trump administration actions 'cast aside democracy.'

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On a Middle East visit, Sen. Richard Blumenthal rejects a Gaza takeover. President's Day protests erupt around the country against White House moves, and another aviation accident draws attention to recent FAA cuts.

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Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

World AIDS Day sheds light on prevalence in Wisconsin

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Monday, December 2, 2024   

This weekend, people around the world united for World AIDS Day - to show support for those living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

In Wisconsin, about 7,400 people are HIV positive. The number of newly diagnosed cases hit a decade-long high in recent years.

About 94% were linked to care services within three months of diagnosis, according to the Wisconsin Department of Human Services.

Boston University's Anthony Petro - an associate professor of religion and women's, gender, and sexuality studies - cited progress in medical treatment of HIV/AIDS.

He said some diseases take on a set of political and moral meanings, that can affect societal - and even scientific views.

"When you think about public health itself," said Petro, "it is the application of medicine to a public, and that depends upon us knowing who the public is that we care about."

Petro said the early years of the AIDS epidemic brought questions about whether the American public included such groups as queer people, sex workers, and IV drug users.

He said in the absence of state support, local activists helped advance the awareness movement - and only when medical researchers decided it was a virus, did funding start to flow for treatment and prevention.

President-elect Donald Trump has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Petro pointed out that RFK Jr. has expressed suspicion that HIV causes AIDS, and has suggested instead that recreational drugs called poppers could be to blame.

The medical community says that's false.

Petro said a lot of work is still needed for HIV prevention and treatment.

"To hear someone today in 2024, thinking about those kind of conspiracy theory approaches to thinking about HIV and AIDS is certainly troubling, but it's not new," said Petro. "And I think we do have a very good infrastructure for HIV/AIDS care."

He said he wants to remind folks about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the use of anti-retroviral medication to prevent HIV.

Most private insurance and Medicaid programs are required to cover PrEP services without copays or deductibles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Planned Parenthood health centers in Wisconsin offer the medication.



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