AID Atlanta, in collaboration with NAESM, is presenting a forum on PrEP for black gay men on July 13 at The Evolution Project. The event is another in a rising number of recent efforts to stem the tide of new HIV infections in Atlanta, particularly among young gay black men.
PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is the method of using an HIV medication (Truvada) to prevent HIV infection for HIV negative people. Atlanta HIV/AIDS activists have been singing the praises of the drug and have been trying to get the word out to the community.
“HIV incidence in young black gay men in Atlanta, Georgia in the US is running at 12.1% a year – one of the highest figures for HIV incidence ever recorded in a population in the resource-rich world – according to research presented at the 21st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). This level of incidence means that a young black gay man becoming sexually active at the age of 18 has a 60% chance of being HIV positive by the age of 30,” per a report via National AIDS Manual, or NAM.
“The (PrEP)aration for Life forum will provide opportunities to learn more about what PrEP is, how and where PrEP is provided, and express concerns and questions,” per a press release issued earlier today by AID Atlanta.
Dawn Smith, Biomedical Interventions Activity Lead at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will be among several participating presenters, which is sure to be a welcome sign for the event organizers, who were among a group of HIV/AIDS activists who held a press conference June 10 to criticize the CDC’s strategies and sense of urgency, specifically in regards to PrEP.
(PrEP)aration for Life
Sunday, July 13, 2014 at 3 pm.
Evolution Project
583 Juniper St.
Atlanta, GA 30308