The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.

 

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson hosted an event to mark World AIDS Day on Fordham Plaza on Thursday, Dec. 1 to spread awareness about AIDS, a life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that attacks the immune system of the patient. The event also served to offer helpful resources to the Bronx community.

 

Gibson was accompanied on the day by numerous organizations and non-profits, including Black Health, Amida Care, Latino Commission on AIDS, Essen Health Care, Osborne Association, Boom! Health, African Services Committee, Health Advocacy Care, and more. “Today’s event marks another day, another week, another moment for us to advocate for those with HIV/AIDS regardless of their race, gender, or socio-economic status, but the fundamental right to receive high-quality patient-centered care,” Gibson said.

 

Those who elected to get tested at the event were given free MetroCards. Free HIV testing was also available, with Gibson strongly encouraging attendees to get tested. Bronxites were also encouraged to participate in various giveaways, and to pick up additional educational resources.

 

In June 1981, the first cases of the illness now known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were reported in Los Angeles in five young, homosexual men. HIV/AIDS can affect anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender, or age. However, health officials say certain groups are at higher risk and merit special consideration because of particular risk factors, including having several sexual partners and having unprotected sex.

 

Stigma has always surrounded those diagnosed with the disease, in part because it was first detected among members of the LGBTQ+ community, and when less information was known about the illness. Battling this stigma has been an ongoing struggle for those working to raise awareness about prevention and treatment. Gibson pointed to this stigma being even more prevalent among marginalized groups like the African American, Latino, LGBTQIA+ and immigrant communities. “They face the greatest social stigma and suffer the most,” she said.

 

Such stigma also often prevents people from seeking treatment or from getting tested as they fear the perception of others on those who are HIV positive. Gibson explained that this was the reason it was so important that officials and advocacy groups were active and on-the-ground, going into communities and seeking people out, as opposed to having people seek out services.

 

“Many people fear coming forward,” she said. “They have anxiety, are traumatized; they don’t want to know their status because of what is associated with being HIV [positive].” She continued, “The stigma is especially severe for many of our brothers and sisters who experience intersectional stigma, for holding identities across systemically oppressed races, sexual orientations, and socio-economic statuses, and it often prevents these vulnerable communities from receiving preventative care and treatment services.”

 

According to a November 28th press release from the Bronx borough president’s office, AIDS is responsible for over 36 million deaths worldwide and reached a one-year peak of 1.9 million deaths in 2004 alone. That number has dropped to 680,000 as recently as 2020, according to the release.

 

Meanwhile, according to the website, https://aidsvu.org/, while case numbers have dropped significantly worldwide since the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, rates in The Bronx have actually increased in recent years, as reported by Norwood News earlier this year.

 

“As of December 2021, there are 31,035 people living in The Bronx with HIV,” said Gibson. “Every year, hundreds more are newly diagnosed [..], and many are our loved ones and our family members and friends. This epidemic is not over.” According to the CDC, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) can be highly effective in reducing a person’s chances of contracting HIV through sex or from injection drug use, when taken as prescribed.

 

However, according to the CDC, only about 25 percent of people for whom PrEP is recommended use it. “There are still a lot of misconceptions and stigmas associated with HIV and PrEP use,” said Sandrine Blake, assistant director of events at Amida Care. “HIV can infect anyone.”

 

Blake pointed to Black women being disproportionally affected by HIV, saying they’ve accounted for nearly 60 percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S. women’s count. Meanwhile, Tabytha Gonzalez, associate human rights specialist and transgender community liaison at the NYC Commission for Human Rights, said,  “Despite new treatment and modes of prevention, HIV continues to be a pandemic, especially among communities of color.”

 

Gibson relaunched the HIV roundtable earlier this year, as reported, and the group held its first meeting in September. They discussed ways to tackle the disease and established a boroughwide network of community partners who can provide services to help end the epidemic. “My office is committed to working with all of our residents across the borough and partners on our HIV roundtable to increase access to HIV prevention treatment, care, to reduce the stigma, and all the barriers associated with accessing care,” said Gibson.

 

The borough president also declared Dec. 1 through Dec. 7 as “World AIDS Awareness Week” in The Bronx, going forward, adding that HIV-related services and events will be promoted particularly during that week, but also throughout the year in efforts to continue the fight against the disease.

 

The first World AIDS Day took place in 1988, according to website. www.hiv.gov. It is also dedicated to raising awareness of the disease and mourning those who have died because of it. The day is marked globally on Dec. 1 each year. This year’s theme was “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV.” People were encouraged to unite globally to eliminate the disparities and inequities that create barriers to HIV testing, prevention, and access to HIV care.

 

As reported, at least one member of the LGBTQ+ community had previously taken issue with the manner in which health and elected officials had rolled out the public awareness campaign for MPV earlier this year, as he felt it was stigmatizing the LGBTQ+ community in a way similar to the way they had been previously stimatized during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. He said that it wasn’t made clear enough that MPV was transmitting among certain members of the LGBTQ+ community who had several sexual partners, and not among all members of the LGBTQ+ community.

 

We raised this point with NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and they provided the following response. “HIV surveillance data show that men who have sex with men (MSM), not the “LGBTQ+ community,” [….] are among the groups disproportionately affected by HIV. For more information on HIV in New York City, see the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Health Department)’s HIV Surveillance Annual Report, 2021 and HIV Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in New York City, 2021. For more information on HIV in the U.S., see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s 2020 HIV Surveillance Report.”

 

The statement continued, “Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other systems of oppression can increase stigma and prevent many marginalized communities – including gay and bisexual men and other MSM – from accessing HIV prevention and other health care services. As a city, we take a data-driven, sex-positive approach to prevention, including promotion of safer sex products and judgment-free services.”

 

City health officials added that it was important to note that the messaging on MPV was quite specific about risk, and referred to the following link along with this link. They added that the Health department had a proud history of working to address the factors that can place someone at risk of HIV.

 

They said risk exposure or behaviors that may increase the risk of acquiring HIV include, but are not limited to, having condomless sex; having receptive anal intercourse; having sex while not being on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis); sharing needles, syringes, or other equipment to inject drugs; and having sex with a partner who has HIV and is not virally suppressed.

 

For more information on the risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV, they encourage people to visit the CDC’s HIV Risk Reduction Tool. “Note that HIV is more prevalent among gay and bisexual men compared to heterosexual people, meaning they face greater exposure risk than heterosexual people during sexual encounters,” health officials said. “But also note that HIV risk is determined by an individual’s type of exposure or behavior, not their identity.”

 

Ahead of World AIDS Day, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that both City Hall and the David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building were to be lit red in recognition of the day. Meanwhile, as reported, a medical team at Montefiore Health System in The Bronx performed the world’s first HIV-positive to HIV-positive heart transplant earlier this year.

 

At a press conference on Nov. 22 at Norwood’s Montefiore Medical Center, Westchester resident, Miriam Nieves, the heart organ recipient, who received the heart from the late Brittany Newton of Louisiana, encouraged people to become organ donors, saying those living with HIV probably didn’t even know they could become donors. “I hope to inspire more people to become organ donors and see that they have the power to save lives,” she said.

 

Learn more about HIV prevention at https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/index.html.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.