AIDS

Jake Powell, who works in New York City, is originally from Wyoming. Powell joined the PrEP4All movement after having to go off the drug for six months because it was too costly, even for someone with health insurance.

Old Fight, New Front: AIDS Activists Want Lower Drug Prices. Now!

3:37pm May 30, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

In the 1980s, ACT UP demanded action from the U.S. government and got results with drama. AIDS activists today have fresh tactics for their new goal: a more affordable HIV prevention pill.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar at a White House roundtable discussion of health care prices in January. Azar tells NPR his office is now in "active negotiations and discussion" with drugmakers on how to make HIV prevention medicines more available and "cost-effe

How HHS Secretary Reconciles Proposed Medicaid Cuts, Stopping The Spread Of HIV

9:35am April 09, 2019

As head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar is charged with making Trump's plan to end HIV in the U.S. by 2030 work. "We have an historic opportunity," he tells NPR.

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Dr. Michelle Salvaggio, medical director of the Infectious Diseases Institute at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, points to drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS. Medical advancements since the epidemic surfaced in the 1980s have

White House Plan To Stop HIV Faces A Tough Road In Oklahoma

11:51am February 19, 2019

by Jackie Fortier

Trump's plan includes a focus on fighting HIV in the rural Midwest and South. But there are doubts in Oklahoma, where the state's uninsured rate and stigmatization of HIV are high.

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A staffer at the Right to Care AIDS clinic in Johannesburg administers an HIV test on a young boy. South Africa is one of the countries that receives funds from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

What It Will Take For Trump To End AIDS 'Beyond' America

2:28pm February 11, 2019

by Tim McDonnell

The president's State of the Union address made a bold pledge. But his 2019 budget proposal calls for massive cuts to foreign assistance programs that address AIDS.

AIDS activist group ACT UP organized numerous protests on Wall Street in the 1980s. The group's tactics helped speed the process of finding an effective treatment for AIDS.

Health & Safety

How To Demand A Medical Breakthrough: Lessons From The AIDS Fight

8:39am February 09, 2019

by Nurith Aizenman

When the AIDS crisis started in the 1980s, the official response was tepid. Then activists channeled their anger into into one of the most effective protest movements in recent history.

More testing for HIV infection is one of the steps needed to halt the spread of the virus.

Health & Safety

Halting U.S. HIV Epidemic By 2030: Difficult But Doable

8:12pm February 06, 2019

The Trump administration has a plan to end the spread of HIV in the U.S. in 10 years. HIV/AIDS advocates say it's feasible but that the administration's actions on health run counter to the goal.

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Though his politics are right of center and he lobbied hard against the Affordable Care Act, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch also has been key to passing several landmark health laws with bipartisan support.

How Sen. Orrin Hatch Shaped America's Health Care In Controversial Ways

12:35pm December 31, 2018

by Erik Neumann

Republican Orrin Hatch is leaving the Senate after 42 years. He led bipartisan efforts to get health care for more kids and AIDS patients. He also thrived on donations from the drug industry.

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'Kinder Gentler Indifference': Activists Challenge George H.W. Bush's Record On AIDS

5:01pm December 04, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

The AIDS epidemic was a full-blown crisis during the presidency of George H.W. Bush. While his rhetoric was softer than that of his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, advocates say his actions fell short.

Larry Dearmon (left) and Stephen Mills pose on their wedding day at Lake Tahoe in 2013.

National

A Couple Reflects On A Loss From AIDS That Brought Them Together

5:18am November 30, 2018

Shortly after Larry Dearmon lost his partner to AIDS in 1991, he met Stephen Mills, the man he'd eventually marry. At StoryCorps, the couple talks about the impact Larry's prior relationship has had.

Girls at the St. John's Community Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, attend an event supported by PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Praise For The Global HIV Program That Trump Wants To Cut

7:16pm July 25, 2018

by Jason Beaubien

PEPFAR, the massive U.S. program that primarily battles HIV in Africa, turns 15 this year. And researchers say it has had an incredible impact.