HIVandHepatitis.com says Sunday marks the 4th observance of National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAAD), intended to call attention to the epidemic’s impact on an aging population.
Since the advent of effective combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the mid-1990s, many people with HIV are now living into their 50s, 60s, and longer. In 2009, people age 50 and older accounted for 17% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly half the HIV positive population in the U.S. will be over age 50 by 2015.
In addition to raising awareness about HIV in the aging population, NHAAAD also intends to emphasize the importance of HIV education, prevention, and testing for older individuals, many of whom remain at risk of infection, as reflected in the campaign theme “Aging is a part of life; HIV doesn’t have to be.” A third focus in grandparents who have become primary caretakers for children who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS.
NHAAAD Resources:
- NHAAAD website, tools, and webinar from the AIDS Institute:http://www.NHAAAD.org.
- CDC fact sheet – HIV/AIDS among Persons Aged 50 and Older:http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/over50/resources/factsheets/over50.htm.
- HRSA fact sheet on older people and the Ryan White program:http://hab.hrsa.gov/abouthab/populations/olderadultsfacts.pdf.
- NHAAAD social media guide:http://www.theaidsinstitute.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2011NHAAADSocialMediaToolFinal.pdf.
- Twitter: #AIDSandAGING.
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-HIVAIDS-and-Aging-Awareness-Day-NHAAAD/106557336057829?ref=search&sid=3iAIM7fOTQI64jGTE4YZaQ.640744021..1
9/16/11
Sources
National HIV/AIDS & Aging Awareness Day website. http://www.NHAAAD.org.
M Scavnicky. Reaching Older Adults: National HIV/AIDS & Aging Awareness Day. Blog.AIDS.gov. September 14, 2011.
D Parham Hopson. Observing National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day in an Aging Epidemic. Blog.AIDS.gov. August 4, 2011.
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