Leadership is hard, especially during these challenging times. All we want to do is end an epidemic that has confronted our nation and the world for over 40 years. Unfortunately, outside forces can make it even more challenging. NMAC thanks the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their leadership, and I want to personally thank Dr. Jonathan H. Mermin, Dr. Robyn Neblett Fanfair, and Dr. Renata Ellington. When the history is written, their names will be included as leaders who stepped up and worked to create real solutions.
There is still much to be accomplished. According to UNAIDS, in 2021, 38.4 million people globally are living with HIV and 40.1 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses. According to the CDC around 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV. In 2019 there were 34,800 new cases. In 2020, 18,489 Americans who had HIV died. The work is not over, and CDC just took an important step to keep us on track to end HIV by 2030.
Yours in the Struggle,
