HIV 101

A process for equipping the nation’s HIV prevention and treatment workforce through training, technical assistance and other resources to reduce HIV transmissions and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV.

A strategy designed to reduce the harm of different behaviors on the people engaging in them.

A viral infection that causes liver inflammation, sometimes leading to serious liver damage.

Human immunodeficiency virus; acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system and, if left untreated, leads to AIDS.

The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.

Recognizing the social and political dimensions of language and language access, while working to dismantle language barriers, equalize power dynamics and build strong communities.

The health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group.

Deterring the acquisition of a disease or stopping the progression of a disease that has already begun.

The practice of addressing race-based inequities and dismantling the systemic white supremacy built into our institutions and organizations.

Fair treatment of all people in a society, including respect for the rights of minorities and equitable distribution of resources among members of a community.

Two or more epidemics that, when impacting a particular community, lead to worse health outcomes.

An umbrella term for programs providing sterile syringes for drug use and disposing of used syringes. Additional services often include drug treatment, health care and social services.

HIV can be transmitted through six bodily fluids: blood, ejaculate, pre-seminal fluids, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk. Prevention strategies focus on keeping these fluids from being shared between a person living with HIV and a person without the virus, through barrier methods, treatment as prevention (TasP / U=U), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and more.

Condoms (both internal and external) are extremely effective when used properly and consistently. They prevent the exchange of bodily fluids for both partners.

A medicine taken after a potential exposure to HIV. It must be started within 72 hours of a possible exposure.

A medicine taken by people vulnerable to HIV to prevent acquiring the virus from sex or injection drug use.

HIV can survive on previously used injection equipment like syringes. People who use drugs should use, and need access to, sterile injection equipment.

A person with an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV. When a person living with HIV takes their medicines as prescribed, they can reach a point where their viral load is undetectable by lab tests. Treatment is also a powerful form of prevention.

Also known as Obamacare, this 2010 law extended health insurance coverage to millions in the United States, protected those with preexisting conditions from being denied, and offered tax credits and cost-sharing reductions for lower-income families.

Implemented in 1983, this policy banned blood donations from men who had ever had sex with men. It was first amended in 2015 to a 12-month deferral period, then shortened in 2020 to three months.

Started by Congress in 1990 and expanded in 1992, it requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to make pricing agreements with the Department of Health and Human Services for their drugs to be covered by Medicaid and Medicare Part B, providing discounts and lowering prices for individuals and safety-net providers.

A Department of Housing and Urban Development program and the only federal program dedicated to the housing needs of people living with HIV, making grants to local communities, states and nonprofit organizations.

A federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income and resources. More than 40% of people living with HIV are covered by Medicaid.

The federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease.

A federal program run by the Health Resources and Services Administration that provides comprehensive HIV primary medical care, essential support services, and medications for low-income people living with HIV who are uninsured and underserved.