International AIDS Conference Day 3: Dr. Koh speaks on HIV Travel Restrictions

by Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H, Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

James Chau, UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador, and Dr. Howard Koh, MD, MPH

Today, I participated in a dialogue about nations lifting HIV-related travel restrictions. I was joined by distinguished colleagues, including the UNAIDS Executive Director, Mr. Michel Sidibe, the Honorable Dr. Richard N. Kamwi, Namibia's Minister of Health, Kevin Moody, CEO of GNP+ , and James Chau, UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador. Both Namibia and China lifted such travel restrictions this year.

Last year, President Obama announced that the United States would lift its long-standing HIV-related travel restrictions, overturning a policy that had been in place since 1987.

White House Hosts Senior Officials to Discuss the Domestic Response to HIV/AIDS

By Miguel Gomez

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Ambassador Eric P. Goosby, MD, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator

I just came back from an event at the White House, where Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that the 2012 International AIDS Conference will be held in Washington DC. This decision by the International AIDS Society comes as a result of President Obama's announcement that the U.S. will end its entry restrictions on people living with HIV. The conference was last held in the U.S. in 1990 in San Francisco, California.

Watch the video of the event:

On the eve of World AIDS Day, Secretary Clinton reminded us that "HIVAIDS is the defining health challenge of our time." Ambassador Eric Goosby, MD, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, told us that we have to "work harder and smarter." And as Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius told the audience, "if our results aren't changing, our actions must."

U.S. to Remove HIV "Entry Ban"

By Christopher Bates

It has been an important few weeks for those of us in the HIV community—we just wrapped up the U.S. Conference on AIDS, President Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, and, as you may have heard, on Monday the U.S. took the next step in removing HIV from the list of diseases that prevent entry into this country. The repeal on the HIV “entry ban” will be effective in January of 2010. To learn more, read Secretary Sebelius’ press statement.

New Media Extends Reach of IAS 2009 Conference

By Regina Aragón and Scott Sanders, Consultants, IAS Communications

Two days before the opening of the 5th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2009) the number of fans on the conference Facebook fan page jumped by almost 20% within a 24-hour period. Momentum was building and we began to fully recognize the ability of new media to expand the conference's reach.

Over 5,800 people attended the biennial conference in Cape Town, South Africa from July 19-22, and with the introduction of new media tools, many more were able to follow the proceedings from afar. By the end of the conference we had 1,145 Facebook fans, 227 followers on Twitter (many with their own, much larger followings), and 2,400 visitors to the IAS 2009 Live blog .

HIV Travel Policy

The AIDS.gov blog focuses on using new media in response to HIV/AIDS—but we frequently get questions about HHS’ policies related to HIV/AIDS. To respond to this need, we are creating a new biweekly post that will provide a paragraph about Federal HIV/AIDS issues and policies.

This week’s post covers questions about the U.S. policy on prospective visitors who are living with HIV.