Explore HIV and Immunization Resources for National Immunization Awareness Month
August is National Immunization Awareness Month. This annual observance highlights the importance of getting recommended vaccines. Vaccines are especially important for people with chronic health conditions like HIV, which can make it harder to fight off preventable diseases. For information about recommended vaccines for people with HIV, view the HIV and Immunizations fact sheet.
The following vaccines are recommended for people with HIV:
Hepatitis B
Human papillomavirus (HPV)
Influenza (flu)
Meningococcal
Pneumococcal (pneumonia)
Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). A single vaccine called Tdap protects adolescents and adults against these three diseases.
Additional vaccines may be recommended for a person with HIV based on the person’s age, previous vaccinations, risk factors for a particular disease, or certain HIV-related factors. Learn more about immunizations for preventable diseases in adults with HIV.
People with HIV should talk with their health care providers to determine which vaccines they should receive and when they should receive them.
Monday, August 29th 2022 is National Faith HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NFHAAD). The event is spearheaded by RAHMA, Reaching All HIV+ Muslims in America, who held the first NFHAAD observance in 2017.
RAHMA notes that while faith plays a major role in the lives of many Americans, for many living with HIV, faith communities can turn from a place of refuge to a source of stigma and turmoil. RAHMA’s overall goal is to rally all US communities representative of the Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu and Baha’i faiths to take a stand against stigma in their congregations and raise awareness on HIV/AIDS.
This NFHAAD, let’s work to combat stigma, spread awareness, and create safe spaces within faith communities.
Check out the following NFHAAD resources:
“My Faith, My Story,” is a short documentary-style film amplifying the voices of a few Faith Leaders, Advocates, and People Living with HIV in the South.
Watch videos from the virtual NFHAAD 2020 celebration and other past observances.
Access the following PAETC on-demand courses for combatting stigma:
The HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) has released the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Annual Client-Level Data Report, 2020.
This publication reflects HRSA HAB’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the availability of program information. The report is the fourth publication of national ADAP client-level data submitted through the ADAP Data Report (ADR) system. ADR data describe the demographic characteristics of clients accessing ADAP services and the ADAP-funded services used. Data are included for 2016 through 2020, nationally and by state/territory.
The publication provides a deeper look at service utilization, demographic, and socioeconomic factors among clients served by ADAP. The report includes client-level data based on age, race/ethnicity, federal poverty level, and health care coverage.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced today that he will declare the ongoing spread of monkeypox virus in the United States a Public Health Emergency (PHE). This action will further strengthen and accelerate the Biden-Harris Administration’s responsein recognition of the continued rapid transmission of monkeypox in the U.S. and globally, and to signal the seriousness and urgency with which the Administration is responding. The announcement comes on the heels of President Biden appointing Robert Fenton of the Federal Emergency Management Agency as White House National Monkeypox Response Coordinator and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator.
“Ending the monkeypox outbreak is a critical priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. We are taking our response to the next level by declaring a public health emergency,” said Secretary Becerra. “With today’s declaration we can further strengthen and accelerate our response further.”
“President Biden has called on us to explore every option on the table to combat the monkeypox outbreak and protect communities at risk,” said White House National Monkeypox Response Coordinator Robert Fenton. “We are applying lessons learned from the battles we’ve fought – from COVID response to wildfires to measles, and will tackle this outbreak with the urgency this moment demands.”
The PHE declaration is in concert with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) work to explore new strategies that could help get vaccines to affected communities across the country, including using new dose-sparing approach that could increase the number of doses available, up to five-fold.
The public health emergency also carries important implications for data sharing with the federal government. Fifty-one jurisdictions have already signed data use agreements that will provide the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with information related to vaccine administration. Declaring the outbreak an emergency may provide the justification that the remaining jurisdictions need to sign their agreements. Additionally, it provides authorities to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to collect testing and hospitalization data.
As of today, HHS has shipped more than 602,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine to states and jurisdictions, an increase of 266,000 in the past week. HHS has allocated 1.1 million doses to states and jurisdictions in total and is making more doses available as jurisdictions use their current supply. HHS also announced today that it has accelerated the delivery of an additional 150,000 doses to arrive in the U.S. next month. The doses, which were slated to arrive in November will now arrive in the U.S. in September.
Today’s announcements are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive strategy to combat the monkeypox outbreak. The strategy includes significantly scaling the production and availability of vaccines, expanding testing capacity and making testing more convenient, reducing burdens in accessing treatments, and conducting robust outreach to stakeholders and members of the LGBTQI+ communities.
New Pacific Southwest ATTC and Mountain Plains ATTC Product!
Sample Policies for the Delivery of SUD-related Services via Audio-Only Telehealth
The Pacific Southwest and Mountain Plains Addiction Technology Transfer Centers created a new product to assist behavioral health providers and peer support specialists that provide services to People with Substance Use Disorders (PWSUDs) using the telephone (mobile, landline, or internet phones). This document provides sample policies and recommended practices that behavioral health providers and peer support specialists can use and/or adapt to help guide the delivery of Audio-Only Telehealth (AOTs). Many behavioral health treatment and peer support experts predict that patients/clients/peers will receive services in a hybrid delivery mode (in-person, videoconferencing, and telephone) in the near future. As such, behavioral health providers and peer support specialists will need to expand their skills and competencies while agencies and/or organizations will need policies and practices in place to guide service delivery utilizing AOTs. This product can be used as a starting point to assist in the implementation of AOTs or to enhance current AOTs. Additional products, infographics with tips, and training events regarding AOTs will be coming soon.
Behavioral and Clinical Characteristics of Persons with Diagnosed HIV Infection—Medical Monitoring Project, United States 2020 Cycle (June 2020–May 2021)
This new report finds that services like dental care, housing, and SNAP/WIC can help people with HIV access and stay in routine HIV care and be virally suppressed, but those needs are not always met.
Cross-posted from hivinfo.nih.gov
Monday, August 29th 2022 is 
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