November 30, 2018 | From City of New Orleans
City of New Orleans Marks HIV Awareness Week
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Health Department through the Office of Health Policy and AIDS Funding joins with the City's Human Relations Commission to commemorate HIV Awareness Week from Thursday, Nov. 29, through Saturday, Dec. 8. The week is filled with activities to acknowledge those who live with the virus and those who have passed. The celebration provides an opportunity to address the stigma that HIV+ individuals face every day in housing, employment and healthcare. During this week, Mayor LaToya Cantrell also pledges her support to the Prevention Access Campaign "Undetectable = Untransmittable" (or U=U).
This U=U campaign empowers people living with HIV and educates the public about the fact that people living with HIV who appropriately take their prescribed medication, and are virally suppressed, effectively have no risk of transmitting HIV to others.
“The City of New Orleans is open to all people regardless of how we got here or who we love, and I support the ‘U=U’ campaign,” said Mayor Cantrell. “Promoting awareness that 'undetectable equals untransmittable' helps to save lives. We have to encourage everyone to know their HIV status, and continue to encourage those with HIV to adhere to a successful treatment regimen."
For more information about the U=U campaign, visit www.preventionaccess.org.
Watch: Mayor Cantrell's greeting here.