Today is Tuesday, December 5, 2023. I thought I’d write about something different today since I’ve been going ballistic on the awful likelihood of a second Trump presidency after the 2024 election is over, so I’ll give you all a break – just this one time. Going through the paper, particularly my online edition of the Daily News, I was drawn to an article on Miami Beach’s role in spurring new HIV infections. I thought this pretty peculiar, given that this other pandemic has not received too much attention lately after our disastrous brush with the latest pandemic to wash across our shores, the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s just another one other reason why not to reside in DeSatan’s state.

The article is called “Miami Beach a hot spot for clubs – and new HIV infections” and it’s written by Cindy Krischner Goodman and it reports on a once-dreaded disease first found within the ranks of gay men oh-so many years ago. I have to think it a coincidence then that I took out today a book from the Forest Hills branch library entitled The Other Pandemic: An AIDS Memoir by Lynn Curlee that speaks to the ravages wrought by the AIDS pandemic when the writer lived in New York during the time the disease was first breaking out among the gay population.

Today’s article reports on the burgeoning cases of new AIDS infections being discovered in a specific ZIP code in Miami Beach, that of 33139. The article notes that this area lures thousands of tourists a year to some of the most attractive hotels and nightclubs in the country and stretches along the famous Ocean Drive in South Beach, which also now boasts the highest AIDS infection rate in excess of four times the national average, according to newly released 2021 data from AIDSvu, an online mapping tool that visualizes the impact of the HIV epidemic on communities across the nation.

I was surprised to hear about the six metropolitan areas that have the highest rates of new infections in the United States, and they are Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Another surprising statistic: Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties rank in the top 5 percent of U.S. counties for their high infection rates. Other areas that I know, especially Wilton Manors, Overtown, and Doral have high rates of new diagnosis as well. (For those who are not aware, Wilton Manors is predominantly a gay neighborhood.)

An infectious disease specialist and HIV researcher with the University of Miami, Dr. Mario Stevenson, said, “The situation doesn’t seem to be improving.” He added, “The problem has become white noise. A lot of people come to the area to party hard, and thy are not aware of the HIV risk. It is so important to get the message out so people know the risk.”

Stevenson indicated that local ZIP codes with large Hispanic populations in particular struggle with controlling the spread. Hispanics account for a rising share of new infections in the state. “Some of the messaging distributed around HIV awareness doesn’t translate well,” he said. “It’s not culturally tailored to resonate with vulnerable communities of color.”

Though the picture looks grim, South Florida has actually made strides. Organizations like AIDS Health Foundation and efforts by the University of Miami and Florida’s Department of Health to prevent, test, treat, and improve the quality of life for those affected by HIV have been effective.

Mobile units now enter the communities to test and treat people in an effort to keep persons from infecting others without knowing. Florida, like other states, has placed an emphasis on PrEP, medication taken by those at risk to prevent contracting HIV. PrEP can significantly reduce the risk of HIV transmission, but a substantial disparity still exists in PrEP usage among minorities and women.

What hasn’t changed with HIV, unfortunately, is that it still has a stigma and too often those infected don’t want to get tested.

What is hopeful about treating this dreaded disease is the introduction of monoclonal antibody injections that can be potentially be given every four months as an alternative to a daily medication treatment, according to Dr. Zachary Henry at Fort Lauderdale’s AHF Healthcare Center. Another option being tested is a monoclonal antibody treatment that would act as a functional cure, keeping the levels of HIV suppressed indefinitely. Henry noted, “It basically would put HIV in remission.”

Dr. Marcus Conant, who was one of the first specialists in the country to treat AIDS patients in San Francisco, is now overseeing a gene therapy clinical trial that he feels has the potential to cure HIV. Conant is presently the chief medical officer at American Gene Technologies. He feels curing HIV with gene therapy could be at least five years away. However, he does offer hope, saying, “This is exciting stuff and we have seen some promise with early trials.”

Don’t you think it’s about time that medical researchers will be able to finally find a cure for a disease that decimated the gay population more than 40 years ago and that still resonates among the LGBTQ community to this very day? Too many people died needlessly during that time because the federal government under the watchful gaze of Ronald Reagan ignored treating the disease because it initially only affected gay men. When it eventually was transmitted to women and children, or straight people, did the government begin to take action and research how to combat it.

Another bummer in the news is an article in the same paper that takes note of new cases of COVID, flu, and RSV that are rising in California. Health officials there are urging residents to get vaccinated in hopes of reducing potential pressure on health systems across the state. This I won’t report on since I don’t want to alarm you. Just know that you should get your most up-to-date vaccinations as soon as you can.

Today I did get one of those vaccinations: the pneumonia shot at 3 p.m. at my local CVS pharmacy. So far, I am happy to say that I have no symptoms or side effects. But I would like to end earlier tonight.

Stay safe and be well.