St. Louis City and County sign “Fast-Track Cities” Declaration
As of Dec. 1, 2019, St. Louis is now one of more than 300 Fast-Track Cities committed to ending HIV/AIDS by the year 2030. The Institute for Public Health and Washington University are committed to helping St. Louis leaders reach initiative goals.
On Dec. 1, National World AIDS Day, the Larry J. Shapiro Director of the Institute for Public Health, Bill Powderly, MD, joined City of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and city health officials; representatives from County Executive Sam Page’s office; Dr. Jose M. Zuniga, President/CEO of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC, facilitating partner of the initiative); Washington University School of Medicine faculty; and local healthcare service organizations at a downtown news conference announcing the
Fast-Track Cities, St. Louis initiative.
| “Thirty-five years ago, every one of the AIDS patients I treated died; every one,” said Dr. Powderly, also the J. William Campbell Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. “Today, with antiretroviral medications and prophylactic pills like PrEP, there is no reason anyone should die of AIDS.” |
Mayor Krewson and Dr. Zuniga signed an official declaration, which calls on St. Louis to strengthen local HIV efforts and achieve a set of programmatic targets to significantly reduce new HIV infections and end AIDS-related deaths. These targets call for:
- 90 percent of people living with HIV (PLHIV) knowing their status;
- 90 percent of all PLHIV receiving sustained antiretroviral treatment; and,
- 90 percent of all PLHIV on antiretroviral treatment achieving durable viral suppression.
Elvin Geng, MD, MPH, professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and director of the Center for Dissemination and Implementation at the Institute for Public Health and Mati Hlatshwayo, MD, MPH, clinical instructor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, are among the faculty dedicated to this project.
Fast-Track Cities is a global partnership between cities and municipalities around the world and four core partners, including IAPAC. Launched in December 2014, the partnership today counts on more than 250 jurisdictions that have committed to accelerate their local AIDS response to attain HIV prevention (primary and secondary), treatment, and zero stigma targets.