The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the city of Washington, D.C., recently announced a new partnership focused on research to combat HIV/AIDS in the D.C area. The new D.C. Partnership for HIV/AIDS Progress, a collaboration between the NIH and the D.C. Department of Health, aims to decrease the rate of new HIV infections, while improving the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS in the city.

The National Institute Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the NIH Office of AIDS Research has set aside $26.4 million for the first two years of the project.

Some of the main goals of the partnership will be to develop prevention methods to decrease the likelihood of high-risk groups acquiring the virus, improve HIV-related medical care, and to develop a method of analysis by which health issues can be identified for people receiving HIV care.

Currently, African-Americans comprise 76 percent of Washington, D.C.’s HIV and AIDS cases. To better understand this demographic group, two studies are being conducted to explore the social practices of African-American males and females.

Already underway, the first study examines the sexual and social networking habits of African-American men who have sex with men. After providing the study’s participants with education, counseling, contraceptives, sexually transmitted disease screenings, and tools to help them utilize the health care system, the researchers will measure the impact of these services on HIV incidence.

Another study is trying to estimate HIV incidence among African-American women from impoverished areas with high rates of HIV. By measuring the sexual behavior, alcohol and drug use, mental health, and prevalence of domestic violence in the lives of these women, the researchers hope to identify which factors encourage and discourage HIV testing.

To form effective public health strategies, the D.C. Partnership for HIV/AIDS Progress will also connect information from the city’s 13 largest health care providers. This information will allow public health officials and health care professionals to track HIV-related health issues and outcomes, leading to improved care for individual HIV patients in the future.

With so many illnesses often accompanying HIV infection, it is necessary to provide specific treatment for these conditions, which can include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hepatitis. To provide these services to uninsured patients, the D.C. Partnership for HIV/AIDS Progress will be establishing clinics in the areas most in need of specialized services.

The NIAID and the D.C. Department of Health will be conducting a real-world study of a concept known as “test-and-treat.” Advocates of this model contend that the HIV epidemic can be slowed down through annual HIV testing on a voluntary basis followed by immediate initiation of antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive individuals. The results of this study will be analyzed to determine if the test-and-treat method is valuable and cost effective.

The NIH and D.C. Department of Health anticipate that the combination of these efforts will lower the amount of new infections in a city with one of the highest HIV rates in the country.

For more information, please see the NIAID Web site.