New Mexico shifts HIV prevention efforts

In keeping with new federal HIV prevention guidelines that call for an increased emphasis on urging HIV-positive people to not expose others to the virus, the New Mexico health department has begun shifting funds to intervention and counseling programs for those already infected, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. Programs targeting high-risk groups, like gay men, intravenous drug users, and sex workers, also continue to receive funding. But some AIDS activists worry that cutting spending on other HIV prevention efforts, such as those targeting young people, could ultimately lead to rising HIV infection rates in the state. Joe Haras, a teacher at St. Michael's High School in Santa Fe, is particularly worried about cutting funding for the state's HIV Speakers Bureau program from $60,000 to just $10,000. "They are probably the most effective deterrent against this dreaded disease that I've ever had," Haras told the New Mexican of the HIV-positive speakers who've visited his classrooms through the speakers bureau. "They put a face on this disease. To not fund it is opening up the chances of our youth becoming infected with HIV. It's a great disservice." Kris Meurer, the state's school health director, says it's possible funds from the education department could be used to help fund the speakers bureau to help offset the health department's funding cuts. "We don't want the program to go away because schools that have had the program really see the benefit," she told the New Mexican.