HIV

Viruses do more than get people sick. They create, Steven Thrasher writes, a “viral underclass.”

More than 13,000 residents of Missouri are living with HIV. St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis are the only local governments in Missouri who’ve joined Fast-Track Cities.

The St. Louis Department of Health this week launched HealthStopSTL.com, a website that pulls together information about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in one place.

The nonprofit Doorways, which connects people living with HIV/AIDS with housing, is celebrating its expansion on a brand-new $40 million campus in the JeffVanderLou neighborhood.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first HIV/AIDS diagnosis in 1981, the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis will delve into St. Louis' history with the disease, and efforts to continue providing care to people with HIV/AIDS amid an ongoing pandemic.

Gov. Mike Parson signed a law on Wednesday that reduces the penalty for those convicted of transmitting HIV to another person. Advocates and public health professionals are hopeful the new laws will lead to more people seeking HIV testing and treatment.

The St. Peters Republican also discussed legislation that changes policy around HIV — and the special session over a critical tax that funds Medicaid.

Area sexual health centers aim to catch up after the pandemic hindered efforts to mitigate and treat sexually transmitted infections.

Ever since it opened in 1997, Cooper House has prided itself on offering a vibrant quality of life to people who are unable to live independently as a result of HIV/AIDS. The residential facility, located in St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood, typically serves 36 individuals. But in 2020, that community dwindled to 27 people.

As Chloe Owens looks toward the new year, she’s thinking about it from the perspective of an activist — and well aware of the challenges that come with…