Recent release: Kaiser Family Foundation/Washington Post poll shows positive news about public opinion and HIV

As the XIX International AIDS Conference convenes in Washington, D.C., Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) President and CEO Drew Altman highlights positive news about public opinion and HIV from KFF's new survey of the American people conducted with the Washington Post in his latest "Pulling It Together" column. He says that "the American people get most of the essentials about the HIV epidemic right (but not necessarily all of the details)" and highlights some of the survey's findings. Altman also explores factors possibly contributing to the public's understanding of the epidemic, including media coverage, personal contact with people living with HIV, and advocacy and education efforts. Though "there is a long way to go in the effort to end the epidemic here and abroad ... there is a foundation of basic public knowledge and support which will serve the HIV effort well in years ahead," he concludes (7/23).