Lessons from the HIV Epidemic Can Help Fight COVID-19: An Interview with Michael Seltzer

For those of us working in HIV philanthropy, advocacy, and research, it’s impossible to ignore the parallels between the AIDS epidemic and the present coronavirus pandemic. Both disproportionately affect people of color and those living in poverty. Both received a lagging government response. And both have been accompanied by misinformation, fear, and stigmatization of those believed to be infected.

While the spread of HIV never required social distancing on a global scale, the virus – which has killed 32 million people over the last 40 years – has taught us valuable lessons that can be applied in our immediate circumstances to save lives today. FCAA’s current Executive Director John Barnes, recently spoke with our founding Executive Director Michael Seltzer, who led the organization during the height of the U.S. AIDS epidemic in the late 80s, to identify the biggest takeaways to help us fight COVID-19.

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Source: Funders Concerned About Aids