HIV Prevention & Support

HIV – Hep C – STI Prevention & Awareness

You can begin Home Testing this month!

The HIV Positive Support Group will continue as a zoom group on the 3rd Thursdays of the month, but now from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. The next group meeting is this Wednesday, November 20th (because the Center is closed on Juneteenth). Contact cristina@solanopride.org for more information. This is the first meeting, so plan on attending to share what you’d like to see in future meetings! Facilitated by Cristina Zaldana. Future dates below.

Health Advisory: Recent Rise of Mpox Cases in California and the Bay Area

October 20, 2025: CDPH and local health departments have identified three unrelated cases of clade I mpox among Southern California residents without a history of recent international travel, indicating that person-to-person community spread is occurring in California. Clade I mpox transmission can occur through sexual or intimate contact (e.g., massage, cuddling) or shared living spaces or personal items. While most people are at low risk, some people and communities are at higher risk for exposure and can protect themselves by getting both doses of the mpox vaccine.

Health care providers should incorporate assessments for mpox risk and vaccination status at all sexual health visits, and test patients for mpox with compatible signs and symptoms, regardless of vaccination status or previous infection. Please see the Health Advisory for recommendations for medical providers and commercial laboratories.

October 28, 2025 update from the Bay Area Reporter:

Three unrelated cases of clade I mpox have been found in Southern California, state health officials announced. The news indicates there is person-to-person community spread, primarily impacting communities of gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men and their social networks, health officials stated.

Prior cases of clade I mpox were associated with international travel; the three reported Southern California cases did not report travel outside the U.S. All required hospitalization.

All three of the new clade I cases were among unvaccinated people, the state health department stated to the Bay Area Reporter. Asked if any were immunocompromised, the department declined to comment, citing patient privacy. It did state that risk to the general public remains low.

Most prior spread of mpox in the U.S. among men who have sex with men involved clade II mpox, a less dangerous strain. Clade I is endemic to central Africa. The two cause similar symptoms. There was a clade I case in California reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2024, but that involved international travel. There have been five total clade I cases ever reported in the Golden State, the state health agency stated. Of those, four required hospitalization.

— Your Friends at AIDS Walk San Francisco

Thanks to those who were able to walk or get sponsors this year! You make a huge difference!