What Topics Interested HIV.gov’s Blog Readers Most in 2023?

As 2023 comes to an end, we looked back at the 100 most-viewed blog posts published this year to get a sense of some of the themes that our readers found especially interesting. We published more than 238 posts in 2023, and the blog received nearly 400,000 page views. Below is a brief review of some of the topics that received the most page views in 2023.

National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. Initiative

HIV.gov’s readers were interested in both federal and community efforts to implement the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and HHS efforts to support NHAS implementation through the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative. Some of the most-viewed posts about them were:

• White House Publishes National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2023 Interim Action Report
• HHS Awards $147 Million to Support Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States
• New EHE Fact Sheet Highlights Initiative Accomplishments
• Eight EHE-Supported Health Centers Earn National Quality Leader Badges for HIV Prevention and Care

HIV Research Developments

Once again, HIV research was a top theme of great interest to readers this year. These were some of the most-viewed research-related posts, many of which were part of our coverage of HIV research conferences that included video conversations with federal HIV leaders:

• HIV Vaccine Research Update with Dr. Dieffenbach from CROI 2023
• CROI 2023: Dr. Dieffenbach Shares Research Highlights on Long-Acting HIV Prevention and Treatment, COVID, and a Cure Update
• Cheever Discusses Highlights from 2023 CROI
• IAS 2023: HIV Vaccines, bNAbs, and an Update from NIH’s Office of AIDS Research
• IAS Conference Highlights: Heart Disease Prevention for People with HIV, Long-acting HIV Prevention and Treatment

OIDP Activities

Several of the most-read blog posts in 2023 highlighted the work of the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP), which develops, coordinates, and supports a range of infectious disease policies and initiatives and supports the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). These posts included:

• HHS Announces Phase 1 Winners of Two National HIV and Aging Challenges
• HHS Selects Phase 2 Winners of National HIV and Aging Challenges
• PACHA Welcomes 13 New Members, Opens Applications for Others

HIV Awareness Days

Many readers accessed our posts about various HIV awareness days and other health observances to find information and resources so they could participate in raising awareness in their communities. Some of the most-viewed posts in this category were:

• World AIDS Day 35: Remember and Commit
• The Importance of National HIV Testing Day: Leaders’ Reflections
• Dear Colleague: National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) 2023
• Recap: White House's Harold Phillips Participates in HIV Is Not a Crime Awareness Day Activities

Other Health Issues, Especially Mpox and COVID-19

Readers continued to be interested in posts about other health issues of concern to people with or experiencing risk for HIV, including mpox and COVID-19. Some of the most-viewed posts on these topics included:

• Free COVID-19 Tests Available: Visit COVIDTests.gov
• Mpox Message for 2023: Integrating Mpox Messaging Into Our HIV Response
• CDC’s Dr. Mermin and Dr. Brooks Share Mpox and HIV Prevention Highlights from CROI 2023

Funding

Posts about funding opportunities and funding awards also garnered much reader interest, including these:

• Five HIV Research Funding Opportunities from CDC
• HUD Announces $50 Million Funding Opportunity to Provide Stable Housing to People with HIV and Their Families
• Funding for HIV Programs & Research in President Biden’s FY24 Budget
• SAMHSA Announces Nearly $35M in Grant Awards for Comprehensive Behavioral Health Care and HIV Prevention and Care for Historically Underserved Populations

HIV Care and Treatment

Many readers were eager to learn about developments in HIV care and treatment, with these posts among those on this topic read by many followers:

• Update to Clinical Guidelines for Infant Feeding Supports Shared Decision Making: Clarifying Breastfeeding Guidance for People with HIV
• FDA Approves New HIV Drug for Adults with Limited Treatment Options
• Long-acting antiretroviral therapy suppresses HIV among people with unstable housing, mental illnesses, substance use disorders
• Revised HIV Clinical Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections: Syphilis & Mpox Updates

Syndemic Approaches

As more agencies and organizations adopt better integrated approaches to the syndemic of HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs, substance use disorder, and mental health, many readers were interested in blog posts on this topic such as:

• STI Funding & Resources to Support Syndemic Approaches
• NIH-Funded Study Finds Doxycycline Reduces Sexually Transmitted Infections by Two-Thirds
• HHS Releases First-Ever STI Federal Implementation Plan
• Still Reaching: The Syndemics that Complicate and Characterize How Drugs and HIV Intersect in People’s Lives
• Hepatitis Awareness Month: Recognizing the Syndemic of Viral Hepatitis, HIV, STIs, and Substance Use Disorder

HIV Prevention

Efforts to prevent HIV transmission through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and other strategies continued to garner interest. Our coverage on this topic included:

• CMS Proposes Medicare Coverage for PrEP, Invites Public Comment by August 11
• Expanding PrEP Coverage in the United States to Achieve EHE Goals
• Task Force Issues Final Recommendation Statement on PrEP for HIV Prevention
• DoD Rolls Out Updated HIV PrEP Information
• U=U Messaging in the Community

Gratitude to Our Federal Partners

Our partners from agencies across the U.S. government engaged in the federal response to HIV provided or collaborated with us on several of the posts listed above, and many others not listed here. We're grateful for their continued collaboration as we work together to widely share information about the federal programs, policies, and resources that support stakeholders in communities across the nation in their vital work to end the HIV epidemic.

Thanks for following the HIV.gov blog this year. We look forward to continuing to share information with you in 2024. Happy New Year!