The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) gathered around 60 community members, staff, friends, and volunteers in its Cambridge office to commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1, 2023. This year’s commemoration focused on remembering those who passed and committing to fighting the stigma faced by those living with the disease.

Highlighting the many obstacles that HIV-positive patients have faced throughout the decades since the start of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, Anderson Pinto, Supervising Community Health Worker at MAPS, mentioned the importance of celebrating the many advancements toward eradicating this disease.

“We celebrate this date because we are grateful for the many people that we know and love who have survived and are still hopeful for the cure,” said Pinto. “I remember at the beginning of the epidemic all the shame and stigma that those who contracted the virus had to face, but I’m pretty sure what hurt them the most was the loneliness and society’s ignorance.”

MAPS CEO Paulo Pinto, MPA, celebrated the incredible achievements in life-saving treatments but reminded guests of the importance of the work carried out by the MAPS team of community health workers.

“The 35-year battle to end AIDS is far from over, and this is why our HIV prevention work, including community outreach, education, and testing, is so critical in stopping the spread of infection and empowering people with knowledge about their HIV+ status so that they can live healthy lives,” he said.

Every year, MAPS’ HIV/STI program puts together a World AIDS Day event to share some of the latest advancements in the prevention of HIV, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and the treatment of AIDS, including antiretroviral therapy (ART), which can prevent contagion by significantly reducing the viral load until it’s undetectable.

This year’s event included live music with singer Brunna Silva and a conversation with Vitor Cardoso, a nurse practitioner at the Massachusetts General Hospital and MAPS volunteer, who reminded those in attendance of the impact of AIDS worldwide and the importance of continuing to educate communities about its prevention.

HIV remains a significant global public health issue, affecting almost 40 million people around the world. The risk of transmission can be reduced by using prevention in intimate relationships, being tested for STIs regularly, and avoiding sharing non-sterilized needles.

The MAPS HIV/STI program offers no-cost, confidential tests for HIV/ AIDS, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and HEP C. The health and social services organization’s community health workers offer a personalized risk reduction plan and connection to healthcare and provide information about PrEP and additional prevention options. Those living with HIV/AIDS can also receive assistance accessing healthcare and treatment.

Throughout the year, MAPS hosts free health clinics on a weekly basis out of its offices in Lowell, Dorchester, Framingham, and Brighton. More information about MAPS’ HIV/STI program can be found here.