The Partnership to End HIV, STDs, and Hepatitis is concerned by reports that 22 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpages have been deleted, many of which focus on LGBTQ+ health, HIV and STD prevention [meaning sexually transmitted diseases, which are also referred to as sexually transmitted infections, STIs], and access to care. These sites provide critical, evidence-based information that health departments, providers, and communities rely on to prevent HIV, STDs, and viral hepatitis.

Removing these resources undermines transparency, public trust, and efforts to eliminate health disparities, especially for communities most affected by these epidemics. Patients and providers depend on CDC’s guidance to inform prevention, treatment, and response. Without it, care and prevention efforts are weakened, gaps in health care access grow, and millions of people’s lives and well-being are unnecessarily placed at risk. Key concerns include a lack of transparency and trust, unnecessary impacts on vulnerable populations like the LGBTQ+ community, BIPOC and/or rural communities, people who use drugs, and those with limited access to healthcare, as well as a direct impact on public health preparedness efforts through accurate and timely dissemination of critical guidance.

Public health agencies must explain deletions with input from stakeholders within impacted communities, provide appropriate, evidence-based, and up-to-date substitutions for removed content, and establish transparent policies to prevent biased interference with public health resources.

Ending our HIV, STDs, and hepatitis epidemics requires open access to science-based information with input from those with lived experience. We urge action to restore these materials and safeguard the integrity of public health systems, and continue to support those impacted by the HIV/AIDS, STD, and hepatitis epidemics.

The Partnership to End HIV, STDs and Hepatitis includes AIDS United, NASTAD (National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors), the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), NMAC (formerly the National Minority AIDS Council) and The AIDS Institute. This joint statement was originally published October 7, 2025, by NMAC.