The budget released last week by the House will result in cuts in services to people living with HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis and is a short-sighted approach to investment in public health. In the past five years, state funding for HIV and viral hepatitis has been cut by $5 million. This has been exacerbated by a 25 percent cut in HIV prevention and education funding from the federal government.

As HIV testing and counseling and prevention services have been cut—and in some instances eliminated—the state Department of Public Health now estimates that 10 percent of people living with a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS in Massachusetts are not getting their primary HIV health care needs met. Many of these programs also impact prevention efforts for viral hepatitis, which are funded through the HIV/AIDS line item.

There are an estimated 100,000 people in Massachusetts living with viral hepatitis, which causes inflammation of the liver and can lead to cirrhosis and increased risk of liver cancer. Between 2002 and 2009, the rate of infection among teens and young adults has doubled, largely driven by the shared use of injection drug equipment.

Since 1999, the state’s investment in HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention has paid off with a 54 percent reduction in new HIV diagnoses, which will save the state more than $2 billion in health care costs related to treating HIV. We urge lawmakers to fund HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis at $36.1 million to begin restoring some of the vital programs that have been lost to budget cuts in recent years. Massachusetts is a national leader in the care and prevention of HIV. It’s the only state that has seen reductions in rates of new diagnoses across every population. The health outcomes of people living with HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts are also much better than most. But these gains are threatened without continued investment in education, prevention, outreach, and direct services.