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Around 150 people gathered near the
state Capitol in Baton Rouge to mark International AIDS Candlelight Memorial
Day.
The city has some 5,000 residents
living with HIV/AIDS, of whom 76 percent are black, said Jack Carrel,
administrator for the Baton Rouge Ryan White Program. Ninety-one percent of new
diagnoses are black. “The disparity here in Baton Rouge is really something,”
he said.
Twanda Lewis, who was among those in
attendance, said HIV/AIDS stigma is a particular problem for Baton Rouge’s
African Americans. “We struggle in this community with stigma. It’s a big
issue,” she said.
Education and prevention are key to
reducing the stigma and impact of AIDS, according to Cassandra Whitty. She has
been living with HIV since 2000 and chairs the board of the HIV/AIDS Alliance
for Region Two Inc. (HAART). “I feel great, I feel happy. But there are a lot
of people who live in silence,” she said.
Another concern is that more young
people and women are becoming infected, said Tim Young, executive director of
HAART, which sponsored the event. “They think they’re invincible, like ‘this
can’t happen to me,’” he said. “But with such high rates in the city, if
they’re having unprotected sex, they’re greatly increasing their chance of
contracting the virus.”
HAART offers free HIV testing, as
well as free treatment and services for those who are positive. The Baton Rouge
AIDS Society also provides free testing.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
