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The state’s coastal region is home
to more people with HIV/AIDS than any Georgia area outside Atlanta, according
to several state data sources.
Figures from the Coastal Health
District (CHD) show that in 2010, the region had 2,167 people living with
HIV/AIDS. That year, 88 new HIV cases and 55 new AIDS cases were diagnosed. In
Glynn County, the equivalent of approximately 400 of every 100,000 residents
were living with HIV in 2009, the AIDS Vu database from the Rollins School of
Public Health at Emory University shows.
“The alarming part, to me, is the
ages of the people coming in as new cases,” said Susan Alt, HIV director for
CHD. More than 38 percent of new cases in the region were among people ages
20-29, of whom many are men who have sex with men, said Alt.
Alt said people who are diagnosed
with the virus can access treatment through health department services like the
Glynn CARE Center. HIV/AIDS prevention, education and treatment are imperative
to stopping the epidemic, she said.
While CHD has not reached its
capacity for serving HIV/AIDS clients, recent state budget cuts eliminated 22
Georgia HIV prevention positions, and local health departments are being
stretched thin, Alt said.
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!
