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The latest figures show the Baton
Rouge metropolitan area as first and the New Orleans metropolitan area as fifth
in the rate of AIDS cases in the United States. The Louisiana Commission on
HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, which was formed to advise the governor on the
viruses, met October 24, for the first time in more than two years. The
commission failed to muster a quorum, but did review the grim statistics and
discuss the commission’s future, specifically its role.
The statistics showed that new
diagnoses of the HIV virus, which causes AIDS, are increasing in Louisiana.
Also, the number of people infected is spreading from the metropolitan areas to
other parts of the state. Other statistics presented: 18,502 people in
Louisiana have AIDS or HIV as of June 30. Of those, 54 percent have AIDS. The
number of people newly diagnosed with HIV in Louisiana increased by 12 percent
from 2010 to 2011. Seventy-one percent of the newly diagnosed HIV patients were
men. Seventy-four percent were black.
Some progress was made in between
meetings. Louisiana succeeded in whittling down its wait list for people
waiting to receive medications through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP),
due to the infusion of federal funding and the elimination of people who were
not eligible. Also, the Division of Human Development and Services for Baton
Rouge (DHDS) received a 6 percent increase in funding for the 2012 fiscal year,
with awards increasing to $4.3 million. Raman Singh, chairman of the
commission, urged the group to meet more regularly to stop the serious problem
of the large numbers of HIV/AIDs cases in Louisiana.
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!
