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According to 2011 data from CDC, the
per capita rate of new AIDS cases in New Orleans and Baton Rouge ranks among
the highest for US cities. For the second year in a row, the Baton Rouge
metropolitan area has the highest per capita rate of new AIDS cases in the
United States, while New Orleans ranked fourth. The report stated that Baton
Rouge has a rate of 29, which means 29 people out of every 100,000 population
were diagnosed with AIDS in 2011. CDC uses the US Census Bureau’s Metropolitan
Statistical Area to define the Baton Rouge metro area, which consists of nine
parishes: West Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, Pointe
Coupee, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, St. Helena, and Livingston. Miami was
ranked second, with a rate of 28; Atlanta third, with a rate of 27; New Orleans
fourth, with a rate of 25; and Baltimore fifth, with a rate of 24.
Timothy Young, executive director of
the HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two, Inc. (HAART), declared, “In the South you
have issues with access to care and the insured versus the uninsured and
poverty.” Young stated that the medical community needs to provide universal HIV
testing with every medical procedure and surgery so that people get tested and
know their status. Young noted that approximately 80 percent of the Metro Baton
Rouge population afflicted with the disease is black, and urged men to stop
having unprotected sex with other men.
Shirley Lolis, executive director of
the Baton Rouge Black Alcoholism Council Metro Health, has been working for
more than 20 years in HIV/AIDS prevention in communities in and around Baton
Rouge. She stated that even though Baton Rouge continues to be in the top 5,
she is encouraged that more people are getting tested, but warns that the
problem is that some people wait too long to get tested.
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!
