Learn your HIV status on June 27
LAKE WORTH — The numbers on HIV come off Mayor Pam Triolo’s lips like daggers at Tuesday’s Lake Worth Commission meeting. Check this out.
■ 36.7 million people live with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
■ 35 million people have died of AIDS-related illnesses.
■ An estimated 2.1 million new infections occur each year.
■ In the United States, more than 1 million people are infected with HIV, with new infections occurring every 11 minutes, resulting in an estimated 40,000 new infections annually.
Triolo cited those numbers for a good reason.
On June 27, the city will proclaim June 27 National HIV Testing Day.
Triolo wants all of those who live in Lake Worth to get tested to know their status and to participate in other activities designed to increase awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS.
“An individual’s behavior, not race, nor ethnicity, nor sexual orientation put him or her at risk for HIV infection,” Triolo said. “New treatments are bringing hope and enhancing the quality of life for those infected ... but it can only help individuals if they know their HIV status.”
This is the 23rd annual observance of National HIV Testing Day.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 7 people in the U.S. who have HIV don’t know they are HIV-positive. Young people are the most likely to be unaware of their HIV infection.
The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care. People with certain risk factors should get tested more often. Those who test HIV-positive can take medicines to stay healthy and greatly reduce their chance of transmitting the virus. People who test negative can continue to take steps to prevent HIV infection, such as always using a condom during sex.
In Florida, Triolo said more than 140,000 people are living with HIV, with 45 new infections occurring annually.
In Palm Beach County, 1 in 170 residents, Triolo said, is living with HIV and 1 in 8 is unaware they are infected.
The county’s HIV Community Prevention Partnership and the HIV Care Council will provide HIV testing on June 27.
Julie Seaver, interim executive director at Compass Community Center on North Dixie Highway, said Lake Worth is helping to bring the discussion to light.
“The city is empowering people to take charge of their own health care,” Seaver said. “Hopefully, someday, there will be an end to the HIV and AIDS epidemic, which continues to disproportionately impact members of the LGBTQ community, especially black and Latino people.”