AIDS and the HIV virus continue to affect hundreds of thousands of Americans, especially blacks. The rate of new HIV infection in blacks is eight times that of whites based on population size, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But one group believes its awareness campaign can help stop its spread.
Dozens of people brought out their dancing shoes Sunday at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park to support the South Suburban HIV/AIDS Regional Coalition’s “Stepping Out Against HIV/AIDS” event.
Donald Hicks, of Hazel Crest, said he came to the event because he wanted to “do some stepping” and because he supports the coalition’s cause.
“We’re constantly battling the stigma of AIDS and HIV,” Hicks said, adding that he knows someone with HIV. “One of the only ways to bring awareness to AIDS is by having some type of event like this or a fundraiser.”
The Cook County Department of Public Health reported that the number of people living with HIV more than doubled between 2000 and 2008, increasing from 1,507 cases to 3,474 cases.
Although blacks represent only about 14 percent of the population in suburban Cook County, more than half of all new HIV diagnoses were among blacks, according to a county report.
Harvey is among the towns with the most diagnosed cases, according to the report.
“It’s especially important to have a (prevention) program here in the south suburbs,” said Sanford Gaylord, a regional resource consultant for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who was a featured speaker at Sunday’s event.
He has lived with HIV for 25 years.
“It’s a personal passion and it’s also my job,” Gaylord said about spreading awareness about AIDS.
He said outside of Chicago, the south suburban region has the most cases of HIV and AIDS, with the East St. Louis region coming in third in the state.
Gaylord said that when AIDS first appeared in the United States more than 30 years ago, efforts for prevention were focused on gay white men.
“Messaging took a while before it got to communities of color,” he said.
It’s not only gay men who are affected, as HIV also can be spread among intravenous drug users through the sharing of unclean needles. And two in three women diagnosed with HIV between 2006 and 2008 in the county were black, according to the report. A majority of them contracted the disease through heterosexual contact.
“The stigma is what I think is holding back a lot of folks,” Gaylord said.
He said the education and awareness promoted through groups such as SSHARC are essential to stopping the epidemic.
“We can have an AIDS-free generation in our lifetime through collaboration, as well as combating stigma,” Gaylord said.
Sunday’s event also was the group’s third annual celebration of World AIDS Day, which was Dec. 1.
Free condoms, HIV testing and informational brochures were offered to attendees.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection, and almost 1 in 7 are unaware of their infection.
