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Despite advances, N.C. infection rates are rising
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Published: November 28, 2009
In a world where medicines, prevention programs and awareness about HIV have drastically changed the AIDS epidemic in the United States, why bother to take note of events like World AIDS Day, which is Tuesday? Treatments for HIV/AIDS have improved remarkably over the last 28 years, and people who receive treatment can live relatively healthy lives for much longer. So we really don't have to worry about it anymore, do we?
The reality is that, yes, we do have to worry about it. HIV rates in Forsyth County and surrounding areas are rising. That's right, rising. Despite medical advances, despite programs aimed at prevention, HIV is infecting more people in North Carolina. And that is why it's more important than ever to acknowledge events like World AIDS Day.
Consider this: A few years ago, North Carolina ranked 10th nationwide in the rate of HIV infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control , we are now fourth. This is not a race we want to win. In fact, the reason I am in Winston-Salem as a Pfizer Global Health Fellow is to help organizations like AIDS Care Service reverse that trend. Think about it; companies like mine can allocate resources to areas with the greatest need. We have public health HIV projects in places where HIV continues to be a real danger. Places like Tanzania, Rwanda and -- North Carolina.
As a visitor, it has been a lesson in humility to view the incredible work that groups like AIDS Care Service, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Forsyth Medical Center and others do to help those living with HIV. The sad truth, though, is that the stigma of the disease continues to erode those efforts by inhibiting community involvement and discussion that lead to decreases in rates of new infection. HIV is preventable. But until we can talk about it -- which means dealing with the uncomfortable sexual, moral and lifestyle perceptions that go along with it -- we'll keep going backward. And in this day and age, that's a real shame.
Dealing with AIDS is a challenge for many reasons. Most new infections are among minorities, and many who are infected do not know it, making them a risk to others. Those who are infected tend to have the least access to quality care, and as such tend to be sicker, sooner. Education and prevention programs have proven to make a tremendous difference in stopping the spread, and yet there is still resistance to having those difficult conversations.
For many educational and religious institutions, which form the foundation in our community, topics such as sex and drug use are taboo. "It's immoral," I hear over and over. When, I ask myself, do we get to a point where we can deal with HIV for what it is -- a public-health issue? One of my coworkers at AIDS Care Service has a sign in her office that says "You cannot fix what you will not face." We need to face the reality that HIV is taking a toll on all of us.
Every new HIV infection sets us back as a community. It increases risk, it places a burden on our economic base and our health-care resources, and it affects a network of people, not just the patient. We can slow the spread if we can just keep the lines of communication open.
So in that spirit, on Tuesday we'll be gathering a group of community leaders at a World AIDS Day Discussion Forum. And we'll talk. We'll talk about discrimination, we'll talk about stigma, we'll talk about prevention, awareness, medicines and care. We'll work on solutions and hope that when we leave, we feel more empowered to make a difference. I hope you'll talk about it, too. Because the race to the top in HIV is a race I'd be really proud to lose.
Tracie Kochanny is an organizational analyst and Pfizer global-health fellow working with AIDS Care Service. The Journal welcomes original submissions for North Carolina Voices on local, regional and statewide topics. Essay length should not exceed 750 words. The writer should have some authority for writing about his or her subject. Our e-mail address is: Letters@wsjournal.com. You may also mail a typed essay to: Letters to the Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Please include your name and address and a daytime telephone number.
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