Although HIV/AIDS has drifted from the national and global spotlight in recent years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization statistics show it has not ended as a health threat, nor has the infection rate significantly decreased overall in recent years. CDC stats show that more than 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection. Nearly one-in-six are unaware that their health is threatened by the disease. 

World AIDS Day is held Dec. 1 each year. It is a day, which the World AIDS Day organization describes as “an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.” First held in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first global health day. 

Over the years, World AIDS Day has become a convenient time for reflection of how far the community has come with managing the disease and assessing progress in reducing and eliminating it as a threat to health and life.

“World AIDS Day was first observed in 1987 when the World Health Organization wanted to bring more attention to those suffering and dying of AIDS. It has been a one-day observance event that brings a singular focus to the fight to end HIV/AIDS,” Eric Evans, advocacy coordinator for the Philadelphia Center and vice chair of Louisiana AIDS Advocacy Network, said. “The global theme this year is: Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free Generation. The Philadelphia Center continues, as it has for over 25 years, to focus on and engage all of our communities, especially focusing on our younger generation who are at greatest risk of contracting HIV today. We feel it is important they know the history of AIDS to better comprehend where we are today. Continuing a comprehensive education is key.

“Organizations throughout the Ark-La-Tex will recognize World AIDS Day in various ways. Some will show a movie, cover up art and others will light candles in memoriam. The Philadelphia Center has planned activities that will be interactive and exciting. We are bringing 10 12-by-12-foot panels of The Names Project AIDS quilt. These create a visual impact of seeing names and humanizing artwork representing people and loved ones who were lost prematurely over the past 33 years of this pandemic. We want people to understand while people are no longer dying as in the past, AIDS is not a health issue they want in their lives. The message is that knowing your status is important – whether positive or negative, it is empowering your life to take care of yourself.”

Also the Philadelphia Center re-opened The Mercy Center in September. The center is the only residential facility in North Louisiana dedicated to serving formerly-homeless persons living with HIV/AIDS. The facility provides both long-term and short-term housing and support services.

“Today with HIV, in my mind, we are further along, in some aspects than I had ever expected we would be some 30 years ago, and in other aspects, we still have much work we need to focus on. Of course the rules have changed and continue to change. HIV counseling and testing is simpler and faster with results obtained in minutes on the spot. If a person tests positive, it is still a life-changing event but no longer a life-threatening one in a majority of cases. The linkage to medical care and other services, as needed, are streamlined these days. It is more common now to get a person linked to medical care quickly with available treatments which are more effective when started sooner. HIV medications can reduce viral load down to the lowest rates when started early, which greatly reduces possible transmission of the virus. Plus, we now have a new prevention tool that reinforces existing safety methods, like condoms, it’s called PrEP. PrEP means Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, and it’s the use of an anti-HIV medication Truvada that keeps HIV-negative people from becoming infected. It is also used by those who are already positive. It is the most exciting form of prevention that has been seen in years.

“We want people in our community to start a dialog and create conversations. We have various programs, geared towards educating young people on issues as self-esteem, prevention and better health decisions. All we ask of our community is to return the support, as we work with limited resources, the more the community can help with prevention efforts through donations or volunteering the more we can help others. People need to continue to educate themselves and others to what HIV is and how it impacts our
world.”