Living In The South Is “Risk Factor” For HIV Infection
It's a story that's been spread all over the internet- researchers say the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in Downtown Atlanta is compared to that of a third world African country. So how does Alabama rate?
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It’s a story that’s been spread all over the internet- researchers say the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in Downtown Atlanta is compared to that of a third world African country. So how does Alabama rate?
Health officials are sharing a shocking picture of the rates of HIV and AIDS in Alabama and the South. According to recent data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, if you live in the south you’re more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than anywhere else in the country.
The CDC also shares another grim fact, that people in some Southern states have death rates three times as high as people living with HIV in other states.
Dr. Prashanth Bhat, HIV Specialist said, “HIV is not a death sentence. We have excellent medications, some of them just a one pill once a day. Some of the pills are just about the size of tictacs. We can get the virus to a level so low that they can’t transmit the virus to anybody else. So treatment is prevention.”
HIV is a virus that attacks cells in your body’s immune system.
The CDC says there’s uneven progress across the country, with extreme gaps in prevention and care especially in the South.
For more information on free clinics in the area visit: http://www.maoi.org/
