According to the Allegheny County Health Department, one in six HIV-positive individuals are unaware they have the virus.
On this World AIDS Day, the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force and the health department are looking to reduce that number through outreach.
“You can make a big impact by raising awareness [because] it’s a preventable infection,” says Areej Ali, AmeriCorps member and volunteer coordinator with the AIDS task force. “Conversations matter, getting people to know about it, to protect themselves. Those things really make a difference.
Ali said part of awareness is dispelling myths and eliminating stigmas.
“I’ve had people come to me in tears saying ,‘There’s a rumor about me that I have HIV, that I have AIDS, they don’t want to share cups with me, they go don’t go near him,’ and I still see a lot of misconceptions out there unfortunately,” Ali said.
The state Department of Health reports that 42 percent of those infected with HIV in Western Pennsylvania are 13 to 29 years old, and although African Americans represent just six percent of the population in Western Pennsylvania, they comprise 41 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS.
Ali says they got into the community to talk with teenage girls, college students and minorities “because the less stigma, the more people will get tested, and one day we’ll work towards an AIDS-free generation.”
She added that they even offer HIV testing in bars “because a lot of people don’t want to be seen entering an STD clinic.”
Ali says as part of World AIDS Day, the AIDS Task Force will be distributing 10,000 safe sex kits that include condoms and information about HIV/AIDS and how to get free anonymous tests.
