By LIZ FREEMAN,
epfreeman@naplesnews.com
November 30, 2003
People just aren't getting the message like they were a decade ago.
HIV/AIDS has not gone away, there is no cure and protection against infection is imperative, health advocates say.
World AIDS Day is Monday and events are planned in Collier County to build awareness of the disease, reduce the stigma associated with it and remember the lives lost. This year's theme is "Live & Let Live; Stigma and Discrimination."
World AIDS Day began in 1988.
"The theme is 'Let's end the discrimination and stigma because it is still around very abundantly,'" said Cle Tenerowicz, chairwoman of this year's event in Collier and a volunteer with the Joe Logsdon Foundation, the only charitable organization that provides help and education to people in the community impacted by HIV/AIDS.
"The stigma inhibits people with HIV from living full lives because people still have fears," she said.
As of August, there were 845 people in Collier known to have AIDS and 219 people known to be HIV-positive, according to the Collier County Health Department. That's an increase from last year in which 760 people were living with full-blown AIDS.
In Lee County, there are 1,540 known AIDS cases as of Sept. 30, and 546 known HIV cases, according to the Lee County Health Department.
Florida is third behind New York and California for its AIDS rate, health officials say. Nationwide, half of all new HIV infections occur among people younger than 25.
A recent survey of 2,056 adults in the United States found six out of 10 heterosexual adults, or 59 percent, report they have never been tested. That's in contrast to 35 percent of those who identified themselves as gay, lesbian and transgender, according to a Harris poll.
"The death rate is increasing again," said Sharon Murphy, executive director of the McGregor Clinic in Fort Myers, which does testing and treats people with the disease. "People just aren't getting the message (about getting tested). People have thought AIDS has gone away."
World AIDS Day events in Collier will start at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the River Park Community Center, where health department officials will offer free and anonymous testing and counseling until 6:30 p.m. Staff hopes 35 to 50 people come for testing, said Deb Millsap, spokeswoman for the health department.
From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., an observance will be held at the center for people who are infected and affected by the disease. At 6:30 p.m., the group will walk to the Naples Depot for a candlelight vigil.
For the first time since Collier started participating in World AIDS Day, the event will be inside at the Depot; in years past the vigil was at Cambier Park.
The keynote speaker is Dr. Jose Quera, a local physician, who treats people with HIV/AIDS, and County Commissioner Donna Fiala will read a proclamation. There will be three church choirs, the awarding of the compassionate caregiver award and a panel discussion.
The day's events are sponsored by the health department, the Joe Logsdon Foundation and Planned Parenthood of Collier.
In Lee, World AIDS Day will be recognized Wednesday at Florida Gulf Coast University at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. Speaking will be Cathy Robinson of Lakeland, an AIDS activist and educator who was infected nearly 20 years ago. About one in 500 college students in the United States is HIV-positive.
The Harris survey found that eight out of 10 heterosexual adults say the top reason for not being tested is they don't believe they themselves are at risk of contracting HIV.