As World AIDS Day is recognized around the globe today (Tuesday), the HIV epidemic that plagued parts of Indiana this year is highlighted here at home.
A panel discussion at Indiana University Bloomington today (Tuesday) focuses on the outbreak, which was linked to the sharing of contaminated syringes and involved over 180 cases.
William Yarber with the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention at the school explains they’ll talk about what caused the epidemic, and the challenges of trying to stem it.
Those agencies included the C-D-C, the State Board of Health, and the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention – along with others. Yarber adds that the outbreak exposed the vulnerabilities rural communities face in addressing a public health crisis and the need for state and federal support.
At one time HIV/AIDS was the top health concern in the U-S, says Yarber, and he contends it’s fallen off the radar because of newer, more effective drug treatments.
According to the C-D-C, the nationwide prevalence of H-I-V infection among adults ages 18 to 59 remained nearly steady between 2007 and 2012. There are over one million people living with HIV in America, and one out of five people with HIV are unaware they have the infection. .