DPH employees Maria Gonzales-Gelabert and Michael Coker share information at the 2012 Atlanta Gay Pride Festival in Piedmont Park.

 

On Dec. 1, people around the globe will observe World AIDS Day and Georgians are no exception. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) will join partners around the state to highlight the importance of HIV testing, HIV prevention and treatment for people who test positive.

 

"HIV/AIDS has had a devastating impact on our society for 30 years," said Brandi Williams, HIV prevention program manager. "It is time for us to recommit ourselves. It is time to come together to seek solutions to address the impact this disease is having on our society."

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV. Georgia ranks sixth in the nation for the number of AIDS cases reported through the end of 2009. In 2010, officials counted 40,328 Georgians living with HIV/AIDS.

 

South Health District 8-1, in collaboration with Valdosta State University, will host a showing of "deepsouth," a documentary "about the new American South, and the people who inhabit its most quiet corners. Beneath layers of history, poverty and now soaring HIV infections, four Americans redefine traditional Southern values to create their own solutions to survive," according to the documentary's website. The documentary will be shown Nov. 30 at 4:30 p.m. in the Valdosta State University Student Union Theater.

 

In the 10 counties South Health District 8-1 serves, reports show 950 people living with HIV/AIDS. Many more do not know they are infected and risk becoming sick due to lack of treatment.

 

"Every year South Health District strives to bring relevant and topical events to Valdosta to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS and the stigma surrounding HIV in the world and our local communities," said district Public Information Officer Courtney Sheeley. "This year we feel the newly released documentary 'deepsouth' tells the stories that so many of our HIV positive clients will relate to."  

 

Filmmaker Lisa Biagotti also will attend and talk briefly about making the movie and the people she encountered.

 

Newly diagnosed cases of AIDS in the state have been declining steadily in the past 20 years, from 2,154 people diagnosed in 1994 to 743 new cases in 2010. But the HIV/AIDS Unit hopes DPH efforts will continue to bring those numbers down to zero.

 

"Getting to Zero" is the theme of DPH's World AIDS Day events this year: zero new infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero discrimination. Representatives from DPH's HIV/AIDS unit will join health departments in Fulton and DeKalb counties to offer free HIV testing at events throughout the week, including Dec. 1 at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta.

 

DPH also works year-round to spread awareness of HIV/AIDS, especially to the populations most at risk of the disease. Taking Control, a statewide initiative, aims to highlight the urgency of HIV awareness and prevention among gay and bisexual men. Georgia's Greater than AIDS program is part of a national movement that spreads awareness and confronts the stigma of the disease among populations that are disproportionately impacted. In addition to fighting the spread of the virus, DPH maintains the Test-Link Care (TLC) network to link people with HIV with the treatment they need.

 

Williams said the most important message Georgians should hear on World AIDS Day is to keep fighting.

 

"Now is the time to educate yourself, get tested, and empower those around you to mobilize to stop the spread of HIV," Williams said. "Together we can end this epidemic."
 

-Story by Carrie Gann, DPH Communications & Courtney Sheeley, Public Information Officer/Risk Communicator, South Health District 8-1