“Proportion of Those Newly Diagnosed With HIV 2007-2011 Who Were Engaged in HIV Care in 2012, by ZIP Code, Atlanta.” Credit: HIVContinuum.org
Georgia ranks second—after Louisiana—when it comes to the rate of new HIV diagnoses among states, and Atlanta ranks fifth among cities with at least 500,000 residents. Making matters worse is the fact that only 73 percent of folks living with HIV in Atlanta know their status.
Several programs and organizations are trying to tackle the “high infection rates in face of ignorance, poverty and lack of political will,” reports Al Jazeera America in a feature titled “Atlanta’s Alarming HIV/AIDS Epidemic Reminiscent of New York in the ’80s.”
Noting that the epidemic is disproportionately affecting black gay men, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus held a two-day symposium in the state capitol regarding HIV. AIDS remains the leading cause of death among black Georgians ages 35 to 44.
Melanie Thompson, MD, has put together a “Strategy to End AIDS in Fulton County” (Atlanta is in Fulton County) that includes expanded HIV testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and better linkage to care.
An innovative effort called Youth HIV Policy Advisors’ Program connects HIV-positive people ages 18 to 30 to Georgia legislators so that they can directly influence lawmakers.
And an Emory University project called HIV Continuum is creating a digital map of five cities, including Atlanta, showing where people are getting diagnosed and linked to care.
For more about HIV efforts in the South, read these recent POZ articles:
- “Southern Campaign and Survey Look at Black Families Affected by HIV”
- “AIDS United Gives $1 Million to 27 Groups in the Deep South”
- “Southern States Lag in Tackling the HIV Epidemic”
- “From Peer to Peer: HIV-Positive Advocates Break Down Barriers to Care in the South”
Comments
Comments