On Thursday, Dec. 1, the Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation declaring World AIDS Day countywide.
Sponsored by Commissioner Judy Shiprack, the proclamation is part of the annual worldwide AIDS Day campaign that this year has the theme, “30 Years of AIDS, TIME for ACTION.”
HIV/AIDS remains a significant public health problem globally and locally. And World AIDS Day is a reminder to everybody about the need to support early HIV detection, care and access to treatment, as well as to show compassion for people infected by HIV and AIDS.
Michael Kaplan, executive director of the Cascade AIDS Project in Portland, said at the board meeting that he has lived with HIV for 20 years and “for the first time, there’s a glimmer of hope.” and a potential end to the epidemic. He referred to a May study released by the National Institutes of Health that found early treatment for HIV-positive people reduced the likelihood of transmitting the virus to their sexual partners by 96 percent.
“It’s about finding those who don’t know their status and getting them to care, or those who do know their status but aren’t linked to care and helping them as well,” Kaplan said.
Although gains have been made in combating HIV/AIDS, global estimates show 33.2 million people are living with HIV, including about 2 million children. About 2.7 million people become newly infected with the virus each year, and about half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 years old. Local estimates show more than 4,600 Oregonians living with HIV/AIDS, and more than three out of every four live in the Portland metro area. About 300 people are newly diagnosed with HIV in Oregon each year; and 40 percent of them progress to AIDS within the first year because they delayed getting tested for the disease.
In Multnomah County, populations disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS include African-American and African immigrant communities and men who have sex with men.
Kim Toevs, program manager for Multnomah County Health Department’s HIV, STD, Hepatitis C Program, said part of the problem is how the stigma of having HIV/AIDS affects marginalized communities.
“That fear of finding out you have HIV is what holds a lot of people back from going ahead and accessing those services that we provide,” Toevs said.
Much has been accomplished since the first World AIDS Day in 1988, and Toevs encouraged people to continue do their part “individually as humans” to help those affected by HIV/AIDS.
For more information about the risks of HIV, visit the county’s website for more information about HIV/AIDS. Here is a list of local events marking World AIDS Day.