HIV Awareness Day

Next month marks the ninth annual HIV and Aids awareness day aimed at the African-American community.

The nationwide initiative is designed to highlight issues such as the importance of getting tested and ways of providing support to those people with HIV or Aids.

Events are scheduled in regions including Chicago and South Carolina.

The South Carolina department of health and environmental control (DHEC) has given its support to the campaign and is promoting awareness of the illness.

Figures from the department show that African-Americans represent 30 per cent of the state's population, but 73 per cent of all new HIV/Aids diagnoses.

Further research shows that 80 per cent of 15 to 24-year-olds who have recently been diagnosed with HIV/Aids are from South Carolina's African-American community.

"DHEC will partner with community-based organisations to sponsor activities such as free HIV testing and HIV educational forums on the ninth annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day," said Lewis Hicks, a consultant from the department's STD/HIV Division.

The overall theme of this year's National Black HIV/Aids Awareness Day will be 'Black Life is Worth Saving'. The organisation suggests that almost half of all people with Aids/HIV in the US are African-Americans.

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