Strategic Spartanburg

After 22 years of combating this disease, we have a better understanding of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome AIDS) virus, but there is still no cure and no vaccine. The good news is that HIV infection can be prevented. People who test positive for HIV may or may not have AIDS, which is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Early testing and diagnosis is important to the community because: 1) awareness helps prevent further transmission from the infected individuals; and, 2) knowledge of infection is the first step in obtaining important health care to prevent or minimize the development of AIDS. In South Carolina, 77% of persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDS are African-American. Nationwide, HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death among African-American women between the ages of 25 and 34.