Despite ongoing efforts to educate people on HIV/AIDS and how it is spread, 134 Virgin Islanders were diagnosed with the disease from 2008 to 2012.
The territory is observing World AIDS Day with a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. Monday to increase awareness of the disease and attempt to bring down the number of new infections to zero by 2020.
The vigil will begin at 6 p.m. at the parking lot of the Post Office in Frederiksted and proceed through town to the waterfront.
World AIDS Day has been recognized globally since 1988, commemorating the lives lost to HIV/AIDS and the impact it has had. According to the World AIDS Day organization, an estimated 34 million people have HIV globally, and more than 35 million have died from the virus, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.
Monday morning Gov. John deJongh Jr. issued a proclamation declaring the observance of the day in the territory.
"It is important that we continue to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in order to help prevent further spread of this disease," deJongh said in his statement. "The goal of the Virgin Islands Department of Health and community-based agencies funded to increase public awareness about how AIDS is spread."
The governor’s proclamation included statistics that show HIV/AIDS is still a serious health issue for the territory.
– At the end of 2012, 576 people are living with HIV in the Virgin Islands. HIV has claimed the lives of 446 Virgin Islands residents since the epidemic began.
– Because there is no cure for HIV at this time, treatment is a lifelong process. Only 30 percent of the HIV positive population in the Virgin Islands were receiving care in 2012.
– Lowering the amount of HIV virus in the body with medicines prolongs the life of a person living with HIV infection and greatly reduces the chance of passing the virus on to others, deJongh continued. Only 19 percent of the Virgin Islands HIV population achieved viral suppression.
DeJongh said new medications, scientific advancements, and treatment and prevention efforts give reason for hope.
The number of people diagnosed with HIV and AIDS in the United States continues to increase every year; and among women, minorities – particularly African-Americans – having the vast majority of AIDS cases.
According to the World AIDS Day organization an estimated 34 million people have HIV globally. More than 35 million people have died from the virus.
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Unlike some other viruses, the human body cannot get rid of HIV. That means that once you have HIV, you have it for life, according to Health Commissioner Darlene Plaskett.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Tai Haunte noted that the new demographic of who is most at risk has changed over the years.
“Many of the newly infected persons are under the age of 18," Haunte said. "This tells us as a community that we need to spread the word to our youth in safeguarding their sexual health … The community must also continue to educate on the power of knowing your status and knowing behaviors that increase risk.”
