WORLD AIDS DAY 2022

(December 1, 2022, Salisbury, MD) December 1st of each year commemorates World AIDS Day. This awareness day emphasizes HIV prevention and treatment, combats HIV stigma, and honors lives lost to HIV/AIDS. Since the virus was identified in 1984, HIV/AIDS has claimed about 40 million lives globally. There are approximately 1.2 million people in the United States with HIV, but an estimated 13% (or 156,000 people) are unaware of their diagnosis.  At the end of 2021, there were 32,149 people living with HIV in the state of Maryland and 268 in Wicomico County.  New HIV diagnoses have decreased in Wicomico County since 2019.  In 2021, there were 9 people diagnosed with HIV in Wicomico County, mostly over the age of 30 years.  Over two-thirds of people living with diagnosed HIV in Wicomico County are male, and over half are 50 years of age and older.

Education, HIV testing, and medication to prevent getting HIV are vital tools in reducing the spread of HIV. The Wicomico County Health Department provides these tools to our local community through the HIV/AIDS Program and the Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Program both found on our website www.wicomicohealth.org

With advancements in HIV treatment and care, people living with HIV can lead longer, healthier lives. The HIV/AIDS Program at the Wicomico County Health Department provides case management and comprehensive HIV care to people living with HIV who are uninsured.

Combating HIV stigma is a community effort which everyone is invited to join. HIV stigma prevents people from accessing testing and treatment and isolates those with HIV. We can break the stigma by learning the facts about HIV https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/index.html . We can talk openly about HIV and normalize HIV testing as a routine component of healthcare.

Call the Wicomico County Health Department’s Community Health Services at 410-543-6943 to make an appointment for testing. For more information about World AIDS Day, HVI resources, or information, contact Prevention & Health Communications at 410-219-7486. For information on all programs visit our website at www.wicomichealth.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram (WicomicoHealth), or Twitter (@WicomicoHealth).