Candles flickered on the steps of the Sampson County Courthouse for the 31st anniversary of World AIDS Day to spread hope.
Each year, on the first day of December, the Sampson County HIV/AIDS Task Force brings people together for the observance to spread awareness about the disease affecting millions.
A participant from Cumberland County, who wanted to remain anonymous and simply known as Keith, brought a lavender-colored candle in honor of his mother who passed away from complications related to AIDS. He shared a brief testimony, while showing support for people who passed away.
“Her spirit continues to live on with me, but that’s my sense of finding peace,” Keith said.
Keith also talked about hope for a cure.
“It’s something that could be handled now and it’s no longer called a death sentence,” he said. “We have to understand what’s going on, take control of it and just manage it. No more ignorance and ignoring the truth of what’s going on.”
He strongly believes it’s important for people to talk about the matter and not fearing it or stigmas associated with it. For Keith, some of it came from family members.
“My mother was very strong and was trying,” he said. “Due to the ignorance that my family shows by not talking about, you can’t just throw something like that away. I’m here to invoke change and to help others, so they can change.”
Thomas McLaughlin, chair of the task force, led the observance with the help of members Barbara Faison and Mary Brown. Together with participants, the task force read scriptures, read prayers and sang songs. The theme for 2019 World AIDS Day observance is “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Community by Community.” McLaughlin expressed how the effort will require everyone working together, while mentioning President Donald Trump and his administration’s efforts to end the HIV epidemic within 10 years.
“To achieve this goal and address the ongoing public health crisis of HIV, the proposed ‘Ending the HIV Epidemic, A Plan for America,’ will leverage the powerful data and tools now available to reduce new HIV infections in the United States by 75 percent in five years and by 90 percent by the year 2030,” McLaughlin said. “HIV has caused America too much for too much long and remain a significant public health issue.”
Although new diagnoses have declined, McLaughlin said progress stalled with an estimate of 40,000 Americans each year. Without prevention, the numbers would be a lot higher.
“Today, we have the right data, the right tools and the right leadership to end the HIV epidemic and that starts with us,” McLaughlin said about awareness and other medical efforts.
One of them is Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, an HIV prevention method for people who do not have the infection that helps lower the risk. McLaughlin also credited the work of leaders associated with agencies such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Health.
AIDS weakens the immune system and gradually destroys the body’s ability to fight infections. It’s caused by HIV, which is spread through sexual contact, contaminated needles or syringes from drug use; infected blood or blood products; and from infected mothers feeding babies through breast-feeding. According to the World Health Organization, 37.9 million were living with HIV at the end of 2018.
World AIDS Day began in 1988 with a purpose to bring understanding about people with HIV and to remember those who passed away. According to the United Nations, 32 million people have died of AIDS related complications.
