The AIDS infection rate in Atlanta has taken an alarming turn for the worst, according to the latest research reports.
Developing countries around the world have struggled to get the HIV/AIDS epidemics plaguing their communities under control for decades and now new statistics suggest Atlanta is facing an equally dire situation.
“Downtown Atlanta is as bad as Zimbabwe or Harare or Durban,” said Emory University Center for AIDS Research co-director Dr. Carlos del Rio.
While the widespread belief that the virus mainly effects gay men and drug users is still prevalent in the minds of many, del Rio says this couldn’t be further from the truth, adding that the largest group now affected by the disease is actually African-Americans with little or no access to healthcare. “Don’t have food on your table, have kids to take care of and somebody says you have HIV, that’s just another problem that you have,” del Rio told Fox 25 Boston.
According to the most recent CDC report, the risk of being infected with HIV in the state of Georgia is now 1 in 51.
These numbers are a startling reminder of how important it is to know your status by regularly getting tested. But most importantly, to protect yourself and your partner.
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