The number of AIDS diagnoses in Baton Rouge has increased and lifted the Capital City to the No. 1 slot for the most cases per capita nationwide through the year 2010.
According to the HIV Surveillance Report released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 33.7 of every 100,000 people in Baton Rouge have an AIDS diagnosis.
The New Orleans area has the fifth-most number of AIDS cases, the report found.
A.J. Johnson, CEO and founder of the Baton Rouge AIDS Society, said there are several factors behind the city’s climb in AIDS rate.
Johnson said the problem is twofold – the community has a lack of awareness and a fear of talking about the issue.
He recommends that everyone supports AIDS awareness, get tested for HIV/AIDS and use condoms.
“If you’ve been sexually active and haven’t been tested, you’re part of the problem,” he said.
But Johnson said late testing is a major issue in the community. Often, Baton Rouge residents aren’t tested until they’ve become symptomatic, which is what accounts for the number of AIDS cases, according to Johnson.
Timothy Young, executive director for HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two (HAART), also said his organization has encountered the issue of late testing.
He said many people who are already HIV-positive go to the clinic for testing, but when they do, their disease has already progressed from HIV to AIDS.
Seirra Fowler, health promotion coordinator for the Student Health Center, said another problem is testing too early.
Fowler said a test won’t show if someone is HIV-positive until three to six months after having unprotected sex.
She said one-fifth of people with HIV/AIDS aren’t aware they’re infected.
Fowler said she hopes Baton Rouge’s No. 1 ranking will serve as a wake-up call for the community. “I hope it scares people into getting tested,” she said.
HIV is becoming an epidemic across the South, and especially among the African-American community, Young said. Lower-income areas lacking access to adequate health care are also heavily affected, he said.
Young said he’s unsure why the black community is affected so strongly, but the CDC reports that 1 in 16 black men will be diagnosed with HIV at some point in their lives.
“The most important thing that can be done is for everyone to have an HIV test and know their status,” Young said.
Johnson said he believes other metropolitan areas have lower incidences of AIDS because of increased testing and community support.
“If you go to New York and go to the AIDS walk, you could have thousands of people outside,” he said. “But if you go to the AIDS walk in Baton Rouge, you’re gonna have enough that you can see at one time – you’re gonna have less than 50 people at that walk. So what does that say about the community?”
Both BRASS and HAART offer services to help those affected by HIV and AIDS.
BRASS offers testing 24 hours a day – sometimes free of charge, and other times with a fee for service, Johnson said. BRASS also works with the faith-based community to encourage communication and awareness among congregations.
HAART offers free HIV testing and provides assistance in accessing medication, as well as providing education and awareness and health fairs, Young said.
The Wellness Fair is today from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Royal-Cotillion Ballroom of the Student Union, and free HIV screenings will be offered.
The Student Health Center also offers testing for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Fowler said the health center plans to increase its involvement in promoting HIV/AIDS awareness.
 
—– Contact Emily Herrington at [email protected]