Las Vegas NowLas Vegas Marks World AIDS Day

Las Vegas Marks World AIDS Day

Live in the Know, Be in the Now. Get Tested, Be Aware. Those are the themes as World AIDS Day marks its 20th year in Las Vegas.

Every 15 seconds another person between the ages of 15 to 24 becomes infected with HIV/AIDS. That number includes some living in Southern Nevada.

December 1st is a time to celebrate the many lives saved by HIV prevention and treatment programs. It also serves as a reminder that we all must do more as individuals, communities, and as world citizens to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS.

UNLV commemorates World AIDS Day 2008 with series of campus events

Dr. Michael Karagiozis is a local doctor. 60-percent of his patients are HIV positive, but he says this disease can be treated if detected early.

"The only way we can treat it is if we know about it. If we know about it, we can take care of it. The longer we stay silent about, or act like it's something scary, or wicked, or strange, we will not make progress in fighting this epidemic," he said.

Even though there is a smaller population than many western states, Nevada has the second highest number of HIV incidences west of the Mississippi River and the group that's most at risk is actually women because they often don't know they're infected.

That's where the UMC Wellness Center for HIV near Charleston and Shadow Lane comes in.

It is the sixth HIV wellness center, with the first built when the AIDS epidemic really made headlines back in 1986. But now they have double the space and added more doctors.

Health District officials say more than 6,000 southern Nevadans are living with HIV AIDS and more than 2,400 people have died from the disease in the last 16 years.

The directors at the wellness center hope this clinic and this day will inspire people to get tested.

"At least once a year on World AIDS Day, people start thinking, ‘Maybe I should go get tested,' because unfortunately Nevada continues to have an increasing number of HIV patients and fortunately patients are living longer, so that means our patient population will expanding from two different ends," said Dr. Jerry Cade with the UMC Wellness Center for HIV.

The wellness center already treats 2,000 people, some with insurance and some without.

While UMC is facing big budget cuts the new wellness center was funded mostly by federal grant money. The center offers primary care for HIV patients and their families as well as infusion therapies, research and psychological counseling.

The key to preventing HIV and AIDS is testing. The health district is offering free tests Monday as well as at the student health center on the UNLV campus. All you have to do is go in and get your cheek swabbed and wait 20 minutes and you're done.

There is also a fundraiser at Nove Italiano in the Palms. It starts at 4:30 p.m. and will have dinner and entertainment. You need to RSVP.