Dec. 1 marks the 17th annual World AIDS Day
Dec. 1 will mark the 17th annual World AIDS Day, and many events will be taking place all over the Treasure Valley.
"It’s an important time to remember the lives lost to this terrible disease," said Tom Shanahan with the Department of Health and Welfare. "But remembrance doesn’t do justice to the more than 500 Idahoans who passed away and the estimated 1,300 currently living with HIV or AIDS; we must be the vanguard of eliminating AIDS as well. To do so, we need to look seriously at the factors that perpetuate this disease."
Boise's A.L.P.H.A., or Allies Linked for the Prevention of HIV and AIDS, will be holding multiple events Saturday. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., they will be offering free testing at their Boise center, as well as in their mobile unit which will be traveling across the Treasure Valley.
The group will also be holding a candlelight vigil at Capitol Park from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., followed by refreshments. A.L.P.H.A. is located at 1009 W. Bannock in Boise.
According to Shanahan with Health and Welfare, knowing this makes the rising number of STD cases in Idaho all the more alarming:
• Chlamydia cases increased nearly 25 percent over the last five years.
• Cases of gonorrhea reported in 2011 were 9 percent higher than the 10 year average.
• Since June 2011, over 50 new syphilis cases have been reported.
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