PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — More than 39,000 people across the United States have been diagnosed with HIV, according to the CDC. At our most recent Let's Hear It event, we learned about how seniors locally are being impacted by HIV and how Palm Beach County is working to combat the disease.
Lia Head-Rigby works with Palm Beach County's HIV Services, which is aiming to reduce new HIV infections by 90% by 2030 through the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative.
"Within Palm Beach County, 50% of all cases of HIV and AIDS are aged 50 years and older," Head-Rigby said. "It's very scary that one out of 175 people that you meet has HIV here."
Head-Rigby said that she is working hard to end the stigma around HIV by educating people that it's still possible to live their normal lives while still getting treated. She told WPTV Anchor Tania Rogers that some seniors think that because they can’t get pregnant, they downplay the importance of being safe during intimacy.
"We've got to figure out how to control (HIV)," Head-Rigby said. "So, going into the neighborhoods to try and halt it by getting people tested."
Rogers also spoke with Dr. Casey Messer, who works with the county community services in ending HIV.
“We have over 9,000 total persons with HIV living here in Palm Beach County, and we’ve seen an increase in older persons who are affected by HIV and AIDS," Meser said. "We have about 61 recent of persons living with HIV in Palm Beach County who are older than 50 years old."
Palm Beach County provides a free at-home testing kit. To learn more, click here.
