World AIDS Day Observed Locally

(ABC 6 News) - For more than 20 years, December 1st is a day set aside to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS around the world. We first observed World AIDS Day in 1988. But is the message still getting through? ABC 6 News reporter Dan Conradt spent the day at one local AIDS day observance.

"I think it might just be old news for a lot of people ..." says Ehryn Barthelme of Planned Parenthood in Rochester.

It's a case of out of sight, out of mind.

"...but the facts are because we've been complacent, we're starting to see it increase again" says Barthelme.

And at RCTC the goal was to turn that around.

"You want to be as safe as possible and being educated is being healthy" says Sheridan Cook of the Rochester Teen Council.

World AIDS Day was first observed in 1988.

"It was at first really taboo to talk about, a very big stigma" says Cook.

And a generation later...

"I think we have better information, better services, ways to get out into the community and talk to people about how to prevent it from spreading" says Cook.

But the disease isn't going away.

"The rates in minnesota were doubling ... " says Barthelme.

"25-hundred Minnesotans didn't even know that they have HIV" says Cook.

"... and worldwide it's astronomical" says Barthelme.

Worldwide, an estimated 33.4 million people were living with HIV at the end of last year. And more than 2.5 million of those were new cases.

"HIV can happen anywhere" says RCTC student Whitney Barthelme.

And by the millions, people are dying.

"I could stand up and talk about things to anybody, they're not going to listen to me as much as they would listen to their peers" says Barthelme.

And that's why the Teen Council was doing the talking.

"The younger generation might not take it as seriously unless you get the word out to them" says Whitney Barthelme.

"I don't think we think of it as often as we used to" says Ehryn Barthelme.

"The goal is to get the word out, to encourage people to get HIV testing even if you don't think you could have it" says Whitney Barthelme.

And testing was part of the World AIDS Day observance.

"They have the entire waiting room is completely full, we have kind of a line starting" says Cook.

In the hope that the numbers will be lower when World AIDS Day is observed for the 22nd time.

"We think that the more knowledge a person has the better equipped they are to keep themselves healthy" says Ehryn Barthelme.

Dan Conradt, ABC 6 News.