EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Coronavirus is not the only global health crisis.
Tuesday is World AIDS Day, a day to raise awareness about the progress and problems surrounding HIV today.
According to the World Health Organization, the news is mixed. New HIV infections have declined by 23 percent since 2010 and AIDS-related deaths have dropped by 39 percent.
But there were still 38 million people living with HIV in 2019 and one in five of those were not aware of their infection.
It’s very important that people get tested, said El Paso Public Health Director Angela Mora said.
“Not to be afraid — it’s like any other medical condition,” she said. “It is a diagnosis that maybe we don’t want to hear, but the sooner we hear about it, the sooner we will begin treatment and protect our health as much as possible.”
The City of El Paso does offer free HIV testing at the HIV Prevention Program offices at 701 Montana in Central El Paso.
For more information, visit https://www.elpasotexas.gov/public-health/services/hiv-prevention.
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