Prince George's County leaders are trying to get more people to know about how the numbers of HIV and other STDs are going up.
New data shows that about 7 to 8 percent of people the Health Department deals with have HIV. In Maryland, Prince George's County has the second highest rates of HIV and STIs, after Baltimore.
Tuesday, officials said the goal is to get the word out that it can be stopped and treated, and that it is not the death sentence it used to be.
"One of my friends died of AIDS while I was with him." "It was terrible; I was about 26 years old," said Jolene Ivey, Chair of the Prince George's County Council. "And to be that young and experience something like that, to lose a friend, right there with you, it was very painful and that's probably why I have kept an eye on this issue and been concerned about it."
Fox 5 also talked to the Daydream Sunshine Initiative in Bowie, a non-profit that tests for and treats HIV and STIs.
Michael Rice, who is the clinical head, says that they checked about 1,100 people in 2023 and found that 2% of them were positive.
Because of the tools and medicines we have now, Rice said that number should really be zero.
Because it's more difficult to deal with problems when you don't know your situation than when you do. And with all the new HIV treatments, like injectables and pills that you take once a day, it's a lot easier to deal with HIV now than it was 20 years ago, Rice said.
Also, Rice said that more and more African American straight women and adults between the ages of 18 and 34 are testing positive.
They've also found a problem area in Capitol Heights, which is where they're putting most of their efforts right now.
Officials stress that getting kids educated early is the best way to stop this from spreading.
You can get a free test at health centers in Cheverly and Laurel, as well as at nonprofits across Prince George's County, such as Daydream Sunshine.
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