CDC Director Visits Montgomery to Address HIV Epidemic
Doctor Robert Redfield, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Alabama officials say, 1 out of 6 people in Alabama who do not know they are infected with HIV.
“If we could actually get everybody in the state on treatment and get them suppressed there would be no HIV transmission,” said Redfield.
That is just one reason why Alabama was among seven states on his list to visit, to talk about beating the HIV epidemic.
“We’re looking to the state of Alabama and all of you working together to begin to develop innovative, effective, approaches that can impact HIV and normalize HIV so that this negative stigma can be negated,” said Redfield.
Redfield’s visit is part of a nationwide government initiative to beat the epidemic in four ways.
– Improving and increasing diagnosis.
– Getting people into treatment rapidly.
– Protecting people who are at risk for HIV using prevention approaches.
– CDC assisting the health department to identify those increased HIV areas and keep it from spreading.
“When you’re virally suppressed not only does it mean you’re going to now have the chance to live a now natural lifetime. It also means that you’re no longer able to transmit this virus to somebody else.So treatment is actually a key prevention strategy,” said Redfield.
Redfield also spoke with local health officials.
“When you get a chance for the cdc director to come down that means that they are acknowledging that yes you do exist, yes the people you serve do exist, and yes you’re doing some things well and yes we are willing to help you,” said Jamil Dawson, Director of Support Services for Medical Advocacy and Outreach.
Redfield says in ten years, officials hope to decrease infections by 90 percent.
