Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1340266
WHAT'S THE CURRENT STATE OF HIV/ AIDS IN MACON-BIBB COUNTY? DALE WRIGLEY: When I moved here in 2016, it felt like the 1990s. There was an obvious lack of education with clients whose family members were afraid to live in the same house and share utensils. We can end this epidemic. If people are on medication and are virally suppressed, they can't transmit the virus. Currently, the FDA is conducting trials on an injectable for prevention that's administered every eight weeks with little or no side effects and which has been almost 100-percent effective in trials. They're also making progress on the treatment side. Already, a lot of people take only one pill a day. We've progressed tremendously since the 1990s. DR. HAROLD KATNER: HIV/AIDS continues to be a major issue. At one time, Georgia led the nation in number of new cases and we're still diagnosing one new case every three to four days in Middle Georgia. And unlike most places, we're still seeing late stage disease because people are afraid to get tested and treated. Because of the stigma, they don't want to go into care, and once diagnosed they drop out. We see cases in young people, in the homeless and in many patients who have bipolar disease as a result of sexual abuse. A lot of our patients have comorbidity. DEMARCUS BECKHAM: Thirty years ago, HIV was a death sentence. Today, you can live a full and happy life with the virus. In 2020 we saw an uptick with 126 new cases in the North Central Health District. Obviously, there's still work to do because Georgia continues to land in the top percentile nationally for the most diagnoses annually. Our numbers have declined, but it's still an issue. AS A SERVICE PROVIDER IN THE HIV/AIDS WORLD, WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES? DALE WRIGLEY: Health literacy, to help people understand HIV, how it FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 | maconmagazine.com 83