‘We want those numbers lower’: Georgia Department of Health shares results of most recent HIV reports
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — The Department of Health has come out with their newest reports on HIV statistics in Georgia.
According to the Georgia Department of Health, during the pandemic the rates of diagnosis decreased by 20 percent. In the years since, the Georgia Department of Health reports over sixty-three thousand people have been diagnosed with the disease. Over two thousand of those people were newly diagnosed.
Pamela Kirkland, the media relations coordinator for the West Central Health District says, “We want those numbers lower. So we want people to find out if they are negative or positive. And then that way we can help keep the spread down. Keep the numbers low where they should be.”
Kirkland further explained how the Georgia Health Department is working to prevent the spread of HIV.
“We have an HIV Prevention program that consists of a lot of education because we want to prevent HIV. We have a lot of written information,” Kirkland says. “We also do HIV testing because that’s the only way to really be safe and to really know is to get your status.”
Once results are back, treatments can begin for people who have contracted the diseases or those who may be in a relationship with someone who has.
Kirkland added that testing has been made convenient as you can get one sent to your house for free. The health department says it has an HIV prevention program consisting of lots of education.
If you would like to learn more about testing or other services the health department offers, click here. .
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