SWFL HIV/AIDS advocates educate on World AIDS Day

In the United States alone, more than one million people are living with HIV, and one in seven people don’t know they have it. The Florida Department of Health is working to change that. the message “Know your status” was echoed on World AIDS Day in its 30th year.

Southwest Florida HIV/AIDS advocates spread awareness for the disease at Roberto Clemente Park on World AIDS Day Saturday in Fort Myers.

“I wish we had better medications back then,” said Bradley Hicks, a volunteer with AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “In the 1980s and 1990s, things were a little rough. Now things have progressed so nicely, I wish they’d be here to experience this.”

Amy Pinter with the AIDS foundation organized the event, and she said it was a great day to educate.

“There’s still so much misinformation out there about HIV,” Pinter said. “People are still scared of that. We can manage HIV like any other chronic disease, so we want people to understand what it is and what it is not.”

Free HIV testing was offered at the event.

“With HIV, you’re going to be symptomatic for many years,” Pinter said. “So that’s another reason it’s so important to get tested. You can’t wait until you get sick because it may be years before you get sick.”

Locally, Island Coast AIDS Network off McGregor boulevard in Fort Myers offers rapid tests that take about 15 minutes to provide results with 99.9-percent accuracy.

Hicks advocates for everyone to get checked every year. He said it only takes a minute, and it’s completely confidential. His passion on spreading awareness is in honor of all those he’s lost.

“I think they’re pretty happy,” Hicks said. “I’m thinking they’re looking down and saying thank you.”