BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.—According to , the South has the most people living with HIV and AIDS, the greatest poverty, the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the greatest number of people without health insurance, the least access to health care, the highest HIV/AIDS-related mortality rates, and the fastest growing epidemic in the nation.
These statistics are fueled by a number of underlying factors: the pervasive stigma surrounding HIV, discrimination, racial and ethnic disparities, aggressive homophobia, and poor social determinants.
The South has 37% of the country’s population but:
- 50% of new HIV diagnoses (the highest proportion of any region)
- 46% of new AIDS diagnoses
- 43% of all people with HIV
- A greater HIV and AIDS prevalence by nearly 50% compared to the next closest region.
In Berkeley County, there were 13 new reported AIDS cases in 2013, more than twice the amount than the prior year. The South Carolina Department of Health also reported that 187 were currently living in Berkeley County with the deadly disease while 161 people died from it in 2013.
Last year, 23 people were diagnosed with HIV in Berkeley County. SCHEC added that were 313 total cases of HIV in 2013 as well in the county.
As of December 31st, 2013—8,380 people were living with AIDS in South Carolina while 8,799 died from it.
Nationally, the Palmetto State ranks eighth in the country for the number of AIDS cases. In a 2011 national study, a total of 17,022 people were living with the deadly disease. Washington, DC ranked number one followed by Georgia in second place.
To read the study in its entirety, click here.
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