World AIDS Day

— Rollie Atkinson
It was 28 years ago in 1981 when the first two deaths of gay men
from the Russian River community were linked to a new disease
called Acquired Immune Deficiency. From there the disease spread
rapidly through Sonoma County and just 10 years later the AIDS
death toll had reached 536, taking as many as 62 lives in a given
year.
Back then, being diagnosed with AIDS or HIV was the same as a
death sentence. There were no drugs and very little knowledge about
the virus that became a global epidemic and spread to all segments
of the population.
Today, there at least 1,474 persons living with HIV or AIDS in
Sonoma County. The majority are still white males but the startling
increases of AIDS cases has been reported in females and the local
Latino population. Sonoma County sees about 40 new cases a
year.
This week, on Dec. 1, the county ‘s Board of Supervisors
officially joined the 21st annual World AIDS Day. A number of local
events has been scheduled by the Sonoma County World AIDS Day
Committee and a coalition of HIV prevention agencies.
Sonoma County is a significant chapter of the global AIDS
epidemic story and the ensuing battle to understand, contain and do
battle against the fear and stigma of the disease. A county AIDS
Commission was formed in 1987 and a small grass roots group called
River AIDS Support Group continues today as Face-To-Face, one of
many community AIDS support groups.
Sonoma County, with its close proximity to San Francisco and the
early AIDS epicenter, mobilized early and the medical community,
social workers and volunteers have maintained a core vigil against
the disease ever since. All this in the face of repeated budget and
program cuts that continue to this day.
A drumming circle and candlelight ceremony was held in
Guerneville earlier this week and panels from the well-traveled
AIDS Memorial Quilt were displayed at the Guerneville Veterans
Memorial Hall.
Tonight (Dec. 3) more than 50 restaurants are participating in
Dining Out For Life, an annual benefit for the AIDS food bank Food
For Thought. Each restaurant is donating 20 percent or more of the
evening ‘s proceeds to the Forestville-based nonprofit. Last year
‘s event raised over $75,000.
Across the United States, someone is newly infected with HIV
every 9.5 minutes. Two Americans are dying every hour from the
disease that has been slowed, but is still spreading. In the world,
eight persons are infected with HIV every minute and in many
countries in mid-Africa there are millions and millions of young
AIDS orphans, where more women than men contract and die from the
disease.
In most of the United States, AIDS carried an ugly stigma of
being a gay man ‘s disease, limited to a population of homosexuals
who practiced unprotected sex with multiple partners.
That changed with the story of Ryan White a young teenager who
suffered from hemophilia and acquired AIDS from a blood
transfusion. White wrote a book and toured the country to teach
America the truth about AIDS.
In 1990 the U.S. Congress passed the Ryan White CARE Act which
continues to fund AIDS projects across the country, including in
Sonoma County. Most years, these federal funds are threatened to be
cut and this year some $58 million in state funds also were
cut.
The outlook for continued funding of vital outreach, testing,
hospice and advocacy programs in Sonoma County is poor.
The Sonoma County World AIDS Day Committee has adopted a theme —
“Leadership “ — meant to send a message to everyone to take
personal responsibility to be informed, stay protected and work to
help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
AIDS awareness and prevention is a global human rights
imperative that must begin with local action.