United States: According to the reports from the Health Department, the Memphis area of Tennessee is seen with the highest cases of new HIV cases in the nation.
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As per the reports, more than 7,500 people in Shelby County have HIV and AIDS, amounting to be the second most in the country, only after Miami.
According to Shelby County Spokesperson London Lamar, “This was an acknowledgment that no, we are not in a good place, and there needs to be an all-hands-on-deck approach in order to mitigate this particular STI,” wreg.com reported.
Moreover, according to Lamar, “We can do a better job on the state level with how we handle this issue, not only for Memphis but what we do here is also impacting everything statewide.”
“So, it is the responsibility of the state level to do more and help curb this epidemic that we’re seeing in the city,” he continued.
Lawmakers seek questions
The lawmakers are asking several questions via a letter sent to the Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Ralph Alvarado.
Among several questions, they sought the impact of legislation requiring minors to get parental consent before testing for HIV.
As per the statistics presented by the Shelby County Health Department, more new cases are coming from the 15 to 24 age group, and they happen to be five times more than in the rest of the nation.
Lamar added, “HIV is a lifelong disease, there isn’t an official cure out there for people. People are still dying from this disease,” as wreg.com reportd.
“And knowing that teens are the ones who are getting it at a higher rate than anybody else means that their whole life is going to be impacted,” he continued.
Lamar said, “We have to talk about it,” and “We have to get over that (mindset) that bible belt and that abstinence-based education is going to work. It is not and has not been working.”