Dec. 01--When a neighbor and fellow mother found out that Shana Cozad had AIDS, Cozad's daughters suddenly had one fewer friend to play with.
The stigma of an HIV/AIDS diagnosis has often made life difficult for Cozad and her family, none of whom share the disease with her, and they are far from alone.
More than 4,600 people in Oklahoma are known to be living with HIV/AIDS, but the true number is likely greater, as one in five people who have the disease aren't aware of it.
"It's still very much a very powerful disease to deal with," said Cozad, 39, of Catoosa. "There are no shortcuts, and there are no easy answers."
Cozad will be speaking Wednesday during an event commemorating World AIDS Day, which the World Health Organization began in 1988 to raise awareness of the epidemic.
The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Langston University-Tulsa campus. It will include speakers, live music and a candle-lighting ceremony.
The Health Outreach Prevention Education (HOPE) organization in Tulsa is one of the sponsors of the annual event.
Executive Director Malisa Pierce said it's important to remember the people who have been lost to the disease.
"It's still prevalent in society, and we need to protect ourselves," she said.
HOPE offers free HIV testing with an appointment or on a walk-in basis.
AIDS has been less prevalent in the news for the past several years, leading many people to erroneously believe there is a cure or that the epidemic is over, said Janice Nicklas, director of the Tulsa Community AIDS Partnership.
Everybody
between the ages of 18 and 80 should get tested. Too many people learn of their HIV status in the emergency room, said Nicklas, who is also a senior planner for the Community Service Council.
"If we're ever going to get this under better control, we need for everybody to be responsible and learn their HIV status," she said.
Of the more than 4,600 people who have HIV/AIDS in Oklahoma, about half are in treatment for it. Many people with the diagnosis live in poverty and have trouble affording food and clothing, much less the expensive drugs used to treat the disease, Nicklas said.
About 100 new cases are diagnosed every year in Tulsa, including in teenagers as young as 14, she said.
Data for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that about 35 percent of all HIV diagnoses in Oklahoma are late, meaning they occur shortly before the person develops AIDS.
Nationally, about 45 percent of people between 18 and 64 say they have been tested for HIV. An infection that is averted can save nearly $367,000 in lifetime medical costs, according to the CDC.
More than 1 million Americans have HIV, and globally, about 33 million people are infected, according to the CDC.
Nicklas said people must realize there is no cure but that an early diagnosis can help those with HIV/AIDS continue to live a full life.
"We have a lot of misinformation out there, and we need people to know that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is not over," she said.
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