South Carolina ranked with 9th highest HIV case rate in U.S.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - To raise awareness about the HIV-AIDS epidemic, South Carolina residents gathered at the State House to mark the 41st anniversary of World AIDS Day and honor those who have lost their lives.

Around 20,000 South Carolina residents are living with a diagnosed HIV infection, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, the state is ranked ninth-highest HIV case rate in the country.

Dr. Shakaria D. Johnson, a physician consultant at the department, says, “84% of South Carolinians living with HIV are aware of their status. 88% are linked to medical care, and 70% have achieved viral suppression through ongoing treatment.”

South Carolina residents gathered on Dec. 1 to show their for those diagnosed. People learned about the resources available and were able to get tested. Undiagnosed people risk unknowingly transmitting the disease.

The department of health and environmental control says nearly half of all South Carolinians that have recently been diagnosed with HIV-AIDS are in their twenties.

MORE | Lanes open after multiple vehicle crash causes traffic delays on I-20

World AIDS Day is commemorated internationally each year, to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic and those who have died from the disease and have been diagnosed.

Estoria Wright, a Columbia local and poet, says she was thankful to be among those gathered here every year, celebrating life including her own.

“Lived it and came out of it. Lived it and conquered it, I am honored that I could stand in front of you all for the people who do not have a voice. I’m just grateful,” Wright says.

Wright’s poem “Lived It: Lived It Alone, Lived It in Pain, Lived it in Depression” was inspired by her own HIV diagnosis in 2014.

Wright states, “It was devastating. I had just lost my father to stage four prostate cancer, and I come home and get the news that I have this diagnosis and I probably could die from it.”

Wright says her system was essential to her being here Thursday, also her birthday, and speaking to this group at the state house showing for others diagnosed on World AIDS Day.

De’Ashia Lee, Act Now End AIDS Coalition director, states, “Our motto is staying safe, get tested, treat early, end stigma.”