HIV on the rise in Cape Girardeau
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI)- Last year Cape Girardeau County was hit with an influx of syphilis cases, now in 2023 HIV has made it’s way through… and the growing number of positive cases, is on the rise.
“People are being sexually irresponsible.”
Stacy Skidmore, a Registered Nurse with the Cape County Public Health Department says at least ten cases of HIV have been caught in Cape Girardeau since January.
Skidmore says, “It is disproportionately affecting the African American population and the Latino population here in Cape Girardeau.”
HIV was first clinically observed in 1981 as Americans panicked not knowing it’s origin. Today, medicines and treatments are available allowing the infected to live with the disease if symptoms are are diagnosed early on.
“It’s taking your medication everyday, it’s making your appointments, keeping up with your case manager. Getting your blood drawn, coming in here seeing your doctor, and it’s also keeping up with cancer screenings cause you’re at higher risk for cancer.” Says, Amy Franks who is a registered nurse and the HIV Coordinator at the Cape Public Health Department, saying that all ages are being infected, but a particular rise in the 18 to 25 demographic.
Franks says, “There’s a stigma against using condoms, if you ask someone to use a condom that’s insulting, that’s basically like saying you’re dirty, but you can’t think of it like that you gotta watch out for yourself, that persons not watching out for you.”
Both Cape Girardeau Health Department officials are encouraging folks to stay safe and say sex education is the number one tool to preventing infection, along with this the health department says if you feel you are at risk, they are giving a free prep clinic for testing.
