World AIDS Day marked in county

Elizabeth Dutton

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 1997 | 10:55 a.m.

In order to remember those lost and give hope to the future, Las Vegans recognized World AIDS Day with ceremony, education and action.

The theme of this year's World AIDS Day was "Give Children Hope in a World with AIDS."

Activities across the city on Monday served as a reminder that Clark County is not exempt from the AIDS epidemic. According to the Clark County Health District, more than 2,500 residents have been diagnosed and reported with AIDS, 1,338 of whom had died as of Nov. 1.

As part of the commemoration of World AIDS Day, the health district unveiled 21 life-size figures, each bearing the name of men, women, and children in Nevada who have died from complications caused by AIDS. These silhouettes were displayed Monday morning in the rotunda of the Clark County Health District building and later moved to the Charleston Heights Arts Center, located on 800 Brush St.

Also on display were individual panels commemorating local Nevadans who have died of AIDS. The panels will be added to the AIDS Memorial Quilt in early 1998.

At UNLV, a series of programs served to educate and involve the student body and community.

Free HIV screening was offered, as it is every Thursday, in the Moyer Student Union. Health Educator Jason Butts stressed the importance of testing and said that communication is equally valuable.

"In a lot of communities, not talking about it is a problem," he said. "There's nothing wrong with talking about it."

Phillip Burns, chair of the UNLV Campus Committee on HIV/AIDS, believes in the advice given by the Centers for Disease Control: Know the facts, share the facts, use the facts.

"The behavior change is the biggest challenge," Burns said.

Other activities sponsored by UNLV included a blood drive, safer sex workshops, food drives for Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN) and Lighthouse Compassionate Care, and an essay contest.

Another program, "Day Without Art," brought attention to the losses suffered by the creative arts community due to HIV/AIDS by covering artwork in offices and departments with notices about World AIDS Day.

In light of advancements in AIDS treatment, Burns warned of a false sense of security many may feel as death rates among those infected begin to decline due to improved care. He said there is a need for a different kind of education.

"Infection rates aren't going down," he said.

Approximately 21.8 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS, according to the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. If the current trend continues, nearly 70 million adults will be infected by the year 2000.