VSU Observes World AIDS Day Dec. 1

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University’s Student Health Center and Campus Wellness Committee, in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Public Health’s South Health District Infectious Disease Program, will present “World AIDS Day: Leadership. Commitment. Impact.” on Thursday, Dec. 1, in the Student Union. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend.
 
The World AIDS Day schedule of activities will promote HIV and AIDS awareness, research, and prevention and will begin with free HIV testing from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Student Union Ballroom A.  
 
Box lunches will be provided at 3:30 p.m. in the Student Union Theater lobby. Reservations are encouraged and may be made by contacting Althea Mims with the Georgia Department of Public Health’s South Health District at althea.mims@dph.ga.gov or (229) 245-8711 Ext. 288.
 
A screening of the Academy Award-nominated documentary “How to Survive a Plague” will begin at 4 p.m. in the Student Union Theater. The film follows the stories of activist groups as they fight to bring attention to the AIDS pandemic. 
 
“AIDS is an impactful disease,” said Lynette Lewis, assistant director of VSU’s Student Health Center. “It is important that VSU continues to bring awareness to our community.”
 
World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate people who have died. The day serves as a reminder that HIV still affects millions of people, and funding for treatment is needed. World AIDS Day was the first-ever global health day and was observed for the first time in 1988.
 
More than 1.2 million people are currently living with HIV in the United States, and almost one in eight of them are unaware of their infection. Globally, an estimated 34 million people have HIV. More than 35 million people have died from the virus, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.
 
Contact Lynette Lewis at lalewis@valdosta.edu to learn more.
 

On the Web:

https://www.valdosta.edu/administration/finance-admin/auxiliary-services/student-health/
 
https://www.valdosta.edu/administration/finance-admin/campus-wellness/welcome.php
 
http://southhealthdistrict.com/
 
https://www.aids.gov/
 
http://surviveaplague.com/