In the midst of African People’s History Month, one nationally recognized day passed with little attention.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day celebrated its 10th anniversary on Feb.7.

The absence of events comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in 500 students are infected with HIV.

Tynisha Johnson, 21, a social work major, said she was unaware of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

“I would figure there would be some type of special event to promote awareness on campus,” Johnson said. “I guess not.”

According to a study presented at the International AIDS Conference in 2004, “a lack of awareness of HIV/AIDS by university students in the U.S. gives reason for concern that an attitude of indifference or complacency is pervasive throughout college campuses.”

The study concluded that new educational methods are needed to educate students to improve their awareness about the HIV pandemic.

The Fresno State Student Health Center offers confidential HIV testing and counseling, but activities promoting AIDS awareness are scarce and programs geared toward HIV-infected students are nonexistent.

Mark Campbell, the former HIV case manager at University Medical Center in Fresno, said even though only a few college students tested positive for HIV in 2008, most of those infected dropped out of school due to major depression and psychological distress.

“It is pretty devastating to see how HIV affects the lives of those who do not expect to contract it,” Campbell said. “Awareness events are never sufficient.”

According to Resolution No. 06-119, a Fresno County Board of Supervisors document, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a “national effort to mobilize community-based organizations and stakeholders involved in HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment.”

HIV-focused events in Fresno are supposed to follow the document’s objective.

The Fresno County Department of Public Health provides free, rapid HIV testing at Saints Rest Baptist Church located at 1150 E. Reverend Chester Riggins Ave.

Alumna, Java Ellis, 28, said much has changed since 2004 when she majored in business at Fresno State.

“Organizations on campus used to advocate for HIV awareness and developed ways to fight the stigma surrounding the disease,” Ellis said. “Now, even though I don’t visit Fresno State frequently, I rarely hear of events reminding students that HIV is real.”

Ellis said educating students is the best way to stop HIV from spreading.

“It’s all about knowledge and awareness,” Ellis said.

According to the CDC, the rate of AIDS diagnosis in the city of Fresno is 10.9 per 100,000 people, totaling 1,555 AIDS cases as of 2007. However, a study from Kennesaw State University states that “many college students hold a mistaken belief that there currently exists a cure for the epidemic and it will not affect them.”

Miguel Ibarra, 38, a University Medical Center HIV patient, said college students are at greater risk of becoming infected with HIV.

“Lack of maturity, multiple partnerships, partying and drinking are factors that increase promiscuous sexual behavior,” Ibarra said.

Ibarra says he became infected with the virus that causes AIDS as a 27-year-old student at Fresno City College. “I thought HIV was a disease that only affected drug addicts, gays and prostitutes,” Ibarra said.

“I did use condoms, but I wasn’t careful enough to prevent getting infected,” Ibarra said. “I wish there would have been someone to remind me the cost of ignoring safe-sex techniques.”

Ibarra invited recently diagnosed students to join support groups and seek help within their community.
“There is help out there, HIV is not a death sentence,” Ibarra said.