MOUNT VERNON - Ask 16-year-old Amanda Houston about
how her friends feel about HIV testing and you'd have a good argument for more
AIDS education in this city.
"Some people say that they want to get tested no matter what, but then there are
some who say stuff like 'I've only been with X number of people' or 'I don't
feel sick, why should I get tested,'" Houston said.
Kenneth McNeil, 17, another junior at Mount Vernon High School took it a step
further. He said the "guy friends" he has who don't get tested are "scared of
getting the bad news."
In the city where 1 in 133 people are living with HIV or AIDS, according to the
Westchester County Health Department, young people are among those leading the
AIDS awareness campaign this week.
On Friday, these volunteer members of the Mount Vernon World AIDS Day Youth
Council will host "Life: The Choice is Yours," an afternoon gathering for the
city's young people. The free event will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the Armory on N.
5th Ave. and feature workshops, games, prizes and a hip-hop dance party.
Activist Maria Davis of Harlem will speak about her battle with AIDS and the
importance of getting tested.
Now in its fourth year, the event is one of the largest youth-only gatherings in
Mount Vernon. It is one of several in the county that will mark World AIDS Day
on Dec. 1. Created in 1988 by the World Health Organization, the day, and the
weeks leading up to it, aim to raise awareness and money for AIDS research and
prevention. It is also a time when local communities commemorate those who have
died from AIDS-related diseases, talk openly about living with the disease and
push everyone to get tested, regardless of their marital status or drug-use
history.
Outside New York City, Westchester County has the highest number of people with
HIV and AIDS in New York. Heterosexual black women between the ages of 30 and 50
years old are among those hit hardest in recent years. Diagnosis among young
people 13 to 24 years old continue to rise, too, with black and Hispanic teens
accounting for a large percentage of the cases. Blacks and Hispanics between the
ages of 13 and 19 accounted for 66 percent and 21 percent, respectively, of the
reported AIDS cases in 2003, according to the National Centers for Disease
Control in Atlanta.
In recent years, Westchester has stepped up its HIV awareness campaign by
offering new rapid tests that show results within 20 minutes. Many community
health centers are holding events or giving out incentives. Planned Parenthood
centers in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties are giving out free movie
passes, backpacks and other goodies to teens and adults who get tested.
In general, 1 in 4 people with HIV don't know they have it and could spread the
disease to others. Drugs are prolonging the lives of those infected with HIV and
AIDS, but there is no cure, or vaccine.
For a young black woman like Gerri Elliott, 17, a senior at Mount Vernon High
School, the statistics are disheartening. But she believes they would improve if
young people knew the consequences of their choices.
"It's not just your own life," Elliott said as she made little red AIDS ribbons
after school this week for Friday's event. "One careless action can affect so
many people. The choice is yours."
