CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — On Thursday, Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, dozens of health care workers from Cooper University Health Care and Camden County Police officers marchers walked through downtown Camden to bring attention to a virus some may have minimized.
Years ago, a march like this may have drawn hundreds or thousands of people, but a smaller crowd marched Thursday, chanting "Know your status. Get tested."
“It’s a reflection about how far we have come, recognizing those that we have lost, and supporting those that are still living with the virus,” said Cheryl Betteridge, a clinical navigator at Cooper.
“It’s so important to get tested. HIV numbers are on an all-time rise. It’s like, we have a pandemic again -- as well as numbers in syphilis -- so, any time we can get the opportunity to get the word out, we take advantage.”
The evolution of HIV and AIDS treatment has perhaps taken away the sense of urgency for some people, as more attention has been focused on COVID-19 and other illnesses.
Many in attendance said treatment has given people the opportunity to live a normal life after testing positive, though they say you can’t get necessary treatment if you don’t get tested first, and that’s part of why this march and others like it are so important.
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Keyandria Jenkins, an early intervention program coordinator at Cooper, said now is definitely not the time to let your guard down.
“Have a moment for the individuals we lost through the year to HIV and AIDS, and also acknowledge how far we have come with treatment and ways of prevention to stop the spread,” said Jenkins.
She says if it has been a few years since you were tested, go get that done and get peace of mind for you and your loved ones.