Southern Nevada has seen a gradual increase in the number of young people diagnosed with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
"In 2010 there were 74 cases (among 13-24 year olds) and it steadily increases to 89 in 2014," says Antioco Carrillo, executive director of Aid for AIDS of Nevada otherwise known as AFAN. "Although these numbers don’t look like a major increase, that represents a 20 percent increase over the last five years."
Carrillo is concerned that Clark County is not educating young people about the risks.
"We live in a very dynamic city, where we have one message for the tourists and another for the locals," Carrillo says. "It's important to remember we still have an epidemic that is silent. Just because people aren't dying at the rates we saw in the 1980s and 1990s, doesn't mean we've fixed the problem."
Carrillo joins us to talk about the latest AIDS statistics and ongoing efforts to raise awareness in southern Nevada.
AFAN hosts its annual AIDS walk on April 19, 2015.
Antioco Carrillo, executive director, Aid for AIDS of Nevada