LAS VEGAS (KSNV MyNews3) -- The average monthly cost of an HIV treatment program can range from $2,000 to $5,000 a month, most of that spent on medications.
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According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are roughly 50,000 new HIV cases in the U.S. every year. In 2009, young Americans accounted for 39 percent of all new infections.
The Southern Nevada Health District reports that 222 HIV cases were identified here last year. That’s a statistic that this case manager takes issue with.
“It’s uncalled for that people are still being infected in this day and age,” said JeKeissa Mosley of Aid for AIDS in Nevada.
She says when it comes to HIV awareness, NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, who revealed his illness in 1991, has been a blessing and a curse.
“I think with the medication and how healthy he has been able to stay, people don’t take it serious anymore,” Mosley said.
Zack Chamberlain, who has HIV, is here to say it’s serious.
“Do you want to take medication every day and be reminded at 9:30 all the time? Pay attention to what the consequences could be,” he said.
According to the CDC, the estimated life expectancy from the point of diagnosis is about 32 years. The average cost to HIV patients over a lifetime is estimated at more than $500,000.
