Stigma, limited sex ed contribute to teen HIV uptick in Shelby County
Dominick White (middle) speaks during at End HIV Community Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
SUNDAY: Shelby County ramps up HIV outreach to combat rising youth infections
As HIV infection rates rise among teenagers and young adults in Shelby County, local health experts say limited sex education, stigma, barriers to treatment, medication noncompliance and even dating apps are all contributing to the uptick.
Tennessee Department of Health estimates show HIV rates in Shelby County have increased 36% overall since 2018, while new cases among people ages 15-19 have risen 40% in the same time period.
“This is an infection you can prevent,” said Chris Sinnock, a social worker who has worked with adolescent HIV patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since the virus first emerged in the 1980s.
Topics
HIV/AIDS HIV St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital UTHSC Infectious Disease Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Aisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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