Video: HIV Still Needs to Be Talked About in Mississippi

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Mississippi (WCBI) — HIV is not mentioned nearly as much as it was a few decades ago, but it’s back in the headlines.

This weekend TV Actor Danny Pintauro, mainly known for his role as Jonathan from the 80’s sitcom ,”Who’s the Boss?” announced he has HIV.

Did you know that Mississippi is 7th in the country for HIV infections?

The conversation about HIV has never been easy, and it seems the conversation has dwindle even more the last few years.

“We kind of stopped talking about it, stopped advocating screenings and stuff like that, and I think that’s shown in the numbers.”

Dr. Wail Alnas says he thinks the advances in medicine has made HIV appear to be less serious.

“People now live with it for many years, with almost a normal life.”

He says that doesn’t mean it’s okay to stop protecting ourselves.

“Stay aware, and not let our guards down, I think screening and prevention is still very important.”

His best piece of advice, have a good relationship with your doctor, to make talking bout this tough subject easier.

“The stigma should not be there, and I think everybody should be comfortable asking their physician all kinds of questions about any subject.”

That’s where he says Mississippi needs to pick up the slack.

“I think in Mississippi we still need to do a lot better with primary care, with screenings for a lot of conditions, not only HIV.”

If walking into the Doctors office is still too intimidating for you, there is an a test you can buy and get the results in the comfort of your own home.

but of course prevention is always better than treatment.

” People should be aware of the risks, and always use common sense to try and reduce the risk of exposure through sharing needles, or unsafe sexual encounters,” says Dr. Alnas.

He says many people may not realize that HIV testing is not always included in your annual check up so it’s important to as your doctor about testing.