San Diego is marking World AIDS Day with art exhibits, special ceremonies, and free HIV testing at a number of locations. More than 7,000 San Diegans have died from AIDS since the epidemic began.
Some 14,000 San Diegans have been diagnosed with AIDS since 1981. Nearly half of those people are still alive.
There were 58 deaths from AIDS in San Diego County last year, compared to 180 in 1999.
Persons of color have made up the majority of new AIDS cases for about the last decade. African-Americans have the highest rate of AIDS.
Men who have sex with other men are at greatest risk. Heterosexual contact is the most frequent mode of transmission for women.
The County began tracking HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in 2006. Over the last three years, more than 4,200 local cases have been reported.
