Full Story by Caleb Hellerman | WV Public Broadcasting
A new story from West Virginia Public Broadcasting revisits Charleston’s HIV outbreak — once called “the most concerning in the United States” — and highlights the urgent, ongoing work to support people living with HIV.
In 2020, SOAR WV organized a health event where testing revealed a startling surge: seven out of 40 people tested positive for HIV.
“With each one, my eyes just got bigger and bigger,” recalled Dr. Christine Teague, who tested people that day. “It’s a crisis [because] if there’s seven here, there’s going to be a hundred out there.”
Since then, SOAR and partners like the Charleston Area Medical Center’s Ryan White Program have expanded outreach, bringing brightly painted minibuses into hard-hit neighborhoods. For people like Cameron, a former drug user now housed and healthy, and Megan, a soon-to-be mother managing HIV during pregnancy, the weekly mobile clinics are a lifeline.
“I don’t think a lot of people would get care,” Megan said tearfully. “I really don’t.”
While new HIV cases have dropped, experts warn this success could be fragile — in part because Kanawha County and Charleston restricted syringe service programs instead of expanding them, as the CDC had recommended.
“We still have one hand tied behind our back,” said Joe Solomon, SOAR co-director and Charleston City Council member, in earlier reporting on the crisis.
The work continues: connecting, supporting, and fighting for the public health tools communities urgently need.
Read and listen to the full story at West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
