By KEITH UPCHURCH

kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612

DURHAM -- Hundreds who gathered Tuesday at the Hayti Heritage Center for Durham County World AIDS Day heard calls for prevention and testing -- and a message of hope.

"Although HIV transmission is still high among certain populations, I do believe in my heart of hearts that given the state and federal programs regarding prevention, we're going to see the numbers of HIV infection go down," said guest speaker Lynda Bell. "I believe it. I'm hopeful."

Bell is assistant clinical director of the infectious disease clinic at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. She has been working with AIDS patients since 1989 and with patients at the UNC clinic since 1992.

Also speaking was a woman diagnosed with AIDS in 1994 who appeared at that time to be near the end of her life. "I became paralyzed and couldn't walk," she said. "And I had many sores over my body."

But with proper medication and self-care, she has improved and now finds life a blessing.

"I didn't know how I was going to survive," she told the hushed crowd at the center on Fayetteville Street. "Now, I know that life is beautiful. I'm taking care of myself, doing exercise, and I'm happy about that. Every day, I just try to live my life."

Among those in the audience was Durham City Councilman Mike Woodard, who said in an interview that he is concerned "about the pandemic of AIDS and how we can work to abate AIDS and HIV."

Woodard said he has a friend who suffers from AIDS, "and I wanted to show support for him."

"I think if the average person really found out more about the people they know," he said, "they'd be surprised how many might be infected with HIV or living with AIDS."

The conference included HIV testing, where "more than 20 people" had blood drawn, according to Selena Monk, testing programs coordinator with the Durham County Health Department. The samples will be sent to a state lab and results will come back in two to three weeks, she said.

"Everyone should know their status," Monk said.

One person getting the test was Tiffanie Underdue, a 21-year-old N.C. Central University student.

"I just thought it's important to have an HIV test, just in case," she said. "It's important because you don't know what might happen at any time."