A world aids day exhibit was at the Burchfeild Penny Art Center Thursday. The gallery displayed artworks from those who have lost family members from the disease.
AIDS community services of Western New York said 1 in 5 people have HIV and don't know it. They said getting tested could save your life.
Red ribbons were being worn across the country Thursday to remind people that HIV and AIDS is preventable.
Bill Natalzia is living with HIV. He said 50% of AIDS sufferers are homosexual, but this disease can affect anyone.
"I'm a heterosexual male who contracted it through my promiscuity and one of the bigger groups is women. IV drug using women and women who are unaware that maybe their husbands or their partners are IV drug users. I think it's important that we all come together, because this disease does not discriminate," said Natalzia.
Bill Natalzia said the disease is 100% preventable.
"I find that it's very important that we get the message out that it's still out there and that there's still 50,000 new infections every year. That's really unacceptable when we have a program at AIDS community services to test and council people, and show them safer practices in which they can prevent the disease as well as stop the disease in it's tracks," said Natalzia.
President and CEO of AIDS community services of WNY Ron Silverio said he hopes one day the AIDS epidemic will be a thing of the past.