The Lake County Health Department honored World AIDS Day Dec. 1 with an event that included dance performance, live music and candlelight vigils.
World AIDS Day is a global event that raises awareness for HIV/AIDS, mourns those who have died from the virus and offers support to their friends and families.
"World AIDS Day is important, as it reminds the community that HIV has not gone away," Lake County Health Department Communications Manager Leslie Piotrowski said. "There's still a vital need to increase awareness and fight the stigma often associated with HIV."
Sexually Transmitted Program Officer Sara Zamor said pushing back against that stigma is important because it can often intimidate people away from getting tested, seeking services or receiving medical care.
The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 million people around the world died from HIV in 2013.
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