While murder and crime remain at the forefront of political conversations, a bigger, more common killer is lurking in silence. The HIV and AIDS viruses, along with a cocktail of other sexually transmitted diseases, have a high rate of occurrence in Selma and Dallas County.

Cedric Wherry, an education and prevention specialist for Selma AIR, travels throughout the Black Belt trying to shed light on HIV and AIDS, and Saturday, Wherry spoke in Orrville.

First Baptist Church, Orrville held “The Real Deal,” youth summit where they brought in several speakers, like Wherry, to bring youth relevant and interesting information about the virus. They also had speakers testify to youth about how they feel living with HIV in their own lives.

“I’m hoping to give them the proper information that they need to help guide them and a way to make better decisions and better choices,” Wherry said. “I believe that we live in a society where if it feels good, let’s do it. And the music pushes that and fashion pushes that, things on television such as reality shows push that [mindset].”

He spoke along with several others about how one in four teenagers in Alabama contract STDs each year and there were 5,000 new HIV infections that occurred between 13 to 24-year-olds in 2011.

According to Alabama Department of Public Health records for HIV cases, there are 235 reported cases of HIV in Dallas County. Compare that to 47 cases in Marengo County, 41 cases in Perry County and 75 cases in Lowndes County. But Wherry said one point that should be remembered is that these are the reported cases. He believes there are many who do not know they are infected.

“Twenty-five percent of people in the U.S. are undiagnosed and unaware that they are living with the infection,” Wherry said.

That is why several organizations like Selma AIR and the Dallas County Health Department offer free and confidential HIV testing.

“We provide education, testing, as well as train people who want to help and educate others about this,” Wherry said. “We provide free education as well as training for those who want to become educators out in the community to help us fight this fight against this virus in Dallas County.”