In rural southern U.S., AIDS as healthcare hurdle

The fight against HIV and AIDS -- the immune system disease with no cure -- may continue in the United States, but it does so quietly, thanks to the development of drug cocktails that allow a person to manage and live with the disease.

But in rural areas of the American South, infection rates are 50 percent higher than the rest of the country, owing to a troubled healthcare system and a culture of denial.

A documentary called "Close to Home" profiles individuals living with and around the disease, showing how a lifetime illness like AIDS impacts a poor, rural community that has the least amount of resources to deal with it.

The documentary is expected in 2012, but a touching six-minute trailer for the film was just released. It's worth a watch.

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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com