HIV testing on the rise locally following Stoddard County case

Local public health centers are seeing an increase in HIV testing since a Stoddard County man was arrested last week and charged with felony recklessly infecting another with HIV.

Police arrested David Mangum, 36, of Dexter, Mo., after his former partner went to police Aug. 26 after a positive HIV test. One detective with the Dexter Police Department said he has interviewed six other people affected by the case with more scheduled. As of Tuesday, the detective said at least two planned to pursue charges.

Mangum claims to have had 300 partners since testing positive for HIV in 2003. In a probable-cause affidavit, police said Mangum said he believed 50 to 60 of them were in Stoddard County. Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver said no additional numbers have been revealed regarding the other partners, but he said that additional charges from other victims would be filed "in the next few days."

In Southeast Missouri, the numbers of those living with HIV or recently diagnosed with the virus are not released on a county-by-county basis, according to Amy Hector, the public health program director and communicable disease nurse with the Stoddard County Health Department. The numbers are released by the state by district, she said.

The Southeast district includes all of the Missouri Bootheel and stretches north to Ste. Genevieve County and as far west as Crawford and Ripley counties. In 2012, Hector said 12 people within the district were newly diagnosed with HIV. The total number of people living with the virus was 137. Another 174 people were living with AIDS.

In Stoddard County, she said the health department sees about 13 people each month for walk-in HIV testing. Since the news broke about Mangum, however, those numbers have significantly increased.

"We've done 14 or 15 tests in the last week," Hector said. "We're also getting a lot more calls about testing."

She added that not all of the calls or tests were directly related to Mangum's case, but said the story has brought more awareness to the need to test for HIV and other communicable diseases.

Lindsey Craft, coordinator for primary health care at the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, said they also are seeing a "definite increase" in testing.

"In the past few weeks, I would say we've seen about a 50 percent increase," she said. "And we're getting a lot of phone calls about 'should I be tested' and the types of testing we do."

The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center averages about 15 HIV screenings per month.

Hector said those who wish to be tested for HIV may contact their doctor or local public health department. She said in most counties, including Stoddard County, the tests are free or require a small fee.

Mangum is being held in the Stoddard County Jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond. He is scheduled to appear for arraignment today before Judge Joe Z. Satterfield.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

Benton, Mo

Dexter, Mo

Cape Girardeau, Mo