As a candle lighting vigil at Nassau University Medical Center memorialized World AIDS Day Friday, glaring statistics helped show residents the epidemic is a very local problem.

Community advocates reveal Nassau County has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infections of any suburban area in America. According to their statistics, about 40 percent of all AIDS patients in Nassau contracted the disease by injecting drugs. They say men comprise approximately 75 percent of diagnosed AIDS cases, and the virus is most often spread by people between ages 30 to 39. They add more than half of Nassau's infected females are black.

Increasing awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention is the main purpose of the vigil and World AIDS Day. Although treatment options have improved, advocates maintain more needs to be done to stop the spread of the virus.