By Cherri Gregg

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – June marks the 18th annual AIDS Education Month for Philadelphia FIGHT, a local HIV and AIDS advocacy organization.

It’s been more than three decades since HIV and AIDS began taking lives in the US. And even though a diagnosis is no longer a death sentence, it is still an epidemic that plagues certain populations, says Philadelphia FIGHT spokesman Mark Seaman.

“It’s still the number one cause of death for Black women 18 to 34 years old. Gay men are still at a particularly high risk of infection. And young people; people who may not have made a habit of using protection when they are sexually active.”

Seaman says FIGHT is holding two all-day educational summits at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

One for the general population interested in HIV prevention on June 15th and another one for ex-offenders and their families that takes place on June 21st.

He says there will also be a number of other community events, as well as HIV testing day on June 27th. For more information, go to fight.org.