Eric Stockley of the Charlotte County Health Department can’t say for certain how many people living in the county are currently infected with HIV or AIDS. A transient population and confidentiality concerns are just some of the reasons that number remains elusive, Stockley said.

But advancements in HIV medication have helped to prolong the lives of those infected, medicines that are a far cry from the early days of the disease, when sufferers were required to take up to 15 pills a day.