KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- More people in The South are being diagnosed with AIDS than in any other parts of the country, including New York and California, according to the Knox County Health Department.

Local health leaders say they hope to stop the spread of the virus with education, empowerment and support.

Locally, the National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS started with a prayer vigil Sunday. It's a week-long education and awareness campaign primarily targeting African-Americans in our community. That's because HIV and AIDS is the leading cause of death among that population.

According to the Knox County Health Department, one in 16 black men is at risk of becoming infected with HIV. One in 30 black women women is at risk.

Judy Roitman, a health educator with the Health Department, says everyone needs to take the disease seriously, beacause there is still no cure and people are still getting infected.

"I think young people are particulary at risk of that, because they don't think any of that applies to them," she says. "(We) want to get message out that risky behavior can put you at risk and no one is immune to that."

The only way to tell if someone has AIDS or HIV is for the person to get tested.

Several area churches are offering free confidential testing as part of National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. For a list of testing sites, CLICK HERE.

Testing is always free and confidential at the Knox County Health Department.