HIV community mourns the death of advocate Elizabeth Taylor

During interviews with ABC News, members of Los Angeles HIV and AIDS programs fondly remembered Elizabeth Taylor as an activist for the rights of patients who suffer from the diseases. The actress died on March 23 from congestive heart failure.

Executive Director of AIDS Project Los Angeles Craig Thompson told the news source that Taylor began organizing fundraisers for HIV research in 1985 and continued in her leadership role throughout the rest of her life.

She was also at the forefront of the American Foundation for AIDS Research at a time when many HIV patients were neglected because little was known about how the disease was spread or how to control its progression, the organization reported.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are currently more than 1.1 million Americans living with HIV, and 21 percent of these infections are undiagnosed.

The disease is commonly spread through unprotected sex, shared syringes and the exchange of blood between mother and child during pregnancy.

New medical advancements have helped reduce the number of people with HIV who develop AIDS, although early detection of the virus is key to treatment.

Anyone who would like to be screened for sexually transmitted diseases may consider using online testing services.