A Stamford high school took time Thursday to educate its students on the importance of HIV awareness and prevention in honor of World AIDS Day.

Students at the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering received pamphlets on the topic. 

A health expert tells News 12 it is important to speak to students early about HIV so they learn how to prevent and treat the disease. She says it's no longer the death sentence that people thought it was in the 1980s. She adds that there are ways to manage it, should one test positive. 

Students also had the chance to hear a personal story from Dante Gennaro Jr. who is HIV positive.

Gennaro often travels across the state, talking about HIV prevention and treatments, which he says have come a long way. He says there are different daily medications that people can take that, in many cases, make the virus undetectable.

Gennaro hopes that by speaking to students, he can decrease the stigma attached with the disease.

HIV is incurable. Health experts say it is crucial to always follow safe practices.