2008 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Whilst we have come a long ways since 1988, there is still much more to be done.
-World AIDS Campaign, http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/
I thought it was important to reflect on HIV/AIDS eduction on this World AIDS Day, especially with 2008 being the 20th anniversary and with HIV/AIDS being a subject we here in the River Bend don’t hear about every day.
After all, the goal of World AIDS Day is universal awareness.
While doing some research on the matter, I found a startling statistic:
Despite HIV awareness now reaching nearly all areas of the globe, infection rates are still happening 2.7 times faster than the increase in number of people receiving treatment. (World AIDS Campaign)
That tells me that more needs to be done, and people need more education.
So did you know?
While treatment for HIV and AIDS has improved and become more widespread since 1988, many still do not have access to it – in 2007 only 31% of those in low- to middle-income countries who need treatment received it.
Real action on HIV and AIDS and human rights remains lacking. Legal barriers to HIV services still exist for groups such as women, adolescents, sex workers, people who use drugs, and men having sex with men, and programmatic responses promoting HIV-related human rights have yet to be prioritised.
Some facts about HIV/AIDS, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov -
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and is what causes AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It attacks the immune system and renders victims low on white blood cells needed to fight disease.
It can take years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment, to reach this stage.
HIV was first identified in the United States in 1981 after a number of gay men started getting sick with a rare type of cancer. It took several years for scientists to develop a test for the virus, to understand how HIV was transmitted between humans, and to determine what people could do to protect themselves.
In 2008, CDC adjusted its estimate of new HIV infections because of new technology and developed by the agency. Before this time, CDC estimated there were roughly 40,000 new HIV infections each year in the United States. New results shows there were dramatic declines in the number of new HIV infections from a peak of about 130,000 in the mid 1980s to a low of roughly 50,000 in the early 1990s. Results also shows that new infections increased in the late 1990s, followed by a leveling off since 2000 at about 55,000 per year. In 2006, an estimated 56,300 individuals were infected with HIV.
At the end of 2003, an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 persons in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS.
How is AIDS transmitted?
HIV is primarily found in the blood, semen, or vaginal fluid of an infected person. HIV is transmitted in 3 main ways:
1. Having sex (anal, vaginal, or oral) with someone infected with HIV
2. Sharing needles and syringes with someone infected with HIV
3. Being exposed (fetus or infant) to HIV before or during birth or through breast feedingHIV also can be transmitted through blood infected with HIV. However, since 1985, all donated blood in the United States has been tested for HIV. Therefore, the risk for HIV infection through the transfusion of blood or blood products is extremely low. The U.S. blood supply is considered among the safest in the world.
How is AIDS NOT transmitted?
HIV is a fragile virus. It cannot live for very long outside the body.
As a result, the virus is not transmitted through day-to-day activities such as shaking hands, hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, drinking fountain, doorknob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. You also cannot get HIV from mosquitoes.
Don’t think it can’t happen to you, because it can.
You may be at increased risk for infection if you have:
-injected drugs or steroids, during which equipment (such as needles, syringes, cotton, water) and blood were shared with others
-had unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex (that is, sex without using condoms) with men who have sex with men, multiple partners, or anonymous partners
-exchanged sex for drugs or money
-been given a diagnosis of, or been treated for, hepatitis, tuberculosis (TB), or a sexually transmitted disease (STD) such as syphilis received a blood transfusion or clotting factor during 1978–1985 had unprotected sex with someone who has any of the risk factors listed above
So do yourself and the world a favor, and read more at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm.
Help stop the spread of AIDS by spreading AIDS education to your family, friends and others. Be a leader and do your part.
