Does AIDS still seem like a serious threat to you?
Posted at 6:00 AM on December 1, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(9 Comments)
Filed under: Health
Today is World AIDS Day. Although health authorities have focused for decades on prevention, the number of new HIV infections remains constant. Does AIDS still seem like a serious threat to you?
Comments (9)
This world AIDS day is very different for me than any other in years past as I learned that I am HIV+ this past June. I got infected by this virus because of one immature mistake that I made earlier this year. I will be paying the consequences of this mistake for the rest of my life.
Because of the miracles of modern medicine, we have drugs that will be able to keep this virus suppressed and prevent it from wreaking havoc upon my body. However, every day I must take my pills. If I fail to do that, the virus will mutate and eventually become resistant to my medication. If that happens, my virus will eventually turn into full blown AIDS.
I realize that I am a lucky one of sorts. We caught the infection early. I am seeing one of the best HIV specialists in the state of Minnesota and I have insurance. Therefore, in my case, HIV need not be a death sentence. Yet, for so many others in the United States and around the world who do not have the same priviliges as me, it is something that can lead to horrendous consequences.
@ James, I'm not sure what you mean about Darwin rescuing humanity. Given the number of married people who cheat I wouldn't be so smug.
I think AIDs is still a societal threat. People are still getting sick, and people are still dying even if some of them live a long time after infection.
It is less of a personal threat. I'm in my mid-20's and non-monogamous, but myself and partners take precautions and regularly test. Condom use and regular STI testing can go a long way to stopping AIDs and other STIs. More people need to be aware of STI's including AIDs and act to stop their spread.
We need a cure and we need serious attention to be paid to this as a global health issue. Just because people aren't rapidly dying in western nations doesn't mean the problem has gone away.
Absolutely. As long as social structures make it nearly impossible for many women around the world to protect themselves, this is and will remain a serious problem for them, their families, all of us.
While we don't hear as much about HIV and AIDS as we used to, the threat is worse than ever here in the United States.
In New York City, HIV is the 3rd leading cause of death below age 65. In Washington DC, at least 3% of residents have HIV or AIDS, a rate higher than nearly all of West Africa and "on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya." Washington Post Mar 15, 2009
And, here in Minnesota, the rate of a variety of STDs continues only to climb, including Chlamydia and Syphilis. As for HIV and AIDS, the number of new cases of both remain steady and slowly increasing. One of the biggest groups seeing an increase in HIV infection are married heterosexual women --because their husbands have never been tested and symptoms can take years and years to appear.
While we don't hear about it much, AIDS is a major issue here in the United States --not just in Africa.
Not particularly, I feel that coverage of the issue has significantly dropped off in recent years. However I have friends who work on HIV/AIDS epidemiology and hearing that people still don't use condoms or strategic positioning does make me worry that it will be a problem for many years to come. And with the lack of knowledge/coverage about it people may not care enough to work on the problem.
I'm in my mid-twenties and am amazed at how many of my peers feel that STDs & AIDS in particular are not a threat in their communities and don't think twice about having unprotected sex with multiple partners. I am disheartened by the thought that my generation engages in such reckless behavior and partially blame the lack of comprehensive sex education available in our public school systems.
I don't engage in any behaviors that put me at risk, so no serious threat to me.
It is a shame that many people in Africa and elsewhere are uninformed or misinformed about AIDS. Knowing how to minimize the threat and acting on that knowledge seem to make a dramatic difference.
Not to me personally. I believe it is still a major problem in some parts of the world, particularily in Africa and south east Asia. I think it's dropped off most people's radar screen because of Bush's defunding the educational component in the aid to other countries. Bury your head in the sand, and the problem doesn't exist.
Nope. Monogamous and married.
Darwin to the rescue of humanity.
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