By Andria Marshall, Fox 5 Intern
What if coming in contact with HIV was like coming in contact with your computer keys? Think of all the people who have come in contact with the same computer keys you’re typing on. Think of all the hands that touched the hands that touched your keys before you did. Think of all the people who type on your computer when you’re not. All in a matter of seconds you have HIV. You didn’t even know your were at risk. Why should this keyboard be any different?
Now think of the people and things you plan on coming in contact with today; you’re going to unknowingly, or maybe knowingly, infect them. Think every time you touch a door, take money from the cashier, pick up a cup, shake hands, etc. Think of all the people that are going to touch this keyboard after you do. Lucky for you this keyboard is not HIV and you can’t spread it simply by touching things other people do. But do you know whether or not you’re infected? Most people with HIV don’t even know they’re carrying it.
No one can know for sure whether or not they have HIV or AIDS until they are tested. It takes about twenty minutes to know your status and they don’t have to use needles. With technology a Rapid Oral HIV test called OraQuick ADVANCE is used. They take a cotton swab to collect cheek and gum cells (just like in your elementary school science lab), and then you wait for the negative or positive result. They should also give you an informed session about risk factors and prevention.
If you have put yourself at risk GO GET TESTED! Know your status! You could be unknowingly infecting others. Don’t necessarily think of HIV as a death sentence. People have been living with HIV and AIDS for years. Nonetheless never take it lightly. The earlier the detection, the better your chances are at living longer with the disease.
I can not stress how important it is to know your status. If you’re that afraid to know, then you should be more afraid of putting yourself at risk. However, that rarely stops people. It amazes me how often people will engage in sexual relations with another and not know their full name…but will refuse to sip from the same cup of someone they know has HIV.
HIV can be transmitted through the following bodily fluids: blood, semen, breast milk, and vaginal fluids. According to Youthaids.org there are 33.2 million people living with HIV or AIDS in the world and about one million in the United States. Globally, one child dies every minute and every fifteen seconds a person between the ages 15-24 becomes infected with HIV/AIDS. There are 5700 people that die, worldwide, from AIDS every day.
Now take in that at least 40,000 people in the US are infected each year. African-Americans account for 48% of new HIV infections. Washington, D.C. has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the United States. Think of twenty people you know in D.C…one of those twenty people is living with HIV or AIDS. AIDS is the leading cause of death for African American women aged 25 to 34. At least half of all new infections are among people under the age of 25. Isn’t it shocking? Are you a part of this statistic? If not, I’m sure someone you know is. Educate and protect yourself. Help educate others.
What is it? Why are we, as black people, so afraid to get tested? Are we putting on this front that it can’t happen to us; all the while we’re the highest race infected? Do we think it’s better for us not to know than to know? If you’re going to take the time to put yourself at risk, then take the time to protect yourself. You and your partner should go get tested. Got AIDS? How do you know?
3 responses so far ↓
1 sunny // Oct 22, 2008 at 8:26 pm
We all need to get tested and know our status and live responsibly whether you are having sex or not…. How do instill the education, information about Aids to people especially the younger generation, even if you do know the truth about Aids we can’t let the info. go in one ear and out the other.
2 POZ Guy // Oct 23, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Are you HIV+ like me?
Come chat @ http://www.AIDSchat.org to meet more HIV positive people for sharing and support.
3 Robert // Nov 3, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Stop Slandering Black Women with the AIDS Epidemic
By Robert N. Taylor
Over the past three or so years, there has been a deliberate attempt to manipulate figures in such a manner as to increasingly portray the AIDS epidemic as a “Black” disease. This attempt has centered primarily on African American women and involves on one hand taking HIV/AIDS statistics out of context and on the other hand remaining silent about other numbers.
The purpose of this slander has been to remove any stigma attached to the disease from the male homosexual community and place it on Blacks in general and Black women in particular. I first became suspicious when I increasingly saw reports of a dramatic rise in the HIV infections among Black heterosexual women but there was no corresponding dramatic rise among Black heterosexual men.
How could this be? If Black women were being increasingly infected with HIV/AIDS who was infecting them, especially since the rate of infection among intravenous drug users was actually declining.
Here are the facts. HIV/AIDS infections in America still overwhelmingly occur in the male homosexual and bisexual community. That was the conclusion of the international experts who met in Mexico in August for the 17th International AIDS Conference.
In addition, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in mid-September released its most detailed Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on AIDS in America. That report showed that the most AIDS infected group in America was young Black gay and bisexual males (aged 13 to 29). They were followed by white gay males in their 30s and 40s and then Hispanic gay males. The CDC refers to these groups as “men who have sex with men.”
Black females were actually the fourth most AIDS infected group. This does not mean that Black women are out of the woods. They are still 14 times more likely to be AIDS infected than white women. But the AIDS infection rate among white women is so low that being 14 times as infected as they are does not mean that Black females in America are about to be wiped out by AIDS as some of the news reports have suggested.
The most recent CDC report is clear that roughly 73 percent of new AIDS infections took place among males – overwhelmingly “men who have sex with men.” Now, within that 73 percent, a disproportionate number are young Black gay males. Indeed, that is the group we most need to be concerned about because they are 1.6 times more likely to be AIDS infected than white gay males. In fact, the CDC referred to the AIDS infection rate among Black males aged 13 to 29 as “alarming.”
Why is this? Does it relate to the “alarming” number of young Black males being incarcerated? Does it relate to the “alarming” number of young Black males growing up without fathers? Regardless of the reasons, the problem cannot be properly addressed by attempting to slander Black women. In so doing, you fail to focus on where the problem really lies and end up hurting everyone.
[Robert Taylor is a veteran journalist and researcher who writes of social and self-help topics. More of his writings are available at http://www.freewebs.com/blacknewsjournal/ ]
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