To day is World AIDS Day, today is a day to increase awareness and speak on what we can do as a nation, as an international community to stop the epidemic, to stop the unnecessary suffering.
Of the 6,560,527,282 people who live on this planet, there are 39,500, 000 people living with HIV/AIDS.In 2005, there were 41,993 new AIDS cases among the 300,321,531 people who live in the United States.
These are the reported numbers. It is important to keep in mind that more people need to KNOW that they have AIDS, but few get tested. To stop the spread of HIV infection and AIDS there needs to be more testing! Click here to find an HIV testing clinic near you.
Maxine Waters (D) of California has sponsored a bill, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS treatment Modernization Act of 2006, that will force health insurance companies to pay for HIV testing. Testing for HIV needs to become as routine as testing for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes--actually more so because ANYONE can get HIV/AIDS, it is not predicted by genetics or diet. But, the likeliness of acquiring HIV/AIDS is increased by lifestyle choices, such as intravenous drug use, multiple sexual partners, anonymous sex, and anal sex.
Don't be shy, just ask your partner about his or her sexual history. It may be hard to pop that special question: "Have you been tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases?" but it is not as hard as living with HIV/AIDS.
If you are an intravenous drug user, use clean needles. Many cities have needle exchange programs. If you know an IV drug user, help that person stop or support needle exchange programs.
What makes the spread of AIDS so tragic is that it is preventable and it disproportionately affects African-Americans, Sub-Saharan Africans, women, children, and people living in poverty.
According to the Center for Disease Prevention and the Kaiser Family Foundation's Capitol Hill Briefing, HIV/AIDS is disproportionally impacts Latinos and African-Americans. As of 2005, 73% of infants born with HIV were African American.
In the United States, incidents of HIV/AIDS are increasing most noteably in the District of Columbia, New York, California, and Florida.
On this Earth, Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Botswana (24.1), Zimbabwe (20.1), and South Africa (18.8), experiences the most cases of HIV/AIDS. What is most alarming is the number of children living with HIV/ AIDS, 240,000 just in South Africa. Many of these cases could have been prevented through antiretroviral therapy, formula feeding instead of breastfeeding, and safe-delivery methods (not Cesarean).
Until a vaccine is create, the best defense is prevention. People need access to testing facilities as well as access to vaccines, condoms, clean needles, and quality health care to help prevent disease and relieve the suffering of people with AIDS.
The suffering and death created by HIV/AIDS are preventable.
There are many organizations that research for a cure and provide outreach and advocacy services. Please make yourself more aware of this growing pandemic and do what you can to stop unnecarry suffering.
UNAIDS
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
USAID and PEPFAR
the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Research
amFAR
AIDS Medical Foundation AIDS Research
AEGIS
AIDS edication Global Information System
AIDS ACTION
AIDS Organization
raising awareness and building communities
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
HIV Vaccine Trials Network
Join Red
product campaign to raise money for HIV/AIDS research and treatment
For more in-depth informaiton on the history of HIV/AIDS go to the Global HIV/AIDS timeline made available by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
.JPG)
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