World AIDS Day 2009

Today, December 1, 2009, marks World AIDS Day. I'm glad that there are days like this that encourages people to know their status and to go out and get tested.

Living in the DMV (DC, Maryland & Virginia) area it's scary to hear the statistics out there about the number of HIV/AIDS cases there are, especially in the District of Columbia. Despite the staggering the numbers, the truth is those are only the numbers of those who've actually been tested. There are so many reckless people out there who are infecting their multiple partners and have no idea that they even have the virus.


It kills me that people still think you have to look sickly and have lesions all over your body or be some crackhead to have HIV/AIDS, that is so far from the truth. They think the only people who live in a certain area or live a certain lifestyle are the only ones who are affected by this disease. I guess people won't realize that isn't true until they see for themselves that HIV/AIDS knows no color, race, religion, socioeconomic status anyone and everyone is a target.


It's so easy to go and get tested. In many places it is free or covered by insurance. There should not be shame in saying that you get tested for STDs and AIDS. It doesn't mean that you're a slut, whore, freak, or even that you're engaging in risky behavior, it just means you want to be informed which is admirable. I'm not afraid to admit, I get tested every year regardless of whether I'm dating anyone because it's just something I feel is important. I've made it part of my annual routine.


After all these years, it saddens me to think so many people think they can beat the odds just because. Wake-up people, AIDS is everywhere! Studies show there were more cases of HIV/AIDS in DC than in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The only way we can do something about this epidemic is to get tested and to know our status.


We've all heard the old adage ignorance is bliss. When it comes to taking 5 seconds to protect yourself against the consequences then your ignorance is just plain stupidity. Get tested before it's too late.


Interesting Websites:
http://www.hivtest.org/ (Find a Site Near You)
http://www.posornot.com
http://www.staying-alive.org/en
http://www.aidstruth.org/

Umm Why Isn't There a Cure for AIDS?

Sometimes, well actually all the time, I have very random thoughts. Recently, I was thinking why isn't there a cure for AIDS?

Everyone remembers when Earvin "Magic" Johnson was interviewed by Linda Ellerbee back in the early 1990s and announced he had contracted HIV. That was such a different day and age. I remember watching movies like Philadelphia where Denzel Washington's character was afraid to shake Tom Hanks' hand because at that time no one knew how the virus was spread. There was such a huge stigma attached to those who had HIV and AIDS.

Fast forward to 2009, and Magic says that he no longer has HIV. Well, I guess it's not that he doesn't have HIV but because of the medication he takes, his HIV hasn't progressed and when he takes tests they come up as Negative.
What I want to know is, how many people really live with HIV for 15-20 years? I know he's rich but how could he be the only one who's been able to keep the virus from turning into full-blown AIDS after all these years. Does anyone else think this is strange?

Another thing...When women with HIV/AIDS have babies doctors give them certain medications which help to prevent them from transferring the virus to their newborns. (http://www.avert.org/motherchild.htm) If this concept help lessen the spread of the virus from mother-to-child through vaginal birth, why hasn't a drug been invented that these same women could take to keep them from infecting their partners?

I'm not a doctor nor do I claim to be knowledgeable about infectious diseases. I just want to know why it seems like the spread of AIDS is getting worse. It's scary to think Washington, D.C., the Nation's Capital, has more people infected with HIV/AIDS than some West African countries, according to the results of a 2008 study that were announced in March of 2009, click here to read more. Some things just don't make sense and the fact that we don't seem any closer to finding a cure for AIDS is one of those things. Just my thoughts.