Today is World AIDS Day. So I'm going to deviate a bit from my normal writing to talk a little about a topic that doesn't seem to be related to little kids. After all, I don't plan to talk with my kids about HIV and AIDS until we start talking about sex, and I'm hoping it will be a couple more years before we have to broach that subject. But lately I've seen headlines about the goal to achieve an "AIDS-free generation," and I want my kids to be a part of it.
Back in the mid-1990s, I was working in the office of a visiting nurse association and had the opportunity to help with a new project: an AIDS consortium being developed in the community. At the time, HIV/AIDS had only been around for about a decade, and there was a lot of misinformation about it. Yet it was killing so many people in the US and around the world. As a matter of fact, in the year I graduated from college (1994), AIDS became the leading cause of death for all Americans aged 25 to 44.
As a young woman just graduating from college, this was an incredible project to be involved with. I met so many wonderful people ~ caregivers and patients alike. And the experience has stuck with me all these years. Working on the project helped me become so much more open-minded and compassionate. It gave me knowledge and empowered me to spread that knowledge to others. Making the general public aware of the true nature of the disease, and opening their minds to the many myths that led to fear and intolerance was a big part of my job.
What amazes me is that so many people are still contracting HIV in places like the US. It is truly shocking to me. Because in my mind, this has been around for so long now and everyone should understand the basics of how to avoid it. It's not that difficult, honestly. If you have sex, use a condom. If you do drugs with needles, use a clean needle ~ don't share! [And make sure your tattoo artist is using clean needles too!] But I guess it's not really that simple for people who are in the throes of passion or desperate for drugs ~ and the young people who think they're invincible.
I understand that there are countries where people don't have the knowledge or the individual rights or power to avoid infection. But in this country, the fact that more than 50,000 people are infected with HIV each year is unbelievable. How can this still be happening?
The other thing I wanted to mention that does relate more to this blog is that if you're pregnant, you should absolutely be tested for HIV. I know I was both times. If it turns out that you are HIV positive, you can be treated to help prevent your child from contracting the disease. So it's vital to find out as early in your pregnancy as possible.
I truly hope that something is able to be done to achieve that "AIDS-free generation," and I hope that my children are a part of it. Here's what the AIDS-free generation is all about (from a Huffington Post article):
An AIDS-free generation means no child will be born with HIV; risk of infection will be dramatically reduced thanks to a combination of powerful prevention tools and a possible vaccine in the future, and people living with HIV will enjoy long, healthy lives as early access to treatment prevents their disease from progressing to full-blown AIDS.
In order to achieve this, we must:I really want this to be a reality for my children. For more information, check out these resources:
1) Invest in research and accelerate the translation of science into services;
2) Eradicate mother-to-child transmission of HIV worldwide;
3) Scale-up evidence-based treatment and prevention strategies globally;
4) And eliminate the discrimination and stigma surrounding the disease.
HIV/AIDS Basics - Get Educated!
More about World AIDS Day
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