I am part of the first generation that grew up hearing about HIV and AIDS.
World Aids Day was founded by the World Health Organization in 1988. Before then, the disease wasn’t widely known, or even as it did come to the surface, it was only mentioned in whisper.
Even with its growing prominence, I still vaguely remember people being confused on how it was spread and being afraid of people who were said to have it. Our knowledge and understand have come a long way, though I believe we should keep repeating the lessons we have learned.
There are only four ways to contract HIV, the virus that causes AIDS:
1) Unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected partner (the most common);
2) Sharing needles or other contaminated injection or skin-piercing equipment;
3) Blood and blood products through, for example, infected transfusions and organ or tissue transplants;
4) Transmission from infected mother to child in the womb or at birth and breastfeeding.
HIV is NOT transmitted by casual physical contact, coughing, sneezing and kissing or abstinence, by sharing toilet and washing facilities, by using eating utensils or consuming food and beverages handled by someone who has HIV; it is not spread by mosquitoes or other insect bites.
Knowledge is important. It is our best weapon in combat. And though some nations do not experience its touch as seriously as others, we should not forget we are in a war.
Most figures come in ranges, but around 3 million people died of AIDS in 2005. That’s 8,000 people die of AIDS each day or five deaths per minute.
Looking at global statistics, between 4.3 to 6.6 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2005. At the higher end of the estimates, that’s 14,000 new infections a day. More than half of those were young people, ages (15-24 years old).
The number of people living with HIV or AIDS is between 36.7 to 45.3 million people.
It is estimated that there have been 60 to 75 million total HIV cases. Of those, 25 million succumbed to AIDS since 1981.
There are plenty of other diseases out there. There are lots of ways to die. Of course, deaths that are easily avoidable are the most tragic and the ones we should work hardest to prevent. So many steps are simple, continued education being one of the biggest.
I first mentioned the subject on my blog last year, albeit at a different site, and I expect to keep writing about this as the years come.
Scientists have a rough idea of where HIV came from, though have less of an idea when the upswing in cases may finally decline. Prior to 1996, scientists estimated that about half the people with HIV would develop AIDS within 10 years after becoming infected. Due to advances in treatment and technology, those figures have been altered, but there is still a long way to go.
Even if a cure or even a vaccine is found, it will take a long time to distribute it to all the corners of the world. We’ll probably never be fully freed of it’s influence.
Still, I have hope for the future. Something’s going to give eventually, and I usually bet on the underdog in the long-term. There’s a lot of work left to do, but we’ve already come a long way and it doesn’t look like we’re going to back down now.
Here’s looking forward to the day when the red ribbon is a sign of victory rather than just merely a sign of hope.
said...
Caleb, you seem to be m.i.a. from my comment boards on my xanga blog at http://www.xanga.com/coryjwest Despite what you may think, I actually like your comments, I guess mostly because it gives me someone else to pick on.
P.S. Getting to your blog is pain in the butt enough, but then I have to READ it! CRIPES!
Caleb Michael said...
Cory, just because I go 24 hours without posting on your website, I don't think that qualifies as being MIA. It might be AWOL, but not MIA.