Photo by: Daniel Voyager
Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day. “HIV/AIDS has been a global epidemic for more than 27 years.”1
WHAT IS HIV/AIDS?
HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system – the body’s defense against diseases.2 However, HIV and AIDS are not the same thing. When someone is described as living with HIV, they have the HIV virus in their body. A person is considered to have developed AIDS when the immune system is so weak it can no longer fight off a range of diseases with which it would normally cope.3
STATISTICS
According to WorldAIDSday.org:
- 33.4 million people living with HIV worldwide
- 31.3 million adults
- 15.7 million women
- 2.1 million children under 15
There is no known cure, but there is treatment for people to keep the disease under control. Many people can live a healthy and active life if they get treatment for it. However, treatment is less effective if the disease is discovered late.
This makes World AIDS Day and important to raise awareness and urge people to get tested and if necessary treated for HIV/AIDS.
WHERE TO GET TESTED
Many locations are offering free HIV/AIDS testing on December 1st. This may vary from location to location so be sure to check with individual testing centers for information regarding testing and cost of the tests.
Planned Parenthood has numerous locations around the country and does offer HIV testing. Visit there website for more information on locations and testing information.
PREVENTION
There are numerous ways that you can protect and prevent yourself from getting HIV/AIDS. The first is getting tested for HIV/AIDS – even if you don’t suspect that you have it, it never hurts to be sure.
WorldAIDSDay.org states the common ways that HIV/AIDS are passed on:
- Sex without a condom with someone living with HIV
- Sharing infected needles, syringes or other injecting drug equipment
- From an HIV-positive mother (to her child) during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding (but with effective treatment and care the risk of transmission can be greatly reduced)
WAYS YOU CAN HELP
Bring Awareness. There is nothing more powerful then spreading the word. By making people more aware of HIV/AIDS you are helping make a difference. This is one area that could be improved for this issue. We need more people spreading information about HIV/AIDS. Spread the word by directing people to this website or by directing them to WorldAIDSday.org.
You can also raise awareness by purchasing a red ribbon to not only help the cause but to help people become more aware. Click here for more details on how you can help this cause.
Volunteer. Get involved by volunteering some of your time to help out the cause. While WorldAIDSDay.org is directed toward the United Kingdom, you can still get involved by starting an event in your local community, school and business. Click here for more information.
Donate. You can donate money by purchasing ribbons, buttons, posters. You can also give monetary donations as well. Click here for more details on how you can help this cause.
RESOURCES
Here are some other helpful websites! Be sure to visit them!
Lastly, I would like to leave you with a video posted by WorldAIDSDay.org:
Please help support this cause by directing your friends and family to my website or the WorldAIDSDay.org website. Feel free to leave any comments!
