AIDS: It’s Still Here.
Though not talked about as much as SARS or the recent
West Nile Virus, the killer of Millions each year needs to be in the front of your
minds at all times.
September 2nd, 2004
By Sal Roach : eCureMe Staff Reporter
Last year in Ethiopia, the country where the first human steps were taken, 1.7million
people died from AIDS. This would rank them THIRD behind South Africa and India.
In all of sub Saharan Africa, which accounts for 10 percent of the world’s
population, there are a reported 23 million cases of AIDS, with 2.2 million fatalities
a year.
Currently, there are over 400,000 people living in the Untied States that carry the
HIV virus.
There is still no cure.
Because of this, it is important to stay educated and conscious of AIDS at all
times, as sexual activity is a natural part of human existence, and it must be
kept safe and free from this disease.
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It attacks your immune
system so that it can no longer fight off infection or disease, which means that
contracting a common cold could kill you.
AIDS is spread through sexual fluids or blood.
There is no way AIDS can be spread through simple touch or by sharing food.
Wearing a condom takes care of the spread of AIDS, yet, in many cases, for
whatever reason, condoms are not worn and a disease that is clipping millions
at a time continues to rage unchecked through the world.
So the question than becomes, WHAT CAN I GET IT FROM?
Vaginal Sex. During a woman’s’ menstrual period, the blood in her
vagina could carry the HIV virus and be transmitted to men through a small cut
on the penis.
Oral Sex. AIDS cannot be spread through the salvia, but if there is a cut on
the penis or vagina, it can get into an open cut on the mouth, where a
possibility for transmission occurs.
Anal Sex, either with a woman or a man, is the highest risk for contracting the
disease. The lining of the anus is more delicate than that of the vagina,
and therefore the risk is greater during this type of sex.
Drug users can pass AIDS to each other by sharing needles, syringes, spoons,
filters and water.
If you have a tattoo or a body piercing, make sure the needle the person is
using is clean. Remember, wherever there is blood passing from one object to
another, the risk of AIDS being transmitted is possible.
AIDS CANNOT be spread through kissing, touching, sneezes or coughs, sharing
food or drinks, and it cannot be transmitted through protected sex. It cannot
get though Latex condoms.
This is not mean as a scare tactic, but rather a reminder. AIDS is still a
world killer and does not discriminate about who it attacks.
So, during these summer months of love, make sure you are protecting yourself
and constantly educating yourself and others about this disease. Just because
it has disappeared from the headlines, doesn’t mean it has vanished from
the planet.
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