Posts Tagged ‘AIDS’

Today is World AIDS Day, a time for us to remember those whose lives have been claimed by this devastating disease. In addition to honoring those we have lost to HIV/AIDS, we must also take this opportunity to raise awareness of the disease to help put a stop to the AIDS pandemic.

Over 25 million people have died from the disease since 1981, the year AIDS was first recognized, making it one of the most destructive diseases in recorded history. It killed over 2 million people in 2007 alone. Today there are an estimated 33.4 million people living with HIV worldwide and new cases continue to increase in every region of the world.

If you are sexually active and have never been tested for HIV, you need to get tested. The Center for Disease Control recommends that every individual over the age of 13 get tested at least once. If you are leading a high-risk lifestyle that includes: an active heterosexual or homosexual sex lifestyle with more than one partner, sexual contact with a partner who has been diagnosed with HIV or other STDs or STIs, or intravenous needle sharing, you should be tested. Testing is also recommended for women who are pregnant or nursing or planning to become pregnant and believe they may have been exposed. Testing is recommended for those who are risk for HIV at 3 months, 6 months and again at 12 months. If you are experiencing symptoms and have engaged in high risk activities, you should be tested, even if you’ve tested negative in the past.

You can save yourself time and money by ordering your HIV blood test online at justgettested.com. This eliminates the need to go to a doctor’s office to get the lab order, which is not only easier and more cost effective, but also 100% confidential. Make responsible lifestyle and health care choices and help put an end to HIV/AIDS. In honor of World AIDS Day, do your part and GET TESTED!!

**Use coupon code LAB4NF to save even more money on your order at justgettested.com**

You’re Never Too Old for an STD
The world we live in is drastically different than the one in which our current over 60 population grew up. Think back to the 1940s, 50s and 60s for a minute. Nice girls didn’t do it. It was NOT talked about except among the boys and the worst thing that could happen was getting your girl pregnant. Back then, pregnancy was tantamount to syphilis and gonorrhea because it couldn’t be cured. Although syphilis and gonorrhea have been around forever, the advent of penicillin made them easy to hide. So the only outward sign of a nice girl (or a not so nice girl) having sex was pregnancy. Fast boys on the other hand never had to ‘fess up – except around their buddies.

Fast forward to 2010. Every other commercial on television seems to promote a male enhancement drug. Divorces that waited until the children were out of the house are on the rise and the first Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age. Baby Boomers were at a prime age when the sexual revolution was in full swing. But that was in the 1960s and 1970s. In essence, there are a bunch of people today having sex who grew up in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s and have never been educated about STDs and STIs. HIV was not discovered yet. Neither were Chlamydia, genital herpes, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and many other sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections (STD/STI).
Somewhere between the soda shop and online dating sites, something very insidious happened to sex. It started to carry a price tag far greater than pregnancy. Today’s youth are much more informed about sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections or illnesses than their older counterparts were. Young people for the most part use protection if they choose to have sex. Their grandparents don’t.
If the only thing you’re worried about is pregnancy, today’s older generation is basically in the clear. After menopause, you can’t get pregnant. Why use a condom if you can’t make a baby? Well, because you’re never too old to get an STD or STI. The scary part is that if you have symptoms, you’re lucky. Most of the STDs and STIs don’t carry any symptoms. So someone who has picked up an STD or STI can pass it around without ever knowing it.
Another problem facing today’s 60+ generation is the conversation with their doctor or lack thereof. Imagine a 30 something physician looking at an 80 something patient and asking if he’s using protection when having sex. Or, imagine that same 80-year-old talking to the equivalent of his or her grandchild about having safe sex. It’s uncomfortable all around. It’s not a conversation anyone wants to have, but it is critically important.
Finally, there could be an “I don’t really care if I have an STD” mentality in the older set. They think that because they are in their 70s, 80s and beyond something else will kill them before an STD or STI. They may be right. What they aren’t realizing though is that they may be passing those diseases and infections on to much younger partners without even realizing it. I don’t think they would want to do that if they thought about it.

So, to update the older generation on STDs and STIs, here is a handy checklist to consider:
1) Getting tested is the only way to know for certain if you have an STD or STI.
2) HIV is transferred among men and women now. Women represent the fastest growing number of new cases.
3) You are at risk of contracting an STD or STI if you have unprotected sex with anyone who has had unprotected sex with another partner.
4) Many STDs and STIs are curable.
5) Most STDs and STIs do not show outward symptoms.
6) Some STDs and STIs can cause acute liver damage and liver cancer.
7) Some STDs and STIs can be transmitted even if you wear a condom.
So for all of you out there enjoying your second (or third) go ‘round, please be aware that you are at risk for sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Safe sex is considered that which is enjoyed in a long-term monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and determined to be without infection. But if you can’t be sure, make sure to use a condom every time. Then get tested. Until June 1, anyone over the age of 50 can receive a 10% discount. Just enter coupon code OVER50.

When you think of AIDS and HIV, chances are, you immediately think of a skinny, sick-looking white male with his gay partner looking on with concern. That was the picture we saw over and over as HIV began to become noticeable. It was a gay man’s disease. Why then has HIV become the leading cause of death in African American women between the ages of 25 and 34?

Genetics?
What started out as a white man’s homosexually-transmitted disease has switched gender and race to become a black woman’s disease. There is quite a bit of speculation about why this is happening. Some studies link genetic possibilities. Evolutionary studies of Africans show a genetic trait that helps protect them from malaria. The bad news is that this genetic trait also makes them more susceptible to HIV. According to US News and World report, 60% of African Americans carry the trait and 90% of Africans carry it. The good news is that those carrying the trait live with the disease two years longer on average than those without the trait.

But this knowledge alone does no one any good. First of all, if you have the trait, there is nothing you can do about it. You can’t treat it, you can’t remove it, and you can’t change your body make-up. So who cares? Well, just because you have the trait doesn’t mean you have to have the disease. Trait or no trait, HIV is still something that is spread, not genetic. Therefore, other factors must contribute to the higher incidence of HIV/AIDs in women.

Biologically speaking
Women biologically are two times more likely to become infected during unprotected sex and to contract a sexually transmitted disease or infection. Like it or not, it’s the fact. Women have an open reproductive system and men have a closed system. Women bring stuff in, men send stuff out. Women are more vulnerable. Years ago, African American women blamed intravenous drug use as the greatest risk factor to contract HIV. Now, they are claiming heterosexual contact as the primary risk factor. But women of all colors, white included have heterosexual contact – why is AIDS so disproportionally impacting black women?

Poverty
Just like genetics, being poor does not give you AIDS. However, being poor does put you into situations where the risk factors are increased. More African American and Hispanic women are living below the poverty line than white women. That leads to an increase in the number of contributing factors such as prostitution, no health insurance, limited education, and less obvious – cultural differences. Many black children grow up in households where fathers are not present. Very strong and independent women raise them without the help of men. Young black boys who grow up in this environment may see having multiple partners as a norm and young black girls often see this as a standard way of living. With black men leading in the number of HIV cases overall, this leads to a volatile combination when infected men have concurrent sexual relationships with a variety of women. It makes the diseases spread faster.

Geographical
Studies have shown that living in the southern United States increases your chances of having HIV if you are a woman. Although only 29% of U.S. women live in the South, 76% of newly infected women come from that region. The South has the perfect prescription for HIV transmission. First, it has the highest poverty rates in the country, second, the most uninsured and third, the fewest high school graduates.

Other key factors
African American women and other women of color such as Hispanics, Pacific Islanders and Native American women carry the greatest risk for HIV infection. Combining biological vulnerability, lack of education, economic instability, domestic abuse, and lack of control in sexual relationships can be lethal to women.

Resources
If a woman, regardless of race, age or sexual preference, has had sexual encounters –with or without consent – they should be tested. If they test positive for HIV, there are many resources available to help them live with the disease. Early detection gives women a better chance of living a high quality life. For more information about HIV, here are some additional resources:

Kaiser Family Foundation: http://www.kff.org/hivaids/6092.cfm
Power Point Presentation: http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/womenhiv/player.html
Women’s Health: http://www.womenshealth.gov/hiv/
Women’s Resources: http://www.thebody.com/content/art44411.html