Entries Tagged 'World AIDS Day' ↓
December 1st, 2006 — World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day and the 25th anniversary of the first recognized cases of the disease. The theme for this years annual observance is Keep the Promise.
The promise to which we are referring, was made six years ago when world leaders made a promise to halt and begin to reverse the spread of AIDS by 2015. However new reports by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that, as of 2006, the epidemic continues to spread in every region of the world.
To date around 65 million people have been infected with HIV and AIDS has claimed the lives of more than 25 million people since it was first recognised in 1981. The vast majority of the 38.6 million people living with HIV in 2005 are unaware of their status.
AIDS is among the greatest development and security issues facing the world today.
In 2005 AIDS claimed the lives of 2.8 million people and over 4 million people were newly infected with the virus.
At around 17.3 million, women make up almost half of the total number of people living with the virus, 13.2 million of which live in sub-Saharan Africa (76% of all women living with HIV).
Sub-Saharan remains the most affected region in the world. Two thirds of all people living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa where 24.5 million people were living with HIV in 2005.
Growing epidemics are underway in Eastern Europe and Central Asia where 220,000 people were newly infected with HIV in 2005.
Declines in HIV prevalence have been noted in Kenya, Zimbabwe, urban parts of Haiti and Burkina Faso and four Indian states including Tamil Nadu.
Here in the United States, at the end of 2003, an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 persons in the were living with HIV/AIDS. In 2004, 38,730 cases of HIV/AIDS were diagnosed in the 35 areas (33 states, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands) with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has estimated that approximately 40,000 persons become infected with HIV each year.
In 2004, the largest estimated proportion of HIV/AIDS diagnoses were for men who have sex with men (MSM), followed by adults and adolescents infected through heterosexual contact. MSM accounted for 70% of all estimated HIV infections among male adults and adolescents in 2004 (based on data from 35 areas with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting), even though only about 5% to 7% of male adults and adolescents in the United States identify themselves as MSM. The number of HIV diagnoses for MSM decreased during the 1980s and 1990s, but recent surveillance data show an increase in HIV diagnoses for this group. This increase points to a continued need for culturally appropriate prevention and education services.
Almost three quarters of HIV/AIDS diagnoses were for male adolescents and adults.
According to the 2000 census, African Americans make up 12.3% of the US population. However, African Americans accounted for 19,206 (50%) of the estimated 38,730 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States in the 35 areas with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting.
During 20012004, the rate of HIV/AIDS diagnoses for African Americans decreased, although the rate for African Americans was still the highest rate for all racial and ethnic groups.
The primary mode of HIV transmission among African American men was sexual contact with other men, followed by heterosexual contact and injection drug use.
The primary mode of HIV transmission among African American women was heterosexual contact, followed by injection drug use.
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Expecting world leaders to hold to their promise may seem like a tall order, but there are things we can all do as individuals to contribute to the global effort.
First, educate yourself. Know the facts about HIV/AIDS, what it is and how it is transmitted from person to person. Dont make assumptions about your own risk level or the health status of people with which you come in contact.
Second, share your knowledge with others. Correct misinformation and dont fall victim to others assumptions or assertions about who is or isnt at risk.
Third, take responsibility for your own actions. Maintaining your health is your responsibility, not that of any potential partner. Understand the risks and take necessary precautions to keep yourself safe from infection, even if others are reluctant to do so.
UNAIDS LINK
World Health Organization LINK
Centers for Disease Control, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention LINK
National Minority AIDS Council LINK
National HIV Testing Resources LINK
December 1st, 2006 — World AIDS Day
Once again, the worldwide blog community is joining together to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic. This list of participants will be updated over the course of the day as I become aware of more blogs, so if you wish to be included, send your link to me at Bernie@bernardjtarver.com. Put World AIDS Day in the subject line.
At Thirty-three LINK
BlackGayBlogger LINK 1 LINK 2
Clay Cane LINK
The Edge of Night LINK
The Emancipation of ProfessorGQ LINK
Flan! Flan! Flan! LINK
Gay Persons of Color LINK
GreasyGuide LINK
J’s Theater LINK
J-Notes LINK
Jasmyne Cannick LINK
Just be dat LINK
Keith Boykin LINK
The Mad Professah Lectures LINK
Pam’s House Blend LINK
PinkMafiaRadio LINK
Rod 2.0:beta LINK 1 LINK 2 LINK 3 LINK 4
thebrotherlove LINK
The Republic of T LINK 1 LINK 2
This Thing Called Life LINK
Troy LINK
December 1st, 2005 — World AIDS Day
The number of HIV diagnoses in the U.S. reached a plateau from 2001-2004, yet gay and bisexual men continue to account for the largest number of new HIV cases, making up 44 percent of new infections reported in 33 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Click here.
In that same CDC report, New York State accounted for 20 percent of all new infections, with Black men showing the largest increases. Click here.
South African health officials report that an estimated 5.2 million people, or 11 percent of the nation’s population, are HIV-infected. The estimate is lower than the health department’s most recent number (6.3 million) and higher than the estimate put out by Statistics South Africa (4.5 million), but in any case the researchers said it describes an epidemic that is “massive” and growing. Click here.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has fallen short of its goal of providing life-saving medication to 3 million people living with HIV in poor countries by the end of 2005 and has issued an official apology. WHO did acknowledge that 1 million people are now on medication but exact figures will not be known until next year. Click here.
The Chinese government has introduced a new condom specifically for gay men. Beyond targeting men who have sex with men as a particular at-risk population, it is not known just how this condom differs from any other. However the effort does signify the governments awareness of a growing problem within an identifiable subsection of the community. Click here.
A substantial number of HIV-positive individuals with proven resistance to antiretroviral drugs had unprotected sex with a partner to whom they could have transmitted drug-resistant HIV, according, the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Click here.
Think you know all there is to know about HIV and AIDS? Are you an expert on reproduction and pregnancy? Do you know enough about condoms and contraception? Is there anything you don’t know about sex? Take these quizzes on HIV/AIDS. Click here.
A list of things you can do to educate yourself and others about HIV/AIDS. Click here.
December 1st, 2005 — World AIDS Day
The facts from around the world, as highlighted above, are cold and grim. They chronicle a world-wide HIV/AIDS epidemic that 20-plus years after the first cases appeared, shows no signs of abating.
Here in the U.S., despite recent media hysteria over the DL phenomenon, statistics show that the population most seriously affected by the virus continues to be Black men who have sex with men. Despite this fact, resources targeted to understand and address the problem remain inadequate and many in the Black gay community question whether whole new prevention strategies are needed.
The question of why people would still put themselves at risk in an age when there is so much informaton available about HIV transmission and how to keep ones self safe, remains a dilemma for which there are no simple answers. The reasons can be complex and deeply personal and as far as prevention efforts are concerned, difficult to tackle with one-size-fits-all approaches.
To illustrate, I share my own situation.
I am 45 years old, HIV negative, single, yet haven’t been in a steady relationship in years. In a youth-obsessed culture, despite a college degree, a good job and my own perceptions, I am in that sub-population often deemed over the hill and undesirable as a potential mate. Not into clubs and bars, I have found few outlets where my interests and suitable companionship intersect.
By day, I work in organizational development in the HIV/AIDS field, with a housing and technical assistance provider in NYC, and years ago once worked in street outreach. I know the facts, the risks and the consequences of unsafe behavior.
But because of my present relationship status, there are days when I am just plain lonely and horny. I can only be honest. Believe me when I tell you, thats a lethal combination. It has the power to cloud otherwise clear thinking and make one act on impulse instead of rational thought.
I confess to you now that on more than one occasion, I have fooled around in the steam room at my gym, along with the other lonely, horny men who congregate there. Its a fairly regular, yet diverse gathering of men, any where from 18-65, all walks of life, and Im sure with varying degrees of acceptance of their sexual identity. Regardless of their circumstances, regardless of whether I participate or not, you can find the regulars there, trying to get their needs met.
I’ve never engaged in any major activity there, certainly nothing Im ashamed of, but I do realize I’m dealing with total strangers who could possibly have any number of STDs beyond HIV. It’s just that for all of us, the desire to be touched by another man is all-consuming. There is a profound sense of need present in that room that is absolutely palpable.
I share all this to say that I believe the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, is often a result of an innate need for intimacy and a corresponding shortage of healthier ways to achieve that. We can do HIV education, hand out condoms, create pamphlets and smart commercials, but until we are able to effectively address individual and collective feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, emotional and physical neediness, people will always do things that make no sense, despite all the information that is out there.
It is not so much about not wanting to do the right thing as much as taking advantage of a spontaneous opportunity to fill a gapping void in ones life. The consequences however can be life-altering.
December 1st, 2005 — World AIDS Day