I am definitely growing in this course and I am glad I made the decision to take it. This past week has been an educational one. I read the book titled What May Look Crazy. I loved the book! Cleage was very blunt and it was actually quite refreshing. I recommend it to all the students in this course! The thing I liked most about this book was the fact that Cleage hit you with the reality of the disease. Nothing is sugar coated in this book.
I finally went to go take my HIV test. I recently went to take my HIV test, but it was at my doctor's office. The nurse took some blood and had me sign a paper. That was the end of that. The experience at the health clinic is totally different. The questions that the counselor asked me were appropriate, but I still felt a little uncomfortable. I am a private person so I do not generally talk about so many private topics to strangers. It was a great learning experience. I never noticed how many people have appointments for HIV tests. I had to wait a week and a half for an appointment. This is a good thing though, because at least people want to know their status.
My friend who I wrote about in last week's blog is learning from this course as well. Every week I inform him about something that I learned in this course. He seems really interested and his views have changed a little bit as well. I also tell him about the Question of the Week so that he can really think about being put in different situations. I am glad that his attitude is changing for the better.
Did You Know?
In my previous blogs I have been focusing on HIV prevention for sexual transmission. This week I am going to focus on prevention for adolescents and young adults for other modes of transmission. Many adolescents and young adults have already and will experiment in drug use. HIV can spread through the sharing of syringes and needles with an infected person (CDC, 2007). Adolescents and young adults are using drugs at a high rate and when they abuse these substances they tend to have unprotected sex (CDC, 2008). The trend of exchanging sex for drugs has also increased the number of HIV positive cases as well.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has many community based organizations in an attempt to decrease the number of HIV cases among adolescents and young adults. Teens Linked to Care and Street Smart are two of the prevention programs that target the youth and spread awareness (CDC, 2008). I believe that these programs will defintely help to educate adolescents and young adults. When I was growing up there was a boy in my neighborhood who decided to experiment with drugs. I bet that back then if you were to tell him he could become HIV positive from his activity he probably would not have believed you. If parents talk to their children about drug use and how it can effect them, they will be able to make an informed decision. Knowledge truly is power!
Web: (CDC). 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2009 from, http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/PDF/transmission.pdf
Web: (CDC). 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2009 from, http://www.cdc.gov/Hiv/resources/factsheets/youth.htm
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Blog #3
This week there are alot of thoughts going through my head after QOTW #4. I have one friend who is really uneducated about HIV and does not seem to care about learning about it. Every week when I learn something new in this class I share it with him, because he is sexually active and I want him to become aware. This is a class that truly has an impact on my life and will continue to after the semester is over. I am interning at Orlando Health and being in a hospital setting you are around alot more diseases. I am fine with this and I know how to protect myself. I do not mind being around HIV patients, because I am a more educated individual. These individuals can have a positive impact on my life. It helps me to appreciate life more and to not worry about little stuff, because life is not promised. We do not know what is going to happen tomorrow so might as well enjoy life while we are here! This class has truly opened my eyes about how much the lives of everyone is affected when one person has HIV Disease. I was speaking with a gentleman at the hospital recently and I told him about this course and the Africa example. He told me that if it was up to him alone he would not take the blood, because it might just be his time to go. Since he is married with kids, he said that the decision would be up to his wife. The reason for this is due to the fact that if he takes the blood transfusion and does become HIV positive he would still be interacting with his kids and wife. He said that if one of them were to become infected because of him he does not know how he would be able to live with himself. In my opinion this shows how the lives of so many people can be changed when one person contracts the disease.
I met a guy who I really like and this class defintely has an impact on how I view our relationship and the decisions I make. He understands that I do not want to rush into anything and I told him about this course and the way it has changed some of my views. When I was reading Jeromy's blog I found it interesting that his HIV diagnosis made him take control of his life. This makes me realize that I should not let anything or anyone get in the way of my purpose and drive in life. I respect Jeromy's strength and he inspires me.
Did You Know?
It is estimated that more than 350,000 HIV infections have been averted due to prevention efforts. More than $125 billion in medical costs have been averted due to prevention efforts. The CDC has estimated that more than 56,000 people in America become infected each year. About 1 in 5 people in the U.S. are infected with HIV and are unaware that they have the disease. This emphasizes the need for prevention. The more people who get tested the less people will unknowingly spread the disease. The cumulative number of cases through 2007 for adolescents and young adults between the age 15 and 25 is estimated to be 100,000. Prevention will have an impact on these numbers. I believe that there should be HIV prevention in high school health classes. This will educate the young folks, because not all parents are well educated on the topic. When I was in grade school I remember the teachers splitting up the girls and boys and having the sex talk with us. The sex talk is important, but so is the STD talk. Adolescents and young adults need to be given all the facts so that they can make good decisions. High school classrooms is a great place to spread the education about HIV, because there has been a standstill to the education on this. The only impact this can have is a negative one. Prevention is essential in keeping the number of cases down.
Web: (2009) Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved Septmeber 22, 2009 from, http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/print/basic.htm#aidsage
Web: (2009) Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 22, 2009 from, http://www.cdc.gov/HIV/resources/reports/hiv_prev_us.htm
I met a guy who I really like and this class defintely has an impact on how I view our relationship and the decisions I make. He understands that I do not want to rush into anything and I told him about this course and the way it has changed some of my views. When I was reading Jeromy's blog I found it interesting that his HIV diagnosis made him take control of his life. This makes me realize that I should not let anything or anyone get in the way of my purpose and drive in life. I respect Jeromy's strength and he inspires me.
Did You Know?
It is estimated that more than 350,000 HIV infections have been averted due to prevention efforts. More than $125 billion in medical costs have been averted due to prevention efforts. The CDC has estimated that more than 56,000 people in America become infected each year. About 1 in 5 people in the U.S. are infected with HIV and are unaware that they have the disease. This emphasizes the need for prevention. The more people who get tested the less people will unknowingly spread the disease. The cumulative number of cases through 2007 for adolescents and young adults between the age 15 and 25 is estimated to be 100,000. Prevention will have an impact on these numbers. I believe that there should be HIV prevention in high school health classes. This will educate the young folks, because not all parents are well educated on the topic. When I was in grade school I remember the teachers splitting up the girls and boys and having the sex talk with us. The sex talk is important, but so is the STD talk. Adolescents and young adults need to be given all the facts so that they can make good decisions. High school classrooms is a great place to spread the education about HIV, because there has been a standstill to the education on this. The only impact this can have is a negative one. Prevention is essential in keeping the number of cases down.
Web: (2009) Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved Septmeber 22, 2009 from, http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/print/basic.htm#aidsage
Web: (2009) Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 22, 2009 from, http://www.cdc.gov/HIV/resources/reports/hiv_prev_us.htm
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Prevention continued..
The organization I decided to write about this week is ACON which is located in Australia. Community health and well being is the focus of this organization. The most common service that is provided by ACON is education sessions. Campaigns are always taking place in an effort to spread knowledge throughout the community. This is beneficial, because it improves the health of HIV positive individuals as well as informing HIV negative individuals of the risk and precautions that should be taken. There is counseling in different forms available. There is a one on one session weekly, group therapy and a referral service for those needing specialist cares (ACON, 2008). There is a Positive Living Centre located in Sydney and I believe that the work done here has a wonderful impact on HIV positive individuals in Australia. This reason for this is due to the fact that this facility provides social events and skill building programs (ACON, 2008). People who are HIV positive do not have to deal with it alone. ACON also sells supplemental vitamins at a discount rate and gives out safe-sex packs (ACON, 2008). ACON is truly making a difference in the lives of Australians.
Did you know?
This week I will continue my discussion on prevention. I will be focusing on adolescents and young adults. The estimated number of children diagnosed with HIV and AIDS under the age of 15 is about twenty eight (Avert, 2009). The age group 15-25 has the least amount of HIV diagnoses and deaths in 2007.
Did you know that in 2007 about 37,000 children under the age of 15 became infected with HIV through mother to child transmission (Avert, 2009)?
The best way to prevent this is for the mother to take antiretroviral drugs. HIV positive mothers should also refrain from breastfeeding. If HIV positive mothers do not use any type of treatment around 15- 30% of their babies will become infected with HIV during the pregnancy or during labor.
In my opinion, this truly emphasizes the need for prevention for individuals who are HIV negative as well as those individuals who are HIV positive. HIV negative individuals should be taking preventive measures to ensure that they do not become infected. HIV positive individuals should be taking the necessary precautions to ensure that they do not share the disease with others. No matter who you are or what you do HIV is a reality and we should all be doing what we can to stay healthy and to make a difference!
Web. (2008). ACON. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from
http://www.acon.org.au/services
Web. (2009). Avert. Retrieved Septmeber 15, 2009, from
http://www.avert.org/usa-race-age.htm
Did you know?
This week I will continue my discussion on prevention. I will be focusing on adolescents and young adults. The estimated number of children diagnosed with HIV and AIDS under the age of 15 is about twenty eight (Avert, 2009). The age group 15-25 has the least amount of HIV diagnoses and deaths in 2007.
Did you know that in 2007 about 37,000 children under the age of 15 became infected with HIV through mother to child transmission (Avert, 2009)?
The best way to prevent this is for the mother to take antiretroviral drugs. HIV positive mothers should also refrain from breastfeeding. If HIV positive mothers do not use any type of treatment around 15- 30% of their babies will become infected with HIV during the pregnancy or during labor.
In my opinion, this truly emphasizes the need for prevention for individuals who are HIV negative as well as those individuals who are HIV positive. HIV negative individuals should be taking preventive measures to ensure that they do not become infected. HIV positive individuals should be taking the necessary precautions to ensure that they do not share the disease with others. No matter who you are or what you do HIV is a reality and we should all be doing what we can to stay healthy and to make a difference!
Web. (2008). ACON. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from
http://www.acon.org.au/services
Web. (2009). Avert. Retrieved Septmeber 15, 2009, from
http://www.avert.org/usa-race-age.htm
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Blog #1
Hello Everyone,
This is my first time blogging, but I am looking forward to the experience. For my first blog I decided to talk about prevention. Prevention is extremely important to me because this is the best way to decrease the spread of the disease. I am not as knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS as I would like to be. I am certain that I will be a changed person after this course. I am 21 years old and I have alot of friends who do not practice safe sex. If more people were aware of their risk of contracting the disease I am certain that they would become more active in their own health. The statistics are extremely startling and this should be a wake up call. Prevention consists of safe sex and getting tested. I am still trying to convince many people I know to go and get tested. I become frustrated when they give me the excuse that their partner was tested so they do not need to. Spreading the knowledge about HIV is the best way to increase preventive care.
This is my first time blogging, but I am looking forward to the experience. For my first blog I decided to talk about prevention. Prevention is extremely important to me because this is the best way to decrease the spread of the disease. I am not as knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS as I would like to be. I am certain that I will be a changed person after this course. I am 21 years old and I have alot of friends who do not practice safe sex. If more people were aware of their risk of contracting the disease I am certain that they would become more active in their own health. The statistics are extremely startling and this should be a wake up call. Prevention consists of safe sex and getting tested. I am still trying to convince many people I know to go and get tested. I become frustrated when they give me the excuse that their partner was tested so they do not need to. Spreading the knowledge about HIV is the best way to increase preventive care.
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