The QOTW just keep getting better and better! QOTW #9 was really good, because I had to think of my child's well being, but also the well being of another child due to my child's actions. Many parents are extremely over protective of their child and would not want HIV in the same sentence as their child's name. This scenario emphasized the need for education. In my response I decided not to reveal my child's HIV status. This week I also went through the myths, transmission and prevention slides. The myths powerpoint presentation stood out the most to me, because I was surprised by some of the information. The other day my friend texted me asking me if I remember the life and death question about Africa that I asked him. He told me that he would defintely not have taken the blood. He texted me to let me know that he wants to live and that he would have taken the blood. My repsonse to him was that was very random I asked you that over a month ago. He told me he had been thinking about it recently. I'm glad that this course is making others think and is opening up their minds about the disease. Others around me are beginning to realize that it is not always black or white, there are always many factors to be considered. On Sunday we start the M&M project and I know it is going to be interesting. I can't wait to see the reaction of the people around me when I tell them why I am taking my "pills". I will see how it goes!
Did You Know?
There are three risk groups for adolescents and young adults aged 13- 25. These risk groups include men who have sex with men, drug users and heterosexual contacts. "AIDS incidence decreased 7% among young MSM (from 1,400 cases to 1,300) and 8% among young IDU (from 600 cases to 550), but increased 137% among young HC (from 380 cases to 900)" (NLM Gateway, 1997). For this reason the number of cases among young female adults has increased 77% (NLM Gateway, 1997). This emphasizes the need for awareness. Many male adolescents are sexing sex with males and the rest of the adolescent population may feel that only these individuals are at great risk. HIV prevention is needed for HIV positive and HIV negative individuals. This will decrease the spread among the youth. They will be less likely to spread the disease if they receive counseling about safer behavior (NLM Gateway, 1997). When I went to take my HIV test the counselor told me that she has had to tell so many teenagers that they are HIV positive. At this point counseling is the only way to ensure that they do not spread the disease. I understand that it is harder for adolescents and young adults to be open about their status and make a difference in their communities. For this reason counseling and prevention is necessary.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Blog #7
There was no paper due this week, so it was not as hectic. I reflected back on the previous weeks and spoke with my friends about what I have learned so far. I liked QOTW #8, because it made me have to put myself in a situation in order to help my family. No matter what I would always try to do what's best for my family.
Today I went to the salon and my stylist told me that I need to watch Oprah today. She told me it was about women who became HIV positive from the same man and he did this intentionally. A few ladies and I were in the salon talking and I told her about this course. One lady said that these are grown women on Oprah who should have been more knowledgeable about HIV. I watched it and was disgusted. Five women were on the panel and discussed what life is like after being infected with HIV from a man who did this as revenge. This man was convicted for knowing his HIV status and not disclosing it to his sex partners until after they had sex. He is spending time in jail. It is such a shame how heartless this man was. I cannot understand for the life of me how people can knowingly spread HIV, because they want others to feel the same way they do. Instead they should put their disease to use in a positive way, by making a difference in their community. I admire Jeromy for finding his significant other on a website where they immediately knew each other’s HIV positive status. Now it is not just the guy’s fault, because these women should have been more careful. How soon are people having unprotected sex when they meet someone? If a person is that quick to have sex with you, wouldn’t it make you think that they are doing it with a lot of other people. The more sex partners a person has, the higher their chances of contracting the disease. I have to emphasize prevention, because this is the only way to ensure that the numbers of HIV positive individuals does not continue to drastically increase. I am glad that this course has opened up my eyes.
Did You Know?
Among youths more HIV diagnoses were received by females than by males. On the other hand when it comes to young adults more HIV diagnoses were received by males than females (CDC, 2007). In my opinion I think that this may be due to the fact that a lot of the female youths are having sex with older men and for this reason that are contracting the disease at a higher rate. The National Youth Risk Behavior Survey was developed to monitor health risk behaviors among adolescents and young adults. The CDC has designed an HIV Prevention Strategic Plan Through 2010 which was implemented in order to reach various groups who are HIV positive or at risk. Poverty, discrimination, historical and cultural factors all play a major role in addressing HIV (CDC, 2007). This plan has established more prevention programs and expanded investment in HIV prevention in the United States (CDC, 2007). I believe that this is a perfect way to spread awareness among adolescents and young adults out in the community. The HIV Prevention Strategic Plan emphasis the need for knowledge of your status (CDC, 2007). This educates adolescents and encourages them to go get tested. They can go to a free clinic where they have professional counselors who can answer all of their questions. Having sex without knowing all the facts is having a terrible effect on adolescents and young adults today! Prevention is a must!
Today I went to the salon and my stylist told me that I need to watch Oprah today. She told me it was about women who became HIV positive from the same man and he did this intentionally. A few ladies and I were in the salon talking and I told her about this course. One lady said that these are grown women on Oprah who should have been more knowledgeable about HIV. I watched it and was disgusted. Five women were on the panel and discussed what life is like after being infected with HIV from a man who did this as revenge. This man was convicted for knowing his HIV status and not disclosing it to his sex partners until after they had sex. He is spending time in jail. It is such a shame how heartless this man was. I cannot understand for the life of me how people can knowingly spread HIV, because they want others to feel the same way they do. Instead they should put their disease to use in a positive way, by making a difference in their community. I admire Jeromy for finding his significant other on a website where they immediately knew each other’s HIV positive status. Now it is not just the guy’s fault, because these women should have been more careful. How soon are people having unprotected sex when they meet someone? If a person is that quick to have sex with you, wouldn’t it make you think that they are doing it with a lot of other people. The more sex partners a person has, the higher their chances of contracting the disease. I have to emphasize prevention, because this is the only way to ensure that the numbers of HIV positive individuals does not continue to drastically increase. I am glad that this course has opened up my eyes.
Did You Know?
Among youths more HIV diagnoses were received by females than by males. On the other hand when it comes to young adults more HIV diagnoses were received by males than females (CDC, 2007). In my opinion I think that this may be due to the fact that a lot of the female youths are having sex with older men and for this reason that are contracting the disease at a higher rate. The National Youth Risk Behavior Survey was developed to monitor health risk behaviors among adolescents and young adults. The CDC has designed an HIV Prevention Strategic Plan Through 2010 which was implemented in order to reach various groups who are HIV positive or at risk. Poverty, discrimination, historical and cultural factors all play a major role in addressing HIV (CDC, 2007). This plan has established more prevention programs and expanded investment in HIV prevention in the United States (CDC, 2007). I believe that this is a perfect way to spread awareness among adolescents and young adults out in the community. The HIV Prevention Strategic Plan emphasis the need for knowledge of your status (CDC, 2007). This educates adolescents and encourages them to go get tested. They can go to a free clinic where they have professional counselors who can answer all of their questions. Having sex without knowing all the facts is having a terrible effect on adolescents and young adults today! Prevention is a must!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Blog #6
This week has been another interesting one of course! The QOTW really made me think, because I would never want to make another child feel uncomfortable. At the same time, I do not have any children and I do not know how protective I may be over them. I liked the question, because it could really happen in our everyday life. My HIV testing paper is just about finished and I am glad that I had this experience. I usually get my HIV test done when I go to my gyencologist, but the public health department is much more in depth. The counselor was sincere and extremely knowledgeable. She told me that is so sad how many teenagers that she has had to tell that they are HIV positive. After this experience I finally convinced my brother to go get tested! He ran out of excuses. I have put in a lot more work into this class than I thought I would have to, but I am getting more in return. I have learned a lot, so I really can't complain.
Blog Add-On
I searched and I could not find any Confidentiality Laws on HIV in India. This is interesting to me due to the fact that India has the most HIV cases in the world. A patient's right to privacy is not enforced when they are HIV positive and their spouse is at risk for contracting the disease (Lawyers Collective, 1998). Indian matrimonial laws require that couples be tested for HIV before they get married. If one if found to be HIV positive, then the hospital must disclose this information to the other person. The shocking part was that in cases when a person was tested positive they were not always the first one to find out. At times the family members of the HIV positive individual were notified first. In some cases the individual was not informed for a very long time for fear of mental stress (Deasi, 2002). In my opinion, the only impact this will have is an increase in the number of HIV positive cases. If people are unaware of their status, then of course they will spread it unknowingly! The U.S National Institutes of Health urges India not to waver in the fight against HIV (Lawyers Collective, 1998).
Did You Know?
In 2007 there were 2 million people under the age of 15 living with HIV (Avert, 2009). Not only this, but globally AIDS is the second most common cause of death among those between the ages 20 to 24 (Avert, 2009). These numbers are too high and are extremely scary. This emphasizes the need to stress prevention to adolescents and young adults. Many adolescents feel as if they cannot become infected if they are having sex for the first time. This lack of knowledge demonstrates the need for prevention education. Adolescents are afraid to get tested, because they are uncomfortable with going to a clinic and they do not want their parents to find out. Confidentiality laws are out there for a reason and adolescents should become aware of them. I wanted to focus on prevention for adolescents and young adults, because they are out there having sex and using illict drugs as well. This is s new day and whether we agree with it or not, people are becoming sexually active at a very young age. We cannot stop them, so I believe that the best thing to do is educate them about prevention.
Web: NLM Gateway. Deasi T, Garg D, Sharma R, et al. (2002). Retrieved on October 13, 2009 from, http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/ma?f=102253257.html
Web: Lawyer's Collective. (2009). Retrieved on October 13, 2009 from, http://www.lawyerscollective.org/hiv-aids/activities/legal-services-sc-right-to-marry
Web: Avert. (2009). 9 October 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009 from http://www.avert.org/aids-information.htm
Blog Add-On
I searched and I could not find any Confidentiality Laws on HIV in India. This is interesting to me due to the fact that India has the most HIV cases in the world. A patient's right to privacy is not enforced when they are HIV positive and their spouse is at risk for contracting the disease (Lawyers Collective, 1998). Indian matrimonial laws require that couples be tested for HIV before they get married. If one if found to be HIV positive, then the hospital must disclose this information to the other person. The shocking part was that in cases when a person was tested positive they were not always the first one to find out. At times the family members of the HIV positive individual were notified first. In some cases the individual was not informed for a very long time for fear of mental stress (Deasi, 2002). In my opinion, the only impact this will have is an increase in the number of HIV positive cases. If people are unaware of their status, then of course they will spread it unknowingly! The U.S National Institutes of Health urges India not to waver in the fight against HIV (Lawyers Collective, 1998).
Did You Know?
In 2007 there were 2 million people under the age of 15 living with HIV (Avert, 2009). Not only this, but globally AIDS is the second most common cause of death among those between the ages 20 to 24 (Avert, 2009). These numbers are too high and are extremely scary. This emphasizes the need to stress prevention to adolescents and young adults. Many adolescents feel as if they cannot become infected if they are having sex for the first time. This lack of knowledge demonstrates the need for prevention education. Adolescents are afraid to get tested, because they are uncomfortable with going to a clinic and they do not want their parents to find out. Confidentiality laws are out there for a reason and adolescents should become aware of them. I wanted to focus on prevention for adolescents and young adults, because they are out there having sex and using illict drugs as well. This is s new day and whether we agree with it or not, people are becoming sexually active at a very young age. We cannot stop them, so I believe that the best thing to do is educate them about prevention.
Web: NLM Gateway. Deasi T, Garg D, Sharma R, et al. (2002). Retrieved on October 13, 2009 from, http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/ma?f=102253257.html
Web: Lawyer's Collective. (2009). Retrieved on October 13, 2009 from, http://www.lawyerscollective.org/hiv-aids/activities/legal-services-sc-right-to-marry
Web: Avert. (2009). 9 October 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009 from http://www.avert.org/aids-information.htm
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Blog #5
Let's just say that this week I was able to get a true picture of what HIV Disease is like and how people deal with it daily in their lives. I watched the two required movies and then I picked Age of AIDS. All three movies were very good and I learned alot. When I first read the assignment description I thought great four movies! How do they expect us to find the time? Granted I knew about the movies since August. I am glad I watched them though and since they were so interesting it did not feel like time was dragging on forever.
The Questions of the Week have been thought provoking and I like that! I like the fact that they put us into real life situations and force us to make a decision. For QOTW #5 I am against the Wellness Center disclosing students' status regardless of the situation. As college students this QOTW opens up our eyes to alot of the issues and should make us all want to make better decisions. QOTW #6 brought me back to times in my life where I did pull over at the scene of an accident. This is why I know that I can't just say 'oh this could never happen to me.' I am learning so much and growing in this course and I look forward to future questions of the week.
Every week I make sure that I share something I learned with someone. I know that I was unaware of alot of facts about HIV before taking this course. I know that knowledge is power so I am making sure that more people become aware. This way they can share their knowledge with others and they can make more informed choices.
Did You Know?
There is a National HIV Prevention Conference (NHPC) every year. This year the convention was in Atlanta, Georgia. There were more than 2600 attendees who participated in 43 roundtables, 140 sessions and 65 exhibits (NHPC, 2009). Preventive research was a huge part of the conference. It focused on the biological, behavioral and social factors that influence HIV transmissions (NHPC, 2009). Many interventionists and public health counselors attend the conferences. I know that this will ensure that they are able to stay up to date with all the latest research and technology. They will then be able to pass this information along to their patients. The Program Collaboration was also apart of the conference. In my opinion this will be the best way for public health counselors to network and be able to find new avenues for helping people in their communities. I know that this conference has had a tremendous impact on HIV and I hope it continues for years to come. I looked online, but did not find anything about local conferences in Central Florida. I think this would have a positive impact on our community.
Web: National HIV Prevention Conference. August 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2009 from, http://www.2009nhpc.org/
The Questions of the Week have been thought provoking and I like that! I like the fact that they put us into real life situations and force us to make a decision. For QOTW #5 I am against the Wellness Center disclosing students' status regardless of the situation. As college students this QOTW opens up our eyes to alot of the issues and should make us all want to make better decisions. QOTW #6 brought me back to times in my life where I did pull over at the scene of an accident. This is why I know that I can't just say 'oh this could never happen to me.' I am learning so much and growing in this course and I look forward to future questions of the week.
Every week I make sure that I share something I learned with someone. I know that I was unaware of alot of facts about HIV before taking this course. I know that knowledge is power so I am making sure that more people become aware. This way they can share their knowledge with others and they can make more informed choices.
Did You Know?
There is a National HIV Prevention Conference (NHPC) every year. This year the convention was in Atlanta, Georgia. There were more than 2600 attendees who participated in 43 roundtables, 140 sessions and 65 exhibits (NHPC, 2009). Preventive research was a huge part of the conference. It focused on the biological, behavioral and social factors that influence HIV transmissions (NHPC, 2009). Many interventionists and public health counselors attend the conferences. I know that this will ensure that they are able to stay up to date with all the latest research and technology. They will then be able to pass this information along to their patients. The Program Collaboration was also apart of the conference. In my opinion this will be the best way for public health counselors to network and be able to find new avenues for helping people in their communities. I know that this conference has had a tremendous impact on HIV and I hope it continues for years to come. I looked online, but did not find anything about local conferences in Central Florida. I think this would have a positive impact on our community.
Web: National HIV Prevention Conference. August 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2009 from, http://www.2009nhpc.org/
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