The Choice Is Yours
During my reign as the face
of the “No New Infections” HIV Campaign for a major Non Profit agency (Village
Care New York) I did a feature on NY1’s “The Call” When given the last word I
said “You have choices! You can choose to educate yourself about HIV, you can
choose to open up a dialog to talk about HIV/AIDS, You can choose to use
prevention materials such as condoms, you can choose to get tested & know
your HIV status or you can choose to get HIV. The choice is yours. Choose
wisely” This campaign was in 2003! This Campaign aired on most major local news
broad cast & more than a few local radio stations.
The point of the campaign
was to bring awareness to the growing number of new infections in demographic greatly
affected by HIV, to push for education, dialog, and prevention. Women of color
(Heterosexual) account for the highest number of new infection, followed by
youths of color (MSM) 13-26, topped off by aging over 50.
HIV stops with you! No truer
words were ever muttered from the lips of those on the front line trying to get
HIV under control & bring an end to the numbers of new infection. HIV is
preventable! What are you doing to avoid getting infected with HIV? Too often I
am seeing many not using the tools they have at their disposal to avoid
contracting the virus. 30 years ago many were contracted HIV before ever
hearing the word. Back then what we knew about HIV was very little, but as we
studied how it the virus worked, and how it mutates. We slowly started to learn
how we can fight it, but this virus was sneaky & very smart & was
finding ways to get around earlier treatments which AZT was the only treatment
available during that time. Problem with that Tx is the early concept was to
deliver high doses of Retrovir (AZT) to destroy it but it was so toxic this
idea was not just killing infected cells but it was killing healthy cell, and
ultimately patient would die from the toxicity.
Fact: No one has ever died
from HIV or AIDS! What kills is all of the other diseases the body was can’t
fight due to having a compromised immune system.
New drugs to treat HIV
continued to come on the market after trials and FDA approvals as a better tool
to treat HIV. Combination therapy became the new concept in fighting HIV.
Attacking it from multiple directions seems to be working & today has
slowed down the number of new infections. Greatly slowed down but has not
bought it to a halt. Well not in every demographic! Some ethnicities have come
further than others, but in people of color are being diagnosed with HIV on a
regular base. This leads to the question of why is this when the education is
now there, along with prevention materials, testing & the ability to open a
dialog with each you encounter on a sexual level. So what is the problem?
·
Problems that are getting in the way of our community
progressing to a point HIV is no longer an issue because have the virus under
control is us. Let me explain! We are our own barrier!
·
Some don’t reach out to obtain the education that is
provided in every neighborhood. The information is there!
·
HiV is so preventable but so many are not using the
material provided to them free of charge in Dept of health & many local
clinics & organizations.
·
Dialogs are not being opened to talk about HIV/STI’s
·
Some don’t want to know what their status is and avoid
getting tested
·
Mental health is also a big factor
·
Drugs including alcohol plays a big part in new
infections around the world
·
Medications are working so well many especial the young
no longer think HIV is a threat or an issue
·
The misconceptions about being non detectable meaning
you can’t contract HIV which is wrong.
·
Bug Chaser & Down Low cannot be left out because
they are a factor as well.
·
Those not in care or have dropped out of care are a
danger if they are not engaging in protected behavior
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They’re
making excuses like state issued condoms are cheap & break too easy. My
favorite is I only use Magnums. As an educator I have taught people that if the
condoms are breakings then they’re not using them correctly. I instruct them to
put on a thin layer of lubrication before putting on the condom, make sure it
fits snuggly around the shaft of the condom and the only space should be at the
top for collection of their essence. This will also increase the sensitivity of
their sexual experience.
Our
greatest success is our greatest weakness! This was a statement that was made
by a panelist at a conference in Albany I attended with my team. This means as
I have already stated the treatments are working so well the real threat is
over. Fewer & fewer people are dying unlike the earlier days so people are
now taking greater risk because they think a pill can solve the problem, but
what they don’t realize is 1 pill turns in to 5 & 5 turns to 15 and so on to
combat side effects of that one pill. Are you ready?
The danger
is not over yet, but we can strike a might blow towards bring to an end new
infection & hopefully one day we can say HIV/AIDS has been total eradicated.
Until that day come please educate yourself, use protection, talk about &
know your HIV status by getting tested.
The Choice
truly is yours & I hope you choose wisely.
HIV Stops
with you, no matter who you are or where you come from. You are either infected
or affected. It takes a community of the world to save the world.
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