Blog #12 - The Beginning

It is unbelievable how fast the semester has gone.  I honestly don't know where the time went.  Despite this being the fastest, and easiest semester (perhaps there is a correlation), I have learned a lot from my classes.  The thing that I really enjoy about being in a health-oriented major is that you learn so much useful knowledge.  This is the stuff that you can take with you and help people.  HIV Disease: A Human Concern, has definitely fit that mold.  I have learned a ridiculous amount about HIV/AIDS.  When I tell people that I am in a class that focuses on HIV they usually ask how there is enough material for an entire semester worth of work.  Previously, I would have wondered the same thing.  I don't know if this is a naive statement, but I feel like there are not many diseases that yield enough information and complications to make into a semester long class.  It is unfortunate that this is the case with HIV/AIDS, but I am glad that I took the class.  I do not think that this disease is going to be resolved in the near future, so I am confident that I will be dealing with it in the future.

Our society does a horrible job of portraying the disease.  I was taught in middle school that is a disease transmitted through sex, and it is in your best interest to avoid it.  I do not think that is an adequate description of the disease.  In this class, we have learned that it is a disease that transforms every aspect of your life.  The M & M simulation did a great job of this.  The prescription regimens are difficult enough to manage, but when side-effects (or just general complications of AIDS) are included it makes it seemingly miserable.  Personally, I had a hard time asking strangers to take pictures of me with my HIV egg.  I cannot imagine what it is like to live with the knowledge of having the disease, especially the affect it would have on your love-life. Luckily, I think there is hope for those that already have the disease.  The Men and Women's Infected Panel did a great job of portraying that.  It is by no means a manageable disease, but it does not signify the end of your life either.  As long as you have a positive attitude it seems very feasible to have a fulfilling life.

Overall, I am very grateful for everything that I have learned.  There are so many applications for it.  Personally, I have the knowledge to avoid contracting the disease, and the capability to raise awareness among people that I interact with.  Professionally, I have know enough about the disease to not perpetuate the stigma, and to counsel those that have contracted the disease (this applies on a personal level as well).  I definitely have a new respect for HIV/AIDS, and I want to join the fray and help those already fighting this truly terrible disease.  Looking at all of the statistics for this disease can be very disheartening and overwhelming, but I know that in order to combat something change has to start individually.

"Did You Know"

   For my last Did You Know section I have decided to look at Botswana.  This country appears to be in a very bad situation.  The HIV prevalence rate is 24.8% (UNAIDS, 2009). I am fairly certain that is the highest I have seen.  A quarter of their population has HIV!  Additionally, that prevalence rate only accounts for ages 15-49.  There are 16,000 children (age 0-14) that are living with HIV (UNAIDS, 2009).  There needs to be some serious intervention there to help them recover.  There are approximately 320,000 people infected with HIV, of that number 170,000 are women (UNAIDS, 2009).  There have been 5,800 deaths due to HIV/AIDS, and 93,000 children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2009).  This country is a pretty representative example of where countries in Africa are headed if they do not receive some much needed aid.

After researching different developing countries it has become very evident that they need desperate help.  The greatest need is in Africa.  There are some developing countries in Asia and the Americas that seem to be fairing pretty well.  I do not know if HIV is relatively new in these areas, or if it has more to do with the culture.  Nevertheless, this research just shows that there are many areas of HIV/AIDS awareness that need to be spread.  I feel like everyone is aware of how bad it is in Africa but they do not know the severity of HIV/AIDS, and no one really takes any action.  I know that I am and have been guilty of this, but I would like to change this.  We have so much in the United States it would be simple to spare money every month to help those that are in such great need.

References:

UNAIDS. (2009). Botswana. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/botswana