Having worked 20 years in the field of HIV/AIDS, I had to ask myself the question why do the numbers continue to rise in HIV infection.
Some people have said there are not enough efforts being made to get the information out and the availability of testing is lacking. I would have to disagree with this theory...at least in Washington, DC, where they announced yesterday that the rate of infection has exceeded that of infection in West Africa. Not only are there many number of facilities for FREE testing...but there is information everywhere... on the buses, in the subway, in the media, almost anywhere large numbers of people are found. Churches are even hosting health events where testing is offered.
So I am lead again to wonder...why do the numbers continue to rise...could it be that there is this false sense of security being portrayed by the medical community about how with the new medications a person can live a "long" life infected with the HIV virus. Could it be that they really needed to take this a step further and explained that yes...you can live a long life but living HIV infected is a life altering event. Your long life will probably include the need to take anti-retroviral medication for the rest of that life. Yes...the medications have come a long way and are good at what they were meant to do but the flip of that is for some individuals the medication can have some hard to deal with side effects.
Now...the other thing that comes to mind is what is the underlying reasoning behind choosing behaviors that you know could cause you to become infected. Is it that in those deep dark corners of the individuals mind lies pain that they seek out relief from in any way that will make the pain go away...or at least take it away temporarily. For some of us relief is found in food...contributing to the high incidence of obestiy in the US...for others the relief is found in alcohol or drugs...leading to medical/psycho/social problems...and for others the relief is found seeking love and affection often in all the wrong places with all the wrong people. I honestly believe until the medical community at large begins to look at all the reasons why there is this rise in the infection rates...HIV will continue to be on the rise..despite all the information presented and testing done. People are living in pain and often don't know how to rid themselve of it in a positive way.
We need to learn positive ways how to alleviate or reduce stress in our lives. We need to know that it is OK to say we are not having a good day and know where to go or who to call to help us through it. We need to begin to love ourselves and know our worth regardless of what somebody in our past or present said, did or did not do. And if anyone doesn't believe they are worth all this...always feel free to email me and I will tell you just how wonderful you are and help you find the way.
My Pearls of Health
Working together for change to live a healthier lifestyle
http://www.mypearlsofheath.com
Posted By: Belinda Anderson
Tuesday, March 17th 2009 at 7:27PM
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