THINK you aren't affected by HIV/AIDS? You're
wrong. In some way, each and every one of us is affected by this epidemic stretching its grip across the globe. It's not just
devastating societies in faraway Africa -it's knocking on our door.
According to new figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
more than 1 million people in America
are living with HIV/AIDS. They may know it, they may not.
In Fairfield County, there are 59 people living with HIV/AIDS. According to the Ohio Department of
Health's most recent numbers from 2003, show 33 have HIV and 26 have AIDS.
While these numbers are recorded with the state, there could be more people out there
living with HIV/AIDS who don't know they're carriers.
This makes screening even more important.
HIV testing is simple. No longer does someone have to be stuck with a needle - it's
an oral swab test. There's no pain involved, just a few minutes of your time and a little bit of saliva and oral tissue cells.
The CDC says about 25 percent of those who have HIV/AIDS don't even know it. That means
everyone those people have had sexual contact with has been exposed to HIV/AIDS.
That's scary.
"More and more people are getting infected with HIV each year than are dying of the
disease," Terje Anderson, director of the National Association of People with AIDS, told Gannett News Service.
"CDC has been estimating 40,000 new cases a year with 16,000 deaths. That means there's
been a net gain of 24,000 people living with HIV/AIDS each year."
If those numbers don't speak to you, just hang on.
According to a Department of Health and Human Services report in 2004, about 55 percent
of all adults living with HIV/AIDS are on Medicaid. Up to 90 percent of all children with HIV/AIDS are on Medicaid.
That means your taxes are paying to insure these people. So, you see, HIV/AIDS does, in fact, affect you.
Forget what your neighbor might think. Getting tested is a tool to help protect yourself
from the most devastating epidemic of our time.
Article published Jun 16, 2005:
http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050616/OPINION01/506160314/1014
The Mayors
Campaign Against HIV
In observance of NAPWA's National HIV Testing Day 2005, NAPWA and OraSure Technologies,
manufacturer of the OraQuick ® ADVANCE(tm) Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test, will partner with city public health departments and
community-based organizations to launch the Mayors Campaign Against HIV to mayors and their constituencies in major metropolitan
cities nationwide.
Founded in 1983, NAPWA is the oldest national
AIDS organization in the United States
, and the oldest national network of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. NAPWA has been, and continues to be,
an essential voice in HIV/AIDS. National HIV Testing Day is a NAPWA initiative that sends the message from people living
with AIDS to those at risk to "Take the Test. Take Control."
The Mayors Campaign Against HIV is a national
call to action to mayors and their constituents across the country, inviting them to get tested for HIV on NAPWA's National
HIV Testing Day and promote the benefits of knowing one's HIV status. The campaign is designed to generate awareness for the
need for rapid HIV testing by leveraging the prominence and visibility of leaders who have publicly united in the fight against
AIDS.
NAPWA and OraSure Technologies will offer the
following support to cities participating in the Mayors Campaign Against HIV:
- A donation of 500 OraQuick
® ADVANCE(tm) Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Tests to the city or to the community-based organization of the mayor's choice
- Marketing and press materials
to help promote the event, including palm cards with testing locations and banners
- Promotion of the campaign
nationally and regionally, to further encourage others to take action and get tested
- Assistance in the planning
and execution of a media and/or community event to promote participation in the Mayors Campaign Against HIV
Please contact nhtd@napwa.org for more information on the NAPWA's 2005 National HIV Testing Day Mayors Campaign Against HIV
and how your city can get involved.
http://www.napwa.org/hivtestinfo/Mayors.htm
