HIV/AIDS is a huge problem and, sadly, African American women make up the majority of cases.  In 2009 57% of new infections in the US were black women, which means that HIV/AIDS in the black community is a big thing. Women of color have high rates of some STIs. Having an STI can make a person more susceptible to HIV. I feel that all people should get tested for STI/STDs often, regardless of ethnicity, because all people are at risk.

• Of the total number of new HIV infections in US women in 2009, 57% occurred in blacks, 21% were in whites, and 16% were in Hispanics/Latinas.
• In 2009, the rate of new HIV infections among black women was 15 times that of white women, and over 3 times the rate among Hispanic/Latina women.

I learned in my research that using drugs is a risk factor for contracting HIV/AIDS, especially if you are injecting drugs into your body using needles.  All drug users may be more likely to have unprotected sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This is something that I really understand, because drugs affect all people in different ways, and can cause people to choices while they’re under the influence, that they wouldn’t otherwise make. For women living with a diagnosis of HIV infection, the most common methods of transmission were high-risk heterosexual contact and injection drug use.

• Young people aged 13–29 accounted for 39% of all new HIV infections in 2009.
• An estimated 8,294 young persons were diagnosed with HIV infection in 2009 in the 40 states with long-term HIV reporting, representing about 20% of the persons diagnosed during that year.
• Young adults, both male and female, who have experienced sexual abuse, are more likely to engage in sexual or drug-related risk behaviors that could put them at risk for HIV infection.

In 2009 young people counted for 39% of all new HIV infections, which I feel is a big problem. All teens, whoever they are, wherever they live need to take the threat of HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) seriously. I feel that youth need to be educated about HIV/AIDS; how the virus works, how they can protect themselves and places they can access testing and contraceptives confidentially. Education is a huge problem; condom education and prevention programming is something I feel should be put in all schools because HIV/AIDS is a worldwide problem. My research stated that young people are at the centre of the global AIDS epidemic. Of the 1.7 billion young people worldwide, 5.4 million are estimated to be living with HIV (2007). I found this shocking because it is such a high number of young people, even though people have known about the virus since the 1980’s. My research stated that by 2010 at least 95 percent of young men and women aged 15 to 24 years had access to information, education and services necessary to develop the life skills required to reduce their vulnerability to HIV infection. I feel that this is a good start, promoting safe sex is a good thing for teens so they will always be prepared for the future and be educated about HIV/AIDS but I was also reminded how important it is to be sure that the information they’re receiving is accurate and useful.

• Having sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) with a man or woman who is infected with HIV unprotected anal sex is the riskiest.
• The disease caused by HIV that attacks and destroys a person's immune system until it is not able to fight off infection.

I learned that HIV attacks a person’s immune system. We all get sick and we need our immune system to stay strong and live a healthy life. Scientists and doctors have been researching HIV/AIDS since 1985. It has been said that HIV/AIDS is one of the most serious, deadly diseases in human history ever and I find it scary that we’re living in the age of AIDS. HIV/AIDS attaches to the CD4 cells.  The virus then infects the cells and uses them as a place to multiply. In my research I learned that the virus destroys the ability of the infected cells to do their job in the immune system, so the body loses the ability to fight many infections. Also, even when the person infected has no symptoms, it is still possible for them to infect others, which is why it’s really important to get tested every 6 months and protect yourself. People who have AIDS tend to keep getting sicker, especially if they are not taking their medications properly. Overtime, their immune system can become severely damaged. 

Today is Black HIV/AIDS awareness day, but HIV/AIDS affects everyone.  It is important for all of us to be aware, all the time, about what we do that puts us at risk for contracting the virus and to learn about how to be safe.  Be the boss of you and do what you need to do to protect yourself.

For more information, please check out our HIV/AIDS 101 page http://www.weebly.com/weebly/main.php#and visit the websites I used for my research:

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/default.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/BlackHIVAIDSAwareness/

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm

http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/hiv/en/index.html

http://www.avert.org/