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EVERYONE MUST GET TESTED
Sam Ho: On World AIDS Day, consider impact on youth
November 28, 2008
With improved drugs, proper care and treatment, people with HIV are living
longer and stronger lives while caring for themselves and others.
But
even with this encouraging news, a dangerous trend is emerging when it comes to
an often-ignored segment of the HIV and AIDS population: youth. As we observe
World AIDS Day today, statistics show more Americans between the ages of 13 to
24 are being affected by this deadly disease than ever before.
Most
frustrating of all, the problem is generally preventable through changes in
behavior, increased use of safer-sex practices, testing, basic health care and
other forms of prevention.
Statistically, youth are catching up fast to
other high-risk groups. In 2006, citing the most recent statistics available,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that young
people accounted for half of all new infections in the U.S.
Worldwide,
women account for nearly half of all new HIV infections. And almost two-thirds
of those are among young people, with infections among youth rising in almost
every region.
In the United States alone, more than 1 million Americans
have HIV/AIDS. According to the CDC, this country has the highest rate of
teenage infection in the developed world. Every hour, two Americans between the
ages of 13 and 24 contract HIV.
The face of AIDS is changing to include
every race, gender and class in almost every country around the world. Despite
increasing awareness over the years, we are still faced with staggering
statistics and barriers that must be addressed. This year alone, the CDC
admitted underestimating HIV cases by 40 percent, meaning that there could be
more than 9,000 American teens who have contracted the disease and don't even
know it.
Without treatment or education, these teens will continue to
transmit the virus to their partners.
Regularly testing pregnant women
and at-risk youth for HIV and providing antiretroviral drugs if they are
infected dramatically reduces the number of AIDS cases. This approach is already
reducing the number of children being infected from birth. In 1992, 855 U.S.
children developed AIDS. By 2005, only 57 children developed AIDS, a decline of
93 percent.
Preventing HIV is not complicated. Get tested as soon as
you're sexually active. Don't use IV drugs or share needles. Abstain or practice
safer sex. With preventative care, you and your health-care provider can fight
and manage this disease and protect children.
Most of all, get educated,
and don't be shy about discussing these issues. It's better to talk about
sensitive subjects with a doctor, nurse, friend or loved one than to let silence
and complacency lead to infection. For more information, visit
worldAIDSday.org.
Dr. Sam Ho is executive vice president and chief
medical officer working for UnitedHealthcare, with offices in Cypress, Calif.
It is the parent's they fight for this.
The educator do want this in school.They get shot down by the moms and dads.