World AIDS Day; remembering and fighting for the future

I work in HIV prevention. I have for years. And I will continue to do so, as long as I am needed. So please, please listen to me; get tested. Wear condoms. Be careful. Seek treatment.

I care, I really do. I care about all of you, and I want you to escape infection of this horrible disease; and I want to you get tested and seek treatment if you are positive and don’t know it. HIV disproportionately affects men who have sex with men and African Americans, both male and female, in this country. Every year there are over 40,000 new cases of HIV diagnosed in the US alone. It is estimated that there are as many as 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States; which is only a minor fraction of the 40 million people living with HIV worldwide. In this country, it is estimated that as much as 25% of people living with HIV are undiagnosed, and it is recommended that everyone get tested immediately, in order to foster appropriate and effective prevention and treatment. I deeply urge you, any and all of you, on this day, to please reflect on those that we have lost, those that are living with this disease, and those that we will lose; especially if those 25% remain undiagnosed and continue to spread the disease without their knowledge. Make sure that you are tested regularly. It only takes 20 minutes with the new OraQuick testing method. If you get tested be sure to get your results. Make sure that your lover/partner/friend/whomever is also tested regularly. Together, we can make this thing stop. But we all have to take a stand. AIDS is not over. It is still going strong. Don’t think for one minute that it is gone. Every ten seconds, someone in the world dies of AIDS. Please, get tested. Be safe.

I highly recommend going to see the AIDS quilt if you have the chance. They have some of it on display at where I work today, and needless to say, it has been difficult not to just sit down and cry all day. We must never forget, and we must continue to fight. Prevention is the key. Do your part. And protect yourself; you are the only one who can.