I can remember growing up in the 1980's and being faced with the horror of AIDS. At first, there was so misinformation, and so much of what was said was fiction more than fact. I had no idea then how the horrible disease came about, but many people were quick to classify people with HIV/AIDS in a negative light, but I was one who wanted to find out the truth about this disease. I was glad that they covered AIDS in depth in my high school health class. I feel that I got a better understanding of AIDS, and I am quite grateful to my teacher.
What I have noticed in later times is that AIDS seems to be something that is no discussed as it should be. Since I am a teacher, I have had to sit through sex education classes, and AIDS is rarely if ever brought up. They tend to focus on pregnancy and other STD's. This would lead one to believe that AIDS is a thing of the past.
But is that honestly true? Let's look at the history. World AIDS day has been in existence since 1988, and back then, HIV always meant a certain death sentence within a short time. With the advances in technology and medical science, people are able to live much longer with this disease, but unfortunately it is not eradicated as of yet. But that is the focus of today's World AIDS day. The theme this year is "Working Together for an AIDS-free Generation." I want my daughter to grow up in a world where this disease is a thing of the past like smallpox and other diseases.
The stigma associated with AIDS still does tend to exist. While it is true that AIDS/HIV can happen as a result of lifestyle choices, that is not the full story. Sometimes, children are born to mothers with the virus, or in small cases, tainted blood can still cause a person to catch this virus. We have to think outside of the U.S. to realize that not everyone with this debilitating virus has the life they could in a more developed country like the U.S. May this be the generation that can be known as truly AIDS-free!
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