Ignorance has a way of magnifying our fears

Happy Independence Day everyone! Educating yourself about the risks and how to minimize or avoid them is the first step in protecting your health and that of your loved ones. The second is setting aside whatever emotion (fear, shame, embarrassment, etc.) is keeping you from seeing a healthcare professional and getting tested routinely.

While it is true that we will all die from something at some time, HIV/AIDS doesn’t have to be the cause. Infections are largely preventable: men having unprotected sex with other men and IV drug users sharing needles make up the largest groups of at-risk individuals.

Fifteen thousand, five hundred and twenty-nine (15,529). That is the approximate number of people with an AIDS diagnosis who died in 2010 (Centers for Disease Control statistics). Of those deaths, about 7,678 were persons identified as Black/African American and 2,370 were Hispanic/Latino. Approximately 50,000 new cases of HIV infections are recorded each year, and more than 1.1 million people in the United States are currently living with the infection although almost 16% of them don’t know it.

The CDC has three new HIV testing recommendations. The first is that all patients ages 13 to 64 be screened for HIV as a part of their routine health care. The patient has the right to opt-out of this screening, but fewer people tend to opt out of health screenings compared with those who are afraid to request (or don’t know to request) a screening.

The next recommendation is that patients in a high-risk group for HIV infection be rescreened on an annual basis (or possibly more frequently). Lastly, the CDC recommends making HIV screening part of the routine prenatal screening now administered to all pregnant women. Again, women can opt out of the screening, but they are less likely to do so if this is one of several screenings they receive at the same time.

Ignorance has a way of magnifying our fears, but knowledge gives us a way to take control of our futures and make choices that may be better for us. As we celebrate our country’s independence, let us also celebrate our freedom from fear.

by Mary Turner, Gayly Columnist

The Gayly – July 5, 2014 @ 11am