This December is HIV/AIDS Awareness Month. Around the world people treat it as an opportunity to unite in the fight against the human immunodeficiency virus, show support for people living with HIV and commemorate people who have fallen victim to this disease.
According to the report of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS, an estimated 34 million people worldwide are living with HIV today. The federal Centers for Disease Control report that in the United States, the number for HIV-positive individuals adds up to 1.1 million, with 49,000 people infected in 2011. Particularly alarming is the rate of new infections among youth and young adults ó approximately 1,000 new infections each month, according to CDC estimates.
In Oregon, the number of people known to be living with HIV is 5,384. It is estimated that another 1,190 are infected but donít know it yet. Each year, the Oregon Public Health Division reports approximately 280 new diagnoses and 84 deaths of HIV-positive individuals. This means that a third of the newly HIV-infected Oregonians may die if proper care, medication and support is not provided to them.
Yet being HIV-positive and staying healthy is more than just having access to medication: Itís also about staying warm, dry and having enough to eat. HIV/AIDS can be an impoverishing disease, and many people struggle not only to afford expensive medications, but also to obtain basic needs like food, transportation, housing and dental care.
HIV Alliance, a Eugene-based nonprofit organization, coordinates care for more than 800 individuals living with HIV and addresses their direct and indirect needs related to HIV/AIDS. We at HIV Alliance realize that it is our shared responsibility to take care of those in need, prevent new infections and create a future free of AIDS.
So let us use this HIV/AIDS Awareness Month as an opportunity to learn the facts about HIV and put this knowledge into action. Let us become HIV-aware.
Let us be aware that the majority of all HIV infections are passed on by people who donít realize they have the virus. The CDC estimates that almost 1 in 5 people living with HIV are unaware of their infection. People often live with HIV for many years before getting diagnosed, significantly increasing the likelihood of passing it on.
This is why it is so important to get tested if youíve put yourself at risk. HIV Alliance offers free, anonymous and confidential tests with results ready in 20 minutes. Let us be aware, however, that stigma and bias are equally formidable obstacles to HIV care and prevention. Many people choose to risk their own health and the lives of others rather than taking an HIV test and facing the stigma that comes with a positive result. The likelihood of unsafe sexual practices is particularly high among gay men, who face more stigma and prejudice that isolate them, increase their risky behavior, and prevent them from receiving care and support.
Let us accept the shared responsibility for the AIDS-free generation and fight stigma by humanizing this disease through education and prevention efforts such as HIV Allianceís Speakers in the Schools program. This program brings powerful personal stories and prevention messages directly from HIV-positive speakers to our next generation of leaders, investing powerfully in the future of our community.
Let us be aware that injection drug use continues to play a large role in the incidence of AIDS. Since the epidemic began, injection drug use has accounted for more than one-third of AIDS cases in the U.S. The Oregon Public Health Division reports that 19 percent of Oregon HIV-positive individuals used injection drugs before becoming infected. What is more, HIV-positive injection drug users are more likely to have advanced stages of infection at the time of diagnosis.
A simple but extremely effective method of reducing the number of new HIV and HCV infections among people who inject drugs is our Needle Exchange Program. It provides the opportunity for people who inject drugs to safely and anonymously exchange their used needles for new ones, and keeps used needles away from our parks and neighborhoods. In the quest to eradicate AIDS, let us be aware this December that education and prevention are key to the future generation free from AIDS. We must continue fighting the stigma around HIV/AIDS, promote education and testing, and provide care coordination.
Diane Lang is the executive director of HIV Alliance. Sandi Orbell is the president of the organizationís board of directors.