AIDS awareness saves lives

    World AIDS Day 2009 in Montana

As we pass the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, we encourage all Montanans to think about this year’s theme:  “Universal Access and Human Rights.”

The recent global economic turmoil has raised fears that financial commitments to the AIDS response may decrease while factors such as poverty that make people vulnerable to the disease will increase.

 It is estimated that one in four individuals who are infected with HIV don’t know it. In Montana, 429 people (one in 2,250 ) are living with the HIV infection. Many other Montanans may be infected with HIV and not realize it. Others have already died of AIDS.

During the last few years, the largest growing group of people with new HIV infections is young women between the ages of 15 and 25. They get the infection from sexual contact with people who are infected. Other high risk groups of people include the injectable drug users and men having sex with men.

 Although there is now antiviral medicine that can help an infected individual live longer and have a better quality of life, these medicines are not cures for this disease. The antiviral medicines are also very expensive and have unpleasant side effects. A better approach is prevention which can only happen through education. 

World AIDS Day is a good time to talk to the people you love about their risk factors for this disease and encourage them to be tested.  It is also the time to encourage your school systems to educate our young people and in doing so, to decrease the infection rate in our young people.

A previous theme for World AIDS day was “Make Every Day World AIDS Day.” The focus cannot be just once a year as it is estimated that every 9 1/2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV.

Montana Family Planning Clinics are kicking off this year’s World AIDS Day with the “I KNOW” campaign urging Montanans to learn their HIV status. The Lake County Health Department encourages you to join the challenge by getting tested for HIV. For more information about HIV/AIDS education or to schedule an appointment for testing, please contact the Lake County Health Department at 883-7288.