1st December: International day of AIDS
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1st December is the international day of the AIDS since 1988. Worldwide, so in Hungary also, preventing programs, free test, talks and lectures are organized on this day, since the number of HIV-infected rises from year to year. Namely, according to the UNAIDS (organisation of the WHO) eleven people get infected with the HIV virus every minute: men, women and children.
One day is not enough
Once a year, the media takes out the topic, presenting detailed statistical data, deterrent stories and famous AIDS patients’ portraits, but then substantive communication – at the society level – doesn’t go on. That is why we tend to settle this question just with a flick. Such sentences like „this is here not Africa”, „I’m not having sex with prostitutes”, „this is the desease of drug addicteds and homosexuals” show us perfectly what’s going on in Hungary now, that is only little.
Since the vaccination preceding the infection or the medicine inactivating the virus has not been invented yet, the prevention seems to be the most efficient weapon against HIV. Or rather, the prevention could be if health expenditures were not as low as now in Hungary – hardly a couple million Forint. In order to reach the success in the spread of knowledge and informations people must be recognize and notice, that they are endangered.
The virus doesn’t discriminate
A lot of people turn to these stereotypes mentioned above to calm quasi themselves, that they cannot get infected. These statements used to be true, actually, many people infected through common used needles; frequent and light-minded partner selection. But in these days, if we look up a little bit, may become clear, even homosexuals and prostitutes are those who defend themselves in the largest proportion; don’t even talk about the fact that for the porn actors „required” responsibility spread among legal prostitutes also.
One scene at the trial in the movie Philadelphia is memorable for me: the woman witness tells that she got infected through a blood-dumping in the hospital, and this case was twisted such a way to set finally against Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks), who can tax himself with getting infected because of his homosexuality.
Till end of September, about onehundred new HV-infected were registered, under 25 years old, heterosexuals in majority. According to the study of WHO, only seven percent of sexually active people use condoms! And I know, it is banal but true: the HIV doesn’t discriminate. Why is it worth taking a risk?
Just because of the game?
Everybody knows the russian roulett. But, there is a new version of it: 10-15 young people gather, one of them is HIV positive. Everybody choose a partner and having sex without protection. Three and six weeks later they made the HIV test and meet again to get to know who „won”. Unfortunatelly, I haven’t found sources either to confirm or to refute this.
Protect!
What could I say now? „Be watchful, protect yourself and go regularly to test”. We don’t have to live the rest of our life in fear, but if we are aware of not being invulnerable, we could probably have a sexual life with more responsibility and less disappointments.