Educating a Friend

Recently I was chatting with a friend and he was amazed at the lack of knowledge people had about HIV.

Time and time again, I am reminded of the lack of knowledge people have regarding HIV/AIDS. Instead of seeking information many ignore the truth. The truth is HIV affects EVERYONE. You may not be infected, but the likelihood of meeting someone that is continues to increase. Here in New York approximately 1 in 70 individuals is infected with HIV, but the worst part is 25% of those infected do not know they are.

One person can make a difference. These days there is an immense amount of information on the Internet. If you want information about the statistics in your city or state visit the Centers for Disease Control’s website. It has information broken down by state as well as race. I recently needed information in Russian and was able to do an Internet search and found several websites that were very useful for a friend of mines. When it comes to information on the Internet there are few barriers.

Here are a few online resources you can use to educate yourself and a friend:

The Body – offers HIV/AIDS information, as well as information on how you can become an activist for the cause and support for those newly diagnosed.

AIDSinfo – offers the latest federally approved information on HIV/AIDS clinical research, treatment and prevention, and medical practice guidelines for people living with HIV/AIDS, their families and friends, health care providers, scientists, and researchers.

World Health Organization – offers information on HIV/AIDS in several languages and is a great resource if you want to get HIV related news updates from around the world.

My main audience seems to be my friends and family. During conversations I try to educate them as well as learn from them. It is important to realize we do not know everything and hearing someone out may be key in understanding the thought behind certain behaviors. When it comes down to it, HIV infection is a direct result of a behavior. You may not be able to change behavioral patterns overnight, but through consciousness rising, I believe, you can slowly impact their thinking process.

Source: New York City Department of Health