They Stopped Talking...

 

During the 80s - early 00s, the conversation on HIV was loud & very present.  In the medical arena, in the social scene, on media, etc... In the last decade or so, they've redefined HIV as manageable & the discussions dwindled.  Articles like this piece, point out how knowledge of HIV has dropped.  It peaked in GenX & dropped drastically by GenZ.   That brought a lack of comfort with being near someone HIV+.  It also strengthened the stigma machine.

Is HIV manageable?  Yes, but only with awareness, education, knowledge, testing, treatment & outreach.  Without those & a lot of funds, the virus will surge again & possibly become more dangerous than before.

It's the media & health officials' responsibility to keep this information active.  But, it's also on you to educate & protect yourself.  There are meds for HIV, but it is still here & can lead to death if not treated.

Educate yourself, take care.

Cya...

HIV Talk...

Info about HIV has dwindled.  In the 90s, it was inescapable.  It was quite literally everywhere.  You could be easily be overwhelmed by it.   To the point, it desensitized people. 

Now, we don't talk about it.  We don't educate about HIV.  There aren't ads in the back of magazines.  As the idea of HIV retreated, so did the knowledge.  

Now, there's a rise in misinformation about HIV & STIs.  According to pieces like this, stigma is rising in young people.

Decreasing information, no matter how overwhelming, is never the answer.  Learn to redirect it & present it better.  But, never lessen the exposure to info that could protect a person's life or well being.   Some say it's a scare tactic, OK, maybe.  Better scared & safe than being HIV+ & full of bravado. 

Start honestly talking about HIV again.  

Cya...

Busy CDC...

The CDC has been busy.  I looked for articles & 3 things jumped out at me.  This article urges pharmacists & pharmacies to take a greater role in the fight against HIV.  It's a good article & pharmacies offer more & more services, this might work.

The next piece,  is on the their own site dedicated to getting people to talking about HIV.  Communication & awareness will always be the 1st step in dealing with HIV.  The next site, is the CDC's instagram page dedicated to Start Talking, Stop HIV.

Give them a look.  They could do some good. Take care.

Cya...

Talk Talk...

About a lot of things in life, there may be too much talk & too little action.  But, with HIV, there's too little of both.  A ways back most people just stopped talking about HIV.   Getting this conversation really started again is the only way we're even going to hold our own in this fight, let alone win it.   

During the 90's, the world was saturated with info on AIDS.  It got to the point that people were tuning out.  During the 2000's, medical advancements, made it seem as the war had been won.  That wasn't the case.

With the current political climate & the risk of HIV rebounding across the globe, it's more important than ever to make sure this conversation keeps going.  It's necessary to promote the fight against this virus & to give people the tools they need to get through this.  So, get over the awkwardness of it all & start talking.

Cya...