Eclipse, Cats, Rain & Misc...

 

The eclipse happened & it was neat to see.  The powers that be in our town & surrounding areas highly overestimated the number of people that'd be out.  If anything, that's the least amount of people I've seen out on a Monday morning in a long time.   So much for Arkansas' state of emergency.  Still it was an experience.

Our older cat Millie turns 8 this month.  We don't exactly when.  The youngest will be 6 months soon.  Where are all these smart, graceful cats people talk about?  We keep getting clumsy, awkward doofuses.  We love them, but smart, elegant or graceful are not words we'd use to describe them unless we were being sarcastic.

It rained a lot last night.  Somewhere just over 3".  It was loud & bright.   I didn't sleep well through that storm.  It wouldn't find a rhythm. 

For the miscellany;  I forgot yesterday was National Native American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.  There are more articles out about how British, heterosexual adults got a rude surprise in finding out they weren't somehow exempt from contracting HIV.  Lastly, there's been quite a few pieces over HIV in young people.  This isn't surprising.  They test to have the least understanding of the illness.  This is entirely due to awareness & education programs being taken away from their age groups via schools other outlets. 

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Still Needing The Info...

No citations today.  The topic is easily Googled.   There are a constant flow of articles detailing the failures of the fight against HIV.  Even in the age PrEP & accessible regimens.  

The culprit usually comes down the, "Not me" attitude.  Various reports show 10 - 33% of gay/bi males under 24 haven't been tested for HIV & are horribly ignorant of the virus.  Those that somewhat understand the virus, feel they're not risky enough to  contract it & if they do they can just take meds.  They think it's like having a long term cold.

The untested numbers drop drastically once past the age of 24 & outside the general demographic.   Still, that's a huge number of people ignorant about HIV & untested who are sexually active.   This is not a case for PrEP or treatment as prevention.  This is the very reason why education & prevention are still relevant.  Only by making these young men aware of the situation is there a chance of getting them to practice safer sex behaviors & get tested.  

Take care.

Cya..

Hello August...

I woke to a chilly, August morning, it was 64 F.  I had a little light coming through my windows, but not much.   Sunrise is already back to being at 6:30.  

Today or tomorrow my newish, car insurance should make it's withdraw.  It's only the 2nd round with them, so I'm keeping an eye on it.   I hate not being able to trust this yet.  It's just another lit bit of agitation.

When I young.  I would spend every possible minute outside.  I'd run across fields, play in creeks, make hideouts under bushes.  Anything to avoid going home.  Not matter where I was living, I'd be out as much I could.  It didn't matter if I didn't know anyone else where we were.  I'd do it because whatever place I was living always had something in common.  I wasn't wanted there.  

No one ever directly said that to me.  But they did it in a multitude of other ways, like leaving or sending me some place else for "my own good".  I hate that statement.  Not once has it ever be good for me, when someone said something was happening for, "my own good."  It was always for someone else.

So, I stayed outside.  I ran, jumped, climbed, swam...  I  tried not to cry,  be scared, be nervous, care that I wasn't wanted there.  I hated the moment I had to go home.  The instant I had to go inside for anything, all their displeasure would hit me like a wave. At least during the warmer parts of the year, I could be outside away from most people. Even if it was scary & lonely sometimes.

The warm times of the year were my solace & the cooler months were hard.   You can only avoid them seeing you for so long in a house.  Every day, in a thousand ways they made you knew you weren't wanted, that you were a nuisance, a burden.   Dying would've been easier than my childhood of anger, desertion & chaos.

Summer still offers me a bit of that, even if I no longer run in the fields.  Winter is still the thing that traps me inside, with closed windows, old air & stale smells.  With the Sun I can stretch out & be more me.  When it's cold, I just want to curl up & hide.  I  hate that I ever grew up & came to understand this all as an adult.  At least as a kid, I could have my fantasies & make-believe reasons behind all the anger aimed at me.  Now, I can't.

August is here.  There's only a single day of mid 90s temps in the 15 day forecast.   When I saw that, part of me just fell away.   I'm not ready for this.  Soon, it will be cold & the windows will be closed.  I will cooped up & more alone.   If I'm going to die in this stupid town, I hope it doesn't linger too long.  Everyday I hate this place a little more.  It's like it's all I have left are dark things. There's not much a of me left anymore.  

Be kind to others, strays & most importantly yourself.  Few others will be do it for you.

Cya...

PS. - August, I hope you can hold on to the Sun for a little while longer.  I'm not ready to close the windows yet.

Testing For Youth...

A serious problem in the fight against HIV is the number of people who don't know their status.   This is impacted by the lack of testing.  This is especially true among some of the groups at higher risks, including the 13 - 24 age bracket.

It's estimated that somewhere over 20% of all new cases fall into this category.  Make these youths people of color & the numbers go up.  Testing for these groups has historically fallen short. 

While there are many youth groups out there, even some aimed at kids of color & the gay community, most don't provide testing.  They don't even have relationships with agencies that do.  These young people need access to testing.  Testing at places they feel comfortable & not on the spot with the adults in their lives.

Until we provide young people with easily accessible & anonymous testing, it's probably not going to happen.  Parents aren't requiring HIV tests for their kids for whatever reason.  Testing & education are the front line in the battle against HIV.  Our society has failed on this matter.

Cya...

Poz Kids...

This piece & numerous others have listed the 13 - 24 age demographic as the group with the highest HIV transmission rate for years.  It's no surprise.  What prevention/education has  been taking place in public schools over the last decade?  In most cases, virtually none.

Why is it spreading so fast in tweens to college kids?

• Little to no sex ed 
• It's the age of experimentation with sex, drugs & everything
• Assumed invulnerablity
• Little prevention tactics or testing happening
• This age group is historically high for STI transmission
• HIV stigma

What can be done about this?

• Realistic health & sex ed courses in schools
• Push HIV testing as routine care
• Talk Talk Talk
• Make safer sex habits possible
• Accept kids are going to have sex
• Accept kids don't have all the tools to make good choices
• Accept experimentation is part of growing up
• Stop shaming, screaming, punishing, humiliating ...
• Be approachable

Until, we make it a priority to prevent HIV in this age group regardless of people's repressive agendas then this won't change.

Cya...

X2...

This article details how HIV transmission rates in young people ranging from their teens to their late 20's has doubled in Maryland.  After years of reversing course & curbing the spread of HIV. the virus is advancing again among the youngest in the population.    The  same thing is being witnessed across the nation.

Why?  Lack of information regarding HIV.   Lack of a sense of mortality among young people.  The inability of many teens to realistically comprehend risks & to react appropriately.    The very success of the fight against HIV has led to its failure.

The illness is no longer an immediate pronouncement of death.  Instead, its just the end of the life you had.   HIV is seen as a treatable, chronic illness, not the Grim Reaper knocking on your door.   The lack of education to these young people in any meaningful manner has left them vulnerable & in many cases +.

So much for the zero transmission movement.  The unwillingness of the public to educate & remain vigilant on the matter, combined with youthful indiscretion has led to another huge generation of people who will live the rest of their lives, HIV +.

Go Us, 

Cya...

Changing Places...

This article found that the majority of young people preferred POC (Point Of Care) rapid testing to traditional HIV testing in a clinical setting.   They preferred the faster results & the less invasive atmosphere.

This is a big deal actually.  In a time when kids can't even commit to a phone call & prefer texting.  It's should've been expected this age group would prefer things to be as quick & direct as possible.  

Traditional testing requires a follow up appointment, to which the person may or may not show up.  For whatever reason a lot of people don't come back for their results.   The why isn't really relevant.  All that matter is that they didn't.  During this time, a + person could still be engaging in high risk behaviors.

At POC rapid testing centers, the  results are available then.  The risks can be discussed.  Treatment options can be gone over.  Their old life as a + person can be begin with knowledge of their status & what they need to do.  

This is probably the way things are going to head towards for everyone.  Most likely, it'll still require a traditional test follow up, but at least there's some info to move forward with in their lives. HIV education & treatment has to evolve with the public if it's going to have any chance at all of succeeding.

Cya...