AIDS Awareness - In Several Guises

((if you came to this blog by searching for something about how you catch AIDS, please skip to the bottom of this post))

Some of you savvier internet-international development types might think it strange that there has been such a furor over MSF's "Boy" ad and things have (so far at least) remained relatively quiet on the "there is such a bad thing as bad press" front for the AIDS is a Mass Murderer Campaign.

While I can't speak to other denizens of the blogosphere, my answer is that I simply won't be deigning to give it the benefit of a commentary. While the 'Boy' ad may have been an emotive and disturbing composite of real (or real enough) events, the new AIDS awareness ads, while provocative, aren't really even an apt metaphor.

That being said, Google Analytics has pointed out to me that a large percentage of the tiny number of one-time readers my blog has come here searching for something related to "how you can catch AIDS." This is probably because of my You can't catch AIDS from sharing textbooks post penned after a visit to a Malawian primary school. Not that it matters - the point is, people come to this blog looking for information about AIDS transmission and I want them - even if it's only handful of them - to get access to accurate and helpful information about it.


AIDS: Some Facts & Resources

(It should be noted that I am not a doctor. If you are concerned that you or a loved one has a medical condition, you should seek medical advice. And even if you aren't you should be careful to trust the accuracy of online information, especially on blogs. I have tried my best to provide accurate information here, but I make no guarantees and will not be held liable for any consequences that may arise as a result of misinformation provided here.)

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency syndrome. It is an incurable and life-threatening sexually transmitted infection most commonly spread through having unprotected sex. It is also spread through sharing needles and from mother to child during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Historically, it has also been spread through tainted blood transfusions (though this is rare and NOT a reason to avoid donating blood or receiving transfusions in most places - please, please, please talk to a physician or a blood donation clinic if you have concerns about this possibility).

AIDS is actually caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency disorder). HIV/AIDS is currently classified as a global pandemic.
Both HIV & AIDS are incurable illnesses. Both are also treatable.

Many people who are HIV positive do not know that they have an incurable and life-threatening condition, as symptoms are not apparent in the early stages.

HIV/AIDS itself does not kill people. What it does it destroy the immune systems of people with the virus, making them more susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumours. Just because HIV/AIDS itself does not kill people does not mean that the virus is not deadly: infections caused by the virus have killed more than 25 million people since 1981.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has an easy-to-read and authoritative Question & Answer section on their website that is available in multiple languages. You can find it in English by clicking here.

Care also has an excellent list of resources.

AVERT also offers comprehensive resources.

And I'm sure there are many other good sites out there.

If you are concerned that you may have contracted HIV/AIDS, speak to a physician immediately or get tested for it.