In my Humanities course MDGs at GCE, we learned about the 8 Millennium Development Goals that the UN made in 2000. For Unit 3, the specific MDGs we focused on were 6, 7, and 8. MDG 6 is: Combat HIV/AIDS, MDG 7 is: Ensure Environmental Sustainability, and MDG 8 is: Develop a Global Partnership for Development. For this Action Project, we were told to write an essay that gave information on one of these MDGs and inspired people to take action. I chose MDG 6 for my essay and learned a lot about how it affects millions of people around the world every day. I also learned about the many misconceptions people have about this disease, how certain people have taken action against it, and how regular people can help prevent HIV/AIDS.
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| LS. Spreading HIV/AIDS. 2015 |
Spread of HIV/AIDS
More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and almost 1 in 8 (12.8%) are unaware of their infection (aids.gov). Either people in the US don’t know much about this horrible disease or they have rash misconceptions due to lack of education. However, even though you may not have this disease, there are many things you can do to help prevent others from contracting it.
HIV and AIDS have been a widespread global issue. The MDGs made by the UN in 2000 recognize the importance of trying to stop the spread of this disease because of the horrors that it imposes and the amount of people they affect. As a race, we have been slightly effective at reducing the spread of these diseases. According to the website Our World Data, in 2000 there were 3.5 million new HIV infections globally and in 2013, there were 2.1 million new HIV infections globally. This decrease in new infections can be considered successful but it can also be reduced a lot more. Also, in 2000, there were 1.8 million global AIDS related deaths and in 2013, there were 1.5 million global AIDS related deaths. While much less of a decrease, this is still a step forward in preventing this disease. However, according to this data, there are still around 2 million new HIV infections and AIDS related deaths each year.
One specific person who has made a difference in the progress of the stop of the spread of HIV and AIDS is Naina Khanna. In an article written about Khanna’s good doings, “This year, Khanna and team greatly expanded a leadership seminar that reached nearly 400 women from across the country and trained them in public speaking, media, blogging and community organizing” (Turkewitz, Ford, and Terell). In my opinion, the best way we can go about preventing HIV/AIDS is getting people educated and aware of the diseases. Khanna did this by teaching people that went to teach others about HIV and what they can do to protect themselves from it. From the same previous article, “... since January, PWN has also launched two major campaigns: the ‘30 for 30 Campaign,’ which focuses on ensuring that women's HIV issues are incorporated into new health care policies, and the ‘Count Us In!’ campaign, which began Dec. 1, and demands that women living with HIV have better access to care and are included in HIV policy decisions, more research and data, and leadership” (Turkewitz, Ford, and Terell). This quote also shows how getting people aware goes a long way to help prevent HIV from spreading.
There are many ways that regular people, young and old, can help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Like I said before, the best way to go about preventing this disease is spreading the word and getting people educated. HIV/AIDS is spread by people making decisions. If we can make everyone aware of the risks involved in having unprotected sex with another person you don’t know well, we can help prevent the disease. Also, making sure people are aware of the way that the disease spreads can be helpful too. Making sure that people know that they won’t contract HIV/AIDS just by being around a person that has it will also help clear some large misconceptions about the disease. So, quite simply the best way to prevent these diseases is education people about being aware, safe, and protected.
In conclusion, the spread of HIV/AIDS is a large problem all around the world. As the facts show, this disease has affected millions of people and many people every day try to stop it. What we can do as regular citizens to help is make sure that every person is aware, educated, and safe. The most important thing to remember about this disease is that it can and will infect anyone it comes in contact with, even you.
Works Cited
Rosser, Max. "HIV / AIDS." Our World in Data. OurWorldInData.org, 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. http://ourworldindata.org/data/health/hiv-aids/
Turkewitz, Julie, Olivia Ford, and Kellee Terrell. "HIV/AIDS Community Spotlight: People Who
Made a Difference in 2011." TheBody.com. Remedy Health Media, 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. http://www.thebody.com/content/65158/hivaids-community-spotlight-people-who-made-a-diff.html
"U.S. Statistics." AIDS.gov. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2 Dec. 2014. Web.
23 Oct. 2015. https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/statistics/
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