So when in comes to HIV/AIDS, there are two important dates. first, theres AIDS Memorial Day which falls on May 15th every year. on AIDS Memorial Day, we usually have a candle light vigil to remember those whom have passed due to AIDS. here in Malaysia, people usually organize faith based events (besides the vigil) to remember and pray for friends and family who have passed. to bless their souls. and second, you have World AIDS Day which as many of you might already know falls on Dec 1st every year. unlike AIDS Memorial Day, World AIDS Day is actually to disseminate information and organize events to spread the message on HIV/AIDS in hopes that one day we will be able to stop/minimize/control the spread of HIV. and each year, the UN will come up with a theme e.g. STOP AIDS, KEEP THE PROMISE and LEADERSHIP.
anyways, just three days ago we celebrated World AIDS Day. this year was very special because some friends participated in an event organized by the Malaysian AIDS Council. Hana and Nunu among others cycled approximately 30km around the Golden Triangle to show their support for the cause. i have to say, it was pretty amazing cause they barely had any sleep the previous night and they had to wake up at 5ish in the morning to get ready for the event. so yeah, it was really nice.
as of the end of 2007, 33 million people have been reported to be living with HIV in the world and in here in Malaysia there are about 82 thousand people living with HIV as of June 2008. if you must know, by the standards of UN, for every case which is reported, there are four or five more out there which are not reported. which means, the total figure has to be multiplied by 4 or 5. it does make a lot of sense because a) there are no symptoms to tell you that you have HIV; you can only tell if you go for a HIV test and b) the numbers that we have right now are reflection of mandatory testings. so we do not actually know how many people are really infected. so you can say that it is pretty worrying and yeah, it is a pandemic. multiply those numbers by 4 or 5 and you’ll know what i mean.
so there are only three main ways that you can get HIV:
1. unprotected penetrative sex with an infected partner
2. sharing of needles, syringes, or any injecting equipment
3. from mother to child – during pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding
and HIV has high concentration only in these fluids:
1. blood
2. sperm
3. vaginal fluid
4. breast milk
so only these fluids can transmit HIV. not saliva, tears, urine, or whatever.
with so many people infected with HIV all around the world and knowing that half of them are womyn, one day is not enough to spread messages on HIV/AIDS. and also please bear in mind that the number of womyn getting infected with HIV is also on the rise here in Malaysia. so again, one day is just not enough
and knowing the facts and figures are not enough. you have to walk the talk. so please put on a condom whenever you wanna have sex. everytime. and dont share needles or syringes or any injecting equipments. be it when you are shooting up, getting a tattoo, getting an injection, or donating blood. clean equipments.
if you want free condom, please drop by to our place or you can always get them at MAC (not the make up place) or PT Foundation.
January 21st, 2009 at 10:04 pm
hi, how do I check my blood? where? is it expensive? please I really need to check my blood since there’s no symptoms for AIDS, tq =(
January 21st, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Hi, as far as I know PT Foundation does free, and very importantly, anonymous, testing for HIV. Please check here http://www.ptfmalaysia.org/hiv-screening.htm
Please note that the last i checked — and i have no reason to believe anything has changed since then — doctors are actually obliged by the government to submit your name and ID should you test positive for HIV, which is why I would suggest going for PT’s anonymous screening if it’s available in your area.
January 24th, 2009 at 1:09 am
Hello Lainie, tq sooo much! really appreciate it! =)
February 10th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
hi, what if the person who is positive AIDS and they share same toothbrush with Negative AIDS and while the person who is positive brush his teeth the there was a blood while he brush his teeth, is it possible for the negative people who share the same toothbrush get infected?? plz help! thxs
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
hey,
i am so sorry. i just noticed this comment.
okay, better late than never, right.
here goes…
okay, this is a tough one. but i will try.
firstly the concentration of HIV in saliva is really really low. so you cant actually get infected by saliva. as i have mentioned, there only those 4 fluids can actually cause infection.
for infection to occur,
a) the HIV has to be present in those fluids (duh)
b) it has to come out of the body
c) it has to “alive” – HIV CANNOT LIVE OUTSIDE YOUR BODY. it dies when it is exposed to air, water, whateve. it is like a parasite. it can only live in your body. however, i cannot tell how long long doesnt take for it to die as we dont really know. it depends on the quanity as well. the more the longer la.
d) it has to go into your body via open wounds, open cuts, blood stream, penis, vagina, anus. so there needs to be an entry point.
so in your case, say if you have a cut in your mouth and the blood somehow gets in there then yes, there is risk. risk as in there is a chance.
but also remember the blood is not that much and probably it has been exposed to air, water, saliva so probably, the virus could be dead. probably.
so it really depends. if there is wound in your mouth. but thus far there has been any cases like that. infection due to sharing o toothbrush. so no worries.
because blood is something which is visible. higly visible. so you can actually see if there’s blood on something. and usually if you wash it then its fine. cos as i said, HIV cannot live outside the body. but if you wanna be extra careful or whatever, then you can choose not to share those items which would include razor.
and there is clear difference between between HIV and AIDS. AIDS is wehn someone is terminally ill. HIV cause AIDS. HIV is the virus whereas AIDS is the syndrome/illness. i prefer to say syndrome cos i am super pc. so in your case, the persun is HIV positive not AIDS positive.
okay, i have a class. i need to go. if there are typos sorry. i have no time to re check. will add whatever if needed later.
hope this helps and sorry cfor the late reply.
thanks!