INTRODUCTION
HIV & AIDS 101
Transmission
HIV can be transmitted in three main ways:- Sexual Transmission
- Transmission Through Blood
- Mother-to-child Transmission
Prevention
- Protect Yourself: Always use a condom during sex
- Limit Exposure to Bodily Fluids: Use clean needles and good hygiene
- Abstain: Limit sexual activity altogether
- Nurture Children: If HIV positive, consult a doctor before and during pregnancy and don’t breastfeed children
Testing and Treatment
HIV can be detected through many tests that involve taking an oral or blood sample. Locate the nearest testing site on www.hivtest.org. If one is determined to be HIV positive, he or she would then begin antiretroviral treatment (ARVs).AIDS – It’s More Than Just A Disease
BLOODLINE by Kristen Ashburn
The AIDS epidemic that came to light in the 1980s still rages today across Africa, killing 1.4 million people and infecting another 1.9 million in 2008 alone.
The disease does not discriminate, infecting educators and corporate professionals, as well as the poor.
As a concerned documentarian, Kristen Ashburn went to Africa to address this crisis after being struck by reports of the numbers of those dying. What she found — and what she relates in her deeply moving work — are human beings who are desperate for their story to be understood by the larger world.
Through her work we come to know these people, and to see the larger implications of the disease, as it snakes through whole villages, threatening peoples’ livelihoods, intensifying the effects of poverty, and threatening the economic stability of the whole region. Lack of education, awareness, and access to medical care have made the problem seem insurmountable. Through Ashburn’s efforts — and possibly our own — come some glimmer of hope toward a solution.
AIDS – It Won’t Disappear On Its Own
HIV/AIDS Prevalence by Country - CNN Special Coverage
AIDS isn’t some far away threat, and it definitely isn’t a disease that will cure itself if we passively wait.According to CNN’s interactive HIV/AIDS prevalence map, the United States experienced a 28% increase in the number of people living with AIDS from 2001 to 2009 while CDC says that one in five people (20%) who have HIV don’t know they are infected. The two numbers undoubtedly correlate. Lack of knowledge will lead to spreading of the infection. Ripple Effect aims to combat this by education as many people as possible about the disease.
Scrutinizing other countries’ statics can also provide a look at the dangers of the HIV/AIDS infection. For instance, while India’s percent change of people living with HIV has diminished, the infected population still hovers around 2,400,000. Moreover, Indonesia is a perfect example of an AIDS ripple’s devastation. The country’s statistics isn’t staggering because of the total amount of infected people but the rapid spread of the infection. In just eight years, the percent change of the HIV infected population totaled an alarming 2718%.
Science Behind HIV
HIV MECHANISM
Learn about the science and statistics behind HIV through online animations.Learn More!
Trusted Sources
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