World Aids Day

[Greentinted]

We were told in the 80s "in 5 years you will know someone who has been infected with HIV" - many of us scoffed!

They called it the 'gay plague' or 'natural justice for junkies' - many of us self righteously agreed.

Like war, AIDS kills and devastates lives and leaves the bereaved thinking "Why?"

Once again HIV infection is on the rise

Today, so far I have yet to see anyone wearing a red ribbon.

[Twa Cairpets]

We were told in the 80s "in 5 years you will know someone who has been infected with HIV" - many of us scoffed!
I dont know anyone who has been infected with AIDS or HIV.


They called it the 'gay plague' or 'natural justice for junkies' - many of us self righteously agreed.
I didn't.


Like war, AIDS kills and devastates lives and leaves the bereaved thinking "Why?"
Same with cancer, starvation, drought, natural disaster or any number of other ways of dying unfairly.


Once again HIV infection is on the rise
Maybe because millions people are being deliberately mis-educated in the third world or wantonly stupid in the first. Not everyone, but some.


Today, so far I have yet to see anyone wearing a red ribbon.
So?

My apologies if this is seen in any way as being disrespectful to those who have HIV or AIDS. Its not meant to be, and I believe that education, research and resource should be directed toward tackling the horrendous waste of life caused by AIDS in the third world in particular.

What I object to is the Facebook-esque atttempt to tug on heart strings, to somehow make me feel guitly about not wearing a ribbon of any particular colour. On FB, you see "99% of people wont repost this as their status, but if you've lost someone who's dies of xxxxxx then show your solidarity etc etc." What does that actually do? Nothing. It salves a conscience in a microscopic way and does nothing practical whatsoever to help people who are suffering or suffering the consequences.

Your post has the same feel to it. It would have more impact for me if you'd said: "Today is World Aids day. Here is the website. Go and look at it and make a donation."

[lapsedhibee]

I dont know anyone who has been infected with AIDS or HIV.


:tsk tsk: You might.

Agree with all the rest of your response though.

[Greentinted]

Harsh but fair I suppose. Maybe it's different when you are close to someone who has a particular condition. As for pulling on heart strings, that's your interpretation. Today being December 1st, I felt it apposite to make a small statement on a public forum by virtue of an awareness raising comment. I have no problem with that. If people do, that's up to them.

HIV still appears to be another one of those 'elephants in the room', and it disappoints me that very few people are even aware of the significance of today's date.

Change HIV/AIDS with the word 'cancer' and would you have commented in a similar vein?

(and as it goes, I don't do the saccharine-laced chain FB statements either)

[Twa Cairpets]

World Aids Day (http://www.worldaidsday.org/)

[RyeSloan]

Harsh but fair I suppose. Maybe it's different when you are close to someone who has a particular condition. As for pulling on heart strings, that's your interpretation. Today being December 1st, I felt it apposite to make a small statement on a public forum by virtue of an awareness raising comment. I have no problem with that. If people do, that's up to them.

HIV still appears to be another one of those 'elephants in the room', and it disappoints me that very few people are even aware of the significance of today's date.

Change HIV/AIDS with the word 'cancer' and would you have commented in a similar vein?

(and as it goes, I don't do the saccharine-laced chain FB statements either)

Really?

In the UK HIV and AIDS diagnosis are down significantly from their peak. With about 500 or so deaths a year maybe from a UK perspective there are bigger concerns?

From a world perspective there is about $15bn a year being spent by various organisations to help 'defeat' the epidemic. There is also a dedicated UN organisation to assist in this fight. The latest stats from the UN released only a few days ago state that all metrics in terms of deaths and infection are trending down significantly and deaths are down 21% from peak.

The fact is that AIDS, while a terrible disease, does have significant resources being applied against it and the trends are all positive...sure we should maintain awareness and continue to try to beat back such an unforgiving disease but I'm not sure your comments about elephants in room is accurate in any way.

Finally your comment about Cancer is probably true...considering cancer of some sort is responsible for about 30% of all deaths in the UK I am damn sure more people are aware of it and damn sure more people care about the associated research and efforts being made to combat it.

[CropleyWasGod]

Really?

In the UK HIV and AIDS diagnosis are down significantly from their peak. With about 500 or so deaths a year maybe from a UK perspective there are bigger concerns?




That may be, but infection rates are on the rise again, particularly amongst older people (45 and up), but also younger men. There are also major concerns about the effect of immigration from sub-Saharan Africa. So much so that, in Lothian, the NHS have substantially changed their prevention strategy over the past few years.

In overall terms, it's obviously not as big an issue as cancer and the likes, but the potential is huge.

[Twa Cairpets]

Harsh but fair I suppose. Maybe it's different when you are close to someone who has a particular condition. As for pulling on heart strings, that's your interpretation. Today being December 1st, I felt it apposite to make a small statement on a public forum by virtue of an awareness raising comment. I have no problem with that. If people do, that's up to them.

HIV still appears to be another one of those 'elephants in the room', and it disappoints me that very few people are even aware of the significance of today's date.

Change HIV/AIDS with the word 'cancer' and would you have commented in a similar vein?
(and as it goes, I don't do the saccharine-laced chain FB statements either)

Yes, absolutely.

[--------]

We were told in the 80s "in 5 years you will know someone who has been infected with HIV" - many of us scoffed!

They called it the 'gay plague' or 'natural justice for junkies' - many of us self righteously agreed.

Like war, AIDS kills and devastates lives and leaves the bereaved thinking "Why?"

Once again HIV infection is on the rise

Today, so far I have yet to see anyone wearing a red ribbon.


So?

You're assuming that nobody cares because they aren't wearing ribbons?

Wearing a ribbon means nothing other than you've put a coin (any coin) in a collecting box and pinned a ribbon on yourself.

When a loved one dies, from AIDS, heart disease, cancer, whatever, the bereaved ALWAYS ask "Why?"

Their pain is the same, yet always individual and personal. A child dies of meningitis. A father dies of cancer. A mother dies of multiple sclerosis. A friend or so-worker dies in a motorway pile-up. Those who are left - grieve, and ask "Why?"

Those bereaved by AIDS are in not "specially bereaved". Their grief isn't any sharper or harder to bear. Indeed, with advances in treatment over the past few years, AIDS sufferers in this country face a far better and more positive prognosis than many others - ask anyone who's lost a loved one to an aggressive cancer, for instance. HIV/AIDS - years. An aggressive cancer - months, if you're lucky.

And there are no relatively simple steps - not sharing needles, responsible behaviour sexually, using a condom - that can protect you from cancer.

My heart goes out to anyone and everyone facing the inevitability of their own death. That means everyone I meet, and it means me myself as well.

We all grieve, we all die. What matters is what we make of the time we have here.

But please don't judge the hearts of others by whether they're wearing a ribbon, or a poppy, or flashing a rear-window sticker on their car.

[s.a.m]

Really?

In the UK HIV and AIDS diagnosis are down significantly from their peak. With about 500 or so deaths a year maybe from a UK perspective there are bigger concerns?

From a world perspective there is about $15bn a year being spent by various organisations to help 'defeat' the epidemic. There is also a dedicated UN organisation to assist in this fight. The latest stats from the UN released only a few days ago state that all metrics in terms of deaths and infection are trending down significantly and deaths are down 21% from peak.

The fact is that AIDS, while a terrible disease, does have significant resources being applied against it and the trends are all positive...sure we should maintain awareness and continue to try to beat back such an unforgiving disease but I'm not sure your comments about elephants in room is accurate in any way.

Finally your comment about Cancer is probably true...considering cancer of some sort is responsible for about 30% of all deaths in the UK I am damn sure more people are aware of it and damn sure more people care about the associated research and efforts being made to combat it.

You're right that the numbers of fatalities from HIV are small, in the scheme of things. However, as an infectious disease which is transmitted in quite specific, avoidable ways, it makes sense to maintain awareness - as you say - to keep the trends heading in the right direction. If events like World Aids Day keep the disease alive in people's minds, then it plays a useful role. IMO. [I realise that you haven't said it's not. :greengrin. I just quoted your post because you made a couple of interesting points....]

[Greentinted]

If the initial post appeared judgmental or offensive that was certainly not my intention. If anything, it's the pre-judgmentnal attitudes that endure around HIV/AIDS in certain quarters that I have a major issue with (and in fairness none of that has emerged from any contributor to this thread).

My comment regarding the wearing of ribbons was aimed as much at the lack of availability as anything else - and aye, it does disappoint me; as an HIV survivor I spoke with earlier today stated "it's just no ***** trendy anymore, don't kid yersel that its no still taboo". This person is often made to feel (in her words) "...dirty and apologetic. I have to justify my status, fight prejudice and I'm forced to prove I've never injected drugs, worked as a prostitute or slept around - and that's when dealing with so-called health professionals."

As for campaigns highlighting the awareness of various life threatening conditions I'm not suggesting its some sort of competition - quite the contrary as many are often linked and life is life is life.

My motivation was simply to encourage a reaction.