Global killer takes center stage on December 1

By Staff Writer

The 22nd annual World AIDS Day was recognized across the globe on Wednesday, as schools, communities and even celebrities spread awareness about the deadly epidemic.

AIDS, which stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is the last form of the HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus. People who are infected with AIDS acquire many different types of diseases that a person with a healthy immune system would normally fight off.

There are a variety of treatments for AIDS and HIV, but there is no known cure or vaccine for either.

Although HIV infections are far more prevalent in countries such as South Africa, India and Nigeria, more than a half a million people have died from AIDS in the U.S. since the disease arrived in America, according to Avert.org. About two-thirds of those infected did not live to the age of 45.

Avert, which is an international HIV and AIDS charity organization, reports that although the disease is very rare among young children, the number of cases has increased among teenagers and young adults between 2005 and 2008. There were 1,896 diagnoses of AIDS among individuals between 15 and 19 years old in 2008, which is about a 51 percent increase from the total three years earlier.

Among young adults age 20 to 24, there were 5,518 diagnoses of AIDS in 2008, which is approximately a 32 percent increase from 2005.

HIV is spread through the fluids of an infected person. The most common forms of passing HIV is through unprotected sex and sharing needles. An individual born to a mother who has the disease can also become infected. In rare cases, people get the disease from unsafe blood transfusions.

Avert says that there is a misperception among many teens that AIDS is spread only among chronic drug users, homosexuals and people who sleep with many partners. In fact, HIV can be contracted by a single sexual or drug-taking experience, regardless of the frequency of an individual's habits.

Practicing safe sex or remaining abstinent are behaviors that adolescents may consider to avoid HIV, as well as other sexually transmitted diseases. There is no way by just looking at someone to determine whether they have HIV or AIDS, and many people who are infected are unaware of their condition. A blood test is the only way to determine if an individual carries the disease.

If taking drugs, an individual has no way of knowing if a needle is infected with the disease, so abstaining from any drug use is the best way for kids to avoid that risk. Mind-altering substances like alcohol can impair one's judgement and effect his or her decision to inject a foreign object into their body.

Schools across the U.S. recognized World AIDS Day by hosting discussions and events. For example, public school students in Stamford, Connecticut watched a presentation from a traveling theatre group called Stop AIDS Mobile Theatre, according to The Greenwich Time. The group of actors performed short skits to educate kids about the deadly disease and how it can be prevented.

According to the The Oneida Daily Dispatch, students at a Wisconsin-based high school were given a speech by a woman who is living with AIDS. The guest speaker contracted the disease in 2003 from a needle at a licensed tattoo parlor. Event organizers hoped to spread the message that drug addicts and gay males are not the only people who get HIV and AIDS.

Celebrities also raised awareness on World AIDS Day by signing off of their social networking pages, such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as posing in coffins in an advertising campaign to promote their "digital deaths," according to The Associated Press.

Popular musicians, such as Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake will not sign back onto their social platforms until Keys' charity, Keep a Child Alive, raises $1 million.