World AIDS Day 2009: Time to remember

December 1, 10:50 AMDetroit Substance Abuse ExaminerMichael Velardo

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                    World AIDS Day 2009

World AIDS Day is today, December 1st, 2009, and a reminder that much needs to be done in combating this disease.

The Detroit Health Department is observing the day with a music program aimed at educating Detroit's youth in risky behaviors when it comes to health and sex. Called The Hip-Hop and R&B project, "LIFESTORYZ STATE OF EMERGENCY," the program is being sponsered by the Wayne County Health Department , and the Michigan Department of Community Health.

World AIDS Day activities in Michigan

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), this is "...the fourth consecutive year that Michigan is experiencing significant increases in HIV among teenagers. This is a trend that is occurring nationally as well."

Approximately 33.4 million people worldwide live with HIV/AIDS. Four thousand people die in Afirca each day from AIDS, a staggering amount of human beings. 

Those with drug addictions sharing needles, and participating in unprotected sex, are high-risk persons who can easily contract HIV. However, in Michigan, "HIV trends among injecting drug users are showing significant declines, an average of 9 percent per year between 2003 and 2007, (78 to 59 cases). Men who have sex with men (MSM) of all races and ethnicities continue to lead the epidemic in Michigan," states MDCH. Information on HIV/AIDS in Michigan can be found on the MDCH HIV Web site at http://www.michigan.gov/hivstd.

If you are abusing drugs using needles, do not share them. If you are having unprotected sex, and involved in the drug culture, you are at higher risk of catching a sexually transmitted disease as well. The author has been around people caught up on drugs who shared needles, and had unprotected sex, even after they had been exposed to educational material involving risky behaviors, and how to protect themselves. It still didn't matter, they just kept up the behavior, some prostitutes having unprotected sex with men who surely had a families, and wives.

With the increase in drug abuse and addiction plaguing America right now, having unprotected sex, and sharing needles usually rides shotgun with that type of behavior, putting people in a higher risk category for contracting HIV, or other sexually transmitted diseases, not to mention other drug risks.   

Today, and everyday, however, should be World AIDS Day. Please take some time today to think about the people that you know who have been lost, those you don't know, and those living with the disease today. If you can contribute something to the cause, visit aids.org.

For more info visit aids.gov

From the looks of Google Trends, as of 1:00pm, World AIDS Day isn't even in the top 40 which is sad in itself. Are people losing interest?

If you or a loved one needs help with any type of drug problem, contact these sites depending on where you live. SEMCA (Wayne County residents), CARE (Macomb County residents), PACE (Oakland County residents), Drug Free Detroit (City of Detroit residents). For those residing outside the State of Michigan, contact SAMHSA for assistance.

In the flow...

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