As I sat in my last period health class a couple of days ago we began to talk about Sexually Transmitted Diseases and the way that they are affecting society. One of my major concerns was the outbreak of AIDS. The AIDS Epidemic began about 20 years ago, an since then more than 60 million people worldwide have become infected. 20 million of those people were infected have died. Most of the people who are still living with it today are UNDER THE AGE OF 25. If the infections continue to occur at the rate that they are, by the year 2020, AIDS could infect up to 100 million lives worldwide.
What can we do about this. The first thing we can do is look at it as a serious matter. I know that a lot of people really don't think of it as being a very serious issue, when in fact, it is on track to being the worst epidemic in human history. The next step is to educate. We have to begin educating people and letting them know what it is, how they can contract it, and what they can do to protect themselves. We have to let them know that AIDS is out there and they CAN contract it. So many people have that mindset that it could never to happen to them. Hospitals, clinics, and graveyards are full of people who had that very same mind set and now look at where they are.
The last step is to stop talking about it and be about it. Many people will sit around and complain that something needs to be done, but how many people will actually stand up and begin the movement? AIDS is claiming lives daily, and it is sad to say it, but we are losing the battle with AIDS. We are not losing the battle because of a lack of medicines and treatments for AIDS. We are losing the battle because there aren't many people fighting back against AIDS.
AIDS is out there and anybody can contract it regardless of age, gender, sexual preference, ethnicity, and religion. It is alive and claiming lives. We have to prevent this epidemic from getting any worse. The only way to make a change is to get up and make it happen!
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