March 10th -- National Women and Girls HIV/Awareness Day

March 10th is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day in which people worldwide are encouraged to take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS and specifically raise awareness of its impact on women and girls. While this disease affects both men and women alike, it is the leading cause of death for women of childbearing age.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), women account for over a quarter of all new HIV infections every year and make up 25 percent of those living with HIV. Women of color are even more disproportionately affected by this disease. The rate of new infections among African-American women is nearly 15 times higher than that among white women, and among Latinas it is four times higher than among white women.

For biological reasons, women are more susceptible than men to HIV infection through heterosexual sex. Factors such as discrimination and poverty also affect women at a much higher percentage than men placing them at an even greater risk because they will often have less access to treatment, medical care and awareness programs. This is a very serious public health issue that needs to be addressed and we all have a role to play in it.

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day provides community groups, individuals and healthcare providers the opportunity to take action and raise awareness of women’s vulnerability to HIV and the challenges faced by women living with this virus. Get tested, encourage all of the women in your life to get tested and get educated on how to avoid becoming a part of this pandemic.

For more information and event listings, visit http://www.womenshealth.gov/nwghaad/.

Also, check out Healthier Atlanta magazine for more articles on HIV/AIDS awareness, love and relationships, and other health topics.

World AIDS Day

 December 1st has been nationally recognized as World AIDS Day.  On this day, we focus on spreading awareness about a disease that has continued to affect and take so many lives for the past 27 years.

According to UNAIDS:

• Over 1 million people in the United States are infected with the HIV virus
• 33.4 million people are living with HIV, worldwide
• Over half of those who are HIV positive, are between the ages of 30 and 44
• 14 million children have been orphaned because of AIDS

What we can do:

• Get tested- The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommends that everyone ages 13-64 get tested.
• Individuals who are considered high risk ( intravenous drug users, having multiple sex partners, engaging in unprotected sex) should get tested for HIV at least once a year.
• Spread the word- encourage friends and loved ones to get tested and to engage in activities that will not put them at high risk for contracting this deadly disease (having multiple partners and unprotected sex).
• Protect yourself- Use condoms and have only one sex partner. Get tested together with your partner.
• Donate to organizations such as Keep a Child Alive, whose mission is to raise money to help treat those with AIDS and educate others on how to avoid contracting this disease. 

I love that fact that many celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys, Usher and Justin Timberlake have decided to take part in a digital death. Beginning today, they will sacrifice their digital lives (no Twitter updates or Facebook statuses) until one million dollars is raised by Keep a Child Alive. You can join in and donate to this worthy cause here. 

AIDS has become a global pandemic but, through education and awareness we can all do our part in preventing the spread of this disease.