With the extra credit due date coming up, I've been considering which route I would like to take. On one aspect, money is always needed, especially to be used in advancing medications and research of AIDS. Although the minimum amount required does not mean that I need to stop there, I have turned my attention to educating the younger generation. Just from the amount of time that I have been in this class thus far, I feel like I am already learning a great deal. In part, this is due to the lack of knowledge about this syndrome worldwide (esp, among my peers). For this reason, I feel my efforts would be most rewarding attending a high school (hopefully AP so they can fully grasp the information!) to warn them about protecting themselves and revealing startling facts to shake them into awareness.I went to high school in Windermere, FL and hopefully I can get my old AP Bio or anatomy teacher to let me take over her class for a little while.
Did You Know...
The Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency (JAIDS) recently surveyed 214 African American men in California to test the percentage of them that believe in AIDS conspiracies (i.e Government Conspiracy against the Black Race, HIV does not cause AIDS, and ARTs are poison.) They found that 64% believed in at least one conspiracy, and 48% believed in more than one! This is how it divides up:
44% believe AIDS is man made
35% AIDS was created in govt laboratory
33% believe the genocidal conspiracy
17% ART are poison
22% are human guinea pigs for the government
(keeping in mind that some believe in more than one conspiracy)
Because of their beliefs, many people are refusing to take the proper medication. This means that the AIDS virus has a higher chance of spreading in addition to the person developing resistance to the drugs. It is obvious that these conspiracies are very detrimental in man's attempt to eliminate this disorder.
Reference List:
Conspiracy Theories About HIV Do Real Harm. Farrow, Kenyon. December 16, 2009. Retreieved Feb 10, 2010 from http://www.thegrio.com/2009/12/conspiracy-theories-about-hiv-do-real-harm.php.
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Those are startling statistics! Thanks for sharing them. After 23 years I am still learning things about this disease! I think that high school is a great place to teach about prevention and I hope that some of those startling facts can shake them up sufficiently enough to heed the warning. I can't wait to hear all about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I wonder what reasons the African-American community have for believing that this virus is something used by the goverment. I hope that these beliefs do not stop them from taking the necessary precautions to decease the disease.
ReplyDeleteThat is really cool that you want to go to a high school and educate the younger generation. I think that everyone should know the dangers that everyone is suseptible to and no one can escape it. It is surprising how many people think that they are immuune.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get your high school trip set up quickly because you need to pass by us the slides you will be using or your speech if you are not using slides.
ReplyDeleteI understand the distrust that African Americans have with the government. I think we would all have that distrust if what was done to the men was done to us. To be used as a human guinea pig doesn't generate much faith.
WOW! I am so impressed that you would be willing to stand in front of a group of high school students (who can often times be brutal) and educate them aout hIV.
ReplyDeleteWhile students are often given a general overview of the many STD's out there, they seldom grasp the reality. I remember my friends who attended public school, making fun of their sex ed. I attended private school and did not get sex ed.
I think coming from another peer, instead of their teacher, may be beneficial. I also think that the students deserve to know more about HIV, which can be overlooked since they think 'it can't happen to me.'