The M&M stimulation has definitely been an eye opener in how it is to live with AIDS. The hardest thing for me was taking my M&Ms at the right time and before or during a meal. It must be so difficult to track and take your medications properly for HIV positive individuals. Taking all of these medications is like having a full time job. It must be hard especially with the side effects that come along with the medications. In all, moreover, I did learn a lot this week, and I did enjoy this stimulation. It was hard, however, put know I feel as if I can understand the virus, but from a different point of view. One that is not as much knowledge base, but more on the experience side. If that makes any sense.
Furthermore, this week on HIV and Sex I will be discussing the QOTW. I was going to find an article and write something on it and throw it in here, but after doing the QOTW and responding to some students I felt as if this is a better path to take. I was shock by how many students thought that a chip was fine to insert into HIV positive individuals. That a green light would go off if they are negative and a red one if they are positive. Therefore, you know right off the bat if you can have a sexual relationship with them. When do we as Americans cross the line from being a human to an animal. We put chips in dogs to track them and zap them when they leave the property. Are we going to start doing the same to HIV positive human beings. Well in that case we might as well do it for people who have the flu or a cold or herpes or warts or any other infectious disease or virus. My point is that we cannot go around tagging individuals and socially isolating them. Closely as important is when do we cross the line into the bed room. Unless some is raped, then each individual who participates in sexual activities must know there partners and their status. People nowadays know that there is a risk in participating in sexual activities. You can get an STD and they should know that they can get HIV. What happens in the bedroom has to be between who is in that bedroom, and Government and any other agency must stay out of the bedroom. You can track someone that is HIV positive and make sure they do not infect anyone else. You need to know who you are having sexual activities with, and if you do not then you need to tell them they need to be tested and you want to see the test results. Does anyone else agree with me or am I just crazy?
Also this whole education is not working, well I am not sure if I buy it. UCF seems to think it is working if they have a class like this at the university. In fact I think they are ahead of the game. Most people do not know much about HIV and AIDS, and need a class like this. We cannot say education is not working if we have not even tried to fully tackle education and HIV/AIDS. It needs to be taught at an early age, no later then middle school when kids start becoming sexually active. It needs to continue into high school, then college, and so on. When teenagers go into the doctors office for there annually checkup, doctors should explain the virus to them and tell them how they can obtain the virus, proper sexual methods, and that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. Education has not failed, I think it has barely begun and we should not give up on it.
It is hard to believe that this semester is almost over. As I reflect from the beginning of the course I have noticed that my knowledge of HIV/AIDS has changed dramatically. Coming from an individual who honestly knew nothing about the virus, I feel as if I can almost give a lecture on it or even teach a class about it. Actually when I think about it I almost forgot how I really knew nothing about the virus, and how my actions in the past could have really changed my life. Now that I can reflect on my past I can honestly say that I am lucky to be in good health and live a healthy lifestyle. Almost, with this new found healthy lifestyle I can now influence my friends and family.
