I learned a great deal of information in this course. I have never taken a health class besides the general sex ed class in high school. I found this course very interesting. I learned a lot about the STI's globally and a little bit about how they affect Americans. It would have been nice to cover more of the social affects of STI's within the United States, but I know that this is a globally focused course. I also was very interested in learning about the origins of HIV/AIDS. Until this class I had always known the disease came from chimpanzees but I was unaware of how they were linked to it. After having taken this class I understand the history of the disease much better.
One thing I do think needs to be covered more is how people are currently dealing with HIV/AIDS and how people cope with it on a daily basis. Also, more information on what type of research is being conducted today to find a cure would be interesting.
This class is definitely beneficial at a university level. College students are among the most risky group for transmitting STI's and that's mostly because of lack of education. If everyone were to take this course I'm sure the spread of STI's would decrease. However, I also think it would be even better to teach this course in high school. High school students participate in many risky behaviors as well and teaching people protection methods and causes of their actions at a young age would result in even less people infected with an STI.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Living with HIV
I found Bob Skinner's presentation about living with HIV very interesting. I would have liked to hear more about his daily life and less about his political views on the issue, but I suppose his political views are currently playing a major role in how he is able to live his life.
One thing I learned from Bob is that it is quite possible to live a long life being HIV positive. He was diagnosed nine years ago and seems to still be going strong. Also, I found it interesting that he is still sexually active. I would think a person with HIV would not want to be sexually active at all because there is always the risk of spreading it to others even if a condom is used. But that is Bob's personal choice and the public doesn't really have any right to say whether or not he's right. I think Bob represents the stereotypical HIV positive person. He was a promiscuous gay man diagnosed with HIV. In the beginning, it was thought that gay men were the only carriers of this disease, but we have learned this to be false. I also think that Bob represents a population that is very lucky to be able to afford the medication. I know he does not pay for the pills himself, but his government is able to do so. Many other people are not able to rely on their governments for the medication when they do not have the money. Therefore Bob is able to live a longer life because he lives in the United States.
In rural regions it seems that HIV is mostly transmitted through heterosexual intercourse. The cause for this is because often times women in these rural areas are afraid to ask their partners to wear condoms because that could mean that either they are being unfaithful or they are accusing their partners of being unfaithful. In either case, women in these rural areas are less likely to ask for protection.
Also, there are other factors that play into the HIV epidemic in rural areas. A lot of places do not provide adequate nutrition and sanitary needs to HIV positive people. With a lack of proper diet and exercise, HIV is more likely to take over ones body and become AIDS. Another problem is that there are not many medical facilities in rural areas for people to get the attention they need. All of these factors affect how common HIV is in rural areas.
One thing I learned from Bob is that it is quite possible to live a long life being HIV positive. He was diagnosed nine years ago and seems to still be going strong. Also, I found it interesting that he is still sexually active. I would think a person with HIV would not want to be sexually active at all because there is always the risk of spreading it to others even if a condom is used. But that is Bob's personal choice and the public doesn't really have any right to say whether or not he's right. I think Bob represents the stereotypical HIV positive person. He was a promiscuous gay man diagnosed with HIV. In the beginning, it was thought that gay men were the only carriers of this disease, but we have learned this to be false. I also think that Bob represents a population that is very lucky to be able to afford the medication. I know he does not pay for the pills himself, but his government is able to do so. Many other people are not able to rely on their governments for the medication when they do not have the money. Therefore Bob is able to live a longer life because he lives in the United States.
In rural regions it seems that HIV is mostly transmitted through heterosexual intercourse. The cause for this is because often times women in these rural areas are afraid to ask their partners to wear condoms because that could mean that either they are being unfaithful or they are accusing their partners of being unfaithful. In either case, women in these rural areas are less likely to ask for protection.
Also, there are other factors that play into the HIV epidemic in rural areas. A lot of places do not provide adequate nutrition and sanitary needs to HIV positive people. With a lack of proper diet and exercise, HIV is more likely to take over ones body and become AIDS. Another problem is that there are not many medical facilities in rural areas for people to get the attention they need. All of these factors affect how common HIV is in rural areas.
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