AIDS is no longer a threat. You can have sex with as many people as you like without a condom and not have to worry about it! Also, all that's a lie. But, it's a lie that most of the current, young population like to tell themselves. Maybe it's hard to connect the nightmare we hear so often from sex-ed and from our 40-year old friends who had to watch their friends die. Maybe there's been such a backlash of aggressive re-education that those of us who were lucky enough to grow up in an AIDS-free bubble have become desensitized to the truth of the situation. Of course, I speak only for us privileged Americans. From COLOR magazine: "In Kenya, 54 percent of young people don't believe condoms protect against HIV." "More than 50 percent of Sudanese sex workers have never seen or heard about condoms and only 17 percent know they can prevent HIV transmission." To be blunt and mildly ironic, that is FUCKED UP. In a very general sort of way, I can see exactly how this happened: AIDS appears in U.S.A., is dismissed as gay cancer; bigots rejoice. AIDS hits hetero population, people panic, things happen. HIV prevention education is implemented all over the country, folks believe "it's all good." 20 years later, 25 MILLION PEOPLE ARE DEAD because of AIDS (P.S., that's 4 Holocausts or 22 Rwanda genocides). U.S. President tells Africa to stop having sex, considers it a job well done. 10 years later (this is the future now): because of so many people having weakened immune systems, diseases such as TB run rampant, gaining strength and resistance (in Uganda, 50 percent of HIV-positive patients also have TB). Oh, wait, there alreadly IS a drug-resistant TB. My bad.

Only 10 percent of people worldwide living with HIV have been tested and know they are infected.

Over the next 10 years, HIV/AIDS is expected to kill 10 times more people in the world than conflict.

25 percent of Americans living with HIV are UNAWARE THAT THEY ARE INFECTED.

In Russia, the number of children born to HIV-positive mothers now exceeds 13000.

There are 40.3 MILLION PEOPLE living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

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But there's some good work being done. For instance,

All pregnant Cuban women (that give birth in a hospital, I would imagine) are tested for HIV, and those testing positive receive antiretroviral drugs. As a result of this policy and overall low infection rates, fewer than 20 HIV-infected babies had been born by 2004.

The number of people receiving ARV treatment in low- and middle-income countries has tripled since the end of 2001.

Niue and Tokelau islands in the Pacific Ocean are currently HIV-free.

Around 30 different HIV candidate vaccines have been tested since 1987 in over 80 clinical trials, involving more than 10000 volunteers.

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Be safe. If you are not involved in a monogamous relationship but ARE gettin' your groove on, NEVER HAVE SEX WITHOUT A CONDOM. If there is only one boo for you, then congratulations, but DON'T HAVE SEX WITHOUT A CONDOM - until you both get thoroughly tested.

Do not be afraid of AIDS. The belief that sex without a condom will always result in AIDS is just as dangerous as the belief that AIDS is no longer a problem. But never stop being cautious and careful.

When in doubt, whip one out!