Our View: It’s World AIDS Day and OU AIDS Awareness Week, and it’s time to recognize that you could be at risk.

Do you know your HIV status?

Yeah, you can say that you’re not “that kind of person,” that you’re always careful or that you trust all your recent partners to have been tested. But do you know?

Unless you’re part of the 25 percent of college-aged individuals who haven’t had sex according to Public Health Reports, you are at risk for HIV. Contraceptive methods can greatly reduce your risk, but even perfect use every time doesn’t completely protect you. And if you aren’t using protection for every sex act — including oral sex — then your risk goes up.

Hold on now, you might be protesting, I’m straight and I don’t sleep around. I’m not the kind of person who gets AIDS. And isn’t that mostly a problem in Africa anyway?

We understand how easy it is to buy into the misconceptions and generalizations surrounding HIV and AIDS. It’s terrifying to think that everyone is at risk, so thinking of it as a “gay disease” or something that only happens to licentious people or in far away continents can make you feel safer.

But, while the majority of HIV infections are found in Africa, the rate of new infections in the U.S. is holding steady at 50,000 a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

And even though homosexual males and intravenous drug users still account for most HIV infections, over one quarter of those living with HIV were infected through heterosexual contact, according to the CDC. That includes 13 percent of men and 72 percent of women with HIV.

College-aged students are particularly at risk. Globally, almost half of HIV infections happen before the age of 25, and AIDS is the second leading cause of death among this age group, according to UNICEF.

It’s not like you can always ensure that your sexual partners are not infected, either. HIV produces no outward symptoms. And, though CDC research has shown that the majority of HIV-infected individuals take steps to protect their partners, one in five people infected with HIV are unaware of their status and the risk they pose to their partners.

That one sexual encounter can just as easily put you at risk of infection as another person’s twenty partners — and make you that one in five. Acknowledging your risk of HIV exposure does not mean admitting to a freaky lifestyle or promiscuity. It means you’re sexually active and interested in staying safe.

The fact is, anyone who is sexually active is at risk of HIV infection. And there are two simple things you can do to stay safe: use protection and know your status.

Consistent, proper contraceptive use will significantly lower your risk. But you still need to get regular STD tests that include HIV. Not knowing your status not only puts your own health at risk, it puts at risk anyone you choose to have sexual contact with. There is no excuse for that.

This is still a very real problem in the U.S. This isn’t a problem for the gay community to worry about, this isn’t something that ended in the 1980s and this isn’t going away. So today, on World AIDS Day, considering donating to the search for a cure at AIDSResearchAlliance.org. And take a little time out of your day to ensure that you know your status. The life you save just might be your own.

Free testing:

Oklahoma Community Health Services Inc.

1025 Straka Terrace, Oklahoma City

(405) 632-6688

RAIN Oklahoma

600 NW 23rd Street, Suite 101, Oklahoma City

(405) 232-2437

Red Rock Behavioral Health Sciences

4400 N. Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City

(405) 425-0473

Local Testing:

Goddard Health Center

620 Elm Avenue, Norman

(405) 325-4611

Cleveland County Health Department

250 12th Avenue, Norman

(405) 321-4048

Planned Parenthood

2100 W. Lindsey, Norman

(405) 360-1556

Comments

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oudaily99 5 months, 3 weeks ago

"And even though homosexual males and intravenous drug users still account for most HIV infections..." If I'm not mistaken, this is a U.S. statistic. Worldwide, I doubt this holds true, I believe because it has more to do with condom use than homosexuality. Also, the more relevant fact is the increased risk of transmission through anal sex, although it doesn't really matter since vaginal sex is not a form of protection by any means.

This also applies to circumcision. Circumcision is in NO WAY protection against HIV or other STIs. A condom must still be worn.

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