I attended a youth HIV Educational/Planning Meeting last week. The meeting was focused on providing basic HIV information and then discussing possibilities for future youth (age 13-24) education/awareness events.
Well, there were about 10-15 young teens there, who are meant to become peer mentors/educators... and they had some pretty interesting questions about HIV, some of which I don't think the presenter quite answered clearly enough. So, I wanted to touch on them here, just so there are not any misconceptions floating around...
Question: Is green or smelly stuff coming from your genitals a sign of HIV?
Answer: No, a discolored or smelly discharge coming from your genitals is not a usual symptom of HIV. However, it may be a sign of another infection or STD, and it is important that you discuss it with your doctor.
Question: If you have blood in your pee does that mean you might have HIV?
Answer: No, having blood in your pee (urine) is not a usual symptom of HIV. However, it may be a sign of another infection or STD, and it is important to discuss it with your doctor.
Question: Are STDs curable?
Answer: Some STDs are curable, and some STDs are not curable. Examples of curable STDs are chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. Examples of non-curable STDs are HIV, Herpes, HPV/genital warts, and Hepatitis.
Question: Do boys really have sex with other boys? How do they do that?
Answer: Yes, some boys do have sex with other boys. They may participate in a number of different sexual activities, including mutual masturbation, oral sex, anal sex, etc.
Question: If you share a lollipop with a friend, can you get HIV?
Answer: No, you do not get HIV from sharing food or lollipops with other people.
Question: If someone keeps getting sick and is losing a lot of weight, do you think they have HIV?
Answer: A person can get sick and lose weight for many different reasons. It does not necessarily mean they have HIV. They may have HIV, or they may have some other disease or illness.
Although some of these questions might seem a bit humorous at first, they were totally serious questions coming from 13, 14, and 15 year olds, and I think they deserve to have clear correct serious answers.
The only thing I could add is that many if not most people who get HPV or Hepatitis will eventually clear it. Chronic Hepatitis is also curable for most people with current treatments.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a friend of mine, Timothy Brown, i.e., the Berlin patient, has been cured of HIV infection (the only one so far), although with great costs, both financial and physical. So I guess we can no longer say HIV infection is not curable - but the cure isn't worth the risks right now.