I did this funny video a LONG time ago as an outrageous way to make a very SERIOUS statement. Today is World Aids Day, and among the demographics to be infected, one of the largest demographics are around the same age as I am (15-24)! Here are a few statistics that will shock you!:
Global
- 33.2 million people now live with HIV or AIDS.
- In 2007, approximately 2.5 million people were infected with HIV.
- Every day, over 6800 people become infected with HIV - almost five people per minute.
- 5700 people die from AIDS every day.
- One child dies every minute.
- 15 million children around the world have been orphaned by AIDS, losing one or both parents to the disease.
- Every fifteen seconds, another person age 15-24 becomes infected with HIV/AIDS.
US
- Roughly one million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.
- Since the start of the AIDS epidemic, 1.5 million Americans have been infected with HIV and more than 524,000 have died of AIDS.
- At least 40,000 people are infected each year.
- African Americans account for 48% of new HIV infections.
- AIDS is the leading cause of death for African American women aged 25 to 34 and HIV rates among Hispanic women are increasing.
- The number of women living with HIV has tripled in the last two decades.
- At least half of all new infections are among people under the age of 25.
- Washington, DC has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the United States - one in 20 people are living with HIV or AIDS
- YouthAids.Org
I read these statistics last year, and sadly it seems the numbers are GROWING despite the increasing number of Sexual Education courses that are growing in our schools and how the media shows us these statistics DAILY!
If you’re a teenager and you’re sexually active, PLEASE be safe and wear protection, every time!… NOT JUST BIRTH CONTROL! And also, please get tested regularly and KNOW YOUR STATUS!
If you are NOT sexually active, please continue to practice abstinence! The best protection is abstinence!
Most of all, I want us all to live safe, happy, and loving lives. Please, please, PLEASE protect yourselves! Sex is NOT worth dying over.
For more information on how you can get involved, more statistics, and where you can get tested in your area, visit: http://www.youthaids.org
- CARMINE D.
