Ramses Segundo Mrs.

Frank Senior Capstone, Period: 8 11/01/13

The Importance of Education in the War on AIDS

For the past 10 weeks of school being in capstone class and the topic that chose is the pre ention of !I"# At the beginning of the $ear it wasn%t cleared of choosing this topic because not e er$ student takes this topic seriousl$& and e en though I knew that the topic was difficult to talk about& I went for the choice because it%s a topic that no one dares to talk about# This is because people feel uncomfortable discussing it# As starting doing research about the pre ention of !I"& there was a lot of the places that offer olunteering& like the hospitals& the$ reall$ made it clear that if $ou%re going to olunteer there& $ou had to start in the summer# This ga e me a disad antage from the start because I didn%t reall$ know what I wanted to do for 'apstone during the summer# As soon started to in estigate with this topic& things started to get difficult& because thinking or wondering how it was going to make impact to the school and get it in ol ed and interested in m$ topic# So first starting to research about the true facts about !I"# Some of the wa$s people think $ou get infected are m$ths# The purpose of m$ capstone is to inform people on how it can be pre ent it& what s$mptoms can help $ou get detected earl$& what $ou can do or where to go in order to get treated& and what $ou need to do in order to keep for !I" from transforming into AIDS# (ostl$ I%m concentrating on

Ramses Segundo Mrs. Frank Senior Capstone, Period: 8 11/01/13

teenagers since the$ are the ones at high risk to get infected and $et teenagers are the least informed about !I"# It is important that teenagers )or an$ other group* learn the steps of how to pre ent !I"& since it is not onl$ !I" $ou can pre ent+ $ou can also keep the irus from being transmitted to $our child& or different persons# There are so man$ wa$s that $ou can transmit the irus# ,ased on the research made& there is about 1#- million people li ing with !I" in the .#S# and one in fi e people don%t e en know that the$ are infected and carr$ing this irus ).#S# D/!*# (ainl$ teenagers and $oung people are the ones at higher risk of contracting the disease since the$ are not well informed and their parents are not that accustomed well communicating with their children# School also can be a source of problems because the$ don%t gi e students an$ information# For e0ample the$ don%t ha e classes where the$ teach students about safe se0# Almost e er$ person has these limits in their school not pro iding ha ing guidance for safet$ and pre ention of this disease# It is interesting to note when this irus started to appear# 1une 2& 1341& was the first recorded case# It was first belie ed that nothing could happen to $ou if $ou had the irus& but since it was the first time people had heard of it& the$ didn%t reall$ pa$ attention to it& from there the irus to spread to different people around the world ).5AIDS*#

Ramses Segundo Mrs. Frank Senior Capstone, Period: 8 11/01/13

Teenagers in America account for 637 of the new cases of !I"& and about --7 of the diagnoses occur between people 168-9 $ears old )'D'/*# Statisticall$& 9:7 of high school students ha e se0ual relationships and the ma;orit$ of them do not use condoms )'D'/*# Since teenagers start to ha e se0ual relationship at an earl$ age& the$ are at higher risk to get infected# < erall& the fact is that $oung people are at the highest risk to get infected than an$ other age group# Se eral wa$s that it can be pre ented to ha e !I"& is using condoms& not sharing needles when consuming drugs& donating blood but before donating $ou need to go and do a free check up at clinics )AIDSFD*# ,abies are also affected in this issue are mothers that are infected of !I"& can transmit the irus during pregnanc$& deli ering or breast feeding )!I"AIDS!'*# The S$mptoms that a person can present if in case of getting infected is signs of consisting fe er& malaise& generali=ed rash )(EDS'A/E*# Some people ma$ not ha e an$ s$mptoms for up to 10 $ears& and people who are infected can still pass the irus )(ED>I5E/>.S*# It%s not true that people can get !I" through donating blood& touching their hand& hugging or donating organs+ people who donate organs are ne er indirect contact with the people who recei e them )(ED>I5E/>.S*# Doctors are now recommend that all people ha e a test at least one !I" tests b$ the time the$ are teens# If $ou are ha ing se0 or had se0 in the past& doctor will probabl$ recommend that $ou get tested at least once a $ear )TEE5!EA>T!*# <ther doctors recommend that $ou ha e two tests of !I" si0 months apart& but with no new se0

Ramses Segundo Mrs. Frank Senior Capstone, Period: 8 11/01/13

patterns or in;ections drug use between tests )!I"AIDS!'*# Some websites offer the chance to find a testing center near $ou that conducts tests in the method $ou prefers )FD*# Also the 'enter for Disease 'ontrol and /re ention recommend screening for patients in a health care setting? persons at high risk for !I" infection should be screened at least annuall$ )(EDS'A/E*# <ne wa$ that an indi idual can maintain his or her immune s$stem to be a little stronger e en though it might be under attack from !I" is to ha e proper nutrition# It also helps to minimi=e the s$mptoms& and lessen the side effects of medication& but this doesn%t mean a person would be cured+ it would ;ust help !I" not de elop into AIDS )A5D*# There%s no cure for !I"# That%s wh$ pre ention is so important& combinations of anti iral drugs and drugs that boost the immune s$stem allowed man$ people with !I" to resist infections )TEE5!EA>T!*# There are websites interested in promoting their products& so be sure to talk to $our doctor )FD*# @esearch suggests that teenagers are the ones at highest risk to get !I" or other diseases# ,ut what are the conseAuences if teenagers do not ha e safe se0 or sta$ abstinent# <ne of the main reasons the$ get the disease& is that parents don%t ha e great communications with their kids& or more simpl$& because parents don%t feel comfortable talking about it& so there is a gap between parents and children concerning this issue# Sometimes the culture influences them about not to talk about it& or can also be the religion of the parents that makes them not want to talk about se0 with their children# And politics possibl$

Ramses Segundo Mrs. Frank Senior Capstone, Period: 8 11/01/13

might influence the wa$ parents raise their children# /arents that are @epublican ma$be conser ati e about these issues# Since the students ha e no other option& the$ assume the school will educate their children# And badl$& both public and pri ate schools do not# Schools like !ISD ha e health class& but the$ ne er co er se0ualit$ and Se0uall$ transmitted diseases# For e0ample I ha e alread$ taken health class and there was ne er a lesson about Bsafe se0C or se0ual transmission disease )STDs*# I%m not the onl$ !ISD student who can sa$ this# ($ classmates also bear witness that the$ ne er recei ed an$ education about safe se0# The problem is that the top administrations in !ISD are making schools to teach abstinence plus+ and theirs 6 t$pes of se0 education there is abstinent until marriage& abstinence plus& and comprehensi e plus )TD'*# And in e er$ school in !ISD teaches the importance of ha ing Bsafe se0C and pre enting diseases& it is er$ important teaching different diseases and pregnanc$& but the$ are not showing how to use a properl$ a condom& the$ don%t show the pill& the schools don%t tell $ou how often $ou need to use it# <n the other hand 'omprehensi e plus which focuses on the pre ention education that includes STDs& !I"DAIDS education& the$ also teach $ou how to use a condom properl$& and e0plore different kinds of birth control pill )TD'*# /robabl$ this is because the$ are religious and conser ati es& and might need to reflect the iew parents want instead of talking about the facts# @emember& Te0as is a red state after all and so much of the policies that we can or can%t do are because of the influence of conser ati e ideas# The problem is that the schools in !ISD are not teaching students

Ramses Segundo Mrs. Frank Senior Capstone, Period: 8 11/01/13

about ha e safe se0& administrators ma$ think that ;ust b$ not talking about it& the$ are promoting abstinence# Well this attitude is wrong because each $ear there is alwa$s at least one girl that girl gets pregnant# Since Schools in !ISD don%t teach the conseAuences of ha ing unprotected se0& the$ promote the idea that is is better for their parents to e0plain safe se0# Another issue is that since the schools like !ISD don%t help on this topic and lea e the education to parents& ok then the parents don%t feel comfortable about teaching their sons and daughters about se0 and assume the$ are learning this in school# The truth is that the teenagers are not learning an$thing at all so the$ ha e to figure it out b$ themsel es& and that is when $oung girls get pregnant or bo$s get STD%s such as !I"& or e en wors& AIDS# Then it%s ;ust too late to correct things and onl$ thing that happens is the adults blame teenagers# This should not be happening because teenagers ne er had good guidance# While in other countries like the countries in Africa there is a large percentage of the population li ing with !I"& mostl$ -D6 people& this is not e er$ part of Africa& but the central part& which is at higher risk# The reason that the population of 'entral Africa has a higher rate of infection is because there is less information& less awareness of these diseases# Toda$ the population of countries in Africa has a large death rate and does not li e to old age# The conseAuences of that is that the infections the$ tend to get& some these infections like !I" that later on con ert to AIDS are most likel$ to cause death

Ramses Segundo Mrs. Frank Senior Capstone, Period: 8 11/01/13

since the parents die $oung& the$ lea e a large population of $oung people& or infants with no parents# >atin America is another region of the world that has to deal with this irus that has been affecting a lot of people& theirs has been an increased from 1#1 million people from -001 to a 1#9 million in -003& and its belie e that the ma;or issue in >atin America with this irus it%s that men ha e se0 with men& another possibl$ factor is that theirs pa$ se0 in the streets and that how were $ou can get a higher risk of STD%s# (ethods that an$ other countr$ tr$ to pre ent !I" and promote safe se0 is b$ in esting a small percentage of their ED/ on condoms& the pre ention of sharing needles between users# Wh$ do people should care about this topicF Well because the more $ou are informed about this issue the more people can be precautious& and not tr$ to make mistakes as in ha ing unprotected se0& but most of all its more important to teenagers who don%t ha e good information about this issue& and teenagers can also use this information when the$ grow up and the$ ha e kids and their kids turn teenagers& the$ can be confident and tell their children about pre ention of !I" without feeling embarrassed# Is it oka$ to teach earl$ to teenagers about ha ing se0F <f course it is oka$ to teach teenagers at an earl$ stage because the sooner the$ know about se0 the less likel$ the$ ma$ ha e& diseases& pregnanc$# Are parents going to be oka$F The$ might be some ob;ections to it because some parents won%t like the wa$ the schools are teaching there children& or some ma$

Ramses Segundo Mrs. Frank Senior Capstone, Period: 8 11/01/13

find it like not proper that their children are learning this at an earl$ stage of life& so what !ISD and parents can do its come to an agreement as in what greade would be best for them to learn this topic# It%s this promoting ha ing se0F 5o and again like I said before this is not to promote se0& but to pre ent se0ual transmission diseases& pregnanc$& but this wont a oid teenagers from ha ing se0& wh$F ,ecause ;ust like an$ other human being people ha e an0iet$ of ha ing se0& but with the right information gi ing to teenagers the chance of ha ing unprotected se0 it%s going to be less# Is it going to impact the whole communit$ and become aware of itF Ges and 5o& because people would be aware of it& but some people won%t use this information# 5ow the .nited States of America is the world most powerful nation# We li e in the -1st centur$& and $et there%s still gi en information in schools about !I"& and the !ISD administration still ha e conser ati e ideas that students shouldn%t talk about& but if it is taught teach at school b$ gi ing the right information to students& there could be a decrease in !I" in the population& and there could be less girls getting pregnant or getting other t$pes of diseases# This could be helpful to people to be abstinent& and e en to those that do not want to be abstinent& it would still be er$ helpful because the$ would not ha e unprotected se0# The$ would understand the conseAuences# These Facts that are being use to help us to isuali=e how man$ people are li ing e er$ da$ of their li es with this irus# The more information we ha e about this irus& the

Ramses Segundo Mrs. Frank Senior Capstone, Period: 8 11/01/13

more likel$ we are to pre ent it from spreading into other people%s immune s$stem& and killing the population of our own countr$#

Work 'ited
Bennett, Ni !o"as #o!n. $%&' (isease .$ HIV Disease. N.p., )* Sept. )013. +e,. )- Sept. )013 .!ttp:////. ,d,. om/0. (ugda"e, (a1id C., #atin M. '2as, and (a1id 3ie1e. $%&' &n4e tion: Med"ineP"us Medi a" 5n 2 "opedia.$ U.S National Library of Medicine. 6.S. Nationa" 7i,rar2 o4 Medi ine, 30 Ma2 )013. +e,. )- Sept. )013. Sa"amon, Maureen. $8&(S 9 %&': :reatment 9 Pre1ention.$ LiveScience.com. M2%ea"t!Ne/s(ai"2 Contri,utor, ); Ma2 )013. +e,. )- Sept. )013. .!ttp://///."i1es ien e. om/3*<==>!i1>aids>s2mptoms>treament>pre1ention.!tm"0. $%&' among ?out!.$ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers 4or (isease Contro" and Pre1ention, )* 8pr. )013. +e,. 10 @ t. )013.