HIV/AIDS prevention still a prevalent issue

According to www.thebody.com, an online resource dedicated to educating individuals about HIV and AIDS, the HIV and AIDS epidemic is a major health crisis for the black community.
In 2001, AIDS was among the top three causes of death for black men ages 25-54 and among the top four causes of death for black women ages 20-51.
According to the site, AIDS was the number one cause of death for black women 25-34 years old.
Statistics released by the Baton Rouge AIDS Society revealed that in 2005, black females in Baton Rouge made up 70 percent of new AIDS cases alone.
While the epidemic continues to grow, the basic methods of preventing infection and controlling the spread of HIV remain constant for various population groups: abstain completely from sex or limit yourself to one, uninfected, monogamous partner, never share drug equipment and use a latex condom every time you have oral, anal or vaginal sex.
There are various ways to seek early prevention of HIV and AIDS.
Eugene Collins, program director for the Baton Rouge AIDS Society, said the best prevention is self-education.
“One thing we can do as black students is educate ourselves,” Collins said.
He said he would urge students to use the Internet, as well as health clinics and various health seminars and programs that are offered on their campuses and in their communities to become knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS prevention.
“Let’s say we give everybody a condom. We all practice safer tactics, but we always say using a condom is safe sex. There’s no such thing as safe sex,” Collins said. “Once you involve yourself in a sexual act, it’s no longer safe. If you’re using a condom, you’re using safer tactics. It’s like Russian Roulette. If I gave you a gun with five bullets and one empty chamber, or a gun with one bullet and five empty chambers, which one would you pick? Society teaches us to choose the gun with one bullet, but the answer is, you are still going to get shot.”
Collins said many college students presume that the ‘college experience’ is one chock full of parties and clubbing and that students often do not take into consideration the dangerous positions they put themselves into.
“Students need to understand that the college experience isn’t about having fun, it’s not about clubs, it’s not about sleeping with a lot of people, it’s about educating themselves. I think a lot of times we associate college with freedom and it’s not about that- it’s about educating yourselves and getting to the next level,” Collins said.
Although black females make up the vast majority of HIV and AIDS cases, emphasis should be placed on males according to Collins.
“We have to hold them to a higher standard, women who sleep with lots of men are judged, men who sleep with a lot of women are ‘the man,'” Collins said. “It’s about our ladies being ladies -it’s about respect.”