8/29/18

#Sicking Misconceptions: Part 5

The American education system is doing a terrible job. More money on schools that work, training teachers, educational supplies, and replacing the broken system with one that works and less on bombs.

"All men who sleep with men have H.IV and maybe even A.I.D.S." This is just statistically unlikely and actual impossible. There are societies that are untouched by the rest of the world and they have gays too. But I get where this sterotype comes from. The History of the AIDS epidemic is horrifying. Due to the millions of deaths, fear, and activism, medicine has made great strides concerning HIV/AIDS. There are medicines for people who are infected that they can take (if physically and economically accessible) that can keep thier viral load undetectable. as an HIV-positive person’s viral load goes down, the chance of transmitting HIV goes down. Viral load is the amount of HIV in the blood of someone who is HIV-positive. When the viral load is very low, it is called viral suppression. Undetectable viral load is when the amount of HIV in the blood is so low that it can’t be measured. Having a very low or undetectable viral load are much less likely to transmit HIV, about .1% of a chance. Condoms are super helpful in preventing new infections, 99.9% effective when used correctly. There is PrEP, which someone takes everyday (at basically the same time everyday), to significantly lower their chances of being infected. PrEP means Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, and it's the use of anti-HIVmedications to keep HIV negative people from becoming infected. Studies have shown that PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90% when used consistently. Among people who inject drugs, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by more than 70% when used consistently. However, HIV strains have been mutating and new strains have not been responding to the current version of Prep. There is also PEP. It's lik the morning after pill (Google it if you don't know what the morning after pill is), but for HIV. PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) means taking antiretroviral medicines (ART) after being potentially exposed to HIV to prevent becoming infected. PEP should be used only in emergency situations and must be started within 72 hours after a recent possible exposure to HIV. It is most effective within 12 hours of exposure and strictly following the treatment plan. Research (researchers in San Francisco possibly this these two Merchant RC, Mayer KH.) shows under those conditions its 99% effective. One will need to take it once or twice daily for 28 days. If you think you’ve recently been exposed to HIV during sex or through sharing needles and works to prepare drugs or if you’ve been sexually assaulted, talk to your health care provider or an emergency room doctor about PEP right away. As a demographic gay men and lesbians in America are the least likely world wide to get new infections. Key populations (Sex workers, prisoners, ect) and their sexual partners account for:
- 47% of new HIV infections globally.
- 95% of new HIV infections in eastern Europe and central Asia and the Middle East and North Africa.
- 16% of new HIV infections in eastern and southern Africa.
- the black people Aka: African Americans, African British people, African Canadians, black people in african countries (not white or other Africans) make up the staggering majority of new infections globally

Queer people who have physical and economical access to sexual health services, tend to be very healthy when it comes to sexual health. Queers get regularly tested more often, use protection more often, treat infections quicker, notify others quicker, and quickly spread information if there is an outbreak better than almost any other demographic, the only ones doing better are doctors and porn stars.

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