Public Awareness

When HIV/AIDS was first seen in U.S. it was labeled as a "gay disease" because it was concentrated in a certain area and seen in men who had homosexual partners. Gay men were ridiculed and outcasted from society because the cause of the disease was unknown. In general people fear what they do not understand, and at this time little to nothing was known about HIV, where it came from, how it was transmitted, or how to cure it. Since the causative agent of HIV has been identified we have been able to begin to treat patients while educating the public. There are many organizations available to those interested in learning about HIV, support for those who have HIV, and ways to donate to research on the disease. It is now known that it is not a gay disease, that anyone can contract the disease if exposed to infected body fluids. By educating adolescence about HIV and other sexually transmitted disease before they become sexually active we can help to lower the incidence of disease.