In a New York Times article, Kofi A. Annan, the secretary general of the United Nations, said, "Every day lost is a day when 10,000 more people become infected with HIV. We can beat this disease, and we must."
Shelley White, a Teaching assistant in the sociology department, repeated these poignant lines last Tuesday night at the panel discussion "AIDS Today," sponsored by the AIDS Awareness Committee (ACC). This panel was a part of their weeklong promotion of World AIDS Day and took place on Saturday.
The campaign sought to spread awareness of the gravity of the HIV/AIDS situation on a global and local scale. Events, such as the panel, and the showing of the movie "3 Needles," discussed the impact of HIV/AIDS on various groups of people. The goal of these events was to illustrate the broad span of people who are affected by HIV/AIDS.
"I think [AIDS] is a complex and pressing issue that involves several groups. People come to the issue from many different backgrounds," said Jessica Riggin, AAC co-president and A&S '08.
The week culminated with a benefit concert on Sunday night featuring several musical and dance groups from Boston College. The proceeds of the concert went to Camp Safe Haven, a refuge for children whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS. The purpose of all of the events was to spread knowledge about HIV/AIDS and its many effects.
Many of the speakers at the "AIDS Today" panel emphasized the need to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS prevention. An estimated 2.1 million people worldwide will die of the virus this year; approximately half of those people will be under the age of 25.
Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, the director of AIDS research at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said the AIDS virus will not be disappearing any time soon. He said that recently, AIDS has transitioned from an epidemic to an endemic, meaning that the number of infected people has hit a very high plateau. This number does not discriminate.
"People need to understand that everyone is at risk. It is a huge public health dilemma," Kuritzkes said.
Becky Kostopoulos, special events coordinator for the AAC and CSON '10, said many BC students do not realize that everyone is at risk.
In fact, the average college student falls into the age group in which the majority of people who are HIV positive are diagnosed. One of the panelists, a woman named Brenda, was a college student studying broadcasting not too many years ago.
Now, she is living with HIV, which she contracted as a college student. In the telling of her story, Brenda gave the virus a face.
White noted that associating an actual person with HIV/AIDS reduces the stigma of the disease, which is still present in today's society. In fact, this stigma has been weighted with a moral significance. The panelists illustrated the tremendous negative impact that stigma has on people who are dealing with AIDS. "If people are made to think that they are immoral [because they have been diagnosed with HIV], there's a lot of weight placed on it," said Rosanna Demarco, an associate nursing professor who works with African-American women who are HIV-positive.
For that reason, Brenda has devoted her life to working with people who have been diagnosed with HIV. "I want to stop the stigma that continues. I don't want another to feel what I felt when I got diagnosed," she said.
The AIDS Awareness Committee joins Brenda in the fight to eliminate the stigma of HIV/AIDS. "The week [promoting World AIDS Day] is geared towards getting rid of the stigma. It shouldn't be something that discriminates," Kostopoulos said. She went on to comment that the ACC's goal is to make students aware in any way possible. "HIV cannot be put in people's faces enough."
One way that they are accomplishing this goal is by providing information about services in the area that pertain to HIV/AIDS. HIV testing is available on campus. They also hope to publicize a list of local places where students can obtain condoms. Demarco is working to organize a panel on "Sexual Health at BC." "It's important to talk about issues that are awkward and uncomfortable," she said.
By talking about this "awkward and uncomfortable" issue, students can begin to work to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. During the panel, White encouraged students to do research and voice their opinions about AIDS funding to the government. Students need to gain awareness in order to make a change. Lindsey Hennawi, an AIDS Awareness Committee member and A&S '11, believes that, with a little help, BC students can make a difference.
"One of the things I love about BC is that people are aware and willing to help," she said. "You just need to reach out to them."
Be the first to comment on this article!