Education Law

Today is World AIDS Day

As we celebrate World AIDS Day today, we should be reminded that, although great strides have been made in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, this disease is still spreading and is still very serious.  HIV/AIDS can be debilitating to individuals and families, kill, and leave behind orphan kids and hurting economies for society at large.

World AIDS Day began in 1988 to help raise money, increase awareness, and fight prejudice related to HIV/AIDS.  This year?s theme is ?Universal Access and Human Rights,? as global leaders have pledged to work towards universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care, recognizing that these are fundamental human rights. According to Avert.org, the protection of human rights is essential to combating the global HIV and AIDS epidemic.  Violations of human rights fuel the spread of HIV, putting marginalized groups such as injecting drug users at higher risk for HIV infection.

For now, HIV/AIDS is still spreading rapidly in certain countries and among vulnerable U.S. populations.  During 2008, approximately 2.7 million people around the world became newly infected with the virus.  That?s why BoardBuzz thinks we should not be complacent about this disease, but deal with it as a never ending matter of urgency, especially among our student population.  According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.4 million people living with HIV around the world.  And, unfortunately, it is affecting young people disproportionately – around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and succumb to AIDS before they are 35.  In the U.S., in 2004 alone, an estimated 4,883 young people received a diagnosis of HIV infection or AIDS, representing about 13% of the persons given a diagnosis during that year.  

There are several factors that put our young people at risk for HIV/AIDS, including: early age at sexual initiation; heterosexual transmission; men who have sex with men (MSM); and sexually transmitted diseases, which increase a person?s likelihood of acquiring or transmitting the disease.  In addition, factors such as substance use (and IV drug use), lack of awareness, poverty, and low educational attainment can increase the likelihood of HIV transmission among youth.  Yes, that?s right, low educational attainment – research shows that young people who drop out of school are more likely to become sexually active at a younger age and to fail to use contraception, both of which put kids at risk for HIV infection.  Now there?s another good reason for policymakers to invest in keeping kids in school!

In preventing HIV/AIDS, ethnic/racial issues also need to be taken into consideration.  In the U.S., African Americans have been hit the hardest.  According to the CDC, in 2004, 55% of all HIV infections reported among persons aged 13-24 were of African Americans. 

To help celebrate World AIDS Day, the World AIDS Campaign website has a page that lists several events that will be taking place.  BoardBuzz believes that, in addition to holding events to help increase awareness of HIV/AIDS, schools can play a major role in helping kids steer away from behaviors that put them at risk for HIV infection by implementing a coordinated school health  approach that promotes such interventions as health education; family and community involvement; and counseling and psychological services ? all of which can help kids stay healthy and in school.

To learn more about how HIV/AIDS affects students, check out and download NSBA?s publication Living with HIV/AIDS: Students Tell Their Stories of Stigma, Courage, and Resilience. Please note that hard copies of this publication are no longer available. 

What are your schools doing to prevent HIV/AIDS?  Leave us a comment.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on December 01, 2009 (boomark / email).