World AIDS Awareness Day - December 1st

Today is World AIDS Awareness Day and I really wanted to put up a quick post about it. AIDS is not a joke. I was watching on TV today that Thailand starts its sex education for school kids at the age of 9. To me, that was a surprise because I thought 12 or 13 was the usual age, in places where it is undertaken at all, that is. Kids today are growing up much faster than they should, and whether due to peer pressure or not, exploring the experiences of sex can lead them to indulging in unsafe and/or unprotected sex - and they really should be equipped to understand the implications of their actions. More schools need to spread sex education, in my opinion, more so in a country like India where talk of sex with one's children is very rarely done, even among the upper middle class. By not educating your children about sex and AIDS, you are being unfair to them and increase the chances of them getting wrong information from someone else.

In today's world, it is not fair or even true to say that homosexuals have higher chances of contracting AIDS, as I am sure most people are aware. In the Western world, surprisingly, the incidence of AIDS is sometimes higher among homosexuals, but in countries like India, China and most parts of Africa, it is heterosexuals that are more affected, and many are unknowingly exposed to the virus, especially women.

The ONLY 3 methods of contracting the HIV virus are from a mother to unborn child, through the use of unsterilised syringes and unprotected sex with a partner who has the virus. It is your right, and within your power, to ensure that you have safe sex.

Please use a condom.