According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AIDS is the leading cause of death among African Americans. African Americans die from HIV/AIDS related illnesses more than any other disease or race. Religious, economic, and social obstacles have increased the inequality in healthcare. There is a stigma that surrounds the African American community as it pertains to HIV/AIDS. This stigma prevents African Americans from obtaining accurate information on prevention and combating the disease. In many cases African Americans are diagnosed too late, receive inadequate care, and benefit last from new treatments. Because there are so many intricacies of HIV /AIDS treatment, opportunistic infections, and social issues, it’s time we know the facts.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV stops the body’s ability to fight infections, cancers and many other diseases. Many people have been infected for years without any symptoms. Even though there are no symptoms present, HIV can still be passed to others. AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. AIDS is the last and fatal stage of the HIV disease. Now that we know what it is and how it’s spread, why are our women, our people are still dieing at catastrophic rates? It’s because of social and cultural conditioning. The problem is institutional and internalized homophobia with brathas living on the Down Low. It is misinterpreted scriptures and hypocritical religion. The problem is the lack of accurate information, economic and healthcare disparities. The problem is the continued belief that HIV/AIDS is a Gay White Male Disease!

We as a community must unite as one. We must find ways to collectively end this new African Holocaust. It is every Black woman, man, and child’s responsibility to fight HIV/AIDS in our communities. Knowledge is our power. There is no armor quite like knowledge. HIV/AIDS is swallowing our race at massive proportions. It has spread through our communities because of homophobia and not enough African Americans are trying to prevent it! Get the knowledge, and then get involved. Use yourself, your voice to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

As a parent, it is important that you learn about the process of teaching AIDS prevention to your teenager. In today’s world, it is not at all uncommon for a teenager to engage in some type of sexual activity. These activities may include oral sex, anal sex, and vaginal sex.

In many instances, the information that teenagers have comes directly from their peers and not from adults who are well versed on the topics and situations that they are dealing with. While discussing sex and sexual related activities may prove to be quite embarrassing or uncomfortable, it is a necessity. The talk that you have is one of the best AIDS prevention techniques when it comes to protecting your teenager.

If you are teaching your teen about AIDS prevention, it is important to know and understand that there are many lifestyle choices that your teen may engage in that could put them at risk for contracting AIDS. One of the most common is substance abuse.

They may share needles to engage in drug activity, or they may end up engaging in sexual intercourse while experiencing the side effects of the substances that they are abusing. Additionally, the intercourse may be performed in an unprotected manner. If you are talking to your teen about AIDS prevention, discussing mild altering substances and the effects of those substances is important.

When discussing AIDS prevention with your teenager, it is important to ensure that they understand that by coming in contact with certain body fluids may pose an increased risk of infection. The fluids include the fluids emitted by a male during intercourse and when he ejaculates, secretions that are commonly found in the vagina, as well as blood.

You should inform the teen that certain items should never be shared. Any items that may have been subjected to body fluids like razors, bathing suits, toothbrushes, and items that are used to increase arousal during sexual activities. As you can see, there are many different areas of interest that should be covered when discussing AIDS prevention with your teenager.