From the Executive Director: 25 Things You Might Not Know About HIV/AIDS
The AIDS Council of Northeastern New York is marking its 25th year of service to the community. Throughout the past 25 years, many things have changed in the fight against HIV/AIDS, while some things have remained just as daunting, puzzling and horrifying as ever. Over the next week, I will be sharing 25 things you might not know about HIV/AIDS. These first five facts may seem obvious, but it is important to know exactly what hasn’t changed in the past 25 years:
1. There is no cure.
No medication, therapy, or surgical procedure exists that will eliminate HIV infection from the body. The development of Highly Active AntiRetroviral Therapy (HAART)– a combination of drugs that work together to suppress the effects of HIV on the body – has allowed many people to live longer with the disease, but does not “cure” someone’s HIV infection. For many people, medical treatment involves significant unpleasant side effects from the medications such as nausea, diarrhea, and sleep disturbances.
2. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate.
HIV infection cuts across all racial, cultural, gender, socioeconomic, sexual orientation and religious boundaries. HIV/AIDS is a world-wide pandemic, meaning it is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations around the world. National borders, oceans, and even government edicts and travel restrictions have not – and will not – stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
3. The AIDS epidemic is real.
Despite some claims to the contrary, scientific study and consensus have shown that HIV – the human immunodeficiency virus – is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease. AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It can take years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment, to reach this stage. Having AIDS means that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult time fighting infection. When someone has one or more specific infections, certain cancers, or a very low number of T cells, he or she is considered to have AIDS.
4. You can’t tell someone is infected with HIV just by looking at him/her.
Someone can look and feel healthy but still be infected.
5. HIV cannot be passed on through casual contact.
HIV is a fragile virus. It cannot live for very long outside the body. As a result, the virus is not transmitted through day-to-day activities such as shaking hands, hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, drinking fountain, doorknob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. You also cannot get HIV from mosquitoes.
Tomorrow, I will pass along 5 facts about HIV infection rates in the United States.
Michele McClave, Executive Director of the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York, has more than twenty-five years of progressively responsible experience in human services delivery and management, organizational leadership, program development, grant writing, advocacy and direct service with diverse client populations. She has 20 years experience in the field of HIV/AIDS. She created the Ryan White HIV Care Network for Northeastern New York, a consortium of HIV service providers and was the first Director of Client Services at the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York. She was the AIDS Council’s Deputy Executive Director from 1994 to 1999 and appointed Executive Director in June 2000. Under her leadership at the AIDS Council, the agency has more than doubled in size and scope of services. The agency is a leader in the field of HIV/AIDS, particularly in providing cutting edge HIV prevention to high-risk individuals, including HIV and STD testing in community based settings. Ms. McClave is responsible for a $4.5 million annual budget and a staff of 82 in five offices throughout a 15 county area. She is committed to excellence in management and service delivery, holistic provision of services to clients and positive community relations. Ms. McClave is Vice-chair of the Tech Valley Non-Profit Business Council of the Albany-Colonie and Schenectady Chambers of Commerce. Ms. McClave has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Pennsylvania State University and a Masters of Social Work from SUNY Albany’s School of Social Welfare.