Of the more than one million people living with HIV in the U.S., one in five does not know they have it.
As students, we need to educate ourselves and our friends about the disease. People must understand that they are at risk.
Florida ranks third in the nation for the greatest number of people infected with HIV. According to the Florida Department of Health, Alachua County has about 1,000 known cases, 16 percent of which are between the ages of 20 to 29 and 18 percent of which are people over 50 - yes, contrary to what young people like to think, our parents and grandparents are still having sex.
You cannot contract the virus from a handshake, sneeze or kiss. Nor can you get it if your bottom brushes against the toilet seat. But you can get it from sharing needles or having unprotected sex.
As students, we think of ourselves as "responsible adults." But we use our education as a shield to defend our behavior and deflect the HIV "label" onto others.
Don't let education fool you. Members of our UF community are also members of the HIV community. And they should not be stigmatized when many who call themselves "responsible" engage in risky behavior all the time.
"Does education help? Yes, people know [about the virus], but there are underlying issues," said Teresa White, Minority AIDS Coordinator at the Alachua County Department of Health. "You don't have to be promiscuous. They think, ‘Just this once,' and then, when you add alcohol or drugs or too much trust, now we have the situation we have."
And if you have or have had another sexually transmitted disease, you are at an even higher risk.
HIV does not discriminate. Heterosexuals account for 31 percent of new infections, and women account for 27 percent. Though certain minorities have higher prevalence rates, the virus infects every ethnic group and race.
"If you are having oral, anal or vaginal sex with multiple people, you are at risk," White said.
It's about adding sexual health to your list of personal values, she said. The stigmas associated with condoms and getting tested should not interfere with caring for your body.
GatorWell provides free and confidential testing, not to mention an assortment of condoms, lubricants and dental dams. There is also free testing every third Thursday from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at BODYTECH Tattooing and Piercing on University Avenue downtown.
Sexuality is a sensitive subject, but do not let fear of embarrassment stop you from protecting your health.
"Testing should be a regular part of your sexual health screening," White said. "Somebody who asks you to get tested is a good person. People get offended. They shouldn't."
White has seen an increase in the number of students getting tested because they realize they are at risk.
"Until people can realize that, they'll be in denial," she said.
Two decades ago, an HIV diagnosis was a death sentence, but now it is seen as a chronic disease that is certainly manageable with antiretroviral drugs. The sooner you get tested, the sooner you can receive medication and do your part to prevent transmission.
You want to be truly "responsible?"
Get educated. Speak up. Use a condom. Get tested. Join the fight.
Daniela Abratt is a journalism senior at UF.
