Today the media is buzzing about World AIDS Day. Across the globe, progress against HIV has been made, but the fight against the disease is far from over. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates there are about 33 million people across the globe living with AIDS today, including approximately 1.1 million people in the United States. The CDC also estimates that about 7,500 people are infected with HIV everyday.
Drug abuse is known to lead to HIV infections. It has become common knowledge that the virus is transmitted through bodily fluids. When drug users share needles or other injection equipment with someone infected with HIV, the virus can be transmitted. Needle sharing is a dangerous, unsanitary practice that can lead to other complications, as well.
“Although injection drug use is well known in this regard, the role that non-injection drug abuse plays more generally in the spread of HIV is less recognized,” says the National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens. Being intoxicated by drugs or alcohol reduces a person’s inhibitions and ability to make sound judgments. This changed state of body and mind impels the risky behaviors that a person would otherwise not normally carry out, such as sharing needles or unsafe sex. Teens are not immune to developing AIDS. In 2004, the CDC found approximately 4,883 young adults between the ages of 13 to 24 were diagnosed with either AIDS or HIV.
The NIDA for Teens website further explains that because illegal drugs have a biological effect on the human body, they change how HIV affects a person. Particularly, drug abusers with AIDS that are using Meth have shown increased brain and neurological problems. People living with HIV or AIDS are encouraged to seek rehab for their addiction to reduce these medical issues.
There’s a lot each of us can do to help stop the relentless spreading of AIDS. The World Aids Campaign, AIDS.gov, and joinred.com are all great places to get more information.
Drug abuse rehabilitation is the front line in the fight against AIDS